TW202236555A - Uv curing device, substrate processing equipment and substrate processing method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a UV curing device, substrate processing equipment, and a substrate processing method. The substrate processing method includes: preparing a substrate coated with a photocurable material; seating the substrate on a substrate support; forming a processing space for the substrate with a partial area of the substrate above the substrate; forming an inert gas atmosphere in the processing space; and irradiating UV light in the processing space in which the inert gas atmosphere is formed. As the processing space for the substrate is locally formed above the substrate, a substrate processing efficiency may be improved.

Description

UV curing element, substrate treating apparatus, and substrate treating method

The present disclosure relates to an ultraviolet curing element, a substrate processing device, and a substrate processing method, and more particularly, to an ultraviolet curing element, a substrate processing apparatus, and a substrate processing space capable of locally forming a substrate processing space above a substrate to improve substrate processing efficiency. Substrate treatment method.

In general, coating represents a feature of forming a film on the surface of an object for the purpose of preventing damage and foreign substances on the surface of the object from sticking and adjusting reflectivity. Although there are various coating methods, UV curing coating has been widely used recently.

UV curing coating is a method for forming a film such that a UV coating solution as a photocurable material is applied on the surface of an object, and the UV coating solution is irradiated with UV light to make the UV coating solution solidified. Films formed as described above have properties such as high gloss, high hardness, and chemical resistance. In addition, since the curing speed of the UV coating solution is faster than that of the thermal curing method, productivity can be improved, and the number of processes can be reduced because the heat treatment process is omitted. In addition, since an organic solvent is not used in the UV curing coating, the UV curing coating can minimally affect the environment, and since UV light is used, the UV curing coating can be easily applied to an object easily deformed by heat. Specifically, since the curing speed of the UV coating solution is extremely fast between several seconds to several tens of seconds, the UV coating solution is very advantageous for uninterrupted coating of optical films used in the field of displays.

However, UV light having a wavelength of 200 nm or less is limited in that the UV light absorbs oxygen in the air to generate ozone, and the oxygen in the air limits chemical reactions caused by the UV light of the UV coating solution, thereby Reduce curing density. In addition, when the UV coating solution contacts oxygen during coating of the optical film, the UV coating solution is oxidized to degrade the optical function.

Therefore, UV curing coating is performed after loading the object into the chamber, and the inside of the chamber is switched to a nitrogen atmosphere to reduce the oxygen concentration. However, the above method has limitations in that as the size of the object increases, the size of the chamber also increases, and the time required to change the internal atmosphere of the chamber increases, thereby reducing productivity.

[Related technical literature]

[Patent Document]

(Patent Document 1) KR10-1032398 B

The present disclosure provides an ultraviolet curing element, a substrate processing device, and a substrate processing method capable of improving productivity by reducing substrate processing time.

According to an exemplary embodiment, an ultraviolet curing unit includes: a body mounted to move along an upper portion of an object to be treated; a UV lamp mounted on a lower portion of the body; a wall portion connected to all of the body. the lower part to form a processing space between the object to be processed and the main body; a gas supply part having a part installed on the wall part to supply an inert gas to the processing space; and a control unit, configured to control operation of the gas supply.

The wall portion may have a hollow shape with open upper and lower portions.

The wall portion may include a body portion extending in a vertical direction and an extension portion disposed below the body portion and bent toward an inside of the body.

The wall portion may be inclined toward at least one side of the inside and outside of the body.

The gas supply part may include: a nozzle installed on an inner surface of the wall part to inject gas into the space; a gas supply pipe connected to the nozzle to supply the gas to the nozzle ; and a valve installed on the gas supply pipeline.

The gas supply part may further include an auxiliary nozzle installed on an outer surface of the wall part to inject the gas in a vertical direction.

The ultraviolet curing unit may further include a concentration meter installed on the wall to measure an oxygen concentration in the processing space.

The concentration meter may be positioned below the nozzle.

