JP7332985B2 - Static eliminator and flat panel display manufacturing equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a static eliminator and a flat panel display manufacturing apparatus, and more particularly to a static eliminator for static eliminating a glass substrate and a flat panel display manufacturing apparatus using the static eliminator.

Patent Document 1 discloses an apparatus used in the manufacturing process of flat panel displays such as liquid crystal displays, plasma displays, and organic EL displays, and performing various processes such as film formation, ion implantation, or etching on glass substrates. Flat panel display manufacturing equipment is known. The flat panel display manufacturing apparatus of Patent Document 1 includes a processing chamber for performing various types of processing, and a transfer path forming a loading/unloading path for loading/unloading a glass substrate into/from the processing chamber. It is in a high vacuum state. Further, on the outer wall surface of the vacuum vessel that constitutes the transport path, a static eliminator is arranged to eliminate static electricity from the glass substrate that has been charged due to friction with other objects or peeling electrification phenomenon during transport or positioning of the glass substrate. This static eliminator has a plasma chamber that generates plasma from an inert gas, supplies the generated plasma into a vacuum vessel, and exposes the charged glass substrate to the plasma to eliminate static from the glass substrate. In the flat panel display manufacturing apparatus of Patent Document 1, during the process of sequentially transporting a plurality of glass substrates, plasma is always supplied from the static eliminator into the vacuum vessel, or the potential of the glass substrates is measured. It is configured to be performed when the result exceeds the standard value.

In the conventional flat panel display manufacturing apparatus, plasma was constantly supplied from the static eliminator into the vacuum chamber. There is a problem that the internal pressure of the vacuum vessel gradually increases due to the inert gas, and the degree of vacuum in the vacuum vessel decreases over time. In addition, even when plasma is supplied only when the potential of the glass substrate exceeds the reference value, the inert gas is always applied until the glass substrate is removed from the vacuum vessel and the glass substrate is removed from the vacuum vessel. was supplied to the plasma chamber, a large amount of inert gas flowed out from the plasma chamber into the vacuum chamber, resulting in a decrease in the degree of vacuum in the vacuum chamber. That is, in the flat panel display manufacturing apparatus of Patent Document 1, there is a problem that it is difficult to maintain the internal pressure in the conveying path at a predetermined value or less, in other words, it is difficult to maintain the degree of vacuum at a predetermined value or more.

JP 2019-96459

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a static eliminator capable of eliminating static electricity from a glass substrate while maintaining a high-vacuum state in a transfer chamber, and a flat panel display manufacturing apparatus.

The static eliminator in the present invention is
Used in a flat panel display manufacturing apparatus comprising a processing chamber for performing a predetermined process on a glass substrate, and a transfer chamber which has a high vacuum state inside and serves as a route for carrying the glass substrate into the processing chamber, wherein the transfer chamber A static eliminator for neutralizing the glass substrate by supplying plasma to the inside of the
a plasma generation chamber for generating the plasma from the raw material gas;
a gas control unit that controls introduction of the raw material gas into the plasma generation chamber,
The gas control unit performs control such that introduction of the raw material gas is started when the glass substrate reaches a predetermined position in the transfer chamber, and is stopped before static elimination of the glass substrate is completed. Characterized by

According to this configuration, the raw material gas is started when the glass substrate reaches a predetermined position in the transfer chamber, and is stopped before the static elimination of the glass substrate is completed. The time during which the raw material gas is supplied to the plasma generation chamber in the process of neutralizing the glass substrate can be shortened. Therefore, the raw material gas that does not contribute to the generation of plasma is reduced, and the raw material gas that flows out into the transfer chamber is reduced compared to the conventional case, so that the transfer chamber can be maintained in a high vacuum state.

Further, a detection unit capable of detecting the position of the glass substrate in the transfer chamber may be provided, and the gas control unit may start introduction of the raw material gas based on the detection result of the detection unit.

