KR20120063611A - Vacuum lamination apparatus and method for laminating a film utilizing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A vacuum lamination apparatus and a film lamination method using thereof are provided to prevent the generation of micro-bubbles when laminating a donor film on a glass substrate. CONSTITUTION: A vacuum lamination apparatus comprises the following: a work table(110) for mounting and fixing a glass substrate(20), including a vacuum groove connected to a vacuum source; a film tray(120) mounting a film on the upper side of the work table by fixing the edge of the film; an outer chamber(130) assembled to the work table; an inner chamber(140) including plural vacuum holes on the lower side facing the glass substrate, installed inside the outer chamber; a first piping unit(150) connected to the vacuum source, and installed in the outer chamber; a second piping unit(160) including a valve, installed in the inner chamber; and an inner chamber balance controlling driver controlling the horizontal balance of the inner chamber.

Description

Vacuum lamination apparatus and method for laminating a film utilizing the same}

The present invention relates to a vacuum lamination apparatus and a film lamination method using the same, and relates to a vacuum lamination apparatus and a method for laminating a film on a glass substrate without generating fine bubbles.

Among the flat panel display devices, the organic light emitting display device has a fast response speed, low power consumption, and self-light emission, so that there is no viewing angle problem.

The organic light emitting display device is manufactured by stacking an organic layer including a light emitting layer on a substrate including a pixel electrode using an evaporation method, an inkjet printing method, a spin coating method, and the like to form a counter electrode.

The deposition process used as the method of laminating the organic layer requires a metal fine mask required for pattern formation of the light emitting layer, and particularly when manufacturing a large device, there are many difficulties in manufacturing the mask.

The inkjet printing method is limited in the material of organic layers other than the light emitting layer, and has a trouble of forming a structure for inkjet printing on a substrate.

Laser thermal transfer has been developed as an alternative to the organic material stacking method.

In general, the laser thermal transfer method is a method of forming a pattern by transferring an organic material for forming a pattern of a donor film to a target glass substrate by using a laser in manufacturing an organic light emitting display device.

1 illustrates a cross-sectional structure of a general donor film. The donor film 10 includes a base film 11, a photothermal conversion layer 12, a bumper layer 13, and a transfer layer 14.

The photothermal conversion layer 12 formed on the base film 11 converts the laser light into thermal energy by irradiation of the laser, and changes the adhesion between the transfer layer 14 and the photothermal conversion layer 12. It functions to transfer the transfer layer to the glass substrate.

The bumper layer 13 may be inserted between the photothermal conversion layer 12 and the transfer layer 14 for the purpose of preventing damage to the transfer material.

As such, a step of laminating the donor film to the glass substrate is required as a pre-process for transferring the transfer material to the glass substrate by irradiating a laser onto the donor film.

In particular, in the film lamination process, it is important that bubbles are not generated between the donor film and the glass substrate. When bubbles are generated, the transfer of organic materials at the bubble position is poor during laser transfer, which causes defective pixels.

As a conventional film lamination method, a roller method using a roller is used, and the roller method performs lamination by pressing a donor film with a roller after placing a donor film on a glass substrate. However, such a conventional roller method is not easy to uniform pressure, mechanically complex, there is a possibility that fine bubbles are generated.

The present invention is to solve the conventional problems, the present invention is to provide a vacuum lamination apparatus and a film lamination method using the same can be a lamination of the donor film on the glass substrate without generating a fine bubble without the conventional roller method I would like to.

The vacuum lamination apparatus of the present invention includes: a work table on which a glass substrate is seated and fixed, and a vacuum groove connected to a vacuum source outside an edge of the glass substrate; A film tray fixed to the film frame and seated on the worktable; An outer chamber in which airtightness is maintained with the worktable and is assembled; An inner chamber having a plurality of vacuum holes penetrated through the lower surface facing the glass substrate and installed in the outer chamber; A first pipe part connected to a vacuum source and provided in the outer chamber; A valve may be provided and provided by a second pipe part provided in the inner chamber.

