KR101876521B1 - Buffer chamber, in-line chamber system comprising the same, and controlling method of the same - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a buffer chamber capable of maximizing the manufacturing process efficiency and reducing manufacturing costs, a chamber body having an inlet formed on one side and an outlet formed on the other side for an in-line chamber system and a buffer chamber control method, And an idle conveying unit disposed between the first conveying unit and the outlet and allowing the conveying member to pass through the buffer chamber. In-chamber system and a buffer chamber control method.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a buffer chamber, an in-line chamber system having the same, and a buffer chamber control method.

The present invention relates to a buffer chamber, an in-line chamber system having the same, and a buffer chamber control method. More particularly, the present invention relates to a buffer chamber capable of maximizing the manufacturing process efficiency and reducing manufacturing cost, And a control method.

In general, chamber systems are used in the manufacture of various products. For example, a chamber system may be used in the manufacture of a product comprising a thin film structure. Specifically, when manufacturing a product having an organic thin film or an inorganic thin film, an organic material or an inorganic material may be deposited on the object in the chamber system to form a thin film on the object.

However, in such a conventional chamber system, there is a problem that the efficiency of the deposition is high and the manufacturing time of the product is long, resulting in low efficiency and high product manufacturing cost.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a buffer chamber, an in-line chamber system, and a buffer chamber control method that can solve various problems including the above-described problems, . However, these problems are exemplary and do not limit the scope of the present invention.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, including: a chamber body having an inlet formed at one side thereof and an outlet formed at the other side thereof; a first conveyance unit capable of conveying the conveyance body, And an idle conveying unit disposed between the exit and capable of causing the conveying member to pass.

The idle units can be prevented from being driven by the driving unit. At this time, the first conveying unit can convey the conveying body while varying the conveying speed.

The second sensor may further include a second sensor disposed at a rear end of the conveying unit and capable of detecting the entry or passage of the conveying member at the arrangement position.

In this case, when the second sensor senses that the transfer member has passed through the transfer unit, during the transfer of the next transfer unit by the first transfer unit, until the next transfer unit enters the second sensor, There may be a section in which the next conveying body is conveyed at a speed higher than the conveying speed when the conveying body passes the exit.

Further comprising a first sensor disposed at a front end of the conveying unit so as to sense the entrance or the passage of the conveying member at an arrangement position, in addition to the second sensor, wherein the first sensor detects that the conveying member has passed through the first conveying unit When the first sensor senses, the next conveying body is conveyed by the first conveying unit so that the idle conveying unit enters the conveying unit before the conveying unit senses that the idle conveying unit has passed the conveying unit, The distance between the conveying members is a predetermined distance shorter than the distance between the conveying member and the next conveying member when the first sensor senses that the conveying member has passed through the first conveying member, The next conveying body can be conveyed.

In this case, a distance between the conveying member and the next conveying member when the first sensor senses that the conveying member has passed through the first conveying unit is d ₁ , the predetermined distance is d ₂ , The distance between the second sensors is L, and the conveying speed after the conveying body has passed through the first conveying portion is v ₂ , the next conveying body conveying speed v ₁ of the _first conveying portion is v ₂ (d ₁ -d ₂ + L) / L.

Further, when the distance between the conveying member and the conveying member, and then the said predetermined distance, the first transfer unit may transfer the next conveying member a speed of v _2.

Between the dispatch and the outlet, the children may further include additional dispatches.

The idle conveying unit may further include a second conveying unit disposed between the conveying unit and the outlet and capable of conveying the conveying unit in the direction of the exit. In this case, the first transfer unit and the second transfer unit can transfer the transfer material at different transfer speeds. Further, during the conveyance of the conveying member, the conveying speed of the first conveying unit may be made faster than the conveying speed of the second conveying unit.

Further comprising a second sensor disposed at a rear end of the transfer unit when the second transfer unit is provided and capable of detecting the entry or passage of the transfer unit at an arrangement position, When the second sensor senses that the second conveyance unit has passed the second conveyance unit, the second conveyance unit is moved by the second conveyance unit of the conveyance unit until the next conveyance unit enters the arrangement position of the second sensor during conveyance by the first conveyance unit of the next conveyance body There may be a section in which the next conveying body is conveyed at a speed higher than the conveying speed.

The second sensor may include a second sensor disposed at a rear end of the transmission unit and capable of detecting the entry or passage of the transfer unit at an arrangement position when the second transfer unit is provided, Wherein the first sensor senses that the conveyance body has passed through the first conveyance unit, and the conveyance body conveys the conveyance body to the conveyance unit, The second conveying unit is conveyed by the first conveying unit so that the idle enters the conveying unit before the second sensor senses that the conveying unit has passed through the first conveying unit, The first conveyance unit is moved to the next conveyance so that the first conveyance unit is at a predetermined distance shorter than the distance between the conveyance unit at the time of sensing the first sensor and the next conveyance unit, The can conveyance.

Here, a distance d ₁ between the conveying member and the next conveying member when the first sensor senses that the conveying member has passed through the first conveying unit, a predetermined distance d ₂ , second when the distance between the sensor L, the feedrate of the conveying member by the second conveying part v ₂ d, the first and then the transfer material conveying speed of the conveying part is v ₁ v ₂ (d ₁ -d ₂ + L) / L. In this case, when the distance between the conveying member and the conveying member, and then the said predetermined distance, the first transfer unit may transfer the next conveying member a speed of v _2.

Between the sending unit and the second conveying unit, the idle units may further include additional idle conveying units.

The inlet may be connected to an alignment chamber for aligning the mask and the substrate. The outlet may be connected to the inlet of the process chamber.

In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a lithographic apparatus including at least one of the above-described buffer chambers, an alignment chamber for aligning a mask and a substrate connected to the inlet of the buffer chamber, An in-line chamber system having a process chamber is provided.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a buffer chamber in which a first transfer part, an idle transfer part and a second transfer part are sequentially disposed in the direction of the outlet from the inlet of the chamber body having an inlet formed on one side and an outlet formed on the other side The method comprising: transferring a conveyance member inserted through the inlet to a conveyance speed v1 from the entrance to the exit direction using the _first conveyance unit; and when the conveyance body enters the second conveyance unit, a buffer chamber to the outlet direction of the control method comprising the step of conveying to the conveying speed v ₁ than the slow feed rate v ₂ is provided.

