KR101198821B1 - substrate clamp of sputter and suptter method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a sputter chamber for manufacturing a flat panel display device, and more particularly to a substrate clamp of the sputter chamber that can be securely fixed on the susceptor without physical damage such as scratches and a sputter method using the same It is about.

Specifically, the present invention is a substrate clamp of the sputter chamber for fixing the substrate seated on the susceptor, is provided with one or more along the susceptor edge corresponding to the outer periphery of the substrate, each lowered diagonally while maintaining the horizontal It provides a substrate clamp of the sputter chamber and a sputtering method using the same, including a pressing plate for pressing and fixing the end of the substrate or ascending away from the substrate to release the fixing.

As a result, the substrate clamp of the sputter chamber according to the present invention has the advantage of holding the substrate more stably without causing damage to the substrate such as scratch.

Description

Substrate clamp of sputter and suptter method using substrate clamp of sputter chamber

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a typical sputter chamber.

Figure 2 is an enlarged perspective view of a substrate clamp of a typical sputter chamber.

Figure 3a and Figure 3b is an enlarged perspective view of a part of the susceptor according to the operating state of the clamp according to the present invention, respectively.

Figure 4 is an exploded perspective view of the clamp of the sputter chamber according to the present invention.

5A and 5B are cross-sectional views according to operating states of the clamp according to the present invention, respectively.

<Description of the symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

102: susceptor 104: mounting hole

106: rear 108: spring groove

110: clamp 112: pressure plate

116: fixed end 118,119: first and second link shaft

120: link 122,124: first and second link ball

130: push bar 132: spring

134: pushhead 140: stamp

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a sputter chamber, and more particularly, a substrate clamp of a sputter chamber that can securely fix a substrate seated on a susceptor without physical damage such as scratches. It relates to a clamp and a sputtering method using the same.

In line with the modern era of informatization, the display field for displaying images through electrical signals has also been rapidly developed. In response, the flat panel display device with light and small size and low power consumption has been developed. : FPD: Liquid Crystal Display Device (LCD), Plasma Display Panel Device (PDP), Field Emission Display Device (FED), Electroluminescence Display (Electro luminescence Display) Device (ELD) has been introduced to quickly replace the existing Cathode Ray Tube (CRT).

In this case, a common flat panel display device is commonly required as a plat display panel for image realization, which represents a form in which two substrates are bonded side by side with their own fluorescent or polarizing material layers interposed therebetween. Recently, an active matrix type in which pixels, which are basic units of image expression, are arranged in a matrix on a flat panel display panel, and each is individually controlled by a switching element such as a thin film transistor (TFT). This video is widely used because of its excellent performance and color reproduction.

Meanwhile, in order to manufacture a general flat panel display device, various various processes are performed on a substrate. For example, a thin film deposition process of forming a thin film of a predetermined material on the surface of the substrate and exposing selected portions of the thin film are performed. A photo-lithography process and an etching process of patterning the pattern to a desired shape by removing the exposed portions of the thin film are repeated several times. In addition, various processes such as cleaning, bonding and cutting are performed. Entails.

At this time, the thin film deposition process can be classified into two types according to the principle of thin film deposition, and the chemical vapor deposition method by the chemical reaction of the precursor gas containing thin film component and the physical thin film deposition process The sputtering method which shows a principle is each typical example.

For the double sputtering method, a substrate, which is a deposition target, and a target of a metal material facing the same, and a first electrode on the target side and a second electrode on the substrate side disposed between them with each other therebetween are mobilized. After forming a reaction zone in which the targets are mounted in a vacuum, inert gas such as argon (Ar) is injected, and the inert gas is excited in a plasma state by applying positive and negative voltages to the first and second electrodes, respectively. . Then, the double cation particles are accelerated toward the first electrode to strongly collide with the target to scatter metal particles from the base material, and the metal particles are accelerated toward the second electrode and deposited on the transparent substrate surface.

