KR20090000477A - Apparatus for fabricating flat panel display device and fabricating method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

An apparatus for fabricating a flat panel display device and a fabricating method thereof are provided to improve the reliability of the IPP process while simplifying the manufacturing process for a flat display device. A soft mold having the groove equaling with pattern the thin film for to forming of shape. The side in which the home is built up at the soft mold and the mould supporting plate which is adhered in the reverse surface and supports the soft mold. The main chain including the soft mold is the vinyl group(CH=CH2)(150). X - linker includes a plurality of silanes(Si-H)(160).

Description

Apparatus for Fabricating Flat Panel Display Device and Fabricating Method

1 is a perspective view showing an active matrix type liquid crystal display device.

2 is a view showing an IPP (in-plane in-printing) process according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a movement of an etch resist solution when the soft mold illustrated in FIG. 2 contacts a substrate.

4 is a view schematically showing a manufacturing process of a soft mold.

Fig. 5 is a diagram showing the change of molecular structure when a liquid phase PDMS phase changes into a solid phase PDMS by thermosetting.

6 is a view showing the molecular structure of the liquid PDMS according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the molecular structure of the liquid phase PDMS in FIG. 6 after phase transition to the solid state PDMS. FIG.

8A to 8D are views illustrating an apparatus for manufacturing a flat panel display device and a method for manufacturing the same according to the present invention.

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

131: substrate 133a: etch resist solution

134: soft mold 132a: thin film

132b: thin film pattern 15: liquid crystal

19: data line 20: thin film transistor

21 pixel electrode 22 color filter substrate

150: vinyl group 160: SiH

184: master mold 135: PDMS

134: soft mold 200: vacuum chamber

190: Jig 202: Guide

210: mold support plate 204: stage

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a flat panel display device, and more particularly, to a flat panel display device manufacturing apparatus and a method for manufacturing the same, which can simplify a manufacturing process and improve reliability of a thin film manufacturing process by performing a patterning process without using a photolithography process. will be.

In today's information society, display elements are more important than ever as visual information transfer media. Cathode ray tubes or cathode ray tubes, which are currently mainstream, have problems with weight and volume.

The flat panel display device includes a liquid crystal display (LCD), a field emission display (FED), a plasma display panel (PDP), and an electroluminescence (EL). Most are commercially available and commercially available.

Liquid crystal display devices can meet the trend of light and short and short of electronic products and mass production is improving, and are rapidly replacing cathode ray tubes in many applications.

In particular, an active matrix type liquid crystal display device that drives a liquid crystal cell using a thin film transistor (hereinafter referred to as "TFT") has the advantages of excellent image quality and low power consumption, and secures the latest mass production technology. As a result of research and development, it is rapidly developing into larger size and higher resolution.

In the active matrix type liquid crystal display device, as shown in FIG. 1, the color filter substrate 22 and the TFT array substrate 23 are bonded to each other with the liquid crystal layer 15 interposed therebetween. The liquid crystal display shown in FIG. 1 shows a part of the entire effective screen.

The color filter 13 and the common electrode 14 are formed on the rear surface of the upper glass substrate 12 on the color filter substrate 22. The polarizing plate 11 is attached on the front surface of the upper glass substrate 12. In the color filter 13, color filter layers of red (R), green (G), and blue (B) colors are disposed to transmit light of a specific wavelength band, thereby enabling color display. A black matrix (not shown) is formed between the color filters 13 of adjacent colors.

In the TFT array substrate 23, the data lines 19 and the gate lines 18 cross each other on the front surface of the lower glass substrate 16, and TFTs 20 are formed at the intersections thereof. In addition, a pixel electrode 21 is formed in a cell region between the data line 19 and the gate line 18 on the front surface of the lower glass substrate 16. The TFT 20 drives the pixel electrode 21 by switching the data transfer path between the data line 19 and the pixel electrode 21 in response to the scanning signal from the gate line 18. The polarizing plate 17 is attached to the rear surface of the TFT array substrate 23.

The liquid crystal layer 15 adjusts the amount of light transmitted through the TFT array substrate 23 by the electric field applied thereto.

The polarizers 11 and 17 attached to the color filter substrate 22 and the TFT substrate 23 transmit light polarized in either direction, and their polarization directions when the liquid crystal 15 is in the 90 ° TN mode. Are orthogonal to each other.

An alignment film (not shown) is formed on the liquid crystal facing surfaces of the color filter substrate 22 and the array TFT substrate 23.

