KR101471002B1 - Apparatus and method for treating substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a plasma processing apparatus including a chamber portion having an inner space, an upper support member disposed inside the chamber portion and supporting an upper substrate, and a lower support member disposed opposite to the upper support member and supporting the lower substrate, And an auxiliary pressing portion arranged along the edge and pressing the edge of at least one of the upper substrate and the lower substrate. The present invention also relates to a substrate processing method capable of further pressing the substrate edge.
Therefore, the edges of the substrates bonded to each other can be stably bonded together by such a substrate bonding method. Further, even if the flatness of the substrate support supporting the substrate is somewhat poor, the entire substrate can be uniformly adhered by the additional pressing.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention [0001] The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus,

The present invention relates to a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method, and more particularly, to a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method capable of stably coupling a plurality of substrates.

A typical flat panel display is manufactured by laminating a pair of flat substrates. For example, an organic light emitting diode (OLED) display device is manufactured by bonding an upper substrate having a plurality of thin film transistors, an organic light emitting layer, an electrode, and the like to a lower substrate serving as a capping layer. The substrate cohesive apparatus for attaching the upper substrate and the lower substrate as described above includes an upper chuck for supporting the upper substrate and a lower chuck disposed opposite to the upper chuck for supporting the lower substrate. Here, the upper chuck and the lower chuck include plate-like supports, vacuum holes for imparting attraction force to the supports, or various types of adsorption members. The apparatus may further include a lift member installed to penetrate through the support to move the substrate supported by the support and move up and down. And the support is connected to the actuator and can move up and down.

The process of attaching the upper substrate and the lower substrate using the substrate bonding apparatus is as follows. First, the upper substrate and the lower substrate are supported on the upper chuck and the lower chuck. At this time, the upper substrate is supported by the attraction force given to the upper chuck and the lower chuck. Then, a bonding member such as a sealant is applied to the edge of the lower substrate. Thereafter, the upper chuck and the lower chuck are raised and lowered to join the upper substrate and the lower substrate. When the upper substrate and the lower substrate are attached to each other, the attraction force of the upper chuck is released, so that the upper substrate supported on the upper chuck is positioned on the lower substrate. When the adhesion between the upper substrate and the lower substrate is completed, the upper substrate and the lower substrate are separated from the lower chuck. To this end, the lift member is raised so that one end of the lift member protrudes to the upper side of the lower chuck. As the lift member is lifted with supporting the lower substrate, the upper substrate and the lower substrate mutually bonded are separated from the lower chuck.

However, in the case of the above substrate bonding method, when the upper and lower substrates are not supported flatly on each support, that is, when the flatness is poor, there is a problem that the substrates are not uniformly adhered to each other. That is, depending on the position of the substrates to be coupled, there is a problem that the degree of adhesion is different. Further, there is a problem that the upper and lower chucks need to be frequently controlled to control the upper and lower chucks in order to support the upper and lower substrates flatly, which leads to a longer process time and lower productivity. In particular, this problem occurs more severely at the edges of the substrates. If the substrates are not uniformly adhered to each other, adverse affects are also exerted on subsequent processes.

Patent Publication No. 2003-77081

The present invention provides a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method capable of uniformly laminating substrates.

The present invention provides a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method capable of reducing the influence of the flatness of the substrate support.

The present invention provides a substrate processing apparatus and a substrate processing method capable of precisely adjusting the degree of adhesion of substrates.

A substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a chamber portion having an inner space; An upper support disposed within the chamber portion to support the upper substrate; And at least one of the upper support and the lower support is arranged along an edge, and the edge of at least one of the upper substrate and the lower substrate As shown in Fig.

A plurality of auxiliary pressing portions may be provided and a part of the auxiliary pressing portions may be disposed at a corner of at least one of the upper support and the lower support and the auxiliary pressing portions are respectively installed on the upper support and the lower support, And can be arranged facing up and down. In addition, a plurality of auxiliary pressing portions may be provided, and the auxiliary pressing portions may be disposed for each unit element formed on the upper substrate and the lower substrate.

Wherein the auxiliary pressing portion includes a moving member that moves by gas injection and exhaustion and the auxiliary pressing portion has an exposed region exposed by at least one of a lower surface of the upper support and an upper surface of the lower support, The exposed region may include a pad made of a material softer than metal. The auxiliary pressurizing portion may include a stretchable member having an opening that is retractable and expandable and connected to the gas piping portion, and a moving member that moves by stretching and contracting the stretchable member.

