WO2011043566A2

WO2011043566A2 - Apparatus and method for processing substrate

Info

Publication number: WO2011043566A2
Application number: PCT/KR2010/006749
Authority: WO
Inventors: Byeong-Min Bak; Doo Won Gong; Sung Kwan Son; Whang Sin Cho; Sung Jae Jung; Heui Jae Pahk
Original assignee: Snu Precision Co., Ltd
Priority date: 2009-10-09
Filing date: 2010-10-04
Publication date: 2011-04-14
Also published as: TWI441274B; KR20110039027A; JP5458185B2; TW201120983A; KR101097738B1; CN102668026B; JP2013507521A; CN102668026A; WO2011043566A3

Abstract

There is provided a substrate processing apparatus and method capable of preventing the substrate from being heated and efficiently collecting residual deposition material. The substrate processing apparatus includes a chamber unit including an inner space divided into an introduction section, a film formation section, and a discharge section, at least one material injection nozzle unit disposed in the film formation section of the chamber unit to inject a deposition material to a substrate being transferred, and a cooling plate unit disposed to surround the film formation section of the chamber unit and adapted to cool inside of the film formation section. In addition, the substrate processing apparatus further includes at least one cold trap unit disposed at a lower part of the material injection nozzle unit to collect residual deposition material not deposited on the substrate but left from the whole deposition material injected from the material injection nozzle unit.

Description

APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR PROCESSING SUBSTRATE

The present disclosure relates to a substrate processing apparatus and method, and more particularly, to a substrate processing apparatus and method capable of preventing the substrate from being heated and efficiently collecting residual deposition material.

A solar cell is manufactured, for instance, by forming a thin film of selenium (Se) or a compound containing Se on a solar cell substrate and patterning the thin Se film to have a predetermined pattern. More specifically, a plurality of thin film layers are formed on a glass substrate by a vapor deposition process such as a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and a physical vapor deposition (PVD). Thereafter, the thin film layers are patterned to manufacture the solar cell.

A deposition material for the solar cell is supplied to the glass substrate in a vaporized state by being heated by a vaporizer. A transfer line and an injection unit for the deposition material are heated by a heating unit in order to transfer the vaporized deposition material to the glass substrate. Therefore, the heated transfer line and injection unit increase an inner temperature of a chamber, heating the glass substrate placed in the chamber. As a consequence, deposition efficiency of the deposition material decreases.

As the deposition efficiency decreases, residual deposition material not deposited on the glass substrate may be deposited on the inner wall of the chamber or outer surfaces of various components in the chamber, thereby contaminating the apparatus and reducing the lifespan of the apparatus.

The present disclosure provides a substrate processing apparatus and method capable of improving the deposition efficiency of a deposition material by intensively cooling a film formation section in a chamber, in which vapor deposition is performed, and thereby preventing heating of a substrate inserted in the film formation section.

The present disclosure also provides a substrate processing apparatus and method capable of preventing contamination caused by residual deposition material by providing the film formation section with a residual deposition material collecting unit, consequently increasing the lifespan of the apparatus.

In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, a substrate processing apparatus includes a chamber unit including an inner space including an introduction section, a film formation section, and a discharge section, at least one material injection nozzle unit disposed in the film formation section of the chamber unit to inject a deposition material to a substrate being transferred, and a cooling plate unit disposed to surround the film formation section of the chamber unit and adapted to cool inside of the film formation section.

The substrate processing apparatus may further include an upper through hole and a lower through hole respectively formed at an upper surface and a lower surface of the film formation section of the chamber unit; and an upper cover and a lower cover removably mounted to the upper through hole and the lower through hole, respectively, wherein the cooling plate unit may include at least an upper cooling plate and a lower cooling plate integrally formed with the upper cover and the lower cover, respectively.

The cooling plate unit may include first and second side cooling plates respectively disposed between the introduction section and the film formation section and between the film formation section and the discharge section of the chamber unit.

The substrate processing apparatus may further include first and second side through holes on a sidewall of the chamber unit at positions corresponding to boundaries between the introduction section and the film formation section and between the film formation section and the discharge section; and first and second side covers removably mounted to the first and the second side through holes, respectively, wherein the first and the second side cooling plates may be integrally formed with the first and the second side covers, respectively.

The chamber unit may include a slideway formed on a lower inner surface thereof at positions corresponding to the boundaries between the introduction section and the film formation section and between the film formation section and the discharge section, and the first and the second side cooling plates may be moved into and out of the inner space of the chamber unit by sliding on the slideways.

