KR100738873B1 - Chemical vapor deposition apparatus for flat display - Google Patents

Abstract

A CVD apparatus for a flat display is provided to reduce a standby time for maintenance work of the apparatus by forcibly cooling a susceptor in a short time, thereby preventing the whole progress loss. A deposition process for a flat display(G) is carried out in a chamber(10), and a susceptor(30) is movably installed in the chamber, in which the flat display is loaded on an upper surface of the susceptor. At least one cooling block is provided on a bottom surface of the chamber, and comes in contact with the susceptor when the susceptor moves is mowed down, thereby cooling the susceptor heated at the deposition process.

Description

Chemical Vapor Deposition Apparatus for Flat Displays {Chemical Vapor Deposition Apparatus for Flat Display}

1 is a schematic structural diagram of a chemical vapor deposition apparatus for a planar display according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view of the susceptor in contact with the cooling block.

3 is a plan cross-sectional view of the cooling block shown in FIG. 2.

4 is a schematic structural diagram of a chemical vapor deposition apparatus for a planar display according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a partially enlarged view of a chemical vapor deposition apparatus for a planar display according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

6 is a perspective view of a cooling block employed in a chemical vapor deposition apparatus for a planar display according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

* Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings

10 chamber 11 bottom surface

17 gas distribution plate 26 insulator

30: susceptor 31: substrate loading portion

40: susceptor support 50: cooling block

51: body 53: cooling line

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a chemical vapor deposition apparatus for planar displays, and more particularly, to maintain the apparatus by forcibly cooling the susceptor so that the temperature of the susceptor can be lowered to an appropriate level within a relatively short time. The present invention relates to a chemical vapor deposition apparatus for a flat panel display, which can reduce the waiting time, thereby improving the operation rate and productivity of the apparatus, as well as suppressing overall process loss.

Flat panel displays are widely used in personal handheld terminals, as well as in TVs and computers.

Such flat displays include a variety of types such as cathode ray tube (CRT), liquid crystal display (LCD), plasma display panel (PDP), and organic light emitting diodes (OLED).

Among them, liquid crystal display (LCD) injects a liquid crystal, which is an intermediate between solid and liquid, between two thin upper and lower glass substrates, and generates light and shade by changing the arrangement of liquid crystal molecules by the electrode voltage difference between the upper and lower glass substrates. It is a device using a kind of optical switch phenomenon to display an image.

LCDs are now widely used in electronic clocks, electronic calculators, TVs, notebook PCs, electronic products, automobiles, aircraft speed displays, and driving systems.

Previously, LCD TVs have a size of about 20 to 30 inches, and monitors have a mainstream size of 17 inches or less. In recent years, however, the preference for large TVs of 40 inches or larger and large monitors of 20 inches or larger has increased.

Therefore, manufacturers of LCDs have come to produce wider glass substrates. Currently, research has been conducted to increase the size of glass substrates up to 7 generations having a width of 1950 × 2250 mm or 1870 × 2200 mm, or 8 generations having 2160 × 2460 mm or more.

LCD is a TFT process in which processes such as deposition, photo lithography, etching, chemical vapor deposition, etc. are repeatedly performed, a cell process for bonding upper and lower glass substrates, and an apparatus It is released as a product through the completed module process.

On the other hand, the chemical vapor deposition process, one of many processes, is plasma-formed by an external high frequency power source, and silicon-based compound ions having high energy are ejected from the gas distribution plate through the electrodes. It is a process to be deposited on a glass substrate. This process takes place in a chamber that performs a chemical vapor deposition process.

As will be described in detail later, a susceptor for loading a glass substrate to be deposited is provided in a lower region of the chamber in which the chemical vapor deposition process is performed, and an electrode and a gas distribution plate are disposed in the upper region.

Accordingly, when the glass substrate is loaded onto the upper surface of the susceptor, the susceptor is heated to a temperature of about 400 ° C. Subsequently, the susceptor is raised so that the glass substrate is disposed adjacent to the gas distribution plate located under the electrode.

