KR20100059221A

KR20100059221A - Apparatus for processing a substrate

Info

Publication number: KR20100059221A
Application number: KR1020080117915A
Authority: KR
Inventors: 최재영
Original assignee: 세메스 주식회사
Priority date: 2008-11-26
Filing date: 2008-11-26
Publication date: 2010-06-04

Abstract

The gas jet unit of the substrate processing apparatus includes a pair of air knives and fixing members. Air knives are disposed above and below the substrate inlet inside the chamber, and spray gas toward the substrate inlet to block external airflow flowing through the substrate inlet. Fixing members respectively fix the air knives to the chamber inner wall such that the air knives are disposed adjacent the substrate inlet.

Description

Apparatus for processing a substrate

The present invention relates to a gas jet unit, and more particularly, to a gas jet unit provided in a substrate processing apparatus for processing a substrate used in the manufacture of a flat panel display element.

Flat panel display devices such as liquid crystal display (LCD), plasma display device (PDP), and organic light emitting device (OLED) are manufactured by performing various unit processes for forming circuit patterns on a large-area substrate. Examples of the unit process may include a deposition process, a photographic process, a developing process, a cleaning process, an etching process, a strip process, and a drying process.

The processes may each be performed in successive chambers. The substrate is transported along the continuous chambers. When the substrate is transferred from the preceding chamber to the subsequent chamber, the airflow of the preceding chamber can flow into the subsequent chamber. Accordingly, the substrate inlet of the subsequent chamber is provided with a shutter unit that opens and closes the substrate inlet to block the flow of air.

The shutter unit is a shutter, a driving unit for moving the shutter up and down and requires a motor, a bracket, a gear, and the like. As described above, since the shutter unit requires many parts, assembly or fastening may take a lot of time. In addition, long-term use of the shutter unit requires periodic replacement due to wear of the gear.

The present invention provides a gas injection unit that blocks the airflow flowing through the substrate inlet.

The gas injection unit according to the present invention is disposed above and below the substrate inlet in the chamber, and a pair of air knives for injecting gas toward the substrate inlet in order to block external airflow flowing through the substrate inlet. And fixing members respectively fixing the air knives to the chamber inner wall such that the air knives are disposed adjacent to the substrate inlet.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, the air knives may extend in parallel with the substrate inlet, and may be disposed to be inclined toward the substrate inlet.

According to the present invention, the gas injection unit fixes the air knives to the chamber inner wall adjacent to the substrate inlet with a fixing member. Since the configuration of the gas injection unit is simple, the assembly of the gas injection unit can be performed quickly. In addition, since the air injection unit has no consumable parts, no additional cost for replacement of the air injection unit is required.

And, since the gas injection unit injects gas toward the substrate inlet, it is possible to easily block the external air flow flowing through the substrate inlet.

Hereinafter, a gas injection unit according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. As the inventive concept allows for various changes and numerous embodiments, particular embodiments will be illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the text. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to the specific disclosed form, it should be understood to include all modifications, equivalents, and substitutes included in the spirit and scope of the present invention. Like reference numerals are used for like elements in describing each drawing. In the accompanying drawings, the dimensions of the structures are shown in an enlarged scale than actual for clarity of the invention.

The terms first, second, etc. may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the terms. The terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, the first component may be referred to as the second component, and similarly, the second component may also be referred to as the first component.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular example embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the present invention. Singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this application, the terms "comprise" or "have" are intended to indicate that there is a feature, number, step, action, component, part, or combination thereof described in the specification, and one or more other features. It is to be understood that the present invention does not exclude the possibility of the presence or the addition of numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

Unless defined otherwise, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art. Terms such as those defined in the commonly used dictionaries should be construed as having meanings consistent with the meanings in the context of the related art and shall not be construed in ideal or excessively formal meanings unless expressly defined in this application. Do not.

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a substrate processing apparatus 100 having a gas injection unit 130 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 illustrates the air knife 132 illustrated in FIG. 1. Is a schematic perspective view.

1 and 2, the substrate processing apparatus 100 includes a chamber 110, a transfer unit 120, a gas injection unit 130, and a chemical liquid supply unit 140.

The chamber 110 provides a space for performing a substrate processing process. The chamber 110 has a substrate inlet 112, a substrate outlet 114, and an outlet 116.

The substrate inlet 112 is provided on the first sidewall 110a of the chamber 110, and the substrate 10 having been cleaned is loaded therein. The substrate outlet 114 is provided on the second sidewall 110b of the chamber 110 facing the first sidewall 110a, and the substrate 10 on which the substrate processing process is completed is carried out. The discharge port 116 is provided at the bottom of the chamber 110, and the chemical liquid for processing the substrate 10 and impurities removed from the substrate 10 are discharged.

The transfer unit 120 includes a plurality of rotating shafts and a plurality of rollers.

The rotating shafts are arranged in the conveying direction of the substrate 10 and extend in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction. The rollers are coupled to respective rotational shafts to contact the bottom surface of the substrate 10. The rollers convey the substrate 10 while rotating by the rotating shafts.

