KR20210013191A - Holder, carrier comprising at least two holders, devices and methods - Google Patents

Abstract

A holder 120 is provided that is configured to be attached to the carrier body 160 of the carrier for holding the substrate 101. The holder 120 is configured to be movable relative to the fixed portion 122, along one direction, and a fixed portion 122 configured to be attached to the carrier body 160 and the substrate 101 A floating portion 123 comprising a groove 126 configured to receive at least a portion of the ).

Description

Holder, carrier comprising at least two holders, devices and methods

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure include holders configured to be attached to a carrier body of a carrier for holding a substrate, two carriers comprising at least two holders, and processing a substrate held in the carrier, in particular For example, it relates to two methods for substrate processing for layer deposition, as well as two methods of unloading a substrate from a carrier, and two apparatuses for depositing a layer on a large area glass substrate. Embodiments of the present disclosure particularly relate to carriers and holders for supporting a large area substrate having a thin thickness in a substrate processing machine, and apparatuses for processing a large area substrate.

[0002] Several methods are known for depositing material on a substrate. For example, the substrates may be coated by a physical vapor deposition (PVD) process, a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process, a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) process, or the like. Typically, the process is performed within a process apparatus or process chamber, in which the substrate to be coated is located. A deposition material is provided in the device. A plurality of materials (also including oxides, nitrides or carbides of the plurality of materials) may be used for deposition on a substrate. In addition, other processing operations such as etching, structuring, annealing, etc. may be performed in the processing chambers.

[0003] The coated materials can be used in some applications and in some fields of technology. For example, the application is in the field of microelectronics, such as creating semiconductor devices. Also, substrates for displays are usually coated by a PVD process. Additional applications include insulating panels, organic light emitting diode (OLED) panels, substrates with TFTs, color filters, and the like.

[0004] In particular, for fields such as display production, manufacturing of thin-film solar cells, and similar applications, large area glass substrates are processed. In the past, substrate sizes have continued to increase, and this increase still continues. Increasing the size of glass substrates makes it increasingly difficult to handle, support and process glass substrates without sacrificing throughput by glass breakage.

[0005] Typically, glass substrates can be supported on carriers during processing of the glass substrates. The carrier drives the glass or substrate through the processing machine. The carriers typically form a frame or plate, the frame or plate supporting the surface of the substrate along the periphery of the substrate, or in the case of a plate as well. In particular, the frame-shaped carrier can also be used to mask the glass substrate, and the aperture of the carrier surrounded by the frame is an aperture or aperture for coating the material to be deposited on the exposed substrate portion. It provides an aperture for other processing operations acting on the portion of the substrate exposed by it.

[0006] The tendency of the substrates to become larger and thinner can lead to bulging of the substrates, particularly due to the stress applied to the substrate during the deposition of the layers, which in turn can cause problems due to an increased likelihood of breakage. Moreover, bulging can reduce the quality, such as uniformity, of the deposited material layers. Accordingly, there is a need to reduce bulging, enable the carrier to transport larger and thinner substrates without breakage, and improve the quality of the coated material layers.

[0007] In view of the above, a carrier is advantageously provided which overcomes at least some of the problems in the art, in particular a carrier with at least two holders, and a holder for the carrier.

[0008] In view of the above, there is provided a holder according to claim 1, configured to be attached to a carrier body of a carrier for holding a substrate. According to another embodiment, a carrier according to claim 8 is provided. According to another embodiment, a method of processing a substrate held in a carrier according to claim 11 is provided. According to another embodiment, a method of unloading a substrate from a carrier according to claim 12 is provided. According to another embodiment, an apparatus for depositing a layer on a large area glass substrate according to claim 15 is provided. Additional aspects, advantages, and features are apparent from the dependent claims, the detailed description, and the accompanying drawings.

[0009] According to an aspect, a holder configured to be attached to a carrier body of a carrier for holding a substrate is provided. The holder includes a fixed portion configured to be attached to the carrier body, and a groove configured to be movable relative to the fixed portion, along one direction, and configured to receive at least a portion of the substrate. It includes a floating portion.

[0010] According to one aspect, a carrier is provided comprising at least two holders. Each of the at least two holders comprises a fixed portion configured to be attached to the carrier body and a groove configured to be movable relative to the fixed portion along one direction and configured to receive at least a portion of the substrate. Includes.

