KR20090012470A - Apparatus for modifying a metal patterning using the laser and method therefor - Google Patents

Abstract

A metal pattern processing device using laser is provided to shorten the working process time by irradiating laser beam at a time although a processing window is broad. A metal pattern processing device using laser comprises a laser generator(100) oscillating laser beam, an optical system reflecting and transmitting the oscillated laser beam, a substrate(600) irradiating and processing the laser beam, and a beam former(300) processing the shape of the laser beam for the size and shape of the domain. The laser generator includes a laser stabilizer(110) stabilizing laser output in a laser pulse to pulse.

Description

Apparatus for modifying a metal patterning using the laser and method therefor}

The present invention relates to a metal pattern processing apparatus and method using a laser, and more particularly, to a metal pattern processing apparatus and method using a laser used to correct when a metal pattern of the substrate is electrically disconnected or short-circuited.

The liquid crystal display device is manufactured by modifying a process of several steps, and a metal layer and an insulating layer exist.

If the metal pattern of the liquid crystal display formed by this procedure is disconnected or short-circuited, it should be corrected. For example, when a portion of electricity that is to be passed, such as a data line, is opened, a portion that is to be disconnected must be connected by a method of depositing a metal thin film, and when an insulating portion is shorted, such as a gate insulating layer, a short circuit The site should be cut.

Lasers are used in these cutting and deposition processes.

Conventionally, a laser is irradiated to a portion to be cut or deposited by scanning to cut or deposit it.

1 shows an embodiment of cutting and depositing according to the prior art, viewed from above the substrate 1. Arrows in the drawings indicate the direction of irradiation of the laser beam.

FIG. 1 (a) shows a case of cutting by irradiating a laser and FIG. 1 (b) shows a case of depositing a metal thin film by irradiating a laser. In FIG. 1 (a), the first cuts a part of the flat substrate 1, the second removes the protrusion 2 formed by the foreign matter attached to the substrate, and the third removes the entire specific portion. It is shown. In particular, when the defective parts are widely distributed in the color filter, etc., the entire defective parts should be removed as in the third case. In this case, since the laser 5 needs to be irradiated continuously by reciprocating the scanning method, it takes a lot of work time and is inefficient. There was an issue that was.

In the first case of FIG. 1B, when the metal pattern of the substrate 1 is cut, the metal thin film is formed at the cut portion 3 and the second thin film is formed to bypass the cut portion 3. And the third shows the case of depositing on the whole when the cut part is wide.

Since the cutting or deposition processing using the scan method irradiates the laser while moving, there is a problem that the shape of the processing surface may be uneven when the output of the laser beam is incomplete.

In addition, in the case of FIG. 1B, a portion 4 overlapped two or more times occurs, and a thickness difference problem occurs because thicknesses of overlapping portions and non-overlapping portions are different. . This step may affect other processes and have a high possibility of being damaged by physical connection.

2 illustrates a problem in which a step occurs according to the prior art. Due to the step difference between the pattern layer 10 and the metal layer 20 formed by the scan irradiation deposition, the empty space 40 is generated when the pattern layer 30 formed in a later step is formed.

When the empty space 40 is generated, there is a problem in that the possibility of breakage increases when a physical force such as a cleaning process is increased because the bonding force is lowered and the possibility of water penetration increases due to the empty space.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to provide a metal pattern processing apparatus and method using a laser which shortens the work process time by irradiating the laser beam in a block form and irradiating it with a flat shape even if the processing area is wide, but at a time.

In addition, the metal pattern processing apparatus and method using a laser that can make a uniform shape of the processing surface by cutting in the form of a block when cutting the substrate, and cutting the region by irradiating a beam having an even energy distribution over the entire processing region. In providing.

In the case of depositing and connecting a thin film to a cut portion of a substrate, a metal pattern processing apparatus and method using a laser that does not generate a region where overlapping two or more times and a step does not occur even if the cut portion is bypassed and deposited are provided. Is in.

Metal pattern processing apparatus using a laser according to the present invention, the laser oscillator for oscillating a laser beam; An optical system for transmitting or reflecting the oscillated laser beam; A substrate on which the laser beam is irradiated and processed; And a beam former for processing the shape of the laser beam according to the size and shape of the region to be processed on the substrate. It includes.