According to an embodiment of the present invention as described above, it is possible to realize a buffer chamber, an in-line chamber system, and a buffer chamber control method that maximize the manufacturing process efficiency and reduce manufacturing cost. Of course, the scope of the present invention is not limited by these effects.

1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a buffer chamber according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a conceptual diagram schematically showing an in-line chamber system according to another embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a conceptual diagram schematically showing an inline chamber system according to a comparative example.
4 is a conceptual diagram schematically showing an inline chamber system according to another comparative example.
5 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a buffer chamber according to another embodiment of the present invention.
6 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a buffer chamber according to another embodiment of the present invention.
7 and 8 are cross-sectional views schematically showing a buffer chamber according to another embodiment of the present invention.
9 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a buffer chamber according to another embodiment of the present invention.
10 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a buffer chamber according to another embodiment of the present invention.
11 and 12 are cross-sectional views schematically showing a buffer chamber according to another embodiment of the present invention.
13 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a buffer chamber according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments, but may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, Is provided to fully inform the user. Also, for convenience of explanation, the components may be exaggerated or reduced in size.

1 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a buffer chamber according to an embodiment of the present invention. The buffer chamber 100 according to the present embodiment includes a chamber body 10, a first transfer unit C1, and an idle transfer unit (IC). Here, the buffer chamber 100 does not only mean a chamber in a conventional sense, but a concept including additional components other than the chamber in a conventional sense. The chamber body 10, which is one component of the buffer chamber 100, can be understood to mean a chamber in the conventional sense.

The chamber body 10 can form the overall shape of the buffer chamber 100, and an inlet IT may be formed on one side and an outlet OT may be formed on the other side. The transfer material (MSA) to be transferred to the outlet (OT) can be introduced through the inlet (IT). A gate valve (not shown) may be provided at the inlet IT of the chamber body 10 to communicate or disconnect the inside and the outside of the chamber body 10, if necessary. It goes without saying that a gate valve (not shown) may be provided at the outlet OT of the chamber body 10 as required.

The inlet IT of the chamber body 10 can be connected to an alignment chamber for aligning the mask and the substrate. In this case, the transfer material MSA injected through the inlet IT of the chamber body 10 may be a mask-substrate assembly in which the mask and the substrate are aligned and joined. Here, the substrate may be a plastic substrate or a glass substrate, or a layer including a thin film transistor may be formed on such a plastic substrate or a glass substrate.

The outlet OT of the chamber body 10 can be connected to the process chamber, in particular the outlet OT of the chamber body 10 can be connected to the inlet of the process chamber. Here, the process chamber may be a deposition chamber in which an organic material, an inorganic material, or the like is deposited.

The first transfer unit C1 can transfer the transfer material MSA inserted through the inlet IT in the direction of the outlet OT. Although the first conveyance unit C1 includes a plurality of rollers R1 to R8, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the first conveyance unit C1 may take an infinite orbit configuration, having a total of two rollers, one at each end, and a conveyor belt connecting the two rollers.

Each of the plurality of rollers R1 to R8 of the first transfer unit C1 can rotate at the same angular velocity. To this end, the plurality of rollers R1 to R8 of the first conveyance unit C1 may be connected by a conveyor belt (not shown). Alternatively, a rotation axis extending in the arrangement direction of the plurality of rollers R1 to R8 of the first conveyance unit C1, that is, a rotation axis (not shown) extending in the direction of the outlet OT from the inlet IT, And a bevel gear (not shown) for mechanically connecting the plurality of rollers R1 to R8 of the first conveyance unit C1 to the plurality of rollers R1 to R8 of the first conveyance unit C1, The angular velocities of the first and second electrodes R1 to R8 may be the same.

The first transfer unit C1 may be driven by a first driving unit (not shown). That is, the first driving unit can control the conveying body conveying speed of the first conveying unit C1. During the conveyance of the conveying member by the first conveying unit C1, the conveying speed of the first conveying unit C1 can be varied by the first driving unit as necessary.

The idle ICs are disposed between the first conveyance unit C1 and the outlet OT so that the conveyance body can pass. These ICs can be freely rotated without being driven by the driving unit. In the drawing, the ICs include a plurality of rollers R9 to R12. The role of ICs will be described later.

2 is a conceptual diagram schematically showing an in-line chamber system according to another embodiment of the present invention. The inline chamber system according to the present embodiment includes a buffer chamber 100, an aligning chamber 200, and a process chamber 300 according to the above-described embodiment with reference to FIG.

The alignment chamber 200 is connected to the inlet IT of the buffer chamber 100 and can align the mask and the substrate. That is, in the buffer chamber 100, a mask-substrate assembly (MSA), which is aligned and aligned, is inserted in the alignment chamber 200 so that the mask and the substrate correspond to a predetermined relative position.

The process chamber 300 is connected to the outlet OT of the buffer chamber 100 to process the transfer material, i.e., the mask-substrate assembly MSA. Here, the process chamber may be a deposition chamber in which an organic material, an inorganic material, or the like is deposited. In this case, a layer may be formed of organic material, inorganic material, or the like in a portion not covered by the mask of the substrate.

When the deposition is performed in the process chamber 300, a source such as organic material is present below the roller, and organic substances evaporated, vaporized or sublimated from the source are moved on the surface of the mask-substrate assembly MSA As a result, a layer is formed on a portion not covered by the mask of the substrate.

In this case, the rollers may be arranged to support only the edges of the mask-substrate assembly MSA. That is, the rollers may be arranged parallel to both sides in the direction of the outlet in the process chamber 300 (i.e., the outlet of the buffer chamber 100) in the process chamber 300. For example, the rollers may be spaced apart from each other in the direction of the rotational axis so that the rotational axes thereof are parallel to each other, and may be disposed parallel to the exit direction in the process chamber 300 at the inlet of the process chamber 300. Of course, the first transfer unit C1 and the like in the buffer chamber 100 may have the same or similar configuration.