In addition, the film lamination method using the apparatus of the present invention, the first step of mounting and fixing the glass substrate on the worktable, the film tray is fixed to the upper portion; A second step of assembling the outer chamber on the worktable on which the film tray is assembled to maintain airtightness; A step 3-1 of lowering the outer chamber to atmospheric pressure below a first predetermined pressure for a set time through a first pipe portion; Step 3-2 of lowering the pressure of the outer chamber to a second set pressure for a time shorter than the set time in the fourth step; A fourth step of generating a vacuum through the vacuum groove within a pressure range higher than the second set pressure; A fifth step of discarding the vacuum state of the outer chamber when the vacuum is generated to the set pressure through the vacuum groove in the fourth step; The second chamber may be provided by a sixth step of bringing the inner chamber into an atmospheric pressure state.

In the vacuum lamination apparatus of the present invention and the film lamination method using the same, since the film is laminated on the glass substrate by the differential pressure generated in the vacuum chamber, bubbles can be prevented from occurring between the glass substrate and the film during the lamination process. It is an invention with effect.

1 is a view showing a cross-sectional structure of the donor film used in the conventional laser thermal transfer,
2 is a view showing a cross-sectional configuration of the vacuum lamination apparatus according to the present invention,
3 is a perspective view showing a work table and a film tray in the vacuum lamination apparatus according to the present invention;
Figure 4 is a bottom perspective view of the vacuum chamber in the vacuum lamination apparatus according to the present invention,
5 is a flow chart showing a film lamination method of the present invention,
6 to 10 are views for explaining the film lamination method of the present invention.

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

As shown in FIG. 2, in the vacuum lamination apparatus of the present invention, a glass table 20 is seated and fixed, and a work table having a vacuum groove 113 connected to a vacuum source outside the edge of the glass substrate 20 is formed. 110; A film tray 120 having a frame 10 fixed thereto and seated on the work table 110; An outer chamber 130 in which airtightness is maintained with the work table 110 and assembled; An inner chamber 140 having a plurality of vacuum holes 141 formed through the bottom surface facing the glass substrate 20 and installed in the outer chamber 130; A first pipe part 150 connected to a vacuum source and provided in the outer chamber 130; It is characterized in that the valve is provided with a second pipe portion 160 provided in the inner chamber 140.

As shown in FIG. 3, the work table 110 is provided with a plate 111 on which a glass substrate 10 is mounted, and a plurality of vacuum grooves 112 connected to a vacuum source in the plate 111. This can be formed.

After the glass substrate 20 is seated on the work table 110, a vacuum is generated in the lower portion of the glass substrate 20 through the vacuum groove 112, so that the glass substrate 20 can be firmly fixed on the work table 110. have.

In addition, the work table 110 is formed with a vacuum groove 113 that is connected to the vacuum source outside the edge of the glass substrate 20 separate from the vacuum groove 112 for fixing the glass substrate 20.

The vacuum groove 113 provided outside the edge of the glass substrate 20 is irrelevant to the fixing of the glass substrate 20 so that a vacuum is generated in the space between the film 10 and the glass substrate 20. This will be described in detail again.

The film tray 120 is a rectangular plate and has a structure through which a glass substrate is exposed at the center thereof.

The film is fixed to the lower surface of the film tray 120, and preferably, the film is fixed to the film tray 120 by the clamping means (not shown).

The film tray 120 fixed to the film is assembled with the work table 110 on which the glass substrate 20 is seated.

As shown in FIG. 4, in the present invention, the chamber includes an outer chamber 130 and an inner chamber 140 provided inside the outer chamber.

The lower end of the outer chamber 130 may be provided with a known seal member (O-ring) 131 so as to be assembled while maintaining the airtight with the work table 110.