The control unit may control the operation of the valve using the result measured in the concentration meter.

According to another exemplary embodiment, a substrate processing apparatus includes: a substrate supporting unit configured to support a substrate on which a photocurable material is applied; and the above-mentioned ultraviolet curing element, and the ultraviolet curing element is installed above the substrate supporting unit .

The substrate processing apparatus may further include a thermometer installed on the wall to measure the temperature of the substrate.

The substrate support unit may include: a substrate support configured to support the substrate disposed on the substrate support; and a cooling device configured to adjust a temperature of the substrate support, and the The control unit may use the result measured in the thermometer to control the operation of the cooling device.

The wall portion may be spaced apart from the substrate support.

According to yet another exemplary embodiment, a substrate processing method includes: preparing a substrate coated with a photocurable material; placing the substrate on a substrate support; forming an inert gas atmosphere in the processing space; and irradiating UV light in the processing space in which the inert gas atmosphere is formed.

The irradiating the UV light may include moving the processing space in which the inert gas atmosphere is formed.

At least one of the forming the inert gas atmosphere and the irradiating the UV light may include measuring an oxygen concentration in the processing space.

The forming the inert gas atmosphere may include supplying an inert gas to the processing space, and at least one of forming the inert gas atmosphere and irradiating the UV light may include based on the measured The oxygen concentration regulates the flow rate of the inert gas supplied to the process space.

The moving of the processing space in which the inert gas atmosphere is formed may include differently controlling the flow of the inert gas supplied to the front side with respect to a moving direction of the processing space in which the inert gas atmosphere is formed. The rate is adjusted with the flow rate of the inert gas being supplied to the rear side.

At least one of the forming the inert gas atmosphere and the irradiating the UV light may include forming an inert gas curtain between the processing space and the substrate.

The irradiating the UV light may include measuring the temperature of the substrate.

The irradiating the UV light may include adjusting the temperature of the substrate support according to the measured temperature of the substrate.

Hereinafter, specific embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this disclosure may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the concepts of the present invention to those skilled in the art.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a substrate processing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment, and FIG. 2 is an enlarged view illustrating the substrate processing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 , a substrate processing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment may include: a substrate support unit 100 for supporting a substrate G disposed on the substrate support unit 100; an ultraviolet curing element 200 mounted on the substrate support unit 100 to move along the substrate G; and a control unit 300 for controlling the operation of each of the substrate supporting unit 100 and the ultraviolet curing unit 200 . The ultraviolet curing member 200 may include: a main body 220; a UV lamp 230 installed on the main body 220 to irradiate the substrate supporting unit 100 with UV light; The outside is to surround the UV lamp 230 and is connected to the lower part of the main body 220 to form a processing space S between the main body 220 and the object to be processed; the gas supply part 250 has a part formed on the wall part 240 to inject gas into the wall part 240; and a driving device 210 for moving the main body 220.

The substrate support unit 100 may include: a substrate support 110 ; and a cooling device 120 for circulating a cooling medium in the substrate support 110 . The substrate supporter 110 is a component for supporting a substrate G such as a glass substrate of a display (such as organic light emitting diode (OLED) and LED). The substrate support 110 may have an area similar to or greater than that of the substrate G. Referring to FIG. For example, the substrate support 110 may have a width and a thickness in a horizontal direction and a predetermined height. Here, the substrate supporter 110 may have various shapes, such as a rectangular shape or a circular shape, or a shape corresponding to the shape of the substrate G. Referring to FIG. The substrate supporter 110 may place the substrate G on the substrate supporter 110 to support the substrate G, or lift the substrate G to be spaced apart from a top surface of the substrate supporter 110 by a predetermined height, thereby supporting the substrate G. A flow path (not shown) for circulating a cooling medium may be defined in the substrate support 110 .

