KR20150037261A

KR20150037261A - Film forming apparatus

Info

Publication number: KR20150037261A
Application number: KR20130116727A
Authority: KR
Inventors: 황장연; 김동렬; 이성환
Original assignee: 주식회사 엘지화학
Priority date: 2013-09-30
Filing date: 2013-09-30
Publication date: 2015-04-08

Abstract

The present application relates to a film forming apparatus, a film forming method or a multilayer film.
The present application discloses a film forming apparatus, a deposition method, or a multi-layer film which does not damage a film by physical contact or the like by forming the film protective layer in a process of continuously forming a film on the surface thereof while transferring the substrate such as a so- Can be provided.

Description

[0001] The present invention relates to a film forming apparatus,

The present application relates to a film forming apparatus, a film forming method and a multilayer film.

There is known an apparatus called a so-called roll-to-roll apparatus, which forms a film on its surface in various manners while transferring the substrate by a roll system such as an unwinding roll, a guide roll and a winding roll.

For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a method of forming a multilayer film including a barrier layer and the like on the surface of a substrate through atomic layer deposition (ALD), also called atomic layer epitaxy (ALE) Discloses a turrol apparatus.

In such a conventional apparatus, a film is formed on the surface while the substrate is being conveyed by the guide roll, and the substrate on which the film is formed is wound by a winding roll or the like to be recovered. In such a process, the film formed on the surface of the substrate is inevitably brought into physical contact with the guide roll, the winding roll, and the like, and the physical properties of the film formed thereby may deteriorate.

Patent Document 1: Korean Patent Publication No. 2009-0043474

The present application provides a film forming apparatus, a film forming method, and a multilayer film.

The present application is directed to a film-forming apparatus configured to form a film on a substrate to be transferred and to form a protective layer on the film, and the exemplary apparatus comprises at least one guide roll a first conveying means including a first roll; A processing region provided so as to form a film on a surface of the substrate transferred by the transfer means; And a winding roll for winding and recovering the substrate on which the film is formed, wherein the film forming apparatus comprises a protective film of a composite film including a protective layer formed on the carrier film so as to be peeled off from the carrier film, , And depositing the film on the film of the substrate on which the film is formed.

The present application also relates to a film forming method, and the above-described exemplary method can be carried out using the film forming apparatus.

The present application is also directed to a multi-layer film, wherein an exemplary multi-layer film comprises a substrate having a film formed thereon; And a composite film formed on the carrier film so as to be peeled from the carrier film, wherein the protective layer is adhered on the film of the substrate.

The present application discloses a film forming apparatus, a deposition method, or a multi-layer film which does not damage a film by physical contact or the like by forming the film protective layer in a process of continuously forming a film on the surface thereof while transferring the substrate such as a so- Can be provided.

1 to 8 show the structure of an exemplary film forming apparatus.
Figures 9 to 10 show the construction of an exemplary multilayer film.

The film forming apparatus of the present application may include a first transfer means, a processing region, a collection means, and an attachment system. The first transfer means includes at least one guide roll capable of transferring a substrate, and the processing region is provided so as to form a film by depositing a precursor gas on the surface of the substrate. Further, the adhering system is provided so as to adhere the protective film of the composite film including the protective layer formed on the carrier film so as to be peelable from the carrier film, onto the film of the substrate on which the film is formed.

The treatment region of the present application can be installed so that the film can be formed in an atomic layer manner.

The exemplary processing region may include at least two regions (hereinafter referred to as first and second regions, respectively), wherein one or more flow-limiting passages may be formed in each of the first region and the second region have. As used herein, the term flow restrictive passageway may refer to a passageway through which a substrate can move and precursor gases that may be present in each region are configured not to move through the passageway. An example of how this passage is formed will be described later. Each of the regions is provided so as to form a film by depositing a precursor gas on the surface of the substrate introduced through the flow-limiting passage.