The inner chamber 140 is composed of an upper housing 140a and a lower housing 140b and has a space therein, and a plurality of vacuum holes 141 are formed through the lower housing 140b.

The vacuum hole 141 of the lower housing 140b is uniformly distributed throughout the lower housing 140b. Meanwhile, the upper housing 140a and the lower housing 140b may be fastened by bolts, and may be configured to be separated if necessary, and after separating the upper housing 140a and the lower housing 140b as necessary. By masking the vacuum holes in the areas where the exhaust is not desired, the area in which the vacuum holes act can be changed.

As shown in FIG. 2, the outer chamber 130 is provided with a first pipe part 150 connected to a vacuum source, and an inner chamber 140 is provided with a valve (not shown) to provide a second pipe part 160. Is provided.

The first pipe part 150 is provided with a conventional valve between the vacuum source and configured to control the degree of vacuum of the outer chamber 130, and if necessary, the outer chamber 130 and the inner chamber 140. Or a well-known pressure gauge may be provided to detect the degree of vacuum generated in the vacuum groove 113.

In particular, in the present invention, the lower end of the second pipe portion 160 is preferably fixed to the center of the inner chamber 140, which is swollen from the center of the film to the glass substrate in the process of pressing the film onto the glass substrate. While the compression is to be made, this will be described in detail again.

The second pipe part 160 is provided with a valve (not shown), and by opening the valve, outside air flows into the inner chamber 140 which was in a vacuum state so that the vacuum can be destroyed.

In the present invention, a plurality of vacuum sources are used to generate a vacuum, but such vacuum sources may be provided by respective dedicated vacuum pumps, but a plurality of valves may be provided in one vacuum pump, thereby opening and closing each valve. Obviously, it can be used as a plurality of vacuum sources.

The outer chamber 130 may be provided with an inner chamber horizontal control drive that can adjust the horizontal level of the inner chamber, specifically, one or more cylinders 170, and driven by the cylinder 170 to the inner chamber ( It may be configured as a floating joint 171 that can adjust the horizontal of the 140.

The inner chamber horizontal control drive unit may be used to adjust the height of the inner chamber located in the outer chamber 130 or to adjust the horizontal state.

Looking at the operation example of the vacuum lamination device of the present invention configured as described above are as follows.

Referring to FIG. 5, in the film lamination method using the vacuum lamination apparatus of the present invention, the glass substrate 20 is seated and fixed on the work table 110, and a film tray having the film 10 fixed thereon ( A first step (S10) of assembling 120; A second step (S20) of assembling the outer chamber 130 to maintain airtightness on the work table 110 to which the film tray 120 is assembled; Step 3-1 (S31) to lower the outer chamber 130 to less than atmospheric pressure to the first set pressure for a predetermined time through the first pipe portion 150; Step 3-2 (S32) to lower the pressure of the outer chamber 130 to a second set pressure for a time shorter than the set time in the fourth step; A fourth step S40 of generating a vacuum through the vacuum groove 113 of the work table 110 within a pressure range higher than the second set pressure; A fifth step (S50) of discarding the vacuum state of the outer chamber 130 when a vacuum is generated to the set pressure through the vacuum groove 113 in the fourth step; Characterized in that the sixth step (S60) for making the inner chamber 140 to the atmospheric pressure state through the second pipe 160.

The first step S10 is a process of assembling the film tray 120 on which the film 10 is fixed to the work table 110 in a state in which the glass substrate 20 is seated and fixed to the work table 110.

After the glass substrate 20 is positioned on the work table 110, a vacuum is generated through the vacuum groove 112 to fix the glass substrate 20 to the work table 110, and the film 10 may be separated. It is securely fixed to the lower surface of the film tray 120 by the clamping means.

In the second step S20, the worktable 110 and the outer chamber 130 are assembled by lowering the outer chamber 130 on the worktable 110 on which the assembly is completed (see FIG. 6).

