[DESCRIPTION] [Invention Title]
A HEATING APPARATUS OF WAFER DEPOSITION SUBSTRATE
[Technical Field]
The present invention relates to a substrate heating apparatus for a vacuum deposition device used to deposit a thin film on a substrate by applying heat thereto, and more particularly, to a substrate heating apparatus, wherein an insulation film is mounted at a rear side of a metal plate on which a substrate is to be put and a thin film heater is mounted at a lower side of the insulation film, or a thin film heater is mounted at a rear side of a nonmetal plate, and low electric power is supplied to the thin film heater through metal pads so that the temperature of a surface of the metal plate or nonmetal plate can be instantaneously raised by means of heat generation of the thin film heater.
[Background Art]
Generally, a vacuum deposition device is used to deposit a thin film or the like on a substrate by heating the substrate (e.g., Si wafer or the like) with heat generated under a vacuum condition.
Fig. 1 is a side view showing an embodiment of a conventional substrate heating apparatus for a vacuum deposition device.
As shown in Fig. 1, the vacuum deposition device are provided with a metal plate 11 with a substrate 10 put thereon; a ceramic mold 12 filled in between the metal plate 11 and a C-G heater 13 for electrically insulating the metal plate 11 and the C-G heater 13 from each other; the C-G heater 13 for generating heat by means of electric power supplied from the outside; power connection lines 14 for use in supplying the electric power to the C-G heater 13; and a temperature sensor 15 for sensing temperature obtained due to heat generated by the C-G heater
13. Here, although not shown in the figure, it will be readily understood by those skilled in the art that all outer surfaces of the metal plate 11 are vacuum-sealed to maintain a state where the metal plate 11 is under a vacuum condition.
However, the aforementioned prior art has problems due to structural characteristics of the C-G heater 13. That is, since the C-G heater 13 is bulky and accordingly the metal plate 11 is also bulky, there are problems in that it takes a great deal of time to reach a thin film-depositing temperature on the substrate 10, high electric power is consumed to raise the temperature of the bulky C-G heater 13 to a high temperature, and a cooling rate of the C-G heater 13 is low after the supply of electric power to the vacuum deposition device is cut off. Meanwhile, instead of the C-G heater 13, a halogen lamp may be mounted as a heat generating means of the vacuum deposition device. However, in this case, there is a disadvantage in that heat loss becomes large due to indirect heating by means of radiation from the halogen lamp.
[Disclosure]
[Technical Problem]
The present invention is conceived to solve the aforementioned problems and to meet the aforementioned needs. An object of the present invention is to provide a substrate heating apparatus, wherein an insulation film is mounted at a rear side of a metal plate on which a substrate is to be put and a thin film heater is mounted at a lower side of the insulation film, or a thin film heater is mounted at a rear side of a nonmetal plate, and low electric power is supplied to the thin film heater through metal pads so that the temperature of a surface of the metal plate or nonmetal plate can be instantaneously raised by means of heat generation of the thin film heater.
[Technical Solution]
A heating apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises a
metal plate 21 which is mounted at an upper portion of the heating apparatus and on which a substrate is to be put; an insulation film mounted at a bottom surface of an upper end of the metal plate therein to electrically insulate the metal plate and to conduct generated heat to the metal plate; a thin film heater mounted as a thin film at a lower side of the insulation film to instantaneously generate heat at a high temperature by means of its own electrical resistance of the thin film heater by receiving external electric power; and metal pads mounted on one side and the other side of the thin film heater to uniformly supply the external electric power to the thin film heater.
A heating apparatus according to another embodiment of the present invention comprises a nonmetal plate which is mounted at an upper portion of the heating apparatus and on which a substrate is to be put; a thin film heater mounted as a thin film at a lower side of the nonmetal plate to instantaneously generate heat at a high temperature by means of its own electrical resistance of the thin film heater by receiving external electric power; and metal pads mounted on one side and the other side of the thin film heater to uniformly supply the external electric power to the thin film heater.
