Applied Materials, Inc.

Applied Materials Gmbh & Co Kg

Applied Films Gmbh & Co. Kg

Unaxis Deutschland Holding Ag

Stefan Bangert

Byung-Sung Kwak

Dieter Haas

Andreas Lopp

Nety M Krishna

Uwe Schüssler

Jose Manuel Dieguez-Campo

Wolfgang Buschbeck

Michael Koenig

Omkaram Nalamasu

Tobias Stolley

Ralph Lindenberg

Uwe Schuessler

Ralf Hofmann

Kaushal Kishore Singh

Jürgen Henrich

Daniele Gislon

Stefan Keller

Tommaso Vercesi

Heike Landgraf

Oliver Heimel

Uwe Schüβler

Michael Konig

Winfried Hoffmann

Frank Fuchs

Helmut Grimm

Thomas Deppisch

Thomas Gebele

Andreas Sauer

Uwe Hoffmann

Jörg Krempel-Hesse

Michael König

Jürgen Ulrich

Elisabeth Budke

Reiner Gertmann

Markus Hanika

Johannes Beul

Karl-Albert Keim

Harald Rost

Harald Wurster

Jurgen Schroeder

Jürgen Honekamp

Michael K&ouml;nig

Ramgopal Chakkaravarthy Ramasamy

Marcel Martini

Lukas Kremser

Suresh Manikkoth Kollarath

Tamara Heintz

Byung-sung Leo Kwak

Uwe SCHÜßLER

Norbert Spatz

José Manuel Dieguez-Campo

Uwe Schueßler

An evaporation apparatus is described, particularly for evaporating a reactive material such as lithium. The evaporation apparatus includes an evaporation crucible for evaporating a liquid material, a material conduit for supplying the liquid material to the evaporation crucible, and a valve configured to close the material conduit by solidifying a part of the liquid material in the material conduit with a cooling device. The valve may include a cooling gas supply for a cooling gas, and the cooling device may be configured to cool the liquid material with the cooling gas. Further described are a vapor deposition apparatus for coating a substrate as well as an evaporation method.

Evaporation apparatus, vapor deposition apparatus, and evaporation method

A material deposition apparatus for depositing an evaporated material onto a substrate is provided. The material deposition apparatus includes a processing drum having a cooler configured to control a substrate temperature during processing of a substrate on the processing drum; a roller guiding the substrate towards the processing drum; a first heater assembly positioned to heat the substrate in a free-span area between the roller and the processing drum; a second heater assembly positioned to heat the substrate while being supported on the processing drum; at least one deposition source provided along a substrate transport path downstream of the second heater assembly; a substrate speed sensor providing a speed signal correlating with a substrate transportation speed; and a controller having an input for the speed signal configured to control at least the first heater assembly.

Material deposition apparatus, method of depositing material on a substrate, and material deposition system

A roller for transporting a flexible substrate is described. The roller includes a first coolant supply for cooling a first part of the roller and a second coolant supply for cooling a second part and a third part of the roller. The first part is provided between the second part and the third part. Additionally, a vacuum processing apparatus including a roller and a method of cooling a roller are described.

Roller for transporting a flexible substrate, vacuum processing apparatus, and method of cooling a roller

A temperature-controlled shield for an evaporation source is described. The temperature-controlled shield is configured to provide a pre-heating zone or a post-cooling zone.

Temperature-controlled shield, material deposition apparatus and method for depositing a material onto a substrate

A flanged joint is described. The flanged joint has a first flange member with a first sealing surface and a second flange member with a second sealing surface. The flanged joint further has a hollow-metal gasket between the first flange member and the second flange member, and a spacer between the first flange member and the second flange member. The spacer defines a minimum distance between the first flange member and the second flange member. The flanged joint can be configured to seal a metal-conveying volume.

Flanged joint and method of fluidly connecting two components

One or more heating assemblies for a material deposition apparatus for pre-heating a substrate before entering a material deposition area and/or for post-heating the substrate after exiting the material deposition area are described.

Material deposition apparatus having at least one heating assembly and method for pre- and/or post-heating a substrate

A vapor deposition apparatus is described. The vapor deposition apparatus includes a substrate support for supporting a substrate to be coated; a vapor source with a plurality of nozzles for directing vapor toward the substrate support through a vapor propagation volume; and a heatable shield extending from the vapor source toward the substrate support. The heatable shield surrounds the vapor propagation volume at least partially and includes an edge exclusion portion for masking areas of the substrate not to be coated. The substrate support may be a rotatable drum with a curved drum surface, and the vapor deposition apparatus may be configured to move the substrate on the curved drum surface past the vapor source in a circumferential direction.

Vapor deposition apparatus and method for coating a substrate in a vacuum chamber

A mask arrangement for masking a substrate in a processing chamber is provided. The mask arrangement includes a mask frame having one or more frame elements and is configured to support a mask device, wherein the mask device is connectable to the mask frame; and at least one actuator connectable to at least one frame element of the one or more frame elements, wherein the at least one actuator is configured to apply a force to the at least one frame element.