Then, power is applied through an electrode insulated from the chamber by Teflon, which is an insulator. Subsequently, silicon-based compound ions are ejected through the gas distribution plate in which a large number of orifices are formed, and the deposition process of the glass substrate is performed.

On the other hand, while performing the repeated deposition process for the glass substrate, the maintenance work for the various components in the chamber, including the surrounding structure of the chamber is performed. The maintenance work of the apparatus is performed after waiting for the temperature of the susceptor heated to about 400 ° C. to lower below approximately 100 ° C., followed by exposure to the atmosphere.

By the way, in the conventional chemical vapor deposition apparatus for planar displays, since it usually takes 24 hours to lower the temperature of the susceptor heated to about 400 ° C. to about 100 ° C. for maintenance work of the device, the maintenance of the device is performed. There is a problem that takes a long time to lower the temperature of the susceptor for the operation. This is because heat transfer takes place only by radiation in a vacuum inside the chamber.

In other words, in the prior art, it usually takes 24 hours, waits until the temperature of the susceptor heated to about 400 ° C. drops below about 100 ° C., and then performs maintenance of the device thereafter. Therefore, there is a problem that the waiting time for the maintenance work of the device becomes long, and thus, there is a problem that overall process loss occurs due to a decrease in the utilization rate of the device and a decrease in productivity accordingly.

It is an object of the present invention that the waiting time for maintenance work of the device can be reduced by forcibly cooling the susceptor so that the temperature of the susceptor can be lowered to an appropriate level in a relatively short time, so that the operation rate of the device and the productivity thereof are reduced. It is to provide a chemical vapor deposition apparatus for a flat panel display that can improve this process as well as suppress overall process loss.

In addition, another object of the present invention is to provide a chemical vapor deposition apparatus for a flat panel display that can mitigate the impact of the susceptor due to rapid heat discharge, and can prevent the susceptor from cracking due to sudden temperature imbalance. will be.

The object is, according to the present invention, a chamber in which a deposition process for a flat panel display proceeds; A susceptor mounted to the inside of the chamber so as to be liftable and loaded with the flat panel display on an upper surface thereof; And at least one cooling block provided in a bottom region of the chamber to contact the susceptor when the susceptor is lowered to cool the susceptor heated during the deposition process. Achieved by a vapor deposition apparatus.

Here, when the susceptor is lowered, any one of hydrogen and helium is filled in the chamber and gradually descends within a predetermined interval to prevent rapid cooling of the susceptor.

The susceptor is disposed in the chamber in the transverse direction to support the flat panel display, the upper end is fixed to the center of the substrate loading portion and the lower end is passed through the lower wall of the chamber to the outside of the chamber Including a column disposed; Preferably, the cooling block is formed so that an upper surface of the cooling block is substantially parallel with a lower surface of the substrate loading portion so as to be in surface contact with the lower surface of the substrate loading portion.

The cooling block, the body portion in contact with the bottom surface in the chamber; And a cooling line provided inside the body part to circulate a predetermined cooling medium.

The cooling medium is circulated to the cooling line during maintenance work on the chamber.

The predetermined cooling medium may be any one selected from water and nitrogen gas.

Further comprising a susceptor support for supporting the susceptor, the cooling block may be provided on both sides of the susceptor support.

The cooling block may be stacked on the bottom surface of the chamber.

The cooling block may be at least partially embedded in the bottom surface of the chamber so that the top surface is exposed to the bottom surface in the chamber.

The flat panel display is a large glass substrate for an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display).

Hereinafter, each embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, and the same reference numerals will be given to the same components in the description of the embodiments.

1 is a schematic structural diagram of a chemical vapor deposition apparatus for a planar display according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in the figure, the planar display chemical vapor deposition apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is provided in the chamber 10 and the upper region in the chamber 10, and the planar display of the deposition target ( An electrode 16 emitting a predetermined silicon-based compound ion toward G), a susceptor 30 disposed under the electrode 16 and loaded with a planar display G, and a susceptor A plurality of susceptor supports 40 supporting the susceptor 30 at the bottom of the 30 are provided.

