KR20230056401A - Dry Cleaning Module in In-Line Deposition System - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a dry cleaning module of an in-line deposition system that can automate mask cleaning more safely and effectively in the in-line deposition system. One embodiment of the present invention provides a dry cleaning module of an in-line deposition system, comprising: a shuttle moving on a closed loop path where a mask used in an in-line deposition process is transferred and provided so that the mask is movable in a seated state; a transfer unit transferring the shuttle on the closed loop path; and a cleaning unit located on the closed loop path where the mask is transferred, receiving the shuttle on which the mask used in the deposition process is seated together with the mask by the transfer unit, and performing dry cleaning using plasma.

Description

Dry Cleaning Module in In-Line Deposition System}

The present invention relates to a dry cleaning module of an inline deposition system, and more particularly, to a dry cleaning module of an inline deposition system capable of more safely and effectively automating mask cleaning in an inline deposition system.

In general, an OLED device is sequentially composed of a transparent electrode (Anode, ITO (Indium Tin Oxide)), multilayer organic thin films, and a metal electrode (Cathode, Metal) on a glass substrate, and the transparent electrode and the metal electrode It emits light when power is applied between them.

The multilayer organic thin film is composed of an insulating layer, a fluorescent layer, and an insulating layer in order, and includes, for example, an electron transport layer (ETL), a hole transport layer (HTL), and an organic light emitting layer (EML). do. In addition, a separate electron injection layer (EIL) and a hole injection layer (HIL) are inserted, and a hole blocking layer (HBL) is additionally inserted to improve device characteristics.

Such an organic thin film is generally deposited by evaporation in a vacuum atmosphere, and a reduction in process time is required to prevent contamination by impurities and to increase the production speed of organic EL devices. Manufacturing method is applied.

As shown in FIG. 1 , the inline deposition system 20 may sequentially deposit light emitting layers of three primary colors such as red, green, and blue. To this end, the substrate sequentially passes through each of the three primary color deposition chambers 22, 24, and 26.

Meanwhile, a mask is used to form a pattern on a substrate during deposition. Before the substrate enters the deposition chambers 22, 24, and 26, the alignment chambers 21, 23, and 25 align the mask and the substrate in a bonded state, and after aligning, the deposition chambers 22, 24 , 26), deposition takes place.

Meanwhile, such a mask needs to be cleaned for reuse after deposition. As shown in FIG. 2, in this cleaning process, the mask 1 is sequentially immersed in the water tank 10 containing the treatment liquid 5 to remove the foreign matter 2 on the surface of the mask, and then the subsequent process is performed.

On the other hand, in the case of a micro OLED display that implements high resolution by configuring TFTs on a silicon wafer, it is necessary to reduce the deposition shadow to achieve high resolution, and to do so, it is necessary to reduce the thickness of the mask, so a mask made of silicon material is used instead of metal material. In addition, there is a need to reduce the thickness of organic matter accumulated on the mask.

However, in the case of a mask made of a thin silicon wafer material, it is manufactured with a thin thickness, and in the case of wet cleaning using a cleaning solution, there is a problem that damage may occur due to flow rate, hydraulic pressure, etc.

In addition, in order to lower the deposition shadow for high-resolution implementation, frequent cleaning is required. Frequent wet cleaning increases the risk of damage, and frequent wet cleaning also causes a problem in productivity.

An object of the present invention is to provide a dry cleaning module of an inline deposition system capable of reducing the risk of mask breakage and increasing productivity in an inline deposition system.

The tasks of the present invention are not limited to the tasks mentioned above, and other tasks not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.

In order to solve the above problems, according to one aspect of the present invention, a shuttle that moves on a closed loop path on which a mask used in an inline deposition process is transported and is movably provided in a state in which the mask is seated; a conveying unit for conveying the shuttle on the closed loop path; and a cleaning unit positioned on a closed loop path through which the mask is transported, carrying in the shuttle on which the mask used in the deposition process is seated along with the mask by the transfer unit, and dry-cleaning the shuttle using plasma. A dry cleaning module of is disclosed.

The cleaning unit may include a cleaning chamber installed on a closed loop path through which the mask is transported, accommodating the mask and the shuttle and forming a vacuum; electrodes formed to face each other at upper and lower sides in the cleaning chamber and to which power for forming plasma is applied; It may include; a gas flow unit for introducing gas for plasma formation into the cleaning chamber or discharging gas from the chamber.

The transfer unit may include a plurality of rollers disposed in the cleaning chamber, formed of a non-conductive material, and movably supporting a lower surface of the shuttle.

The cleaning unit may further include an elevation unit for elevating the shuttle brought into the cleaning unit.

