TWI441117B - And a substrate processing apparatus and method for manufacturing a flat panel display - Google Patents

Description

Substrate processing apparatus and method for manufacturing flat panel display

The present invention relates to an apparatus for performing substrate processing, and more particularly to a substrate processing apparatus and method for manufacturing a flat panel display.

In recent years, information processing machines are rapidly developing in order to hold various forms of functions and faster information processing speed. Such an information processing device has a display device for displaying the processed information. Now, in the display device, a flat display device such as a liquid crystal display device, an organic EL display device, or a plasma display device has been attracting attention.

Such a flat display device includes a plurality of thin films and wiring patterns on a substrate. The formation of thin films and wiring is mainly by a photolithography process. In the lithography process, the baking process including the heating step and the cooling step is generally performed at least twice or more. On the other hand, as the size of the substrate is increased, not only is the substrate heated and cooled rapidly, but also the size of the substrate is significantly reduced.

The present invention provides a substrate processing apparatus and method for use in the manufacture of a flat panel display, which maximizes the cooling efficiency of the substrate.

The present invention provides a substrate processing apparatus and method for manufacturing a flat panel display, which can cool a substrate while precisely maintaining a space between a cooling plate that indirectly cools a substrate and a substrate.

The subject matter to be solved by the present invention is not limited thereto, and other problems that are not mentioned and other problems are clearly described by those having ordinary knowledge in the field.

The present invention provides a substrate processing apparatus and method for use in the manufacture of a flat panel display. According to an embodiment of the present invention, a substrate processing apparatus includes: a conveyor belt member having a plurality of conveyance shafts for conveying a substrate; and a cooling member that is conveyed by the conveyor belt member in a non-contact manner And a spacer maintaining member that maintains a space between the substrate and the cooling member such that the substrate does not contact the cooling member.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the interval maintaining member includes: a support table disposed at an apparatus frame in a height adjustable manner; and a ball caster disposed at an upper end of the support table, and The bottom surface of the substrate is supported between the transport shafts.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the cooling member includes a cooling fluid supply source and a cooling plate disposed between the transfer shafts and cooled by a cooling fluid supplied from the cooling fluid supply source.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the cooling member includes a mounting hole formed in the cooling plate and at a position where the circular ball wheel is located.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the cooling member includes: a cooling plate disposed between the conveyance axis and having a mounting hole where the circular ball wheel is located; and a plurality of cooling pipes connected by the foregoing The holes are centered and are placed in close contact with the sides of the bottom surface of the aforementioned cooling plate, and allow the cooling fluid supplied from the cooling fluid supply source to flow.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the circular spherical wheel train protrudes from an upper portion of the mounting hole of the cooling plate and supports a bottom surface of the substrate conveyed by the conveying belt member.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the interval maintaining member maintains a separation between the substrate and the cooling member by 0.6 to 0.2 mm.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the transport axis includes a transport shaft and a roller, the roller is disposed on the transport shaft and is in contact with the substrate, and the roller has a first-class path for cooling fluid supplied from a cooling fluid supply source Migrants.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the roller is longer than a length of one side of the substrate orthogonal to the substrate transport direction.

The substrate processing apparatus for manufacturing a flat panel display according to the present invention comprises: a coating unit for applying a photosensitive liquid on a substrate; an exposure unit for exposing the pattern to the substrate; a developing unit for developing the substrate; and baking The baking unit heats the substrate and performs cooling treatment. The baking unit includes: a conveyor belt member having a plurality of conveying shafts for conveying the substrate; a heating member for heating the substrate conveyed by the conveyor belt member; and a cooling member in a non-contact manner The substrate heated by the heating member is cooled; and the interval maintaining member maintains a space between the substrate and the cooling member so that the substrate does not come into contact with the cooling member.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the interval maintaining member includes: a support table that is disposed in the equipment frame to adjust a height; and a ball caster that is disposed at an upper end of the support table and on the transport shaft The bottom surface of the aforementioned substrate is supported between the cores.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the cooling member includes a cooling fluid supply source and a cooling plate disposed between the transfer shafts and cooled by a cooling fluid supplied from the cooling fluid supply source. The cooling plate includes a mounting hole formed by projecting a part of the circular round wheel from above.