[0011] According to one aspect, a method of processing a substrate held in a carrier having a carrier body to which at least one holder is attached is provided. The method includes loading a substrate on a carrier, processing the substrate at an elevated temperature, and moving a floating portion of at least one holder by thermal expansion due to processing at the elevated temperature.

[0012] According to one aspect, a method of unloading a substrate from a carrier having a carrier body to which at least one holder is attached is provided. The method includes moving the carrier from a substantially vertical orientation to a substantially horizontal orientation, unloading the substrate from the carrier, and moving the floating portion of the at least one holder to a central position.

[0013] In accordance with one aspect, an apparatus for depositing a layer on a large area glass substrate is provided. The apparatus includes a vacuum chamber, wherein the vacuum chamber is configured for layer deposition in the vacuum chamber, and a transfer system configured for transport of carriers. The carrier includes at least two holders. Each of the at least two holders comprises a fixed portion configured to be attached to the carrier body and a groove configured to be movable relative to the fixed portion along one direction and configured to receive at least a portion of the substrate. Includes. The apparatus further includes a deposition source for depositing a material forming the layer.

[0014] In such a way that the above-listed features of the embodiments of the present disclosure can be understood in detail, the more detailed description briefly summarized above may be made with reference to the embodiments. The accompanying drawings relate to embodiments of the present disclosure and are described below:
1A, 1B, 1C, and 1D illustrate carriers according to embodiments described herein, each having holders and each having a substrate provided in the substrate area of the carrier;
2A-2E show an example of a holder attachable to a carrier and according to embodiments described herein;
3 shows a diagram of an apparatus for depositing a layer of material on a substrate utilizing a carrier according to embodiments described herein;
4 depicts a flow diagram of a method of processing a substrate held in a carrier according to embodiments described herein; And
5 shows a flow diagram of a method of unloading a substrate from a carrier according to embodiments described herein.

[0015] Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of the present disclosure, and one or more examples of various embodiments are illustrated in the drawings. Within the following description of the drawings, like reference numbers refer to like components. The differences for individual embodiments are described. Each example is provided as a description of the disclosure and is not intended as a limitation of the disclosure. In addition, features illustrated or described as part of an embodiment may be used with respect to or in conjunction with other embodiments, to yield another additional embodiment. It is intended that the description include such modifications and variations.

[0016] According to the embodiments described herein, a carrier comprising at least two holders may be provided. The at least two holders may comprise a stress, in particular a stress introduced by depositing layers on the substrate, or a stress introduced by thermal expansions of the substrate or carrier; Alternatively, it may be configured to reduce bending or bulging of the substrate due to stress introduced by the weight of the substrate. The holder can provide a two-part body having a fixed portion and a movable or floating portion.

[0017] In addition, in the following description, a carrier or a substrate carrier may be understood as a carrier capable of supporting a substrate. In particular, a carrier as referred to herein may be understood as a carrier having a frame shape or comprising a frame. In some examples, a carrier may also be referred to as a carrier frame. According to some examples, the substrate carrier may include fixation elements for holding the substrate. A fixing element as referred to herein may be understood as a fixing element for providing contact to a substrate. In particular, a fixing element as referred to herein may be understood as a fixing element for providing contact to more than one surface of a substrate. In some examples, the substrate carrier may include moving devices, such as guide rails, connecting devices for connecting the substrate carrier to a transfer system in the processing chamber, sliding surfaces, such as moving devices that allow the substrate carrier to be transferred through the processing chamber. , Rolls, and the like, and are configured to be moved through the processing chamber or processing apparatus.

[0018] According to the embodiments described herein, the carrier may comprise at least two holders. At least two holders can be dispensed around the perimeter of the substrate to effectively prevent or reduce bending or bulging of the substrate. Each holder comprises a fixed portion that can be configured to be attached to the carrier body, in particular having a fixed position relative to the carrier body, and a floating portion that can be movable relative to the fixed portion along at least one direction. can do. The floating portion may include a groove configured to receive at least a portion of the substrate. The relative movement of the floating portion relative to the fixed portion can provide one aspect that would be considered to reduce the bending of the substrate. Further, a force arrangement may be provided, such as at least one spring or at least one pneumatic cylinder, and the like, which force arrangement may be configured to pull or push the substrate in at least one direction in the carrier. The substrate can undergo thermal expansion during processing. The floating part can be moved by increasing the length caused by thermal expansion. Thus, the stress of the substrate can be reduced.