The manufacturing process for manufacturing an active matrix type liquid crystal display device includes a substrate cleaning, a substrate patterning process, an alignment film formation / rubbing process, a substrate bonding / liquid crystal injection process, a mounting process, an inspection process, a repair process, and the like.

In most methods of manufacturing flat panel display devices including liquid crystal display devices, a thin film pattern laminated on a substrate is formed by a photolithography process. Photolithography processes are generally a series of photographic processes that involve the application of photoresist, mask alignment, exposure, development and cleaning. However, such a photolithography process requires a long process time, a large waste of photoresist material and strip solution, and requires expensive equipment such as exposure equipment.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to form a thin film by an in-plane printing (IPP) process instead of a photolithography process to simplify the manufacturing process of a flat panel display device and to manufacture a flat display device that can improve the reliability of the IPP process. An apparatus and method are provided.

In order to achieve the above object, the apparatus for manufacturing a flat panel display device according to an embodiment of the present invention is made of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) containing an acrylate compound and has a groove having the same shape as the thin film pattern to be formed A soft mold; A mold supporting plate bonded to a surface opposite to a grooved surface of the soft mold to support the soft mold, wherein the soft mold includes a main chain including a vinyl group (CH = CH ₂ ), X-linker (Si-H functional crosslinking agent) including silane (Si-H) and a photocurable acrylate (acrylate) is characterized in that it has a combined structure.

Some of the plurality of silane (Si-H) is the rest of the means associated with the vinyl group (CH = CH _2), except for the silane (Si-H) bond and the vinyl group (CH = CH ₂₎ silane (Si- H) is characterized in that combined with the photocurable acrylate (acrylate).

The main chain is (CH ₃ ) ₂ HSiO (CHCH ₂ ) characterized in that the X-linker (X-linker) is characterized in that consisting of (CH ₃ ) SiO (SiH) as a basic unit. .

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing a flat panel display device, the method including: forming a master mold having a thin film pattern; Main chain having a vinyl group (CH = CH ₂ ), a plurality of silanes (Si-H) and X-linker (X-linker: SiH functional crosslinking agent) and photocurable acrylate (acrylate) Providing a liquid phase PDMS comprising; Applying the liquid PDMS onto the master mold; Thermally curing the liquid PDMS and then photocuring using ultraviolet light to form a solid PDMS; Separating the solid PDMS from the master mold to form a soft mold having a groove having the same shape as the thin film pattern.

Some of the plurality of silane (Si-H) above the rest by thermal curing, except for the vinyl group (CH = CH ₂₎ and the reaction and the vinyl group (CH = CH ₂₎ and reacting the silane (Si-H) Silanes (Si-H) are characterized by reacting with the photocurable acrylate (acrylate) by photocuring.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing an apparatus for manufacturing a flat panel display device, the method including: providing a master mold having a thin film pattern; Positioning the master mold on a bottom of a jig in the form of a container capable of receiving the mask mold; It has a vinyl group (CH = CH ₂ ) and has a main chain consisting of (CH ₃ ) ₂ HSiO (CHCH ₂ ), and a silane (Si-H) and based on (CH ₃ ) SiO (SiH). Preparing a liquid polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) comprising an X-linker (X-linker: SiH functional crosslinking agent) and a photocurable acrylate composed of units; Applying said liquid PDMS onto said master mold located in said container; Thermally curing the liquid PDMS and then photocuring using ultraviolet light to form a solid PDMS; Bonding the surface of the solid PDMS to an outside surface by using an adhesive material; Bonding the mold support plate to the surface of the solid PDMS to be bonded to the mold support plate and the solid PDMS; And separating the solid PDMS from the master mold to form a soft mold having a groove having the same shape as the thin film pattern.

The step of bringing the solid PDMS and the mold support plate into close contact may include transferring a jig containing the solid PDMS and the master mold into a vacuum chamber; Fixing the jig so that the adhesively treated surface of the PDMS faces the bottom of the vacuum chamber; Bonding the mold support plate to the solid state PDMS by vertically raising a stage on the bottom surface of the vacuum chamber and on which the mold support plate is seated; Lowering the stage to separate the solid phase PDMS from the master mold.

Before the adhesive treatment using the adhesive material, the exposed surface of the solid PDMS is O ₂ It further includes the step of surface treatment using a plasma.

Other objects and features of the present invention in addition to the above objects will be apparent from the description of the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 to 8D.

2 and 3 schematically illustrate a process of forming a thin film pattern using IPP (in-plane printing).