At least one guide roll of the first conveying means exists in each of the first and second regions. The flow restricting passage forms a path for allowing the substrate to pass through the first and second regions at least once by the guide roll. The film forming apparatus may be provided with precursor gas supply means capable of supplying precursor gas to the first and second regions. For example, a first precursor gas is supplied to the first region to form a first monolayer on the substrate, and a second precursor gas is supplied to the second region to form a first precursor gas on the substrate or on the first monolayer A target film may be formed on the substrate through the process of forming the second monolayer. The first and second precursor gases may be of the same or different types, and if necessary, the first and second monolayer formation processes may be repeated a plurality of times in consideration of the desired thickness. Also, a third region in which a third monolayer is formed by the third precursor gas, as described below, or purging by an inert gas is performed, may also be included in the apparatus.

An exemplary adhering system includes a second conveying means including a feeding means capable of feeding a composite film and at least one guide roll installed to convey the composite film fed from the feeding means, The protective layer of the composite film can be adhered.

In addition, the exemplary recovering means can recover the substrate on which the coalesced film is formed and the composite film by winding the film on a take-up roll.

1 is a schematic view of an exemplary film forming apparatus.

1, the film-forming apparatus may include a first region 131, a second region 132, and an attachment system 150. As shown in FIG. The first transfer means may include a guide roll 120, each of which is present in the first area 131 and the second area 132, respectively, and a supply unit 110 for supplying the substrate to the process area. Although the case where the input means 110 is present in the processing region 131 is shown in the drawing, the means 110 may be present outside the region 131 if necessary. The first region 131 and the second region 132 are separated by a wall 150 so that the precursor gas existing in each region does not diffuse to other regions and a flow restriction passage 160 is formed in the wall 150 So that the substrate 101 can be transported through the passage 160. Exhaust means 170 may be present in each of the regions 131 and 132 and the precursor gases may be exhausted by the means 170.

In the film forming apparatus, the input means 110 may serve to introduce the substrate 101 into the apparatus. The input means 110 may be, for example, a substrate supply roll. The substrate 101 introduced by the input means 110 can be recovered by the recovery means 140 after the regions 131 and 132 are sequentially moved and processed.

The first transport means may comprise one or more guide rolls 120.

In the film forming apparatus, the adhering system 150 can adhere the protective film of the composite film to the film of the substrate on which the film is formed by the treatment regions 131 and 132. [ Since the film formed by the processing means 131 and 132 may be easily damaged by physical contact, a protective layer may be formed on the film to protect the film. At this time, the composite film includes a carrier film and a protective layer, and the protective layer of the composite film can be formed so as to be peeled off from the carrier film.

The exemplary attachment system 150 may include a feeding means capable of feeding the composite film and a second feeding means 152 capable of feeding the composite film fed from the feeding means. The supply means includes a protective layer supply roll 151, and the supply roll 151 may be provided with a composite film including a protective layer. Further, the second conveying means 152 serves to convey the composite film, and may include one or more guide rolls.

One or more guide rolls of the first transporting means 120 and one or more guide rolls of the second transporting means 152 in the attachment system 150 are arranged such that the film of the substrate and the protective film of the composite film are separated by the guide rolls They can be installed so that they can be adhered to each other while being transported. That is, the film of the substrate on which the film transferred by the first transfer means 120 is formed can be attached to the protective layer conveyed by the second transfer means 152.

In the film forming apparatus, the first conveying means 120 may further include another guide roll that can wind the composite of the combined substrate and the composite film and transfer it to the recovery means. That is, the substrate on which the protective layer is formed and joined may be transferred to the winding roll side by the guide roll of the first conveying means 120.

The winding means in the film forming apparatus can be recovered by winding the substrate on which the protective layer is formed by the attachment system 150 on the winding roll 140. [

In the present application, Fig. 2 is a schematic view of a film forming apparatus provided with an energy applying means in addition to the adhering system.

As shown in FIG. 2, the adhering system 150 may further include an energy applying means 153 for applying energy to the protective layer of the above-described composite film. At this time, the kind of energy applied to the composite film is not particularly limited, and may be heat, ultraviolet ray or electron beam. The energy applying means 153 may be installed at a position where energy can be applied to the protective layer attached to the treated surface of the substrate.