[0019] According to embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the substrate thickness may be 0.1 to 1.8 mm, and holders may be configured for such substrate thicknesses. In particular, it may be beneficial if the substrate thickness is about 0.9 mm or less, such as 0.7 mm, 0.5 mm, or 0.3 mm, and holders are configured for such substrate thicknesses.

[0020] According to some embodiments, the large area substrates may have a size of at least 0.174 m 2. Typically, the size can be from about 1.4 m 2 to about 8 m 2, more typically from about 2 m 2 to about 9 m 2, or even up to 12 m 2. Typically, rectangular substrates provided with mask structures, devices, and methods according to embodiments described herein are large area substrates, as described herein. For example, the large-area substrate is GEN 5 corresponding to a substrate of about 1.4 m2 (1.1 m × 1.3 m), GEN 7.5 corresponding to a substrate of about 4.39 m2 (1.95 m × 2.25 m), and a substrate of about 5.5 m2 (2.2 m x 2.5 m), or even a GEN 10 corresponding to a substrate of about 8.7 m 2 (2.85 m x 3.05 m). Even larger generations such as GEN 11 and GEN 12 and corresponding substrate areas can similarly be implemented. Embodiments of the present disclosure are particularly beneficial for a large area substrate GEN 8.5 and a substrate thickness of about 0.3 mm.

[0021] 1A shows a carrier 100. The carrier 100 may be configured to support a thin large area substrate 101. As shown in FIG. 1A, the substrate 101 may be provided in a position within the carrier 100, particularly when processed in a processing chamber. The carrier 100 may include a frame or carrier body 160 that defines a window or aperture. According to implementations, the frame can provide a substrate receiving surface. In particular, the substrate receiving surface may be configured to contact a peripheral portion of the substrate during operation, ie when the substrate is loaded.

[0022] The substrate 101 can be made of any material suitable for material deposition. For example, the substrate is a group consisting of glass (e.g., soda-lime glass, borosilicate glass, etc.), metal, polymer, ceramic, compound materials, or any other material or combination of materials that can be coated by a deposition process. It can be made of a material selected from. Bulging, which may also affect the processing of the substrate, may be reduced by carriers according to embodiments described herein. In particular, in the case of glass substrates or ceramic substrates where breakage is more of a concern, the carriers can also significantly reduce substrate breakage, which reduces the productivity of the production process due to increased loss.

[0023] According to some embodiments, the frame 160 may be made of aluminum, aluminum alloys, titanium, alloys thereof, stainless steel, or the like. For relatively small large area substrates (eg, GEN 5 or less), the frame 160 may be manufactured from a single piece, ie the frame may be formed integrally. Further, according to some embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, frame 160 includes two or more elements, such as a top bar, sidebars, and/ Alternatively, it may include a bottom bar. In particular, in the case of very large large area substrates, the carrier or carrier body can be manufactured with several parts. These portions of the carrier body can be assembled to provide a frame 160 for supporting the substrate 101. The frame 160 may in particular be configured to receive the substrate 101 in the substrate region.

[0024] The carrier 100 shown in FIG. 1A may further include holders. In the example shown in FIG. 1A, two holders 120 are provided on the lowermost side of the frame or carrier body 160. According to some embodiments, the floating portions of the two holders 120 on the lowermost side of the frame 160 may be movable for a fixed position in one direction, and the direction is as indicated by arrows. Likewise, it can be parallel to the edge of the substrate. According to some embodiments, two holders may also be provided in the middle of the left side and the right side of the carrier. According to some embodiments, the direction of movement of the floating portion 123 relative to the fixed portion 122 may alternatively or additionally, also be perpendicular to the edge of the substrate and/or relative to the substrate 101. It can be in essentially parallel planes.

[0025] For example, one holder 120 may be provided on the left side of the lowermost side, and one holder 120 may be provided on the right side of the lowermost side. In addition, although two holders 120 are shown on the lowermost side of the frame 160 in FIG. 1A, the present application is not limited thereto. More than two holders 120 may be provided on the lowermost side of the frame 160. In addition, more than one holder 120 may be provided on one or more sides of the substrate 101, as will be described in more detail with respect to FIG. 1B. Moreover, in addition to the at least two holders, additional holding arrangements may be provided, such as between the at least two holders 120.

