KR20140104112A - Chemical vapor deposition apparatus for flat display - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is a chemical vapor deposition apparatus for a flat display. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the chemical vapor deposition apparatus for a flat display comprises an inner chamber where a deposition process of a substrate for a flat display is performed; and an outer chamber in which the inner chamber is included, and having a substrate entrance to which the substrate accesses. The inner chamber includes an upper chamber; a gas supplying/exhausting valve prepared in the upper part inside the upper chamber to supply a deposition material toward the substrate, and to exhaust reactants, which are generated after the deposition material reacts on the surface of the substrate, to an upper part at the same time; a backing plate arranged in the upper part of the gas supplying/exhausting valve inside the upper chamber to form a buffer space between the backing plate and the gas supplying/exhausting valve; and a susceptor to which the substrate is loaded, and to seal the inside of the upper chamber as the susceptor is elevated and attached to the upper chamber.

Description

Technical Field [0001] The present invention relates to a chemical vapor deposition apparatus for a flat display,

The present invention relates to a chemical vapor deposition apparatus for a flat panel display, and more particularly, to a chemical vapor deposition apparatus for a flat panel display capable of securing uniformity of plasma density.

Flat displays are widely used in personal computers, monitors for TVs and computers.

Flat displays are various types such as LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), PDP (Plasma Display Panel) and OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diodes).

In particular, an organic light emitting display (OLED) of a flat panel display is a cemented carbide type display device which realizes a color image by self-emission of an organic substance. In view of its simple structure and high light efficiency, Has attracted attention as a display.

Such an organic light emitting display includes an anode, a cathode, and organic layers interposed between the anode and the cathode.

Here, the organic layers include at least a light emitting layer, and in addition to the light emitting layer, a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer, an electron transport layer, and an electron injection layer are further included.

Further, the organic electroluminescence display device is a cemented carbide thin film display device that realizes a color image by self-emission of organic materials, and has been attracting attention as a promising next-generation flat display because of its simple structure and high optical efficiency.

In order to manufacture such a substrate for an organic light emitting display, an inorganic material deposition process and a patterning process for forming a TFT (Thin Film Transistor) are repeatedly performed on a substrate, and then organic material deposition for forming a light emitting cell .

Typically, an inorganic material deposited on a substrate for an organic light emitting display is deposited by a chemical vapor deposition process (CVD). This is because the chemical vapor deposition process is advantageous in forming various thin films.

A CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) process, which is one of the deposition processes for manufacturing an organic light emitting display (OLED) substrate, will be briefly described below.

A chemical vapor deposition process is a process in which a silicon compound ion having a high energy is plasma-emitted by an external high-frequency power source and is ejected from a gas distribution plate through an electrode and deposited on a substrate, In a process chamber in which a vapor deposition process is performed.

In recent years, chemical vapor deposition apparatuses having a plurality of process chambers arranged at regular intervals are widely used so that many substrates can be processed in a short time.

As shown in FIG. 1, a chemical vapor deposition apparatus 10 for a flat panel display according to the related art has a structure in which a substrate G to be deposited is loaded in a lower region inside a chamber 1 performing a chemical vapor deposition process A susceptor 3 having a substrate loading portion 2 is provided.

A gas distribution plate 4 for distributing a plasma process gas or deposition material to the substrate G is provided on the susceptor 3 in the chamber 1 and a gas distribution plate 4 is provided between the gas distribution plate 4 and the susceptor 3, A backing plate 5 for forming the space S is disposed.

A gas supply unit 8 for supplying a process gas to the buffer space S is provided at an upper portion of the chamber and a high frequency power source unit for supplying a high frequency power to the center of the backing plate 5 9 are provided.

A plurality of susceptor supports 6 are attached to a lower portion of the susceptor 3 to prevent the substrate G loaded on the substrate loading portion 2 from sagging.

The susceptor 3 and the susceptor support 5 are vertically elevated and lowered by an elevating module (not shown) provided below the susceptor 3 and susceptor support 5.

The substrate G is loaded onto the upper surface of the substrate loading part 2 through the substrate entrance 10 provided at the side of the chamber 1, that is, through the gate valve, or is taken out from the substrate loading part 2.

When the substrate G is loaded or unloaded, a plurality of lift pins 7 for supporting the lower surface of the substrate G are installed to vertically move up and down through the substrate loading unit 2. [

In the chemical vapor deposition apparatus for a flat panel display according to the related art as described above, the backing plate 5 is symmetrically manufactured in order to generate plasma, but the inside of the chamber 1 is symmetric by the substrate entrance 10, An imbalance occurs. Therefore, the electrical distribution inside the chamber 1 becomes non-uniform.

Therefore, it is difficult to secure a uniform plasma density in the chamber 1 due to the electrical irregularity inside the chamber 1, which causes a problem of lowering the uniformity of the thin film deposited on the substrate G.