In the substrate processing method for manufacturing a flat panel display according to the present invention, the substrate is cooled by a cooling member located between the conveyance axes while being conveyed by the conveyance axis of the conveyance belt member, and the substrate is cooled by the substrate. The space maintaining member located between the conveyance shafts is cooled while being conveyed while maintaining a predetermined interval with the cooling member.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, the maintenance of the interval between the substrate and the cooling member is performed by a round ball.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the interval maintaining member maintains a separation between the substrate and the cooling member by 0.6 to 0.2 mm.

According to the present invention, the cooling efficiency of the substrate can be maximized.

Further, according to the present invention, it is possible to cool the substrate while precisely maintaining the interval between the cooling plate and the substrate which indirectly cool the substrate.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying first to eighth drawings. The embodiments of the present invention are not limited to the embodiments, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to the following embodiments. This embodiment is intended to provide a more complete description of the present invention to those of ordinary skill in the art. Therefore, the shape of the elements shown is exaggerated in order to emphasize a more explicit description.

Further, in the embodiment of the present invention, a baking apparatus used in a lithographic apparatus will be described as an example.

In this embodiment, the substrate is used to manufacture a flat panel display (hereinafter referred to as "FPD") component, and the FPD may be an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display), a PDP (Plasma Displ ay, plasma). Display), VFD (Vacuum Fl uorescent Display), FED (Field Emission Display), ELD (Ele ctro Luminescence Disp, electroluminescent display).

The substrate processing apparatus (apparatus for treating substrate) of the present invention is a baking apparatus used for heating and cooling a substrate in a photolithography process.

As shown in FIG. 8 , the apparatus 1 for performing a photolithography process forms a predetermined circuit pattern on a substrate in the following sequence, that is, a coating unit 2 that coats a photoresist film on a substrate by photolithography; The order of the unit 3 subjected to the exposure treatment after the drying heat treatment and the unit 4 subjected to the development processing. In such a photolithography process, there is a need for a baking apparatus 10 for performing the following heat treatment, which comprises: heat treatment for increasing the temperature uniformity of the substrate before coating the photoresist film on the substrate; coating the photoresist film after the coating Heat treatment (pre-bake) of the photoresist film to remove unnecessary solvent; post-exposure bake treatment for promoting chemical change of the photoresist film caused by exposure after exposure treatment; and development pattern after developing treatment The heat treatment (post-baking) of the drying of the substrate is fixed, and the baking apparatus of the present invention can be applied to such heat treatment.

The first figure is a block diagram of a baking apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The second drawing shows a side view of a schematic configuration of the heating zone illustrated in the first figure, and the third figure shows a side view of the schematic configuration of the cooling zone illustrated in the first figure.

Referring to the first drawing, the baking apparatus 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention is divided into a heating zone A for heat-treating the substrate and a cooling zone B for performing cooling treatment.

Referring to the first and second figures, the heating zone A is composed of the preheating section 100 and the main heating section 200, and in the preheating section 100 and the main heating section 200, the first conveyor belt member 300 is disposed, which is close to The substrate is transported horizontally in a horizontal state. The preheating unit 100 is provided with a heating mechanism for heating the substrate, and the heating mechanism is provided by upper and lower upper heaters 110 and lower heaters individually disposed on the substrate conveying path of the first conveyor belt member 300. 120 constitutes. Then, a heating mechanism for heating the substrate is also provided in the main heating portion 200, and a heating mechanism provided to the main heating portion 200 is provided by a lower lower heater provided only on the substrate conveyance path of the first conveyor member 300. 220 is composed. The upper heater 110 and the lower heaters 120 and 220 are heaters in the form of a flat plate, and an I R heater using an M. I Cable (Mineral Insulated Cable) is used. On the other hand, the preheating unit 100 and the lower heaters 120 and 220 of the main heating unit 200 are disposed between the conveyance axis 310 of the first conveyor belt member 300 and are located in the vicinity of the bottom surface of the substrate.

Referring to the first and third figures, the cooling zone B is composed of the pre-cooling section 400 and the main cooling section 500, and is similar to the heating zone A, and the second conveyor zone is provided in the pre-cooling section 400 and the main cooling section 500. The member 600 transports the substrate in a horizontal direction in a substantially horizontal state.

