Vapor deposition of a layer

• US 7,951,421 B2
• Filed: 04/20/2006
• Issued: 05/31/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/20/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Global OLED Technology LLC (LG Display Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Global OLED Technology LLC (LG Display Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Phelan, Giana M., Tyan, Yuan-Sheng, Cushman, Thomas R., Long, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Meeks; Timothy H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gambetta; Kelly M
• Application Number:
  US11/407,840
• Publication Number:
  US 20070248753A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,867 Days
• Field of Search: 427/248.1, 427/255.23, 427/255.25, 427/255.6, 427/255.7
• US Class Current: 427/248.1
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/12 Organic material
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/246 Replenishment of source material
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/19 Tandem OLEDs
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/32 Stacked devices having two or more layers, each emitting at different wavelengths

Abstract

A method of depositing a layer onto a substrate, comprising heating an evaporator to a temperature capable of completely evaporating the evaporant to be deposited, dispensing into the evaporator one or more quantized units of the evaporant where the evaporant is completely vaporized, providing an area vapor dispenser having a plurality of apertures, and directing the vaporized evaporant from the evaporator to the area vapor dispenser so that the evaporant is dispensed through the apertures to deposit the layer on the substrate.

Claims

1. A method of depositing a layer onto a substrate, comprising:

heating an evaporator to a temperature capable of completely evaporating the evaporant to be deposited;

dispensing into the evaporator one or more quantized units of the evaporant where the evaporant is completely vaporized;

providing an area vapor dispenser having a plurality of apertures; and

directing the evaporized evaporant from the evaporator to the area vapor dispenser so that the vaporant is dispensed through the apertures to deposit the layer on the substrate area;

wherein one or more shields are added under the area vapor dispenser and above the substrate to cool the evaporant, and the one or more shields have a plurality of cooling elements formed inside thereof.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein at least one of the quantized units contains two or more evaporants.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein more than one quantized unit is dispensed into the evaporator and wherein all the quantized units contain the same evaporant.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein more than one quantized unit is dispensed into the evaporator and wherein at least one of the quantized units contains an evaporant different from those in the other quantized units.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the evaporant is dispensed along with inert material or an inert carrier.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the evaporant is in the form of a solid piece, or solid particles, or solid particles pressed into a pellet, or solid particles suspended in an inert liquid, or solid particles dispersed in a super critical CO₂, or a solution.

7. The method according to claim 1, further including maintaining the pressure in the environment over the substrate during deposition at a sub-atmospheric pressure.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the evaporant is in solution and dispensed into the evaporator by an inkjet-type printhead.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein the area vapor dispenser functions as the evaporator.

10. A method of depositing multiple layers onto a substrate, comprising using the method of claim 1 for each layer.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein at least one of the quantized units contains two or more evaporants.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein more than one quantized unit is dispensed into the evaporator and wherein all the quantized units contain the same evaporant.

13. The method according to claim 11, wherein more than one quantized unit is dispensed into the evaporator and wherein at least one of the quantized units contains an evaporant different from those of the other quantized units.

14. The method according to claim 11, wherein the evaporant is dispensed along with inert material or an inert carrier.

15. The method according to claim 11, wherein the evaporant is in the form of a solid piece, or solid particles, or solid particles pressed into a pellet, or solid particles suspended in an inert liquid, or solid particles dispersed in a super critical CO₂, or a solution.

16. The method according to claim 11, further including maintaining the pressure in the environment over the substrate during deposition at a sub-atmospheric pressure.

17. The method according to claim 11, wherein the evaporant is in solution and dispensed into the evaporator by an inkjet-type printhead.