KR100682304B1 - Processing chamber in fpd manufacturing apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a process chamber of a flat panel display device manufacturing apparatus, and more particularly to a process chamber to change the internal structure of the process chamber to form a uniform plasma.

In the process chamber of the flat panel display device manufacturing apparatus which generates a plasma inside and performs a predetermined process to a board | substrate, the board | substrate entrance and exit which a conveyance means enters in and out of a board | substrate predetermined part of the said process chamber is provided. And one end thereof coupled to the process chamber side opening of the substrate entrance and exit by a pivoting unit, and a shutter capable of opening and closing the opening further provides a process chamber of the flat panel display device manufacturing apparatus.

Flat Panel Display, Plasma, Plasma Processing Equipment, Process Chamber

Description

Process chamber of flat panel display device manufacturing apparatus {PROCESSING CHAMBER IN FPD MANUFACTURING APPARATUS}

1 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of a transfer chamber and a process chamber of a conventional flat panel display device manufacturing apparatus.

2 is a cross-sectional view showing a virtual space in which plasma is formed inside a conventional process chamber.

3 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of a process chamber according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a view for explaining the operation of the process chamber according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of a process chamber according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

6 is a cross-sectional view showing the structure of a process chamber according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

7 is a cross-sectional view showing a virtual space in which plasma is formed inside a process chamber according to the present invention.

<Description of Symbols for Major Parts of Drawings>

100: process chamber 110: lower electrode

120: gate 130: substrate entrance

140: first virtual line in which plasma is formed

200: conveying chamber 210: conveying means

300, 400, 500: process chamber according to each embodiment of the present invention

310, 410, 510: lower electrode

320, 420, 520: upper electrode

330, 430, 530: substrate entrance

340, 440, 540: Shutter

S: Substrate

The present invention relates to a process chamber of a flat panel display device manufacturing apparatus, and more particularly to a process chamber to change the internal structure of the process chamber to form a uniform plasma.

Generally, a flat panel display device manufacturing apparatus is roughly classified into a wet etching apparatus using a wet chemical and a dry etching apparatus using an inert gas.

In the dry etching apparatus, a specific reaction gas is introduced between two electrodes having a strong electric field so that the reaction gas becomes an ionized plasma gas having excellent reactivity in a neutral state while losing electrons by the electric field, and then the plasma gas is oxidized. It is a device that allows etching to proceed as the by-products are generated by reacting with the exposed part without being covered by the photoresist layer.

The dry etching apparatus described above generally includes three chambers of a process chamber for processing a substrate by plasma or the like, a transfer chamber used as a transit place for carrying in and out of a substrate to be processed and carried out to a process chamber, and a load lock chamber for storing a substrate. It consists of. In recent years, a two-chamber dry etching apparatus including one load chamber and a process chamber by integrating the functions of the load lock chamber and the transfer chamber has been disclosed due to the enlargement of the substrate.

At this time, the process chamber is provided with a component for generating a plasma therein to perform a predetermined treatment on the substrate. These components include upper and lower electrodes for generating an electric field inside the chamber, a vacuum pump for vacuuming the inside of the chamber, a gas supply system for supplying process gas into the chamber, and a power supply for supplying high frequency power to the upper and lower electrodes. System and the like. The specific structure and function of these components is well known to those skilled in the art, so the description thereof is omitted here.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the flat panel display device manufacturing apparatus, a substrate entrance 130 is formed between the process chamber 100 and the transfer chamber 200 in a three-chamber type or a two-chamber type. A gate 120 is provided at the center of the entrance to shield both chambers. That is, the gate 120 is opened when the substrate is brought in or taken out, so that the conveying means 210 installed in the conveying chamber 200 can pass therethrough, and the gate 120 is closed when the substrate is loaded or unloaded. The process chamber 100 and the transfer chamber 200 are spatially separated. Therefore, the process gas in the process chamber 200 does not flow into the transfer chamber 100, and the vacuum atmosphere of the process chamber 200 is not affected even when the transfer chamber 100 is made into the atmosphere.