3 is a view showing another example of the film forming apparatus. The top view of FIG. 3 is a side view of the device, and the bottom view is a front view of the device.

3, the first region 131 and the second region 132 are sequentially arranged in a row, and the substrate 101 is held by the guide roll 120 in each of the regions 131 and 132 in the region 131 And 132, respectively. Although a detailed illustration is omitted in the drawing, the path of the substrate 101 may be formed by a flow-restricting passage existing in the apparatus. In this structure, precursor gases can be evacuated from the sides of the regions 131 and 132, as shown in the lower view of FIG. Although only the first region 131 and the second region 132 are sequentially repeated in FIG. 3, the substrate 101 sequentially passes through the first region 131 and the second region 132 A third region or the like to be described later may be additionally provided between the regions 131 and 132 as long as the apparatus is constructed so that the apparatus can be constructed so as to allow the apparatus to be constructed.

The film forming apparatus may further include a third region. The third region may be, for example, a region into which the inert gas required in the purging process of the atomic layer deposition process is introduced, or a precursor gas which is different from or identical to that introduced in the first and / May be introduced. The third region may be connected to the first and / or second region by the flow-limiting passage when a third region exists, and the transfer means may transfer the substrate through the third region to the first and / (I.e., the order of " first region? Third region? Second region ").

4 illustrates an example in which the third region 701 is additionally present in the structure of the apparatus of FIG. 1, and the matters other than the existence of the third region 701 are as shown in FIG. 4 Can be similarly applied. In FIG. 4, there is no separate roll in the third area 701, but if necessary, a guide roll or the like may also be present in the area 701 as shown in FIG. In the example shown in Fig. 4, a plurality of third regions 701 may exist. In other words, a plurality of third regions 701 may be provided between the first region 131 and the second region 132, and the plurality of third regions may include a plurality of third regions 701, The substrate 101 can be introduced into the second region 132 after passing through the first region 131 through the plurality of third regions sequentially through the flow restricting passage 160 have. 5 is an example of a case where a plurality of third regions 701-1 to 701-3 exist as described above. When a plurality of the third regions 701-1 to 701-3 are present, the gases introduced into the respective regions 701-1 to 701-3 may be the same or different.

FIG. 6 is a view showing an example in which two third regions 7011 and 7012 are added in the apparatus of FIG. 1, and the introduction into the two additional regions 7011 and 7012 is the above-mentioned inert gas Or the precursor gas in the first and / or second regions, and the types of the gases introduced into the third regions 7011 and 7012 may be the same or different.

The first transfer means, for example, the guide roll, of the film-forming apparatus may be provided so as to allow the substrate to pass through the first and second regions a plurality of times. When the third region is present, the transporting means, for example, the guide roll may be provided so as to allow the substrate to pass through the first and second regions a plurality of times while passing through the third region. 8 shows a state in which the substrate is transported by the transporting means (that is, the first region, the third region, the third region, and the third region) formed so as to pass through the first region 131 and the second region 132 a plurality of times, Second area? Third area? First area? Third area? Second area). Although FIG. 7 shows a case where the third area 701 exists, this area 701 may be omitted. In another example, as shown in FIG. 8, a plurality of third areas 701-1 to 701-3 ) May exist.

8, the conveying means includes a plurality of first guide rolls 120-1 and the like existing in the first region 131 and a plurality of second guides 120-1 and 130b existing in the second region 132, Roll 120-2 or the like. At least a portion (for example, 120-1 in the drawing) of the first guide roll is formed so as to change the path of the substrate 101 toward the second region 132, At least a portion (for example, 120-2 in the drawing) may be formed so as to change the path of the substrate toward the first region 131.

In the above-described apparatus, the substrate passes through each region by the transfer means, and precursor gas is deposited in the region to form a monolayer or purged. The precursor gas may be supplied by a separate precursor gas supply means. The supply means may comprise a precursor gas source located inside or outside of each zone and may additionally include piping, pumps, valves, tanks and other necessary known means for supplying the precursor gas to the zone . Further, when another region such as a third region exists outside the first and second regions, for example, the precursor gas or the inert gas may be introduced into the region by the supplying means.

