KR101097737B1 - Apparatus for depositing film and method for depositing film and system for depositing film - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention is provided between a chamber for providing a reaction space, a first and a second substrate holder and the first and second substrate holders spaced apart from each other in the chamber and sequentially in the direction of the first and second substrate holders. The present invention provides a thin film deposition apparatus including a deposition source for supplying a deposition raw material, a thin film deposition method suitable for the same, and a thin film deposition system having the same.

In the present invention, since a sequential thin film process can be performed on a plurality of process lines provided in each process chamber through one deposition source provided in each process chamber, cost reduction and productivity improvement can be simultaneously achieved. have.

Organic light emitting device, OLED, thin film deposition, inline method, in-line

Description

Thin film deposition apparatus, thin film deposition method and thin film deposition system {APPARATUS FOR DEPOSITING FILM AND METHOD FOR DEPOSITING FILM AND SYSTEM FOR DEPOSITING FILM}

The present invention relates to a thin film deposition apparatus and a thin film deposition method, and more particularly to a thin film deposition apparatus and a thin film deposition method for forming a thin film on a substrate, the thin film deposition apparatus is connected to the thin film deposition system in an in-line (in-line) method It is about.

Unlike liquid crystal displays, organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) emit light by themselves and thus require no backlight, and thus consume less power. In addition, since the viewing angle is wide and the response speed is high, the display device using the same may implement an excellent image without problems of the viewing angle and afterimage.

Such an organic light emitting device is produced by laminating a multilayer thin film such as an organic film and a metal film on a glass substrate. Therefore, in the related art, a cluster method in which a plurality of unit chambers in which a series of unit processes are performed around a circular transfer chamber is mainly used, and a substrate transfer and device process in a state where a glass substrate is horizontally disposed between each chamber. This was configured to be done. This cluster method has the advantage of being able to proceed rapidly in a series of processes, there is an advantage that the exchange of the deposition mask (essential mask) is essential when manufacturing the organic light emitting device.

On the other hand, recently, a so-called three primary color independent pixel type organic layer in which blue (B), green (G) and red (R) emission layers are sequentially formed on a large-area substrate using a high-definition metal mask (FMM) is used. The light emitting element is attracting attention. Such three primary color independent pixel systems are known to have good color purity and light efficiency, and are advantageous in securing price competitiveness.

However, since the three primary color independent pixel methods must form the blue (B), green (G), and red (R) light emitting layers sequentially in the independent process chambers, the inline (in) in which the process chambers performing the respective unit processes are connected in series -line) method is suitable. Therefore, there is a need to convert the conventional cluster method to the inline method, the inline method has a lot of overlapping equipment compared to the cluster method is expensive to build the production line, there is a problem that the productivity is low due to the slow process speed.

In the conventional cluster method, the substrate is horizontally disposed to perform a thin film process (organic film deposition process), which causes severe deflection of the substrate, which causes considerable difficulty in fabricating the device. In addition, since the deposition mask for a large-area substrate has a load of several hundred kg or more, the deflection phenomenon of the substrate is more severe, causing serious problems such as breaking of the substrate.

The present invention has been proposed to solve the above problems, the thin film deposition apparatus that can achieve a high productivity by minimizing the process waiting time, such as processing a plurality of substrates in parallel, and the placement / alignment time of the substrate and the deposition mask And a thin film deposition method and a thin film deposition system.

In addition, the present invention provides a thin film deposition apparatus, a thin film deposition method, and a thin film deposition system that can reduce the construction cost of the production line by maximizing the common use of the overlapping equipment.

In addition, the present invention provides a thin film deposition apparatus, a thin film deposition method, and a thin film deposition system to overcome the deflection phenomenon of the substrate by placing the substrate in a vertical state to perform a thin film process.

A thin film deposition apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention, the chamber for providing a reaction space; First and second substrate holders spaced apart from each other in the chamber; And a deposition source installed between the first and second substrate holders and sequentially supplying deposition material toward the first and second substrate holders. .

Preferably, the first and second substrate holders support the substrate in a vertical state.

The first and second substrate holders preferably include a support for supporting the substrate and a clamp for fixing the substrate seated on the support.

Preferably, the first and second substrate holders further include a driving unit for standing the support in a vertical state or laying it in a horizontal state.

Preferably, the deposition source is rotatable between the first substrate holder and the second substrate holder.

The deposition source is preferably at least one of a point, linear and planar deposition source.

