Optoelectronic devices having electrode films and methods and system for manufacturing the same

• US 8,845,866 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2005
• Issued: 09/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Yan, Min, Erlat, Ahmet Gun, Liu, Jie
• Primary Examiner(s): RALEIGH, DONALD L
• Application Number:
  US11/316,267
• Publication Number:
  US 20070159065A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,204 Days
• Field of Search: 427/282, 427569-579, 428/212, 428/217, 428/218, 428/220, 204/192.1, 204/298.01
• US Class Current: 204/192.1
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/044 using masks to redistribute rather than totally prevent coating, e.g. producing thickness gradient
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/086 of zinc, germanium, cadmium, indium, tin, thallium or bismuth
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/35 by application of a magnetic field, e.g. magnetron sputtering C23C14/3457 takes precedence

Abstract

A method and system for DC magnetron sputtering deposition of films on plastic substrates. The method includes using a shield to block deposition in a spatial region corresponding to a plasma region formed during magnetron sputtering. An optoelectronic device including an amorphous electrode film is also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method of making an electrode film, the method comprising:

providing a target;

moving a substrate relative to the target;

positioning a shield to preferentially block a spatial region of sputtered target material from depositing on the substrate, wherein the spatial region corresponds to a higher density plasma region of plasma formed during DC magnetron sputtering, wherein the shield is held stationary relative to the target; and

DC magnetron sputtering said target to deposit an electrode film on the substrate.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein positioning a shield comprises positioning a shield with a predetermined geometry in a predetermined position between the plasma and the substrate.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the predetermined geometry comprises a disc.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the predetermined geometry comprises a disc with an aperture.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the shield comprises material comprising metals or ceramic, or any combination thereof.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the shield is embedded into the target.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the target comprises a shield with a deposit of sputtered target material blocked by the shield.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the target comprises material comprising a metal or metal oxide or any combination thereof.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the target comprises material comprising indium tin oxide, tin oxide, indium oxide, zinc oxide, cadmium oxide, alumimum oxide, gallium oxide, indium zinc oxide, tungsten oxide, molybdenum oxide, titanium oxide, or vanadium oxide or any combination thereof.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the target comprises material comprising aluminum, platinum, gold, silver, or lanthanide series metals, or alloys thereof or any combination thereof.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprising using a shadow mask to deposit in a pattern the sputtered target material onto the substrate.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the electrode film comprises indium tin oxide, tin oxide, indium oxide, zinc oxide, aluminum oxide, gallium oxide, cadmium oxide, tungsten oxide, molybdenum oxide, titanium oxide, or vanadium oxide or indium zinc oxide, or any combination thereof.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising rotating a substrate holder holding a target about a rotation center during sputtering.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein DC magnetron sputtering a target comprises sputtering at a temperature of less than about 200 degrees C.

15. A deposition system comprising:

a vacuum chamber;

a DC magnetron sputter target;

a substrate holder to hold a substrate, wherein the substrate holder is capable of rotating about a rotation center; and

a shield to preferentially block a spatial region of sputtered target material from depositing on the substrate, wherein the spatial region corresponds to a higher density plasma region of plasma formed during DC magnetron sputtering;

wherein the shield is held stationary relative to the target

wherein the DC magnetron sputter target, the substrate holder and the shield are disposed within the vacuum chamber.

16. The deposition system of claim 15, wherein the shield comprises a circular disc.

17. The deposition system of claim 15, wherein the shield comprises a disc with an aperture.

18. The deposition system of claim 15, wherein the shield is at a positive voltage with respect to the target.

19. The deposition system of claim 15, wherein the shield is coupled to the chamber wall.

20. The deposition system of claim 15, wherein the deposition system further comprises a shadow mask, wherein the shadow mask is stationary relative to the target.

21. An article comprising:

a plastic substrate; and

a high uniformity, high transparency, high flexibility, low resistivity amorphous film deposited on the plastic substrate, wherein the amorphous film comprises material comprising indium tin oxide, tin oxide, indium oxide, zinc oxide, or indium zinc oxide, aluminum oxide, gallium oxide, cadmium oxide, or any combination thereof.

22. An optoelectronic device comprising:

a plastic substrate;

an amorphous electrode film deposited on the plastic substrate, wherein the amorphous electrode film has a bulk resistivity less than about 1×

10<sup>−

3</sup> ohm-cm, less than about 5% variation in sheet resistance upon application of tensile or compressive bending and a transmittance greater than about 80% in the wavelength region from about 400 nm to about 700 nm; and

an optoelectronic layer.

23. The optoelectronic device of claim 22, wherein the amorphous electrode film comprises material comprising indium tin oxide, tin oxide, indium oxide, zinc oxide, or indium zinc oxide, aluminum oxide, gallium oxide, cadmium oxide, or any combination thereof.

24. The optoelectronic device of claim 22, wherein the optoelectronic device is an organic optoelectronic device.

25. The optoelectronic device of claim 24, wherein the optoelectronic device is a light emitting device, a photovoltaic device, or an electrochromic device, or any combination thereof.

26. The optoelectronic device of claim 24, wherein the optoelectronic layer is a hole transport layer, a hole injection layer, an electron transport layer, an electron injection layers, a photoabsorption layers, a cathode layer, an anode layer or an electroluminescent layer or any combination thereof.