The elevating unit may raise the shuttle loaded with the mask to a position where plasma is formed in the cleaning unit, and may lower it to the transfer unit after the plasma cleaning is completed.

The lifting unit may include a fork unit supporting a lower side of the shuttle; It may include; a piston unit for elevating the fork unit.

The shuttle can be transported while being placed on the upper side of the transfer unit, and a portion corresponding to the lower side of the mask can be opened to support the edge of the mask and open both the upper and lower sides of the mask. .

A pressure increasing unit for converting a high vacuum state into a low vacuum state similar to the environment in the cleaning chamber is provided on the side of the cleaning chamber where the mask to be cleaned is carried in, and a low vacuum state on the side where the cleaned mask is taken out of the cleaning chamber. It may be provided with a pressure drop for converting to a high vacuum state.

A storage unit for storing the mask cleaned in the cleaning unit may be further provided.

According to the dry cleaning module of the inline deposition system of the present invention, it is possible to further improve productivity by providing a cleaning module in the substrate production line without damaging the silicon mask by cleaning in a dry cleaning method rather than a wet cleaning method. By cleaning, the risk of breakage can be reduced even if the silicon mask having a thin thickness is repeatedly cleaned.

The effects of the present invention are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description of the claims.

The above summary, as well as the detailed description of the preferred embodiments of the present application set forth below, will be better understood when read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Preferred embodiments are shown in the drawings for the purpose of illustrating the present invention. However, it should be understood that this application is not limited to the precise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.
1 shows an overview of a conventional in-line deposition system;
2 is a view showing a mask cleaned by a conventional wet cleaning method;
3 is a view showing a state in which a dry cleaning module of an inline deposition system according to an embodiment of the present invention is disposed;
4 is a view showing a cleaning unit of a dry cleaning module of an inline deposition system according to an embodiment of the present invention;
5 and 6 are views showing how a mask is cleaned in a dry cleaning module of an inline deposition system according to an embodiment of the present invention;
7 is a view showing a state in which a pressure increasing unit and a pressure reducing unit are provided before and after the dry cleaning module of the inline deposition system according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention in which the object of the present invention can be realized in detail will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In describing the present embodiment, the same name and the same reference numeral are used for the same configuration, and additional description thereof will be omitted.

Hereinafter, a dry cleaning module of an inline deposition system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

The dry cleaning module 100 of the inline deposition system according to the present embodiment may include a shuttle 110 , a transfer unit 120 , and a cleaning unit 130 .

As shown in FIG. 3, in the inline deposition process, deposition chambers 222, 224, and 226 are provided for each deposition material, and align chambers 221, 223, and 225 are provided in front of the deposition chambers 222, 224, and 226. do.

In this embodiment, it is exemplified that deposition materials forming each of the three primary colors of red, green and blue light emitting layers are sequentially deposited.

The substrate on which the deposition material is deposited moves on the open loop path 230, and after passing through the alignment chambers 221, 223, and 225 and the deposition chambers 222, 224, and 226, it is transferred to a subsequent process.

Also, when the substrate is deposited in the deposition chambers 222, 224, and 226, it is bonded to a mask for forming a deposition pattern. can

In addition, the cleaning unit 130 is a component that cleans the mask 1 after deposition is performed in the deposition chambers 222 , 224 , and 226 .

The substrates deposited in the deposition chambers 222, 224, and 226 are transferred to the next deposition chambers 222, 224, and 226, but the mask 1 deposited in the deposition chambers 222, 224, and 226 is transferred to the next deposition chambers 222, 224. , 226), but may be transferred to the cleaning unit 130.

After being cleaned in the cleaning unit 130, the mask 1 transferred to the cleaning unit 130 is returned to the alignment chambers 221, 223, and 225 installed in front of the deposition chambers 222, 224, and 226. It can be transferred and bonded with the loaded substrate.

That is, the substrate moves on the open loop path 230, and the cleaning module moves on the closed loop path 240.

As shown in FIG. 5, the shuttle 110 is provided to be movable with the mask 1 seated on the closed loop path 240 along which the mask 1 used in the inline deposition process is moved. .

And, a transfer unit 120 for transferring the shuttle 110 on the closed loop path 240 is provided.

In addition, the cleaning unit 130 is located on the closed loop path 240 on which the mask 1 is transported, and the shuttle 110 on which the mask 1 used in the deposition process is seated is moved by the transport unit. It is carried in with the mask 1 and provided for dry cleaning using plasma.

The shuttle 110 , transfer unit 120 , and cleaning unit 130 may be installed in each deposition chamber 222 , 224 , and 226 . That is, the closed loop path 240 through which the mask 1 is transported is formed for each deposition chamber 222 , 224 , and 226 .