[0026] The carrier 100 shown in FIG. 1A provides floating portions of two holders, which are movable along the first direction. Expansion or other movements of the substrate may be compensated for by one or more of the holders having a floating portion movable relative to the fixed portion, for example in a plane substantially parallel to the surface of the carrier body and/or the substrate. The position of the substrate 101 can be precisely adjusted and centered within the substrate area defined by the frame 160. In addition, the floating portion may follow the dimensional change due to the thermal expansion of the substrate. Thus, the stress of the substrate or movement of the substrate relative to the holder can be reduced. Holders according to the embodiments described herein allow for expansion of the substrate on the individual sides and/or to the bottom. According to some embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the carriers described herein, and devices for utilizing the carriers described herein, are for vertical substrate processing. According to embodiments that may be combined with the embodiments described herein, the holder 120 may be configured to be attached to the substrate in a substantially vertical orientation.

[0027] The terms “vertical direction” or “vertical orientation” may be understood to be used to distinguish between “horizontal direction” or “horizontal orientation”. That is, "vertical direction" or "vertical orientation" may, for example, relate to the substantially vertical orientation of the carrier and the substrate, and from the exact vertical direction or vertical orientation, for example with a maximum of +/- 10° or even a maximum of +/- 15°. A deviation of the same few degrees can still be considered a "substantially vertical orientation" or "substantially vertical orientation". The vertical direction can be substantially parallel to gravity.

[0028] According to the embodiments described herein, which can be combined with other embodiments described herein, substantially vertically, in particular, in the case of indicating the substrate orientation, no more than +/-20° from the vertical direction, such as + It can be understood to allow a deviation of less than /-10°. Such deviations can be provided, for example, because substrate supports with slight deviations from the vertical orientation can lead to more stable substrate positions. Further, the substrate orientation during deposition of a material, in particular a metal and/or oxide, can be considered to be substantially vertical, which can be considered to be different from the horizontal substrate orientation.

[0029] The term "substantially perpendicular" may, for example, relate to the axis of rotation and the substantially vertical orientation of the support surface or substrate surface, from a precise vertical orientation of several degrees, such as up to +/- 10° or even up to +/- 15°. The deviation can still be considered "substantially perpendicular".

[0030] According to the embodiments described herein, and as described in more detail in connection with FIGS. 2A-2C, the holder moves relative to at least one direction, to reduce bending of the substrate in the circumferential region of the substrate. Can be allowed. Additionally, the holder may provide holding or holding forces to stably support the substrate in the carrier. The relative movement of the holder can be provided by the relative movement of the floating part relative to the fixed part. When practicing embodiments, beneficial stress reduction may be provided in terms of bending or bulging of the substrate.

[0031] 1B shows another example of a carrier 100 according to some embodiments. The embodiment shown in Fig. 1B is similar to the embodiment shown in Fig. 1A. The carrier 100 of FIG. 1B may include two holders 120, and each holder may be positioned at a corner of the lowermost side of the carrier or carrier body. Alternatively, two holders or additional holders may also be provided in the middle of each side of the carrier or carrier body. Additionally or alternatively, the holders may be provided only on certain sides of the carrier or carrier body, such as the lowermost side and/or the left side.

[0032] 1B shows additional holding arrangements 140, 145, 170. The holding arrangements 140, 145, and 170 may be similar to the holder 120, but may not include the floating portion 123. For example, the holding arrangements 140 may be provided on the carrier or on the right side of the carrier body. The holding arrangements 140 may be movable in a direction perpendicular to the carrier or the right side of the carrier body. That is, the holding arrangements 140 may be movable away from the right side and/or to the right side of the carrier or carrier body. Additionally or alternatively, holding arrangements 145 may be provided on the carrier or on the left side of the carrier body. The holding arrangements 145 may be fixed relative to the carrier or the left side of the carrier body. Additionally or alternatively, the holding arrangements 170 may be provided on the top side or on the top side of the carrier or carrier body. The holding arrangements 170 may be movable in a direction perpendicular to the top side of the carrier or carrier body. That is, the holding arrangements 170 may be movable away from the top side and/or toward the top side of the carrier or carrier body.

[0033] According to embodiments that can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the at least one holder is provided on at least two sides of the frame 160, such as on the lowermost side and the left side, and optionally even the frame It is provided on each side of 160. In addition, the holding arrangements 140, 145, 170 may be on at least one side of the frame.

[0034] According to further embodiments, which may additionally or alternatively be implemented, the positions in which the holders can be fixed to the substrate are distributed around the circumference of the substrate, eg evenly distributed on one or more sides. For example, the holder may be provided every 200 mm to 1000 mm, such as every 300 to 800 mm around the edge of the substrate on one or more sides of the substrate. In addition, holders may also be provided in pairs of positions.