Preferably, the chamber is connected to a mask chamber for providing a deposition mask to each of the first and second substrate holders or for replacing the deposition mask.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a method of depositing a thin film includes: constructing first and second process lines in each of a plurality of chambers connected in series; Performing a unit process by introducing the first substrate transferred along the first process line into a specific chamber; Introducing a second substrate transferred along the second process line into the specific chamber while the unit process of the first substrate is performed to prepare in advance necessary for the unit process; And performing a unit process on a second substrate that has been prepared in advance when the first unit process is completed. It includes.

The first unit process includes supplying a raw material toward the first substrate using a deposition source, and the second unit process rotates the deposition source to supply the raw material toward the second substrate. It is preferred to include the step.

It is preferable that the said 1st, 2nd unit process vaporizes and supplies an organic material.

It is preferable to include the step of withdrawing the first substrate in a specific chamber while the unit process of the second substrate is performed.

It is preferable to arrange | position and convey the said 1st, 2nd board | substrate in a horizontal state.

It is preferable to arrange | position and convey the said 1st, 2nd board | substrate in a vertical state.

It is preferable to perform the unit process by arranging the first and second substrates in a vertical state.

The preliminary preparation preferably includes at least one of aligning the second substrate to a predetermined position and arranging and arranging a deposition mask on the second substrate.

A thin film deposition system according to another aspect of the present invention, a plurality of chambers connected in series; And first and second process lines formed in the plurality of chambers. And a first substrate holder constituting the first process line in at least one of the plurality of chambers; A second substrate holder constituting the second process line and spaced apart from the first substrate holder; A deposition source installed between the first and second substrate holders and supplying a deposition material; Is provided.

Preferably, the deposition source is rotatable between the first substrate holder and the second substrate holder.

The deposition source is preferably at least one of a point, linear and planar deposition source.

The plurality of chambers preferably include a plurality of process chambers for performing unit processes and a plurality of buffer chambers connected between the plurality of process chambers.

Preferably, a plurality of process chambers are connected to a mask chamber for providing a deposition mask or for replacing a deposition mask.

Since the present invention can perform a sequential thin film process for a plurality of process lines provided in each process chamber through one deposition source provided in each process chamber, cost reduction and productivity improvement can be simultaneously achieved.

In addition, the present invention can reduce the waiting time by performing substrate transfer and substrate / mask alignment on the substrate of the other process line while the thin film process is performed on the substrate of one process line, thereby further improving productivity. .

In addition, in the present invention, since the substrate is disposed in a horizontal state during substrate transfer, the substrate is less likely to break during substrate transfer, and the substrate is disposed in a vertical state during the thin film process, so that the substrate is less likely to sag and thus device manufacturing is easy.

Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, but will be implemented in various forms, and only the embodiments are intended to complete the disclosure of the present invention, and the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. It is provided for complete information. Like reference numerals in the drawings refer to like elements.

1 is a plan view showing a thin film deposition system according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a plan view showing a part of the chamber in the thin film deposition system of FIG.

1 and 2, in a thin film deposition system, a plurality of unit chambers 200 and 600 are in-line connected between a front loading chamber 110 and a rear unloading chamber 120. It is configured in an in-line manner. In this case, each of the unit chambers 200 and 600 is provided with two rows of process lines PL1 and PL2, and preliminary preparation for the second process line PL2 is performed while the unit process for the first process line PL1 is performed. The unit process for the second process line PL2 row may be continuously performed.

The loading chamber 110 serves to receive the substrate G, which has completed a predetermined preliminary process, under atmospheric pressure, and input the same into the vacuum process chamber 210. The unloading chamber 120 performs a series of unit processes. The substrate G receives the finished substrate G from the process chamber 263 and serves to take it out to atmospheric pressure for the subsequent process. Thus, the loading chamber 110 and the unloading chamber 120 are configured to switch between the atmospheric pressure state and the vacuum state. In addition, although not shown, the loading chamber 110 and the unloading chamber 120 may be connected with a substrate carrying means such as a robot arm and a substrate loading means such as a substrate cassette.

The plurality of unit chambers 200 and 600 include a plurality of process chambers 210, 220, 230, 240, 250, 260 and 260 that perform unit processes and a plurality of buffer chambers 610, 620 and 600 connected therebetween. In this case, the buffer chamber 600 provides a temporary space where the substrate G temporarily stays for the process atmosphere. In addition, each of the process chambers 200 is connected to one side of a first mask chamber 310 for supplying a first deposition mask M1 to a first process line PL1, and a second process line PL2. The second mask chamber 320 supplying the second deposition mask M2 is connected to the other side. The first and second mask chambers 310 and 320 store deposition masks M1 and M2 to be used or replaced in the thin film process. Of course, since the first and second mask chambers 310 and 320 may be used in common, only one common mask chamber may be connected to each of the process chambers 200. Also, some of the unit chambers may be connected to a feeder 410 for supplying a raw material to the deposition source 540.