The substrate processing apparatus may further include at least one cold trap unit disposed under the material injection nozzle unit to collect residual deposition material not deposited on the substrate.

In accordance with another exemplary embodiment, a substrate processing apparatus includes a chamber unit including an inner space including an introduction section, a film formation section, and a discharge section; at least one material injection nozzle unit disposed in the film formation section of the chamber unit to inject a deposition material to a substrate being transferred; and at least one cold trap unit disposed under the material injection nozzle unit to collect residual deposition material not deposited on the substrate.

The cold trap unit may include a base plane disposed to cover a lower area of a region where the material injection nozzle unit is disposed; a plurality of heat sinks vertically mounted to the base plane; a cooling path formed at the heat sinks so that a cooling water flows therein; and a support cover adapted to support at least one side of the base plane.

The chamber unit may include at least one third side through hole formed at a lower part of the region where the material injection nozzle unit is disposed on one sidewall of the chamber unit, and the support cover may be removably mounted to the third side through hole such that the cold trap unit is separated and mounted integrally with the support cover.

The heat sinks may be vertically mounted at intervals, each of the heat sinks extends longer than a length of the material injection nozzle unit from the base plane, and upper ends of the heat sinks may have gradually decreasing heights from both outer parts toward a middle part of the cold trap unit.

The cooling path may be formed on outer surfaces of the heat sinks to face toward a middle of the cold trap unit.

The chamber unit may include at least one slideway formed on a lower inner surface thereof at a position where the cold trap unit is disposed, and the base plane of the cold trap unit may be moved into and out of the inner space of the chamber unit by sliding on the slideway, respectively.

The substrate processing apparatus may further include a cooling plate unit disposed to surround the film formation section of the chamber unit and adapted to cool inside of the film formation section.

The substrate processing apparatus may further include a substrate transfer unit disposed in the inner space of the chamber unit and adapted to transfer the substrate sequentially to the introduction section, the film formation section, and the discharge section.

The substrate transfer unit may include a plurality of first rollers provided in the introduction section of the chamber unit; at least two second rollers provided in the film formation section of the chamber unit; and at least two third rollers provided in the discharge section of the chamber unit, wherein the first rollers may be supplied with a cooling medium and accordingly cooled, and the second rollers may be selectively supplied with a cooling medium or a heating medium and accordingly cooled or heated.

The material injection nozzle unit may include a linear nozzle including a feed path formed therein for feeding of a deposition material to inject the deposition material; and a reflector surrounding a lateral part and an upper part of the linear nozzle.

The reflector may include a plurality of plate members overlapped at intervals.

In accordance with a further exemplary embodiment, a substrate processing method includes cooling a film formation section formed in an inner space of a chamber unit to perform vapor deposition; introducing a substrate to the film formation section; forming a thin film layer by injecting a deposition material to the substrate; collecting residual deposition material not deposited on the substrate to a cold trap unit; discharging the substrate from the film formation section; and replacing the cold trap unit.

The substrate processing method may further include cooling the substrate prior to introducing the substrate to the film formation section.

During forming the thin film layer, the deposition material may be continuously injected by alternately operating at least two material injection nozzle units provided in the film formation section.

According to exemplary embodiments, surrounding factors that may heat a substrate are removed as much as possible and the substrate is directly or indirectly cooled. Therefore, the efficiency of depositing a deposition material to the substrate may be increased.

In addition, since a dedicated unit is provided to collect residual deposition material generated after vapor deposition of the deposition material, an inside of a substrate processing apparatus is prevented from being contaminated by the residual deposition material. Accordingly, the lifespan of the apparatus may be increased.

A cooling unit, provided around a film formation section in the apparatus to cool a reaction space, and a residual deposition material collecting unit are configured to be easily connected and separated with respect to the apparatus. Therefore, frequently contaminated parts may be selectively replaced, thereby facilitating repair and maintenance of the apparatus.

Furthermore, at least two deposition material supply units are provided to the film formation section in the chamber to sequentially supply and be supplied with the deposition material. Therefore, the deposition process may be performed continuously.

Exemplary embodiments can be understood in more detail from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal-sectional conceptual view showing a substrate processing apparatus in accordance with an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal-sectional conceptual view schematically showing connecting and separating operations of main parts of the substrate processing apparatus;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional conceptual view schematically showing the substrate processing apparatus;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional conceptual view schematically showing connecting and separating operations of main parts of the substrate processing apparatus;

FIGS. 5 and 6 are views showing a material injection nozzle unit of the substrate processing apparatus;

FIGS. 7 and 8 are views showing a cold trap unit of the substrate processing apparatus; and

FIGS. 9 through 14 are operational state views schematically showing the operational states of the substrate processing apparatus.