The cooling device 120 may circulate a cooling medium along a flow path defined in the substrate support 110 . That is, the cooling device 120 may supply the cooling medium to the flow path of the substrate support 110 and collect the cooling medium that has passed through the flow path. The above process may be performed without interruption, so that the cooling medium circulates along the flow path of the substrate support 110 . The cooling device 120 may adjust the temperature of the cooling medium and supply the cooling medium to the substrate support 110, or be connected to a different external cooling device (not shown) and supply the cooling medium having a temperature adjusted to a predetermined temperature to the Substrate support 110 . The cooling device 120 can precisely adjust the temperature of the substrate support 110 by adjusting the supply speed or supply flow rate of the cooling medium.

The ultraviolet curing member 200 is movable on the substrate supporter 110 to irradiate the substrate G supported by the upper portion of the substrate supporter 110 with UV light. The ultraviolet curing element 200 can form an inert gas atmosphere between the ultraviolet curing element 200 and the substrate support 110 (ie, the substrate G), and irradiate the substrate G with UV light so that the photocurable material (such as a dielectric material) applied on the substrate G material) solidifies. In other words, the ultraviolet curing element 200 can form an inert gas atmosphere (such as a nitrogen atmosphere) in the area irradiated with UV light to limit or prevent the occurrence of oxygen contained in the photocurable material applied to the substrate G and the atmosphere. reaction.

The ultraviolet curing unit 200 may include: a main body 220; a UV lamp 230 installed on the main body 220 to irradiate the substrate supporting unit 100 with UV light; a wall part 240 disposed outside the UV lamp 230 to surround the UV lamp 230 and connected to The lower part of the main body 220 to form a processing space between the main body 220 and the substrate G as an object to be processed; the gas supply part 250 having a part formed on the wall part 240 to inject gas into the wall part 240; and driving A device 210 for moving a subject 220 . In addition, the ultraviolet curing unit 200 may include a concentration meter 260 for measuring the oxygen concentration in the processing space formed between the wall part 240 and the substrate G. Referring to FIG.

First, the driving device 210 may include: a guide frame 211 spaced upward from the base support 110 to support the main body 220 ; and a driver (not shown) for providing power for moving the main body 220 .

The guide frame 211 may extend in an extending direction of the substrate support 110 (eg, a width direction of the substrate support 110 ). The driver 213 may provide power for moving the main body 220 and is installed on the guide frame 211 or the main body 220 .

The main body 220 may support the UV lamp 230 and the wall portion 240 and include electronics (not shown) for operating the UV lamp 230 . In addition, the main body 220 may be connected to the guide frame 211 of the driving device 210 and move in the extending direction of the guide frame 211 . Here, the body 220 may have a block shape or a bar shape extending in one direction. When the body 220 has a block shape, a plurality of bodies 220 may be connected in one direction to have a bar shape. This is to irradiate the base G with UV light in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the main body 220 (because the base G has a plate shape with regions), and the main body 220 is in the extending direction of the base G (for example, the width direction) Move to irradiate substrate G with UV light. That is, while the main body 220 is moved, the entire substrate G is irradiated with UV light.

A UV lamp 230 may be installed at a lower portion of the body 220 to irradiate the substrate support 110 with UV light. Here, the UV lamp 230 may include various types of lamps such as a bulb type, a bar lamp, and an LED lamp as long as the lamp emits UV light.

The wall part 240 may be connected to a lower portion of the main body 220 to extend in a vertical direction. The wall part 240 may be connected to the main body 220 to surround the UV lamp 230 . The wall part 240 may have a hollow shape in which upper and lower parts are opened to form a light path such that the UV light emitted from the UV lamp 230 irradiates the substrate G. Referring to FIG. In addition, the wall portion 240 may serve as a buffer temporarily containing an inert gas to form an inert gas atmosphere between the substrate G and the wall portion 240 while the substrate G is being processed. The wall portion 240 may be formed in a one-piece shape or an assembly assembled from multiple parts.

