KR101802392B1 - Substrate process system - Google Patents

Abstract

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a substrate processing system, and more particularly, to a substrate processing system that performs deposition or the like on a substrate.
A transfer module for transferring or transferring a substrate from outside to a pair of substrates vertically or inclined with respect to the ground; And an even number of process modules coupled to the transport module for receiving substrates from the transport module and performing process operations.

Description

[0001] SUBSTRATE PROCESS SYSTEM [0002]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a substrate processing system, and more particularly, to a substrate processing system that performs deposition or the like on a substrate.

OLED is an organic light emitting diode, and organic EL or OLED (English: Organic Light-Emitting Diode) is a thin film light emitting diode in which a light emitting layer is an organic compound.

Because the pixels that constitute the OLED emit light directly, the range of light is greater than that of the LCD, and the backlight is not required, so the black level is excellent. It also has a faster response time than a LCD and can be wheeled.

OLEDs are divided into PM OLED (Passive Matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode) and AM OLED (Active Matrix - Active Organic Light Emitting Diode).

Due to the recent revitalization of video content, OLED, which is 1000 times faster than LCD, is firmly established in the small display market such as smartphone display and MP3P display.

On the other hand, the OLED includes an ITO electrode layer, a hole injection layer (HIL), a hole transport layer (HTL), an emission layer (EML) such as R, G and B, an electron transport layer (ETL) An organic layer sequentially stacked on the electrode layer, and an electrode layer formed on the organic layer.

The OLED having the above-described structure includes an ITO layer forming step of forming an ITO layer on a substrate, an organic film forming step of forming an organic film on the substrate on which the ITO layer is formed, and an electrode layer forming step of forming an electrode layer on the substrate on which the organic film is formed ≪ / RTI >

In spite of the above advantages, the OLED has a problem in that the raw material is expensive and the yield is low, compared with the LCD, so that the productivity is lower than that of the LCD, so that the OLED is not actively commercialized.

Accordingly, a substrate processing system capable of increasing the productivity of OLED and reducing manufacturing cost in response to the above-mentioned advantages and demands of a small display market such as a smart phone display and an MP3P display is desperately required.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a substrate processing system capable of performing a more efficient substrate processing process by combining a plurality of transport modules and a plurality of process modules with each transport module, .

It is another object of the present invention to provide a substrate processing system capable of significantly reducing the substrate manufacturing cost by arranging the substrate processing system to minimize its installation space.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in order to achieve the above-mentioned object of the present invention, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a transfer module for transferring or transferring a substrate from outside to a pair of substrates vertically or inclined with respect to the ground; And an even number of process modules coupled to the transport module for receiving substrates from the transport module and performing process operations.

Wherein the process module comprises a group of process modules consisting of a first process module and a second process module paired with each other; The transfer module may include a pair of parallel rotation unit rails on which the substrates are linearly moved, and a pair of rotation unit rails that transfer the substrates from the outside to the first process module and the second process module, Wherein the first process module and the second process module are opposed to each other with respect to the transport module or are coupled to the transport module on the same side .

The rail module may transmit or receive the substrate simultaneously or sequentially to the first process module and the second process module.

The first process module and the second process module may perform the same or different process processes.

The pair of rotary part rails can be driven together by one driving part.

The pair of rotation unit rails may be driven by separate driving units, and the driving units may be driven in synchronism with each other.

The plurality of process modules may include a plurality of process modules, and the plurality of process modules may correspond to the plurality of process modules.

The process modules constituting the plurality of process module groups may perform the same or different process processes.

At least one of the plurality of rail modules may further include a pair of parallel transport rails for transporting the substrate corresponding to the rotation unit rails.

A pair of parallel transferring rails that are coupled with the transfer module and each of which is linearly moved, and a pair of substrates vertically or inclined with respect to the ground along the transferring rail are simultaneously transferred to the transfer module, And may further include one or more transport modules to be delivered from the module.

The transport module may be provided in a plurality of units, and the transport module may be connected to a neighboring transport module by the transport module.