In the chamber 10, the outer wall is shielded from the outside so that the deposition space S therein can be maintained in a vacuum atmosphere. The deposition space S of the chamber 10 is filled with inert gases He and Ar so as not to affect the silicon compound ions which are the deposition materials emitted from the electrode 16.

The outer wall of the chamber 10 is formed with an opening 10a which is a passage through which a flat display G flows in and out of the chamber 10 by a predetermined working robot. Although not shown, the opening 10a is selectively opened and closed by a door (not shown).

A gas diffusion plate 12 is provided on the bottom surface 11 of the chamber 10 to diffuse the gas existing in the deposition space S in the chamber 10 back into the deposition space S. In the central region of the bottom surface 11 in the chamber 10, a through hole 10b through which the column 32 of the susceptor 30 penetrates is formed. An additional through hole 10c through which the shaft portion 42 of the susceptor support 40 penetrates is further formed around the through hole 10b.

The electrode 16 is provided in the upper region in the chamber 10. A plurality of orifices are formed below the electrode 16 to provide a gas distribution plate 17 for distributing silicon compound ions which are deposition materials. The gas distribution plate 17 is disposed in parallel with the substrate loading portion 31 of the susceptor 30 to be described later with a predetermined distance (about tens of millimeters (mm)).

As described above, the planar display G may be any of a cathode ray tube (CRT), a liquid crystal display (LCD), a plasma display panel (PDP), and organic light emitting diodes (OLED).

However, in the present embodiment, a large glass substrate G for a liquid crystal display (LCD) will be regarded as a flat display (G). As described above, the large size refers to the size of the level applied to the 7th or 8th generation. Hereinafter, the flat display G will be described as a glass substrate G.

A remote plasma 18 is provided above the outside of the chamber 10 to supply a predetermined cleaning gas for removing impurities remaining in the chamber 10. The high frequency power supply unit 20 is provided around the remote plasma 18. The high frequency power supply unit 20 is connected to the electrode 16 by a connection line 22.

An insulator 26 is provided between the electrode 16 and the outer wall of the chamber 10 so that the electrode 16 directly contacts the outer wall of the chamber 10 and does not conduct electricity. The insulator 26 may be made of Teflon or the like. An exhaust buffer space portion 19 is formed between the electrode 16 and the gas distribution plate 17.

The susceptor 30 has a substrate loading part 31 for supporting a glass substrate G loaded in a transverse direction in the deposition space S in the chamber 10, and an upper end thereof is the center of the substrate loading part 31. The lower end includes a column 32 that is fixed to the through hole 10b and disposed outside the chamber 10.

The upper surface of the substrate loading portion 31 is made of almost a plate so that the glass substrate G can be loaded in a precise horizontal state. A heater (not shown) is mounted inside the substrate loading unit 31 to heat the substrate loading unit 31 to a predetermined deposition temperature of approximately 400 ° C.

The susceptor 30 moves up and down in the deposition space S in the chamber 10. That is, when the glass substrate G is loaded, the glass substrate G is disposed in the area of the bottom surface 11 in the chamber 10, and when the glass substrate G is loaded and the process is performed, the glass substrate G is the gas distribution plate 17. Injury so as to be adjacent to). For this purpose, the elevating module 36 for elevating the susceptor 30 is provided in the column 32 of the susceptor 30. The susceptor 30 and the susceptor support 40 are elevated together by the lifting module 36.

In the process of elevating the susceptor 30 by the elevating module 36, no space is generated between the column 32 of the susceptor 30 and the through hole 10b. Accordingly, the bellows pipe 34 is provided around the through hole 10b to surround the outside of the column 32.

The bellows pipe 34 is expanded when the susceptor 30 descends and is compressed when the susceptor 30 rises to prevent space from occurring between the column 32 and the through hole 10b.

The substrate loading part 31 of the susceptor 30 is provided with a plurality of lift pins 38 which reliably support the lower surface of the glass substrate G loaded or taken out to guide the upper surface of the substrate loading part 31. . The lift pin 38 is installed to penetrate the substrate loading portion 31.