As shown in FIG. 4 , the cleaning unit 130 applies a dry cleaning method of a Capacitively Coupled Plasma (CCP) method using plasma P as an example.

In the dry cleaning method of the CC \ CP method, RF is applied to both flat electrodes 133 facing in parallel like capacitors on the upper and lower sides inside the cleaning chamber 131 forming a cleaning space, and plasma (P ), and placing the mask 1 in the formed plasma P to clean the surface of the mask 1.

At this time, a gas inlet 137 through which gas for forming plasma P is introduced and a gas outlet 139 through which gas is discharged may be formed inside the cleaning chamber 131 .

Meanwhile, the plasma P is formed at the center of the inside of the cleaning chamber 131, and the surface of the mask 1 can be cleaned by placing the mask 1 in the plasma P formation area.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 , the cleaning unit 130 may include a cleaning chamber 131 , an electrode 133 , and gas flow units 137 and 139 .

The cleaning chamber 131 accommodates the shuttle 110 on which the mask 1 is mounted and transported by the transfer unit 120, and transfers the mask 1 seated on the shuttle 110 to plasma P. It is a component that forms a space for dry cleaning.

Also, the lifting unit 140 is a component that lifts the shuttle 110 carried into the cleaning unit 130 to a position where the plasma P of the cleaning unit 130 is formed.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 , the cleaning unit 130 is a cleaning chamber 131 forming a space in which the mask 1 and the shuttle 110 are accommodated and vacuum and plasma P are formed. ), the upper and lower sides of the cleaning chamber 131 are formed to face each other, and the electrode 133 to which the power for forming the plasma P is applied and the plasma P forming into the cleaning chamber 131 It may include gas flow units 137 and 139 for introducing gas for or discharging gas from the cleaning chamber 131 . The gas flow units 137 and 139 include a gas inlet 137 through which gas flows and a gas outlet 139 through which gas flows out.

At this time, the transfer unit 120 may be located on the lower side of the cleaning chamber 131 . Of course, the transfer unit 120 may be continuously disposed from the outside of the cleaning chamber 131 to the inside of the cleaning chamber 131 .

In addition, the transfer unit 120 is disposed within the cleaning chamber 131 and may include a plurality of rollers 122 movably supporting the lower surface of the shuttle 110 . Since the transfer unit 120 is located within the cleaning chamber 131, it may be formed of a non-conductive material so as not to affect the formation of plasma P in the cleaning chamber 131.

In addition, the shuttle 110 is formed with a stage 112 corresponding to the shape of the roller on both sides so that it is transported on the upper side of the transfer unit 120, supports the rim of the mask 1, and the mask A portion corresponding to the lower surface of the mask 1 may be formed to be an opening 114 so that both the upper and lower surfaces of (1) are open. Since the shuttle 110 is also located in the cleaning chamber 131, it may be formed of a non-conductive material so as not to affect the formation of plasma P in the cleaning chamber 131.

As shown in FIG. 6, the lifting unit 140 raises the shuttle 110 loaded with the mask 1 to a position where plasma P is formed in the cleaning chamber 131, After the plasma (P) cleaning is completed, it may be provided to descend to the transfer part 120 .

The elevating unit 140 may include a fork unit 142 supporting the lower side of the shuttle 110 and a piston unit 144 elevating the fork unit 142 .

Since the elevation part 140 is also located within the cleaning chamber 131, it may be formed of a non-conductive material so as not to affect the formation of plasma P in the cleaning chamber 131.

Meanwhile, the cleaning chamber 131 may be formed such that a side into which the mask 1 to be cleaned is carried in and a side into which the cleaned mask 1 is taken out face each other.

Of course, the present invention is not limited thereto, and various modifications may be possible, such as that the side to which the mask 1 is carried in and the side to be taken out may be formed in directions that do not face each other.

That is, the mist placed on the shuttle 110 can reach the cleaning unit 130 by the transfer unit 120 . At this time, the transfer unit 120 may be arranged to transfer the shuttle 110 on the closed loop path.

Meanwhile, in the case of an inline deposition system, all processes including deposition and transfer of the mask are performed in a high vacuum environment, but the cleaning process of the dry cleaning module 100 may be performed in a relatively low vacuum environment. In order to offset this pressure difference, a pressure increasing unit 250 converting a high vacuum state into a low vacuum state similar to the environment in the cleaning chamber 131 is provided at the front side of the cleaning unit 130 of the dry cleaning module 100. A pressure dropper 260 for converting a low vacuum state into a high vacuum state may be provided on a side of the cleaning chamber 131 on which the cleaned mask 1 is taken out.

