JP2020143373A - Apparatus for holding substrate in vacuum deposition process, system for layer deposition on substrate, and method for holding substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a device, a system, and a method for reliably holding a substrate and an optional mask in a precisely aligned orientation during a vacuum deposition process. An apparatus (100) for holding a substrate (10) in a vacuum deposition process applies an attractive force acting on at least one of a support surface (112), a substrate (10) and a mask (20). An electrode arrangement (120) having a plurality of electrodes (122) configured as described above, and an electrode arrangement (120) having a first voltage polarity setting and a second voltage polarity setting different from the first voltage polarity setting. A controller (130) configured to apply to, including a controller (130) configured to switch between a first voltage polarity setting and a second voltage polarity setting. [Selection diagram] FIG. 1A

Description

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an apparatus for holding a substrate in a vacuum deposition process, a system for depositing layers on a substrate, and a method for holding a substrate. The embodiments of the present disclosure specifically relate to an electrostatic chuck (E-chuck) for holding the substrate in a substantially vertical orientation.

Techniques for depositing layers on a substrate include, for example, thermal vapor deposition, physical vapor deposition (PVD), and chemical vapor deposition (CVD). The coated substrate can be used in various applications and technical fields. For example, coated substrates can be used in the field of microelectronics, for example for organic light emitting diode (OLED) devices, substrates with TFTs, color filters, and the like.

The substrate can be supported by the substrate support, for example, using a holding device such as a mechanical clamp to hold the substrate and optional mask on the substrate support during the vacuum deposition process. The substrate and / or mask must be aligned with respect to each other. The substrate size has been continuously increasing in the past. Increasing the size of the substrate makes it increasingly difficult to handle, support, and align the substrate and mask, for example, without sacrificing throughput due to substrate breakage.

In addition, the space available to hold the substrate inside the vacuum chamber can be limited. Therefore, it is also necessary to reduce the space used by the support system to hold the substrate inside the vacuum chamber.

In view of the above, to hold a new device for holding a substrate in a vacuum deposition process, a system for depositing layers on a substrate, and a substrate that overcomes at least some of the problems of the technique. Method is beneficial. The present disclosure specifically aims to provide equipment, systems, and methods for reliably holding a substrate and an optional mask in a precisely aligned orientation, for example during a vacuum deposition process. ..

From the above viewpoints, an apparatus for holding a substrate in a vacuum deposition process, a system for depositing a layer on the substrate, and a method for holding the substrate are provided. Further aspects, advantages, and features of the present disclosure will become apparent from the claims, specification, and accompanying drawings.

According to one aspect of the present disclosure, an apparatus for holding a substrate in a vacuum deposition process is provided. The device includes an electrode arrangement with a plurality of electrodes configured to exert an attractive force acting on at least one of a support surface, a substrate and a mask, as well as a first voltage polarity setting and a first voltage polarity setting. A controller configured to apply a second voltage polarity setting different from the above to the electrode arrangement, the controller configured to switch between the first voltage polarity setting and the second voltage polarity setting. including.

According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a system for depositing layers on a substrate is provided. The system includes a vacuum chamber, one or more sources of deposited material in the vacuum chamber, and a device for holding the substrate in the vacuum deposition process according to the embodiments described herein. The device is configured to hold the substrate during the vacuum deposition process.

According to a further aspect of the present disclosure, a method for holding the substrate is provided. The method applies a first voltage polarity setting to the electrode arrangement to apply a first attractive force acting on at least one of the substrate and the mask, and a second different from the first voltage polarity setting. The voltage polarity setting of is applied to the electrode arrangement to apply a second attractive force different from the first attractive force.

The embodiments also cover devices that perform the disclosed methods, including device portions that perform the embodiments of each of the described methods. Aspects of these methods can be performed in any combination of the two, or in any other mode, using hardware components and a computer programmed with appropriate software. Further, the embodiments according to the present disclosure also cover methods of operating the described devices. The methods described for operating the device include aspects of the method for performing all functions of the device.

By referring to the embodiments, a more specific description of the present disclosure briefly outlined above can be obtained so that the above features of the present disclosure can be understood in detail. The accompanying drawings relate to embodiments of the present disclosure and are described in the following description.
FIG. 6 shows a schematic view of an apparatus for holding a substrate in a vacuum deposition process having a first voltage polarity setting according to an embodiment described herein. FIG. 5 shows a schematic view of the apparatus of FIG. 1A having a second voltage polarity setting according to an embodiment described herein. The schematic diagram of the electrode arrangement which concerns on embodiment described in this specification is shown. FIG. 6 shows a schematic diagram of an electrode arrangement according to a further embodiment described herein. FIG. 6 shows a schematic diagram of an electrode arrangement according to still another embodiment described herein. The voltage polarity setting according to the embodiment described in this specification is shown. FIG. 6 shows a schematic diagram of a system for depositing layers on a substrate according to an embodiment described herein. The flow chart of the method for holding a substrate which concerns on embodiment described in this specification is shown.

Here, various embodiments of the present disclosure will be referred to in detail, one or more embodiments thereof are illustrated. In the following description of the drawings, the same reference numbers refer to the same components. In general, only differences regarding individual embodiments are explained. Each embodiment is provided for illustration purposes of the present disclosure, but is not intended to limit the present disclosure. Furthermore, the features illustrated and described as part of one embodiment may be used in or in conjunction with other embodiments to provide yet another embodiment. This description is intended to include such modifications and modifications.