In the film forming apparatus, each region may be a chamber in which the pressure inside the chamber can be controlled through the exhaust gas by the exhaust means, the introduction pressure of the precursor gas or the inert gas, and the like. The chamber may be interfaced with other processing modules or equipment for controlling the progress of the process, and the like.

In the film-forming apparatus, the precursor gas in each region is moved to another region in order to prevent non-ALD reaction which may be caused by mixing precursor gas not adsorbed on the substrate existing in each region with gas in another region It is necessary to restrain it. Accordingly, each region is connected by the above-described flow-restricting passage or additionally the internal pressure can be adjusted. The method for constructing the flow restricting passage (hereinafter, simply referred to as the passage) is not particularly limited and a known method may be employed. For example, each passageway may be a slit having a size slightly larger than the thickness and width of the substrate passing through the passageway and having an added size. The passageway allows only a very small clearance when passing through the substrate and can be installed so that the substrate can pass through the passageway without scratching with each side of the passageway. For example, the clearance may be defined within a range between a few microns and a few millimeters. The passageway may also include a thinner tunnel through which the substrate may pass, and may include a wiper to further restrict the flow of gas through the passageway, if desired. In addition, the passageway may be formed by a series of elongated, narrow passageways extending and an inert gas injected into the third zone or the like may be injected directly into the passageway midway between the first and second zones to prevent movement and mixing of the precursor gas Can help.

There may be a pressure difference between each region to prevent mixing of the precursor gases. For example, if there is a third region 701 between the regions 131 and 132 as in FIG. 4 or 7, the inert gas or precursor gas It is possible to prevent the mixing of the gases and the like by injecting the third region into the third region 701. For example, the pressure can be controlled by throttling or manually discharging the exhaust stream of the gas. In another example, a pressure differential can be generated by pumping to a region using a pump or other suction source. For example, the pump is connected to all areas and can be controlled to regulate the pressure in each area to produce a pressure differential. The movement of the precursor gas can also be prevented by using a flow control valve or other flow control device, by controlling the relative flow rate and pumping rate of the gas. In addition, a control device responsive to the pressure sensor can be used to assist in maintaining the desired pressure differential by controlling the gas injection and discharge flow rates.

The present application also relates to a method of forming a film. Such a method can be carried out, for example, by using the film forming apparatus described above. For example, the film forming method may include forming a film on a surface of a substrate; And attaching a protective layer of the composite film to the surface of the film.

In the step of forming the film on the surface of the substrate, a precursor gas is supplied in the first region to form a first monolayer on the substrate while the substrate is transferred along the path formed by the flow-restricting passage by using the guide roll of the above- And forming a second monolayer on the substrate by supplying a precursor gas in the second region. The process may be repeated two or more times to obtain the desired thickness and, if necessary, one or more third regions may be included as described above to perform a purging process between the formation of the first and second monolayers, 1 and a third monolayer of a material different from that of the second monolayer.

The type of the substrate used in the above method is not particularly limited and can be, for example, glass, plastic film, metallic web or fibrous film. In addition, the kind of the film that can be formed on the substrate by the above method includes all kinds of films which are known or can be predicted to be formed by the film forming method, for example, a barrier layer, a conductive layer, A dielectric layer, an insulator layer, a light emitting layer, an electron transporting layer, an electron injecting layer, a hole injecting layer, or a hole transporting layer.

In addition, the kind of the precursor gas usable for forming such a film is not particularly limited, and any kind known to be applicable to the film formation and capable of forming each kind of film described above can be included.

Further, in the step of attaching the protective layer of the composite film to the surface of the film, the composite film is attached on the film of the substrate on which the film is formed in the above step by using the adhesion system of the film forming apparatus described above.

The composite film comprises a carrier film and a protective layer formed to be peelable from the carrier film. At this time, a coating layer, an adhesive layer, or an adhesive layer may be used as the protective layer. Here, an epoxy-based coating layer can be used as the coating layer.