Here, the elastic member may include a diaphragm which forms a space therein, the movable member may include a frame which is in contact with a lower portion of the elastic member, and a pad which is provided on an exposed surface of the frame and is more flexible than the frame And the elastic member may include an outer cap surrounding the diaphragm and expandable and contractible in the vertical direction. In addition, the elastic member and the moving member may be installed continuously in the thickness direction inside at least one of the upper support and the lower support, and the elastic member may be connected to the gas injection pipe and the gas exhaust pipe.

A substrate supporting apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is an apparatus for supporting a substrate, comprising: a substrate support for supporting the substrate; And at least a part of which is disposed along the edge of the substrate support and is provided inside the substrate support and includes a member that is expandable and contractible in the thickness direction of the substrate support.

The auxiliary pressing portion may include a stretchable member that is expandable and contractible and forms a space therein, and a moving member that is disposed at a lower portion of the stretchable member. The stretching member is connected to the gas piping, and the moving member may include a frame which is in contact with the lower portion of the elastic member, and a pad provided on the exposed surface of the frame and more flexible than the frame.

In addition, the stretching member is stretched and contracted by gas injection and exhaust, and the moving member can be moved in the thickness direction of the support by the elongation and contraction of the stretching member. Wherein the movable member has a horizontal cross-sectional area larger than a horizontal cross-sectional area of the elastic member, and a frame of the movable member extends to an outer side of the outer surface of the substrate, As shown in Fig. In addition, the exposed surface of the pad and the exposed surface of the frame may be on the same plane, or the pad may protrude to the outside of the frame.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a substrate processing method comprising: preparing an upper substrate and a lower substrate; Supporting the upper substrate on an upper support and supporting the lower substrate on a lower support; Closing the gap between the upper support and the lower support to couple the two substrates; Applying pressure from at least one of an upper portion and a lower portion of the combined substrate to press the edge of the combined substrate; And separating the bonded substrate from the upper support and the lower support.

The process of pressing the edge can pressurize at a plurality of positions along the edge of the combined substrate using a member that feeds gas to the auxiliary pressing portion and thereby extends, and after pressing with the auxiliary pressing portion, And exhausting the gas from the first and second portions. In addition, the pressing process may press a region where a bonding member formed between the upper substrate and the lower substrate is located.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the substrate edge can be further pressed when both substrates are bonded together. The edges of the substrates bonded to each other can be stably stuck together by such a substrate bonding method. Further, even if the flatness of the substrate support supporting the substrate is somewhat poor, the entire substrate can be uniformly adhered by the additional pressing.

The auxiliary pressurizing portion for applying the additional pressure can control the applied pressure precisely because the pressing force is controlled by adjusting the amount of gas to be injected or the flow rate. Thus, a pressure as much as necessary can be applied to the substrate.

In addition, the portion of the auxiliary pressing portion that is in contact with the substrate is made of a material that is more flexible than the other portion, and the surface bonding or the like on the substrate can be suppressed or prevented while performing the pressing process. The auxiliary pressing portion can be installed in various arrangements in the substrate support, and a uniform additional pressure can be applied to each element formed on the substrate.

Further, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the auxiliary pressing portion having a simple structure can be easily mounted on the support, and the reliability and productivity of the substrate bonding process can be improved.

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;
2 is a schematic plan view of a substrate support of an embodiment of the present invention.
3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the auxiliary pressing portion of the embodiment of the present invention.
4 is a partially enlarged plan view of a substrate support of an embodiment of the present invention.
5 is a conceptual view showing a gas piping connection in an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is a conceptual diagram of a subordinate pressurizing portion arrangement of a modification of the present invention. FIG.
FIG. 7 is a conceptual diagram of a subordinate pressurizing portion arrangement of a modification of the present invention. FIG.
8 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of an auxiliary pressing portion in a modification of the present invention.
9 is a schematic sectional view showing a substrate processing operation of an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present invention may be embodied in many 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, It is provided to let you know. The drawings may be exaggerated in size to precisely illustrate embodiments of the present invention, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of a substrate support of an embodiment of the present invention. At this time, the substrate processing apparatus is a device for attaching the upper and lower substrates together.