Mask arrangement for masking a substrate in a processing chamber, apparatus for depositing a layer on a substrate, and method for aligning a mask arrangement for masking a substrate in a processing chamber

A depositing arrangement for evaporation of a material is disclosed herein. The depositing arrangement has an alkali metal or alkaline earth metal for deposition of the material on a substrate. The deposition arrangement has a first chamber configured for liquefying the material; a valve being in fluid communication with the first chamber, and being downstream of the first chamber, wherein the valve is configured for control of the flow rate of the liquefied material through the valve. The deposition arrangement has an evaporation zone being in fluid communication with the valve, and being downstream of the valve, wherein the evaporation zone is configured for vaporizing the liquefied material; a heating unit to heat the material to higher temperatures before providing the liquid material in the evaporation zone; and one or more outlets for directing the vaporized material towards the substrate.

Evaporator, deposition arrangement, deposition apparatus and methods of operation thereof

A holding arrangement for supporting a substrate carrier and a mask carrier during layer deposition in a processing chamber is provided. The holding arrangement includes two or more alignment actuators connectable to at least one of the substrate carrier and the mask carrier, wherein the holding arrangement is configured to support the substrate carrier in, or parallel to, a first plane, wherein a first alignment actuator of the two or more alignment actuators is configured to move the substrate carrier and the mask carrier relative to each other at least in a first direction, wherein a second alignment actuator of the two or more alignment actuators is configured to move the substrate carrier and the mask carrier relative to each other at least in the first direction and a second direction different from the first direction, and wherein the first direction and the second direction are in the first plane.

Holding arrangement for supporting a substrate carrier and a mask carrier during layer deposition in a processing chamber, apparatus for depositing a layer on a substrate, and method for aligning a substrate carrier supporting a substrate and a mask carrier

A sputter deposition source for sputter deposition in a vacuum chamber is described. The source includes a wall portion of the vacuum chamber; a target providing a material to be deposited during the sputter deposition; an RF power supply for providing RF power to the target; a power connector for connecting the target with the RF power supply; and a conductor rod extending through the wall portion from inside of the vacuum chamber to outside of the vacuum chamber, wherein the conductor rod is connected to one or more components inside of the vacuum chamber and wherein the conductor rod is connected to the RF power supply outside of the vacuum chamber to generate a defined RF return path through the conductor rod.

Sputter deposition source, apparatus for sputter deposition and method of assembling thereof

A method of operating a deposition apparatus is provided. The method comprises: Deposition of an evaporated source material on a substrate by guiding the evaporated source material from one or more outlets of an evaporation source toward the substrate, wherein part of the evaporated source material is blocked by and attaches to a shielding device arranged between the one or more outlets and the substrate, followed by a cleaning of the shielding device by at least locally heating the shielding device for releasing at least part of the attached source material from the shielding device. According to a further aspect, a deposition apparatus is provided that can be operated according to the described methods.

Methods of operating a deposition apparatus, and deposition apparatus

A magnetic handling assembly for thin-film processing of a substrate, a system and method for assembling and disassembling a shadow mask to cover a top of a workpiece for exposure to a processing condition. The assembly may include a magnetic handling carrier and a shadow mask disposed over, and magnetically coupled to, the magnetic handling carrier to cover a top of a workpiece that is to be disposed between the shadow mask and the magnetic handling carrier when exposed to a processing condition. A system includes a first chamber with a first support to hold the shadow mask, a second support to hold a handling carrier, and an alignment system to align the shadow mask a workpiece to be disposed between the carrier and shadow mask. The first and second supports are moveable relative to each other.

Shadow mask alignment and management system

The present disclosure generally provides a method for forming a photovoltaic device including evaporating a source material to form a large molecule processing gas and flowing the large molecule processing gas through a gas distribution showerhead and into a processing area of a processing chamber having a substrate therein. The method includes generating a small molecule processing gas, and reacting the small molecule processing gas with a film already deposited on a substrate surface to form a semiconductor film. Additionally, apparatuses that may use the methods are also provided to enable continuous inline CIGS type solar cell formation.

Methods for plasma activation of evaporated precursors in a process chamber

A system for depositing one or more layers, particularly layers including organic materials therein, is described. The system includes a load lock chamber for loading a substrate to be processed, a transfer chamber for transporting the substrate, a vacuum swing module provided between the load lock chamber and the transfer chamber, at least one deposition apparatus for depositing material in a vacuum chamber of the at least one deposition chamber, wherein the at least one deposition apparatus is connected to the transfer chamber; a further load lock chamber for unloading the substrate that has been processed, a further transfer chamber for transporting the substrate, a further vacuum swing module provided between the further load lock chamber and the further transfer chamber, and a carrier return track from the further vacuum swing module to the vacuum swing module, wherein the carrier return track is configured to transport the carrier under vacuum conditions and/or under a controlled inert atmosphere.

System for depositing one or more layers on a substrate supported by a carrier and method using the same

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Steinau, Germany

Stefan Bangert