[0035] 1C shows another example of the carrier 100. According to embodiments that can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the carrier 100 includes first holding arrangements 151 and/or second holding arrangements for holding the substrate 101 in the substrate region. It may include holding arrangements 152. The first holding arrangements 151 may be fixedly attached to the frame 160. Alternatively, the first holding arrangements 151 may be movable. One or more first holding arrangements 151 may be provided. The second holding arrangements 152 may be movable. In particular, the first holding arrangements 151 and/or the second holding arrangements 152 may be movable at a right angle to each edge of the substrate 101 as indicated by arrows. According to embodiments that can be combined with the embodiments described herein, at least one holding arrangement, such as the first holding arrangement 151 and/or the second holding arrangement 152, is the carrier body 160 Can be connected to the side. The at least one holding arrangement may be movable in a direction substantially perpendicular to the longitudinal extension of the side portion of the carrier body to which the holding arrangement is connected.

[0036] For example, the first and second holding arrangements 151 and 152 may include clamps or guide elements. According to some embodiments, the holding arrangements 151, 152 as exemplarily shown on FIG. 1C, for example on the side or on the top, the positioning elements may contribute to the compensation of forces resulting from bending or bulging of the substrate. So that it can be designed. Further, the positioning elements may be configured to prevent free movement of the substrate 101, and/or to hold more than 50% of the weight of the substrate at the substrate receiving surface of the frame 160 and/or compensate for thermal expansion. Is provided for. For example, the first and second holding arrangements 151, 152 may be movable relative to the carrier or carrier body, for example along at least one, in particular two directions. In the context of the present application, being movable along at least one direction, such as a floating part of the positioning elements and/or holder, can be understood as a bidirectional movement along the direction, for example from left to right and from right to left. have.

[0037] The carrier 100 further includes at least two holders 120 on the lowermost side of the frame 160, for example. Two holders 120 for reducing the bending of the substrate are illustrated in FIG. 1C. The number of holders and the corresponding fixed positions can be adapted according to the embodiments described herein. According to embodiments, two or more holders 120 may be provided.

[0038] 1D shows an additional carrier 100. The carrier 100 may be configured to support a large area substrate. The carrier of FIG. 1D may include first holding arrangements 151 for holding the substrate 101 in the substrate region, and/or may be configured to provide a predetermined substrate position. The first holding arrangements 151 may be movably attached to the frame 160. According to some embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, one or more first holding arrangements 151 are provided. According to some embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, three first holding arrangements 151 may be provided. For example, two first holding arrangements may be provided in an uppermost portion of the frame, and/or one first holding arrangements 151 may be provided in one side portion of the frame. The first holding arrangements may have a gap for inserting the substrate or other elements for arranging the substrate on the first holding arrangements. The contact position can define a predetermined substrate position of the carrier. The first holding arrangements 151 may be movable. In particular, the first holding arrangements 151 may be movable at a right angle to each edge of the substrate 101 as indicated by arrows. Additionally or alternatively, second holding arrangements 145 may be provided on the left side of the carrier or carrier body. The holding arrangements 145 may be fixed relative to the carrier or the left side of the carrier body.

[0039] According to the embodiments described herein, the holding arrangements 140, 145, 151, 152, 170 can prevent the substrate 101 from falling off the frame 160 and/or of the substrate and/or carrier. It can follow the edge of the substrate during thermal expansion.

[0040] The carrier 100 shown in FIG. 1D may further include holders 120, and portions of the holders 120 are on the circumference of the carrier frame or carrier body, that is, on the surface of the substrate accommodated in the carrier. It can be moved parallel to. These holders are described in more detail in connection with FIGS. 2A-2C. According to embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, holders may be provided and/or dispensed along the sides of frame 160, in particular on the lowermost side of frame 160.

[0041] As shown in FIGS. 2A, 2B and 2C, according to embodiments described herein, the holder 120 may include a fixed portion 122 and/or a floating portion 123. The fixed portion may have a fixed position with respect to the carrier body 160. The floating portion 123 may be movable with respect to the fixed portion 122 along one direction. The floating portion 123 may have a first substantially planar or planar surface for contacting the first surface 102 of the substrate 101.