As shown in FIG. 7, in the state where the work table 110 and the outer chamber 130 are assembled, the outer chamber 130 is hermetically sealed by the seal member 131, and the film tray 120 is closed. The film 10 fixed to) is temporarily placed on the glass substrate 20.

The film 10 and the lower surface of the inner chamber 140 have a constant gap d1, and also have a constant distance d2 between the outer end of the inner chamber 140 and the outer chamber 130.

The vacuum is maintained through the vacuum groove 112 of the work table 110 to maintain the glass substrate 20 fixed to the work table 110, which laminates the film 10 to the glass substrate 20. It stays on for a while.

The third step (S30) is a process of vacuuming the inside of the outer chamber 130, specifically, the third through lowering the outer chamber to below the atmospheric pressure to the first set pressure during the set time through the first pipe 150 (3- A first step S31; In the third step S32, the pressure of the outer chamber may be lowered to a second predetermined pressure for a time shorter than the set time in the fourth step.

As illustrated in FIG. 8, a vacuum is formed inside the outer chamber 130, so that the film 10 that is temporarily seated on the glass substrate 20 is formed in the upper space of the film 10 in the outer chamber 130. It adheres to the lower surface of the inner chamber 140 by it.

Meanwhile, in the process of vacuuming the outer chamber 130, a vacuum is initially formed slowly (slow vacuum step; S31), and a vacuum is rapidly formed after a vacuum is formed at a predetermined level (fast vacuum step; S32). It is preferable to separate the vacuum into the outer chamber. This is to prevent the film from being closely adhered to the lower surface of the inner chamber during the rapid vacuum process at the beginning, or only the film edge is adhered to the lower surface of the inner chamber and the deflection occurs at the center of the film.

For reference, in this process, the valve provided in the second pipe part 160 is in a closed state, and thus the inside of the inner chamber 140 is also in a vacuum state.

The fourth step (S40) is a process in which the vacuum is generated through the vacuum groove 113 located outside the edge of the glass substrate of the work table 110 when the outer chamber 130 is vacuumed to the second set pressure to be.

In this process, a vacuum is generated in the lower space of the film 10, but the vacuum degree of the lower space is lower than that of the upper space of the film 10.

For example, when the pressure of the outer chamber 130 is 1 torr (second set pressure), the pressure generated in the space below the film 20 through the vacuum groove 113 is about 4 torr.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 9, even if a vacuum is generated in the lower space of the film 20, the film 20 continues to be in close contact with the lower surface of the inner chamber 140.

In the fifth step S50, after the vacuum is generated to the predetermined pressure in the lower space of the film in the fourth step, the vacuum state of the outer chamber 130 is prepared in order to compress the film 10 to the glass substrate 20. It is a process of destruction.

In particular, in the vacuum destruction process of the outer chamber 130 in the present invention, after increasing the pressure up to the set pressure during the set time (fast vacuum off; S51) and then slowly rising to atmospheric pressure slower than the time progressed to the set pressure (S52); It is preferable to destroy the vacuum of the outer chamber in a two step process.

Meanwhile, even when the vacuum state of the outer chamber 130 is destroyed, since the airtightness is maintained between the film 10 and the inner chamber 140, the film 10 continues to be in close contact with the bottom surface of the inner chamber 140. do.

The sixth step S60 is a process of releasing the inner chamber 140 at atmospheric pressure, and in this process, the glass substrate 20 of the film 10 is formed by the differential pressure generated at the upper and lower portions of the film 10. Pressing is made firmly.

That is, by opening the valve of the second pipe part 160 connected to the inner chamber 140 in a state where the vacuum state of the outer chamber 130 is destroyed, the inner chamber 140 becomes an atmospheric pressure state, and the lower portion of the film 10 Since the space is continuously maintained in the vacuum state through the vacuum groove 113, a differential pressure is generated in the upper and lower portions of the film 10, and the film 10 is pressed against the glass substrate 20 by this differential pressure.