[Patent Document 1] Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2006-0092886 (Applied Materials, Inc.), 2006.08.23. open

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a chemical vapor deposition apparatus for a flat panel display capable of securing uniformity of plasma density over the entire surface of a substrate.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a plasma display panel comprising: an inner chamber in which a deposition process for a substrate for a flat display proceeds; And an outer chamber having the inner chamber therein and having a substrate entry / exit port through which the substrate enters and exits, the inner chamber comprising: an upper chamber; A gas supply / exhaust plate provided in an upper region of the upper chamber to supply an evaporation material to the substrate and exhaust the reactant generated after the reaction at the surface of the substrate to the upper portion; A backing plate provided on the upper portion of the gas supply / exhaust plate inside the upper chamber, the backing plate forming a buffer space between the gas supply / exhaust plate and the gas supply / exhaust plate; And a susceptor for sealing the interior of the upper chamber as the substrate is loaded and brought into close contact with the upper chamber. The present invention also provides a chemical vapor deposition apparatus for a flat panel display.

The susceptor may further include: a substrate loading unit for supporting the substrate loaded through the substrate entrance; A plurality of lift pins coupled to the substrate loading part such that the lift pins are relatively liftable and support the substrate; And a bending portion bent upward at an edge of the substrate loading portion and being in close contact with and adhered to the outer wall of the upper chamber as it ascends and descends.

And a sealing part provided between the bent part and the outer wall of the upper chamber to seal the inside of the upper chamber when the bent part is in close contact with the outer wall of the upper chamber.

Wherein the sealing portion includes: a groove portion provided on an outer wall of the upper chamber; And an O-ring which is provided in the groove and is in close contact with the bent portion and the upper chamber as it expands and contracts to seal and unseal the inside of the upper chamber.

And a susceptor lifting unit coupled to the susceptor for lifting the susceptor, wherein the susceptor lifting unit supports a rim of the substrate loading part, the susceptor supporting part being lifted in a height direction of the outer chamber; And a susceptor lifting and lowering module coupled to the susceptor support and lifting the susceptor support.

The susceptor lifting and lowering module includes: a transferring rail disposed on an inner wall of the outer chamber, the transferring rail being disposed in a height direction of the outer chamber; And a feed drive unit connected to the susceptor support unit to allow the susceptor support unit to move along the feed rail.

The feed drive unit may include: a ball screw disposed along the feed rail, the ball screw coupled to the feeder support; And a driving motor coupled to the ball screw to rotate the ball screw in forward and reverse directions.

The susceptor lifting unit may further include a guide support bar having one end coupled to the inside of the outer chamber and the other end piercingly coupled to the substrate loading part, the guide supporting bar guiding the elevation of the substrate loading part.

The susceptor lifting unit may further include a pressure plate provided at the other end of the guide support bar and pressing the rim of the substrate.

Wherein the gas supply / exhaust plate comprises: a body portion disposed inside the upper chamber; A plurality of distribution holes provided in the body portion and opening toward the substrate to supply the evaporation material toward the substrate; And a plurality of exhaust holes formed in the body portion and penetrating the body portion in the thickness direction of the body portion to exhaust the reactant into the buffer space.

The gas supply / exhaust apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: a gas supply unit provided at an upper portion of the outer chamber to supply a process gas to the gas supply / exhaust plate, wherein the gas supply / Gas inlet; And a gas supply tunnel provided inside the body part, the gas supply tunnel allowing the plurality of distribution holes and the gas inlet to communicate with each other.

Each of the plurality of distribution holes includes a shaft hole formed to communicate with the gas supply tunnel to introduce the process gas and gradually decrease in diameter toward the downward direction; An orifice connected to a lower end of the shaft hole and through which the process gas passed through the shaft hole passes downward; And an aperture that is connected to a lower end of the orifice so that the process gas having passed through the orifice drops toward the substrate and has a diameter gradually increasing toward the lower side.

The gas supply unit may include gas supply passages for passing the process gas through the opposite side portions of the backing plate to the gas inlet.

And a reactant exhaust unit for exhausting the reactant introduced into the buffer space through the gas supply / exhaust plate through the inner chamber and the outer chamber and exhausting the reactant to the outside.

The embodiment of the present invention can ensure the uniformity of the plasma density over the entire surface of the substrate by separating the inner chamber, which is a space where the substrate is loaded and deposited, and the outer chamber in which the substrate goes in and out.

1 is a schematic structural view of a conventional chemical vapor deposition apparatus for a flat panel display.
2 is a schematic structural view of a chemical vapor deposition apparatus for a flat panel display according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 are state diagrams showing an elevating operation of the susceptor according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5 and 6 are enlarged views showing an operating state of a sealing part according to an embodiment of the present invention.
7 is a schematic structural view of an inner chamber according to an embodiment of the present invention.
8 is an enlarged perspective view showing a coupling relationship of a backing plate, a gas supply / exhaust plate, and a high frequency power source according to an embodiment of the present invention.
9 is an enlarged perspective view showing a gas supply / exhaust plate according to an embodiment of the present invention.
10 is a cross-sectional view illustrating an input port of the RF power unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.
11 is a schematic structural view of a reactant exhaust unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In order to fully understand the present invention, operational advantages of the present invention, and objects achieved by the practice of the present invention, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings and the accompanying drawings which illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. Like reference symbols in the drawings denote like elements.