In the inline chamber system according to the present embodiment as described above, since the buffer chamber 100 according to the above-described embodiment is provided between the alignment chamber 200 and the process chamber 300, The consumption can be drastically reduced and the manufacturing cost can be reduced, and the efficiency can be maximized by reducing the time required for manufacturing the product. This will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 as follows.

In general, in the process chamber 300 where the deposition is performed, the moving speed of the transfer member, that is, the moving speed of the mask-substrate assembly (MSA) is as low as about 20 mm / s. This is to ensure that the material evaporates, vaporizes or sublimates at the source located below and is sufficiently deposited on the surface of the mask-substrate assembly (MSA) in the source direction to form a layer of predetermined thickness.

However, the time required for aligning and combining the relative positions of the mask and the substrate in the alignment chamber 200 to make the mask-substrate assembly (MSA) also takes a considerably long time of 1 minute to 2 minutes. If the mask and the substrate are not correctly aligned at a predetermined position, deposition occurs at a portion outside the predetermined area of the substrate, which causes defective products. Therefore, since it is necessary to precisely align the mask and the substrate, it takes a considerable time to make the mask-substrate assembly (MSA).

3, which is a conceptual diagram schematically showing the in-line chamber system according to the comparative example, the buffer chamber 100 is not interposed between the aligned chamber 200 and the process chamber 300, 200 and the process chamber 300 are directly connected to each other, when the newly aligned mask-substrate assembly MSA in the alignment chamber 200 is introduced into the process chamber 300, MSA) is moved in the process chamber 300 by about 1.2 m (= 20 mm / s X 60 s) or more. As a result, the distance d ₁ between the mask-substrate assemblies (MSA), which are the transfer units in the process chamber 300, must be very large.

During the deposition in the process chamber 300, the organic material or the like continues to evaporate, vaporize, or sublimate in the source located under the roller. Therefore, the larger the distance d ₁ between the transfer chain mask-substrate assemblies MSA, the greater the amount of material that is not deposited on the mask-substrate assembly MSA and consumes unnecessarily. Such unnecessarily consumed material eventually accumulates inside the process chamber 300, which is expensive to maintain in the process chamber 300. In addition, as the distance d ₁ between the mask-substrate assemblies MSA is increased, the number of processes of the mask-substrate assembly MSA per unit time is reduced, and the product production efficiency is inevitably lowered.

However, in the case of an in-line chamber system such as the one shown in FIG. 2, with the buffer chamber 100 according to the embodiment described above with reference to FIG. 1, the transfer of the mask-substrate assembly MSA from the buffer chamber 100, By adjusting the moving speed, the distance d ₂ between the mask-substrate assemblies MSA within the process chamber 300 can be remarkably narrowed.

That is, due to the time required for alignment in the alignment chamber 200, when the newly aligned mask-substrate assembly MSA in the alignment chamber 200 is introduced into the buffer chamber 100, (D ₁ ) between the mask-substrate assembly and the mask-substrate assembly introduced into the substrate 100 must be large. At this time, by increasing the transfer speed of the mask-substrate assembly MSA newly injected into the buffer chamber 100 in the buffer chamber 100, the gap d ₂ between the mask-substrate assemblies in the process chamber 300 It is possible to remarkably reduce the initial interval d ₁ .

Accordingly, the amount of material unnecessarily consumed without being deposited on the mask-substrate assembly (MSA) can be drastically reduced to reduce the manufacturing cost, and the amount of the material accumulated inside the process chamber 300 can also be drastically reduced, (MSA) per unit time as the distance (d ₂ ) between the mask-substrate assemblies (MSA) in the process chamber 300 is reduced, It is possible to increase the production efficiency of the product.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 4, which is a conceptual diagram schematically showing an inline chamber system according to another comparative example, it is also possible to consider that only the first transfer part exists in the buffer chamber 100 ' have.

However, when the transfer chain mask-substrate assembly MSA is transferred from the buffer chamber 100 'to the process chamber 300 and then between the buffer chamber 100' and the process chamber 300, the buffer chamber 100 ' It is possible to prevent the mask-substrate assembly MSA from being damaged only when the conveyance speed of the first conveyance unit of the process chamber 300 and the conveyance speed of the conveyance unit of the process chamber 300 are equal to each other. The transfer speed of the first transfer part of the buffer chamber 100` and the transfer speed of the transfer part in the process chamber 300 are set so that the transfer speed of the first transfer part of the buffer chamber 100 ' The vibration may be applied to the mask-substrate assembly MSA due to the difference, so that the alignment may be distorted and further physically damaged.

Accordingly, when the idle conveyance is not performed, the conveyance speed of the first transfer part of the buffer chamber 100 'is increased, and the mask-substrate assembly MSA is transferred between the buffer chamber 100' and the process chamber 300 Until the mask-substrate assembly MSA exits the buffer chamber 100 ', the conveyance speed of the first conveyance portion of the buffer chamber 100' is lowered to the slow conveyance speed of the conveyance portion of the process chamber 300 And must be precisely controlled to be the same.

However, in the case of the buffer chamber 100 according to the above-described embodiment with reference to Fig. 1, such a precise speed control of the first transfer unit C1 is not necessary. The buffer chamber 100 is provided with an idle transfer unit IC between the first transfer unit C1 and the outlet OT in addition to the first transfer unit C1, And a roller which is not driven by the roller and is free to rotate. Therefore, even if the conveyance speed of the first conveyance unit C1 is not precisely controlled to be the same as the slow conveyance speed of the conveyance unit of the process chamber 300, It is possible to naturally adjust the conveyance speed of the conveyance portion of the process chamber 300 to a predetermined level.

In this case, the length of the idle IC from the inlet (IT) to the outlet (OT) of the buffer chamber 100 is longer than the length of the buffer chamber 100 from the inlet IT to the outlet OT May be at least equal to or greater than the length of the sieve (MSA). So that the conveying member MSA can be prevented from being simultaneously spread on the first conveying unit C1 and the conveying unit of the process chamber 300 on both sides of the IC.