The transfer module may include an introduction module for transferring a substrate transferred from the outside, and a discharge module for discharging the substrate transferred from the transfer module to the outside.

The introduction module and the discharge module may be opposite to each other with respect to the transport module, or may be coupled with the transport module on the same side.

The transport module is a plurality of transport channels arranged in a row, and the introduction module is coupled to the first transport module, and the discharge module can be coupled to the last transport module.

The direction in which the substrate moves between the transport module and the transport module and the direction in which the substrate moves between the transport module and the process module may be perpendicular to each other.

The plurality of process modules may include a plurality of process modules, and the plurality of process modules may correspond to the plurality of process modules.

The process modules constituting the plurality of process module groups may perform the same or different process processes.

At least one of the plurality of rail modules may further include a pair of parallel transport rails for transporting the substrate corresponding to the rotation unit rails.

The substrate processing system according to the present invention is advantageous in that the time for the entire process can be shortened and structurally simplified since the substrate is vertically simultaneously transferred and processed at the same time in the substrate transfer between the respective modules such as the transfer module and the process module have.

Further, the substrate processing system according to the present invention has a merit that a plurality of process modules can be coupled to the transport module and the process can be simultaneously performed on a plurality of substrates, thereby significantly increasing the process speed of the process.

Also, the substrate processing system according to the present invention can process the two substrates at the same time by arranging the process modules so as to face the transport module, so that the process speed can be increased and the spatial advantage can be maximized.

Further, the substrate processing system according to the present invention may include at least two rotating units or transport modules to which a plurality of process modules are combined, and appropriately arrange the process modules according to each process according to the process characteristics of the process of the substrate, There is a possible advantage.

1 is a layout diagram showing a substrate processing system according to the present invention.
2A to 2F are layout diagrams showing a substrate transfer process of the substrate processing system of FIG.
3 is a layout diagram of a substrate processing system according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, a substrate processing system according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The accompanying drawings are for the purpose of illustrating the arrangement and construction of a substrate processing system, wherein cross-sections and sizes are omitted or exaggerated for purposes of illustration.

FIG. 1 is a layout diagram showing a substrate processing system according to the present invention, FIGS. 2A to 2F are layout diagrams showing a substrate transfer process of the substrate processing system of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a schematic view of a substrate processing system according to another embodiment of the present invention .

As shown in FIG. 1, the substrate processing system according to the present invention includes a transport module 100; And an even number of process modules 210 and 220 coupled to the transport module 100 for receiving substrates to perform process operations.

The substrate 10 to be subjected to the substrate processing of the substrate processing system according to the present invention may be any substrate that is subject to substrate processing such as a glass substrate for an LCD panel, a semiconductor substrate, a solar cell element, and the like. The formed substrate becomes the main object.

The substrate 10 is transported in a state of being vertically or inclined (hereinafter, referred to as a "vertical state") with respect to the paper in a sequential manner, that is, independently or in pairs, .

The substrate 10 may be transported to the substrate 10 itself or the substrate holder may be transported along the transport rail 301 while being supported by a substrate holder (not shown) for fixing the substrate 10 .

The substrate holder can be any structure as long as it can stably support the substrate 10 as a structure for transporting the thin film substrate 10 in a stable state.

The transfer module 100 transfers or transfers a substrate 10 from the outside and transfers or draws out the substrates 10 to and from the associated process modules. The transfer module 100 includes a chamber, a transferring rail, Various configurations are possible including a robot.

The conveying module 100 can maintain the pressure corresponding to the pressure of the process modules 210 and 220 considering that the process modules 210 and 220 are generally processed under a predetermined vacuum pressure condition, , It may be maintained in a vacuum state.

The transport module 100 includes a pair of parallel rotating part rails 101 to which the substrate 10 is linearly moved and a pair of rotating part rails 101 that are received from the outside and which receive the substrate 10 from the outside, And a rotation unit 110 for rotating a pair of rotation unit rails 101 to transfer or receive the substrate 10 to the second process module 210 and the second process module 220.