Hereinafter, specific embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention may, however, be embodied in 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 scope of the present invention to those skilled in the art. In the following description, the same reference numerals refer to the same elements throughout the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal-sectional conceptual view showing a substrate processing apparatus in accordance with an exemplary embodiment. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal-sectional conceptual view schematically showing connecting and separating operations of main parts of the substrate processing apparatus. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional conceptual view schematically showing the substrate processing apparatus. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional conceptual view schematically showing connecting and separating operations of main parts of the substrate processing apparatus. FIGS. 5 and 6 are views showing a material injection nozzle part of the substrate processing apparatus. FIGS. 7 and 8 are views showing a cold trap part of the substrate processing apparatus.

As shown in the drawings, the substrate processing apparatus according to one embodiment includes a chamber unit 100 containing an inner space which is divided into an introduction section 121, a film formation section 123, and a discharge section 125, a substrate transfer unit 200 disposed in the chamber unit 100 to transfer the substrate sequentially to the introduction section 121, the film formation section 123 and the discharge section 125, at least one material injection nozzle unit 300 disposed in the film formation section 123 of the chamber unit 100 to inject a deposition material to the substrate being transferred, and at least one cold trap unit 500 disposed at a lower part of the material injection nozzle unit 300 to collect residual deposition material not deposited on the substrate but left from the whole deposition material injected from the material injection nozzle unit 300.

The chamber unit 100 includes

gateways

110a and 110b disposed at one end and the other end thereof for introduction and discharge of the substrate. Additionally,

slot valves

111a and 111b or gate valves may be provided to close the

gateways

110a and 110b. The chamber unit 100 may be connected with spaces for the substrate to wait to be introduced or discharged, for example, load lock chambers, through the

slot valves

111a and 111b. The

gateways

110a and 110b, through which the substrate is introduced, may be connected with a preprocessing chamber, for example, a cooling chamber for cooling the substrate.

The inner space of the chamber unit 100 is divided into the introduction section 121 where the substrate is introduced and transferred, the film formation section 123 where vapor deposition is performed to the substrate, and the discharge section 125 where the substrate completed with the vapor deposition is transferred to be discharged. Exemplarily, the introduction section 121, the film formation section 123, and the discharge section 125 are functionally separated according to the process of transferring and vapor-depositing the substrate, rather than being physically partitioned. However, since the present invention is not limited to this, the

sections

121, 123, and 125 may be physically separated by partitions installed at boundaries between the

sections

121, 123, and 125. Also, those sections may be embodied by a plurality of chambers functioning as the introduction section 121, the film formation section 123, and the discharge section 125 and fluidly communicating with each other.

As shown in the drawing, an upper surface and a lower surface of the chamber unit 100 include an upper through hole 131 and a lower through hole 133, respectively. An upper cover 411 and a lower cover 421 of a cooling plate unit 400 are insertedly mounted to the upper through hole 131 and the lower through hole 133 to close the upper through hole 131 and the lower through hole 133, respectively. In addition, first and second side through

holes

135a and 135b are formed at positions corresponding to the boundaries between the introduction section 121 and the film formation section 123 and between the film formation section 123 and the discharge section 125 on one sidewall of the chamber unit 100. First and second side covers 431a and 431b of the cooling plate unit 400 are insertedly mounted to the first and the second side through

holes

135a and 135b to close the first and the second side through

holes

135a and 135b, respectively. One or more third side through

holes

137a and 137b are formed at a lower part of a region where the material deposition nozzle unit 300 is disposed, on the one sidewall of the chamber unit 100. Also, support covers 540 of the cold trap unit 500 that will be described later are insertedly mounted to the third side through

holes

137a and 137b to close the third side through

holes

137a and 137b.

According to the above structure, as the

gateways

110a and 110b are closed by the

slot valves

111a and 111b and the upper through hole 131, the lower through hole 133, and the first to the third through

holes

135a, 135b, 137a, and 137b are closed by the cooling plate unit 400 and the cold trap unit 500, the inner space of the chamber unit 100 is sealed. Accordingly, the cooling plate unit 400 and the cold trap unit 500 are removably mounted in the chamber unit 100 in a sealing manner.