Of course, the length of the transfer member MSA in the direction from the inlet IT to the outlet OT of the buffer chamber 100 is longer than the length of the IC 100 in the direction from the inlet IT to the outlet OT of the buffer chamber 100 ). ≪ / RTI > In this case, the conveying member MSA can be simultaneously spanned by the first conveying unit C1 and the conveying unit of the process chamber 300 on both sides of the IC. At this time, at least the conveying member MSA is separated from the first conveying unit C1, The conveyance speed of the first conveyance unit C1 and the conveyance speed of the conveyance unit of the process chamber 300 may be the same until the first conveyance unit C1 passes through the first conveyance unit C1.

Meanwhile, in the case of the inline chamber system according to the comparative example shown in FIG. 4, even if the speed of the first transfer part is precisely controlled and the transfer body is laid between the buffer chamber 100 'and the process chamber 300, The distance between the conveying body and the next conveying body can not be narrowed until the conveying body completely passes through the buffer chamber 100 'and enters the process chamber 300. That is, only after the transfer body has passed through the buffer chamber 100 ', the next transfer body can be transferred at a high speed to narrow the distance between the transfer body and the next transfer body.

However, in the case of the buffer chamber 100 according to the embodiment described above with reference to FIG. 1, if the conveying member is between the IC and the transferring portion in the process chamber 300, The first conveying unit can transfer the next conveying member at a high speed, so that the distance between the conveying member and the next conveying member can be remarkably narrowed. This is because it is possible for the idle rollers (R9 to R12) of the IC to rotate at different speeds.

5 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a buffer chamber according to another embodiment of the present invention. The buffer chamber according to the present embodiment differs from the buffer chamber described above with reference to Fig. 1 in that idles are disposed between the transfer section (IC) and the exit (OT) And a second transfer unit C2 having a second transfer position.

In this case, the first conveying unit C1 may be driven by a first driving unit (not shown), and the second conveying unit C2 may be driven by a second driving unit (not shown). The first driving unit and the second driving unit can make the conveying speeds of the first conveying unit C1 and the second conveying unit C2 different. Specifically, during the conveyance by the first conveyance unit C1 of the conveyance body, the conveyance speed of the first conveyance unit C1 by the first drive unit is made faster than the conveyance speed of the second conveyance unit C2 by the second drive unit Section may exist.

The buffer chamber 100 according to this embodiment may also be interposed between the alignment chamber 200 and the process chamber 300 as shown in FIG. 2 to constitute an in-line chamber system. The buffer chamber 100 according to the present embodiment makes it possible to precisely minimize the spacing between the transfer members in an in-line chamber system.

As described above, the mask-substrate assembly MSA is transferred at a high speed from the first transfer unit C1 of the buffer chamber 100, and the transfer member is passed through the IC unit, so that the first transfer unit The space between the transfer members can be narrowed while effectively preventing the impact such as vibration from being applied to the mask-substrate assembly MSA despite the difference in transfer speed between the first transfer unit C 1 and the second transfer unit C 2.

The buffer chamber 100 according to the present embodiment further includes a feed rate difference between the second transfer section C2 and the transfer section in the process chamber 300 by adjusting the transfer rate of the transfer section of the second transfer section C2, It is possible to more precisely control the distance between the transfer members in the process chamber 300 and further narrow the gap therebetween.

That is, the first conveyance unit C1 feeds the conveyance body at a high speed in order to drastically narrow the interval between the conveyance bodies. The second conveyance unit C2 has a conveyance speed that is equal to or faster than the conveyance speed of the conveyance unit in the process chamber to precisely control the interval between the conveyance bodies, and is faster than the first conveyance unit C1 . That is, since the conveyance speed is not as fast as the first conveyance unit C1, the conveyance speed variable width is narrowed, and the conveyance speed control can be made relatively precise as compared with the first conveyance unit C1 .

In this case, the length of the idle IC from the inlet (IT) to the outlet (OT) of the buffer chamber 100 is longer than the length of the buffer chamber 100 from the inlet IT to the outlet OT May be at least equal to or greater than the length of the sieve (MSA). Whereby the conveying member MSA can be prevented from being simultaneously spread on the first conveying unit C1 and the second conveying unit C2 on both sides of the IC.

Of course, the length of the transfer member MSA in the direction from the inlet IT to the outlet OT of the buffer chamber 100 is longer than the length of the IC 100 in the direction from the inlet IT to the outlet OT of the buffer chamber 100 ). ≪ / RTI > In this case, the conveying member MSA can be simultaneously spread on both the first conveying unit C1 and the second conveying unit C2 on both sides of the IC. During this period, at least the conveying member MSA is moved to the first conveying unit The conveyance speed of the first conveyance unit C1 and the conveyance speed of the second conveyance unit C2 can be made equal to each other until they pass through the first conveyance unit C1.

As a result, it is possible to precisely control the distance between the transfer members in the process chamber 300 through the first transfer unit C1, the idle transfer unit IC, and the second transfer unit C2. It may, of course, be necessary to arrange for a sensor to sense the position of the mask-substrate assembly (MSA) in a suitable position in the buffer chamber 100 for this purpose. A sensor is required to detect whether or not the idle of the mask-substrate assembly MSA enters the IC, detects whether the mask-substrate assembly MSA enters the IC, enters the second transfer unit C2, or detects whether the buffer chamber 100 is opened or closed. As shown in FIG. The speed of the second conveyance unit C2 can be controlled according to the position sensed by the sensors.

Although the second conveyance unit C2 includes a plurality of rollers R13 and R14 in the drawing, the present invention is not limited thereto. The second conveyance unit C2 may have a structure in which a roller and a conveyor belt are connected to each other.

6 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a buffer chamber according to another embodiment of the present invention. The buffer chamber according to the present embodiment is different from the buffer chamber described above with reference to Fig. 1 in that the idle end of the IC (IC), i.e., the idle end of the IC And a second sensor S2 capable of sensing the entry or passage of the transfer material at the position.

The second sensor S2 may be disposed at the front end of the idle IC to sense the entry or the passage of the conveying member MSA at the placing position. Here, the front end of the ICs may be a position corresponding to the final roller R12 in the chamber outlet (OT) direction of the IC (IC) as shown in FIG. 6, It may be the corresponding position between the final roller R12 in the chamber outlet (OT) direction of the transfer (IC) and the outlet OT in the chamber.