As shown in the third and fourth figures, the second conveyor belt member 600 provided in the cooling zone B is provided with a plurality of conveying shaft cores 610 at regular intervals. The conveyance shaft 610 is directly or indirectly coupled to a drive source (not shown) such as a motor and is rotated by driving of a drive source. In this way, the substrate is transported in the substrate transport direction on the transport axis 610. The transport axis 610 includes a roller 620 having a larger side than one side of the substrate, and operates as a cooling medium for cooling the substrate. More specifically, the roller 620 of the transport shaft 610 has a flow path 622 through which the cooling fluid supplied from the first cooling fluid supply source 630 flows, and is disposed at one end of the transport shaft 610 with the first cooling fluid supply source 630. The supply line 632 is connected. In this manner, the roller 620 of the conveyance shaft 610 is operated by being cooled by a cooling fluid to a temperature lower than a certain temperature and cooling as a direct contact with the substrate. As described above, the substrate S is brought into contact with the roller 620 to perform cooling processing while being conveyed by the conveyance axis 610. The cooling fluid passing through the shaft 610 is recovered to the first cooling fluid supply source 630 via the recovery line 634, and is cooled by a cooler and supplied to the conveying shaft 610 via the supply line 632.

Referring to the third diagram, in the pre-cooling section 400, the substrate is cooled by air cooling by jetting cooling air, and by the transport axis 610 of the second conveyor belt member 600 as the axial contact cooling mode of the cooling medium. . Then, in the main cooling unit 500, the substrate is cooled by the contact cooling method in which the conveyance axis 610 of the second conveyor belt member 600 serves as the cooling medium, and the cooling method between the cooling members 700.

In the pre-cooling unit 400, an air cooling member 410 for rapidly cooling the substrate to eject the cooling air to the substrate is provided on the upper portion of the substrate conveyance path. The air cooling member 410 includes a plurality of nozzles 412 that are juxtaposed in a direction orthogonal to the substrate conveyance direction for jetting cooling air to the surface of the substrate, and a cooling air supply source 414 that supplies cooling air to the nozzles 412. Although not shown, a fan filter unit (FFU) is provided over the entire length of the chamber of the pre-cooling unit and the main cooling unit.

The main cooling unit 500 includes a cooling member 700 that cools the substrate conveyed by the second conveyor member 600 in a non-contact manner, and a space maintaining member 800 that maintains the substrate and cooling in such a manner that the substrate does not contact the cooling member 700. The spacing between members 700.

The fourth and fifth figures are a plan view and a side cross-sectional view for explaining the structure of the cooling member provided in the main cooling portion. The sixth drawing shows a perspective view of the cooling plate and the spacing maintaining member provided between the conveying shafts.

Referring to the fourth to sixth figures, the cooling member 700 includes: a cooling plate 710 located between the conveying shafts 610; a cooling pipe 720 disposed at a bottom surface of the cooling plate 710; and a second cooling fluid supply source 730 Cooling fluid is supplied to the cooling tube 720.

The cooling plates 710 are located between the transport axes 610. The length of the cooling plate 710 is preferably longer than the length of the substrate S. The cooling plate 710 has an upper surface 714 and two side surfaces 714 which are bent downward from both ends of the upper surface 712, and the mounting holes 716 in which the circular spherical wheel 810 of the spacing maintaining member 800 is disposed are formed at intervals of the upper surface 712. Below the upper surface of the cooling plate 710, two cooling tubes 720 are arranged side by side with the mounting holes 716 therebetween. The cooling pipe 720 is formed by a rectangular parallelepiped in such a manner as to enlarge the contact area with the cooling plate 710. At one end of the cooling pipe 720, a supply line 732 that supplies cooling fluid from the second cooling fluid supply source 730 is connected, and a recovery line 734 is connected at the other end. The recovery line 734 is coupled to the second cooling fluid supply source 730, and the cooling fluid recovered to the second cooling fluid supply source 730 via the recovery line 734 is cooled by a cooler and then supplied. Line 732 is provided to cooling tube 720. In the sixth figure, the cooling plate 710 and the cooling pipe 720 are separately illustrated and described, and the method shown in the seventh figure can be applied to the cooling plate 710a to form a flow path 718 through which the cooling fluid can pass. A flow path 718 for supplying cooling fluid to the cooling plate 710a is supplied.

