US 11,739,414 B2
Thermal evaporation sources for wide-area deposition
Robert W. Birkmire, Newark, DE (US); and Gregory M. Hanket, Newark, DE (US)
Assigned to JLN Solar, Inc., Mill Valley, CA (US)
Filed by JLN Solar, Inc., Mill Valley, CA (US)
Filed on Apr. 30, 2020, as Appl. No. 16/863,866.
Application 16/863,866 is a continuation of application No. 15/645,927, filed on Jul. 10, 2017, granted, now 10,663,228.
Application 15/645,927 is a continuation of application No. 14/625,433, filed on Feb. 18, 2015, granted, now 9,726,430, issued on Aug. 8, 2017.
Application 14/625,433 is a continuation of application No. 12/250,172, filed on Oct. 13, 2008, granted, now 8,986,455, issued on Mar. 24, 2015.
Claims priority of provisional application 60/998,640, filed on Oct. 12, 2007.
Prior Publication US 2020/0292234 A1, Sep. 17, 2020
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. C23C 14/24 (2006.01); C23C 14/54 (2006.01); F27B 14/00 (2006.01)
CPC C23C 14/243 (2013.01) [C23C 14/543 (2013.01); F27B 14/00 (2013.01)] 17 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A thermal evaporation source comprising:
a manifold body including an expansion chamber, a nozzle, and a general sloping shape narrowing from the expansion chamber toward the nozzle;
a crucible having a circumference configured to contain a volume of evaporant and suspended from a top internal surface of the manifold body within the expansion chamber above the nozzle, wherein mechanical members suspend the crucible from the top internal surface and thereby form at least one restriction orifice,
the expansion chamber is a space between the crucible and the manifold body; and
wherein the at least one restriction orifice comprises at least three orifices evenly spaced around the circumference of the crucible,
each of the at least three orifices are at a same distance from the top internal surface of the manifold.