The wall part 240 may be connected to the main body 220 to form a processing space S of the substrate G between the main body 220 and the substrate G under the main body 220 . The wall part 240 may form a processing space under the main body 220 (eg, between the main body 220 and the substrate supporter 110 or between the UV lamp 230 and the substrate G). The wall part 240 may have an 'L' shape including a body part extending in a vertical direction and an extension part bent toward the inside of the main body 220 or the processing space S. Referring to FIG. Here, when the wall portion 240 includes the extension, an effect that the nitrogen gas supplied to the processing space S is temporarily stagnated instead of being directly discharged by the extension may be obtained. Alternatively, the wall portion 240 may have an "I" shape including only a body portion or a shape in which at least a portion is a curved surface. However, exemplary embodiments are not limited to the shape of the wall part 240 as long as a processing space for forming an inert gas atmosphere (eg, a nitrogen atmosphere) is formed above the substrate G. Referring to FIG.

The wall part 240 may have various shapes.

Fig. 3 is a view showing a modified example of an ultraviolet curing element.

The wall part 240 may be connected to the main body 220 to have a symmetrical shape as shown in FIGS. 3( a ) to 3 ( c ), or to have an asymmetrical shape as shown in FIG. 3( d ). For example, when the wall portion 240 is symmetrically connected to both sides of the body 220 , the wall portion 240 may be connected to the body 220 so as not to be inclined, to be inclined toward the inside of the body 220 , or to be inclined toward the outside of the body 220 . In addition, when the wall part 240 is asymmetrically connected to the two sides of the main body 220 , at least one of the wall parts 240 connected to the two sides of the main body 220 may be inclined toward the inside or outside of the main body 220 . Here, when the wall part 240 is connected to the main body 220 so as to be inclined, the wall part 240 may preferably be inclined in a forward direction with respect to a moving direction of the main body 220 (eg, a moving direction while emitting UV light). This is to remove oxygen remaining on the substrate G by enabling nitrogen gas to contact the substrate G first before the UV light irradiates the substrate G. Preferably, the wall part 240 may be connected to the main body 220 and be inclined in a forward direction with respect to a moving direction of the main body 220 while the main body 220 irradiates the substrate G with UV light to cure the photo-curable material.

The gas supply part 250 may include: a nozzle 253 formed in the wall part 240; a gas memory 251 for storing an inert gas supplied to the nozzle 253; a gas supply pipe (not shown) connecting the nozzle 253 and the gas memory 251; and a valve 255 installed on the gas supply pipeline to adjust the flow rate of the inert gas.

A nozzle 253 may be formed on an inner surface of the wall part 240 to inject an inert gas into the processing space S. As shown in FIG. The nozzle 253 may have a slit shape to extend in the thickness direction of the substrate G in which the body 220 extends, or a plurality of nozzles 253 may be spaced apart from each other in the thickness direction of the substrate G in which the body 220 extends.

The gas supply pipe may have at least a portion made of stretchable or flexible material so as not to affect the movement of the main body 220 . A valve 255 may be installed on the gas supply pipe to adjust the flow rate of the inert gas supplied to the nozzle 253 .

In addition, a passage for supplying an inert gas to the nozzle 253 may be formed in the wall part 240 . The channel may be formed as one connection body provided over the entire wall portion 240, or divided into a plurality of channels. For example, the channel may be divided into a channel provided in the wall portion 240 at the front side and a channel provided in the wall portion 240 at the rear side with respect to the moving direction of the main body 220 . In this case, the gas supply pipe can be independently connected to each of the passage provided at the front side and the passage provided at the rear side with respect to the moving direction of the main body 220, and can be connected to each of the gas supply pipes. Install the valve. In addition, the flow rate of the inert gas supplied to each of the passage formed in the wall portion 240 provided at the front side and the passage formed in the wall portion 240 provided at the rear side may be adjusted in a different manner. .

