KR20100059444A - Complex appatatus for etching and etching system of the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A complex type etching device and an etching system thereof are provided to improve the efficiency of a thin shaping process by simultaneously executing a downward etching due to the free fall and an etching due to the spray of etching solution. CONSTITUTION: A fixing part fixes at least one substrate. A first nozzle part(100) is formed on the top of the substrate. The nozzle part passes away the etchant along the surface of the substrate. A second nozzle part(200) sprays the etchant in the side of the substrate through a nozzle(210). The first nozzle part comprises a storing part storing the etchant injected from the outside and a guide part. The guide part guides the etchant in a vertical upper direction of the substrate.

Description

Complex etching apparatus and etching system using same

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a thinning apparatus used for fabricating a fine pattern of a large substrate or to thinning a substrate, and to a thinning system using the same. And an etching apparatus including spraying second furnaces for spraying etching solution in the horizontal direction of the substrate at the same time, thereby eliminating a defect rate caused by sludge accumulation during the production of a fine pattern of a large-sized substrate, and evenly etching the entire substrate. The present invention relates to a technology capable of producing a processed substrate of higher quality by implementing a flowing process.

More specifically, the present invention relates to a technique capable of implementing even etching uniformity, which is difficult to realize only by spraying, on a large substrate forming a fine pattern by performing simultaneous etching of free-falling and etching by etching solution injection.

Recently, in accordance with the development of the semiconductor and display equipment industries and the needs of consumers who want light and thin products, the development of a technology for thinning a display panel manufactured in a glass-bonded form is urgently required. That is, the thickness of the glass used for the LCD substrate is required to be ultra-thin in accordance with the flow of thinning of the equipment, this thinning technique is made through the etching of the display panel (Panel). Conventionally known techniques for thinning a panel using a conventional chemical etching method include dip, spray, and the like.

However, the etching method of such a structure inevitably sprays or deposits the etching solution from the outside, but it is necessary to provide bubbles for etching. Since fine particles or scratches are generated on the etching surface, it is difficult to realize precise glass etching and thinning process through the etching process. There was a downside.

In addition, in performing a process of forming a fine pattern on a large-area glass substrate, deposits of sludge generated after etching accumulate in the fine pattern, thereby causing a problem that the defect rate is remarkably increased. This problem will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

1A to 1C show an etching method (thinning method) for forming a fine pattern of a conventional substrate.

Referring to FIG. 1A, FIG. 1A conceptually illustrates a fine pattern forming process of a glass substrate 1 which has been enlarged by the above-described spraying method. In other words, the etching liquid is sprayed through the nozzle 3 of the injection nozzle unit 2 on the outer surface of the substrate to perform a patterning process for forming a fine pattern or thinning.

As a result of the formation process of the fine pattern by the spraying method, as shown in FIG. 1B, the mask 4 for the pattern remains on the substrate 1, and the fine sludge ( There was a problem that 5) inevitably accumulates. As the size of the substrate proceeds and the pattern becomes finer, the fatal defect rate is more severe. Accordingly, there is a need for efficient etching and thinning to minimize particles and sludge.

In addition, referring to FIG. 1C, the substrate 1 having the pattern mask 4 formed thereon is immersed in the etching solution 6 by etching to form a fine pattern by etching the exposed portion of the substrate. It is a conceptual diagram which shows the process to make. However, this also had a disadvantage that has the problem derived by the above-described results of Figure 1b.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, an object of the present invention is to spray the etching liquid in the horizontal direction of the substrate at the same time as the first nozzle portion which can be etched along the surface of the substrate by gravity at the top of the substrate By providing the etching apparatus with the injection second furnace, it is possible to eliminate the defect rate caused by the sludge accumulated during the production of the fine pattern of the large-sized substrate, significantly reducing the occurrence of defects caused by particles and at the same time An apparatus and system for forming and thinning a micropattern of a composite substrate that can be provided are provided.