The flat display to be described below may be applied to any one of an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), a PDP (Plasma Display Panel), and an OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diodes). However, in the present embodiment, an organic light emitting diode (OLED) is adopted.

Hereinafter, for convenience, a glass substrate for OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diodes) will be simply referred to as a substrate.

FIG. 2 is a schematic structural view of a chemical vapor deposition apparatus for a flat panel display according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIGS. 3 and 4 are state diagrams showing an elevating operation of a susceptor according to an embodiment of the present invention, And FIG. 6 is an enlarged view showing an operating state of a sealing part according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a schematic structural view of the inner chamber according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 9 is an enlarged perspective view showing a gas supply / exhaust plate according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 10 is an enlarged perspective view showing a combination of a backing plate, a gas supply / exhaust plate and a high- FIG. 11 is a schematic structural view of a reactant exhaust unit according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG.

2 to 11, the chemical vapor deposition apparatus for a flat panel display according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an inner chamber 200 in which a deposition process for a substrate G is performed, 200 and an outer chamber 100 having a substrate entrance (not shown) in which the substrate G is put in and out

The substrate G is introduced into the inner chamber 200 after being introduced into the substrate entrance and then the deposition process is performed inside the inner chamber 200.

The inner chamber 200 in which the deposition process is performed on the substrate G and the outer chamber 100 in which the substrate G enters and exits are separately provided and the inner chamber 200 and the outer chamber 100 Isolation prevents the deposition material or the process gas from flowing into the outer chamber 100 during the deposition process in the inner chamber 200.

Therefore, since no plasma is generated in the outer chamber 100, contamination of the inner chamber 100 can be prevented.

In addition, due to the uneven electrical distribution inside the outer chamber 100 due to the presence of the substrate entrance, unevenness of the plasma over the entire area of the substrate can be eliminated.

Meanwhile, the outer chamber 100 further includes a vacuum motor (not shown) connected to the outer wall to keep the inside of the vacuum state.

 In this embodiment, the inner chamber 200 includes an upper chamber 210, a gas supply / exhaust plate 250 provided in an upper region of the upper chamber 210, A backing plate 260 disposed on the upper part of the supply / exhaust plate 250 and a backing plate 260 sealing the inside of the upper chamber 210 as the substrate G is loaded and brought into close contact with the upper chamber 210 And a susceptor 230.

That is, as the susceptor 230 is lifted up and attached to the lower part of the upper chamber 210, the inner chamber 200 is hermetically closed to form a space for performing the deposition process for the substrate G.

First, the susceptor 230 will be described as follows.

2 to 4, the susceptor 230 includes a substrate loading portion 231 for supporting a substrate G loaded through a substrate entrance of the outer chamber 100, a substrate loading portion 231 for supporting the substrate loading portion 231 A plurality of lift pins 233 which are relatively movably coupled to support the substrate G and a plurality of lift pins 233 which are bent upward at the edge of the substrate loading part 231, And a bending portion 235 which is in close contact with and released from the contact.

The substrate loading unit 231 serves to support the substrate G loaded through the substrate entrance of the outer chamber 100 by a robot arm (not shown).

The upper surface of the substrate loading portion 231 is made of a platen so that the substrate G can be accurately and horizontally loaded.

A heater (not shown) is mounted inside the substrate loading part 231 to heat the substrate loading part 231 to a predetermined temperature.

A plurality of lift pins 233 are provided on the substrate loading part 231 to stably support the lower surface of the substrate G when the substrate G is loaded on the substrate loading part 231 or taken out of the substrate loading part 231. [ ) Relative to each other.

3, when the substrate loading part 231 is lowered, the lower end of the lift pin 233 is pressed against the bottom surface of the outer chamber 100 so that the upper end protrudes to the upper surface of the substrate loading part 231 do. When the substrate loading part 231 further descends, the substrate G is spaced upward from the substrate loading part 231 in a state of being mounted on the lift pins 233.

4, the lift pins 233 are relatively lowered with respect to the substrate loading portion 231 so that the substrate G is moved to the substrate loading portion 231, As shown in FIG.

The lift pins 233 serve to form a space between the substrate G and the substrate loading unit 231 so that the robot arm can grasp the substrate G loaded on the substrate loading unit 231.

The bent portion 235 closes and closes the outer wall of the upper chamber 210 as the substrate loading portion 231 ascends and descends to seal and unseal the upper chamber 210.

In the present embodiment, the bent portion 235 is raised so as to surround the outer wall of the upper chamber 210.

5 and 6, a chemical vapor deposition apparatus for a flat panel display according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a bent portion 235 and an upper chamber (not shown) for further improving the sealing effect of the upper chamber 210. [ 210, respectively.