The process module described later includes an even number of process modules including a first process module 210 and a second process module 220 that are paired with each other.

The rotation unit 110 may be configured to rotate the rotation unit rail 101 to a position corresponding to each module to be replaced by the substrate 10.

In FIG. 1, the outer shape of the rotation unit 110 is shown as a disc shape, but a planar shape parallel to the ground may have various shapes such as a substantially circular shape, an elliptical shape, and a polygonal shape.

Meanwhile, the pair of rotation unit rails 101 can simultaneously or independently receive a pair of substrates 10 from the outside and then introduce the substrate 10 into the process modules 210 and 220 by the rotation unit 110 And the rotary part rail 101 introduces the respective substrates 10 to the respective processing modules 210 and 220. [

The rotating unit rail 101 may be selectively applied to various devices capable of transferring a linear substrate 10 such as a rail, a roller, or a robot.

A driving unit (not shown) may be provided to supply power to the rotating unit rail 101 to transport the substrate 10. The driving unit may be provided as a single unit to simultaneously drive the pair of rotating unit rails 101 , The separate driving units may be synchronized with each other to drive the pair of rotation unit rails 101 together

It goes without saying that the pair of rotation unit rails 101 may be connected to a separate driving unit and each substrate 10 may be transported at a different time and / or speed.

Meanwhile, the transport module 100 may be installed in a single unit in the system, or may be connected by a transport module 300, which will be described later, and may be installed in a plurality of units.

The process modules 210 and 220 are configured to receive the substrate 10 from the transport module 100 and to perform predetermined processes such as deposition and etching on the substrate 10.

As an example of the process modules 210 and 220, a process chamber for forming a closed process space, a substrate support for supporting the substrate 10, and a gas supply unit for supplying a process gas into the process space may be used.

On the other hand, in the case where the substrate 10 is an OLED substrate, a plasma treatment is performed, and a hole injection layer (HIL), a hole transport layer (HTL), a light emitting layer (EML) such as R, (ETL), and an electron injection layer (EIL) are successively deposited on the substrate 10 through a deposition process. The process module evaporates the organic material to perform the deposition process for depositing the organic layer on the substrate 10, The evaporation device may be installed.

The process modules 210 and 220 can perform the process while maintaining the substrate 10 in a "vertical state" with respect to the ground. At this time, since the transfer module 100 and the process modules 210 and 220 transfer the substrate 10 in the "vertical state" to perform the process process, a separate apparatus and processes for rotating the substrate 10 are omitted And the tact time can be remarkably reduced.

In addition, the process modules 210 and 220 may be appropriately arranged so as to be coupled to the conveyance module 100 in a plurality, particularly an even number, according to a process sequence for the substrate 10. [

More specifically, the process modules 210 and 220 may include one or more process modules including a first process module 210 and a second process module 220 in pairs.

The first process module 210 and the second process module 220 can be arranged in various manners such as being opposed to each other with respect to the transport module 100 or being coupled with the transport module 100 on the same side.

The imaginary extension lines along the direction in which the substrate 10 of the first and second process modules 210 and 220 are introduced or discharged are parallel to each other and the parallel spacing is set on the rotation unit rail 101 (Not shown).

That is, when the substrate 10 is transferred from the outside (along the transfer rail 301 of the transfer module 300 when the transfer module 300 is included) to the rotary part rail 101 of the rotation part 110, The rotation unit rails 101 are rotated so that the pair of substrates 10 can be introduced into the first process module 210 and the second process module 220, respectively.

The first process module 210 and the second process module 220 naturally look at the end of the rotary unit rail 101 and the substrates 10 are moved to the process modules 210 and 220 ) Can be introduced simultaneously or independently of each other.

That is, the rail module can transmit or receive the substrate 10 simultaneously or sequentially to the first process module 210 and the second process module 220.

Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of process modules including the first and second process modules 210, 220, 230, and 240 may be installed.

At this time, the rail module may be installed in correspondence with each process module group for transferring substrates to the first process module and the second process module 210, 220, 230, 240 of each process module group.