The concentration meter 260 may measure the oxygen concentration in the processing space S formed between the wall part 240 and the substrate G. Referring to FIG. The concentration meter 260 may be installed on the inner surface of the wall part 240 or at the lower part of the main body 220 . Since oxygen may affect the photo-curable material when the photo-curable material-coated substrate G is cured, the concentration meter 260 may preferably be installed at a side adjacent to the photo-curable material-coated substrate G. For example, the concentration meter 260 may be installed at a position lower than that of the nozzle 235 .

The substrate support unit 100 may further include a thermometer 130 for measuring the temperature of the substrate support 110 . The thermometer 130 may include an infrared thermometer or a pyrometer that measures the temperature of the substrate G in a non-contact manner. The thermometer 130 may be installed on the wall part 240 to measure the temperature of the substrate G in a non-contact manner. For example, the thermometer 130 may be installed on the bottom surface of the wall part 240 facing the substrate supporter 110 and spaced from the substrate G. Referring to FIG. The thermometer 130 may be installed at various locations other than the bottom surface of the wall portion 240 as long as the thermometer measures the temperature of the substrate G in a non-contact manner. In addition, a plurality of thermometers 130 may be installed along an extending direction of the body 220 (eg, a thickness direction of the substrate G) to measure the temperature of the substrate G in an area irradiated with UV light.

The control unit 300 can control the overall operation of all substrate processing equipment (eg, the cooling device 120 , the driver 213 , the UV lamp 230 , the valve 255 , the concentration meter 260 and the thermometer 130 ). Specifically, the control unit 300 may control the operation of the valve 255 using the oxygen concentration measured by the concentration meter 260 . In addition, the control unit 300 may control the operation of the cooling device 120 using the temperature of the substrate G measured in the thermometer 130 .

Fig. 4 is a view showing another modified example of an ultraviolet curing element.

Referring to FIG. 4 , the ultraviolet curing unit may further include an auxiliary nozzle 257 installed in the wall portion 240 and injecting an inert gas to the outside of the processing space S. Referring to FIG. The auxiliary nozzle 257 may be installed on the outer surface of the wall part 240 to inject inert gas toward the substrate G. Referring to FIG. Here, an auxiliary nozzle 257 may be installed in the wall part 240 to inject gas along the thickness direction of the substrate G. Referring to FIG. Accordingly, the auxiliary nozzle 257 may form an inert gas curtain (eg, a nitrogen curtain) between the wall portion 240 and the substrate support 110 or between the wall portion 240 and the substrate G. Referring to FIG. When the nitrogen curtain is formed as described above, the nitrogen gas injected into the processing space S through the nozzle 253 and staying in the processing space S may increase, and air introduced into the processing space S from the outside may be blocked. Therefore, the internal atmosphere of the processing space S can be maintained constantly.

Although in an exemplary embodiment, the substrate processing apparatus does not include a chamber, the chamber may be used for the purpose of collecting nitrogen gas injected toward the substrate, not for the purpose of controlling the atmosphere for processing the substrate.

Hereinafter, a substrate processing method according to an exemplary embodiment will be explained.

The substrate processing method according to an exemplary embodiment may include: preparing a substrate coated with a photo-curable material; placing the substrate on a substrate support; forming a processing space above the substrate in communication with a local area of the substrate; forming a nitrogen gas in the processing space atmosphere; and irradiating the substrate with UV light in the processing space in which the nitrogen atmosphere is formed.

First, a substrate G coated with a photocurable material may be prepared. Here, the substrate G may include a glass substrate for displays such as OLEDs and LCDs, and the photo-curable material may include a dielectric material. However, exemplary embodiments are not limited to substrates and photocurable materials.

When the substrate G is prepared, the substrate G may be placed on the substrate support 110 . Here, the substrate G may be placed on the substrate support 110 in a contact manner, or lifted to be spaced apart from the substrate support 110 by a predetermined distance by injecting air from the substrate support 110 . The reason for lifting the substrate G above the substrate support 110 like the latter is that when the substrate G is made of a light-transmitting material, while the photocurable material is cured by irradiating the substrate G with UV light, the substrate support When the pattern or topology of the surface of 110 is transferred to the photocurable material, moire can be generated.