The sealing portion 240 serves to seal the inside of the upper chamber 210 when the bent portion 235 is in close contact with the outer wall of the upper chamber 210.

The sealing portion 240 is provided in the outer wall of the upper chamber 210 and a groove portion 241 provided in the groove portion 241. The sealing portion 240 is closely contacted between the bent portion 235 and the upper chamber 210 as it expands and contracts, And an o-ring 243 for sealing and sealing the inside of the casing 210.

For example, as shown in FIG. 5, in order to perform a deposition process for the substrate G, the substrate loading part 231 is raised so that the bent part 235 surrounds the outer wall of the upper chamber 210 The O-ring 243 expands and seals the space between the upper chamber 210 and the bent portion 235 to seal the inside of the upper chamber 210.

6, when the substrate loading part 231 is lowered after the deposition process for the substrate G is completed, the bent part 235 is brought into close contact with the outer wall of the upper chamber 210 And the O-ring 243 is contracted to seal off the inside of the upper chamber 210.

The elevation of the susceptor 230 including the substrate loading portion 231 and the bent portion 235 is performed by the susceptor lifting unit 300.

The susceptor lifting unit 300 serves to raise and lower the susceptor 230 in the inner space of the outer chamber 100.

2 to 6, the susceptor lifting unit 300 includes a susceptor supporting portion 310 supporting the rim of the substrate loading portion 231 and lifted in the height direction of the outer chamber 100, A susceptor lifting and lowering module 330 coupled to the susceptor support 310 for lifting the susceptor support 310 and a susceptor lifting and lowering module 330 coupled to the susceptor lifting and lowering module 310, And a pressing plate 370 provided at the other end of the guide supporting bar 350 and pressing the edge of the substrate G. The pressing plate 370 is provided at the other end of the guide supporting bar 350,

The susceptor supporting portion 310 serves to support the rim of the substrate loading portion 231.

As the substrate G becomes large, the weight of the substrate loading part 231 and the substrate G becomes heavy, and thus the substrate loading part 231 and the substrate G may be deflected.

Thus, the susceptor supporting portion 310 supports the rim of the substrate loading portion 231, thereby preventing the substrate loading portion 231 and the substrate G from being squeezed by their own weight.

The susceptor lifting and lowering module 330 serves to raise and lower the susceptor supporting portion 310 inside the outer chamber 100.

As the susceptor supporting portion 310 moves up and down, the substrate loading portion 231 also ascends and descends inside the outer chamber 100.

The susceptor lifting and lowering module 330 includes a transferring rail 331 disposed on the inner wall of the outer chamber 100 and disposed in the height direction of the outer chamber 100 and a susceptor supporting portion 310 connected to the susceptor supporting portion 310, And a feed drive unit 333 that allows the support unit 310 to be transported along the feed rail 331.

The susceptor supporting portion 310 is moved up and down inside the outer chamber 100 along the conveying rail 331 by the conveyance driving portion 333.

The feed drive unit 333 includes a ball screw 334 disposed along the feed rail 331 and coupled to the susceptor support unit 310 and a ball screw 334 coupled to the ball screw 334 to rotate the ball screw 334 in the forward and / And a drive motor 335 for rotating in the reverse direction.

The susceptor support 310 coupled to the ball screw 334 rotates in the forward and backward directions of the outer chamber 100 when the ball screw 334 rotates in the forward and reverse directions in synchronism with the forward and reverse rotation of the driving motor 335. [ And the substrate loading part 231 coupled to the suscepter support part 310 is also lifted and lowered in the outer chamber 100.

The guide supporting bar 350 serves to guide the elevating and lowering of the substrate loading part 231 so that the substrate loading part 231 can be lifted and lowered while maintaining the horizontal loading state of the substrate loading part 231 do.

One end of the guide support bar 350 is coupled to the bottom surface of the outer chamber 100 and the other end is coupled to the substrate loading part 231.

Thus, the substrate loading portion 231 is lifted and lowered along the guide support bar 350.

On the other hand, on the other end of the guide supporting bar 350, a pressing plate 370 for pressing the edge of the substrate G is provided.

Since the pressing plate 370 is located on the upper side of the substrate G and presses the rim of the substrate G so that evaporation does not occur at the edge of the substrate G where the pressing plate 370 is located, Has the advantage of preventing deformation of the substrate G, such as twisting or bending of the substrate G due to heat, because it presses the rim of the substrate G.

Pressing of the substrate G by the pressing plate 370 will be described as follows.

As shown in FIG. 3, in a state where the substrate loading section 231 is lowered, the substrate G flows into the lift pin 233, and the substrate loading section 231 rises as shown in FIG. 4 The substrate G is brought into close contact with the upper surface of the substrate loading portion 231. When the substrate loading portion 231 is further raised, the pressing plate 370 relatively descends from the upper portion of the substrate G to press the edge portion of the substrate G. [

As described above, when the substrate loading unit 231 is lowered by the susceptor lifting unit 300 from the inside of the outer chamber 100, the substrate G, which has been introduced through the substrate entrance of the outer chamber 100, The substrate loading portion 231 is lifted up inside the outer chamber 100 and the rim of the substrate G is pressed by the pressing plate 370.