The substrate transfer unit 200 includes a plurality of first rollers 210 provided in the introduction section 121, at least two

second rollers

220a and 220b provided in the film formation section 123, and at least two third rollers 230 provided in the discharge section 125 of the chamber unit 100. The first to the

third rollers

210, 220, and 230 are rolled by a separate driver (not shown) to transfer the substrate placed thereon.

A cooling medium such as a cooling water is supplied to and cooled in an inside of the first rollers 210. A cooling medium and a heating medium such as a cooling water and a heating water are selectively supplied to and cooled or heated in an inside of the second rollers 220.

Especially, the first rollers 210 adapted to transfer the substrate introduced in the introduction section 121 to the film formation section 123 cool the substrate introduced in the introduction section 121. To this end, the first rollers 210 are relatively compactly arranged compared to the second rollers 220 so that a contact area between the substrate and the first rollers 210 increase for efficient cooling of the substrate by the first rollers 210.

The second and the third rollers 220 and 230 are disposed in the film formation section 123 and the discharge section 125, respectively, to guide the substrate transferred from the introduction section 121 into the film formation section 123 and the discharge section 125. It is exemplary to provide the minimum number of the second and the third rollers 220 and 230 in consideration of length of the substrate. For example, the second rollers 220 and the third rollers 230 may be disposed at a leading end and a rear end, one by one, in the film formation section 123 and the discharge section 125. In the present embodiment, four

second rollers

220a and 220b are disposed in the film formation section 123 and two third rollers 230 are disposed in the discharge section 125.

Especially, the

second rollers

220a and 220b are capable of selectively performing cooling and heating. Therefore, by heating the

second rollers

220a and 220b during a vapor deposition process, residual deposition material not deposited on the substrate but left from the whole deposition material injected from the material injection nozzle unit 300 may be prevented from attaching to surfaces of the

second rollers

220a and 220b and contaminating the

second rollers

220a and 220b. Meanwhile, in order to increase a deposition rate of the deposition material, the

second rollers

220a and 220b may be cooled to cool the substrate being transferred in contact with the

second rollers

220a and 220b.

The material injection nozzle unit 300 is provided in the film formation section 123 of the chamber unit 100, being one or more in number, to inject a deposition material to the substrate. Exemplarily, at least two material injection nozzle units 300 are provided for a continuous vapor deposition. The present embodiment employs two material injection nozzle units 300. Therefore, while one material injection nozzle unit 300 (310a and 320a) injects the deposition material to the substrate during the vapor deposition process,00 the other material injection nozzle unit 300 (310b and 320b) is preheated to be operated when a deposition material feeder (not shown) of the previously operated material injection nozzle unit 300 (310a and 320a) runs out of the deposition material and needs to be recharged with the deposition material. In this state, when the operation of the previous material injection nozzle unit 300 (310a and 320a) is stopped, the other material injection nozzle unit 300 (310b and 320b) is simultaneously operated to inject the deposition material to the substrate, accordingly performing the vapor deposition continuously. During this, the deposition material feeder connected with the previously operated material injection nozzle unit 300 (310a and 320a) is recharged with the deposition material. Thus, alternate use of the two material injection nozzle units 300 enables the continuous vapor deposition of the substrate.

Each of the material injection nozzle units 300 includes a linear nozzle 310 including a feed path 311 formed therein for feeding of the deposition material and a jet orifice 313 to linearly inject the deposition material, and a reflector 320 surrounding a lateral part and an upper part of the linear nozzle 310. Here, the linear nozzle 310 is connected to a deposition material feed device (not shown) separately provided at the outside of the chamber unit 100.

Exemplarily, the linear nozzle 310 is slightly shorter than a width of the substrate not to inject the deposition material unnecessarily beyond the width of the substrate and accordingly reduce consumption of the deposition material. Also, since both side ends of the substrate with respect to the width direction are unnecessary or will be removed in a post processing of the substrate, the linear nozzle 310 may be formed shorter than the width of the substrate such that regions not deposited with the deposition material are generated at the both side ends.

Additionally, it is exemplary that the jet orifice 313 of the linear nozzle 310 is disposed close to the substrate being transferred. For example, a distance between the jet orifice 313 and the substrate may be set to about 20mm or less, that is, as short as possible, so that the deposition material injected from the jet orifice 313 is directly deposited on the substrate with a minimum loss.