In particular, since the lower end of the second pipe part 160 is positioned at the center of the inner chamber 140, outside air is introduced from the center of the inner chamber 140, and thus the film 10 is pressed against the glass substrate 20 from the center. As the outer portion of the film 10 is gradually compressed with the glass substrate 20, the film 10 may be compressed without generating bubbles or fine bubbles between the film 10 and the glass substrate 20.

Thus, the glass substrate 20 and the pressed film 10 is moved to the laser irradiation process for transferring the transfer layer, the necessary process proceeds.

On the other hand, in the present invention for the purpose of more smoothly separating the outer chamber 130 and the work table 110 after the sixth step (S60), the atmospheric pressure for a predetermined time after the inner chamber 140 is in the atmospheric pressure state It is preferable that a seventh step S70 of pressurizing the inner chamber 140 at the above pressure is added.

In order for the pressure above atmospheric pressure to be applied to the inner chamber 140, a pressure pump or a high pressure tank capable of supplying pressure above atmospheric pressure may be added to the second pipe 160.

In this way, the pressure above the atmospheric pressure is applied to the inner chamber 140, even though the outer chamber and the inner chamber are at atmospheric pressure, the negative pressure still acts on the seal member (O-ring, etc.) provided to maintain the airtightness between the components. Separation of the worktable from the outer chamber may not be easy.

Therefore, the separation operation can be facilitated by applying a pressure above atmospheric pressure in the inner chamber before separation of the worktable and the outer chamber.

The above embodiment is an example for explaining the technical idea of the present invention in detail, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above drawings and embodiments.

10: film 20: glass substrate
110: worktable 120: film tray
130: outer chamber 140: inner chamber
150: first pipe part 160: second pipe part

Claims (7)

A work table on which a glass substrate is seated and fixed, and a vacuum groove connected to a vacuum source is formed outside the edge of the glass substrate;
A film tray fixed to the film frame and seated on the worktable;
An outer chamber in which airtightness is maintained with the worktable and is assembled;
An inner chamber having a plurality of vacuum holes penetrated through the lower surface facing the glass substrate and installed in the outer chamber;
A first pipe part connected to a vacuum source and provided in the outer chamber;
A vacuum lamination device, characterized in that it comprises a valve provided with a second pipe portion provided in the inner chamber. The vacuum lamination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the lower end of the second pipe portion is connected to the center of the inner chamber. The vacuum lamination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the outer chamber is further provided with an inner chamber horizontal control driving part capable of adjusting the horizontal level of the inner chamber. The vacuum lamination apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a pressure pump or a high pressure tank capable of supplying a pressure higher than atmospheric pressure is further connected to the second pipe part. In the film lamination method using the vacuum lamination device of claim 1,
Mounting and fixing a glass substrate on the work table, and assembling the film tray having a film fixed thereon;
A second step of assembling the outer chamber to maintain airtightness on the worktable on which the film tray is assembled;
A step 3-1 of lowering the outer chamber to below a first atmospheric pressure to a first set pressure during a set time through the first pipe portion;
Step 3-2 of lowering the pressure of the outer chamber to a second set pressure for a time shorter than the set time in the fourth step;
A fourth step of generating a vacuum through the vacuum groove within a pressure range higher than the second set pressure;
A fifth step of discarding the vacuum state of the outer chamber when the vacuum is generated to the set pressure through the vacuum groove in the fourth step;
And a sixth step of bringing the inner chamber into an atmospheric pressure state through the second pipe part. The film lamination method according to claim 5, wherein the fifth step comprises raising the pressure to the set pressure during the set time and then increasing the pressure to atmospheric pressure more slowly than the time progressed to the set pressure. The film lamination method according to claim 5, wherein the seventh step of pressurizing the inside of the inner chamber at a pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure for a predetermined time after the inner chamber is at atmospheric pressure in the sixth step is added.

Images