Apparatus and method for the application of a material layer to display devices

Apparatus for the application of a layer of material by sputter deposition onto an organic electroluminescent device, said device including a substrate having an anode layer and an electroluminescent layer applied directly or indirectly thereto, said apparatus including a holder for the device and on which the device is located in a coating chamber, said coating chamber including at least one target of the material to be deposited onto the device, said target provided as part of an unbalanced magnetron, said coating chamber including at least one other magnetron and/or magnet array and wherein said magnetrons and/or magnetic array are mutually located in the coating chamber such that the polarity of the outer or ring magnet of a first magnetron or magnet array is the opposite to the polarity of the outer or ring magnet or at least one magnetron or magnet array adjacent thereto and the layer of material is applied in the coating chamber onto the exposed outer surface of the device formed by the electroluminescent layer or onto a barrier layer overlying said electroluminescent layer.

Apparatus for the application of a layer of material by sputter deposition onto an organic electroluminescent device, said device including an electroluminescent layer applied directly or indirectly to a substrate, said apparatus including a holder for the device and in which the device is located in a coating chamber, said coating chamber including at least one target of the material to be deposited onto the device, said target provided as part of an unbalanced magnetron, said coating chamber including at least one other magnetron and/or magnet array and wherein said magnetron and/or magnet array are mutually located in the coating chamber such that the polarity of the outer or ring magnets of the first magnetron or magnet array is the opposite to the polarity of the outer or ring magnet of at least one magnetron or magnet array adjacent thereto.

A method for the application of material to form a layer of an electronic or optoelectronic device, said method including the steps of placing the device to which the material is to be applied in a coating chamber, introducing a gas or gasses into the coating chamber, operating one or a series of unbalanced magnetrons in the coating chamber which may also be used to sputter deposit the said material from at least one material target associated with the unbalanced magnetron in a directed manner onto the device.

An OLED device having a layer of electroluminescent polymer onto which is applied directly or indirectly, a layer of material, said material applied using a closed field unbalanced magnetron method.

A method of forming an electrode for an electronic or opto electronic device, said method including the sputter deposition of a material from at least one target to form an electrode layer in a closed field magnetron and/or magnet array configuration in a coating chamber.

A method of depositing material to form a layer as part of an electronic or optoelectronic device, said method allowing the deposition of material from a magnetron target and including the steps of generating a plasma in a coating chamber and contacting a substrate of the device with the plasma which is generated to form a layer of the material on the substrate.

A method for depositing a layer of material onto an electronic device to form a layer which in use of the device acts as an electrode, said method including the steps of placing the device into a coating chamber having at least one target for the material to be deposited, providing the target as part of a magnetron in the coating chamber and operating the magnetron as part of a closed field configuration to sputter deposit material onto the device to form the layer.

A method for the application of material to form a layer of an electronic or optoelectronic device, said method including the steps of placing a substrate to which the material is to be applied in a coating chamber, introducing a gas or gasses into the coating chamber and operating a magnetron and/or magnet array in the coating chamber to sputter deposit the said material from at least one material target associated with the magnetron and/or magnet array, wherein the magnetron and/or magnet array are arranged such that the polarity of an outer magnet of a first magnetron and/or magnet array is the opposite of the polarity of the outer magnet of at least one magnetron or magnet array adjacent thereto.