High vacuum OLED deposition source and system

• US 9,142,778 B2
• Filed: 11/15/2013
• Issued: 09/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Universal Display Corporation
• Original Assignee: Universal Display Corporation
• Inventors: Quinn, William E., McGraw, Gregory, Harikrishna Mohan, Siddharth
• Primary Examiner(s): Nhu, David
• Application Number:
  US14/081,161
• Publication Number:
  US 20150140832A1
• Time in Patent Office: 676 Days
• Field of Search: 438/82, 438/91, 438/99, 438/77, 438/477, 438/509, 438/515, 438/518, 438/780, 438/781, 438/700, 257/40, 257/642, 257/643, 257/759, 257/E21.006, 257/E21.007, 257/E21.077, 257/E21.053, 257/E21.126, 257/E21.127, 257/E21.222, 257/E21.259, 257/E21.267, 257/E21.352
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/042 using masks
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 14/12 Organic material
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/00 Manufacture or treatment specially adapted for the organic devices covered by this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/166 using selective deposition, e.g. using a mask

Abstract

Sources, devices, and techniques for deposition of organic layers, such as for use in an OLED, are provided. A vaporizer may vaporize a material between cooled side walls and toward a mask having an adjustable mask opening. The mask opening may be adjusted to control the pattern of deposition of the material on a substrate, such as to correct for material buildup that occurs during deposition. Material may be collected from the cooled side walls for reuse.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

a first thermal vaporizer;

a mask assembly comprising an adjustable mask opening and disposed not more than a distance 5 W from the first thermal vaporizer, wherein W is the width of the mask assembly; and

a first plurality of cooled side walls disposed between the first thermal vaporizer and the mask assembly and defining a material sublimation region.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein mask assembly is disposed not more than 4 W from the first thermal vaporizer.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the mask assembly is disposed at least 100 μ

m-1 cm from the first thermal vaporizer.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the mask assembly is disposed 1 mm-5 mm from the material source.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the mask assembly comprises a plurality of components moveable relative to one another to adjust the area of the mask opening.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the mask opening is adjustable between a fully closed position and an open position.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein, when the mask opening is fully closed, source material provided by the first thermal vaporizer is entirely prevented from passing through the mask.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the mask opening has a maximum area of not more than 50% of the area of the mask.

9. The device of claim 1, further comprising an organic material source disposed within the first thermal vaporizer.

10. The device of claim 1, further comprising a second vaporizer.

11. The device of claim 10, further comprising a second plurality of cooled side walls disposed between the second vaporizer and the mask assembly.

12. The device of claim 10, each vaporizer configured to vaporize a separate material.

13. The device of claim 1, further comprising a vacuum source in fluid communication with the material sublimation region.

14. The device of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the mask assembly is cooled.

15. A deposition system comprising:

a device as recited in claim 1; and

a target substrate;

wherein the mask assembly has an area less than the area of the target substrate.

16. A method for fabricating a device, the method comprising:

vaporizing a first material between a first plurality of cooled side walls and toward a mask assembly having an adjustable mask opening and disposed not more than a distance 5 W from the first material, wherein W is a width of the mask assembly.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

changing the width of the adjustable mask opening.

18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

vaporizing a second material toward the mask assembly.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

rastering a substrate relative to the mask and source assembly containing a second material to cover a surface of a substrate.

20. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

rastering a substrate relative to the mask and source assembly containing a first material to cover a surface of a substrate.