The plurality of process chambers 200 are configured to perform a series of device processes on the substrate G. For example, in the present embodiment, a hole injection layer (HIL), a hole transport layer (HTL), an emitting material layer (EML), and an electron are formed on a substrate G on which an anode is formed from the outside. It is configured to form an organic light emitting device in which a transport layer (ETL), an electron injection layer (EIL), and a cathode are sequentially stacked. To this end, the hole injection layer forming chamber 210, the hole transport layer forming chamber 220, the light emitting layer forming chamber 230, the electron transport layer forming chamber 240, the electron injection layer forming chamber 250, and the cathode forming chamber 260. Are connected in line. In this case, the light emitting layer forming chamber 230 may further include blue (B), green (G), and red (R) light emitting layer forming chambers 231, 232, and 233, and the cathode forming chamber 260 may include a cathode. A plurality of cathode formation chambers 261, 262, and 263 may be further included to form a multilayer structure.

Each one of the process chambers 210, 220, 230, 240, 250, and 260 is manufactured in a rectangular box shape, and a predetermined reaction space for processing the substrate G is provided therein. In addition, each of the process chambers 200 is provided with a first substrate inlet 511a, a first substrate holder 520, and a first substrate outlet 512a along the first process line. The second substrate inlet 511b, the second substrate holder 530, and the second substrate outlet 512b are provided. In this case, the first and second substrate inlets 511a and 511b are formed to be spaced apart from each other on one sidewall of the process chamber 200, and the first and second substrate outlets 512a and 512b are mutually opposite to the other sidewall. It is formed spaced apart. Here, the substrate inlets 511a and 511b and the substrate outlets 512a and 512b may be configured as slit valves.

Each of the first and second substrate holders 520 and 530 has a support 521 for supporting the rear surfaces of the substrates G1 and G2, and a clamp provided at the support 521 to fix the substrates G1 and G2. 522 and a driving unit (not shown) for standing the support 521 in a vertical state or lying in a horizontal state. Unlike the present exemplary embodiment, when the substrates G1 and G2 are carried in the process chambers 210, 220, 230, 240, 250, and 260 in a vertical state, the driving unit may be omitted.

Temperature control means 523 may be provided inside or under the support 521 so that the substrates G1 and G2 mounted on the support 521 may be maintained at a temperature suitable for performing a process. Here, the temperature control means 523 may be composed of a combination of at least one of cooling means for cooling the substrates G1 and G2 and heating means for heating the substrates G1 and G2. In this embodiment, the reactivity with the deposition material deposited on the upper surfaces of the substrates G1 and G2 is improved by maintaining the temperature of the substrates G1 and G2 at the process temperature by using the cooling means.

The clamp 522 holds the edges of the substrates G1 and G2 so as to convert the substrates G1 and G2 in the horizontal state mounted on the support 521 to the vertical state, or vice versa. When the G2) is converted to the vertical state, the substrates G1 and G2 are prevented from moving. In the present embodiment, the deposition masks M1 and M2 having a predetermined deposition pattern are disposed on the substrates G1 and G2 to regulate the thin film patterns formed on the substrates G1 and G2. Accordingly, the clamp 522 is preferably configured to fix the substrates G1 and G2 and the deposition masks M1 and M2 on the support 521.

The first and second substrate holders 520 and 530 are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance on the same horizontal plane, and the substrate holders 530 and 520 of the opposite substrate holders 530 and 520 may be rotated in a vertical state or a horizontal state. It is spaced beyond the distance that does not interfere with one).

The deposition source 540 is provided between the first and second substrate holders 520 and 530 spaced apart by a predetermined distance. The deposition source 540 is disposed to face one of the substrates (G1 and G2) which are converted to the vertical state for the deposition process, and is in a vaporized state on the opposite surface of the substrate G, that is, toward the deposition surface. It serves to supply raw materials. At this time, although not shown, the deposition source 540 has a crucible in which the raw material is stored, a heating part for vaporizing the raw material, and an injection part for spraying the vaporized raw material, and has a point-type according to process conditions. Any suitable type, line-type, and plane-type deposition source 540 may be used. The present embodiment uses a linear deposition source 540 in which a plurality of point deposition sources 541 and 542 are arranged in a linear manner. The linear deposition source 540 reciprocates left and right by a reciprocating driving member, and the substrates G1 and G2. The raw material is uniformly supplied (injected) to the entire area of the

In particular, the deposition source 540 of this embodiment rotates the spraying direction by 180 degrees with respect to the first substrate holder 520 to spray the raw material toward the second substrate holder 530, or vice versa. And to spray the raw material toward the first substrate holder 520. Accordingly, even if two rows of process lines are formed in a single chamber, both processes may be performed using one deposition source 540.