[0042] According to embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the floating portion 123 is a tilting member 127 configured to tilt the substrate 101, in particular the edge 104 of the substrate. It may include. In particular, the tilting member 127 may be configured to tilt relative to a fixed portion and/or may be configured to support a main surface of the substrate 101, such as the first surface 102. For example, the tilting member 127 may be arranged on the first surface of the floating portion 123 to contact the substrate 101, in particular the first surface 102 of the substrate 101. For example, the tilting member 127 may be a ball bearing or any other type of suitable bearing. When practicing embodiments, tilts of the substrate and/or geometric tolerances of the substrate and/or carrier may be compensated.

[0043] According to embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the floating portion 123 may be movable along a direction from a first end position to a second end position. Additionally or alternatively, the floating portion 123 may further include a force arrangement 130. The force arrangement 130 may be configured to center the floating portion 123 with respect to the fixed portion 122 in at least one direction.

[0044] The force arrangement 130 includes the type of substrate (material, thickness, area size, etc.), the number of layers to be deposited on the substrate 101, the type of material(s) to be deposited, the thickness of the layer(s) to be deposited, It may be selected differently according to at least one of the type of the process chamber and the process time. According to the embodiments described herein, the force arrangement 130 may be selected from the group consisting of at least one spring or at least one pneumatic cylinder.

[0045] In addition, the floating portion 123 may include a groove 126. The groove 126 may be configured to receive at least a portion of the substrate 101. In particular, the groove 126 is from the first surface 102 of the substrate 101, opposite the first surface 102, from the second surface 103 and/or the first surface 102 of the substrate 101. It may be configured to contact the edge 104 of the substrate 101, spanning up to the second surface 103.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 2D, the groove 126 can include a first surface 126a and/or a second surface 126b. When the substrate 101 is loaded into the groove 126, the first surface 126a of the groove 126 can face the first surface 102 of the substrate 101 and/or the first surface of the groove 126 The second surface 126b may face the second surface 103 of the substrate 101. That is, the first surface 126a of the groove 126 may be configured to face the first surface 102 of the substrate 101 and/or the second surface 126b of the groove 126 is the substrate 101 ) May be configured to face the second surface 103. Further, the groove 126 may have a third surface 126c extending from the first surface 126a of the groove 126 to the second surface 126b of the groove 126. When the substrate 101 is loaded into the groove 126, the third surface 126c of the groove 126 can face the edge 104 of the substrate 101. That is, the third surface 126c of the groove 126 may be configured to face the edge 104 of the substrate 101. According to some embodiments, the first surface and the second surface of the groove 126 may be essentially parallel to each other.

[0047] During operation, ie when the substrate is carried by the carrier, the substrate 101 can be arranged between the first surface 126a and the second surface 126b of the groove 126. During operation, the substrate 101 may not be in contact with the first surface 126a and/or the second surface 126b of the groove 126. The edge 104 of the substrate 101, such as the lateral side of the substrate 101, may contact the groove 126, in particular the third surface 126c of the groove 126.

[0048] In particular, during the vertical transfer of the substrate 101, the substrate 101 will stand on the holder 120, in particular in the groove 126, more particularly on the third surface 126c of the groove 126. I can. During the process, the substrate 101 may be heated and lead to thermal expansion. Depending on the friction between the substrate 101 and the holder 120, the substrate 101 may slide over the holder 120, or the floating portion 123 of the holder 120 may slide together with the substrate 101. I can. When the substrate 101 is unloaded, the force arrangement 130 may return the floating portion 123 to the initial position of the floating portion 123. When implementing the embodiments, damage or deterioration of the substrate may be prevented.

[0049] According to embodiments that can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the moving direction of the floating portion 123 may be parallel to the first direction. According to embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the direction of movement of the floating portion 123 is substantially parallel to the substrate, in particular the first surface 102 of the substrate 101 and /Or may be in a plane substantially parallel to the second surface 103.

[0050] For example, as shown in FIGS. 2A to 2C, the holder 120 includes a floating portion movable with respect to a fixed portion along one direction, but the present application is not limited thereto. The holder 120 may also include a floating portion that is movable relative to the fixed portion, along at least two directions.

[0051] 2E shows a frame 160 in which two holders 120 are mounted on the lowermost side. The carrier shown in FIG. 2E further includes holding arrangements 140 on the right side, holding arrangements 145 on the left side, and/or holding arrangements 170 on the upper side. 2E further shows the upper guide element 162 and/or the lower guide element 164. The upper guide element 162 and/or the lower guide element 164 may be configured to guide the frame 160. For example, the upper guiding element 162 may be a magnetic guiding element and/or the lower guiding element 164 may be a mechanical guiding element, such as a rod.