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a general sputter chamber 10 for the above sputtering process, in which a reaction zone is defined, in which a vertical target 6 and a susceptor 2 on which a substrate is seated. ) Is mounted. The platen 4 serving as the second electrode is mounted side by side behind the double susceptor 2, and the backing plate 8 serving as the first electrode is mounted side by side behind the target 6. In particular, one adjacent edge of the platen 4 and the backing plate 8 are pivotally connected to each other so that the platen 4 is horizontal when the substrate is loaded or unloaded. During the process, the substrate and the target 6 are upright so as to face each other.

Accordingly, when the substrate is loaded into the sputter chamber 10 and mounted on the susceptor 2, the platen 4 rotates to face the substrate and the target 6 side by side, and in the vacuum reaction region, such as argon. As the gas is injected, the metal particles of the target 6 are deposited on the opposite surface of the substrate by the above-described process.

On the other hand, the general sputter chamber 10 is provided with a separate clamp for stably fixing the substrate despite the rotation of the platen 4, including the susceptor (2), Figure 2 shows a typical sputter chamber 10 An enlarged perspective view on some.

As can be seen, the clamp 13 of the general sputter chamber is composed of a plurality of clamps mounted along the edge of the susceptor 2 corresponding to the outside of the substrate 1, and each clamp 13 is connected through a screw 14. One end is rotatably coupled to the shaft shaft 12 fixed on the acceptor 2, the spring 16 secured therethrough and the shaft shaft 12 so that the other end is remote from the edge of the substrate 1, or The adhesive plate 20 is flipped to be close.

In this case, the spring 16 exerts elasticity such that the other end of the adhesive plate 20 is brought into close contact with the edge of the substrate 1. The substrate 1 is placed on the susceptor 2 while the adhesive plate 20 is folded. ), After restraining the restraint of the adhesive plate 20, the other end thereof is pressed and fixed by pressing the edge of the substrate 1.

However, such a sputter chamber clamp 13 causes some problems.

First, the process of disassembling and assembling the clamp 13 is complicated.

That is, in order to disassemble or assemble the clamp 13 of the general sputter chamber, the operator must unfasten or tighten the screw 14 fixing the shaft shaft 12 by using a tool such as a screwdriver, and the clamp 13 Considering that a large number is mounted along the edge of the susceptor 2, disassembly and assembly for each takes considerable time and effort.

Second, in the above-described operation of the clamp 13 of the sputter chamber, the force that the adhesive plate 20 can pressurize the substrate is provided only by the spring 16, and thus, the spring 16 may be removed due to frequent operation. In case of losing elasticity, it is hard to expect its role, and as the adherent plate 20 lies on the susceptor 2, the substrate 1 is infiltrated into the seating position. When the substrate 1 is seated on the susceptor 2 without any abnormality, breakage due to collision appears.

Third, the adhesive plate 20 pressurizes the edge of the substrate 1 through the retraction of the spring 16 during the above-described process, and the other end of the adhesive plate 20 moves in an arc during this process. In close contact with the edge of the substrate 1 while showing the trajectory, a strong collision is inevitably accompanied. For this reason, the phenomenon of causing scratches or the like on the edges of the substrate 1 is frequently caused, and there is a problem of generating particles and the like that greatly deteriorate the reliability of the susceptor 2 process.

Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above problems, to provide a specific way to hold the substrate more stably without causing damage to the substrate, such as scratch, through which a more stable sputter process proceeds Its purpose is to make it possible.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is a substrate clamp of the sputter chamber for fixing the substrate seated on the susceptor, one or more along the susceptor edge corresponding to the outer periphery of the substrate, each horizontal It provides a substrate clamp of the sputter chamber including a pressing plate which is lowered obliquely while being held down to press the substrate end to be fixed or ascends away from the substrate to release the fixing.