The second sensor S2 may be, for example, an active sensor. That is, the second sensor S2 may have a source portion that emits an electromagnetic wave and a receiver portion that is arranged to face the source portion and receives electromagnetic waves. Accordingly, when the receiving unit receives the electromagnetic wave, it recognizes that the conveying member MSA does not reach the position of the second sensor S2. As the conveying member MSA moves and intercepts the electromagnetic wave radiated by the source, It is recognized that the conveying member MSA has reached the position of the second sensor S2 at the moment when the conveying member MSA starts to not receive the electromagnetic wave. Then, the conveying member MSA moves further, It can be recognized that the conveying member MSA has passed the position of the second sensor S2 at the moment when it starts to receive electromagnetic waves again.

Of course, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the second sensor S2 may have another configuration. For example, the second sensor S2 may include a source portion that emits electromagnetic waves and a receiver portion that receives electromagnetic waves, and may have a configuration in which the source portion and the receiving portion are disposed so as not to face each other but on the same side. In this case, if the receiving unit does not receive the electromagnetic wave emitted from the source unit, it is recognized that the conveying unit MSA does not reach the position of the second sensor S2, and the conveying unit MSA moves, The transponder MSA recognizes that the transponder MSA has reached the position of the second sensor S2 as soon as the receiving section starts to receive the electromagnetic wave. It can be recognized that the conveying member MSA has passed the position of the second sensor S2 when the receiving unit fails to receive the electromagnetic wave.

When the second sensor S2 senses that the conveying member MSA has passed through the IC, the first conveying unit C1 moves the conveying member MSA to the exit OT, So that the next conveying body is conveyed at a speed higher than the conveying speed at the time of passing. As a result, within the process chamber 300, the spacing d ₂ between the mask and substrate assemblies can be drastically reduced from the initial spacing d ₁ .

Accordingly, the amount of material unnecessarily consumed without being deposited on the mask-substrate assembly (MSA) can be drastically reduced to reduce the manufacturing cost, and the amount of the material accumulated inside the process chamber 300 can also be drastically reduced, (MSA) per unit time as the distance (d ₂ ) between the mask-substrate assemblies (MSA) in the process chamber 300 is reduced, It is possible to increase the production efficiency of the product.

Here, the fact that the next conveying unit is conveyed at a speed higher than the conveying speed at the time when the conveying unit MSA passes the exit OT when the first conveying unit C1 conveys the next conveying unit means that the first conveying unit So that the next conveying body is conveyed at a speed higher than the conveying speed at the time when the conveying body MSA passes the exit OT until the next conveying body enters the arrangement position of the second sensor S2 Which means that there is an interval. For example, the conveying speed of the next conveying member is earlier than the conveying speed when the conveying member MSA passes the exit OT, and thereafter, the conveying speed of the conveying member MSA when passing the exit OT .

7 and 8 are cross-sectional views schematically showing a buffer chamber according to another embodiment of the present invention. The buffer chamber 100 according to the present embodiment further includes a first sensor S1 in addition to the components of the buffer chamber described above with reference to FIG. The first sensor S1 can detect the entry or passage of the conveyance body by arranging the idle end of the IC in the direction of the IT, that is, the idle stage of the IC.

Here, the front end of the idle IC may be a position corresponding to the first roller R9 in the inlet (IT) direction of the chamber of the IC (IC) as shown in Fig. 7 or 8, Alternatively, the idle position may be the corresponding position between the first roller R9 and the first transfer part C1 in the inlet (IT) direction of the chamber of the transfer IC (IC). The first sensor S1 may have the same or similar configuration as the second sensor S2 as described above.

The operation of the buffer chamber 100 according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8. FIG.

7, when the first sensor S1 senses that the conveying member MSA1 has passed through the first conveying unit C1, the conveying member MSA1 indicates that the idle member has passed the conveying unit IC, The next conveying member MSA2 is conveyed by the first conveying unit C1 to allow the idle members to enter the conveying unit IC before the conveying unit S2 is sensed. 8, the distance between the conveying member MSA1 and the next conveying member MSA2 indicates that the conveying member MSA1 has passed through the first conveying unit C1, ) a conveying member (MSA1) and then conveying member (MSA2), the distance (the first transfer part (C1), the following conveying member (MSA2) so that a short predetermined distance (d ₂₎ than d ₁₎ between the time for the sensing . Accordingly, in the process chamber connected to the outlet OT of the buffer chamber 100, the interval d ₂ between the mask and the substrate assemblies can be drastically reduced from the initial interval d ₁ .

For example, the conveying member (MSA1), the first transferring the conveying member (MSA1) and then conveying member (MSA2) distances d _1, a predetermined distance between the time to the first sensor (S1) sensed that passed the (C1) to d _2, the first sensor (S1) and second sensor (S2) the distance to L, the conveying member (MSA1) is first referred conveyance v the transfer rate after passing through the (C1) ₂ between when the first transfer part then conveying member (MSA2) feed rate v ₁ of the (C1) is v can be such that _{2 (d 1 -d 2 + L} ) / L. The next conveying member (MSA2) the feed rate of the first transfer part (C1) v ₁ can be understood as the mean feeding speed.

In this case, the time T from the moment the conveying member MSA1 passes through the first sensor S1 as shown in Fig. 7 to the moment when the conveying member MSA1 passes through the second sensor S2 as shown in Fig. 8 L / v ₂ can be referred to, is such a time T v _2, and then the moving distance XT, i.e. d ₁ -d ₂ + L of the conveying member (MSA2) for. Therefore, when the next conveying member (MSA2) is moved a distance of d ₁ -d ₂ + L in a position such as that shown in Figure 7, the conveying member (MSA1) is a distance of L, and then the conveying member (MSA2 ) and the conveying member (MSA1) yieotgie first distance d ₁ between the conveying member (MSA1) is the first moment that passes through the second sensor (S2) such that, following the conveying member (MSA2) and the conveying member (MSA1 shown in Figure 8 ) Can be made to be a predetermined distance d ₂ .