On the other hand, in the metal pattern processing method, (a) processing the shape of the laser beam irradiated to match the size and shape of the portion to be processed by the beam former; (b) the beam former passing the laser beam in a predetermined pattern; (c) irradiating the processed laser beam in a block form on the processed portion; And (d) cutting the constant target area or depositing a metal thin film while the beam former is in a stationary state. It includes.

According to the present invention as described above, in the metal pattern processing apparatus using a laser by expanding the laser beam in the form of a block and flattened irradiation, even if the processing area is wide, there is an effect of reducing the work process time by irradiating at once.

In addition, by cutting the substrate in the form of a block, forming a beam having an even energy distribution over the entire processing area, and cutting the area, the shape of the processing surface can be made uniform.

In addition, when the thin film is connected to the cut portion of the substrate by depositing it, there is an effect that a step does not occur without overlapping a region more than two times even when the cut portion is detoured and deposited.

The features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description based on the accompanying drawings. Prior to this, the terms or words used in the present specification and claims are defined in the technical spirit of the present invention on the basis of the principle that the inventor can appropriately define the concept of the term in order to explain his invention in the best way. It should be interpreted to mean meanings and concepts. In addition, when it is determined that the detailed description of the known function and its configuration related to the present invention may unnecessarily obscure the subject matter of the present invention, it should be noted that the detailed description is omitted.

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

A metal pattern processing apparatus using a laser according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4 as follows.

3 is a view schematically showing a metal pattern processing apparatus using a laser according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 4 (a) is a view showing before and after using a beam shaper according to an embodiment of the present invention. 4 (b) is a view showing before and after using a beam slit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Metal pattern processing apparatus using a laser according to an embodiment of the present invention, as shown in Figure 3, the laser oscillator 100, the optical system 200, the beam forming machine 300, the thin film forming machine 400, CCD camera ( 500 and the substrate 600.

The laser oscillator 100 functions to oscillate the laser beam, and stabilizes the laser output between laser pulses using a laser stabilizer 110.

The laser oscillator 100 according to the present embodiment uses an Nd: YAG laser, which will be described below.

The Nd: YAG laser has a wavelength of 1064 nm and a medium of Nd-YAG. In this case, in Nd-YAG, YAG is a material called yttbium aluminum garnet, and is doped with neodymium (Nd) in YAG.

Although the light source used in the laser oscillator 100 according to the present embodiment is set to Nd: YAG laser, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, Nd: YLF laser, Nd: YVO4 laser, titanium sapphire femtosecond laser, CO2 laser, etc. Various kinds of lasers can be used.

In addition, the laser wavelength of the laser oscillator 100 according to the present embodiment is preferably between 150nm and 380nm, the repetition of the laser oscillator 100 is preferably between 1KHz and 10KHz, the laser oscillator 100 The output energy of is preferably between 1uJ and 1mJ.

In addition, the optical system 200 transmits or reflects the laser beam. The optical system 200 for performing such a function includes a first mirror 210, a second mirror 220, an objective lens 230, and a third mirror 240.

The first mirror 210 reflects the laser beam oscillated by the laser oscillator 100 to the beam former 300. The first mirror 210 may not be used or two or more may be used depending on the position of the laser oscillator 100 and the position of the beam former 300.

In addition, the second mirror 220 is a dichroic mirror and transmits a laser beam passing through the beam former 300 to the objective lens 230, and reflects the reflected light reflected from the substrate 600 to the third mirror 240. Reflect.

In addition, the objective lens 230 collects and transmits a laser beam that has passed through the second mirror 220 from the beam former 300.

The third mirror 240 reflects the reflected light received from the substrate 600 through the second mirror 220.

In addition, the beam former 300 performs a function of processing the shape of the laser beam according to the size and shape of the area to be processed. The beam former 300 for performing this function includes a beam shaper 310 for converting an energy distribution into a flat top form, a beam slit 320 for adjusting a beam size, and a predetermined size. Mask 330 for passing the laser beam in a pattern.

