This application claims priority of Taiwanese Invention Patent Application No. 109126155, filed on Aug. 3, 2020.
The disclosure relates to a method of fabricating a thin film, more particularly to a method of fabricating a thin film with a varying thickness.
U.S. Pat. No. 9,804,310 B2 discloses a conventional method of manufacturing a one-dimensionally varying optical filter. In the conventional method, during coating of a film with varying thickness on a substrate, a shadow mask wafer having a one-dimensional array of wedge-shaped openings along a direction of reciprocation is arranged to reciprocate respective to the substrate in the direction of reciprocation. However, a device for driving reciprocating movement of the shadow mask wafer relative to the substrate might be relatively complicated (see FIG. 1 of the US reference). In addition, when a plurality of films are coated on the substrate through a plurality of the shadow mask wafers (see FIGS. 4 and 5 of the US reference), those films may not have the same gradient due to uneven distribution of a coating material in a coating chamber.
Peter Kiesel et al., in an article entitled “Compact, low-cost, and high-resolution interrogation unit for optical sensors,” APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS 89, p 201113-1 to p 201113-3 (2006) discloses that a coating with varying thickness may be formed by utilizing uneven distribution of a coating material in a coating chamber. However, the coating has a gradient that is hard to control, and thus, the coating is not suitable for mass production.
S.-W. Wang et al., in an article entitled “16×1 integrated filter array in the MIR region prepared by using a combinatorial etching technique,” Appl. Phys. B 82, p 637-p 641 (2006) discloses a film with a varying thickness made using a plurality of photolithography processes and a plurality of etching processes. However, the method for making the film is relatively complicated and the cost for making the film is relatively high.
S.-W. Wang et al., in an article entitled “128 channels of integrated filter array rapidly fabricated by using the combinatorial deposition technique,” Appl. Phys. B 88, 281-284 (2007) discloses a film with a varying thickness made using a plurality of shadow masks in a plurality of deposition processes. Similarly, the method for making the film is relatively complicated and the cost for making the film is relatively high.
Hence, there is a need to provide a method for mass production of a thin film with a varying thickness in a cost-effective way.
An object of the disclosure is to provide a novel method of fabricating a thin film with a varying thickness, which is relatively simple and low cost for mass production.
According to the disclosure, a method of fabricating a thin film with a varying thickness includes the steps of:
a) providing a shadow mask defining at least one radial line to a central point thereof, and having at least one opening, the opening defining a plurality of arcuate portions which extend respectively about the central point, and which are displaced from each other along the radial line;
b) providing a carrier plate which defines a rotation axis extending in an axial direction through the central point, and which is spaced apart from the shadow mask in the axial direction;
c) arranging on the carrier plate, at least one substrate which defines a first line to permit the first line to align with the radial line in the axial direction, the substrate having a plurality of first zones displaced from each other along the first line;
d) after step c), rotating the carrier plate relative to the shadow mask about the rotation axis to permit the first zones of the substrate to be swept and exposed from the arcuate portions of the opening per each turn by a plurality of predetermined exposure times, respectively; and
e) coating a material on the substrate through the opening of the shadow mask whilst implementing step d) to form on the substrate, a first thin film with a varying thickness along the first line corresponding to variation of the predetermined exposure times.
By virtue of the method of the disclosure, which includes steps of arranging the first line of the substrate with the radial line of the shadow mask in the axial direction, and rotating the carrier plate relative to the shadow mask, the varying thickness of the first thin film along the first line corresponds to the variation of the predetermined exposure times. Therefore, a gradient of the first thin film may be easily controlled and the method of the disclosure is suitable for mass production of the first thin film.
Other features and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent in the following detailed description of the embodiment(s) with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Before the disclosure is described in greater detail, it should be noted that where considered appropriate, reference numerals have been repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements, which may optionally have similar characteristics.
A method of fabricating a thin film with a varying thickness according to a first embodiment of the disclosure includes steps a) to e). The method of the disclosure may be used for forming an optical filter.
In step a), a shadow mask 1 as shown in
In step b), a carrier plate 2 as shown in
In step c), a substrate 3 is arranged on the carrier plate 2 (see
Step d) is implemented after step c). In step d), the carrier plate 2 is rotated relative to the shadow mask 1 about the rotation axis (RA) to permit the first zones 31 of the substrate 3 to be swept and exposed from the arcuate portions 11 of the opening 10 per each turn by a plurality of predetermined exposure times, respectively.
In step e), a material is coated on the substrate 3 through the opening 10 of the shadow mask 1 whilst implementing step d) to form on the substrate 3, a first thin film (not shown) with a varying thickness along the first line (X) corresponding to variation of the predetermined exposure times. The thus obtained first thin film may be used in an optical filter.
In an embodiment as shown in
In an embodiment as shown in
In an embodiment as shown in
In an embodiment as shown in
In an embodiment, the method may further include, before step d), steps d1) and d2).
In step d1), a drive axle 4 shown in
In step d2), a bearing unit 5 shown in
In an embodiment shown in
In an embodiment shown in
In an embodiment, in step c), the substrates 3 (shown in
By using the shadow mask 1 shown in
Therefore, the method of the disclosure is used for producing a plurality of thin films having substantially the same thickness gradient in a single batch.
In an embodiment shown in
Please note that although, in
By using the shadow mask 1 shown in
By using the shadow mask 1 shown in
In an embodiment shown in
Step f) is implemented after step e). In step f), the substrate 3 is arranged on the carrier plate 2 to permit the second line (Y) to be in line with the radial line (RL) in the axial direction (AD) (see also
Step g) is implemented after step f). In step g), the carrier plate 2 is rotated relative to the shadow mask 1 about the rotation axis (RA) to permit the second zones 32 of the substrate 3 to be swept and exposed from the arcuate portions 11 of the opening 10 per each turn by the plurality of predetermined exposure times, respectively.
In step h), the material is coated on the substrate 3 through the opening 10 of the shadow mask 1 whilst implementing step g) to form on the first thin film, a second thin film (not shown) with a varying thickness along the second line (Y) which correspond to a variation of the predetermined exposure times.
In an embodiment shown in
In sum, the method of the disclosure, which includes steps of arranging the first line (X) of the substrate 3 with the radial line (RL) of the shadow mask 1 in the axial direction (AD), and rotating the carrier plate 2 relative to the shadow mask 1, the varying thickness of the first thin film along the first line (X) corresponds to the variation of the predetermined exposure times. Therefore, a gradient of the first thin film may be easily controlled, and the method of the disclosure, which is cost-saving and relatively simple, is suitable for mass production as compared to conventional methods for forming a thin film with varying thickness.
In the description above, for the purposes of explanation, numerous specific details have been set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiment(s). It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art, that one or more other embodiments may be practiced without some of these specific details. It should also be appreciated that reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” “an embodiment,” an embodiment with an indication of an ordinal number and so forth means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic may be included in the practice of the disclosure. It should be further appreciated that in the description, various features are sometimes grouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in the understanding of various inventive aspects, and that one or more features or specific details from one embodiment may be practiced together with one or more features or specific details from another embodiment, where appropriate, in the practice of the disclosure.
While the disclosure has been described in connection with what is (are) considered the exemplary embodiment (s), it is understood that this disclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiment(s) but is intended to cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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109126155 | Aug 2020 | TW | national |
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Entry |
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20220033954 A1 | Feb 2022 | US |