When the susceptor 30 is lowered by the elevating module 36, the lift pin 38 is pressed to the bottom 11 of the chamber 10 so that the top thereof is the top surface of the substrate loading part 31. It protrudes. Thus, the glass substrate G is spaced apart from the substrate loading part 31. On the contrary, when the susceptor 30 floats, the susceptor 30 moves downward to bring the glass substrate G into close contact with the upper surface of the substrate loading part 31.

The lift pin 38 is disposed between the glass substrate G and the substrate loading portion 31 so that the robot arm (not shown) can grip the glass substrate G loaded on the substrate loading portion 31 of the susceptor 30. It also serves to form a space.

As described above, the susceptor 30 under 7th generation or 8th generation may have a large weight and a relatively large size, which may cause sag. In this case, the susceptor 30 may also sag in the glass substrate G.

Thus, as shown, a plurality of susceptor support 40 is provided below the substrate loading portion 31 of the susceptor 30 to support the substrate loading portion 31 of the susceptor 30. Since the substrate loading part 31 is formed to be larger than the size of the large glass substrate G, sagging occurs seriously toward the radially outer side from the central column 32.

Therefore, the susceptor support 40 is provided in plurality in the outer region of the substrate loading part 31 of the susceptor 30 to prevent the substrate loading part 31 of the susceptor 30 from sagging.

The susceptor support 40 has a head portion 41 located on the bottom surface of the substrate loading portion 31, and a shaft portion extending from the head portion 41 and arranged in parallel with the column 32 of the susceptor 30. Has 42.

The end of the shaft portion 42 is integrally coupled to the elevating module 36, like the column 32. Therefore, when the elevating module 36 operates, the elevating module 36 moves up and down together with the susceptor 30. A bellows pipe 34a is also formed in the region of the shaft portion 42.

FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged view of FIG. 1 showing a state where the susceptor contacts the cooling block, and FIG. 3 is a plan sectional view of the cooling block shown in FIG.

On the other hand, as described above, when performing the repeated deposition process for the glass substrate (G) it is necessary to perform the maintenance work for the chamber (10). Maintenance work should be performed after the temperature of susceptor 30 heated to about 400 ° C. is lowered to less than approximately 100 ° C.

Therefore, in order to quickly perform maintenance work, it is necessary to forcibly cool the susceptor 30 so that the temperature of the susceptor 30 can be lowered to an appropriate level within a relatively short time. This is the cooling block 50 below.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3 including the above-described FIG. 1, the cooling blocks 50 are stacked on the bottom surface 11 of the chamber 10. At this time, the cooling block 50 should not move arbitrarily in the area of the bottom surface 11 in the chamber 10. Therefore, the cooling block 50 is fixed in the area of the bottom surface 11 in the chamber 10 by a bolt or a welding method.

The cooling block 50 may be a single dog having a size as large as the area of the substrate loading portion 31, or as shown in Figures 4 and 5, both sides with the susceptor support 40 in between. Two may be applied. Regardless of the number and size, the cooling block 50 is sufficient to play a role of rapidly lowering the temperature of the susceptor 30 heated to about 400 ℃ to less than 100 ℃.

Referring to Figure 3, the cooling block 50 has a substantially rectangular shape. However, it does not necessarily have to have a rectangular shape. However, since the cooling efficiency is good when the surface contact with the lower surface of the substrate loading portion 31 in a larger area, at least the upper surface of the cooling block 50 is preferably formed in parallel with the lower surface of the substrate loading portion 31.

The cooling block 50 includes a body 51 and a cooling line 53 provided inside the body 51 to circulate a predetermined cooling medium. The cooling lines 53 may be arranged in a plurality of rows in the body 51 so that the cooling line 53 may contact the body 51 in a wider area. However, unlike FIG. 3, a single cooling line 53 may be arranged along the circumference of the body 51.