The present invention is a configuration of the invention for solving the above problems, the fixing portion for fixing at least one or more substrates; The first nozzle portion is formed on the top of the substrate, and flowing down the etching liquid along the surface of the substrate; A second nozzle unit for spraying the etching liquid from the side of the substrate; providing a complex etching apparatus comprising a free-falling top-down etching method and a spray etching method at the same time, to deposit the sludge in the fine pattern It is possible to prevent the formation of unnecessary particles on the substrate due to the etching liquid injection pressure.

In addition, in order to perform the free-falling top-down etching, the present invention is formed with at least one or more first nozzle portion in the vertical upper direction of the substrate, it is possible to form so that the flow rate of the nozzle can be adjusted.

In addition, the first nozzle part may be formed of a receiving part accommodating an externally injected etching liquid and a guide part guiding the etching liquid overflowing the accommodating part in a vertical upper direction of the substrate.

In addition, the above-described configuration of the first nozzle portion is formed in the upper surface of the receiving portion is formed through the etching liquid through the slit, a plurality of guide grooves for evenly guide the etching liquid to the guide portion in the outward direction of the transmission slit Configure to form.

In particular, in the configuration of the first nozzle for implementing a free-falling top-down etching in the present invention, the buffer partition is formed in the receiving portion to prevent a sudden increase in flow rate of the supplied etchant.

In addition, the buffer partition wall is preferable to provide a composite substrate thinning apparatus, characterized in that a plurality of etching liquid buffer through-holes are formed in the member of the thin plate.

The guide portion of the constant first nozzle portion has a structure that is gradually inclined toward the vertical lower portion, the ends thereof may be aligned to correspond to the vertical upper direction of the upper surface of the substrate.

In addition, the etching solution is a hydrofluoric acid based on hydrofluoric acid as the main etching solution, a hydrofluoric acid based on hydrofluoric acid as the main etching solution and mixed acid using nitric acid, sulfuric acid, and phosphoric acid, or ammonium fluoride as the main etching solution, and hydrofluoric acid and other additives. Any one selected from the etchant of hydrofluoric acid substitution agent used by selectively mixing can be utilized.

In addition, the composite substrate thinning apparatus according to the present invention implements a downward etching and at the same time has a second nozzle portion for spraying the etching liquid to the substrate surface from the side of the substrate, the second nozzle portion is a spray nozzle tube supplied with etching And the ejection nozzles discharged from the etching solution.

In addition, the second nozzle portion is formed at least one spaced apart from the side surface of the substrate is formed in a structure for spraying the etching.

In addition, the second nozzle unit in the present invention may be formed such that a plurality of the horizontal structure or a vertical structure on the side of the substrate is arranged.

It is preferable that the composite substrate thinning apparatus according to the present invention has a substrate support plate which can hold and fix the substrate vertically.

By using the above-described composite substrate thinning apparatus according to the present invention, a system may be configured to be thinned by forming a fine pattern on the substrate or performing an etching operation, which may be washed at a state in which at least one substrate is vertically washed. chamber; And an etching chamber for etching the substrate passing through the substrate washing module, wherein the etching chamber includes: a fixing part for fixing at least one substrate; A first nozzle part formed on an upper portion of the substrate and flowing down an etchant along a surface of the substrate; And a second nozzle unit for injecting etching liquid from the side surface of the substrate, and a moving unit for moving the fixing unit to reciprocate the inside of the flush chamber and the etching chamber. It can be formed by a complex etching system.

In the above-described composite substrate thinning system, the first nozzle portion comprises a receiving portion for receiving the externally injected etching liquid and a guide portion for guiding the etching liquid flowing over the receiving portion in a vertically upward direction of the substrate.

In addition, the upper surface of the receiving portion is formed through the etching liquid through the slit opening portion, characterized in that a plurality of guide grooves for evenly guide the etching liquid to the guide portion in the outward direction of the transmission slit.

In addition, it is preferable that a buffer partition wall is formed in the receiving part to prevent a sudden increase in flow rate of the supplied etching solution, and the buffer partition wall has a plurality of etching liquid buffer penetration holes formed in the member of the thin plate. It is desirable to provide a system.

In addition, the second nozzle unit of the present invention may be formed at least one spaced apart from the side of the substrate to have a structure for spraying the etching.