When the substrate loading part 231 rises by the susceptor lifting unit 300 and the substrate G is seated on the substrate loading part 231, the bent part 235 of the susceptor 230 moves upward The bending portion 235 and the O-ring 243 provided on the outer wall of the upper chamber 210 are expanded to seal the upper chamber 210.

The deposition process for the substrate G proceeds with the upper chamber 210 closed. Hereinafter, the deposition process for the substrate G according to the present embodiment will be described.

7 to 11, a gas supply / exhaust plate 250 is provided in an upper region inside the upper chamber 210 and is disposed on an upper portion of the gas supply / exhaust plate 250 in the upper chamber 210, There is provided a backing plate 260 which forms a buffer space S between the supply /

8 and 9, in this embodiment, the gas supply / exhaust plate 250 supplies the deposition material to the substrate G, and at the same time, the deposition material reacts on the surface of the substrate G, As shown in FIG.

The reactant generated on the surface of the substrate G is moved to the edge of the substrate G along the surface of the substrate G and then discharged to the outside so that a pressure imbalance occurs on the substrate G due to the reactant There is a problem that it is difficult to secure a uniform plasma density over the entire surface of the substrate (G).

Accordingly, in this embodiment, the gas supply / exhaust plate 250 is provided with a plurality (not more than two) of supplying the deposition material to the substrate G so as to supply the deposition material to the substrate G, A plurality of exhaust holes 255 for exhausting the reactants to the upper portion of the substrate G are formed.

That is, in this embodiment, the gas supply / exhaust plate 250 includes a body portion 251 disposed inside the upper chamber 210, and a gas supply / exhaust plate 250 disposed on the body portion 251, A plurality of exhaust holes 253 formed in the body portion 251 and extending in the thickness direction of the body portion 251 to exhaust the reactant into the buffer space S, And a ball 255.

The chemical vapor deposition apparatus for a flat panel display according to an embodiment of the present invention further includes a gas supply unit 400 for supplying a process gas, which is a deposition material, to the gas supply / exhaust plate 250.

The gas supply unit 400 may be provided on the upper portion of the outer chamber 100 and supplies the process gas to the gas supply / exhaust plate 250.

In this embodiment, the process gas supplied by the gas supply unit 400 flows from both sides of the gas supply / exhaust plate 250.

The gas supply / exhaust plate 250 is provided on both side walls of the body portion 251 and includes a gas inlet 257 communicating with the gas supply portion 400, And a gas supply tunnel 259 for making the hole 253 and the gas inlet 257 communicate with each other.

A plurality of gas supply tunnels 259 are provided parallel to the longitudinal direction connecting both side portions of the body portion 251.

One gas supply tunnel 259 is formed in the longitudinal direction of the body portion 251 and each of the plurality of gas supply tunnels 259 is spaced apart from the body portion 251 by a predetermined distance in the width direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the body portion 251 Respectively.

When the gas supply tunnel 259 is formed in the longitudinal direction of the body portion 251, the plurality of distribution holes 253 are also spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance in parallel with the gas supply tunnel 259, One end of each of the holes 253 is communicated with the gas supply tunnel 259 and the other end is formed to be opened toward the substrate G. [

When a plurality of gas supply tunnels 259 are provided in the body portion 251, the gas inlet 257 is connected to both sides of the body portion 251 to supply the process gas to the plurality of gas supply tunnels 259. [ In the width direction of the body portion 251.

The flow of the process gas supplied to the gas supply / exhaust plate 250 in the gas supply unit 400 is first performed through the gas inlet 257 provided on both side walls of the body portion 251 in the gas supply unit 400 And the supplied process gas is moved to the inside of the body portion 251 along the plurality of gas supply tunnels 259 provided inside the body portion 251 and then supplied to the gas supply passage 259 And is dropped onto the substrate G through the plurality of dispensing holes 253.

The gas supply unit 400 includes a gas supply passage 410 for supplying the process gas to the gas inlet 257.

One end of the gas supply passage 410 is connected to a gas supply unit 400 provided at an upper portion of the outer chamber 100 and the other end passes through both sides of the upper chamber 210 and the backing plate 260, Lt; / RTI >

A plurality of distribution holes 253 for distributing the process gas, which is a deposition material provided in the body portion 251, to the substrate G and a plurality of exhaust holes 255 for exhausting the reactants will be described in detail.

As shown in Fig. 9, the distribution hole 253 includes an axial light hole 253a, an orifice 253b, and a diameter hole 253c.

The shaft hole 253a is a portion where the dispensing hole 253 starts and is a portion where the process gas as the evaporation material introduced into the gas supply tunnel 259 starts to be distributed to the diameter hole 253c.