At this time, the end of the pressing plate toward the substrate is characterized in that inclined obliquely toward the substrate.

In addition, the susceptor is provided with a mounting hole corresponding to the lower end of the pressing plate, the substrate clamp, the link bar is connected to both ends of the pressure plate is rotatably connected to the rear and the mounting hole; A push bar for pressing the pressing plate horizontally in the direction of the substrate; It characterized in that it further comprises a stamp for lifting vertically from the mounting hole to raise the pressure plate.

In this case, further comprising a fixed end projecting downward from the back of the pressing plate, characterized in that one end of the link bar is connected to the fixed end by a first link shaft, in particular the other end of the link bar is A second link shaft is connected to one surface of the mounting hole far from the substrate.

In addition, the link bar is characterized in that one point of the middle is bent.

In addition, a spring groove is laterally recessed in the mounting hole inner surface facing the substrate with the fixed end therebetween, and the push bar includes: a spring embedded in the spring groove; And a push head fixed to the end of the spring to push the fixed end, and the stamp is upright from the bottom of the mounting hole and is in close contact with the fixed end. A first electrode behind the susceptor; A target connected to a hinge axis along one edge of the susceptor, the one surface of which faces the substrate by the suspending of the susceptor; And a second electrode on the rear surface of the target.

In addition, the present invention comprises the steps of a) a substrate is loaded in the sputter chamber and seated on the susceptor; b) pressing the substrate end by pressing the substrate end downward while the pressure plate provided at least one along the susceptor edge corresponding to the periphery of the substrate is lowered horizontally; c) depositing thin film on the surface of the substrate; d) providing a sputtering method, the pressing plate rising obliquely away from the substrate to release the fixing.

At this time, after step b) and before step c), a ') the susceptor is facing the target containing the thin film deposition component; C) after the step c) and before the step d), further comprising maintaining the susceptor horizontal.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

3A and 3B are partial perspective views of a sputter chamber for explaining the clamp 110 according to the present invention, and in particular, the clamp 110 according to the present invention is mounted at the same time as the substrate 101 which is a thin film deposition object is seated. A part of the susceptor 102 to be mounted is shown.

On the other hand, although not shown in a separate drawing, the overall configuration of the sputter chamber that can be used for the clamp 110 according to the present invention can be based on the general technical concept, specifically, the reaction zone is defined inside the sputter chamber Here, the susceptor 102 on which the substrate 101 is seated is provided, and a target connected to the hinge axis to enable pivot rotation along one edge thereof and to maintain an upright state. As a result, by rotating the susceptor 102, the substrate 101 and the target may face each other side by side, and on the back of the susceptor 102, a platen, which is a first electrode to which a negative voltage is applied, is mounted. Behind the target, a backing plate, which is a second electrode to which a positive voltage is applied, is mounted.

Therefore, when the susceptor 102 is leveled and the substrate 101 is loaded and seated on the susceptor 102, the susceptor 102 is rotated based on the hinge axis so that the substrate and the target face each other. When a constant voltage is applied to the platen and the backing plate, respectively, and an inert gas is introduced into the reaction zone, it is excited by plasma. The positive charge in the plasma accelerates in the direction of the backing plate and scatters the target particles as it collides with the target, and the scattered particles are accelerated in the platen direction and deposited on the substrate 101. After the thin film deposition is completed, the susceptor 102 is flipped horizontally again, and the substrate 101 is carried out to the outside.

In this process, the clamp 110 according to the present invention allows the substrate 101 to be fixed in spite of the angle change of the susceptor 102, and more particularly without applying physical damage such as scratches to the substrate 101. It enables stable fixing.

Referring again to FIGS. 3A and 3B, one or more clamps 110 are mounted along the edge of the susceptor 102 corresponding to the outside of the substrate 101. A pressing plate 112 is provided as a substantial part of fixing 101, which is obliquely lowered from the edge of the susceptor 102 toward the substrate 101 to press the end of the substrate 101 to fix the substrate 101. The substrate 101 is released by rising obliquely in a direction away from the 101.