A conductive pattern, which has lower electric resistance and higher thermal conductivity than thin film heater, may be formed on one side of the thin film heater of the heating apparatus to induce uniform heat generation of an entire surface of the thin film heater and to reduce a difference in temperature between an electrode lead-in portion of the thin film heater and a central portion of the thin film heater within a shorter period of time at an early stage of supply of electric power, and the metal pads may define a pattern such that a plurality of heating thin film cells are formed.
[Advantageous Effects] By mounting the thin film heater as a heat generating means for a vacuum deposition device in accordance with the present invention, the temperature of the thin film heater can be instantaneously raised to a high temperature even with low electric power. Thus, there are
advantages in that time to reach a substrate-depositing temperature can be shortened and power consumption can be lowered.
Furthermore, since the entire surface of the thin film heater with a uniform thickness generates heat at a constant temperature in the present invention, there is an advantage in that overheating can be prevented in a vacuum deposition device and thus damage to a substrate can be prevented.
Further, with the formation of the insulation film on the surface of the metal plate and the formation of the thin film heater on the insulation film, there are advantages in that the process of manufacturing a vacuum deposition device can be simplified and the number of parts can be reduced.
Furthermore, since the volume of the thin film heater is small and accordingly the volume of the metal plate is also small in the present invention, there are advantages in that a temperature rise and drop can be achieved for a shorter period of time and heat loss through the metal plate can be simultaneously reduced. In addition, since the metal plate can be manufactured in an assembly manner in the present invention, there are advantages in that the metal plate in a vacuum deposition device can be easily replaced and a small-sized vacuum deposition device can be manufactured.
[Description of Drawings] Fig. 1 is a side view of an embodiment of a conventional substrate heating apparatus for a vacuum deposition device.
Figs. 2 and 3 are side views of embodiments of an instantaneous heating type substrate heating apparatus using a metal plate in a vacuum deposition device, according to the present invention. Figs. 4 and 5 are side views of embodiments of an instantaneous heating type substrate heating apparatus using a nonmetal plate in a vacuum deposition device, according to the present invention.
Figs. 6 to 8 are exemplary views showing embodiments of a conductive pattern formed on one side of a thin film heater.
Figs. 9 and 10 are exemplary views showing embodiments of a conductive pattern formed on one side of a thin film heater. Figs. 11 to 13 are a view showing a substrate heating apparatus to which the present invention is applied, and graphs showing measured surface temperature values of the heating apparatus, respectively.
*Explanation of Reference Numerals for Main Portions in the Drawings* 10: Substrate 11 : Metal plate
12: Mold 13: Heater
14: Power connection line 15: Temperature sensor
21 : Metal plate 22: Insulation film
23 : Thin film heater 24: Metal pad 25: Temperature sensor 26: Power connection line
27: Conductive pattern 28: Protecting layer
29: Nonmetal plate
[Best Mode] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, hi the following description, details on well-known functions or constitutions relevant to the present invention will be omitted if they would make the gist of the present invention unnecessarily obscure. The terms used in the description are defined considering the functions of the present invention and may vary depending on the intention or usual practice of a user or operator. Therefore, the definitions should be made based on the entire contents of the description.
Fig. 2 is a side view of an embodiment of an instantaneous heating type substrate heating
apparatus using a metal plate in a vacuum deposition device, according to the present invention. Reference numerals 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 and 26 designate a metal plate, an insulation film, a thin film heater, a metal pad, a temperature sensor and a power connection line, respectively.
Fig. 3 is a side view of an embodiment of an instantaneous heating type substrate heating apparatus using a metal plate and a thin film heater with a conductive pattern formed thereon in a vacuum deposition device, according to the present invention. Reference numerals 27 and 28 designate a conductive pattern and a protecting layer, respectively.
Fig. 4 is a side view of an embodiment of an instantaneous heating type substrate heating apparatus using a nonmetal plate in a vacuum deposition device, according to the present invention. Reference numeral 29 designates a nonmetal plate.