Once the next conveying member (MSA2) and the conveying member (MSA1) d ₂ is approximately a distance of a predetermined distance between, it is necessary to ensure that the distance is kept constant. Therefore, the conveying speed of the next conveying member (MSA2) and the conveying member (MSA1) if the distance is a predetermined distance (d ₂₎ between the first transport unit (C1) is transferred to the next conveying member (MSA2) body (MSA1) It is necessary to feed at a feedrate of v ₂ . Wherein the conveying speed of the conveying member (MSA1) v ₂ may be, for example, the conveying speed of the conveying part in the process chamber.

9 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a buffer chamber according to another embodiment of the present invention. The buffer chamber 100 according to the present embodiment is characterized in that in addition to the components of the buffer chamber according to the above-described embodiment described with reference to Figs. 7 and 8, And further includes a transfer unit (IC`). Further, the additional idles may further include a third sensor S3 at the end of the transmission (IC) in the direction of the exit (OT), that is, at the rear end of the idle IC (I).

In the case of the buffer chamber 100 according to the present embodiment, the idle unit includes an IC and an additional idle transfer unit IC, which can be regarded as an idle transfer area. In Figure 7 and carrying out a to FIG. 8 to the example described above the conveying member (MSA1) is the distance (d ₂₎ the distance is preset between the idle conveying member (MSA1) and then conveying member (MSA2) at the moment is outside the transfer region there is, in the case of the buffer chamber 100 in accordance with the present embodiment, the conveying member (MSA1) is in an idle distance away a pre-set between the conveying member (MSA1) and then conveying member (MSA2) before escape the transport area (d ₂₎ .

On the other hand, in the alignment chamber 200 (see FIG. 2), the mask-substrate assembly is formed by aligning the mask and the substrate, and in some cases, the mask and the substrate are firstly aligned and fail to perform the second alignment . When the primary alignment fails to be tried a second alignment, it may be further away than the conveying member (MSA1) and then conveying member (MSA2) distance is a distance (d ₁₎ such as that shown in Figure 7 between . 7, the next conveying member MSA2 extends across the alignment chamber 200 and the buffer chamber 100 at the moment the conveying member MSA1 passes the first sensor S1 Or may not enter the buffer chamber 100.

The buffer chamber 100 according to this embodiment does not adjust the distance between the conveying member MSA1 and the next conveying member MSA2 by using the first sensor S1 and the second sensor S2, (Between the transfer material MSA1 and the next transfer material MSA2) by using the second sensor S2 and the third sensor S3 after the next transfer material MSA2 passes through the alignment chamber and is located in the buffer chamber By adjusting the distance, even in this case, the distance between the conveying members in the process chamber can be minimized. That is, the roles of the first sensor S1 and the second sensor S2 in the buffer chamber according to the embodiment described above with reference to FIGS. 7 and 8 are the same as those of the second sensor S2 and the third sensor S3, .

10 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a buffer chamber according to another embodiment of the present invention. The buffer chamber according to the present embodiment is different from the buffer chamber described above with reference to Fig. 6 in that idles are disposed between the transfer section (IC) and the exit (OT), and the transfer body can be transferred And a second transfer unit C2 having a second transfer position. The second transfer part C2 may include a plurality of rollers R13 and R14 as shown.

In this case, the first conveying unit C1 may be driven by a first driving unit (not shown), and the second conveying unit C2 may be driven by a second driving unit (not shown). The first driving unit and the second driving unit can make the conveying speeds of the first conveying unit C1 and the second conveying unit C2 different. Specifically, when the second sensor S2 senses that the transfer member MSA has passed through the transfer unit (IC) during transfer of the transfer member MSA, the transfer of the first transfer unit C1 by the first drive unit The speed can be made faster than the conveyance speed of the second conveyance unit C2 by the second driving unit.

The buffer chamber 100 according to this embodiment may also be interposed between the alignment chamber 200 and the process chamber 300 as shown in FIG. 2 to constitute an in-line chamber system. The buffer chamber 100 according to the present embodiment makes it possible to precisely minimize the spacing between the transfer members in an in-line chamber system.

As described above, the mask-substrate assembly MSA is transferred at a high speed from the first transfer unit C1 of the buffer chamber 100, and the transfer member is passed through the IC unit, so that the first transfer unit The space between the transfer members can be narrowed while effectively preventing the impact such as vibration from being applied to the mask-substrate assembly MSA despite the difference in transfer speed between the first transfer unit C 1 and the second transfer unit C 2.

The buffer chamber 100 according to the present embodiment further includes a feed rate difference between the second transfer section C2 and the transfer section in the process chamber 300 by adjusting the transfer rate of the transfer section of the second transfer section C2, It is possible to more precisely control the distance between the transfer members in the process chamber 300 and further narrow the gap therebetween.

That is, the first conveyance unit C1 feeds the conveyance body at a high speed in order to drastically narrow the interval between the conveyance bodies. The second conveyance unit C2 has a conveyance speed that is equal to or faster than the conveyance speed of the conveyance unit in the process chamber to precisely control the interval between the conveyance bodies, and is faster than the first conveyance unit C1 . That is, since the conveyance speed is not as fast as the first conveyance unit C1, the conveyance speed variable width is narrowed, and the conveyance speed control can be made relatively precise as compared with the first conveyance unit C1 .

As a result, it is possible to precisely control the distance between the transfer members in the process chamber 300 through the first transfer unit C1, the idle transfer unit IC, and the second transfer unit C2.

Although the second conveyance unit C2 includes a plurality of rollers R13 and R14 in the drawing, the present invention is not limited thereto. The second conveyance unit C2 may have a structure in which a roller and a conveyor belt are connected to each other.

11 and 12 are cross-sectional views schematically showing a buffer chamber according to another embodiment of the present invention. The buffer chamber 100 according to the present embodiment is different from the buffer chamber shown in Fig. 10 in that the idle end of the IC is arranged at the front end of the IC (IC) And a first sensor S1 capable of sensing a sieve.