In particular, the pressing plate 112 is always kept horizontal during the process of raising and lowering, the operation of the pressing plate 112 is possible through the interlocking of several mechanical elements, these are mounted The mounting hole 104 is indented at the edge of the susceptor 102 corresponding to the rear surface of the pressing plate 112 so as to be possible.

4 is an exploded perspective view of the clamp 110 according to the present invention, and shows all components mounted in the mounting hole 104 of the susceptor 102 including the above-described pressure plate 112. This is referred to in conjunction with FIGS. 3A and 3B above. At this time, on the premise that the mounting hole 104 is relatively square, only one surface relatively far from the substrate 101 is shown, and for convenience, this is called the rear surface 106 of the mounting hole 104, and is pressed to fix the substrate 101. The direction in which the plate 112 moves is described as the front.

As shown, the clamp 110 according to the present invention is a link bar 120 and both ends of the pressing plate 112 are rotatably connected to the back of the pressing plate 112 and appropriate points in the mounting hole 104, and the pressing plate 112 to the substrate. And a push bar 130 for horizontally pressing in the direction, and a stamp 140 vertically lifting from the mounting hole 104 to raise the pressing plate 112.

Look at each of them in more detail.

First, the front end of the pressing plate 112 toward the substrate 101 exhibits an oblique inclined surface 114, whereby the substrate 101 can be guided in a sliding manner when the substrate 101 is seated on the susceptor 102. Can be. And the fixed end 116 of a predetermined length protrudes from the back surface of the pressing plate 112, and both sides thereof are provided with a first link shaft 118 of a predetermined length.

Next, the link bar 120 connected to the back of the pressing plate 112 may be provided in a pair of left and right, one end of each of the first link shaft 118 provided at the fixed end 116 of the pressing plate 112. Is rotatably connected. To this end, first link holes 122 penetrate through one end of the link bar 120, respectively.

And the other end of the link bar 120 is rotatably connected to an appropriate point in the mounting hole 104, the connection point of the other end of the link bar 120 is one end of the link bar 120, that is, the pressure plate 112 It is preferable that the position is far from the substrate 101 rather than the fixed end 116 of the, and for this purpose, a second link shaft 119 is provided on the rear surface 106 of the mounting hole 104 and the other end of the link bar 120. The second link hole 124 is fitted through the hole.

At this time, the other end of the link bar 120 is located at a position far from the substrate 101 relative to one end of the link bar 120 is for the oblique rising and falling of the pressing plate 112, for this purpose link bar The 120 may be bent at one point in the middle so that the other end thereof may face the rear surface 106 of the mounting hole 104.

Subsequently, the push bar 130 for pressing the pressing plate 112 horizontally in the direction of the substrate 101 may be mounted on the rear surface 106 of the mounting hole 104, and for this purpose, the rear surface of the mounting hole 104 is used. 106 is provided with a horizontal spring groove 108, the spring 132 is embedded therein. In addition, the push head 134 is fixed to the front end of the spring 132 so that the pressing plate 112 is elastically close to the substrate 101 as the push head 134 is fixed to the rear end of the pressing end 112. do.

Finally, the stamp 140 vertically lifting from the mounting hole 104 to raise the pressing plate 112 may have a shape standing upright from the bottom surface of the mounting hole 104, and the tip thereof may have a pressing plate 112. The fixed end 116 is in close contact with the bottom.

Therefore, in the clamp 110 according to the present invention showing the above configuration, the fixed end 116 of the pressure plate 112 is pushed in the direction of the substrate 101 by the push bar 130 to press and fix the end of the substrate 101. In order to maintain the state to release and to release the fixing, the stamp plate 140 raises the fixed end 116 of the pressing plate 112 so that the pressing plate 112 is raised and retracted obliquely from the substrate 101.