In an OLED coating system, the substrate can be held by a bipolar E-chuck during transport and deposition. A metal mask can be provided during the coating. The mask can be aligned with the substrate prior to coating. As an example, the mask can be provided at a distance of about 0.2 mm or less from the substrate during the alignment process. At such distances, the attractive force between the metal mask and the E-chuck is insignificant and the mask can make unwanted contact with the substrate 10. In conventional systems, a magnet plate may be provided to attract the mask during coating and ensure full surface contact between the mask and the substrate.

In the present disclosure, electrode arrangements such as grids that can be switched between at least two different voltage polarity settings that apply various attractive forces acting on the substrate and / or mask are used. As an example, the first voltage polarity setting can apply a strong force on the substrate to hold the substrate and a small force on the mask to align the mask with respect to the substrate. (Or no force may be applied to the mask). Specifically, for example, it is possible to avoid unwanted attraction of the mask during the mask alignment process. By switching from the first voltage polarity setting to the second voltage polarity setting, more force can be applied to the mask, which allows both the substrate and the mask to be fixedly held by the substrate support. it can. Thus, for example, during the vacuum deposition process, the substrate and optional mask can be reliably held in a precisely aligned orientation.

Further, for example, full contact between the mask and the substrate is beneficial during the deposition process after alignment. This contact can be achieved using the magnetic plate on the back of the carrier / chuck. In the present disclosure, the magnet plate may be omitted. Specifically, since the E-chuck incorporates the function of the magnet plate, it is not necessary to provide the magnet plate.

FIG. 1A shows a schematic view of an apparatus 10 for holding a substrate 10 in a vacuum deposition process having a first voltage polarity setting according to an embodiment described herein. FIG. 1B shows a schematic view of device 100 of FIG. 1A with a second voltage polarity setting. The voltage polarity settings shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B can be provided, for example, by the electrode arrangements shown in FIGS. 2 and 4. The device 100 can be a substrate support such as a carrier. Specifically, the device 100 according to the present disclosure may be an electrostatic chuck (E-chuck) that supplies electrostatic force.

The device 100 comprises an electrode arrangement 120 having a support surface 112, a plurality of electrodes 122 configured to apply an attractive force on the support surface 112 to hold at least one of the substrate 10 and the mask 20, and a controller 130. Including. The controller 130 is configured to apply a first voltage polarity setting (eg, FIG. 1A) and a second voltage polarity setting different from the first voltage polarity setting (eg, FIG. 1B) to the electrode arrangement 120. Has been done. The controller 130 is configured to switch between at least a first voltage polarity setting and a second voltage polarity setting. Switching between two different voltage polarity settings is exemplified, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the device 100 has more than two voltage polarity settings, such as three, four, or even five different voltages. It should be understood that it can be configured to switch between polarity settings.

According to the present disclosure, device 100 can switch between at least two different modes. The two different modes can be different wiring modes of the electrodes. In the first mode, for example, a strong attractive force is applied on the substrate and a very weak force is applied on the mask during alignment. As an example, the electrodes may have a fine alternating structure, as shown on the left side of FIG. 5A. In the second mode, a strong attractive force is applied on the substrate and a strong force is applied on the mask. As an example, the electrodes can have a wide alternating structure or can be wired in a unipolar manner, as shown on the right side of FIG. 5A. Since the device 100 can provide the function of the magnet plate, it is not necessary to provide the magnet plate.

The device 100 may include a body 110 provided with a support surface 112. The support surface 112 can be, for example, a substantially flat surface configured to contact the back surface of the substrate 10. Specifically, the substrate 10 may have a front surface (also referred to as a "processed surface") that is on the opposite side of the back surface and where layers are deposited during the vacuum deposition process.

A plurality of electrodes 122 of the electrode arrangement 120 may be incorporated in the main body or may be provided on the main body 110 (for example, they may be arranged). According to some embodiments that can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the body 110 is a dielectric, such as a dielectric plate. The dielectric can be made from a dielectric material, preferably a highly thermally conductive dielectric material such as pyrolysis boron nitride, aluminum nitride, silicon nitride, alumina or an equivalent material, but may also be made from a material such as polyimide. In some embodiments, a plurality of electrodes 122, such as a grid of fine metal pieces, may be placed on the dielectric plate and covered with a thin dielectric layer.

According to some embodiments that can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the device 100 is one configured to apply one or more voltages to the plurality of electrodes 122. Or includes multiple voltage sources. In some implementations, one or more voltage sources are configured to ground at least some of the electrodes 122. As an example, one or more voltage sources are configured to apply a first voltage with a first polarity, a second voltage with a second polarity, and / or grounding to a plurality of electrodes 122. Can be done. In some embodiments, each electrode of the plurality of electrodes, all second electrodes, all third electrodes, or all fourth electrodes may be connected to another voltage source.

The controller 130 may be configured to control one or more voltage sources for applying one or more voltages and / or ground to the electrode arrangement 120. In some implementations, the controller 130 may be incorporated within one or more voltage sources and vice versa. In a further implementation, the controller 130 may be provided as another entity connected to one or more voltage sources, for example via cable and / or wireless connections.