2 and 3, the IPP process is a process of applying an etch resist solution 133a on the substrate 131 on which the thin film 132a is formed, and the etch resist layer 133 using the soft mold 134. A patterning process, an etching process for patterning the thin film 132, a stripping process of a residual etch resist pattern, and an inspection process.

The thin film 132a formed on the substrate 131 is a basic material used as a metal pattern, an organic pattern, and an inorganic pattern present in an array of flat panel display elements, and is formed on the substrate 131 by a known coating process or a deposition process. do.

The etch resist solution 133a includes a main resin, an activator, an initiator, a thermal flow derivative, or the like, which is at least one of a liquid polymer precursor or a liquid monomer. As the main resin, a substance containing arclate, such as ethylene glycol dimetharcylate (EGDMA), hydroxypropyl arcylate (HPA) and diethylene glycol dimetharcylate (DGDMA), is used.

The etch resist solution 133a containing such a material is applied onto the thin film 132a by a coating process such as nozzle spraying or spin coating.

The soft mold 134 is made of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS), which is a kind of silicone elastomer, and has a groove 134a corresponding to a pattern to be left on the substrate 131. Here, the soft mold 134 having the groove 134a and the protruding surface 134b is surface treated with hydrophobicity or hydrophilicity. Hereinafter, the present invention will be described assuming that the soft mold 134 is hydrophobic.

After the soft mold 134 is aligned on the etch resist solution 133a, the soft mold 134 is pressurized to the etch resist solution 133a at a pressure such that contact with the thin film 132a is possible, that is, its own weight.

For example, the capillary force generated by the pressure between the soft mold 134 and the glass substrate 131 and the repulsive force between the soft mold 134 and the etch resist solution 132a may be used. 133a moves into the groove 134a of the soft mold 134 as shown in FIG. As a result, an etch resist pattern 133b is formed on the thin film 132a in the form of a groove 134a pattern of the soft mold 134 and a pattern reversely transferred. Thereafter, after the soft mold 134 and the substrate 131 are separated, a wet etching process or a dry etching process may be performed. At this time, since the etch resist pattern 133b serves as a mask, only the thin film 132a positioned below the etch resist pattern 133b remains on the substrate 131 and the other thin films 132a are removed. Subsequently, the etch resist pattern 134b is removed by a strip process, and short and disconnection of the thin film pattern 132b is inspected through an electrical and optical inspection of the thin film pattern 132b.

The soft mold 134 is separated from the substrate 131, washed with ultraviolet (UV) and ozone (O ₃ ), and then re-injected into the patterning process of another thin film 132a.

4 is a diagram schematically illustrating a method of manufacturing the soft mold 134 illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 3.

Referring to FIG. 4, a liquid polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) material 135 is formed on a master mold 184 on which at least one pattern 182 of a photoresist pattern and an inorganic pattern is formed on a substrate 180. Apply.

Thereafter, the thermal curing process is performed to harden the liquid PDMS material 135, and then separate from the master mold 184 to form the soft mold 134 having the groove 134a and the protruding surface 134b.

Meanwhile, the soft mold 134 reacts with Si-H (silane) remaining in the thermosetting process and acrylate (acrylate) in the etch resist solution. Accordingly, as the etch resist pattern is abnormally formed in the process of separating the soft mold 134 from the etch resist, or the part of the etch resist is torn off, the reliability of the IPP process may be lowered. have.

This will be described in more detail as follows.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the change of molecular structure when a liquid phase PDMS phase changes into a solid phase PDMS by thermal curing.

Referring to FIG. 5, the internal molecular structure of the liquid PDMS has a vinyl group (CH = CH ₂ ) and includes a main chain and a silane (Si-H) composed of (CH ₃ ) ₂ HSiO (CHCH ₂ ). ) And are separated by an X-linker (also referred to as a "SiH functional crosslinker") consisting of (CH ₃ ) SiO (SiH). When the liquid PDMS is thermally cured, the liquid phase PDMS becomes solid as the vinyl group (CH = CH ₂ ) in the main chain and the silane (Si-H) in the X-linker react. Will change. In addition, platinum (Pt) etc. can also be added as a catalyst in a thermosetting process.

As the amount of silane (Si-H) is more present in the liquid phase PDMS than the vinyl group (CH = CH ₂ ), the solid phase PDMS does not react with the vinyl group (CH = CH ₂ ) in the solid phase PDMS. Unsuccessful silane (Si-H) remains. Accordingly, unreacted silane (Si-H) remains in the soft mold 134 so that the silane (Si-H) in the soft mold 134 reacts with the acrylate in the etch resistor solution during the IPP process. do. As a result, a part of the etch resist may be torn off or the soft mold 134 may be damaged in the process of separating the hardened etch resist and the soft mold 134.