According to this configuration, the introduction of the raw material gas into the plasma generation chamber is started based on the detection result of the detection of the position of the glass substrate by the detection unit, so the introduction of the raw material gas into the plasma generation chamber is started. more precise control over when Therefore, the time during which the raw material gas is supplied to the plasma generating chamber can be shortened, and the amount of raw material gas flowing out into the transfer chamber is further reduced, so that the inside of the transfer chamber can be reliably maintained at a high vacuum state.

a filament for generating the plasma from the raw material gas;
a current control unit for controlling start and stop of energization of the filament in accordance with start and stop of introduction of the raw material gas into the plasma generation chamber;
It is good also as a structure provided with.

According to this configuration, since the start and stop of energization of the filament are controlled in accordance with the start and stop of the introduction of the source gas into the plasma generation chamber, the energization of the filament is performed while the source gas is not supplied to the plasma generation chamber. is stopped, and deterioration of the filament is suppressed.

The flat panel display manufacturing apparatus in the present invention is
a processing chamber for performing a predetermined process on a glass substrate; a transfer chamber whose interior is kept in a high vacuum state and serves as a route for carrying the glass substrate into the processing chamber; A flat panel display manufacturing apparatus comprising a static elimination device capable of eliminating static electricity from a substrate,
The static eliminator comprises a plasma generation chamber for generating the plasma from a raw material gas, and a gas control unit for controlling introduction of the raw material gas into the plasma generation chamber,
The gas control unit performs control such that introduction of the raw material gas is started when the glass substrate reaches a predetermined position in the transfer chamber, and is stopped before static elimination of the glass substrate is completed. Characterized by

According to this configuration, the raw material gas is started when the glass substrate reaches a predetermined position in the transfer chamber, and is stopped before the static elimination of the glass substrate is completed. The time during which the raw material gas is supplied to the plasma generation chamber in the process of neutralizing the glass substrate can be shortened. Therefore, the raw material gas that does not contribute to the generation of plasma is reduced, and the raw material gas that flows out into the transfer chamber is reduced compared to the conventional case, so that the transfer chamber can be maintained in a high vacuum state.

ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, a glass substrate can be static-eliminated, maintaining the inside of a conveyance chamber in a high-vacuum state.

1 is a schematic plan view schematically showing a static eliminator and a flat panel display manufacturing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. The top view which shows the structure of a static elimination apparatus typically.

A static eliminator 10 as an embodiment of the present invention and a flat panel display manufacturing apparatus 100 including the static eliminator 10 will be described.
The flat panel display manufacturing apparatus 100 is used in the manufacturing process of flat panel displays such as liquid crystal displays, plasma displays, and organic EL displays, and performs various processes such as film formation, ion implantation, and etching on a glass substrate S. is. In addition, as will be described later, the static eliminator 10 generates a plasma P generated from a raw material gas G, which is an inert gas such as xenon or argon, and directs the generated plasma P toward the glass substrate S in the transfer chamber 30. It is a device that supplies The glass substrate S that has been charged due to friction or peeling during transportation or the like is exposed to the plasma P supplied from the static eliminator 10 to be neutralized, and then subjected to a predetermined treatment.

As shown in FIG. 1, a flat panel display manufacturing apparatus 100 includes a processing chamber 20 for performing predetermined processing on a glass substrate S, a vacuum preliminary chamber 40 whose interior can be exchanged between atmospheric pressure and high vacuum, A transfer chamber 30 is arranged between the processing chamber 20 and the vacuum preliminary chamber 40 . Further, the insides of the processing chamber 20 and the transfer chamber 30 are kept in a high vacuum state.

As indicated by the dashed arrow in FIG. 1, the glass substrate S is transported along a predetermined transport route R within the flat panel display manufacturing 100 by a transport device (not shown). That is, the glass substrate S is carried from the outside into the pre-vacuum chamber 40 whose interior is placed under the atmospheric pressure, and after the interior of the pre-vacuum chamber 40 is brought into a high vacuum state, the glass substrate S is transferred through the transfer chamber 30 to the processing chamber. 20. That is, the transfer chamber 30 constitutes a route for carrying the glass substrate S into the processing chamber 20 . Further, the glass substrate S that has been subjected to the predetermined processing in the processing chamber 20 is carried out again to the transfer chamber 30 and is carried out to the outside via the vacuum preparatory chamber 40 .