The term "polarity" refers to electrical polarity, ie, the negative electrode (-) and the positive electrode (+). As an example, the first polarity may be negative and the second polarity may be positive, or the first polarity may be positive and the second polarity may be negative. .. As used throughout the present disclosure, "voltage polarity setting" refers to the polarity of the voltage applied to the electrode arrangement 120, in particular the plurality of electrodes 122. In other words, the voltage polarity setting means that positive and / or negative electrodes are applied to at least one of the plurality of electrodes 122. Further, one or more of the plurality of electrodes 122 may be grounded. As long as at least one of the plurality of electrodes 122 is provided with positive or negative electrodes in order to apply an attractive force, the electrode arrangement 120 may have a first voltage polarity setting, a second voltage polarity setting, or the like. It has a defined voltage polarity setting. When all the electrodes of the plurality of electrodes are grounded, there is no positive electrode property and / or negative electrode property, so that there is no voltage polarity setting, and no attractive force is exerted on the substrate 10 and / or the mask 20. ..

Further, the plurality of electrodes 122 have a spatial arrangement in the device 100 (eg, body 110). Therefore, the spatial arrangement of polarities can correspond to the spatial arrangement of the electrodes to which the voltage is applied. In other words, the term "voltage polarity setting" can also be understood to mean, for example, that the polarity is spatially distributed over the support surface 112.

The electrode arrangement 120, and in particular the plurality of electrodes 122, are configured to exert an attractive force such as a chucking force. The attractive force can be a force acting on the substrate 10 and / or the mask 20 at a specific relative distance between the plurality of electrodes 122 (or support surfaces 112) and the substrate 10 and / or the mask 20. The attractive force can be the electrostatic force provided by the voltages applied to the plurality of electrodes 122, in particular by the first voltage polarity setting and the second voltage polarity setting. The magnitude of the attractive force can be determined by the corresponding voltage polarity setting and voltage level. The attractive force can be changed by changing the voltage polarity setting and optionally changing the voltage level. Specifically, the attractive force acting on the substrate 10 and / or the mask 20 is by switching between the first voltage polarity setting and the second polarity setting, and by optionally adjusting the voltage level. , Can be changed.

In some embodiments, switching between the first voltage polarity setting and the second voltage polarity setting involves keeping the voltage level of the voltage applied to the electrode arrangement 120 substantially constant. In other embodiments, switching between the first voltage polarity setting and the second voltage polarity setting sets one or more voltage levels of one or more voltages applied to the electrode arrangement 120, eg. Includes increasing and / or decreasing at the same time. As an example, it is applied to one or more of the plurality of electrodes 122 so that the attractive force acting on the substrate 10 remains substantially constant while the attractive force acting on the mask 20 is increasing or decreasing. The voltage level can be increased and / or decreased. The substrate 10 can be fixedly held by the support surface 112, but the mask can be first aligned and then attracted and fixed.

According to some embodiments that can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the first voltage polarity setting and the second voltage polarity setting are selected from the group consisting of unipolar and bipolar. obtain. Specifically, the unipolar configuration comprises only one type of polarity, i.e., either the first polarity or the second polarity, and optionally includes one or more grounded electrodes. The bipolar configuration includes both types of polarities, i.e., a first polarity and a second polarity, and optionally includes one or more grounded electrodes. In some implementations, the device 100 can be a unipolar E-chuck, a bipolar E-chuck, or a combined E-chuck switchable between unipolar and bipolar configurations.

With reference to FIG. 1A, the electrode arrangement 120 is shown to have a first voltage polarity setting. FIG. 1B shows an electrode arrangement 120 with a second voltage polarity setting. A square with a diagonal line indicates, for example, an electrode having a first polarity, and an empty square indicates, for example, an electrode having a second polarity. Although not shown in the examples of FIGS. 1A and 1, it should be understood that at least one of the plurality of electrodes 122 can be grounded.

The voltage polarity setting applies a corresponding attractive force to the substrate 10 and the mask 20. Note that the attractive forces applied for the substrate 10 and the mask 20 may vary depending on the respective voltage polarity settings. Specifically, the attractive force can be defined in relation to the entity on which the attractive force acts. As an example, the attractive force acting on the substrate 10 may be referred to as "board attractive force". Similarly, the attractive force acting on the mask 20 may be referred to as "mask attractive force". However, the term "attractive force" will include both substrate attractive force and mask attractive force.

The attractive force can be a first attractive force for setting the first voltage polarity, a second attractive force for setting the second voltage polarity, and the second attractive force is different from the first attractive force. As an example, the first attractive force may include a first substrate attractive force 140 and a first mask attractive force 142. The second attractive force may include a second substrate attractive force 140'and a second mask attractive force 142'. The second substrate attractive force 140'can be different from the first substrate attractive force 140'. Similarly, the second mask attraction 142'can be different from the first mask attraction 142. In another embodiment, the first substrate attractive force 140 and the second substrate attractive force 140'can be substantially the same, and the second mask attractive force 142'can be different from the first mask attractive force 142.

The substrate 10 is attracted towards the support surface 112 (eg, in a direction 2 which can be horizontal perpendicular to the vertical direction 1) by the attractive force applied by the device 100 which can be an E-chuck. .. The attractive force can be, for example, strong enough to hold the substrate 10 in a vertical position by frictional force. Specifically, the attractive forces such as the first substrate attractive force 140 and / or the second substrate attractive force 140'can be configured to substantially immovably fix the substrate 10 on the support surface 112. For example, in order to hold a 0.5 mm glass substrate in a vertical position using frictional force, an attractive pressure of about 50 to 100 N / m ² (Pa) can be used, depending on the coefficient of friction.