In addition, the system according to the present invention can provide a composite substrate thinning system, characterized in that the second nozzle portion is arranged in a horizontal or vertical structure on the side of the substrate.

According to the present invention, there is provided an etching apparatus having a first nozzle portion which can be etched along the surface of the substrate by gravity at the top of the substrate, and an injection second furnace for spraying the etching liquid in the horizontal direction of the substrate. It is possible to perform uniform glass thinning process by simultaneously performing top-down etching by etching and etching by spraying etching, or to realize even etching uniformity that is difficult to realize only by spraying on large substrates forming fine patterns. . That is, the defect rate caused by the removal of the sludge due to the injection pressure and the accumulation of particles or sludge by the top-down etching can be removed, and there is an effect of providing a high-quality glass having an even processing uniformity on a large area substrate.

In addition, by providing an etching system combining the etching chamber and the flush chamber to perform the etching using the composite substrate thinning apparatus according to the present invention, to produce a fine pattern of a large-sized substrate of perfect quality in one process or It is possible to increase the efficiency of the thinning process by enabling the repetitive operation to achieve a thinner substrate.

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

2A and 2B are conceptual views illustrating one embodiment of a complex etching apparatus according to the present invention.

As shown in the drawing, the first nozzle unit 100 is formed on the substrate, and the etching liquid flows down the surface of the substrate, and the second nozzle unit 200 sprays the etching liquid from the side surface of the substrate. And a fixing part 300 for fixing at least one substrate.

That is, the substrate 10 includes various objects such as a glass substrate or a liquid crystal display panel, and in the present invention, it is possible to form a fine pattern on the surface of the substrate or to uniformly etch the entire surface of the substrate to make it thin. Shall be.

The first nozzle unit 100 moves along the surface of the substrate while the etching solution supplied therein freely falls freely, and is a device for uniformly etching the substrate in this process. Therefore, it is preferable that the first nozzle unit 100 is disposed on the substrate 10, and the illustrated one has one arrangement, but it is also possible to arrange a plurality of such arrangements.

The substrate 10 is uniformly etched by the etching solution flowing out of the first nozzle unit 100 in a state where the substrate 10 is fixed to the fixing unit 300 and is standing vertically, and implements a fine pattern on the substrate surface. When the pattern is formed using a mask or the like, only a desired portion is etched to form a fine pattern to be implemented.

In addition, at the same time, the second nozzle unit 200 for spraying the etching liquid from the side surface of the substrate surface in the standing state of the substrate 10 is provided, and through the nozzle 210 at a constant intraocular pressure at the same time as the natural etching process by the top-down method. Etching liquid is injected. In the case of forming a fine pattern on a large-area substrate, the spray of the etchant removes sludge that accumulates in the step difference of the pattern, and at the same time, complements the etching by the top-down method to perform a more efficient etching process.

The second nozzle portion may be spaced apart from both sides of the substrate as shown in accordance with an aspect (cross section or both sides) of the pattern of the substrate, or may be disposed only on one side of the substrate. In addition, as a separate arrangement example, as shown in FIG. 2B, the process of stably etching one surface of the substrate may be considered by forming the substrate fixing part 300 as the lower fixing part and the substrate supporting plate 310.

The fixing part 300 may be formed in a structure capable of standing the substrate vertically, and may be modified in various structures as long as it is a structure capable of inserting or standing and fixing the substrate such as a structure that grips the substrate from side to side or a clamp structure. In the present exemplary embodiment, the fixing part 300 forms a jig into which the substrate can be inserted and fixed from the top to the bottom. The jig has a structure in which at least one or more substrates are inserted and fixed, and a lower portion thereof may be connected to the mobile unit so that the substrate may be loaded or unloaded in a fixed state into the etching chamber. The moving unit is preferably provided with a transfer rail to transfer the substrate between each chamber when one or more flush chambers to be described later and flush chambers are connected to each other, but may be movable through a timing belt. The driving can be implemented by various methods such as a transfer roller and a rubber belt. Of course, it is preferable that a controller (not shown) is formed to enable the supply of the etching solution or the substrate to be moved along the moving unit, and the overall control of the etching speed can be performed. .