1 and 2, the substrate processing apparatus includes a chamber portion 10 having an inner space, an upper support 20 disposed inside the chamber portion 10 to support the upper substrate S1, And at least one of the upper support 20 and the lower support 30 is arranged along the edge and the upper substrate S1 and lower And an auxiliary pressing portion 100 for pressing the edge of at least one of the substrates S2.

Here, the upper substrate S1 may be an element substrate having an OLED element formed thereon, and the lower substrate S2 may be a capping substrate for capping and protecting an element substrate. Further, the base material of each substrate may be a transparent material such as a glass panel. Of course, the substrate is not limited thereto, and may be a substrate constituting various devices and devices, and may be various materials. For example, it may be a liquid crystal element substrate constituting a liquid crystal display device and a color filter substrate.

The chamber section 10 includes an upper chamber 11 and a lower chamber 12 having a space for performing a joining and separating process of the upper substrate S1 and the lower substrate S2. At this time, it is effective that the upper chamber 11 and the lower chamber 12 are detachably coupled. Although not shown, the chamber section 10 may have separate pressure regulating means (not shown) for regulating the pressure in the chamber 100 and separate exhaust means (not shown) for exhausting the impurities have. Each of the upper chamber 11 and the lower chamber 12 is provided with a separate elevating member (not shown) for moving the upper chamber 11 and the lower chamber 12 upward and downward to raise and lower the upper chamber 11 or the lower chamber 12, The lower substrates S1 and S2 can be moved in and out of the chamber part 100. [ Of course, the chamber part 10 can be manufactured in various other ways than the above. For example, the chamber part may be formed of a chamber body forming a space therein and a chamber lid coupled to an upper part of the chamber body, or may be a single body chamber. In this case, an opening is formed in the chamber portion in which the substrate is carried in and out.

The upper support 20 is disposed inside the chamber 10 to support and fix the upper substrate S1. This upper support 20 can be manufactured in a shape corresponding to substrate formation. For example, when the substrate is a glass plate of a rectangular plate, the upper support 20 may be formed in a rectangular plate shape. The upper support 20 includes an attraction force portion mounted on the upper support 20 to support and fix the upper substrate S1. In the embodiment, a vacuum adsorption method is exemplified by the adsorption force part. That is, a plurality of vacuum holes 91 are provided on the substrate support table to support and fix the substrate by vacuum force. Needless to say, the adsorption unit is not limited to this, and any means may be used as long as it can support and fix the substrate. That is, the attraction force portion can be variously changed depending on the material and shape of the substrate S1. For example, an electrostatic chuck unit for supporting and fixing a substrate by using an electrostatic force as an attraction force unit may be used, or an adhesion unit for supporting and fixing a substrate by an adhesive force may be used. Although not shown, the upper support 20 may further include a lift pin (not shown) for assisting attachment and detachment of the upper substrate S1.

The upper driving unit 40 and 50 are connected to the upper supporting unit 20 to move the upper supporting unit 20 up and down. The upper driving units 40 and 50 include an upper driving shaft 40 connected to the upper support 20 and an upper driving unit 50 for applying power to the upper driving shaft 40. At this time, the upper drive shaft 40 is installed so as to penetrate a part of the chamber part 10. A sealing member (not shown), for example, a bellows may be mounted so as to surround the periphery of the upper drive shaft 40 in order to prevent seal failure of the chamber portion 10 by the upper drive shaft 40. [ Thus, the upper support member 20 can be lowered by using the upper driving units 40 and 50, so that the upper substrate S1 and the lower substrate S2 can be cemented together. Further, although not shown in the upper side driving unit, alignment means (not shown) for adjusting the position of the upper support 20 by moving the upper support 20 in X, Y and θ directions may be further provided. Therefore, the upper substrate S1 and the lower substrate S2 can be aligned by moving the upper support 20 in the X, Y, and θ directions using alignment means (not shown). The alignment means (not shown) may further include a separate camera (not shown) or a position sensor (not shown) for locating the lower substrate S2 and the upper substrate S1. The alignment means (not shown) may be installed on the lower support 30, which is opposed to the upper support 20.