Referring to FIG. 1A, the plurality of electrodes 122 have alternating polarities in the first voltage polarity setting. In other words, the adjacent electrodes have opposite polarities (eg +-+-+-). As shown in FIG. 1B, the plurality of electrodes are provided as a pair in the second voltage polarity setting. Each pair of electrodes has the same polarity, and adjacent pairs have different (alternate) polarities. In other words, adjacent pairs have opposite polarities (eg, ++-++).

The first voltage polarity setting illustrated in FIG. 1A may be referred to as a "fine grid structure". Such a first voltage polarity setting can bring about a strong force acting on the substrate 10 (first substrate attractive force 140) and a small force acting on the mask 20 (first mask attractive force 142). The second voltage polarity setting illustrated in FIG. 1B can be referred to as a "wide grid structure". In this embodiment, a wide grid can behave like a fine grid with double the width or space. The second voltage polarity setting is a substantially same or reduced force acting on the substrate 10 (second substrate attractive force 140') and an increased force acting on the mask 20 (second mask attractive force 142', eg, A quarter of the attractive force acts on the mask 20).

As an example, by reducing the width of the line (width of individual electrodes) and the width of the gap (distance between adjacent electrodes) from (1 mm / 1 mm) to (0.5 mm / 0.5 mm). The attractive force applied to the substrate 10 can be increased about 4 times, and the attractive force applied to the mask can be reduced about 3.5 times. The operating voltage can be reduced by about 42% for the same attractive force applied to the substrate 10. The attractive force applied to the mask 20, which can be a metal mask, can be reduced by more than 10 times.

According to some embodiments that can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the attractive force exerted on the substrate 10 applied by the first voltage polarity setting (eg, the first substrate attractive force 140). And the attractive force applied to the substrate 10 applied by the second voltage polarity setting (second substrate attractive force 140') is applied to the plurality of electrodes, for example, so that they are substantially the same within an acceptable range. One or more voltages can be selected. In other words, the attractive force acting on the substrate 10 can be substantially constant, but the attractive force acting on the mask 20 when switching from the first voltage polarity setting to the second voltage polarity setting, or vice versa. Changes. The attractive force can be adjusted by adjusting the voltage level of at least a portion of the voltage applied to the electrode arrangement 120 when switching between the voltage polarity settings.

In some implementations, the mask 20 can be aligned with the substrate 10 and / or the device 100 while applying the first voltage polarity setting. As an example, during the alignment process, the mask 20 can be positioned in front of the substrate 10 at a distance of less than 1 mm (between 100 nm and 1000 nm, etc.), specifically between 200 nm and 500 nm. The substrate 10 may be fixed to the support surface 112 by a first substrate attractive force 140 during the alignment process.

As shown in FIG. 1B, after the mask 20 is aligned, the controller 130 can switch to the second voltage polarity setting and the second mask attraction 142'acting on the mask 20 supports the mask 20. Pull towards surface 112 and substrate 10. A second voltage polarity setting may be applied so that the mask 20 is fixedly held by the device 100.

Although not shown, it should be understood that the mask 20 may be excluded. As an example, the attractive force in the first voltage polarity setting can be selected so that the substrate 10 is movable while in contact with the support surface 112. The substrate 10 can be aligned with respect to the support surface 112. After the alignment, the first voltage polarity setting can be changed to the second voltage polarity setting to increase the attractive force acting on the substrate 10 and to fix the substrate 10 to the support surface 112 substantially immovably.

According to some embodiments that can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the apparatus 100 is in a substantially vertical orientation (in relation to vertical 1), particularly vacuum deposition. It is configured to support the substrate 10 between the two. The expression "substantially vertical" as used throughout this disclosure allows for deviations of ± 20 ° or less (eg, ± 10 ° or less) from the vertical or orientation, especially when referring to substrate orientation. It is understood that there is. Such deviations can be provided, for example, because a substrate support having some deviation from the vertical orientation can provide a more stable substrate position. Moreover, when the substrate is tilted forward, fewer particles reach the surface of the substrate. However, for example, the substrate orientation during the vacuum deposition process is considered to be substantially vertical, which is considered to be different from the horizontal substrate orientation. Horizontal substrate orientation can be considered to be horizontal ± 20 ° or less.

The term "vertical" or "vertical orientation" is understood to be distinguished from "horizontal" or "horizontal orientation". That is, "vertical" or "vertical orientation" is associated with, for example, a substantially vertical orientation of the carrier and substrate, a few degrees from the exact vertical or vertical orientation (eg, up to 10 °, or even more. Deviations of up to 15 °) are still considered to be "substantially vertical" or "substantially vertical orientation". The vertical direction can be substantially parallel to gravity.

The embodiments described herein can be utilized, for example, for evaporation on large area substrates for display manufacturing. In particular, the substrate to which the structures and methods according to the embodiments described herein are provided is a large area substrate. For example, large area substrates or carriers, GEN4.5 corresponds to the surface area of about 0.67m ² (0.73m × 0.92m), about 1.4 m ² surface area (1.1 m × 1.3 m) corresponding to GEN5, surface area of about 4.29M ² corresponds to (1.95m × 2.2m) GEN7.5, corresponding to a surface area of about 5.7m ² (2.2m × 2.5m) GEN8 It can be GEN10 corresponding to a surface area (2.85 m x 3.05 m) of .5, or even about 8.7 m ² . Further next generations such as GEN11 and GEN12 and corresponding substrate regions may be similarly mounted. Half the size of the GEN generation can also be offered in OLED display manufacturing.