When the substrate G is placed on the substrate support 110, the body 220 of the ultraviolet curing element may be moved to one side of the substrate G (eg, the left side of the substrate G). Thereafter, the nitrogen gas stored in the gas memory 251 may be supplied to the nozzle 253 by controlling the operation of the valve 255 of the gas supply part 250 through the control of the control unit 300 .

When the nitrogen gas is supplied, the nitrogen gas may be injected into the processing space S in the wall part 240 through the nozzle 253 . When nitrogen gas is supplied into the processing space S as described above, the air present in the processing space S can be exhausted to the outside through the space between the wall portion 240 and the substrate G, and the inside of the processing space S can be converted into nitrogen gas. atmosphere.

The nitrogen atmosphere in the processing space S may be maintained by continuously injecting nitrogen into the processing space as described above, and the UV lamp 230 may be operated to irradiate the substrate G with UV light. In addition, nitrogen gas may be injected toward the substrate from the outside of the processing space S (ie, the outside of the wall part 240 ) using the auxiliary nozzle 257 . Here, the auxiliary nozzle 257 may form a nitrogen gas curtain between the wall part 240 and the substrate G by injecting gas toward the substrate G. Referring to FIG. Accordingly, the nitrogen gas injected into the processing space S through the nozzle 253 may temporarily stay in the processing space S through the nitrogen curtain. In addition, air introduced into the processing space S may be blocked by a nitrogen curtain to smoothly maintain a nitrogen atmosphere in a region of the substrate G irradiated with UV light.

In addition, the photo-curable material applied on the base G may be cured while the main body 220 of the ultraviolet curing member 200 is moved to the other side (eg, the right side) of the base G using the driving device 210 . Here, nitrogen gas injected from the nozzle 253 may be discharged between the wall portion 240 and the substrate G to remove air or oxygen remaining on the surface of the substrate G. Referring to FIG. When the main body 220 is moved, the processing space S may be moved along the moving direction of the main body 220, and the photo-curable material may be continuously cured in the moved processing space S. Referring to FIG.

Thereafter, when the photo-curable material is cured, the substrate G may be transferred to the next processing position. In addition, the supply of nitrogen gas may be blocked by operating the valve 255 using the control unit 300 , and the main body 220 may be moved to one side of the substrate supporter 110 for subsequent processing of the substrate G. Referring to FIG.

While curing the photo-curable material as described above, the oxygen concentration in the processing space S may be measured. Here, the oxygen concentration may be continuously measured after nitrogen gas is supplied to the processing space S by operating the valve 255 until the photo-curable material is completely cured (ie, until the substrate G is completely processed).

Since the substrate is processed under atmospheric pressure without a separate chamber, the oxygen concentration in the processing space S may not be controlled to be "0". Accordingly, the substrate can be treated by controlling the oxygen concentration to a level that does not interfere with curing the photocurable material, such as a level equal to or less than 1,000 ppm. When the oxygen concentration is greater than 1,000 ppm, the UV light can absorb oxygen to generate ozone or oxidize the photo-curable material, and can form moire on the film formed on the substrate G by the airflow generated in the processing space S. Therefore, the oxygen concentration in the processing space S may preferably be controlled to be equal to or less than 1,000 ppm.

The oxygen concentration in the processing space S may be continuously measured using the concentration meter 260, and may be maintained to be equal to or less than 1,000 ppm while the substrate G is being processed. Here, when the oxygen concentration measured by the concentration meter 260 is equal to or greater than 1,000 ppm, the control unit 300 may control the operation of the valve 255 to increase the flow rate of nitrogen gas injected through the nozzle 253 . On the other hand, when the oxygen concentration measured by the concentration meter 260 is equal to or less than 1,000 ppm, the flow rate of nitrogen gas injected through the nozzle 253 may be maintained.