The lower support 30 is disposed adjacent to an inner lower side of the chamber part 10 and serves to support and fix the lower substrate S2. Here, the lower support 30 is disposed opposite to the upper support 20. Since the lower support 30 is similar in most aspects to the upper support 20 described in detail above, a duplicate description will be omitted. The lower support 30 has an attraction force portion for supporting and fixing the substrate S2 and has a lift member such as a lift pin 80 for assisting attachment and detachment of the substrate. The lift pins 80 can move in the vertical direction through the pin through holes 81 formed in the support, and perform the function of attaching or detaching the substrate or the substrates positioned on the support to the support. A plurality of lift pins 80 are arranged at appropriate positions according to the size of the substrate, and are connected to a lift driving unit (not shown) for moving them upward and downward. Further, the lower driving unit 60 and 70 may be connected to the lower supporting unit 30 to move the lower supporting unit 30 up and down. Hereinafter, when the upper support 20 and the lower support 30 are not particularly distinguished, they are referred to as a substrate support, and when the upper substrate S1 and the lower substrate S2 are not particularly distinguished, they are referred to as substrates.

The auxiliary pressing portion 100 is mounted along the edge of at least one of the upper support 20 and the lower support 30 and presses the edge of at least one of the upper substrate S1 and the lower substrate S2. At least a part of the auxiliary pressing portion 100 is mounted inside the substrate supports 20 and 30 and is movable in the vertical direction to partially press the substrates S1 and S2. The auxiliary pressing portion 100 is disposed along the extending direction of the side at a position spaced inwardly from the edge of the substrate support 20 or 30, that is, the outer side of the substrate support 20 or 30. At this time, the spaced distance d1 is smaller than the distance d0 that the substrate is spaced from the outer side of the substrate support 20, 30 when the substrate is mounted on the substrate support 20, 30 4). From this, the auxiliary pressing portion 100 can be pressed while sufficiently covering the edge of the substrate.

As shown in FIGS. 2 and 6, a plurality of auxiliary pressing portions 100 may be provided, and some of them may be disposed at corner portions of at least one of the upper support 20 and the lower support 30 have. For example, a plurality of auxiliary pressing portions 100 may be arranged in the long side and the short side direction of the substrate supports 20 and 30, and some of them may be positioned at corner portions where the long side and short side are connected. From this, the auxiliary pressing portions 100 can uniformly press the edge of the substrate as a whole, and the corner portion of the substrate can be sufficiently pressed. As shown in FIG. 7, a plurality of auxiliary pressing portions 100 are provided and may be disposed for each unit element formed on the upper substrate S1 and the lower substrate S2. For example, when a plurality of unit elements are formed on the substrates S1 and S2, the auxiliary pressing portions 100 are disposed on the substrate supporting portions 20 and 30 corresponding to the edge regions of the respective elements, that is, . Further, the auxiliary pressing portion 100 is installed on the upper support 20 and the lower support 30, respectively, and they can be arranged facing up and down.

Further, the auxiliary pressing portion 100 may be connected to the piping portion 200 through which the gas passes, so that the gas can be injected or exhausted. The piping unit 200 will be described later in detail.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the auxiliary pressing portion in the embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 3A shows the auxiliary pressing portion in the reference state, and FIG. 3B shows the auxiliary pressing portion in the pressing state.

3A and 3B, the detailed structure of the auxiliary pressing portion 100 will be described in detail. At least a part of the auxiliary pressing portion 100 is provided inside the substrate supporting portions 20 and 30 and has a member that is expandable and contractible in the thickness direction of the substrate supporting portions 20 and 30. That is, the auxiliary pressing portion 100 includes a stretching member 120 which is expandable and contractible and forms a space therein, and a moving member 110 which is disposed below the stretching member 120. At this time, both the stretching member 120 and the moving member 110 may be installed in the substrate support 20, 30, or only the moving member 110 may be installed in the substrate support 20, 30. The auxiliary pressing portion 100 has an exposed region exposed to at least one of the lower surface of the upper support 20 and the upper surface of the lower support 30 and the exposed region is made of a material (Not shown).

The stretchable member 120 has a space formed therein and has an opening 124 that is extendable and retractable and connected to the gas piping portion 200. That is, the stretchable member 120 has a diaphragm 121 having an opening 124 in which a space is formed and one side is opened. When the gas is injected through the opening 124, the diaphragm 121 is expanded or expanded, and when the gas in the internal space is exhausted, the diaphragm 121 is contracted. At this time, the diaphragm 121 refers to a thin thin film having elasticity. For example, it can be made of natural rubber, synthetic rubber, metal plate or the like, and can be manufactured in various shapes. Here, the diaphragm 121 was formed into a cylindrical bag shape extending in the vertical direction. Of course, if the diaphragm 121 can move the movable member 120 to be described later, its shape and structure are not particularly limited. The diaphragm 121 is relatively free to be displaced and can be stretched and contracted repeatedly by using the bending, absorption characteristics, elasticity and the like.