The transfer unit 120 may include a driving unit connected to the rotation shafts to provide a rotational force for rotating the rotation shafts.

Although not shown, the driving unit may include a motor to generate a rotational force, and the motor may be connected to the driving unit by a belt and a plurality of pulleys or a plurality of gears.

The gas injection unit 130 is to block the airflow flowing through the substrate inlet 112, the first air knife 131, the second air knife 132, the first fixing member 133, The second fixing member 134, the first air supply pipe 135, and the second air supply pipe 136 are included.

The first air knife 131 is disposed at a position higher than the substrate inlet 122 in the chamber 110. The first air knife 131 extends in a horizontal direction parallel to the substrate inlet 112. The length of the first air knife 131 is longer than the length of the substrate inlet 112. The first air knife 131 is disposed to be inclined toward the substrate inlet 112. Therefore, the first air knife 131 injects gas so as to be inclined toward the substrate inlet 112 from the upper side of the substrate inlet 112.

The second air knife 132 is disposed at a position lower than the substrate inlet 122 in the chamber 110. The second air knife 132 extends longer than the length of the substrate inlet 112 in a horizontal direction parallel to the substrate inlet 112. The second air knife 132 is disposed to be inclined toward the substrate inlet 112. Therefore, the second air knife 132 injects gas so as to be inclined toward the substrate inlet 112 from the lower side of the substrate inlet 112.

The injection holes of the first air knife 131 and the second air knife 132 may have a plurality of holes or slits.

Since the first air knife 131 and the second air knife 132 spray the gas toward the substrate inlet 112, the external air flowing through the substrate inlet 112 can be completely blocked. have.

The first fixing member 133 and the second fixing member 134 fix the first air knife 131 and the second air knife 132 to inner surfaces of the first side wall 110a, respectively. . The first fixing member 133 is screwed with the inner surface of the first air knife 131 and the first side wall 110a. Similarly, the second fixing member 134 is screwed with the inner surface of the second air knife 132 and the first side wall 110a.

The first air supply pipe 135 and the second air supply pipe 136 are connected to the first air knife 131 and the second air knife 132, respectively. High-pressure gas is supplied to the first air knife 131 and the second air knife 132 through the first air supply pipe 135 and the second air supply pipe 136, respectively.

In the above description, the gas injection unit 130 is described as being provided in the substrate inlet 112, but the gas injection unit 130 may also be provided in the substrate outlet 114. Therefore, the airflow inside the chamber 110 is prevented from flowing out.

As described above, since the gas injection unit 130 has a simple structure, the gas injection unit 130 may be easily and quickly installed in the chamber 110. In addition, the first air knife 131, the second air knife 132, the first fixing member 133, the second fixing member 134, and the first air supply pipe 135 forming the gas injection unit 130. ) And the second air supply pipe 136 is not a consumable part, so there is no additional cost due to periodic replacement.

The chemical liquid injection unit 140 injects the chemical liquid onto the substrate 10 while the transfer unit 120 transfers the substrate 10. Examples of the chemical solution include a photoresist for forming a photoresist film on the substrate 10, a developer for developing an exposed photoresist film of the substrate 10, and an etchant for selectively removing a pattern formed on the substrate 10. And a cleaning liquid for removing the foreign matter from the substrate 10.

The chemical liquid injection unit 140 may be provided above the transfer unit 120, and may spray the chemical liquid onto the upper surface of the substrate 10. As another example, the chemical liquid injection unit 140 may be provided above and below the transfer unit 120 to inject the chemical liquid to the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate 10. Therefore, the chemical liquid injection unit 140 processes the substrate 10 using the chemical liquid.

Detailed description of the chemical liquid injection unit 140 is substantially the same as the general chemical liquid injection unit, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

Meanwhile, an air knife for drying the substrate 10 may be provided instead of the chemical liquid injection unit 140.

As described above, according to embodiments of the present invention, the gas injection unit fixes the air knives to the chamber inner wall adjacent to the substrate inlet with a fixing member. Since the configuration of the gas injection unit is simple, the assembly of the gas injection unit can be performed quickly. In addition, since the air injection unit has no consumable parts, no additional cost for replacement of the air injection unit is required.

While the foregoing has been described with reference to preferred embodiments of the present invention, those skilled in the art will be able to variously modify and change the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the claims below. It will be appreciated.

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating a substrate processing apparatus having a gas injection unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view illustrating the air knife shown in FIG. 1.

Explanation of symbols on the main parts of the drawings

100 substrate processing apparatus 110 chamber

120: transfer unit 130: gas injection unit

132: air knife 134: fixed member

136: supply line 140: chemical liquid supply unit

10: substrate

Claims

A pair of air knives disposed above and below the substrate inlet in the chamber and for injecting gas toward the substrate inlet to block external airflow flowing through the substrate inlet; And

And fixing members respectively fixing the air knives to the chamber inner wall such that the air knives are disposed adjacent to the substrate inlet.

2. The gas jet unit of claim 1, wherein the air knives extend parallel to the substrate inlet and are inclined toward the substrate inlet.