A thin film deposition process using the thin film deposition system configured as described above will be briefly described with reference to FIG. 1.

First, the substrate G on which the anode is formed through the preceding process is introduced into the loading chamber 110 at atmospheric pressure, and the inside of the loading chamber 110 is converted into a vacuum state. Subsequently, the substrate G is sequentially introduced into the process chambers 210, 220, 230, 240, 250, and 260 which perform a series of unit processes along alternately selected first and second process lines. That is, the substrate G is sequentially introduced into the hole injection layer forming chamber 210, the hole transport layer forming chamber 220, and the light emitting layer forming chambers 23, 232, and 233 in a vacuum state. Accordingly, the hole injection layer, the hole transport layer, and the light emitting layer are sequentially formed on the anode of the substrate G. Thereafter, the electron transport layer forming chamber 240, the electron injection layer forming chamber 250, and the cathode forming chambers 261, 262, and 263 are sequentially input. As a result, an electron transporting layer, an electron injection layer, and a multilayer cathode are formed on the light emitting layer of the substrate G, thereby producing an organic light emitting device. Subsequently, the substrate G is drawn into the unloading chamber 120 and drawn out from the atmospheric pressure.

In the thin film deposition process, the substrate G may be transferred in a vertical state or a horizontal state. However, when the substrate transfer is performed in the horizontal state, a process of converting the substrate G in the horizontal state to the vertical state is required in each of the process chambers 210, 220, 230, 240, 250, and 260. Hereinafter, a process of performing a unit process by converting the substrate G in a horizontal state to a vertical state will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 3 to 8. 3 to 8 are plan views illustrating a unit process of a thin film deposition system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 3, the first substrate G1 horizontally conveyed along the first process line is introduced into the process chamber 200 through the first substrate inlet 511a, and the first substrate G1 introduced is horizontal. It is mounted on the support of the first substrate holder 520 disposed in a state. Subsequently, a first deposition mask M1 is provided from the first mask chamber 310 connected to the process chamber 200, and the provided first deposition mask (see M1 in FIG. 4) is disposed on the first substrate G1. To be aligned. Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 4, when the clamp 522 of the first substrate holder 520 fixes the first substrate G1 and the first deposition mask M1 on the upper surface thereof, the first substrate holder 520 is 90 degrees. It is also rotated to switch to the vertical state. Accordingly, the outer surface of the first substrate G1 and the spraying direction of the deposition source 540 face each other, and the raw material in the vaporized state is sprayed onto the outer surface of the first substrate G1 through the deposition source 540. The first thin film process for the first substrate G1 is performed.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, the second substrate G2 horizontally conveyed along the second process line may be processed through the second substrate inlet 511b simultaneously with or after the first substrate G1. ) Is drawn inside. The retracted second substrate G2 is mounted on the support of the second substrate holder 530 disposed in a horizontal state, and the second substrate G2 is supplied from the second mask chamber 320 connected to the process chamber on the second substrate G2. 2 deposition masks (see M2 in FIG. 6) are placed and aligned. Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 6, when the clamp 512 of the second substrate holder 530 fixes the second substrate G2 and the second deposition mask M2 on the upper surface thereof, the second substrate holder 530 may be 90 degrees. It is also rotated to switch to the vertical state. In this case, it is preferable to perform the arrangement / alignment process of the second substrate G2 and the arrangement / alignment process of the second deposition mask M2 during the first thin film process. Therefore, the process waiting time can be shortened and productivity can be improved.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 7, when the first thin film process is completed, the spraying direction of the deposition source 540 is rotated 180 degrees based on the first substrate holder 520. Accordingly, when the outer surface of the second substrate G2 and the spray direction of the deposition source 540 face each other, the raw material in the vaporized state is sprayed onto the outer surface of the second substrate G2 through the deposition source 540. The second thin film process for the second substrate G2 is performed. Meanwhile, as shown in FIG. 8, while the second thin film process is performed, the first substrate holder 520 is returned to its original horizontal state, and the first deposition mask M1 is separated from the first substrate G1. Thereafter, the first substrate G1 is drawn out through the first substrate outlet 512a and then introduced into the subsequent chamber. On the other hand, after the first and second thin film processes are completed, the first and second deposition masks M1 and M2 separated from the first and second substrates G1 and G2 stay in the corresponding chamber and move to the next thin film process. In the case of replacement factors such as contamination or damage caused by long-term use, they are transferred to the first and second mask chambers 310 and 320 and taken out into the atmosphere. Thereafter, the first and second deposition masks M1 and M2 are reused through operations such as cleaning and repair. Of course, the first and second mask chambers 310 and 320 may be provided with a plurality of extra deposition masks to be used for the replacement of the deposition masks used.