In addition, the elastic member 120 includes an outer cap surrounding the diaphragm 121 and expandable and contractible in the vertical direction. That is, the outer cap includes a lower cap 122 surrounding the lower and side surfaces of the diaphragm 121, and an upper cap 123 surrounding at least a portion of the upper and lower caps 122 of the diaphragm 121. At this time, each cap may be formed in a shape and structure corresponding to the shape and size of the diaphragm 121. For example, when the diaphragm 121 is cylindrical, the lower cap 122 and the upper cap 123 are also manufactured in a cylindrical shape and are manufactured to have a size such that the diaphragm 121 can be inserted therein. At this time, a through hole is formed in the upper cap 123 at a position corresponding to the opening 124 of the diaphragm 121. The outer cap is installed so as to surround the diaphragm 121, and it is possible to control the expansion and contraction direction of the diaphragm 121. When the gas is not injected into the diaphragm 121, that is, in the reference state, the upper cap 123 is kept in contact with the lower cap 122 (Fig. When the gas is injected into the diaphragm 121, the diaphragm 121 expands or expands, and the distance between the lower cap 122 and the upper cap 123 is distanced by the expansion force, and the outer cap extends in the vertical direction. That is, since the outer cap is composed of the lower cap 122 and the upper cap 123, which are separate movable members, even when the diaphragm 121 expands in all directions, the movement of the lower cap 122 and the movement of the upper cap 123 And the whole stretchable member 120 is stretched in the vertical direction (Fig. 3B). At this time, the inner side walls of the substrate supports 20 and 30 on which the elastic members 120 are provided are also prevented from extending in the horizontal direction and are stretched in the vertical direction.

Further, the opening 124 of the elastic member 120 is connected to the gas piping portion 200. That is, the opening 124 is connected to a main pipe 210 through which gas is injected or exhausted. The main pipe 210 is connected to a gas injection pipe 220, And is connected to the gas exhaust pipe 230, which is a pipe to be exhausted. The gas injection pipe 220 and the gas exhaust pipe 230 may be provided with first and second control valves 221 and 231 for opening and closing a gas flow, respectively. The second control valve 231 is closed and the first control valve 221 is opened to inject the gas into the stretching member 120 through the gas injection pipe 220 and the main pipe 210 . Conversely, the first control valve 221 is closed and the second control valve 231 is opened to exhaust the gas from the inside of the elastic member 120 through the gas exhaust pipe 230 and the main pipe 210 have. Here, air or nitrogen (N 2) or various gases having low reactivity may be used as the gas furnace.

The gas piping unit 200 may be provided for each of the auxiliary pressing units 100, that is, for each of the elastic members 120 when a plurality of auxiliary pressing units 100 are provided, It can be installed by piping. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, when a plurality of auxiliary pressing portions 100 are provided on the substrate supports 20 and 30, the structure of the entire piping portion can be simplified by using a common piping. First, individual main pipes 211a to 211h directly connected to the respective auxiliary pressure units 100 are grouped and connected to two common main pipes 210a and 210b. The individual main pipes 211a to 211d are connected to the common main pipe 210a and the individual main pipes 211e to 211h are connected to the common main pipe 210b. The common main pipes 210a and 210b are connected to common injection pipes 220a and 220b and common exhaust pipes 230a and 230b, respectively. That is, the common main pipe 210a is connected to the common injection pipe 220a and the common exhaust pipe 230a, the common first control valve 221a is provided to the common injection pipe 220a, A common second control valve 231a is provided. The common main pipe 210b is connected to the common injection pipe 220b and the common exhaust pipe 230b and the common first control valve 221b is provided to the common injection pipe 220b. A common second control valve 231b is provided. Each common injection pipe 220a and 220b is connected to a gas supply source 222 and each common exhaust pipe 230a and 230b is connected to an exhaust means 232 such as a vacuum pump. From this, the common piping and the simple operation of the respective control valves can supply or exhaust the gas to the plurality of auxiliary pressurizing portions 100 together. That is, the common second control valves 231a and 231b are closed and the common first control valves 221a and 221b are opened to supply the gas through the common injection pipes 220a and 220b and the common main pipes 210a and 210b It is possible to flow all the individual main pipes 211a to 211h and to inject the gas into the plurality of elastic members. On the contrary, the common first control valves 221a and 221b are closed and the common second control valves 231a and 231b are opened to connect the common exhaust pipes 230a and 230b, the common main pipes 210a and 210b, 211a to 211h, the gas can be exhausted from the inside of the plurality of elastic members to the outside. Of course, it is also possible to operate each of the grouped piping portions, and operate the plurality of auxiliary pressing portions by group.