The axial hole 253a has an inclined shape so that its diameter becomes smaller toward the lower side. That is, the axial hole 253a has a tapered shape toward the orifice 253b disposed adjacent to the lower portion.

The shape of the axial hole 253a prevents the vortex that may be generated when the process gas that has passed through the gas supply tunnel 259 flows into the relatively small-sized distribution hole 253, Allowing it to flow.

Although the axial hole 253a is tapered toward the orifice 253b in the present embodiment, the axial hole 253a may be formed in a trumpet shape or a curved shape having a more gentle curvature, The inclination angle or the degree of gentle slope can be varied.

The orifice 253b is a small capillary tube that is connected to the lower end of the shaft hole 253a and connects the shaft hole 253a to the diameter hole 253c to be described later and passes through the shaft hole 253a It is the part through which the gas flows.

The orifice 253b has a relatively smaller diameter than the axial hole 253a and the diopter hole 253c and is also shorter than the axial hole 253a and the diopter hole 253c.

The shape of the orifice 253b lowers the pressure of the process gas introduced from the axial hole 253a to increase the flow velocity.

By adjusting the thickness and length of the orifice 253b, the introduced process gas can be injected from the diameter hole 253c at a desired flow rate.

That is, by controlling the shape of the orifice 253b, the flow rate of the process gas can be controlled, and the deposition rate at which the deposition material, which is a process gas, is deposited on the substrate G can be controlled.

The diameter hole 253c is formed in such a shape that the process gas at a high flow velocity passing through the orifice 253b is substantially sprayed or dropped onto the substrate G and gradually increases in diameter toward the downward direction.

In this embodiment, the dioptric lens hole 253c has a tapered shape toward the top and is formed to have a diameter larger than the diameter of the axial hole 253a.

The shape of such an aperture 253c allows the process gas to be injected or dropped more fully into the entire region of the substrate G. [

The diaphragm 253c may be formed in various shapes such as a trumpet shape, a curved shape, and the like as the above-mentioned axial hole 253a.

On the other hand, the exhaust hole 255 is formed to pass through the body portion 251. That is, the reactant generated on the surface of the substrate G through the exhaust hole 255 flows into the buffer space S through the gas supply / exhaust plate 250.

9, a plurality of exhaust holes 255 are formed between the gas supply tunnel 259 and a plurality of distribution holes 253 spaced apart from each other by the divergence of the body portion 251, A plurality of exhaust holes 255 are formed in the body portion 251 in a state of being isolated from the gas supply tunnel 259 and the plurality of distribution holes 253, Any shape can be used as long as the reacted reactant can be discharged into the buffer space (S).

The backing plate 260 forms a buffer space S between the gas supply / exhaust plate 250 and the gas supply /

The reactants generated on the surface of the substrate G are introduced into the buffer space S through the exhaust holes 255 and then introduced into the buffer chamber S by the reactant exhaust unit 600 to the outside of the outer chamber 100 Exhausted.

The process gas dropped from the exhaust hole 255 of the gas supply / exhaust plate 250 to the substrate G is supplied to the substrate loading portion 231 of the gas supply / exhaust plate 250 and the susceptor 230, And the plasmaized deposition material deposits a thin film on the substrate (G).

In this way, in order to plasmaize the process gas between the gas supply / exhaust plate 250 and the substrate loading unit 231, a high frequency power is directly supplied to the gas supply / exhaust plate 250 in this embodiment.

As the substrate G becomes larger, a standing wave effect on the electrical length or frequency of the RF power supply can be generated.

Due to the standing wave effect, an uneven electric field distribution may be generated between the substrate supply / exhaust plate 250 and the substrate loading unit 231, and it is difficult to secure a uniform plasma density over the entire surface of the substrate G.

10, in this embodiment, a plurality of input ports 510 for supplying a high frequency power to the gas supply / exhaust plate 250 are disposed so as to shorten the electrical length of the high frequency power supply to eliminate the standing wave effect do.

That is, the RF power supply unit 500 provided outside the outer chamber 100 penetrates the upper chamber 210 and the backing plate 260 and supplies RF power directly to the gas supply / exhaust plate 250.

The plurality of input ports 510 are disposed at optimal positions to shorten the electrical length of the high frequency power supply to the substrate supply / exhaust plate 250, and the exhaust port of the reactant exhaust unit 600, which will be described later, The plurality of input ports 510 are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance at the center of the substrate supply / exhaust plate 250 along the periphery of the reactant exhaust port 610 when the substrate is formed through the backing plate 260 at a position corresponding to the central portion. Respectively.

In addition, the plurality of input ports 510 are connected so as to be electrically connected to each other.

The present embodiment is designed to plasmaize the process gas between the substrate supply / exhaust plate 250 and the substrate loading unit 231 and exhaust the reactants generated in the substrate G to the buffer space S, 260 and the substrate loading portion 231 of the susceptor 230 should be grounded.