However, as shown in FIG. 2, even when the gate 120 is closed, a space formed inside the wall rather than the wall remains in the substrate entrance 130. Therefore, in the case where the process is performed by plasma, the space where the plasma is actually formed can be confirmed by the first virtual line 140 shown in FIG. 2, and the wall surface on which the substrate entrance 130 is formed is different from the wall surface. It is wider than the side. Therefore, a gas stagnation phenomenon occurs in which the reaction gas is stagnant in this space, and a space in which plasma is formed in the process chamber 100 is asymmetrical, so that all surfaces of the substrate to be treated are not uniformly processed.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a process chamber in which a symmetrical space is formed to prevent uneven substrate processing due to asymmetry of the space formed in the process chamber.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is a process chamber of a flat panel display device manufacturing apparatus for generating a plasma therein to perform a predetermined process on a substrate, wherein the conveying means enters and exits a predetermined portion of the sidewall of the process chamber. And a substrate entrance for carrying in and out of the substrate, one end of which is coupled to the process chamber side opening of the substrate entrance by a pivot, and further comprising a shutter for opening and closing the opening. Provide a process chamber of the apparatus.

And the said rotating part which concerns on this invention is formed in an elastic body, and when the said conveying means retracts to a conveying chamber after the shutter is pushed open by a conveying means, it is provided in the structure which returns to a position which closes an opening again, and the movement of conveying means is carried out. Accordingly, there is an advantage in that the shutter can be easily opened and closed without providing a device having a complicated structure for opening and closing the shutter.

At this time, the rotating unit may connect the lower edge of the shutter and the lower side of the process chamber side opening of the substrate entrance,

The upper edge of the shutter may be connected to the upper edge of the process chamber side opening of the substrate entrance.

In addition, the shutter according to the present invention is composed of an upper shutter opening and closing the upper side of the process chamber side opening and a lower shutter opening and closing the lower side, the upper shutter is coupled to the upper edge of the process chamber side opening, the lower shutter is The lower end portion is provided to be coupled to the lower edge of the process chamber side opening, thereby reducing the rotational radius of the shutter so that the shutter can be rotated more efficiently.

In this case, the upper shutter and the lower shutter are coupled to the process chamber side opening by the upper rotating part and the lower rotating part, and the upper rotating part and the lower rotating part are formed of an elastic body, and the upper shutter and the lower shutter are pushed open by a conveying means. It is preferable that the upper shutter and the lower shutter can be opened and closed as an apparatus having a simple structure when the conveying means is evacuated to the conveying chamber and then returns to the position of closing the opening again.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described in detail a specific embodiment of the present invention.

<Example 1>

The process chamber 300 of the flat panel display device manufacturing apparatus according to the present embodiment is also provided with various components for generating a plasma therein to perform a predetermined process on the substrate as in the conventional process chamber. However, since the structure and function of these components are the same as the conventional ones, they will not be repeated here.

As shown in FIG. 3, the process chamber 300 of the flat panel display device manufacturing apparatus according to the present exemplary embodiment may further include a shutter 340 for opening and closing the process chamber side opening of the substrate entrance 330. It is distinguished from conventional process chambers. At this time, the shutter 340 is preferably provided with an anti-plasma material that is resistant to plasma, and is formed of a ceramic in this embodiment. In the present embodiment, the 'process chamber side opening portion' refers to an inlet opened in the process chamber inward direction during the inlet of the substrate entrance 330, and the inlet opened in the opposite direction is referred to as the 'conveying chamber side opening'.

That is, the substrate entrance and exit 330 through which the conveying means 210 enters and exits the substrate S is provided at a predetermined sidewall of the process chamber 300, and the shutter ( 340 is provided. In this case, the shutter 340 is provided to open and close the process chamber side opening. Then, the process chamber side opening is closed to form a surface continuous with the inner wall surface of the process chamber. In other words, the shutter 340 closes the process chamber side opening of the substrate entrance to become a process chamber sidewall of a shape similar to that in which no substrate entrance is formed on the sidewall of the process chamber.

In the present embodiment, the shutter 340 has a lower end thereof coupled to the lower edge portion of the process chamber side opening of the substrate entrance 330 by the pivoting part 342. Therefore, the lower end of the shutter 340 is coupled to the sidewall of the process chamber 300 and is fixed, and the upper end and the side end are not coupled with other places and can move freely. Therefore, when the shutter 340 is pushed in a specific direction, the shutter 340 is rotated about the lower end coupled to the side wall of the process chamber 300 to open the substrate entrance 330.

And this rotating part 342 is preferably formed of an elastic body. Even if the rotating part 342 is made of an elastic material and deformed within a certain range, when it is returned to its original state, the shutter 340 is opened by an external force and then the external force is removed, and then it returns to its original position. This is because the substrate entrance 330 can be closed again.