The transfer chamber 30 is not limited to being arranged between the pre-vacuum chamber 40 and the processing chamber 20 as long as it constitutes a path for carrying the glass substrate S into the processing chamber 20 . For example, it may serve as a transport path from a processing chamber (not shown) different from the processing chamber 20 to the processing chamber 20 . Further, the glass substrate S after being subjected to a predetermined process in the processing chamber 20 may be transferred to a transfer chamber (not shown) different from the transfer chamber 30 .

Further, as shown in FIG. 1 , the flat panel display manufacturing apparatus 100 includes a static eliminator 10 arranged adjacent to the transfer chamber 30 . The static eliminator 10 supplies plasma P toward the glass substrate S positioned inside the transfer chamber 30 to eliminate static electricity from the charged glass substrate S. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, the static eliminator 10 is attached to an outer wall 31 constituting a transfer chamber 30 via an insulating plate 11, and is a gas in which a raw material gas G, which is an inert gas such as xenon or argon, is stored. source 18, plasma generation chamber 13 for generating plasma P from raw material gas G introduced from gas source 18, and gas controller 17 for controlling introduction of raw material gas G from gas source 18 to plasma generation chamber 13. ing. The plasma P generated in the plasma generation chamber 13 is configured to be supplied to the glass substrate S through the plasma transport path 12 leading from the plasma generation chamber 13 to the transfer chamber 30 .

As shown in FIG. 2, the static eliminator 10 includes a filament 16 for emitting thermal electrons into the plasma generation chamber 13 to ionize the raw material gas G to generate the plasma P. filament power supply Vf connected between filament 16 and plasma generation chamber 11; arc power supply Va connected between plasma generation chamber 13 and outer wall 31 of transfer chamber 30; . Permanent magnets 14 for generating a cusp magnetic field for preventing disappearance of electrons and ions on the inner wall surface of the plasma generation chamber 13 are arranged around the plasma generation chamber 13 .

A pair of coils 15 for generating a magnetic field B along the plasma transport path 12 is wound around the outer periphery of the plasma transport path 12, and the plasma P is captured by the magnetic field B, It is discharged into the transfer chamber 30 while avoiding disappearance with the inner wall surface. Further, the plasma transport path 12 is provided with a valve V for opening and closing the plasma transport path 12. By closing the valve V, the transport chamber 30 side is evacuated, and the plasma generation chamber 13 side is exposed to the atmosphere. It is possible to open the static eliminator 10 for maintenance.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the static eliminator 10 further includes a detector 19 capable of detecting that the glass substrate S transported along the transport path R has reached a predetermined position A within the transport chamber 30. ing. In this embodiment, the detection unit 19 is composed of an optical sensor.

In the present embodiment, in the process of sequentially transporting the glass substrates S in the transport chamber 30, that is, in the process of sequentially removing static electricity from the plurality of glass substrates S, the filament power supply Vf, the arc power supply Va, and the Each power source of the extraction power source Ve is always on.

Further, the gas control unit 17 performs control such that starting and stopping of introduction of the raw material gas G from the gas source 18 into the plasma generation chamber 13 are repeated every time each glass substrate S is neutralized. That is, in the present invention, in the process of sequentially removing static electricity from a plurality of glass substrates S, the raw material gas G is controlled to be supplied to the plasma generation chamber 13 only for the minimum necessary time or a time period close to that. The amount of raw material gas G flowing out into the chamber 30 is minimized, and the high vacuum state in the transfer chamber 30 can be maintained for a long period of time.