The linear nozzle 310, through which a vaporized deposition material is moved or injected, is maintained in a heated state at a temperature of about 200℃ to about 300℃. To this end, the reflector 320 is provided around the linear nozzle 310 to prevent the heat emitted from the linear nozzle 310 from heating the inside of the chamber unit 100 and the substrate. The reflector 320 may be formed by overlapping a plurality of plates at intervals to maximize the heat insulation efficiency. The number of the plates may be selectively determined according to the temperature of the linear nozzle 310 and the heat insulation efficiency of the reflector 320. For example, it is exemplary that the temperature of an outermost one of the plates may be lower than the temperature of the linear nozzle 310 and higher than a temperature for effective deposition, that is, about 70℃.

The cooling plate unit 400 is adapted to cool inside of the film formation section 123 of the chamber unit 100 by surrounding the film formation section 123. The cooling plate unit 400 includes an upper cooling plate 413 and a lower cooling plate 423 respectively disposed at an upper part and a lower part of the film formation section 123, first and second

side cooling plates

433a and 433b respectively disposed between the introduction section 121 of the film formation section 123 and between the film formation section 123 and the discharge section 125, and

sidewall cooling plates

440a and 440b respectively disposed at a front sidewall and a rear sidewall of the film formation section 123.

The upper and the

lower cooling plates

413 and 423 are integrally fixed by fixing

brackets

415 and 425 to the upper and the lower covers 411 and 421 which are mounted to the upper and the lower through

holes

131 and 133. According to this, the upper and the lower cooling plates 411 and 412 may be conveniently separated and connected integrally along with the upper and the lower covers 411 and 421 with respect to the chamber unit 100. Although single upper and lower through

holes

131 and 133 are provided and, correspondingly, single upper and

lower covers

411 and 421 are provided in this embodiment, the present invention is not limited thereto. According to the configuration of the apparatus, a plurality of the upper and lower through

holes

131 and 133 may be provided and also a plurality of upper and

lower covers

411 and 421 may be provided corresponding to the through

holes

131 and 133. In addition, a single cooling plate may be widely formed as the upper cooling plate 413 is mounted to the upper cover 411. Also, a plurality of cooling plates may be separately formed in required positions as the lower cooling plates 423 are mounted to the lower covers 421. In this embodiment, the lower cooling plate 423 is divided into plural parts and disposed not to overlap the cold trap unit 500. The upper cover 411 may directly function as the cooling plate rather than that the upper cover 411 and the upper cooling plate 413 are separately provided. In the same manner, the lower cover 421 may directly function as the cooling plate rather than that the lower cover 421 and the lower cooling plate 423 are separately provided.

The first and the second

side cooling plates

433a and 433b may be integrally fixed to the first and the second side covers 431a and 431b mounted to the first and the second side through

holes

135a and 135b of the chamber unit 100. Therefore, the first and the

second cooling plates

433a and 433b may be conveniently separated and connected by the operations of separating and connecting the first and the second side covers 431a and 431b with respect to the chamber unit 100. Especially, for more convenient replacement and connection of the first and the second

side cooling plates

433a and 433b, a slideway 140 is formed on a lower inner surface of the chamber unit 100, at positions corresponding to the boundaries between the introduction section 121 and the film formation section 123 and between the film formation section 123 and the discharge section 125. That is, the first and the

second cooling plates

433a and 433b slide on the slideways 140 to be introduced and discharged with respect to the inner space of the chamber unit 100. For example, the slideways 140 may take the form of a rail as suggested in the present embodiment. However, replacement of the first and the second

side cooling plates

433a and 433b may be performed not only in the sliding manner but also in other various methods. Additionally, the first and the second

side cooling plates

433a and 433b may include

sub gateways

435a and 435b, respectively, for passage of the substrate.

The

sidewall cooling plates

440a and 440b may be mounted to an inner surface of the front sidewall and the rear sidewall of the film formation section 123 or embedded in the front sidewall and the rear sidewall. The

sidewall cooling plates

440a and 440b may be configured in various manners as long as not interfering with other parts mounted at the front sidewall and the rear sidewall, for example, the material injection nozzle unit 300, the second transfer rollers 220, and the cold trap unit 500.

The cold trap unit 500 cools and collects the residual deposition material not deposited on the substrate but left from the whole deposition material injected from the material injection nozzle unit 300. The cold trap unit 500 may be provided corresponding to the material injection nozzle unit 300 in number.

The cold trap unit 500 includes a base plane 510 disposed to cover a lower area of the region where the material injection nozzle unit 300 is disposed, a plurality of heat sinks 520 vertically mounted to the base plane 510, a cooling path 530 formed at the heat sinks 520 and in which a cooling water flows, and the support covers 540 adapted to support at least one side of the base plane 510.