The beam shaper 310 includes a beam expander (not shown) that enlarges the size of the beam and a homogenizer (not shown) that evens the energy distribution of the beam.

Then, the laser beam is irradiated in the shape of a predetermined pattern through the mask 330. For example, when the region to be processed is '-' shaped, the pattern of the mask may be adjusted to '-' to adjust the pattern of the beam irradiated according to the processing target.

In addition, the thin film former 400 performs a function of receiving a metal gas for forming a thin film.

In addition, the CCD camera 500 performs a function of observing a laser beam irradiated onto the substrate 600.

The substrate 600 is mounted on a stage (not shown) as shown in FIG. 3, and the stage is movable in the X-axis direction, the Y-axis direction, and the Z-axis direction with the vertical direction being the Z-axis direction. It is.

The beam initially oscillated in the laser oscillator 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention described above, as shown in FIG. 4 (a), exhibits a Gaussian energy distribution. In other words, energy is concentrated in the center. Due to the nature of such a laser beam, in the past, the laser beam was irradiated to the processed portion by a scanning method, and it was difficult to irradiate the laser beam in a block form at once in a large area.

However, in an embodiment of the present invention, the beam shaper 300 may convert the shape and energy distribution curve of the laser beam. That is, as shown in FIG. 4A, when the Gaussian type laser beam passes through the beam former 300, the energy distribution is changed evenly and the irradiation area is increased.

The beam incident on the beam former 300 according to the embodiment of the present invention is enlarged by the beam expander, the energy distribution of the beam is uniformed by the homogenizer, and as shown in FIG. 4 (b), The area irradiated by the beam slit 320 is adjusted.

Even though the irradiation area becomes wider, the laser beam is expanded by the beam shaper 310 and the energy distribution is even. Therefore, even if the laser output is increased, the area to be processed is wide, but the laser beam is irradiated in the form of a block at a time. It is possible to cut or deposit.

In the case of irradiating the laser beam in the form of a block as described above, the laser beam can be irradiated with the first mirror 210, the second mirror 220, and the objective lens 230 fixed without moving. The laser can be irradiated more stably.

The beam passing through the beam former 300 passes through the second mirror 220, is focused by a condenser lens (not shown) of the objective lens 230, passes through the thin film former 400, and is then irradiated to the processing region. do. Since a gas in which a gaseous metal material and an inert gas are mixed is injected into the thin film former 400, a metal thin film may be formed on a substrate when a laser beam is irradiated. When cutting the substrate, such a thin film former 400 is not necessary.

The reflected light reflected from the surface of the substrate 600 is reincident to the objective lens 230 and reflected by the second mirror 220. The reflected light reflected by the second mirror 220 is reflected by the third mirror 240 again, and sequentially passes through a filter (not shown), an imaging lens (not shown), and relays (not shown). Incident on the CCD camera 500. The state of the surface of the substrate can be observed by the CCD camera 500, and the shape of the laser beam and the pattern of the mask can be adjusted according to the result.

On the other hand, the overall flow for the method (hereinafter, metal pattern processing method) using the metal pattern processing apparatus using a laser according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

5 is a general flowchart of a metal pattern processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 5, the beam former processes the shape of the laser beam irradiated to match the size and shape of the portion to be processed (S2).

The beam former passes the laser beam through a predetermined pattern (S4).

The beam former irradiates the processed laser beam in a block form on the processed portion (S6).

The beam former is processed by cutting a certain target region in a stationary state or depositing a metal thin film (S8).

Next, a detailed flow of the laser beam processing step according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 6.

6 is a detailed flowchart of a laser beam processing step according to an embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 6, the beam former primarily processes the laser energy distribution of the Gaussian distribution into a flat top shape with a constant energy distribution (S12).

The beam shaper secondly processes the primary processed laser beam to fit the size of the portion to be processed (S14).

As described above and described with reference to a preferred embodiment for illustrating the technical idea of the present invention, the present invention is not limited to the configuration and operation as shown and described as described above, it is a deviation from the scope of the technical idea It will be understood by those skilled in the art that many modifications and variations can be made to the invention without departing from the scope of the invention. Accordingly, all such suitable changes and modifications and equivalents should be considered to be within the scope of the present invention.