3 is a perspective view illustrating main parts of the complex etching apparatus according to the present invention described above.

As shown in the drawing, the apparatus includes a first nozzle part 100 for flowing down etching liquid along a surface of a substrate, a second nozzle part 200 for spraying etching liquid from a side of the substrate, and a fixing part for fixing the substrate. It is formed as 300, and in order to etch a plurality of substrates at the same time it is also possible to form a plurality of the first nozzle portion and the second nozzle portion described above as described above.

The first nozzle unit 100 has a structure in which an etching solution is contained therein and the supplied etching solution naturally flows to guide the surface of the substrate. (It will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 4). The second nozzle unit may be formed of a spray nozzle tube 200 to which an etchant is supplied so as to eject an etching solution from a side surface of the substrate, and a spray nozzle 210 to which the etchant is discharged. As shown in the drawing, the second nozzle unit may be formed in at least one or more spaced apart from the substrate surface in the horizontal form, or may be formed in a structure that can form at least one of the second nozzle unit vertically.

Referring to FIG. 4, the configuration and operation of the first nozzle unit 100 will be described. As shown in (a), the first nozzle unit 100 may be configured to supply the etching solution supplied from an external etching solution supply pipe P. Referring to FIG. The receiving unit 110 to accommodate and the etching solution accommodated in the receiving portion is formed by a guide portion 120 for guiding to flow out of the receiving portion flows in the vertical upper direction of the substrate.

The guide portion 120 is preferably formed in an inclined shape as shown in the portion connected to the receiving portion from the portion connected to the receiving portion so that the etchant moves along the outer circumferential surface of the receiving portion to be naturally transferred to the upper portion of the substrate. Do.

Basically, the guide part may be formed in a structure without the gap S, and the etching liquid may flow from the upper portion of the substrate. In addition, as another application example, the guide part 120 may be formed in a structure in which a center portion S is formed so that an upper portion of the substrate may be inserted between the gap portions S. When the upper portion of the substrate is inserted into the gap between the guide parts, the etching liquid is evenly supplied to both surfaces of the substrate, thereby improving the efficiency of etching.

In particular, the upper surface of the receiving portion is preferably formed with an etching liquid transmission slit 130 of a predetermined portion is formed so that the etching liquid overflowed from the receiving portion can flow to the outside.

In addition, the etching solution through the slit 130 is preferably formed in the longitudinal direction of the receiving portion (110). A plurality of guide grooves 140 may be provided in the outward direction of the etching solution transmission slit 130 to guide the etching solution evenly to the guide part 120. The guide groove 140 may form an induction groove intaglio so that the etchant flows in a direction orthogonal to the transmission slit 130. Through this, the etchant naturally leads to the guide part by riding the bend of the body part of the receiving part.

In another embodiment, as shown in (b) of FIG. 4, after the permeation slit 130 and the etching solution guide groove 140 are integrally formed, the permeation slit is formed in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the receiving portion. In addition, the guide grooves 140 may be formed at both ends of the transmission slit 130.

In order to prevent the etchant from flowing out through the through slit due to the rapid inflow of the etchant flowing from the pipe P for supplying the etchant into the accommodating part 110, the buffer partition wall 150 is provided in the accommodating part. Preferably, the buffer partition wall 150 is disposed in the accommodation portion, and the etching solution buffer penetration hole 151 is preferably formed in a thin thin plate shape. This prevents the rapid rise of the etchant supplied to the receiving portion to control the supply rate and flow rate of the etchant, and to induce an even flow of the etchant.

As shown in (c) to (e) of Figure 4, the shape of the receiving portion 110 can be formed in a wide variety. If the etching liquid can be supplied evenly, the cross section may have an elliptical shape (c), or the cross section may have a circular shape (e), or the upper portion has a predetermined inclination (d) to smooth the flow of the etching liquid and It is also possible to form to have a curvature.

In addition, the buffer barrier wall 150 may be formed in a thin plate shape, as shown in Figure 5, the inner surface of the plurality of etching solution buffer through-holes 151 is formed to control the rising speed of the etching solution This is preferred. In particular, the buffer penetration hole 151 may simply have a through hole corresponding to the thickness of the buffer partition wall, and furthermore, the through hole may have a cylindrical shape as in (b) or a wedge shape as in (c). It is desirable to enable efficient control of the rising speed of the etchant, and if necessary, the cross-sectional shape of the through hole may use various types of perforated shapes such as square shape, rhombus, and ellipse.