In order to prevent such a problem, a technique of adding a photocurable acrylate (acrylate) in the PDMS and an ultraviolet (UV) curing process is proposed.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 6 to 7.

6 shows the molecular structure of liquid PDMS.

The internal molecular structure of the liquid phase PDMS shown in FIG. 6 has a vinyl group (CH = CH ₂ ) and is composed of (CH ₃ ) ₂ HSiO (CHCH ₂ ) and a main chain and silane (Si-H). It further includes an X-linker (X ₃ -linker) having (CH ₃ ) SiO and further comprising a photocurable acrylate.

When the liquid PDMS having the molecular structure shown in FIG. 6 is thermally cured, the vinyl group (CH = CH ₂ ) 150 in the main chain and the silane (Si- in the X-linker) may be used. As the H) 160 reacts, the liquid PDMS becomes solid. Thereafter, a photocuring process using ultraviolet (UV) is performed. As a result, the silane (Si-H) and the photocurable acrylate that remain unreacted with the solid PDMS react. As a result, the molecular structure of the solid phase PDMS is shown in FIG. That is, all of the silanes (Si-H) in the PDMS after thermal curing and photocuring react with the vinyl group (CH = CH ₂ ) 150 and acrylate in the main chain. Therefore, unreacted silane (Si-H) does not remain in the solid PDMS.

When the IPP process is performed using the soft mold 134 that does not contain unreacted silane (Si-H) as shown in FIG. 7, the acrylate of the etch resist solution and the silane of the soft mold 134 are Si. -H) cannot react with each other. As a result, the separation of the hardened etch resist and the soft mold 134 may be easily performed, and the damage of the etch resist and the soft mold 134 may be prevented, and thus the reliability of the IPP process may be improved. In addition, as the damage of the soft mold 134 is prevented, the life of the soft mold 134 may be improved.

Hereinafter, an apparatus for manufacturing a flat panel display device including a method of manufacturing a soft mold and a method of manufacturing the same will be described with reference to FIGS. 8A to 8D.

Referring to FIG. 8A, a master mold 184 having a thin film pattern 182, such as a photoresist pattern or an inorganic pattern, is formed on a substrate 180, and then the master mold 184 is bottomed in a zig 190. Place it in Here, the jig 190 is in the form of a container in which the master mold 184 may be located on its inner bottom and also accommodate the liquid PDMS applied later.

Referring to FIG. 8B, a liquid PDMS 135 having a molecular structure shown in FIG. 6 is coated on a jig in which the master mold 184 is accommodated. Thereafter, as the photocuring process is sequentially performed using the thermal curing process and the ultraviolet (UV) light, the solid PDMS 135 having the molecular structure shown in FIG. 7 is formed. Then, the surface exposed to the outside in the solid-state PDMS (135) O ₂ After surface treatment using plasma, adhesive treatment is performed using adhesive materials.

Referring to FIG. 8C, the solid PDMS 135 and the master mold 184 are positioned on the guide 202 formed on the sidewall of the vacuum chamber 200. In this case, the jig 190 is positioned so that the exposed surface of the solid PDMS 135 faces downward of the chamber 200 and is fixed by the guide 202. In the chamber 200, a vacuum of about 10 ⁻¹ is maintained. On the bottom of the chamber 200, a stage 204 capable of vertical movement is located, and a mold support plate 210 (or referred to as a "back-plane") is mounted on the stage 204. The mold support plate 210 serves to prevent length reduction of the soft mold 134 and to separate the soft mold 134 from the master mold 184. In addition, when the soft mold 134 is transferred to a specific place, it serves to support the soft mold 134.

Once the jig 190 is secured in the chamber 200, the stage 204 is raised until the mold support plate 210 contacts the solid PDMS 135. Accordingly, the mold support plate 210 is strongly adhered to the surface treated with the adhesive in the solid PDMS 135.

Thereafter, the stage 204 is separated from the solid PDMS 135 from the master mold 184 as it descends again, thereby having a soft groove 134a having the same shape as the thin film pattern 182 in the master mold 184. The mold 134 is formed.

The unreacted silane (Si-H) does not remain in the soft mold 134. As a result, when the IPP process described in Figs. 2, 3 and related descriptions is performed, the etch register and the soft mold 134 can be normally separated and the damage of the pot mold 134 and the etch resist is prevented. The reliability of the process is improved.