In the present application, heat, ultraviolet rays or electron beams may be applied to the protective layer to facilitate the attachment. Further, the substrate and the composite film on which the treatment layer is formed may be laminated and then pressed to facilitate the attachment.

The present application also relates to multilayer films. Such a multilayer film may be, for example, a substrate having a film formed on its surface; And a protective layer formed on the carrier film so as to be peeled from the carrier film, wherein the protective layer can be adhered onto the film of the substrate.

In the multilayer film, the treatment layer may be a corona treatment layer, a plasma treatment layer, a primer treatment layer, a barrier layer, a conductive layer, a dielectric layer, an insulator layer, a light emitting layer, an electron transport layer, an electron injection layer, a hole injection layer or a hole transport layer.

The protective layer may be a coating layer, an adhesive layer or an adhesive layer, and may be an epoxy coating layer.

101: substrate
110: input means
120, 120-1, 120-2: guide roll
131: first region
132: second area
170: exhaust means
150: wall
160: flow-limiting passage
140: recovery means
701, 701-1, 701-2, 701-3, 7011, 7012:
150: Attachment system
151: protective layer supply roll
152: second conveying means
153: Energy-applying means

Claims

A first conveying means including at least one guide roll installed to convey the substrate; A processing region provided so as to form a film on a surface of the substrate transferred by the transfer means; And a recovery means including a winding roll for winding and recovering the substrate on which the film is formed,
Further comprising an attachment system for attaching a protective layer of a composite film comprising a protective layer formed on the carrier film so as to be peelable from the carrier film to a film of the substrate on which the film is formed.

The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the adhering system includes a feeding means including a feeding means capable of feeding a composite film, and a second feeding means including at least one guide roll provided so as to feed the composite film fed from the feeding means.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein at least one guide roll of the first transport means and at least one guide roll of the second transport means are attached to one another while the film of the substrate on which the film is formed and the protective film of the composite film are transported by the guide rolls Therefore,
Wherein the first conveying means includes another guide roll installed so as to convey the combined substrate and the composite film to the collecting means.

The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising energy applying means for applying energy to the protective layer of the composite film.

The film forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the energy applied to the protective layer is heat, ultraviolet ray or electron beam.

The film forming apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the energy applying means is installed at a position where energy can be applied to the protective layer attached on the film of the substrate on which the film is formed.

The film forming apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing region is provided so that the film can be formed by atomic layer deposition.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the processing region includes first and second regions in which a flow-restricting passage formed so that a substrate can be introduced is formed,
At least one guide roll of the conveying means is present in each of the first and second regions,
Wherein the flow restriction passage is provided so as to form a path for allowing the substrate to sequentially pass through the first and second regions.

The film forming apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the transfer means is provided so as to allow the substrate to pass through the first and second regions a plurality of times.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, further comprising a third region adapted to be supplied with an inert gas or a precursor gas, wherein the third region is connected to the first or second region by a flow-limiting passage, Wherein the substrate is formed so as to be capable of passing through the first region, the third region, and the second region in this order.

The film forming apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the transfer means is provided so as to allow the substrate to pass through the first and second regions a plurality of times while passing through the third region each time.

11. The apparatus of claim 10, wherein the conveying means comprises a plurality of first guide rolls present in the first region and a plurality of second guide rolls present in the second region, Wherein at least a portion of the second guide roll is formed so as to change the path of the substrate toward the first area.

Forming a film on the surface of the substrate using the apparatus of any one of claims 8 to 12; And
And adhering a protective layer of the composite film to the surface of the film.

14. The film forming method according to claim 13, wherein the film to be formed is a barrier layer, a conductive layer, a dielectric layer, an insulating layer, a light emitting layer, an electron transporting layer, an electron injecting layer, a hole injecting layer or a hole transporting layer.

A substrate on which a film is formed; And a protective film formed on the carrier film so as to be peeled from the carrier film, wherein the protective layer is adhered on the film of the substrate.

16. The multilayer film according to claim 15, wherein the protective layer is a coating layer.

The multilayer film according to claim 15, wherein the protective layer is an epoxy adhesive layer.