Therefore, the backing plate 260 through which the high frequency power source passes penetrates the insulator 530, and the high frequency power source supplies the high frequency power to the plurality of input ports 510 through the insulator 530.

In the case where the substrate loading portion 231 is lifted to perform the deposition process, no plasma is generated in the buffer space S between the gas supply / exhaust plate 250 and the backing plate 260, In this embodiment, in order to generate plasma only between the exhausting plate 250 and the substrate loading part 231 of the susceptor 230, a gap between the gas supplying / exhausting plate 250 and the substrate loading part 231 of the susceptor 230 The gap G1 is made smaller than the gap G2 between the gas supply / exhaust plate 250 and the backing plate 260. [

In the present embodiment, when the deposition process is performed on the substrate G, the reactants generated after the deposition material reacts on the surface of the substrate G are transferred to the plurality of exhaust holes 250 formed in the substrate supply / Is introduced into the buffer space S along the flow path 255 and then discharged to the outside of the outer chamber 100.

This is to eliminate the pressure imbalance on the substrate G due to the reactants.

11, the reactant exhaust unit 600 includes a reactant exhaust port 610 passing through the backing plate 260 and communicating with the buffer space S, A reactant exhaust pump 620 for sucking the reactant into the buffer space S and the reactant exhaust port 610 through a plurality of exhaust holes 255 and exhausting the reactant to the outside of the outer chamber 100, And a baffle 630 having a plurality of through holes 631 communicated with the reactant exhaust port 610 to uniformly control the exhaust pressure applied to the plurality of exhaust holes 255 .

The reactant exhaust port 610 is connected to the backing plate 260 and the upper chamber 200. The reactant exhaust port 610 is formed in the inner chamber 200 in a state where the inner chamber 200 is disposed inside the outer chamber 100, The outer chamber 210 and the outer chamber 100, respectively.

A reactant exhaust pump 620 for exhausting the reactant along the reactant exhaust port 610 is provided outside the outer chamber 100.

The reactant flowing into the buffer space S is uniformly supplied to the buffer space S through the plurality of exhaust holes 255 formed in the substrate supply / exhaust plate 250. In order to solve the pressure imbalance on the substrate G due to the reactants, S).

The baffle 630 having a plurality of through holes 631 is formed in the buffer space S so that the reactants can flow uniformly along the plurality of exhaust holes 255 formed in the substrate supply / exhaust plate 250 .

The baffle 630 is disposed adjacent to the opening of the reactant exhaust port 610 and may be formed in a plate shape elongated in the buffer space S. [

When the reactant exhaust port 610 is disposed at a position corresponding to the center of the gas supply / exhaust plate 250, the exhaust pressure of the reactant exhaust pump 620 corresponds to the center position of the gas supply / Position, and decreases toward the rim of the gas supply / exhaust plate 250.

Therefore, the number of through holes 631 formed in the baffle 630 is increased from the central portion corresponding to the reactant exhaust port 610 to the edge portion, so that the exhaust pressure applied to the plurality of exhaust holes 255 Is uniformly adjusted.

The operation of the chemical vapor deposition apparatus for a flat panel display according to an embodiment of the present invention will now be described.

The substrate G is introduced into the outer chamber 100 through the substrate entrance of the outer chamber 100 to perform the deposition process for the substrate G. [

At this time, the substrate loading part 231 is lowered by the susceptor lifting unit 300, and the substrate G is seated on the lift pin 233.

When the substrate G is seated, the substrate loading part 231 is raised so that the bent part 235 is brought into close contact with the outer wall of the upper chamber 210 using the susceptor lifting unit 300.

The O-ring 243 provided between the upper chamber 210 and the bent portion 235 is expanded to seal the inside of the upper chamber 210 and the deposition process for the substrate G proceeds.

The upper chamber 210 and the bent portion 235 of the three-way valve 230 closely contact each other to perform the deposition process for the substrate G in the inner chamber 200, which is sealed inside.

The process gas supplied to the gas supply channel 410 flows from the plurality of distribution holes 253 to the substrate G via the gas inlet port 257 and the gas supply tunnel 259 .

At this time, a high-frequency power source is applied through a plurality of input ports 510 provided in a body portion 251 of the gas supply / exhaust plate 250.

Thus, a process gas is plasmaized between the gas supply / exhaust plate 250 and the substrate loading unit 231 to deposit a thin film on the substrate G.

Meanwhile, the reactant generated after the reaction of the plasmaized process gas, that is, the deposition material on the substrate, is introduced into the buffer space S through the plurality of exhaust holes 255 of the substrate supply / exhaust plate 250.

The reactant introduced into the buffer space S is discharged to the outside of the outer chamber 100 through the plurality of through holes 631 and the reactant exhaust port 610 of the baffle 630.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention. Accordingly, such modifications or variations are intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims.