As the etchant supplied, various etchants such as hydrofluoric acid, mixed acid, non-fluoric acid, and ammonium fluoride may be used. In particular, the etching liquid and liquid etching liquid which use the etching liquid of glass fundamentally can be applied to this apparatus. That is, the reaction of the etching solution system containing hydrofluoric acid can be explained as follows. Basically, F is bonded to glass to form sludge (SiF ₄ ) and water and thinner glass.

aHF + bSiO ₂ → cSiF ₄ + dH ₂ O

Therefore, as an example of applying the etching solution, hydrofluoric acid (HF) is used as the main etching solution as the hydrofluoric acid etching solution, and water and the micro additive surfactant can be mixed and used therein.

HF is basically used as the mixed acid etchant, and nitric acid (HNO ₃ ), sulfuric acid (H ₂ SO ₄ ), phosphoric acid, and the like may be selectively mixed, and additives may be added thereto.

As the hydrofluoric acid-based etching solution, sulfuric acid can be added based on ammonium fluoride salts such as ammonium fluoride (NH ₄ F) and acidic ammonium fluoride (NH ₄ F.HF), or a surfactant can be selectively added.

The complex etching apparatus according to the present invention having the above-described structure may be combined with an etching chamber and a flush chamber to increase the efficiency of the process through the automation of the process and the continuous process. Hereinafter, various application examples using such equipment will be described.

Referring to FIG. 6, the etching chamber may include a complex etching apparatus according to the present invention as described above, and a system for forming a moving unit to form a continuous process. That is, as shown in (a), a loading unit (loading chamber) for injecting the substrate is formed, and thereafter, a washing chamber for washing the substrate is provided. The flushing chamber can be applied to various methods of washing by flushing or horizontally flushing the substrate in a vertical position. Subsequently, when the substrate is introduced into the etching chamber through the mobile unit, a micro pattern is formed or the thinned etching is performed by the composite substrate thinning apparatus according to the present invention, and then the system is unloaded through the flush chamber by the mobile unit again. Can be configured.

In addition, unlike the process of reciprocating to the mobile unit by forming a system consisting of a loading unit, a washing chamber, an etching chamber, a washing chamber, and an unloading unit as shown in (b), the substrate is sequentially washed with water, etched, and etched. The system can be configured to consist of a washing process.

Alternatively, as shown in (c), a drying chamber that performs a drying function may be further added to the basic structure of (b).

As described above, performing the automated continuous process using the complex etching apparatus according to the present invention may be modified in any way, in addition to those described above, and it is also possible to repeatedly perform the basic system as shown in (a).

By using the complex etching apparatus and the etching system according to the present invention, the etching is performed by the free-falling downward etching and the etching liquid injection at the same time to form a uniform etching uniformity that is difficult to realize only by spraying on a large substrate forming a fine pattern. To be implemented. In particular, the sludge is removed by spraying pressure and particles are removed by top-down etching, so that the defect rate caused by sludge build-up can be eliminated during fabrication of the fine pattern of the substrate. There is an effect that can provide a glass of. In addition, it is apparent that the present invention can be used as a device for thinning the overall thickness of the substrate in addition to forming a fine pattern of a large substrate.

In the foregoing detailed description of the present invention, specific examples have been described. However, various modifications are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention. The technical idea of the present invention should not be limited to the embodiments of the present invention but should be determined by the equivalents of the claims and the claims.

1A to 1C illustrate an etching process for an etching or thinning process for a micropattern on a conventional substrate.

2A and 2B are conceptual views showing the configuration of one embodiment of a complex etching apparatus according to the present invention.

3 is a perspective view showing the construction of an embodiment of the first nozzle portion of the hybrid etching apparatus according to the present invention.

4 illustrates a buffer partition of the first nozzle unit according to the present invention.

5 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an application example of a system using a complex etching apparatus according to the present invention.