In the same manner as the first and the second

side cooling plates

433a and 433b, the cold trap unit 500 is mounted through one sidewall of the chamber 100. For this, one or more third side through

holes

137a and 137b are formed at the lower part of the region where the material injection nozzle unit 300 is disposed, on one sidewall of the chamber unit 100. The support covers 540 are remvoably connected to the third side through

holes

137a and 137b so that the cold trap unit 500 is conveniently separated and connected by separation and connection of the support covers 540.

Here, the plurality of heat sinks 520 each having a substantially rectangular plate form are vertically mounted at intervals. Each of the heat sinks 520 is mounted to the base plane 510, extending longer than the material injection nozzle unit 300, more exemplarily, a length of the linear nozzle 310. Accordingly, a collection amount of the residual deposition material generated from the material injection nozzle unit 300 may increase.

In addition, it is exemplary that the heat sinks 520 have gradually decreasing heights from both outer parts toward a middle part of the cold trap unit 500. That is, an upper end of the cold trap unit 500 forms a “U” shape. The middle part of the cold trap unit 500 is disposed right under the material injection nozzle unit 300 so that the upper end of the cold trap unit 500 surrounds an injection path of the deposition material radially injected from the material injection nozzle unit 300. Furthermore, the plurality of the heat sinks 520 are vertically mounted, a contact area between the deposition material and the heat sinks 520 is increased, accordingly improving the deposition material collection efficiency.

The cooling path 530 is formed on outer surfaces of the heat sinks 520, and more specifically, on the outer surface directed to the middle of the cold trap unit 500. Therefore, the cooling path 530 directly faces the deposition material injection path, thereby increasing the deposition material collection efficiency. Configurations and shapes of the heat sinks 520 and the cooling path 530 are not limited to the suggested embodiment but may be varied. That is, the cooling path 530 may be formed inside the heat sinks 520.

In the same manner as the first and the second

side cooling plates

433a and 433b, the cold trap unit 500 may be moved along the lower inner surface of the chamber unit 100 in a sliding manner for convenient connection and separation of the cold trap unit 500 with respect to the chamber unit 100. For example, the lower inner surface of the chamber unit 100 may include at least one slideway 427 on a position corresponding to the cold trap unit 500 such that the base plane 510 of the cold trap unit 500 slides along the slideway 427. In this embodiment, the slideway 427 takes the form of a rail.

Hereinafter, an assembling method of the substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method according to the embodiment will be described with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 9 through FIG. 14 are operational state views schematically showing the operational states of the substrate processing apparatus. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 4, the upper cover 411 and the lower cover 421 are mounted to the upper through hole 131 and the lower through hole 133 formed on the chamber unit 100, thereby sealing the upper surface and the lower surface of the chamber unit 100. The first and the second side covers 431a and 431b and the support covers 540 are mounted to the first to the third side through

holes

135a, 135b, 137a, and 137b, thereby sealing the sidewalls of the chamber unit 100. Simultaneously, the film formation section 123 of the chamber unit 100 is surrounded by the cooling plate unit 400 and the cold trap unit 500. Thus, the inner space of the chamber unit 100 is thus sealed and then evacuated to a high vacuum state.

When the deposition process is thus ready, the substrate W is introduced through the gateway 110a disposed at the introduction section 121 of the chamber unit 100 as shown in FIG. 9. Here, the substrate W may be cooled in advance by a separate cooling device before being introduced into the chamber unit 100 so that the deposition efficiency of the deposition material is enhanced.

The substrate W introduced in the introduction section 121 is seated on the upper part of the first rollers 210 and transferred to the film formation section 123 by the first rollers 210. Here, the substrate W may be transferred by contact with the first rollers 210 without a dedicated carrier. Since the first rollers 210 is maintained in a cooled condition by the cooling water flowing therein, the substrate W may be cooled simply by the contact with the first rollers 210. As described above, transfer of the substrate W is performed without a dedicated carrier supporting the substrate W, accordingly simplifying the structure of the substrate transfer unit 200 by omitting a dedicated device to drive the carrier. Also, a driver to drive the substrate transfer unit 200 may transfer the substrate W with a low output. Although the substrate W may be solely transferred by the substrate transfer unit 200, the present invention is not limited thereto. The substrate W may be transferred in a state of being fixed to a carrier according to the condition of the substrate W.

Being transferred from the introduction section 121 to the film formation section 123 by the first rollers 210, the substrate W is passed through the sub gateway 435a of the first side cooling plate 433a and introduced to the film formation section 123. At this time, any one of the material injection nozzle units 320 (310a and 320a) is operated first to inject the deposition material through the linear nozzle 310a.