Next, operations of the static eliminator 10 and the flat panel display manufacturing apparatus 100 in this embodiment will be described.
First, in the process in which the glass substrate S is transported along the transport path R within the transport chamber 30 , the detector 19 detects that the glass substrate S has reached the predetermined position A. As shown in FIG. Then, the detection result of the detection unit 19 is transmitted to the gas control unit 17 , and the introduction of the source gas G into the plasma generation chamber 13 is started by the gas control unit 17 . Then, after a predetermined time (approximately 1 second to 1.5 seconds) has passed since the supply of the raw material gas G was started, the introduction of the raw material gas G into the plasma generation chamber 13 is stopped. The timing at which the gas control unit 17 stops the introduction of the source gas G into the plasma generation chamber 13 is when plasma sufficient to neutralize the glass substrate S is supplied toward the glass substrate S and the glass substrate S is charged. It is set before the timing when the charge is considered to be removed. That is, the gas control unit 17 stops introducing the raw material gas G into the plasma generation chamber 13 before the charge removal of the glass substrate S is completed.

The glass substrate S from which static electricity has been removed is carried into the processing chamber 20 and subjected to predetermined processing. After that, new glass substrates S are successively transported in the transport chamber 30, and the above operation is repeated every time each glass substrate S reaches the predetermined position A. As shown in FIG.

The raw material introduced into the plasma generation chamber 13 is ionized by thermoelectrons emitted from the filament 16 to become plasma P, and then supplied toward the glass substrate S in the transfer chamber 30 to neutralize the glass substrate S. . That is, after the raw material gas G is supplied to the plasma generation chamber 13, it becomes plasma and is supplied into the transfer chamber 30, and there is a time lag until the static elimination of the glass substrate S is completed. Therefore, if the introduction of the raw material gas G into the plasma generation chamber 13 is stopped at the time when the static elimination of the glass substrate S is completed, the above-described time difference effectively contributes to the static elimination of the glass substrate S. Excess raw material gas G is supplied to the plasma generation chamber 13 . When at least a portion of the excess raw material gas G leaks into the transfer chamber 30, the internal pressure of the transfer chamber 30 is gradually increased, and the degree of vacuum within the vacuum vessel is lowered.

On the other hand, in the static eliminator 10 and the flat panel display manufacturing apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, the source gas G is introduced into the plasma generation chamber 13 in an amount capable of generating the plasma P necessary for static elimination of one glass substrate S. The gas control unit 17 is configured to stop the supply of the raw material gas G at the point in time. That is, the gas control unit 17 performs control to stop the introduction of the raw material gas G into the plasma generation chamber 13 before the charge removal of the glass substrate S is completed. Therefore, compared with the conventional art, the time during which the raw material gas G is supplied to the plasma generation chamber 13 in the process of removing static electricity from one glass substrate S is shortened, and the raw material gas G that does not contribute to the generation of the plasma P is used to generate the plasma. Outflow to the chamber 13 is suppressed. As a result, the gradual increase in the internal pressure of the transfer chamber 30 due to the outflowing raw material gas G is suppressed, and the static electricity of the glass substrate can be removed while maintaining the transfer chamber in a high-vacuum state.

Note that the detection unit 19 is not limited to detecting that the glass substrate S has reached the predetermined position A. For example, the detection unit 19 may be configured to detect that the glass substrate S has arrived at a position before the predetermined position A on the transport path R. In this case, the gas control unit 17 starts introducing the raw material gas G based on the time required for the glass substrate S to move to the predetermined position A from detection. That is, the gas control unit 17 only needs to start introducing the raw material gas G into the plasma generation chamber 13 based on the detection result of the detection unit 19. It is sufficient if the introduction of the raw material gas G is started when the position A is reached.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2 , the static eliminator 10 and the flat panel display manufacturing apparatus 100 of the present embodiment may be configured to include a current control section 50 that controls the current flowing through the filament 16 . While the filament 16 is energized, the current control unit 50 performs control so that the value of the extraction current Ie flowing through the extraction power supply Ve is constant or always approaches a target value. Plasma P can be stably supplied into the transfer chamber 30 by providing the controller 50 .