As shown in FIG. 3, the plurality of rail modules may be installed in a transport module 100 formed of one chamber or installed in a plurality of transport modules 100, respectively.

In addition, a pair of parallel transporting rails 102 for transporting the substrate 10 corresponding to the rotation unit rails 101 may be additionally installed in at least one of the plurality of rail modules.

The conveyance rail 102 is identical in construction to the rotation section rail 101 in comparison with the rail module and operates in correspondence with the movement of the substrate 10 in the conveyance module 100.

The transport rail 102 may function as a buffer for temporarily storing the substrate 10 between a plurality of rail modules and may further include a gate (not shown) on the transport path of the substrate 10 of the transport rail 102, ) May be further provided.

Meanwhile, the first process module 210 and the second process module 220, and further, process modules constituting one or more process module groups may perform the same or different process processes.

The first process module 210 and the second process module 220 may be disposed perpendicularly to the entire traveling direction of the substrate 10 in the transport module 100, have.

However, the process modules 210 and 220 may be arranged so as to be inclined with respect to the entire traveling direction of the substrate 10 in the transport module 100, or may be arranged in the vertical direction with respect to the ground Of course it is possible.

The substrate processing system according to the present invention includes a pair of parallel transferring rails 301 coupled to the transfer module 100 and each of which linearly moves the substrate 10, And one or more transfer modules 300 for transferring a pair of vertically or inclined substrates 10 to and from the transfer module 100 at the same time.

The transfer module 300 may be configured to transfer or receive the substrate 10 to / from the transfer module 100 between the outside and the transfer module 100.

The conveyance rail 301 is similar to that of the conveyance rail 102 described above, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Meanwhile, the transfer module 300 may have various configurations according to the arrangement of the substrate processing system.

For example, the transfer module 300 may include an introduction module 400 and an ejection module 500, which are coupled to the front or rear of the conveyance module 100 to convert pressure between the pneumatic pressure and the atmospheric pressure, .

The introduction module 400 can be configured in various configurations as a configuration in which the substrate 10 is received outside the atmospheric pressure state, the pressure is reduced, and the pressure is transmitted to the conveyance module 200 in the vacuum pressure state. The discharge module 500 may be configured to discharge the substrate 10 out of the atmospheric pressure state in the transfer module 200 in the vacuum pressure state.

Meanwhile, the transfer module 300, in particular, the introduction module 400 and the discharge module 500 may be implemented in various forms according to the number of the transfer module 100.

For example, in the case of one conveying module 100, the introducing module 400 and the discharging module 500 may be opposed to each other with respect to the conveying module 100 or may be coupled to the conveying module 100 on the same side.

As another example, in the case of a plurality of conveyance modules 100, the introduction module 400 and the ejection module 500 may be coupled to the same conveyance module 100, wherein the introduction module 400 and the ejection module 500 May also be configured as a single module.

The introduction module 400 and the discharge module 500 may be coupled to different transport modules 100. For example, the introduction module 400 may include a plurality of transport modules 100 The exhaust module 500 may be coupled to the final conveying module 100. In this case,

Meanwhile, when a plurality of the transport modules 100 are installed, the transport module 100 is connected to the adjacent transport module 100 by the transport module 300 as described above.

At this time, the transfer module 300 connecting the transfer module 100 may function as a buffer for temporarily storing the substrate 10.

As described above, the first process module 210 and the second process module 220 are coupled to each other so that the transport module 100 forms one or more process modules and is coupled to the transport module 100, And the substrate 10 is simultaneously or sequentially transferred to the first process module 210 and the second process module 220. As a result, the speed of the process can be significantly increased as compared with the conventional inline type substrate processing device There is an advantage.

2A to 2F, the transfer process of the substrate processing apparatus of the present invention will be described more specifically.

2A, a pair of substrates 10 are introduced from the outside (from the transfer rail 301 of the transfer module 300 when the transfer module 300 is installed) to the transfer module 100. [ At this time, since the pair of substrates 10 are simultaneously introduced into the transport module 100 for process processing, the tact time can be remarkably reduced compared to the case where the substrates 10 are sequentially introduced one by one.