Next, as shown in FIG. 10, the substrate W is introduced to the film formation section 123 and passed by a lower part of the linear nozzle 310a by the second rollers 220a. The deposition material injected to the upper surface of the substrate W is vapor-deposited into a thin film layer. The residual deposition material not deposited on the substrate W but left from the whole deposition material injected from the linear nozzle 310a is first brought into contact with the reflector 320a. However, since the reflector 320a is maintained at a temperature not causing vapor-deposition of the deposition material, for example, about 70℃ or higher, the deposition material is not deposited but diffused around. Furthermore, the residual deposition material is not deposited because of the heating water flowing in the second rollers 220a. As a result, the residual deposition material is collected by the cold trap unit 500 maintaining the cooled state right under the linear nozzle 310a. More specifically, while being diffused, the residual deposition material is deposited on the outer surface of the heat sinks 520 or an outer surface of the cooling path 530 upon contact with the heat sinks 520 of the cold trap unit 500. Here, the residual deposition material diffused into the cold trap unit 500 is obstructed due to the configuration and the shape of the heat sinks 520 of the cold trap unit 500 and deposited on the outer surfaces of the heat sinks 520 and the cooling path 530, thereby being collected.

Referring to FIG. 11, the substrate W, deposited with the deposition material on the upper surface thereof while passing the lower part of the linear nozzle 310, is continuously transferred by the second rollers 220b, passed through the sub gateway 435b formed at the second side cooling plate 433b, and discharged to the discharge section 125. Next, the substrate W is further transferred and discharged to the outside of the chamber unit 100.

Although the deposition process and the substrate processing operation have been explained with a single sheet of the substrate W, the present invention is not limited thereto. A plurality of substrates W may be successively fed to the introduction section 121 of the chamber unit 100 through the substrate transfer unit 200 and transferred to the film formation section 123 and the discharge section 125.

While the vapor deposition is being continuously performed with the material injection nozzle unit 300 (310a and 320a), the other material injection nozzle unit 300 (310b and 320b) is preheated to be able to continue the vapor deposition in the same chamber unit 100 when the previously operated material injection nozzle unit 300 (310a and 320a) runs out of the deposition material. As shown in FIG. 12, when the deposition material in the previously operated material injection nozzle unit 300 (310a and 320a) is exhausted, the deposition material is injected by the other material injection nozzle unit 300 (310b and 320b). In this state, as shown in FIG. 13, the substrate W merely passes by the previous material injection nozzle unit 300 (310a and 320a) and the vapor deposition is performed as the substrate W passes the lower part of the material injection nozzle unit 300 (310b and 320b) currently operating. During this as well, the residual deposition material is intensively collected to the cold trap unit 500.

After completed with the deposition of the deposition material, the substrate W is discharged to the discharge section and then to the outside of the chamber unit 100 as shown in FIG. 14.

As described above, the deposition process may be continuously performed in one chamber unit 100 by alternately operating the plurality of material injection nozzle unit 300.

When the cold trap unit 500 requires to be replaced after collecting a lot of residual deposition material, the deposition process is suspended and the inner space of the chamber 100 is converted to an atmospheric pressure state. Next, the support cover 540 mounted to the sidewall of the chamber 100 is separated, thereby separating the cold trap unit 500 from the chamber unit 100. Next, a new cold trap unit is mounted in the chamber unit 100. That is, replacement of the cold trap unit 500 may be achieved in a simple manner without disassembling the substrate processing apparatus. As a result, the suspension time for repair or maintenance of the apparatus may be reduced.

Although an apparatus and a method of processing a substrate have been described with reference to the specific embodiments, those are not limited thereto. Therefore, it will be readily understood by those skilled in the art that various modifications and changes can be made thereto without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention defined by the appended claims.