The cooling line 53 is provided as a tubular body to allow the cooling medium to flow therein. Here, the cooling medium may be any one selected from water as water-cooled or nitrogen gas as air-cooled. Nitrogen gas is mainly employed when used in an air-cooled type because of its relatively high heat transfer rate in the gas. However, it may be replaced with a gas having a heat transfer rate similar to that of nitrogen gas.

Here, both ends of the cooling line 53 need to be separated in order to circulate the cooling medium into the cooling line 53. The cooling medium must be supplied to one end 53a of the cooling line 53 through a cooling medium supply source (not shown) and a pump (not shown) for supplying the cooling medium, and the cooling medium circulated to the other end 53b. It should have a structure that can be discharged. In this embodiment, a general configuration thereof is omitted, but known configurations will be cited when necessary.

On the other hand, as described above, when the susceptor 30 is lowered to perform the maintenance work for the chamber 10, the cooling medium is circulated to the cooling line 53 to contact the susceptor 30 by contact. Cool.

At this time, when the susceptor 30 heated to 400 ° C. reaches the cooling block 50 through which the relatively cool cooling medium flows, and sudden heat dissipation proceeds, the susceptor 30 is shocked due to the rapid heat dissipation. The susceptor 30 may be cracked due to a sudden temperature imbalance.

Thus, the susceptor 30 is gradually lowered for a maintenance operation to leave a small predetermined distance from the cooling block 50, the inside of the chamber 10 is filled with any one of hydrogen and helium gas as gas heat transfer The acceptor 30 is gradually cooled. Hydrogen or helium gas flows into the chamber 10 through the hole 24 formed in the center of the electrode 16. Once cooled, it cools rapidly without direct thermal stress on the susceptor through direct contact.

The operation of the chemical vapor deposition apparatus 1 for a flat panel display having such a configuration and the effects thereof will be described as follows.

First, the glass substrate G to be deposited is transferred by the robot arm while the susceptor 30 and the susceptor support 40 are lowered to the lower region of the chamber 10 by the elevating module 36. The substrate loading part 31 of the acceptor 30 is disposed above.

At this time, since the upper end of the lift pin 38 is protruded a predetermined height to the upper surface of the substrate loading portion 31, the robot arm is taken out after placing the glass substrate (G) on the lift pins (38). When the robot arm is taken out, the inside of the chamber 10 is maintained in a vacuum atmosphere and filled with inert gases He and Ar necessary for deposition.

Next, in order to proceed with the deposition process, the elevating module 36 is operated to raise the susceptor 30 and the susceptor support 40 together. The lift pin 38 is then lowered, through which the glass substrate G is loaded while being in close contact with the upper surface of the substrate loading part 31. When the susceptor 30 rises to the position as shown in FIG. 1, the operation of the elevating module 36 is stopped and the glass substrate G is positioned directly below the electrode 16. At this time, the susceptor 30 is heated to about 400 ° C.

Then, power is applied through the electrode 16 insulated by the insulator 26. Subsequently, the silicon-based compound ions are ejected through the gas distribution plate 17 on which a large number of orifices are formed to reach the glass substrate G, thereby depositing on the glass substrate G.

On the other hand, after the deposition process for the glass substrate (G) is completed, in order to proceed with the maintenance work for the chamber 10, the susceptor 30 is lowered. At this time, the chamber 10 is filled with any one of hydrogen and helium gas, and then the cooling medium is circulated to the cooling line 53 of the cooling block 50.

When the susceptor 30 is lowered and the lower surface of the substrate loading unit 31 contacts the upper surface of the cooling block 50, the heat of approximately 400 ° C. formed in the susceptor 30 is transferred to the body of the cooling block 50. 51 is delivered to the cooling medium circulating through the cooling line 53 again.

Through this series of heat transfer processes, the substrate loading portion 31 of the susceptor 30 can be cooled to less than approximately 100 ° C., which is a desired temperature level, and the time required for this may be much shorter than before. . When the temperature of the susceptor is lowered below approximately 100 ° C., the interior of the chamber 10 is exposed to the atmosphere, and then maintenance work proceeds.