5A and 5B are cross-sectional views showing the operating state of the clamp 110 according to the present invention, respectively, and as shown in FIG. 5A, the pressing plate 112 is moved toward the substrate 101 by the push bar 130 as much as possible. The pressure plate 112 is fixed to one point of the rear surface 106 of the mounting hole 104 by the link bar 120, and thus the pressure plate 112 is fixed to the end of the substrate 101. It shows the form to push and press.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 5B, when the stamp 140 is raised to raise the pressure plate 112, the spring 132 of the push bar 130 is contracted, and the pressure plate 112 is mounted by the link bar 120. Since it is fixed at one point of the back surface 106 of the 104, it will rise obliquely in a direction away from the substrate 101.

Accordingly, the substrate 101 may be fixed or released from the susceptor 102 through the above raising and lowering operations. During this process, the pressing plate 112 performs an oblique raising and lowering operation. The impact on the 101 can be minimized.

The substrate clamp of the sputter chamber and the clamping method using the same according to the present invention have an advantage of holding the substrate more stably without causing damage to the substrate such as scratching. As a result, more stable sputter process is possible.

Claims (11)

A substrate clamp of a sputter chamber for fixing a substrate seated on a susceptor, At least one is provided along the edge of the susceptor corresponding to the outer periphery of the substrate, and each of them is lowered obliquely while being horizontal to the substrate to press the substrate end to fix it, or to be obliquely lifted away from the substrate to release the fixing. Pressing Plate Substrate clamp of the sputter chamber comprising a. The method of claim 1, A substrate clamp of the sputter chamber inclined obliquely toward the substrate at an end of the pressing plate toward the substrate. The method of claim 1, The susceptor is provided with a mounting hole corresponding to the lower end of the pressing plate, The substrate clamp, A link bar having both ends rotatably connected to the rear surface of the pressing plate and the mounting hole; A push bar for pressing the pressing plate horizontally in the direction of the substrate; Stamp that is vertically lifted from the mounting hole to raise the pressure plate Substrate clamp of the sputter chamber further comprising. The method of claim 3, Fixed end protruding downward from the pressing plate back Further comprising, one end of the link bar substrate clamp of the sputter chamber connected to the first link shaft to the fixed end. 5. The method of claim 4, The other end of the link bar is a substrate clamp of the sputter chamber is connected to the second link axis on one surface of the mounting hole far from the substrate than the fixed end. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 5, wherein The link bar is a substrate clamp of the sputter chamber is bent one point in the middle. 5. The method of claim 4, A spring groove is indented in the mounting hole inner surface facing the substrate with the fixed end therebetween, The push bar is, A spring embedded in the spring groove; Push head fixed to the end of the spring to push the fixed end Substrate clamp of the sputter chamber comprising a. 5. The method of claim 4, The stamp is a substrate clamp of the sputter chamber is upright from the bottom surface of the mounting hole in close contact with the fixed end. The method of claim 1, The sputter chamber is A first electrode on the rear surface of the susceptor; A target connected to a hinge axis along one edge of the susceptor, the one surface of which faces the substrate by the suspending of the susceptor; The second electrode on the target surface Substrate clamp of the sputter chamber further comprising. a) loading the substrate into the sputter chamber and seating on the susceptor; b) pressing at least one end of the substrate by pressing the substrate end downward with the pressing plate provided at one or more along the susceptor edge corresponding to the outer periphery of the substrate while being horizontally lowered with respect to the substrate; c) depositing thin film on the surface of the substrate; d) releasing the fixing by raising the pressure plate at an angle away from the substrate while keeping the pressing plate horizontal to the substrate Sputtering method of the sputter chamber comprising a. The method of claim 10, After step b) and before step c), a ') the susceptor facing a target including a thin film deposition component; After step c) and before step d), c ') the susceptor being leveled Sputtering method of the sputter chamber further comprising.

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