When the substrate 10 is transferred to the transport module 100 as shown in FIG. 2B, the rotation unit 110 rotates the rotation unit rail 101 so that each of the substrates 10 is transported to the first process module 210, (Not shown).

And is introduced into the first process module 210 and the second process module 220 through the rotary part rail 101 in FIG. 2C.

2D shows an example in which each of the process modules 210 and 220 is processed one by one within the substrate 10 and the processed substrate is transferred to the rotary part rail 101 of the transport module 100 as shown in FIG. do.

2F shows that the processed substrate is transferred from the transfer module 100 to another transfer module 300 while the other transfer module 300 is connected to another transfer module 100 or discharge chamber 500).

On the other hand, in the case of processing the OLED substrate, the substrate processing system is provided with a mask (not shown) for forming a specific pattern when the OLED substrate is processed. Since it is necessary to remove the mask or replace it with another mask according to the process conditions, Accordingly, a mask exchange module (not shown) for replacing the mask before the substrate 10 is introduced into the processing module 200 may be additionally provided.

Meanwhile, in the concept of the present invention, the substrate processing system can process a plurality of substrates by combining a plurality of process modules in each of the plurality of conveyance modules 100 or each of the rotation units, It is advantageous to perform efficiently within the system of the system.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made in the present invention without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims. It is to be understood that both the technical idea and the technical spirit of the invention are included in the scope of the present invention.

100 ... transfer module 210 ... first process module
220 ... second process module 300 ... transfer module

Claims (18)

A transfer module for transferring or transferring a pair of substrates vertically or inclined with respect to the ground from outside;
And an even number of process modules coupled to the transfer module for transferring substrates from the transfer module to process the process modules,
Wherein the process module comprises a group of process modules comprising a first process module and a second process module corresponding to each other;
The transfer module includes a pair of parallel rotation unit rails on which a pair of substrates are linearly moved, and a pair of substrates from the outside, the pair of rotation unit rails transferring one of the pair of substrates to the first process And a rotating module including a rotating part for rotating the pair of rotating part rails to transmit or receive the remaining one to the second process module,
Wherein the first process module and the second process module are opposed to each other with respect to the transport module or are coupled with the transport module on the same side,
The pair of rotary part rails are driven together by one driving part or driven by separate driving parts respectively, and the driving parts are driven in synchronism with each other,
A pair of parallel transferring rails that are coupled with the transfer module and each of which is linearly moved, and a pair of substrates vertically or inclined with respect to the ground along the transferring rail are simultaneously transferred to the transfer module, Further comprising at least one transfer module for receiving from the module,
Wherein the plurality of conveying modules are installed and connected to adjacent conveying modules by the conveying module. delete The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the rail module transfers or receives the substrate simultaneously or sequentially to the first process module and the second process module. The method of claim 3,
Wherein the first process module and the second process module perform the same or different process processes. delete delete The method of claim 1, 3, or 4,
The process module group includes a plurality of process modules,
Wherein the plurality of rail modules are provided corresponding to the respective process module groups. The method of claim 7,
Wherein the process modules constituting the plurality of process module groups perform the same or different process processes. The method of claim 7,
Wherein at least one of the plurality of rail modules is further provided with a pair of parallel transport rails for transporting the substrates corresponding to the rotation unit rails. delete delete The method of claim 1,
Wherein the transfer module comprises an introduction module for transferring a substrate transferred from the outside, and a discharge module for discharging the substrate transferred from the transfer module to the outside. The method of claim 12,
Wherein the introduction module and the discharge module are opposed to each other with respect to the transfer module or are coupled with the transfer module on the same side. The method of claim 12,
Wherein the plurality of conveying modules are arranged in one row,
Wherein the introduction module is coupled to a first transport module and the discharge module is coupled to a last transport module. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein a direction in which the substrate is moved between the transfer module and the transfer module and a direction in which the substrate is transferred between the transfer module and the process module are perpendicular to each other. delete delete delete

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