The cooling member 700 is configured such that the cooling plate 710 is cooled to indirectly cool the substrate (convection cooling), so that the distance between the cooling plate 710 and the substrate S conveyed by the conveying axis 610 is the closest from the viewpoint of cooling efficiency. advantageous. However, when the cooling plate 710 is too close to the substrate S, the substrate S hangs due to its own weight and may come into contact with the cooling plate 710. If the substrate to be transported is in contact with the cooling plate 710, scratches may occur on the bottom surface of the substrate S. Therefore, even if the cooling efficiency is low, the substrate scratch is considered and the height of the cooling plate 710 is set to be high to make it The substrate is maintained at a sufficient interval. Further, in the present invention, the cooling plate 710 is formed in such a manner that the cooling plate 710 is provided to be separated from the substrate by 0.6 to 0.2 mm, and the contact between the substrate S and the cooling plate 710 is previously blocked by using the space maintaining member 800.

The interval maintaining member 800, which is a very important configuration for improving the cooling efficiency of the cooling member 700, includes a support table 820 which is provided in the equipment frame 12 and which is height-adjustable, and a ball caster 810. The upper end of the support base 820 is disposed, and the bottom surface of the substrate S is supported between the transport shafts 610. The support table 820 is vertically disposed on the equipment frame 12, and a circular ball wheel 810 is rotatably provided at the upper end of the support table 820. The support table 820 is disposed in the equipment frame 12 in a manner that the bolts 830 are engaged, and the height of the support table 820 can be adjusted by loosening or tightening the bolts 830. That is, the spacing maintaining member 800 can loosen or tighten the bolts 830 of the support table 820 to adjust the height of the circular ball 810, which means that the height of the substrate carried by the handling axis 610 can be adjusted to be supported.

The circular ball wheel 810 is located at the mounting hole 716 of the cooling plate 710 in such a manner that a part thereof protrudes from the upper surface of the cooling plate 710. The circular ball wheel 810 is preferably located in the mounting hole 716 in a manner that protrudes from the upper surface 712 of the cooling plate 710 by 0.6 to 0.2 mm. That is, the substrate S can hang down by its own weight during the process of passing between the transport shafts 610, and the bottom surface of the substrate can be supported by the round ball 810 between the transport shafts 610, thereby preventing the substrate and the cooling plate 710 from being supported. Contact. As such, the spacing maintaining member 800 can maintain the isolation between the substrate S and the cooling plate 710 by 0.6 to 0.2 mm.

In the embodiment of the present invention, the circular ball 810 of the interval maintaining member 800 may be directly supported by the substrate to be supported, and the method of spraying the air to the bottom surface of the substrate to prevent the substrate from sagging between the substrates may be applied.

The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is not limited thereto, and the equivalent technical changes of the present invention and the contents of the drawings are included in the scope of protection of the present invention. Within, combined with Chen Ming.

S. . . Substrate

2. . . Coating unit

3. . . Exposure processing unit

4. . . Development processing unit

10. . . Baking device

12. . . Equipment framework

100. . . Preheating department

110. . . Upper heater

120. . . Lower heater

200. . . Main heating unit

220. . . Lower heater

300. . . First conveyor belt member

310. . . Handling shaft

400. . . Pre-cooling department

410. . . Air cooling member

412. . . nozzle

414. . . Cooling air supply

500. . . Main cooling unit

600. . . Second conveyor belt member

610. . . Handling shaft

620. . . Wheel

622. . . Flow path

630. . . First cooling fluid supply

632. . . Supply line

634. . . Recycling line

700. . . Cooling member

710. . . Cooling plate

710a. . . Cooling plate

712. . . Above the cooling plate

714. . . Both sides of the cooling plate

716. . . Mounting hole

718. . . Flow path

720. . . Cooling tube

730. . . Second cooling fluid supply

732. . . Supply line

734. . . Recycling line

800. . . Interval maintenance member

810. . . Round ball wheel

820. . . Support table

830. . . bolt

A. . . Heating zone

B. . . Cooling zone

The first figure is a block diagram of a baking apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The second drawing shows a side view of a schematic configuration of the heating zone illustrated in the first figure.