According to some embodiments that can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the thickness of the substrate can be 0.1 to 1.8 mm. The thickness of the substrate can be about 0.9 mm or less, for example 0.5 mm. As used herein, the term "substrate" may specifically include, for example, slices of transparent crystals such as wafers, sapphires, or substantially inflexible substrates such as glass plates. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the term "board" may also include flexible substrates such as, for example, webs or foils. The term "substantially inflexible" is understood in distinction from "flexible". Specifically, the substantially inflexible substrate can have a certain degree of flexibility even with a glass plate having a thickness of 0.9 mm or less (0.5 mm or less, etc.), but is substantially inflexible. The flexibility of the substrate is lower than that of the flexible substrate.

According to the embodiments described herein, the substrate may be made of any material suitable for depositing the material. For example, the substrate is a group consisting of glass (eg, soda-lime glass, borosilicate glass, etc.), metals, polymers, ceramics, composites, carbon fiber materials, and any other material and material combination that can be coated by deposition treatment. It may be made from a material selected from.

The expression "masking" may include reducing and / or blocking material deposition on one or more regions of the substrate 10. Masking can be useful, for example, to define the coating area. In some applications, only a portion of the substrate 10 is coated and the portion that should not be coated is covered by the mask 20.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic view of the electrode arrangement 220 according to the embodiment described herein.

According to some embodiments that can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the plurality of electrodes 222 are arranged as a grid. As an example, the plurality of electrodes 222 can be wires, lines, or strips of conductive material. The conductive material can be selected from the group consisting of metals, copper, aluminum, and any combination thereof. The plurality of electrodes 222 may extend substantially parallel to each other in the first direction. The first direction may correspond to the extension of the length of the wire, line, or strip. The plurality of electrodes 222 may be separated from each other in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The distance between adjacent electrodes of the plurality of electrodes 222 in the second direction is between 0.1 mm and 5 mm, specifically between 0.1 mm and 2 mm, and more specifically, 0.5 mm. Can be between 1 mm and 1 mm.

According to some embodiments that can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the controller selectively and / or individually has a first voltage, a second, having a first polarity. A second voltage having the polarity of, and at least one of grounding to the plurality of electrodes 222 are configured to be applied. As an example, the device selectively and / or individually selects at least one of a first voltage having a first polarity, a second voltage having a second polarity, and grounding to a plurality of electrodes 222. It may include a voltage source assembly 224 containing one or more voltage sources configured to apply to. In some embodiments, each electrode of the plurality of electrodes 222 may be connected to a corresponding voltage source. In a further embodiment, two or more of the plurality of electrodes 222 may be connected to the same voltage source. As an example, every four electrodes of the plurality of electrodes 222 may be connected to the same voltage source. The voltage source assembly 224 may be configured to provide, for example, a first voltage polarity setting and a second voltage polarity setting, as shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B.

According to some embodiments that can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the plurality of electrodes have a width in the second direction. As an example, this width can be between 0.1 mm and 5 mm, specifically between 0.1 mm and 2 mm, and more specifically between 0.5 mm and 1 mm.

FIG. 3 shows a schematic view of the electrode arrangement 320 according to a further embodiment described herein. The electrode arrangement 320 may be referred to as a "single grid".

According to some embodiments that can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the plurality of electrodes are one or more first electrodes 322 and one or more second electrodes. 324 is included. The one or more first electrodes 322 can form a first grid and / or a first electrode pattern. Similarly, one or more second electrodes 324 can form a second grid and / or a second electrode pattern.

Multiple electrodes, such as one or more first electrodes 322 and / or one or more second electrodes 324, can extend substantially parallel to each other in the first direction. The first direction may correspond to the extension of the length of the electrode, such as a wire, line, or strip. The one or more first electrodes 322 may be separated from each other by a first distance in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. Similarly, the one or more second electrodes 324 may be separated from each other by a second distance in the second direction. The first distance and the second distance can be substantially the same. As an example, the first distance and / or the second distance is between 0.1 mm and 5 mm, specifically between 0.1 mm and 2 mm, more specifically between 0.5 mm and 1 mm. Can be.

According to some embodiments that can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the one or more first electrodes 322 and the one or more second electrodes 324 alternate. Be placed. As an example, the one or more first electrodes 322 and the one or more second electrodes 324 may be provided in alternating arrangements, as shown in FIG. Specifically, the electrodes of one or more first electrodes 322 may be provided between two adjacent electrodes of one or more second electrodes 324. Similarly, the electrodes of one or more second electrodes 324 may be provided between two adjacent electrodes of one or more first electrodes 322. The distance between the electrode of one or more first electrodes 322 and the adjacent electrode of one or more second electrodes 324 can be half the first distance and / or the second distance. .. In other words, the electrode of one or more first electrodes 322 may be centered between two adjacent electrodes of one or more second electrodes 324. Similarly, the electrode of one or more second electrodes 324 may be centered between two adjacent electrodes of one or more first electrodes 322. Therefore, the electrode spacing (also referred to as "line spacing") of the electrode arrangement 320 can be half the electrode spacing of one or more first electrodes 322 and / or one or more second electrodes 324.