Fig. 5 is a side view of an embodiment of an instantaneous heating type substrate heating apparatus using a nonmetal plate and a thin film heater with a conductive pattern formed thereon in a vacuum deposition device, according to the present invention. Reference numerals 28 and 29 designate a conductive pattern and a protecting layer, respectively. In an embodiment of an instantaneous heating type substrate heating apparatus for a vacuum deposition device according to the present invention, when external low electric power (e.g., 500W) is supplied to a thin film heater 23 through power connection lines 26 by a user's operation for putting a power plug into an outlet, the thin film heater 23 generates heat (undergoes a temperature rise) at a very high rate (i.e., a rise up to a temperature at which a thin film can be deposited on a substrate 10), and the heat is conducted to a metal plate 21.
Furthermore, in the present invention, when the supply of the external electric power to the thin film heater 23 is cut off by a user' operation for pulling out the power plug of the vacuum deposition device from the outlet, the thin film heater 23 is cooled (undergoes a temperature drop) at a very fast rate (i.e., a drop to a temperature value at which the user does not get burned due to the metal plate 21 of the vacuum deposition device), and heat is not transferred to the metal plate 21.
Here, since the volume of the thin film heater 23 can be decreased and accordingly the
volume of the metal plate 21 can also be decreased in the present invention, a temperature rise and drop can be achieved within a shorter period of time. In addition, since the volume of the metal plate 21 is small, heat and power loss through the metal plate 21 can be reduced.
Further, since the C-G heater 13 is mounted in a molded type in the conventional vacuum deposition device, it is impossible to replace the metal plate 11 due to problems of vacuum leakage and the like. On the contrary, the metal plate 11 can be manufactured in an assembly manner in the present invention, and thus, the metal plate 11 can be easily replaced.
Meanwhile, a temperature sensor 25 senses temperature obtained due to heat generated by the thin film heater 23, and the temperature of the thin film heater 23 can be controlled through PID control based on the sensed temperature.
An insulation film 22 is an insulation film made of ceramic materials such as alumina (aluminum oxide, A12O3) and magnesia (magnesium oxide, MgO) with superior thermal conductivity, an insulation film made of a polymer, or an insulation film formed of a combination of the two insulation films, such that heat generated by the thin film heater 23 is conducted to the metal plate 21 at a high rate and electrical insulation is achieved between the metal plate 21 and the thin film heater 23.
The insulation film 22 preferably has a small thickness enough to allow heat generated by the thin film heater 23 to be conducted to the metal plate 21 at a high rate, and the thickness of the insulation film 22 is preferably in a thickness range of 0.5μm to 500/ΛΠ to achieve electrical insulation between the metal plate 21 and the thin film heater 23. More preferably, the thickness of the insulation film 22 is in a thickness range of 0.5 IM to 150 jm. The thickness of the insulation film may vary according to the material of the insulation film.
Requirements for the insulation film 22 are as follows.
The insulation film 22 should achieve electrical insulation between the metal plate 21 and the thin film heater 23. To achieve the electrical isolation of the thin film heater 23 supplied with external electric power, the insulation film 22 should not produce dielectric breakdown
when a voltage of about 500V is applied to the thin film heater 23 and should maintain a leakage current below 20μk upon application of a voltage of about 100V thereto.
Additionally, the insulation film should have superior contact properties with the metal plate 21 and the thin film heater 23 such that the insulation film 22 is not physically delaminated from the metal plate 21 and the thin film heater 23 when the thin film heater 23 generates heat at a high temperature.
Furthermore, the insulation film 22 should have superior surface roughness and should not chemically react with the metal plate 21 and the thin film heater 23 when the thin film heater 23 generates heat at a high temperature. That is, since bad surface roughness of the insulation film 22 affects electrical resistivity of the thin film heater 23, it is preferred that the insulation film 22 have surface roughness enough not to affect the electrical resistivity of the thin film heater 23.