An apparatus for manufacturing a flat panel display device and a method for manufacturing the same according to the present invention include an electrode layer of a flat panel display device such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), a field emission display device (FED), a plasma display panel (PDP), and an electroluminescent device (EL). , Organic and inorganic layers may be applied to the process for patterning.

As described above, the manufacturing apparatus and manufacturing method of the flat panel display device according to the present invention simplifies the manufacturing process by forming a thin film pattern using a soft mold and an etch resist rather than a photo process.

In addition, as the IPP process is performed using a soft mold in which no silane (Si-H) that has not reacted is easily separated from the etch resist pattern and the soft mold. As a result, the damage of the etch resist and the soft mold 134 is prevented, such that the reliability of the IPP process can be improved and the life of the soft mold can be improved.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the technical spirit of the present invention. Therefore, the technical scope of the present invention should not be limited to the contents described in the detailed description of the specification but should be defined by the claims.

Claims (8)

A soft mold made of polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) containing an acrylate compound and having a groove having the same shape as a thin film pattern to be formed; A mold supporting plate bonded to a surface opposite to a grooved surface of the soft mold to support the soft mold, The soft mold includes a main chain including a vinyl group (CH = CH ₂ ), an X-linker (SiH functional crosslinker) including a plurality of silanes (Si-H), and a photocurable polymer. Apparatus for manufacturing a flat panel display device, characterized in that the acrylate (acrylate) has a combined structure. The method of claim 1, Some of the plurality of silane (Si-H) is the rest of the means associated with the vinyl group (CH = CH _2), except for the silane (Si-H) bond and the vinyl group (CH = CH ₂₎ silane (Si- H) is an apparatus for manufacturing a flat panel display device, characterized in that combined with the photocurable acrylate (acrylate). The method of claim 1, The main chain is (CH ₃ ) ₂ HSiO (CHCH ₂ ) characterized in that the X-linker (X-linker) is characterized in that consisting of (CH ₃ ) SiO (SiH) as a basic unit Apparatus for manufacturing flat panel display device. Forming a master mold on which a thin film pattern is formed; Main chain having a vinyl group (CH = CH ₂ ), a plurality of silanes (Si-H) and X-linker (X-linker: SiH functional crosslinking agent) and photocurable acrylate (acrylate) Providing a liquid phase PDMS comprising; Applying the liquid PDMS onto the master mold; Thermally curing the liquid PDMS and then photocuring using ultraviolet light to form a solid PDMS; And separating the solid PDMS from the master mold to form a soft mold having grooves having the same shape as that of the thin film pattern. The method of claim 4, wherein Some of the plurality of silane (Si-H) above the rest by thermal curing, except for the vinyl group (CH = CH ₂₎ and the reaction and the vinyl group (CH = CH ₂₎ and reacting the silane (Si-H) Silanes (Si-H) are reacted with the photocurable acrylate (acrylate) by the photocuring method of manufacturing a manufacturing apparatus of a flat panel display device. Providing a master mold having a thin film pattern formed thereon; Positioning the master mold on a bottom of a jig in the form of a container capable of receiving the mask mold; It has a vinyl group (CH = CH ₂ ) and has a main chain consisting of (CH ₃ ) ₂ HSiO (CHCH ₂ ), and a silane (Si-H) and based on (CH ₃ ) SiO (SiH). Preparing a liquid polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) comprising an X-linker (X-linker: SiH functional crosslinking agent) and a photocurable acrylate composed of units; Applying said liquid PDMS onto said master mold located in said container; Thermally curing the liquid PDMS and then photocuring using ultraviolet light to form a solid PDMS; Bonding the surface of the solid PDMS to an outside surface by using an adhesive material; Bonding the mold support plate to the surface of the solid PDMS to be bonded to the mold support plate and the solid PDMS; And forming a soft mold having a groove having the same shape as that of the thin film pattern by separating the PDMS from the solid state PDMS from the master mold. The method of claim 6, The step of contacting the solid PDMS and the mold support plate Transferring a jig containing the solid PDMS and the master mold into a vacuum chamber; Fixing the jig so that the adhesively treated surface of the PDMS faces the bottom of the vacuum chamber; Bonding the mold support plate to the solid state PDMS by vertically raising a stage on the bottom surface of the vacuum chamber and on which the mold support plate is seated; And lowering the stage to separate the solid phase PDMS from the master mold. The method of claim 6, Before the adhesive treatment using the adhesive material, the exposed surface of the solid PDMS is O ₂ A method of manufacturing a flat panel display device manufacturing apparatus comprising the step of surface treatment using a plasma.

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