The controller grounds a first voltage with a first polarity, a second voltage with a second polarity, and one or more first electrodes 322 and one or more second electrodes 324. Can be configured to apply. In some embodiments, the one or more first electrodes 322 may have a first voltage having a first polarity, a second voltage having a second polarity, or one or more first electrodes. It may be connected to a first voltage source to apply grounding to the electrode 322. One or more second electrodes 324 apply grounding to a first voltage having a first polarity, a second voltage having a second polarity, or one or more second electrodes 324. Can be connected to a second voltage source to do so. The one or more first electrodes 322 and the one or more second electrodes 324 may be electrically isolated from each other.

FIG. 4 shows a schematic view of the electrode arrangement 420 according to yet another embodiment described herein. The electrode arrangement 320 may be referred to as a "double grid".

According to some embodiments that can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the plurality of electrodes are one or more first electrodes 422, one or more second electrodes. 424 includes one or more second electrodes 426 and one or more second electrodes 428. The one or more first electrodes 422 can form a first grid and / or a first electrode pattern. One or more second electrodes 424 can form a second grid and / or a second electrode pattern. One or more third electrodes 426 can form a third grid and / or a third electrode pattern. The one or more fourth electrodes 428 can then form a fourth grid and / or a fourth electrode pattern. The one or more first electrodes 422, the one or more second electrodes 424, the one or more third electrodes 426, and the one or more fourth electrodes 428 are electrically connected to each other. Can be insulated.

One or more first electrodes 422, one or more second electrodes 424, one or more third electrodes 426, and one or more fourth electrodes 428 in the first direction. Can extend substantially parallel to each other. The first direction may correspond to the extension of the length of the electrode, such as a wire, line, or strip. The one or more first electrodes 422 may be separated from each other by a first distance in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The one or more second electrodes 424 may be separated from each other by a second distance in the second direction. The one or more third electrodes 426 may be separated from each other by a third distance in the second direction. Then, the one or more fourth electrodes 428 may be separated from each other by a fourth distance in the second direction. The first distance, the second distance, the third distance, and the fourth distance can be substantially the same. As an example, the first distance, the second distance, the third distance, and the fourth distance are, respectively, between 0.1 mm and 5 mm, specifically between 0.1 mm and 2 mm, more specifically. It can be between 0.5 mm and 1 mm.

According to some embodiments that can be combined with other embodiments described herein, one or more first electrodes 422, one or more second electrodes 424, one or more. The plurality of second electrodes 426 and one or more second electrodes 428 are alternately arranged. As an example, the electrodes can be provided in alternating arrangements, as shown in FIG. Specifically, the electrode arrangement may be configured such that one electrode of each other grid is placed between adjacent electrodes of one grid. As an example, between the adjacent electrodes of the first grid provided by one or more first electrodes 422, one electrode of the second grid, one electrode of the third grid, and a fourth. One electrode of the grid is placed.

In the alternating arrangement, the distance between adjacent electrodes is one-fourth of the distance between the electrodes of the individual grids (eg, the first distance, the second distance, the third distance, and / or the fourth distance. It can be a quarter). The distance between adjacent electrodes in the alternating arrangement can be substantially constant in the electrode arrangement 420.

The controller has a first voltage with a first polarity, a second voltage with a second polarity, and one or more first electrodes 422, one or more first electrodes 424, one. Alternatively, it may be configured to apply grounding to a plurality of third electrodes 426 and one or more third electrodes 428. In some embodiments, the one or more first electrodes 422 are a first voltage having a first polarity, a second voltage having a second polarity, or one or more first electrodes. It may be connected to a first voltage source to apply grounding to the electrode 422. One or more second electrodes 424 apply grounding to a first voltage having a first polarity, a second voltage having a second polarity, or one or more second electrodes 424. Can be connected to a second voltage source to do so. One or more third electrodes 426 apply grounding to a first voltage having a first polarity, a second voltage having a second polarity, or one or more third electrodes 426. To be connected to a third voltage source. One or more fourth electrodes 428 apply grounding to a first voltage having a first polarity, a second voltage having a second polarity, or one or more fourth electrodes 428. To be connected to a fourth voltage source. In alternating arrangements, every four electrodes are connected to the same voltage source.

The dual grid shown in FIG. 4 can be provided with multiple voltage polarity settings such as a number of bipolar and unipolar configurations. The attractive force for the substrate and / or mask can be adjusted with a high degree of flexibility.

5A-5C show the voltage polarity settings according to the embodiments described herein. The voltage polarity setting can be implemented using, for example, the electrode arrangements shown in FIGS. 1-4.

FIG. 5A shows switching between two bipolar voltage polarity settings. Specifically, switching between the fine grid 501 (left side of FIG. 5A) and the wide grid 502 (right side of FIG. 5A) is shown. The illustrated switching can be achieved using, for example, the electrode arrangements of FIGS. 1A, 1B, 2 and 4.

As an example, the electrode arrangement may include one or more first electrodes, one or more second electrodes, one or more third electrodes, and one or more fourth electrodes. .. The electrodes can be arranged alternately. As shown on the left side of FIG. 5A, the controller applies a first voltage (eg, having positiveness) to one or more first electrodes and one or more third electrodes. Can be configured as The controller further applies a second voltage (eg, having a negative electrode property) to one or more second electrodes and one or more fourth electrodes to provide a first voltage polarity setting. Can be configured. Therefore, a fine grid 501 having alternating polarities is provided.