In addition, the temperature of the substrate support 110 may be controlled while the substrate G is being processed. That is, the substrate G and the substrate support 110 may be overheated by the UV light. Therefore, when the temperature of the substrate G is measured using the thermometer 130, and the operation of the cooling device 120 is controlled according to the measured temperature, the circulation speed or flow rate of the cooling medium circulating in the substrate support 110 can be controlled, to adjust the temperature of the substrate support 110 .

Hereinafter, the results of experiments for verifying the substrate treating performance of the substrate treating method according to the exemplary embodiment will be set forth.

The substrate coated with the photocurable material was placed on a substrate support, and the photocurable material was irradiated with UV light while locally forming a nitrogen atmosphere over the substrate using an ultraviolet curing element. In addition, the oxygen concentration was measured in the space formed in the wall portion of the ultraviolet curing element. Here, the time required to reach the oxygen concentration of each of 1000 ppm, 800 ppm, 600 ppm, 500 ppm, 300 ppm, and 200 ppm was measured.

Table 1 below shows the results obtained by measuring the time required for the oxygen concentration to reach a preset concentration.

[Table 1] Oxygen concentration (ppm) 1000 800 600 500 300 200 Experimental Example 1 12 13 13 16 40 52 Experimental Example 2 11 14 20 twenty two 41 48 Experimental Example 3 9 14 20 twenty three 33 45 Experimental Example 4 10 15 19 25 31 37

It should be understood that the time required for the oxygen concentration to reach 1000 ppm ranges from 9 seconds to 12 seconds (10.5 seconds on average), during which time the oxygen concentration hardly affects the curing of the photocurable material by UV light. When the nitrogen atmosphere is locally formed only on the region irradiated with UV light, the processing time can be much reduced compared to the prior art, in which it takes about 30 minutes to switch the entire interior of the chamber to the nitrogen atmosphere. In addition, it can be known that the results obtained by curing the photocurable material in the above method and testing the quality of the cured film showed the same or similar quality as that of the film cured by the related art.

According to an exemplary embodiment, the curing process of the photo-curable material applied on the substrate may be performed in an atmosphere. That is, a nitrogen atmosphere may be locally formed between the ultraviolet curing element and the substrate. Since a nitrogen atmosphere is locally formed between the ultraviolet curing element and the substrate, and UV light is irradiated, the UV light and the photocurable material can be prevented from being exposed to oxygen. Therefore, the time required for switching the internal atmosphere of the chamber for performing the curing process can be reduced to improve process efficiency and substrate productivity. In addition, since the curing process can be performed without a separate chamber, the cost of preparing the chamber or the maintenance cost of the chamber can be saved.

As mentioned above, although the present invention has been specifically shown and described with reference to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, those skilled in the art will understand that, without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention defined by the patent claims, Various changes may be made in form and detail. Therefore, the scope of the invention is defined not by the detailed description of the invention but by the scope of patent application, and all differences within the scope will be construed as being included in the present invention.

100: base support unit 110: base support 120: cooling device 130: Thermometer 200: UV curing components 210: drive device 211: guide frame 213: drive 220: subject 230:UV lamp 240, 240a, 240b: wall 250: Gas supply department 251: gas memory 253:Nozzle 255: valve 257: Auxiliary nozzle 260: concentration meter 300: control unit G: base S: processing space

A more detailed understanding of the exemplary embodiments can be had from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating a substrate processing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view illustrating a substrate processing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment. Fig. 3 is a view showing a modified example of an ultraviolet curing element. Fig. 4 is a view showing another modified example of an ultraviolet curing element. FIG. 5 is a graph representing an oxygen concentration in a chamber when a substrate is processed using the substrate processing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment.