In this embodiment, the filament power supply Vf is always on, but the current control unit 50 controls the on/off of the filament power supply Vf to control the energization of the filament 16. may In this case, as an example, the current control unit 50 energizes the filament 16 after a predetermined time (about 0.5 seconds) has passed since the gas control unit 17 started supplying the raw material gas G to the plasma generation chamber 13. After a predetermined time (approximately 0.5 seconds) has elapsed since the gas control unit 17 stopped supplying the raw material gas G to the plasma generation chamber 13, control is performed to stop the supply. Therefore, the current control unit 50 controls the start and stop of energization of the filament as the introduction of the source gas G into the plasma generation chamber 13 is started and stopped. is stopped, deterioration of the filament 16 is suppressed compared to the case where the filament 16 is constantly energized.

As described above, the static eliminator 10 and the flat panel display manufacturing apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, even when the plurality of glass substrates S transported to the processing chamber 20 are sequentially statically eliminated, the plasma P is generated on each glass substrate S is intermittently supplied at the timing when reaches the predetermined position A. That is, the raw material gas G supplied for neutralizing the single glass substrate S and the plasma P generated are extremely small to the minimum necessary extent, and the internal pressure in the transfer chamber 20 does not exceed a predetermined value. It can be maintained in a high vacuum state without exceeding.

In the present embodiment, the plasma P is generated by ionizing the raw material gas G by thermal electrons emitted from the filament 16, but the method of generating the plasma P from the raw material gas G is limited to this. not a thing For example, microwaves may be introduced into the plasma generation chamber 13 through a waveguide or the like, and the material gas G may be ionized by the energy of the microwaves.

Further, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and that various modifications are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

S Glass substrate G Raw material gas P Plasma A Predetermined position 10 Static eliminator 100 Flat panel display manufacturing apparatus 13 Plasma generation chamber 16 Filament 17 Gas control unit 18 Gas source 19 Detection unit 20 Processing chamber 30 Transfer chamber 40 Pre-vacuum chamber 50 Current control unit

Claims (4)

Used in a flat panel display manufacturing apparatus comprising a processing chamber for performing a predetermined process on a glass substrate, and a transfer chamber which has a high vacuum state inside and serves as a route for carrying the glass substrate into the processing chamber, wherein the transfer chamber A static eliminator for neutralizing the glass substrate by supplying plasma to the inside of the
a plasma generation chamber for generating the plasma from the raw material gas;
a filament that is energized to emit thermoelectrons into the plasma generation chamber;
a gas control unit that controls introduction of the raw material gas into the plasma generation chamber;
The gas control unit starts the introduction of the raw material gas when the glass substrate reaches a predetermined position in the transfer chamber, before the completion of static elimination of the glass substrate, and starts the supply of the raw material gas. Control to stop after a predetermined time has elapsed from
A static eliminator , wherein the filament is energized when the gas control unit stops the supply of the raw material gas . A detection unit capable of detecting the position of the glass substrate in the transfer chamber ,
2. The static eliminator according to claim 1, wherein the gas control unit starts introducing the source gas based on the detection result of the detection unit. further comprising a current control unit for controlling start and stop of energization of the filament in accordance with start and stop of introduction of the raw material gas into the plasma generation chamber;
3. The current control unit stops energizing the filament after a predetermined time has passed since the gas control unit stopped supplying the raw material gas to the plasma generation chamber. The static eliminator according to . a processing chamber for performing a predetermined process on a glass substrate; a transfer chamber whose interior is kept in a high vacuum state and serves as a route for carrying the glass substrate into the processing chamber; A flat panel display manufacturing apparatus comprising a static elimination device capable of eliminating static electricity from a substrate,
The static eliminator includes a plasma generation chamber for generating the plasma from a raw material gas, a filament that is energized to emit thermal electrons into the plasma generation chamber, and a gas controller that controls introduction of the raw material gas into the plasma generation chamber. and
The gas control unit starts the introduction of the raw material gas when the glass substrate reaches a predetermined position in the transfer chamber , before the completion of static elimination of the glass substrate, and supplies the raw material gas. Control to stop after a predetermined time has elapsed from the start ,
The flat panel display manufacturing apparatus , wherein the filament is energized when the gas control section stops the supply of the raw material gas .