As for embodiments of the insulation film 22 capable of satisfying the aforementioned requirements, the surface of the metal plate 21 may be formed with an oxidized insulation film formed by oxidizing the surface of the metal plate 21 made of a metal such as aluminum or stainless steel using an arc; an insulation film formed by coating ceramic, glass, ceramic glaze or the like on the surface of the metal plate; a polymer insulation film formed by coating a polymer-based material such as polyimide, polyamide, Teflon or PET on the surface of the metal plate 21; or an insulation film comprising two or more of the aforementioned insulation films. An oxidized insulation film may be formed by applying external electrical energy such as an arc to the metallic surface of a metal plate 21, which is made of a metal such as aluminum (Al), beryllium (Be), titanium (Ti) or stainless steel and dipped in an alkaline electrolyte, so that an electrochemical reaction occurs between metal atoms of the surface of the metal plate 21 and external oxygen to convert properties of the surface of the metal plate 21 into an oxidized film. A1203, ZrO3, Y2O3 or the like is used as the oxide insulation film, and the oxide insulation film may be formed on the metal plate through a plasma spray coating method. An embodiment of a process of forming the oxide insulation film on the metal plate will be
described below.
The concentration of an alkaline electrolyte filled in a bath is evaluated, a metal plate 21 made of aluminum is dipped into the alkaline electrolyte filled in the bath in a state where a lead wire is connected to the metal plate 21 made of aluminum so that external power can be supplied to the metal plate 21 made of aluminum, and the external power is supplied to the metal plate 21 made of aluminum so as to oxidize the surface of the metal plate 21 made of aluminum.
As radio frequency AC power is strongly applied to the metal plate 21 made of aluminum through the process of forming an oxidized insulation film, an arc is instantaneously generated on the surface of the metal plate 21 made of aluminum. Thus, an oxidized insulation film that is a dense oxidized film having a very low pinhole concentration is formed on the surface of the metal plate 21 made of aluminum.
Through such a process of forming an oxidized insulation film, an aluminum oxide can be formed on the surface of a metal plate 21 made of aluminum, a titanium oxide can be formed on the surface of a metal plate 21 made of titanium, and a beryllium oxide can be formed on the surface of a metal plate 21 made of beryllium.
In the meantime, a polymer insulation film is formed by coating a polymer-based material capable of securing electrical insulation with a uniform thickness on the surface of the metal plate 21 made of a metal.
Particularly, such a polymer insulation film should not produce thermal deformation when heat is generated by the thin film heater 23. Further, when the thin film heater 23 generates heat at a high temperature, the polymer insulation film should have a superior contact property such that the polymer insulation film is not physically delaminated from the metal plate 21 and the thin film heater 23, and also have superior surface roughness such that the polymer insulation film does not chemically react with the metal plate 21 and the thin film heater 23. One embodiment of a process of forming a polymer insulation film will be described below.
A polymer insulation film is formed using a liquid organic polymer material that is to be
uniformly coated on the surface of the metal plate 21 made of a metal.
Here, coating methods include a spin coating method, a spray coating method, a dipping coating method, and a screen printing method.
Furthermore, polymer materials include polyimide-based materials, polyamide-based materials, Teflon-based materials, paint-based materials, silver-ston, Tefzel-s, epoxy, rubber, and UV-sensitive materials.
For example, one embodiment of a process of coating a polyimide-based material on the metal plate 21 by means of the spray coating method is as follows.
The metal plate 21 is cleaned with acetone, IPA (isopropyl alcohol) or the like, the polyimide-based material is sprayed onto the metal plate 21 while the cleaned metal plate 21 is rotated at a high speed (e.g., 2,000rpm or more), and the polyimide-based material coated on the surface of the metal plate 21 is subjected to heat treatment.
Through the process of forming a polymer insulation film by means of the spray coating method, a polymer insulation film having superior thermal stability and a glassy temperature (GT) of 300 °C or more is formed on the surface of the metal plate 21.