As such, according to the present invention, since the susceptor 30 can be forcibly cooled so that the temperature of the susceptor 30 can be lowered to an appropriate level within a relatively short time, the waiting time for the maintenance work of the device is increased. It can be reduced to improve the operation rate of the device and thus productivity, as well as to suppress the overall process loss (loss).

5 is a partially enlarged view of a chemical vapor deposition apparatus for a planar display according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

In the case of the first embodiment, the cooling blocks 50 are stacked on the bottom surface 11 in the chamber 10. However, in this embodiment, a constant groove 11a is formed in the bottom surface 11 in the chamber 10, and a part of the cooling block 50 is embedded in the groove 11a.

Even with FIG. 5, there is no problem in achieving the effect of the present invention. Of course, the cooling block 50 may be completely embedded so that the upper surface of the cooling block 50 forms the same surface as the bottom surface 11 in the chamber 10.

In the above-described embodiment, the cooling block 50 has a size substantially similar to that of the substrate loading portion 31 or slightly smaller than the substrate loading portion 31. However, the cooling block 50a may be made small and provided on the bottom surface 11 of the chamber 10. In this case, a large number of cooling blocks 50a may be provided.

In addition, the cooling line 53 provided in the cooling block 50a may be arranged in a single row as a straight form, or may be arranged in a zigzag form in the body 51, as shown in FIG.

As described above, the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, which will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, such modifications or variations will have to be belong to the claims of the present invention.

As described above, according to the present invention, the waiting time for the maintenance work of the device can be reduced by forcibly cooling the susceptor so that the temperature of the susceptor can be lowered to an appropriate level within a relatively short time. In addition, the productivity of the process can be improved, and process loss can be suppressed.

In addition, according to the present invention, it is possible to mitigate the impact of the susceptor due to rapid heat discharge, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of cracks in the susceptor due to a sudden temperature imbalance.

Claims (10)

A chamber in which a deposition process for a flat panel display is performed; A susceptor mounted to the inside of the chamber so as to be liftable and loaded with the flat panel display on an upper surface thereof; And And at least one cooling block provided in a bottom region of the chamber to contact the susceptor when the susceptor descends to cool the susceptor heated during the deposition process. Vapor deposition apparatus. The method of claim 1, Before the susceptor descends and contacts the cooling block, the temperature of the susceptor is gradually lowered inside the chamber to prevent the susceptor from being rapidly cooled by instantaneous contact with the cooling block. Chemical vapor deposition apparatus for a flat panel display, characterized in that any one of hydrogen and helium gas is filled. The method of claim 1, The susceptor is disposed in the chamber in the transverse direction to support the flat panel display, the upper end is fixed to the center of the substrate loading portion and the lower end is passed through the lower wall of the chamber to the outside of the chamber Including a column disposed; The cooling block is a chemical vapor deposition apparatus for a flat panel display, characterized in that the upper surface is at least substantially parallel to the lower surface of the substrate loading portion to be in surface contact with the lower surface of the substrate loading portion. The method of claim 3, The cooling block, A body portion in contact with the bottom surface of the chamber; And And a cooling line provided in the body to circulate a predetermined cooling medium. The method of claim 4, wherein And the cooling medium is circulated to the cooling line during maintenance of the chamber. The method of claim 4, wherein The predetermined cooling medium is a chemical vapor deposition apparatus for a flat display, characterized in that any one selected from water and nitrogen gas. The method of claim 4, wherein Further comprising a susceptor support for supporting the susceptor, The cooling block is a chemical vapor deposition apparatus for a flat display, characterized in that provided on both sides of the susceptor support. The method of claim 1, The cooling block is a chemical vapor deposition apparatus for a flat panel display, characterized in that arranged in the bottom surface in the chamber. The method of claim 1, And at least a portion of the cooling block is embedded in the bottom surface of the chamber such that an upper surface thereof is exposed to the bottom surface of the chamber. The method of claim 1, The planar display is a chemical vapor deposition apparatus for a flat panel display, characterized in that the large glass substrate for liquid crystal display (LCD).

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