As shown on the right side of FIG. 5A, the controller applies a first voltage (eg, having positiveness) to one or more first electrodes and one or more second electrodes. Can be configured as The controller is configured to apply a second voltage (eg, having a negative electrode property) to one or more third electrodes and one or more fourth electrodes to provide a second voltage polarity setting. Can be done. Therefore, a wide grid 502 is provided and the pairs of electrodes adjacent to each other have alternating polarities.

The fine grid applies reduced force to the mask. While the mask can be aligned using the first voltage polarity setting, it is possible to prevent attractive forces from acting on the mask and causing unwanted contact with the substrate. By switching to the second voltage polarity setting, an increased force is applied to the mask, which allows the mask to be fixed to the substrate 10 in a aligned and stable manner. In addition, the attractive force on the substrate increases with the fineness of the grid. This makes it possible to operate finer structures at lower voltages.

Although not shown, the bipolar voltage polarity setting shown on the left side of FIG. 5A can be switched to the unipolar voltage polarity setting. As an example, the controller may be configured to apply only a first voltage or a second voltage to the electrode arrangement to provide a second voltage polarity setting (eg, left side of FIG. 5B).

According to some embodiments that can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the voltage level of at least a portion of the voltage applied to the electrode arrangement when switching between voltage polarity settings. Can be adjusted at the same time, for example. While changing the attractive force on the mask, the attractive force acting on the substrate and / or the mask can be adjusted to keep the attractive force on the substrate substantially the same for both voltage polarity settings.

FIG. 5B shows switching between two bipolar voltage polarity settings. Specifically, switching between the fine grid 501'(left side of FIG. 5B) and the wide grid 502' (right side of FIG. 5B) is shown. The shown switching can be achieved using, for example, the electrode arrangements of FIGS. 2 and 3.

As an example, the electrode arrangement may include one or more first electrodes and one or more second electrodes. The electrodes can be arranged alternately. As shown on the left side of FIG. 5B, the controller has a first voltage (eg, positive or negative) with one or more first electrodes and one or more second electrodes. Can be configured to provide one of the polarity settings. Therefore, a bipolar fine grid is provided.

For other voltage polarity settings, the controller transfers the first voltage to one or more first electrodes (or one or more second electrodes), as shown on the right side of FIG. 5B. It can be applied and configured to apply ground to one or more second electrodes (or one or more first electrodes). Therefore, a wide bipolar grid is provided.

FIG. 5C shows switching between the bipolar voltage polarity setting 501 ″ (left side of FIG. 5C) and the unipolar voltage polarity setting 502 ″ (right side of FIG. 5C). The illustrated switching can be achieved using, for example, the electrode arrangements of FIGS. 1 and 4.

As an example, the electrode arrangement may include one or more first electrodes and one or more second electrodes. The electrodes can be arranged alternately. As shown on the left side of FIG. 5C, the controller applies a first voltage (eg, having positiveness) to one or more first electrodes, and the first voltage (eg, having negativeness). The voltage of 2 is applied to one or more second electrodes to provide a first voltage polarity setting. Therefore, a bipolar grid having alternating polarities is provided.

As shown on the right side of FIG. 5C, the controller applies a first voltage (or second voltage) to one or more first electrodes or one or more second electrodes. , A second voltage polarity setting may be provided. The other electrode of the one or more first electrodes and the one or more second electrodes may be grounded. Therefore, a wide unipolar grid is provided.

FIG. 6 shows a schematic view of a system 600 for depositing layers on a substrate 10 according to an embodiment described herein.

The system 600 includes a vacuum chamber 602, one or more deposition material sources within the vacuum chamber 602, and a device 100 for holding the substrate 10 in the vacuum deposition process according to the embodiments described herein. The device 100 is configured to hold the substrate 10 during the vacuum deposition process. The system 600 may be configured, for example, for evaporation of organic material for the manufacture of OLED devices. In another embodiment, the system may be configured for CVD or PVD such as sputter deposition.

In some implementations, one or more material deposition sources 680 can be an evaporation source, especially for depositing one or more organic materials on a substrate to form a layer of an OLED device. It can be an evaporation source. For example, the device 100, which can be a substrate support or carrier for supporting the substrate 10 during the layer deposition process, is transported into the vacuum chamber 602 along a transport path, such as a linear transport path, to occlude the vacuum chamber. It can be transported to pass, especially through the sedimentary area.

An additional chamber may be provided next to the vacuum chamber 602, as shown in FIG. The vacuum chamber 602 can be separated from the adjacent chamber by a valve having a valve housing 604 and a valve unit 606. As indicated by the arrows, the valve unit 606 can be closed after the device 100 has been inserted into the vacuum chamber 602 along with the substrate 10. The atmosphere in the vacuum chamber 602 can be individually controlled, for example, by creating a technical vacuum with a vacuum pump connected to the vacuum chamber 602.

According to some embodiments, the device 100 and the substrate 10 are static or dynamic during the deposition of the deposit material. According to some embodiments described herein, a dynamic deposition process may be provided, for example, for the manufacture of OLED devices.

In some implementations, the system 600 may include one or more transfer paths extending through the vacuum chamber 602. The device 100 may be configured for transport along one or more transport paths, for example, through one or more material deposit sources 680. Although one transport path is illustrated by arrows in FIG. 6, it should be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to this and that two or more transport paths may be provided. As an example, at least two transport paths can be arranged substantially parallel to each other for transport of each carrier. One or more material deposit sources 680 can be placed between the two transport paths.