Furthermore, by slowly cooling the polyimide-based material during the process of heat treatment of the polyimide-based material, adhesiveness of the polymer insulation film to the metal plate 21 is improved. By coating the polymer-based material on the surface of the metal plate 21 during the spray coating process, thickness uniformity of the polymer insulation film is enhanced and the polymer insulation film has a very low pinhole concentration, thereby preventing the occurrence of current leakage.
Meanwhile, a double insulation film comprising an oxidized insulation film and a polymer insulation film can be formed by forming the oxidized insulation film on the surface of a metal plate 21 made of a metal and uniformly coating a polymer-based material on the oxidized insulation film.
The total thickness of the double insulation film comprising the oxidized insulation film and the polymer insulation film is smaller than the sum of the thickness of a resulting oxidized
insulation film solely formed on the surface of the metal plate 21 and the thickness of a resulting polymer insulation film solely formed on the surface of the metal plate 21, and the double insulation film can minimize dielectric breakdown as compared with each of the single oxidized insulation film and the single polymer insulation film. Here, the dielectric breakdown in the oxidized insulation film is mainly caused by pin holes formed in the oxidized insulation film, and the dielectric breakdown of the oxidized insulation film may be produced when external electric power supplied to the thin film heater 23 is transmitted into the pin holes.
The dielectric breakdown in the polymer insulation film is mainly caused by generation of air bubbles due to application of a liquid PR upon formation of the polymer insulation film, and the dielectric breakdown may be produced in portions of the polymer insulation film where the air bubbles existed after the polymer insulation film is solidified.
Therefore, it is preferred that the occurrence of dielectric breakdown, which is inherent in the oxidized insulation film or the polymer insulation film, be complemented by the double insulation film comprising the oxidized insulation film and the polymer insulation film.
The thickness of the insulation film 22 preferably ranges from 0.5μm to 500μm, more preferably 0.5μm to 150μm for efficient heat conduction (the thickness of the insulation film varies according to the material of the insulation film). The insulation film 22 has a dielectric breakdown voltage of 1,000V or more, and a leakage current of 2OM or less upon application of a voltage of 100V. The insulation film 22 should be formed such that it is not delaminated respectively from the metal plate 21 and the thin film heater 23 when the thin film heater 23 generates heat (in a thermal cycle).
The thin film heater 23 is mounted on the insulation film 22 in a form of a thin film with a thickness of 0.05μm to several tens μm (e.g., 0.05//m to 30/im). When external electric power (DC or AC power) is supplied to the thin film heater 23 through the metal pads 24, the thin film heater 23 performs joule heating by means of its own electrical resistance.
Here, due to thin film characteristics of the thin film heater 23, i.e., a small volume of the thin film heater 23, a heating rate and cooling rate of the thin film heater 23 are very high, temperature obtainable by the heat generation of the thin film heater 23 due to its own electrical resistance can exceed 500 °C, and the thin film heater 23 enables a very fast temperature rise contrary to a conventional sheath heater.
Requirements for the thin film heater 23 are as follows.
Although the thin film heater 23 enables a rapid temperature rise due to the thin film characteristics as compared with a conventional sheath heater, the thin film heater 23 may have a very large current flux due to the thin film characteristics. Thus, the thin film heater 23 is required to have electrically, thermally and chemically resistant properties.
That is, the thin film heater 23 should electrically have high heater strength. Only when the thin film heater has high resistance to energy continuously applied through the metal pads 34, it can maintain a long life span. Furthermore, the thin film heater 23 should be mounted on the insulation film 22 such that separation of the insulation film 22 or delamination between the metal plate 21 and the insulation film 22 due to the heat generation of the thin film heater 23 does not occur.
Moreover, in the thin film heater 23 that is a device subjected to continuous thermal shocks, changes in a resistance value of the thin film heater due to the thermal shocks should occur within an allowable numerical value range.
Further, the thin film heater 23 generates heat at a high temperature if it is exposed directly to air (oxygen). At this time, substantial increases in the resistance value of the thin film heater due to oxidation should not be produced.