The third figure is a side view showing a schematic configuration of the cooling zone illustrated in the first figure.

The fourth figure is a plan view for explaining the configuration of the cooling member provided in the main cooling portion.

The fifth drawing is a side sectional view for explaining the configuration of the cooling member provided in the main cooling portion.

The sixth drawing shows a perspective view of the cooling plate and the spacing maintaining member disposed between the conveying shafts.

The seventh figure is an illustration showing an alternative to a cooling plate.

The eighth figure is a structural diagram of an apparatus for performing a photolithography process.

S. . . Substrate

12. . . Equipment framework

610. . . Handling shaft

622. . . Flow path

700. . . Cooling member

710. . . Cooling plate

712. . . Cooling plate above

714. . . Cooling plate on both sides

716. . . Mounting hole

720. . . Cooling tube

800. . . Interval maintenance member

810. . . Round ball wheel

820. . . Support table

830. . . bolt

Claims (12)

A substrate processing apparatus for manufacturing a flat panel display, comprising: a conveyor belt member having a plurality of conveyance axes for carrying the substrate; and a cooling member positioned between the conveyance shafts to be cooled in a non-contact manner a substrate conveyed by the conveyor belt member; and a spacing maintaining member, wherein the height of the spacing maintaining member is adjustable to support a bottom surface of the substrate between the conveying shafts, and maintain a space between the substrate and the cooling member to cause a substrate Not in contact with the aforementioned cooling member. The substrate processing apparatus for manufacturing a flat panel display according to claim 1, wherein the interval maintaining member comprises: a support table disposed in a device frame in a height adjustable manner; and a round ball wheel (Ball) a -caster is provided at an upper end of the support base and supports a bottom surface of the substrate between the transport shafts. A substrate processing apparatus for manufacturing a flat panel display according to the second aspect of the invention, wherein the cooling member comprises: a cooling fluid supply source; and a cooling plate disposed between the transport shafts by the cooling fluid The cooling fluid supplied by the supply source is cooled. A substrate processing apparatus for use in the manufacture of a flat panel display according to the third aspect of the invention, wherein the cooling member includes a mounting hole formed in the cooling plate and at a position where the circular ball wheel is located. The substrate processing apparatus for manufacturing a flat panel display according to the second aspect of the invention, wherein the cooling member comprises: a cooling plate disposed between the transport axis and where the circular ball wheel is formed And a plurality of cooling pipes disposed on the two sides of the bottom surface of the cooling plate centering on the mounting holes, and allowing the cooling fluid supplied from the cooling fluid supply source to flow. The substrate processing apparatus for manufacturing a flat panel display according to the fourth or fifth aspect of the invention, wherein the circular ball type system protrudes from an upper portion of the mounting hole of the cooling plate, and is supported by the conveyor belt. The bottom surface of the substrate on which the member is transported. A substrate processing apparatus for use in the manufacture of a flat panel display according to the third or fourth aspect of the invention, wherein the interval maintaining member maintains a separation between the substrate and the cooling member by 0.6 to 0.2 mm. The substrate processing apparatus for manufacturing a flat panel display according to the third or fourth aspect of the invention, wherein the transport shaft includes: a transport shaft; and a roller disposed on the transport shaft and in contact with the substrate, And before The roller has a first-class path that allows the cooling fluid to be supplied from the cooling fluid supply. A substrate processing apparatus for use in the manufacture of a flat panel display according to the eighth aspect of the invention, wherein the roller is longer than a length of one side of the substrate orthogonal to the substrate transport direction. A substrate processing method for manufacturing a flat panel display, characterized in that the substrate is cooled in a non-contact manner by a cooling member located between the conveyance shafts while being conveyed by a conveyance axis of the conveyance belt member The bottom surface of the substrate is supported by an interval maintaining member that is adjustable in height between the transport shafts, and is cooled while maintaining the substrate and the cooling member at a constant interval. The substrate processing method for manufacturing a flat panel display according to claim 10, wherein the maintaining of the interval between the substrate and the cooling member is performed by a round ball. The substrate processing method for manufacturing a flat panel display according to claim 10, wherein the interval maintaining member maintains a separation between the substrate and the cooling member by 0.6 to 0.2 mm.