11, when the first sensor S1 senses that the conveying member MSA1 has passed through the first conveying unit C1, the conveying member MSA1 indicates that the idle member has passed the conveying unit IC, The next conveying member MSA2 is conveyed by the first conveying unit C1 to allow the idle members to enter the conveying unit IC before the conveying unit S2 is sensed. 12, the distance between the conveying member MSA1 and the next conveying member MSA2 indicates that the conveying member MSA1 has passed the first conveying unit C1, ) a conveying member (MSA1) and then conveying member (MSA2), the distance (the first transfer part (C1), the following conveying member (MSA2) so that a short predetermined distance (d ₂₎ than d ₁₎ between the time for the sensing . Accordingly, in the process chamber connected to the outlet OT of the buffer chamber 100, the interval d ₂ between the mask and the substrate assemblies can be drastically reduced from the initial interval d ₁ .

For example, the conveying member (MSA1), the first transferring the conveying member (MSA1) and then conveying member (MSA2) distances d _1, a predetermined distance between the time to the first sensor (S1) sensed that passed the (C1) to d _2, the first sensor (S1) and second sensor (S2) the distance to L, the conveying member (MSA1) is first referred conveyance v the transfer rate after passing through the (C1) ₂ between when the first transfer part then conveying member (MSA2) feed rate v ₁ of the (C1) is v can be such that _{2 (d 1 -d 2 + L} ) / L. The next conveying member (MSA2) the feed rate of the first transfer part (C1) v ₁ can be understood as the mean feeding speed.

In this case, the conveying member (MSA1) is such that the distance is a predetermined distance, d ₂ between the second sensor time, through the (S2), and then the conveying member (MSA2) and the conveying member (MSA1), as shown in Figure 12 can do.

Once the next conveying member (MSA2) and the conveying member (MSA1) the distance d ₂ is a predetermined distance between the need to ensure that substantially maintained when the distance is constant. Therefore, the conveying speed of the next conveying member (MSA2) and the conveying member (MSA1) if the distance is a predetermined distance (d ₂₎ between the first transport unit (C1) is transferred to the next conveying member (MSA2) body (MSA1) It is necessary to feed at a feedrate of v ₂ . Wherein the conveying speed of the conveying member (MSA1) v ₂ may be, for example, the conveying speed of the conveying part in the process chamber.

13 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a buffer chamber according to another embodiment of the present invention. The buffer chamber 100 according to the present embodiment is configured such that, in addition to the components of the buffer chamber according to the above-described embodiment described with reference to Figs. 11 and 12, the idle chamber 100 is provided between the IC and the second transfer portion C2 (IC '). In addition, if necessary, the additional idle may further include a third sensor S3 at the end of the transfer unit (IC`) in the direction of the second transfer unit (C2).

In the case of the buffer chamber 100 according to the present embodiment, the idle unit includes an IC and an additional idle transfer unit IC, which can be regarded as an idle transfer area. In Figure 11 and the above-described embodiment with reference to Figure 12 for example the conveying member (MSA1) is the distance (d ₂₎ the distance is preset between the idle conveying member (MSA1) and then conveying member (MSA2) at the moment is outside the transfer region there is, in the case of the buffer chamber 100 in accordance with the present embodiment, the conveying member (MSA1) is in an idle distance away a pre-set between the conveying member (MSA1) and then conveying member (MSA2) before escape the transport area (d ₂₎ .

On the other hand, in the alignment chamber 200 (see FIG. 2), the mask-substrate assembly is formed by aligning the mask and the substrate, and in some cases, the mask and the substrate are firstly aligned and fail to perform the second alignment .

The buffer chamber 100 according to this embodiment does not adjust the distance between the conveying member MSA1 and the next conveying member MSA2 by using the first sensor S1 and the second sensor S2, (Between the transfer material MSA1 and the next transfer material MSA2) by using the second sensor S2 and the third sensor S3 after the next transfer material MSA2 passes through the alignment chamber and is located in the buffer chamber By adjusting the distance, even in this case, the distance between the conveying members in the process chamber can be minimized. That is, the first sensor S1 and the second sensor S2 in the buffer chamber according to the embodiment described above with reference to FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 perform the role of the second sensor S2 and the third sensor S3, .

1 and 5 to 13 illustrate that the inlet IT and the outlet OT are located at the same height in the chamber body 10 of the buffer chamber 100. However, It is not.

The buffer chamber 100 may be interposed between the aligning chamber 200 and the process chamber 300 so that the exit of the aligning chamber 200 toward the buffer chamber 100 and the exit of the process chamber 300 The height of the entrance in the direction of the buffer chamber 100 may be different. In this case, the inlet (IT) and the outlet (OT) may be located at different heights in the chamber body (10) of the buffer chamber (100). At this time, the first transfer unit C1 of the buffer chamber 100 or the idle transfer unit (IC), or at least a part of each of those components, may have a structure capable of moving up and down.

For example, when the inlet IT of the chamber body 10 is located higher than the outlet OT, the entire first transfer portion C1 or at least a part of the first transfer portion C1 can be moved up and down. That is, the conveying member MSA is positioned on all or at least a part of the first conveying unit C1 while the entire or at least a part of the first conveying unit C1 is positioned to correspond to the inlet (IT) position of the chamber body 10, Thereafter, the entire first conveyance part C1 or at least a part of the first conveyance part C1 is lowered to correspond to the outlet OT position of the chamber body 10, and then the first conveyance part C1 conveys the conveyance body MSA in the direction of the exit OT Can be transported.

Meanwhile, according to another embodiment of the present invention, a method of controlling a buffer chamber according to the above-described embodiments is provided. For example, a first conveying part C1, a second conveying part E1, a second conveying part E1, a second conveying part E1, a second conveying part E1, a second conveying part E2, A control method of the buffer chamber 100 in which the transfer section (IC) and the second transfer section (C2) are sequentially arranged can be provided.

In this case, after the conveying member MSA inserted through the inlet IT is conveyed to the conveying speed v ₁ in the direction from the inlet IT to the outlet OT using the first conveying unit C1, (MSA) may be subjected to a step of conveying to the second transfer part (C2) inlet (iT) the outlet (OT) the feed rate in the direction v slower feed rate than the _one in the v ₂ If the entry.

Here, the feed rate v after the step of transporting the _first transport speed v slower feed rate than ₁ v Although represented as going through the step of conveying to the _second, in practice, the buffer chamber 100, the initial feed rate v ₁ later the feed rate in the It can be understood that it is faster than v ₂ . Even if this, the conveying member (MSA) through are introduced into the buffer chamber 100 at intervals of a first d _1, at the time of being discharged from the buffer chamber 100 can be discharged at intervals of a narrow d ₂ than the distance d ₁ .