[0052] The holding arrangements 140 may be configured to open the loading aperture. That is, the holding arrangements 140 may be movable with respect to the right side of the frame 160. In addition, the holding arrangements 140 may be configured to compensate for thermal expansion of the substrate 101 and/or the carrier. Further, the holding arrangements 140, 145, and 170 may be the same as or similar to the individual holding arrangements 140, 145, and 170 described herein.

[0053] 3 shows a schematic diagram of a deposition chamber 600 according to embodiments. The deposition chamber 600 is configured for a deposition process, such as a PVD or CVD process. The substrate 101 is shown as located in or to a carrier on the substrate transfer device 620. A deposition material source 630 may be provided in the chamber 612 facing the side of the substrate to be coated. The deposition material source 630 can provide a deposition material 635 to be deposited on a substrate.

[0054] In FIG. 3, the material source 630 may be a target having a deposition material thereon, or may be any other arrangement that allows the material to be released for deposition on the substrate 101. Typically, the material source 630 may be a rotatable target. According to some embodiments, the material source 630 may be movable to position and/or replace the source. According to other embodiments, the material source may be a planar target.

[0055] According to embodiments, the deposition material 635 may be selected depending on the deposition process and the future application of the coated substrate. For example, the deposition material of the source may be a metal, such as a material selected from the group consisting of aluminum, molybdenum, titanium, copper, etc., silicon, indium tin oxide, and other transparent conductive oxides. Typically, oxide-, nitride-, or carbide-layers, which may include such materials, are reactive vapor deposition, i.e., the material from the source reacts with elements such as oxygen, nitride, or carbon from the processing gas. By, or by providing material from a source.

[0056] Typically, a substrate 101 may be provided in or on the carrier 100, which may also serve as an edge exclusion mask, particularly for non-stationary deposition processes. Dashed lines 665 exemplarily show the path of the deposition material 635 during operation of the chamber 600. According to other embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, masking may be provided by a separate edge exclusion mask provided in chamber 612. A carrier according to embodiments described herein may be beneficial for stationary processes, and also for non-stop processes.

[0057] According to embodiments that can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the fixing assembly can rigidly hold the edges of the substrate, particularly during the deposition process. Embodiments may provide a reduction in substrate breakage, particularly taking into account the fact that the substrates become increasingly larger in length and height but the thicknesses of the substrates may be reduced. Bulging, which may also affect the processing of the substrate, may be reduced by carriers according to embodiments described herein.

[0058] 4 shows a flow diagram of a method of processing a substrate held in a carrier according to embodiments described herein.

[0059] The method 200 of processing the substrate 101 held in the carrier may be performed using the holders 120 described herein. At block 210, the substrate 101 may be loaded onto or onto a carrier. The substrate 101 may be in a horizontal direction during loading. The substrate 101 can then be rotated in a vertical or substantially vertical orientation for transport and/or processing. In block 220, the substrate 101 may be processed at an elevated temperature. The temperature can be raised for several reasons, such as due to the heating process before processing and/or the process energy during the process, such as during sputtering. The elevated temperature can be understood as the temperature above the ambient temperature. The increase in temperature may cause the elongation of the substrate due to thermal expansion. In block 230, the floating portion 123 of the at least one holder 120 may be moved by thermal expansion due to processing at an elevated temperature.

[0060] 5 shows a flow diagram of a method of unloading a substrate from a carrier according to embodiments described herein.

[0061] The method 300 of unloading the substrate 101 from the carrier may be performed using the holders 120 described herein. Also, method 300 may be performed after method 200. At block 310, the carrier may be moved from a substantially vertical orientation to a substantially horizontal orientation. At block 320, the substrate 101 may be unloaded from the carrier. In block 330, the floating portion 123 of the at least one holder 120 may be moved to a central position. For example, the floating portion 123 may be moved out of the center position during processing at an elevated temperature and may not have returned to the center position yet. Thus, after unloading the substrate 101 from the holders 120, the floating portion 123 can be returned to the central position. According to embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the force arrangement 130 may pull or push at least one holder to a central position.

[0062] Optionally, unloading the substrate 101 may include moving the at least one holding arrangement away from the substrate 101 while the substrate 101 is loaded and maintained on at least the holder 120. . For example, the holder 120 may be arranged on the lowermost side of the carrier. The holding arrangements, such as the first holding arrangements 151 and the second holding arrangements 152, may be arranged on the top side and the other lateral side of the carrier, such as on the right side. To unload the substrate 101, the holding arrangements can first be moved away from the substrate 101 and then the substrate 101 can be removed from the holders 120. In order to load the substrate 101 onto the carrier, this operation can be reversed.