Claims (20)

A fixing part for fixing at least one substrate; A first nozzle part formed on an upper portion of the substrate and flowing down an etchant along a surface of the substrate; A second nozzle unit spraying etching liquid on a side of the substrate; Hybrid etching apparatus comprising a. The method according to claim 1, The first nozzle unit is formed in at least one or more in the vertical upper direction of the substrate, characterized in that formed to be able to adjust the flow rate of the nozzle. The method according to claim 2, And the first nozzle part comprises a receiving part accommodating an externally injected etching liquid and a guide part for guiding the etching liquid overflowing the receiving part in a vertical upper direction of the substrate. The method according to claim 3, Etching liquid through the slit is formed in the upper surface of the receiving portion is formed, the complex etching apparatus characterized in that a plurality of guide grooves are formed to guide the etching solution evenly to the guide portion in the outward direction of the transmission slit. . The method according to claim 3 or 4, Hybrid buffer device is characterized in that the buffer partition is formed in the receiving portion to prevent a sudden increase in the flow rate of the supplied etchant. The method according to claim 5, The buffer partition wall is a complex etching apparatus, characterized in that a plurality of etching liquid buffer through-holes are formed in the member of the thin plate. The method according to claim 3, The guide portion has a structure gradually inclined toward the vertical lower portion, the end of the hybrid etching apparatus, characterized in that aligned to correspond to the vertical upper direction of the upper surface of the substrate. The method of claim 7, The etchant is a hydrofluoric acid based on hydrofluoric acid (HF) as the main etching solution, a mixed acid based on hydrofluoric acid as the main etching solution and optionally mixed with nitric acid, sulfuric acid and phosphoric acid, or hydrofluoric acid and ammonium fluoride as the main etching solution. A hybrid etching apparatus, characterized in that the hydrofluoric acid substitute system using a mixture of other additives selectively. The method according to claim 1, And the second nozzle part is formed of a spray nozzle tube to which an etching solution is supplied and a spray nozzle discharged from the etching solution. The method according to claim 9, The second nozzle unit is formed at least one spaced apart from the side of the substrate is formed in a structure for ejecting etching etching, characterized in that the composite etching apparatus. The method according to claim 9 or 10, The second nozzle unit is a hybrid etching apparatus, characterized in that arranged in a horizontal structure on the side of the substrate. The method according to claim 9 or 10, And the second nozzle part is arranged in a structure perpendicular to a side surface of the substrate. The method according to claim 1 or 9, The fixing part is a hybrid etching apparatus characterized in that it comprises at least one or more substrate support plate that can be fixed to the substrate standing vertically. A washing chamber for washing at least one substrate in a vertical position; Including an etching chamber for etching the substrate passed through the substrate washing module, The etching chamber may include a fixing part for fixing at least one substrate; A first nozzle part formed on an upper portion of the substrate and flowing down an etchant along a surface of the substrate; And a second nozzle unit for spraying etching liquid on the side of the substrate, The fixing part so as to reciprocate the inside of the flush chamber and the etching chamber A hybrid etching system comprising a; moving unit that can move. The method according to claim 14, And the first nozzle part comprises a receiving part accommodating an externally injected etching liquid and a guide part guiding the etching liquid flowing over the receiving part in a vertical upper direction of the substrate. The method according to claim 15, Etching liquid through the slit is formed on the upper surface of the receiving portion, a plurality of guide grooves are formed in the outer direction of the transmission slit to guide the etching solution evenly to the guide portion. . 18. The method of claim 16, Hybrid buffer system is characterized in that the buffer partition is formed in the receiving portion to prevent a sudden increase in the flow rate of the supplied etching solution. The method according to claim 17, The buffer partition wall is a complex etching system, characterized in that a plurality of etching liquid buffer through-holes are formed in the member of the thin plate. The method according to claim 17, The second nozzle portion is formed on at least one spaced apart from the side of the substrate is formed in a structure for spraying the etching etching, characterized in that the composite etching system. The method of claim 19, The second nozzle portion is a hybrid etching system, characterized in that arranged in a horizontal or vertical structure on the side of the substrate.

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