Looking at the operation of the shutter 340 is as follows. The operation of the shutter is shown in Figs. 4A and 4B.

First, as shown in FIG. 4A, when the conveying means 210 provided in the conveying chamber loads the substrate S and enters the process chamber 300, the conveying means 210 exerts a force on the shutter 340 on the left side of the shutter 340. do. Then, the shutter 340 is inclined to the right side and the substrate entrance 330 is opened. When the substrate is positioned in the process chamber 300, the conveying means 210 returns to the conveying chamber and a force is applied from the right side of the shutter 340 to tilt the shutter 340 to the left.

When the conveying means 210 completely exits the conveying chamber, since no more force is applied to the shutter 340, the shutter 340 returns to its original position by the elastic force of the rotating part 342 and the substrate entrance 330. Will be closed. In this state, the plasma is formed in the process chamber 300 while the shutter 340 is closed, and predetermined processing is performed on the substrate.

<Example 2>

In this embodiment, as shown in Figure 5, the shutter 440 is coupled to the upper edge portion of the process chamber side opening of the substrate entrance 430. That is, the rotating part 442 is coupled to the upper edge region of the process chamber side opening, and the rotating part 442 is coupled to the upper end of the shutter 440. Therefore, the shutter rotates about the upper end.

Operation and structure of the shutter 440 according to the present embodiment is the same as in the first embodiment and will not be repeated here.

<Example 3>

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 6, the shutter 540 includes an upper shutter 540a and a lower shutter 540b. That is, it is divided into an upper shutter 540a that opens and closes the upper side of the process chamber side opening, and a lower shutter 540b that opens and closes the lower side. Accordingly, the upper shutter 540a has its upper end coupled to the upper edge portion of the process chamber side opening, and the lower shutter 540b has its lower end coupled to the lower edge of the process chamber side opening.

Operation and structure of the upper shutter 540a and the lower shutter 540b according to the present embodiment are the same as those of the first and second embodiments, and thus will not be repeated here.

When substrate processing is performed by the process chamber 300 according to the present exemplary embodiment, the second virtual line 350 shown in FIG. 7 is a space that the plasma feels when plasma is formed in the process chamber 300. Is formed symmetrically. That is, since the shutter 340 is installed, the plasma is felt as one wall surface connected to the wall surface on which the passage is formed among the inner wall surfaces of the process chamber 300. Therefore, since the space in which the plasma is formed is symmetrical, there is an advantage that all surfaces on the substrate to be disposed on the lower electrode 310 are processed uniformly.                     

Particularly, in the present invention, the shutter which makes the space inside the process chamber symmetrical can be easily operated while having a simple structure, thereby making it possible to manufacture a substrate having a uniform quality while reducing the manufacturing cost of the device.

Claims (6)

In the process chamber of the flat panel display device manufacturing apparatus for generating a plasma therein to perform a predetermined process on the substrate, A substrate entrance / exit for carrying in / out of the substrate by a transport means entering and exiting a predetermined sidewall of the process chamber; And And a shutter capable of opening and closing the opening by a rotating part provided to be coupled to the process chamber side opening of the substrate entrance and exit. The rotating part is formed of an elastic body, and the shutter is pushed open by a conveying means. The process chamber of the flat panel display device manufacturing apparatus, characterized in that when the conveying means is retracted to the conveying chamber to return to the position to close the opening again. delete The method of claim 1, wherein the rotating unit, And a lower edge of the lower end of the shutter and the process chamber side opening of the substrate entrance and exit. The method of claim 1, wherein the rotating unit, And a top edge of the shutter and an upper edge of the process chamber side opening of the substrate entrance and exit. The method of claim 1, wherein the shutter, An upper shutter opening and closing the upper side of the process chamber side opening and a lower shutter opening and closing the lower side, The upper shutter has an upper end coupled to an upper edge of the process chamber side opening, The lower shutter has a lower end coupled to a lower edge of the process chamber side opening. The method of claim 5, The upper shutter and the lower shutter are coupled to the process chamber side opening by an upper rotating part and a lower rotating part, The upper rotating part and the lower rotating part are formed of an elastic body, and the upper shutter and the lower shutter are pushed by the conveying means to be opened, and then the conveying means retracts to the conveying chamber. Process chamber of flat panel display device manufacturing apparatus.

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