[0063] While the foregoing relates to embodiments of the present disclosure, other and additional embodiments of the present disclosure may be envisioned without departing from the basic scope of the present disclosure, and the scope of the present disclosure is governed by the following claims. Is determined by

Claims (15)

As a holder 120 configured to be attached to the carrier body 160 of the carrier to hold the substrate 101,
A fixed portion 122 configured to be attached to the carrier body 160; And
A floating portion comprising a groove 126 configured to be movable relative to the fixed portion 122 along one direction and configured to receive at least a portion of the substrate 101 ( 123) containing,
A holder 120 configured to be attached to the carrier body 160 of the carrier to hold the substrate 101. The method of claim 1,
The holder 120 is configured to be attached to the substrate 101 in a substantially vertical orientation,
A holder 120 configured to be attached to the carrier body 160 of the carrier to hold the substrate 101. The method according to claim 1 or 2,
The floating portion 123 includes a tilting member 127 configured to contact the first surface of the substrate 101, and in particular, the tilting member 127 is configured to be tilted with respect to the fixed portion. And/or configured to support the main surface of the substrate,
A holder 120 configured to be attached to the carrier body 160 of the carrier to hold the substrate 101. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The groove 126 is a first surface 102 of the substrate 101, opposite the first surface 102, a second surface 103 of the substrate 101 and/or the first surface ( Configured to contact the edge 104 of the substrate 101, spanning from 102 to the second surface 103,
A holder 120 configured to be attached to the carrier body 160 of the carrier to hold the substrate 101. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The floating portion 123 is movable along a direction from a first end position to a second end position, and the floating portion is the floating portion 123 with respect to the fixed portion 122 in at least one direction. Further comprising a force arrangement 130 configured to center the,
A holder 120 configured to be attached to the carrier body 160 of the carrier to hold the substrate 101. The method of claim 5,
The force arrangement 130 is selected from the group consisting of at least one spring or at least one pneumatic cylinder,
A holder 120 configured to be attached to the carrier body 160 of the carrier to hold the substrate 101. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The direction is in a plane substantially parallel to the substrate 101, in particular substantially parallel to the first surface 102 and/or the second surface 103 of the substrate 101,
A holder 120 configured to be attached to the carrier body 160 of the carrier to hold the substrate 101. A carrier comprising at least two holders (120) according to any one of the preceding claims. The method of claim 8,
The carrier is configured to carry the substrate 101 in a substantially vertical orientation, and the at least two holders 120 are positioned on a lowermost side and/or a first lateral side of the carrier.
carrier. The method of claim 8 or 9,
At least one holding arrangement connected to a side of the carrier body, wherein the at least one holding arrangement is movable in a direction substantially perpendicular to a longitudinal extension of the side of the carrier body to which the holding arrangement is connected,
carrier. A method of processing a substrate held in a carrier having a carrier body to which at least one holder is attached,
Loading a substrate onto the carrier;
Processing the substrate at an elevated temperature; And
Moving the floating portion of the at least one holder by thermal expansion due to processing at the elevated temperature,
A method of processing a substrate held in a carrier having a carrier body to which at least one holder is attached. A method of unloading a substrate from a carrier having a carrier body to which at least one holder is attached,
Moving the carrier from a substantially vertical orientation to a substantially horizontal orientation;
Unloading the substrate from the carrier; And
Moving the floating portion of the at least one holder to a central position,
A method of unloading a substrate from a carrier having a carrier body to which at least one holder is attached. The method of claim 12,
Force arrangement pulls or pushes the at least one holder to the central position,
A method of unloading a substrate from a carrier having a carrier body to which at least one holder is attached. The method of claim 12 or 13,
The step of unloading the substrate includes moving at least one holding arrangement away from the substrate while the substrate is loaded and maintained in the at least one holder,
A method of unloading a substrate from a carrier having a carrier body to which at least one holder is attached. An apparatus for depositing a layer on a large area glass substrate, comprising:
A vacuum chamber, the vacuum chamber configured for layer deposition within the vacuum chamber;
A conveying system configured for conveying a carrier according to claim 8; And
Comprising a deposition source for depositing a material forming the layer,
An apparatus for depositing a layer on a large area glass substrate.

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