To satisfy the aforementioned requirements, the thin film heater 23 may be made of a single metal (e.g., Ta, W, Pt, Ru, Hf, Mo, Zr, Ti, etc.) with a high melting point, a binary metal alloy (e.g., TaW, etc.) with a combination of the above metals, a binary metal-nitride (e.g., WN,
MoN, ZrN, etc.) combined with a metal-nitride, a binary metal-silicide (e.g., TaSi, WSi, etc.)
combined with a metal-silicide, or a thick conductive paste such as Ag/Pd.
Further, the thin film heater 23 has a thickness of several tens βm or less (e.g., 0.05μm to 3OjMm, wherein the thickness of the thin film heater varies according to the material of the thin film heater). Particularly, to ensure that the temperature of the thin film heater 23 rises instantaneously, i.e., to minimize time taken until the thin film heater itself is heated to a high temperature, it is necessary to make the heat capacity of the thin film heater 23 itself very low.
That is, the heat capacity of the thin film heater 23 is expressed as a function with a parameter of thickness. The thinner the thin film heater 23 is, the smaller the heat capacity thereof is. On the other hand, the thinner the thin film heater 23 is, the shorter the lifespan of the thin film heater may be.
Therefore, the present invention can deduce an optimum thickness range of the thin film heater 23 through various simulations and experiments to satisfy two requirements for the instantaneous rise of the temperature of the thin film heater 23 and the extension of the lifespan of the thin film heater 23. On the other hand, there may be a slight difference in thickness according to the material of the thin film heater 23.
That is, the optimum thickness of the thin film heater 23 is deduced based on the following formula. [Formula 1] p=Rsxt where p (resistivity) is a specific resistivity value of the material of the thin film heater 23, Rs (sheet resistance) is a surface resistance value of the thin film heater 23, and t (thickness of film) is the thickness of the thin film heater 23. Meanwhile, it can be seen that the thickness and specific resistivity value have a proportional relationship therebetween.
Therefore, the optimum thickness range of the thin film heater 23 (e.g., 0.05μm to 30//m) is deduced according to the material of the thin film heater 23 corresponding to characteristics of
each product by performing simulation with the aforementioned parameters as input data considering the resistivity value range of the material of the thin film heater 23.
The thin film heater 23 is formed on the insulation film 22 by means of vacuum evaporation methods, thick film paste screen printing methods, or the like. The vacuum evaporation methods include physical vapor deposition (sputtering, reactive sputtering, co-sputtering, evaporation and E-beam) methods, and chemical vapor deposition (low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) and plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD)) methods.
A protecting layer is preferably formed at an upper side of the thin film heater to protect the thin film heater. Here, the heater protecting layer is formed of inorganic heater protecting layer materials such as SiNx and SiOx and organic heater protecting layer materials such as polyimide, polyamide, Teflon and PET.
The protecting layer may be formed on a thin film heater with a conductive pattern formed thereon as well as a thin film heater with no conductive pattern formed thereon. Meanwhile, as illustrated in Figs. 6 to 8, a conductive pattern 27 having lower electric resistance and higher thermal conductivity than thin film heaters with various shapes and configurations can be formed on one side of the thin film heater.
In a case where a thin film heater on which a conductive pattern is not formed is used, uniform temperature distribution may not be achieved on the entire surface of the thin film heater or the thin film or the insulation film may be damaged by means of an overheating phenomenon occurring at a portion of the thin film heater, due to a temperature difference generated between an electrode lead-in portion of the thin film heater and a central portion of the thin film heater at an early stage of supply of electric power.
In order to prevent the overheating phenomenon and induce uniform heat generation on the entire surface of the thin film heater within a shorter period of time at the early stage of supply of electric power, it is possible to form conductive patterns with various shapes and configurations on one side of the thin film heater, as illustrated in Figs. 6 to 8.
Furthermore, the formation of the conductive pattern on the thin film heater can improve a production yield over a single thin film heater on which a conductive pattern is not formed upon production of the thin film heater. This is because the single thin film heater on which a conductive pattern is not formed may suffer from degradation in the quality of the entire resistor even due to a minute thickness difference in or damage such as a scratch to a portion of the entire thin film heater, resulting in drop in the production yield of the thin film heater.