Claims

A substrate processing apparatus comprising:

a chamber unit comprising an inner space including an introduction section, a film formation section, and a discharge section;

at least one material injection nozzle unit disposed in the film formation section of the chamber unit to inject a deposition material to a substrate being transferred; and

a cooling plate unit disposed to surround the film formation section of the chamber unit and adapted to cool inside of the film formation section.
The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

an upper through hole and a lower through hole respectively formed at an upper surface and a lower surface of the film formation section of the chamber unit; and

an upper cover and a lower cover removably mounted to the upper through hole and the lower through hole, respectively,

wherein the cooling plate unit comprises at least an upper cooling plate and a lower cooling plate integrally formed with the upper cover and the lower cover, respectively.
The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, wherein the cooling plate unit comprises first and second side cooling plates respectively disposed between the introduction section and the film formation section and between the film formation section and the discharge section of the chamber unit.
The substrate processing apparatus of claim 3, further comprising:

first and second side through holes on a sidewall of the chamber unit at positions corresponding to boundaries between the introduction section and the film formation section and between the film formation section and the discharge section; and

first and second side covers removably mounted to the first and the second side through holes, respectively,

wherein the first and the second side cooling plates are integrally formed with the first and the second side covers, respectively.
The substrate processing apparatus of claim 4, wherein the chamber unit comprises a slideway formed on a lower inner surface thereof at positions corresponding to the boundaries between the introduction section and the film formation section and between the film formation section and the discharge section, and

the first and the second side cooling plates are moved into and out of the inner space of the chamber unit by sliding on the slideways.
The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1, further comprising at least one cold trap unit disposed under the material injection nozzle unit to collect residual deposition material not deposited on the substrate.
A substrate processing apparatus comprising:

a chamber unit comprising an inner space including an introduction section, a film formation section, and a discharge section;

at least one material injection nozzle unit disposed in the film formation section of the chamber unit to inject a deposition material to a substrate being transferred; and

at least one cold trap unit disposed under the material injection nozzle unit to collect residual deposition material not deposited on the substrate.
The substrate processing apparatus of claim 7, wherein the cold trap unit comprises:

a base plane disposed to cover a lower area of a region where the material injection nozzle unit is disposed;

a plurality of heat sinks vertically mounted to the base plane;

a cooling path formed at the heat sinks so that a cooling water flows therein; and

a support cover adapted to support at least one side of the base plane.
The substrate processing apparatus of claim 8, wherein the chamber unit comprises at least one third side through hole formed at a lower part of the region where the material injection nozzle unit is disposed on one sidewall of the chamber unit, and

the support cover is removably mounted to the third side through hole such that the cold trap unit is separated and mounted integrally with the support cover.
The substrate processing apparatus of claim 8, wherein the plurality of heat sinks are vertically mounted at intervals,

each of the heat sinks extends longer than a length of the material injection nozzle unit from the base plane, and

upper ends of the heat sinks have gradually decreasing heights from both outer parts toward a middle part of the cold trap unit.
The substrate processing apparatus of claim 8, wherein the cooling path is formed on outer surfaces of the heat sinks to face toward a middle of the cold trap unit.
The substrate processing apparatus of claim 8, wherein the chamber unit comprises at least one slideway formed on a lower inner surface thereof at a position where the cold trap unit is disposed, and

the base plane of the cold trap unit is moved into and out of the inner space of the chamber unit by sliding on the slideway.
The substrate processing apparatus of claim 8, further comprising a cooling plate unit disposed to surround the film formation section of the chamber unit and adapted to cool inside of the film formation section.
The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 or claim 7, further comprising a substrate transfer unit disposed in the inner space of the chamber unit and adapted to transfer the substrate sequentially to the introduction section, the film formation section, and the discharge section.
The substrate processing apparatus of claim 14, wherein the substrate transfer unit comprises:

a plurality of first rollers provided in the introduction section of the chamber unit;

at least two second rollers provided in the film formation section of the chamber unit; and

at least two third rollers provided in the discharge section of the chamber unit,

wherein the first rollers are supplied with a cooling medium and accordingly cooled, and

the second rollers are selectively supplied with a cooling medium or a heating medium and accordingly cooled or heated.
The substrate processing apparatus of claim 1 or claim 7, wherein the material injection nozzle unit comprises:

a linear nozzle comprising a feed path formed therein for feeding of a deposition material to inject the deposition material; and

a reflector surrounding a lateral part and an upper part of the linear nozzle.
The substrate processing apparatus of claim 16, wherein the reflector comprises a plurality of plate members overlapped at intervals.
A substrate processing method comprising:

cooling a film formation section formed in an inner space of a chamber unit to perform vapor deposition;

introducing a substrate to the film formation section;

forming a thin film layer by injecting a deposition material to the substrate;

collecting residual deposition material not deposited on the substrate to a cold trap unit;

discharging the substrate from the film formation section; and

replacing the cold trap unit.
The substrate processing method of claim 18, further comprising cooling the substrate prior to introducing the substrate to the film formation section.
The substrate processing method of claim 18, wherein during forming the thin film layer, the deposition material is continuously injected by alternately operating at least two material injection nozzle units provided in the film formation section.