100: outer chamber 200: inner chamber
210: upper chamber 230: susceptor
231: substrate loading section 233: lift pin
235: bent portion 240: sealing portion
241: groove portion 243: O-ring
250: gas supply / exhaust plate 251: body part
253: Distribution ball 255: Exhaust ball
257: Gas inlet 259: Gas supply tunnel
260: backing plate 300: three-part lifting unit
310: susceptor supporting part 330: susceptor elevating module
331: feed rail 333: feed drive part
350: guide support bar 370: pressure plate
400: gas supply unit 410: gas supply channel
500: High frequency power unit 510: Input port
530: Insulator 600: Reactor Exhaust Unit
610: Reactor Exhaust Port 630: Baffle

Claims (14)

An inner chamber on which a deposition process is performed on a substrate for a flat display; And
And an outer chamber having an inner chamber and a substrate entry / exit port through which the substrate enters and exits,
Wherein the inner chamber comprises:
An upper chamber;
A gas supply / exhaust plate provided in an upper region of the upper chamber to supply an evaporation material to the substrate and exhaust the reactant generated after the reaction at the surface of the substrate to the upper portion;
A backing plate provided on the upper portion of the gas supply / exhaust plate inside the upper chamber, the backing plate forming a buffer space between the gas supply / exhaust plate and the gas supply / exhaust plate; And
And a susceptor for sealing the inside of the upper chamber as the substrate is loaded and brought into close contact with the upper chamber. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the susceptor comprises:
A substrate loading unit for supporting the substrate loaded through the substrate entrance;
A plurality of lift pins coupled to the substrate loading part such that the lift pins are relatively liftable and support the substrate; And
And a bent portion that is bent upward at an edge of the substrate loading portion and is closely contacted to and released from the outer wall of the upper chamber when the substrate is lifted and lowered. 3. The method of claim 2,
Further comprising a sealing portion provided between the bent portion and the outer wall of the upper chamber to seal the inside of the upper chamber when the bent portion is in close contact with the outer wall of the upper chamber. The method of claim 3,
The sealing portion
A groove portion provided on an outer wall of the upper chamber; And
And an O-ring which is provided in the groove and is closely contacted between the bent portion and the upper chamber as it expands and contracts to seal and unseal the inside of the upper chamber. 3. The method of claim 2,
And a susceptor elevating unit coupled to the susceptor to elevate the susceptor,
The susceptor elevating unit includes:
A susceptor supporting part supporting the rim of the substrate loading part and being lifted up in the height direction of the outer chamber; And
And a susceptor lifting / lowering module coupled to the susceptor supporting portion to lift the susceptor supporting portion. 6. The method of claim 5,
The susceptor elevating module includes:
A transfer rail disposed on an inner wall of the outer chamber, the transfer rail being disposed in a height direction of the outer chamber; And
And a transport driving part connected to the susceptor supporting part to allow the susceptor supporting part to be transported along the transporting rail. The method according to claim 6,
The feed drive unit
A ball screw disposed along the transfer rail, the ball screw coupled to the third supporter support; And
And a driving motor coupled to the ball screw to rotate the ball screw in forward and backward directions. 6. The method of claim 5,
The susceptor elevating unit includes:
Further comprising a guide support bar, one end of which is coupled to the inside of the outer chamber and the other end of which is penetratively coupled to the substrate loading portion, the guide support bar guiding the elevation of the substrate loading portion. 9. The method of claim 8,
The susceptor elevating unit includes:
And a pressing plate provided at the other end of the guide support bar for pressing the rim of the substrate. The method according to claim 1,
The gas supply /
A body disposed within the upper chamber;
A plurality of distribution holes provided in the body portion and opening toward the substrate to supply the evaporation material toward the substrate; And
And a plurality of exhaust holes formed in the body portion and penetrating the body portion in a thickness direction of the body portion to exhaust the reactant into the buffer space. 11. The method of claim 10,
Further comprising a gas supply unit provided at an upper portion of the outer chamber for supplying a process gas to the gas supply / exhaust plate,
The gas supply /
A gas inlet provided on both side walls of the body portion, the gas inlet communicating with the gas supply portion; And
Further comprising a gas supply tunnel provided inside the body part to allow the plurality of distribution holes and the gas inlet to communicate with each other. 12. The method of claim 11,
Wherein each of the plurality of distribution holes includes:
A shank hole communicated with the gas supply tunnel to introduce the process gas and gradually decrease in diameter toward the downward direction;
An orifice connected to a lower end of the shaft hole and through which the process gas passed through the shaft hole passes downward; And
And an enlargement hole connected to a lower end of the orifice so that the process gas having passed through the orifice is dropped toward the substrate, the diameter gradually increasing toward the lower side. 12. The method of claim 11,
The gas-
And a gas supply passage through both sides of the backing plate to supply the process gas to the gas inlet. 11. The method of claim 10,
Further comprising a reactant exhaust unit for exhausting the reactant introduced into the buffer space through the gas supply / exhaust plate through the inner chamber and the outer chamber to the outside.

Images