As described above, the thin film processing system according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention is connected to a plurality of process lines PL1 and PL2 provided in each process chamber 210, 220, 230, 240, 250, and 260 through one deposition source 540 provided in each process chamber 210, 220, 230, 240, 250, 260. Since a continuous thin film process can be performed for the above, cost reduction and productivity improvement can be simultaneously achieved. In addition, while the thin film process is performed on the substrate G1 of one process line PL1, the substrate transfer and substrate / mask alignment of the substrate G2 of the other process line PL2 may be performed to reduce the waiting time. Therefore, productivity can be further improved.

The present invention has been described above with reference to the above-described embodiments and the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited thereto and is defined by the following claims. Therefore, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be variously modified and modified without departing from the technical spirit of the following claims.

1 is a plan view showing a thin film deposition system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing some chambers in the thin film deposition system of FIG. 1. FIG.

3 to 8 are plan views illustrating a unit process of a thin film deposition system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

<Explanation of symbols for the main parts of the drawings>

110: loading chamber 120: unloading chamber

200: process chamber 310,320: mask chamber

511: substrate inlet 512: substrate outlet

520,530: substrate holder 521: support

522: clamp 523: temperature control means

600: buffer chamber 410: fuel supply device

G: Substrate M: Mask

PL: process line

Claims (20)

A chamber providing a reaction space; First and second substrate holders spaced apart from each other in the chamber; And A deposition source installed between the first and second substrate holders to sequentially supply the deposition raw material toward the first and second substrate holders and to be rotatable between the first and second substrate holders; Thin film deposition apparatus comprising a. The method according to claim 1, And the first and second substrate holders support the substrate in a vertical state. The method according to claim 2, The first and second substrate holders, A support for supporting a substrate; And A clamp for fixing a substrate seated on the support; Thin film deposition apparatus comprising a. The method of claim 3, The first and second substrate holders, A driving unit for standing the support in a vertical state or lying in a horizontal state; Thin film deposition apparatus further comprising. delete In claim 1, The deposition source is a thin film deposition apparatus is at least one of a point, linear and planar deposition source. The method according to claim 1, In the chamber, And a mask chamber connected to each of the first and second substrate holders or to replace a deposition mask. Constructing first and second process lines in each of the plurality of chambers connected in series; Performing a unit process by introducing the first substrate transferred along the first process line into a specific chamber; Introducing a second substrate transferred along the second process line into the specific chamber while the unit process of the first substrate is performed to prepare in advance necessary for the unit process; And Performing a unit process on a second substrate that has been prepared in advance when the first unit process is completed; Thin film deposition method comprising a. In claim 8, The first unit process may include supplying a raw material toward the first substrate by using a deposition source; Including, The second unit process may include supplying a raw material toward the second substrate by rotating the deposition source; Thin film deposition method comprising a. In claim 9, The first and second unit processes are thin film deposition method for supplying the vaporized organic material. In claim 8, Withdrawing the first substrate from a specific chamber while the unit process of the second substrate is performed; Thin film deposition method comprising a. In claim 8, And depositing the first and second substrates in a horizontal state. In claim 8, And depositing the first and second substrates in a vertical state. In claim 8, And depositing the first and second substrates in a vertical state to perform a unit process. In claim 8, The above preparation is Aligning the second substrate to a predetermined position; And Placing and aligning a deposition mask on the second substrate; Thin film deposition method comprising at least one of. A plurality of chambers connected in line; And First and second process lines formed in the plurality of chambers; Including, In at least one of the plurality of chambers, A first substrate holder constituting the first process line; A second substrate holder constituting the second process line and spaced apart from the first substrate holder; And A deposition source installed between the first and second substrate holders to supply deposition raw materials, the deposition source being rotatable between the first substrate holder and the second substrate holder; The thin film deposition system is provided. delete In claim 16, The deposition source is a thin film deposition system of at least one of a point, linear and planar deposition source. In claim 16, The plurality of chambers, A plurality of process chambers for performing unit processes; And A plurality of buffer chambers coupled between the plurality of process chambers; Thin film deposition system comprising a. In claim 19, In the plurality of process chambers, A thin film deposition system to which a mask chamber for providing a deposition mask or for replacing a deposition mask is connected.

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