FIG. 7 shows a flow chart of a method 700 for holding a substrate according to the embodiment described in the present specification. The method may utilize the devices and systems according to the present disclosure.

The method comprises applying a first voltage polarity setting to the electrode arrangement in block 710 to apply a first attractive force acting on at least one of the substrate and the mask, and in block 720 the first A second voltage polarity setting different from the voltage polarity setting of is applied to the electrode arrangement to apply a second attractive force different from the first attractive force.

According to some embodiments, the method 700 aligns the mask with respect to the substrate while applying the first voltage polarity setting and / or applies the second voltage polarity setting. It further includes holding the substrate and mask while doing so. In some implementations, method 700 involves holding the substrate in a substantially vertical orientation.

According to the embodiments described herein, the method for holding the substrate is communicable with computer programs, software, computer software products, and corresponding components of the device for processing large area substrates. It can be implemented using interrelated controllers that may have a CPU, memory, user interface, and input / output devices.

In the present disclosure, electrode arrangements such as grids that can be switched between at least two different voltage polarity settings that apply various attractive forces acting on the substrate and / or mask are used. As an example, the first voltage polarity setting can apply a strong force on the substrate and a small force can be applied on the mask (or the mask so that the mask can be aligned with respect to the substrate). In some cases, no force is applied to.) By switching from the first voltage polarity setting to the second voltage polarity setting, more force can be applied to the mask, which allows both the substrate and the mask to be fixedly held by the substrate support. it can. Thus, for example, during the vacuum deposition process, the substrate and optional mask can be reliably held in a precisely aligned orientation. Further, since the E-chuck incorporates the function of the magnet plate, it is not necessary to provide the magnet plate.

Although the above description is intended for the embodiments of the present disclosure, other embodiments and further embodiments of the present disclosure may be devised without departing from the basic scope of the present disclosure, and the scope of the present disclosure. Is determined by the following claims.

Claims (15)

A device for holding a substrate in a vacuum deposition process.
Support surface,
An electrode arrangement having a plurality of electrodes configured to exert an attractive force acting on at least one of the substrate and the mask, and a first voltage polarity setting and a second voltage polarity setting different from the first voltage polarity setting. A controller configured to apply the voltage polarity setting of the above to the electrode arrangement, the controller configured to switch between the first voltage polarity setting and the second voltage polarity setting. Equipment equipped. The controller is configured to selectively apply at least one of a first voltage having a first polarity, a second voltage having a second polarity, and grounding to the plurality of electrodes. The device according to claim 1. The plurality of electrodes include one or more first electrodes and one or more second electrodes, and the controller has a first voltage having a first polarity and a second polarity. The device according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the voltage of 2 and grounding to the one or more first electrodes and the one or more second electrodes are applied. The plurality of electrodes further include one or more third electrodes and one or more fourth electrodes, and the controller has a first voltage having a first polarity and a second polarity. The device according to claim 3, wherein a second voltage and grounding to the one or more third electrodes and the one or more fourth electrodes are applied. The controller applies the first voltage to the one or more first electrodes and the second voltage or ground to the one or more second electrodes. The device according to claim 3 or 4, which is configured to provide the voltage polarity setting of. The controller applies the first voltage to at least one of the one or more first electrodes and the one or more second electrodes to set the second voltage polarity. The device according to claim 5, which is configured to be provided. The controller is configured to apply the first voltage to the one or more first electrodes and the one or more third electrodes, and the controller applies the second voltage to the second voltage. The apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the first voltage polarity setting is applied to one or more second electrodes and the one or more fourth electrodes. The controller is configured to apply the first voltage to the one or more first electrodes and the one or more second electrodes, and the controller applies the second voltage to the second electrode. The apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the second voltage polarity setting is provided by applying to one or more third electrodes and the one or more fourth electrodes. The device of claim 7, wherein the controller is configured to apply only the first voltage or the second voltage to the electrode arrangement to provide the second voltage polarity setting. The one or more first electrodes and the one or more second electrodes are alternately arranged, or the one or more first electrodes, the one or more second electrodes. The apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, wherein the electrodes, the one or more third electrodes, and the one or more fourth electrodes are alternately arranged. The attractive force includes a first substrate attractive force and a first mask attractive force for setting the first voltage polarity, and a second substrate attractive force and a second mask attractive force for setting the second voltage polarity. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the second mask attractive force is different from the first mask attractive force. A system for depositing layers on a substrate,
Vacuum chamber,
The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11 in the vacuum chamber and one or more deposit material sources in the vacuum chamber so as to hold the substrate during the vacuum deposition process. A system that includes equipment configured in. A method for holding a substrate,
Applying the first voltage polarity setting to the electrode arrangement to apply a first attractive force acting on at least one of the substrate and the mask.
A method comprising applying a second voltage polarity setting different from the first voltage polarity setting to the electrode arrangement and applying a second attractive force different from the first attractive force. Aligning the mask with respect to the substrate while applying the first voltage polarity setting
13. The method of claim 13, further comprising holding at least one of the substrate and the mask while applying the second voltage polarity setting. 13. The method of claim 13 or 14, further comprising holding the substrate in a substantially vertical orientation.

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