The metal pads 24 are mounted respectively on one side and the other side of the thin film heater so as to uniformly supply the external electric power to the thin film heater 23. Here, since the metal pads 24 are formed on the one side and the other side of the thin film heater 23, respectively, a uniform (constant) current density can be achieved on the entire surfaces of the thin film heater 23.
Particularly, it is preferred that the width of the metal pads 24 be identical with or larger than that of the thin film heater 23 to provide a uniform current density on the entire surfaces of the thin film heater 23. Meanwhile, the metal pads 15 in the present invention can define patterns at different positions with a variety of configurations, sizes and numbers such that a plurality of heating thin film cells are formed as illustrated in Figs. 8 and 9.
Additionally, the metal pads 24 are made of a metal such as Al, Au, W, Pt, Ag, Ta, Mo or Ti to secure temperature stability of the metal pads 24, to prevent resistance increase due to oxidation, and to prevent separation thereof from the thin film heater 23 when the thin film heater 23 generates heat.
An instantaneous heating type substrate heating apparatus for a vacuum deposition device according to another embodiment of the present invention comprises a nonmetal plate 29 which is mounted at an upper portion of the heating apparatus and on which a substrate is to be put; a thin film heater 23 mounted as a thin film at a lower side of the nonmetal plate to instantaneously generate heat at a high temperature by means of its own electrical resistance of the thin film heater by receiving external electric power; and metal pads 23 mounted on one side and the other
side of the thin film heater to uniformly supply the external electric power to the thin film heater. As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, in the case where the nonmetal plate 29 is used instead of the metal plate, it is not necessary to provide an insulation film between the nonmetal plate and the thin film heater. Similarly to the case where the metal plate is used, the one side of the thin film heater 23 may be formed with a conductive pattern 27 for ensuring uniform heat generation on the entire surface of the thin film heater within a shorter period of time at an early stage of supply of electric power and for preventing the occurrence of an overheating phenomenon at an electrode lead-in portion of the thin film heater as well as a heater protecting layer 28 for protecting the thin film heater 23 from external foreign substances.
Furthermore, the metal pads 24 can define a pattern such that a plurality of heating thin film cells is formed in the same manner as the case where the metal plate is used.
A nonmetal plate is made of thermally enhanced plastics, heat resistant resins, ceramics, glass and earthenware capable of resisting to a temperature of at least 250 °C . Fig. 11 shows a substrate heating apparatus to which the present invention is applied, Fig.
12 illustrates a graph showing measured changes in the surface temperature of the substrate heating apparatus with time when an electric power of 50 watts is applied to the substrate heating apparatus shown in Fig. 11, and Fig. 13 illustrates a graph showing measured changes in the surface temperature when varying power is applied for 10 seconds to the substrate heating apparatus shown in Fig. 11. Meanwhile, it should be noted that numerical values illustrated in Figs. 11 to 13 are numerical values obtained in one embodiment of a substrate heating apparatus, and the numerical values may be deduced as different results according to resistance values, thicknesses and materials of respective components such as the thin film heater, the insulation film, the metal pads and the metal plate. As illustrated in Fig. 12, it can be seen that a saturation characteristic is represented at
287 °C after passage of a predetermined period of time when an electric power of 50 watts is applied.
As illustrated in Fig. 13, it can be seen that the surface temperature linearly increases for 10 seconds with varying electric power.
Additionally, an optimum product can be produced by differently applying resistance values, thicknesses, materials and the like of respective components such as the thin film heater, the insulation film, the metal pads and the metal plate in consideration of product requirements for a substrate heating apparatus so as to reduce time required to reach a surface temperature and power consumption corresponding to product characteristics.
Although the present invention has been described in connection with the preferred embodiments, the embodiments of the present invention are only for illustrative purposes and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications can be made thereto within the technical spirit and scope defined by the appended claims.