Of course, gates (not shown) for airtightness are formed on the mask carrying-in side and the carrying-out side of the cleaning part 130 or on the mask carrying-in side and carrying-out side of the pressure rising part 210 and the pressure dropping part 220, respectively. It could be.

In addition, a storage unit 150 for storing the mask 1 cleaned in the cleaning unit 130 may be provided.

The storage unit 150 is installed at the rear of the cleaning unit 130 to store and receive the mask 1 cleaned in the cleaning unit 130, and when the cleaned mask 1 is needed, one of the stored masks Alternatively, a plurality of pieces may be taken out and supplied to the align chambers 221 , 223 , and 225 installed in front of the deposition chambers 222 , 224 , and 226 through the closed loop path 240 .

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 3, the mask 1 is transferred to the deposition chambers 222, 224, and 226 after bonding with the substrate in the align chambers 221, 223, and 225, and after deposition The substrate is moved to the subsequent process chamber along the open loop path 230, and the mask 1 is transferred to the cleaning unit 130 along the closed loop path 240 after being separated from the substrate to be cleaned. Afterwards, the align chamber 221 is transported to the storage unit 150 and loaded or taken out of the storage unit 150 and installed at the front end of the deposition chambers 222, 224, and 226 along a closed loop path 240. , 223, 225).

Of course, the storage unit 150 may be added or deleted as needed.

As described above, the preferred embodiments according to the present invention have been reviewed, and the fact that the present invention can be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention in addition to the above-described embodiments is known to those skilled in the art. It is self-evident to them. Therefore, the embodiments described above are to be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive, and thus the present invention is not limited to the above description, but may vary within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

To be cleaned: 1 Plasma: P
Dry cleaning module: 100 Shuttle: 110
Empty Shuttle: 111 Tier: 112
Aperture: 114 Transport: 120
Roller: 122 Cleaner: 130
Cleaning chamber: 131 Electrode: 133
Gas inlet: 137 Gas outlet: 139
Elevating part: 140 Fork part: 142
Piston unit: 144 In-line deposition system: 200
Deposition chamber: 222, 224, 226
Align chamber: 221, 223, 225
Open loop path: 230 Closed loop path: 240
Pressure rise: 250 Pressure drop: 260

Claims (9)

a shuttle that moves on a closed loop path along which a mask used in an inline deposition process is transported and is movably provided with the mask seated thereon;
a conveying unit for conveying the shuttle on the closed loop path;
a cleaning unit positioned on a closed loop path through which the mask is transported, carrying in the shuttle on which the mask used in the deposition process is seated together with the mask by the transfer unit, and performing dry cleaning using plasma;
Dry cleaning module of the in-line deposition system comprising a. According to claim 1,
The cleaning unit,
a cleaning chamber installed on a closed loop path through which the mask is transported, accommodating the mask and the shuttle and forming a vacuum;
electrodes formed to face each other at upper and lower sides in the cleaning chamber and to which power for forming plasma is applied;
a gas flow unit for introducing gas for plasma formation into the cleaning chamber or discharging gas from the cleaning chamber;
Including, dry cleaning module of the in-line deposition system. According to claim 2,
The transfer unit is disposed in the cleaning chamber, is formed of a non-conductive material, and includes a plurality of rollers movably supporting the lower surface of the shuttle, the dry cleaning module of the inline deposition system. According to claim 1,
an elevating unit for elevating the shuttle brought into the cleaning unit;
Further comprising, dry cleaning module of the in-line deposition system. According to claim 4,
The lift part,
The dry cleaning module of the inline deposition system, wherein the shuttle loaded with the mask is raised to a position where plasma is formed in the cleaning unit and lowered to the transfer unit after the plasma cleaning is completed. According to claim 5,
The lift part,
a fork unit supporting a lower side of the shuttle;
a piston unit for elevating the fork unit;
Including, the dry cleaning module of the in-line deposition system According to claim 1,
The shuttle can be transported by being placed on the upper side of the transfer unit, supporting the rim of the mask, and opening a portion corresponding to the lower side of the mask so that both the upper and lower sides of the mask are open. Inline deposition Dry cleaning module of the system. According to claim 2,
A pressure increasing unit for converting a high vacuum state into a low vacuum state similar to the environment in the cleaning chamber is provided on the side of the cleaning chamber into which the mask to be cleaned is carried,
The dry cleaning module of the inline deposition system, wherein a pressure drop unit for converting a low vacuum state into a high vacuum state is provided on a side of the cleaning chamber where the cleaned mask is taken out. According to claim 1,
The dry cleaning module of the inline deposition system further comprising a storage unit for storing the mask cleaned in the cleaning unit.

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