1 shows cutting and deposition according to the prior art.

2 is a view showing a problem that a step occurs according to the prior art.

Figure 3 is a schematic view showing a metal pattern processing apparatus using a laser according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 4 (a) is a view showing before and after using the beam shaper according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 4 (b) is a view showing before and after using the beam slit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a general flow diagram for a metal pattern processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

6 is a detailed flowchart of a laser beam processing step according to an embodiment of the present invention.

<Description of Drawing>

100: laser oscillator 110: laser stabilizer

210: first mirror 220: second mirror

230: objective lens 240: third mirror

300: beam former 310: beam shaper

320: beam slit 330: mask

400: thin film forming machine 500: CCD camera

600: Substrate

Claims (14)

In the metal pattern processing apparatus using a laser, A laser oscillator 100 for oscillating a laser beam; An optical system 200 for transmitting or reflecting the oscillated laser beam; A substrate 600 on which the laser beam is irradiated and processed; And A beam former (300) for processing the shape of the laser beam according to the size and shape of the region to be processed on the substrate; Metal pattern processing apparatus using a laser, characterized in that it comprises a. The method of claim 1, The laser oscillator 100, A laser stabilizer 110 for stabilizing the laser output between pulses of pulses; Metal pattern processing apparatus using a laser, characterized in that it further comprises. The method of claim 1, The laser oscillator 100, A metal pattern processing apparatus using a laser, characterized by using any one of Nd: YAG laser, Nd: YLF laser, Nd: YVO4 laser, titanium sapphire femtosecond laser and CO2 laser. The method of claim 1, The laser wavelength of the laser oscillator 100 is a metal pattern processing apparatus using a laser, characterized in that between 150nm to 380nm. The method of claim 1, Repetition of the laser oscillator (100) is a metal pattern processing apparatus using a laser, characterized in that between 1KHz to 10KHz. The method of claim 1, The output energy of the laser oscillator 100 is a metal pattern processing apparatus using a laser, characterized in that between 1uJ to 1mJ. The method of claim 1, The optical system 200, A first mirror 210 reflecting the laser beam oscillated by the laser oscillator 100 to the beam former 300; A second mirror 220 for transmitting the laser beam passing through the beam former and reflecting the reflected light reflected from the substrate 600; And An objective lens 230 for condensing and transmitting the laser beam passing through the second mirror; Metal pattern processing apparatus using a laser, characterized in that it comprises a. The method of claim 7, wherein The optical system 200, A third mirror 240 which receives the reflected light from the second mirror 220 and reflects the reflected light; Metal pattern processing apparatus using a laser, characterized in that it further comprises. The method of claim 1, A thin film former 400 for receiving a metal gas for forming a thin film on the substrate 600; Metal pattern processing apparatus using a laser, characterized in that it further comprises. The method of claim 1, A CCD camera 500 for observing a laser beam irradiated onto the substrate 600; Metal pattern processing apparatus using a laser, characterized in that it further comprises. The method of claim 1, The beam former 300, A beam shaper 310 for converting an energy distribution of the laser beam into a flat top format; A beam slit 320 for adjusting the size of the laser beam; And A mask 330 for passing the laser beam in a predetermined pattern; Metal pattern processing apparatus using a laser, characterized in that it comprises a. The method of claim 11, The beam shaper 310, And a beam expander for enlarging the size of the laser beam and a homogenizer for equalizing the energy distribution of the laser beam. In the metal pattern processing method, (a) processing the shape of the laser beam to be irradiated to match the size and shape of the portion to be processed by the beam former; (b) the beam former passing the laser beam in a predetermined pattern; (c) irradiating the processed laser beam in a block form on the processed portion; And (d) the beam shaper cutting a constant target area in a stationary state or processing by depositing a metal thin film; Metal pattern processing method comprising a. The method of claim 13, Step (a) is, (a-1) the beam shaper processing the laser energy distribution of the Gaussian distribution into a flat top shape with a constant energy distribution; And (a-2) secondary processing of the beam former to match the size of the portion to be processed; Metal pattern processing method comprising a.

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