100: base support unit

110: base support

120: cooling device

130: Thermometer

200: UV curing components

210: drive device

211: guide frame

213: drive

220: subject

230:UV lamp

240, 240a, 240b: wall

250: Gas supply department

251: gas memory

253:Nozzle

255: valve

260: concentration meter

300: control unit

G: base

S: processing space

Claims (21)

A UV curing element comprising: a body mounted to move along the upper part of the object to be processed; an ultraviolet lamp mounted on the lower portion of the body; a wall connected to a lower portion of the body to form a processing space between the object to be processed and the body; a gas supply part having a part installed on the wall part to supply an inert gas to the processing space; and A control unit configured to control the operation of the gas supply. The ultraviolet curing element according to claim 1, wherein the wall portion has a hollow shape having an open upper portion and a lower portion. The ultraviolet curing element according to claim 2, wherein the wall portion includes a body portion extending in a vertical direction and an extension portion disposed below the body portion and bent toward the inside of the body. The ultraviolet curing element according to claim 2, wherein the wall portion is inclined toward at least one side of the interior and exterior of the body. The ultraviolet curing element as claimed in item 1, wherein the gas supply part includes: a nozzle mounted on the inner surface of the wall to inject gas into the space; a gas supply pipe connected to the nozzle to supply the gas to the nozzle; and A valve is installed on the gas supply pipeline. The ultraviolet curing element according to claim 5, wherein the gas supply part further includes an auxiliary nozzle installed on an outer surface of the wall part to inject the gas in a vertical direction. The ultraviolet curing unit according to claim 5, further comprising a concentration meter installed on the wall to measure the oxygen concentration in the processing space. The ultraviolet curing element as recited in claim 7, wherein the concentration meter is positioned below the nozzle. The ultraviolet curing element according to claim 7, wherein the control unit controls the operation of the valve using the result measured in the concentration meter. A substrate processing device comprising: a substrate support unit configured to support the substrate on which the photocurable material is applied; and The ultraviolet curing element according to any one of claim 1 to claim 9, wherein the ultraviolet curing element is installed above the base support unit. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a thermometer installed on the wall to measure the temperature of the substrate. The substrate processing equipment as claimed in item 11, wherein the substrate support unit comprises: a substrate support configured to support the substrate disposed on the substrate support; and a cooling device configured to regulate the temperature of the substrate support, Wherein the control unit uses the result measured in the thermometer to control the operation of the cooling device. The substrate processing apparatus of claim 12, wherein the wall portion is spaced apart from the substrate support. A substrate treatment method comprising: preparing a substrate coated with a photocurable material; placing the substrate on a substrate support; forming a processing volume for the substrate using a localized area of the substrate above the substrate; forming an inert gas atmosphere in the processing space; and Ultraviolet light is irradiated in the processing space in which the inert gas atmosphere is formed. The substrate processing method according to claim 14, wherein irradiating the ultraviolet light includes moving the processing space in which the inert gas atmosphere is formed. The substrate processing method according to claim 15, wherein at least one of forming the inert gas atmosphere and irradiating the ultraviolet light includes measuring an oxygen concentration in the processing space. The substrate processing method according to claim 16, wherein forming the inert gas atmosphere includes supplying an inert gas to the processing space, and At least one of forming the inert gas atmosphere and irradiating the ultraviolet light includes adjusting a flow rate of an inert gas supplied to the processing space according to the measured oxygen concentration. The substrate processing method as claimed in claim 17, wherein moving the processing space in which the inert gas atmosphere is formed comprises differently handling the The flow rate of the inert gas supplied to the front side and the flow rate of the inert gas supplied to the rear side are adjusted. The substrate processing method according to claim 17, wherein at least one of forming the inert gas atmosphere and irradiating the ultraviolet light includes forming an inert gas curtain between the processing space and the substrate. The substrate processing method according to any one of claim 14 to claim 19, wherein irradiating the ultraviolet light includes measuring the temperature of the substrate. The method of treating a substrate as recited in claim 20, wherein irradiating the ultraviolet light includes adjusting the temperature of the substrate support based on a measured temperature of the substrate.

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