On the other hand, the fact that the conveying member MSA enters the second conveying unit C2 means that the conveying member MSA moves out of the first conveying unit C1 and enters the second conveying unit C2, The conveying member MSA may mean that the idle spans both the first conveying unit C1 and the second conveying unit C2 on both sides of the IC. In the latter case, during this time, the conveying speed of the first conveying unit C1 and the conveying speed of the second conveying unit C2 can be made equal to each other, at least until the conveying member MSA passes through the first conveying unit C1 .

While the present invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments, but, on the contrary, is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the true scope of the present invention should be determined by the technical idea of the appended claims.

10: chamber body 100: buffer chamber
200: alignment chamber 300: process chamber
C1: first transfer part C2: second transfer part
IC: Children send IT: entrance
MSA: Mask - Substrate Assembly OT: Exit
S1: first sensor S2: second sensor

Claims (21)

A chamber body having an inlet formed on one side and an outlet formed on the other side;
A first conveying unit capable of conveying the conveyance body inserted through the inlet toward the exit direction; And
An idle conveying unit disposed between the first conveying unit and the outlet and capable of allowing the conveying member to pass therethrough;
And,
And a plurality of rollers that are freely rotated without being driven by the driving unit in order to prevent an impact from being applied to the conveying member due to a conveying speed difference between the idling conveying units,
The length of the idle conveyance portion in the direction from the entrance to the exit direction is equal to or greater than the length of the conveying body,
Buffer chamber. delete The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the first transfer unit is capable of transferring the transfer material while varying a transfer speed. The method according to claim 1,
Further comprising a second sensor disposed at a rear end of the transfer section so that the idle can detect the entry or passage of the transfer material at the transfer position. 5. The method of claim 4,
When the second sensor senses that the idler has passed through the delivery unit, during the conveyance of the next conveyance unit by the first conveyance unit, until the next conveyance unit enters the position of the second sensor, There is a section for allowing the next conveying body to be conveyed at a speed higher than the conveying speed at the time of passing through the outlet. 5. The method of claim 4,
Further comprising a first sensor disposed at a front end of the conveying unit and capable of sensing the entry or passage of the conveying member at a placement position,
Wherein when the first sensor senses that the conveying member has passed through the first conveying unit and before the second sensor senses that the conveying member has passed the conveying member, Wherein the first conveying portion conveys the next conveying member so that the conveying member is at a predetermined distance shorter than the distance between the conveying member and the next conveying member when the first sensor senses that the conveying member has passed through the first conveying member, Buffer chamber. The method according to claim 6,
The conveying member and the following distance d _1, the predetermined distance between the conveying member at the time to the first sensor sensing that passes through the transfer body is the first conveyance portion d _2, and the first sensor and the second the distance between the sensor L, when the transfer rate after passing through the transfer body is the first conveyance v ₂ d, the first and then the transfer material conveying speed of the conveying part is v ₁ v ₂ (d ₁ -d ₂ + L ) / L. ≪ / RTI > 8. The method of claim 7,
The conveying member with the next if the distance is the predetermined distance between the conveying member, the buffer chamber, the first transfer unit for transferring the transfer member, and then a speed of v _2. 5. The method of claim 4,
Wherein the idle further comprises, between the dispatch and the outlet, additional idle dispatches. The method according to claim 1,
Further comprising a second conveying portion disposed between the conveying portion and the outlet and capable of conveying the conveying body in the direction of the exit. 11. The method of claim 10,
Wherein the first transferring portion and the second transferring portion are capable of transferring the transferring material at a different transfer speed. 12. The method of claim 11,
There is an interval during which the conveying member is fed at a speed higher than the conveying speed of the second conveying unit during conveyance by the first conveying unit of the conveying member. 11. The method of claim 10,
Further comprising a second sensor disposed at a rear end of the conveying unit and capable of detecting the entry or passage of the conveying member at a placement position,
When the second sensor senses that the idler has passed through the transfer unit, the transfer unit is moved by the first transfer unit of the next transfer unit until the next transfer unit enters the position of the second sensor, Wherein the second conveying unit has a section for allowing the next conveying member to be conveyed at a speed higher than the conveying speed by the second conveying unit. 11. The method of claim 10,
A second sensor disposed at a rear end of the conveying unit and capable of detecting the entry or passage of the conveying member at an arrangement position thereof and a second sensor disposed at a front end of the conveying unit to allow the conveying member to enter or pass through And a second sensor capable of detecting the first sensor,
Wherein when the first sensor senses that the conveying member has passed through the first conveying unit and before the second sensor senses that the conveying member has passed the conveying member, Wherein the first conveying portion conveys the next conveying member so that the conveying member is at a predetermined distance shorter than the distance between the conveying member and the next conveying member when the first sensor senses that the conveying member has passed through the first conveying member, Buffer chamber. 15. The method of claim 14,
The conveying member and the following distance d _1, the predetermined distance between the conveying member at the time to the first sensor sensing that passes through the transfer body is the first conveyance portion d _2, and the first sensor and the second When the distance between the sensor L, the feedrate of the conveying member by the second conveying part v ₂ d, then the transfer material conveying speed of the first conveying part is v ₁ v ₂ (d ₁ -d ₂ + L) / L, buffer chamber. 16. The method of claim 15,
The conveying member with the next if the distance is the predetermined distance between the conveying member, the buffer chamber, the first transfer unit for transferring the transfer member, and then a speed of v _2. 17. The method according to any one of claims 13 to 16,
Further comprising an additional idle transmission between the idle transfer unit and the second transfer unit. 17. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 16,
The inlet being connectable to an alignment chamber for aligning the mask and the substrate. 17. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 16,
The outlet being connectable to an inlet of the process chamber. 17. A buffer chamber comprising: a buffer chamber according to any one of claims 1 to 16;
An alignment chamber connected to the inlet of the buffer chamber for aligning the mask and the substrate; And
A process chamber connected to the outlet of the buffer chamber;
Wherein the inline chamber system comprises: delete

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