The movable member 110 is a member that moves as the gas is injected into or exhausted from the auxiliary pressing portion 100. Specifically, as the gas is injected into the elastic member 120 and expanded or exhausted, the movable member 110 is vertically Moving member. By moving the movable member 110 in the up-and-down direction (that is, in the vertical direction or the thickness direction of the support), it is possible to further press the substrates to be adhered. The movable member 110 is disposed in the thickness direction of at least one of the upper support and the lower support together with the elastic member 120 and is disposed in contact with the lower side of the elastic member 120. For example, the elastic members 120 may be disposed in the central region of the upper portion of the movable member 110, and the movable member 110 may extend in the lateral direction with respect to the central region. That is, the moving member 110 has a predetermined area in the horizontal direction so as to press the substrates S1 and S2, and the horizontal cross-sectional area of the moving member 110 is formed larger than the horizontal cross- . From this, the movable member 110 can press the substrates S1 and S2 with a large area by receiving a pressing force from the elastic member 120. [

The movable member 110 includes a frame 111 that contacts the lower portion of the elastic member 120 and a pad 112 that is provided on the exposed surface of the frame 111 and is more flexible than the frame 111. At this time, the frame 111 may be made of a metal or the like having a relatively rigid material. Aluminum and the like can be used. Grooves may be formed in the frame 111 in the inward direction and the pads 112 may be mounted in the grooves. The pad 112 may be made of a relatively soft and resilient material. For example, silicone rubber, Teflon, and other rubber materials may be used. The pad 112 may be installed at a height equal to or slightly higher than the exposed surface of the frame 111. That is, the exposed surface of the pad 112 and the exposed surface of the frame 111 may be on the same plane, or the pad 112 may protrude somewhat outwardly of the frame 111. The pad 112 is a member for pressing the substrates S1 and S2 in direct contact with the substrates S1 and S2 and is made of a flexible material so that even if the substrates S1 and S2 come into contact with the substrates S1 and S2, It does not cause defects. Although the square pads 112 are mounted on both sides of the center of the frame 111 in the drawing, the structure, shape, and number of the pads 112 are not limited as long as the pads 112 can sufficiently press the substrates S1 and S2. As shown in FIG. 4, the frame 111 extends to the outside of the outer side of the substrates S1 and S2, and the pad 112 can be disposed inside the outer sides of the substrates S1 and S2. The pads 112 may be disposed corresponding to the positions of the joining members, that is, the sealing members a formed on the substrates S1 and S2.

This moving member 110 is located inside the substrate support in a reference state in which gas is not injected into the elastic member 120 (see FIG. 3A). When the gas is injected into the stretching member 120, the stretching member 120 is stretched or expanded, and the stretching member 120 pushes the moving member 110 downward, and the moving member 110 moves downward And protrudes outside the substrate supports 20 and 30 to press the substrate (see FIG. 3B). At this time, a space e may be formed between the inner upper surface of the substrate supports 20 and 30 and the moving member 120 by the movement of the moving member 120. In the drawings, the movable member 110 is illustrated as moving in the downward direction, but it varies according to the arrangement direction of the substrate support on which the auxiliary pressing portion 100 is installed. That is, when the auxiliary pressing portion 100 is installed on the lower support, the movable member 110 protrudes from the lower support and moves upward.

A concave groove or a through hole is formed in the substrate support 20 or 30 in the thickness direction in order to install the above-described elastic member 120 and the moving member 110 on the substrate support 20 or 30. For example, a groove having a space formed in the substrate supports 20 and 30 according to the sizes of the stretching member 120 and the moving member 110 is manufactured, and the stretching member 120 and the moving member 110 are inserted into the groove . At this time, the inner wall of the groove or hole prevents the elastic member 120 from expanding in the horizontal direction, and induces the elastic member 120 to expand in the vertical direction. The substrate support rods 20 and 30 are formed with openings that are connected to the concave grooves or the through holes so that the gas piping portion 200 and the elastic member 120 can be connected to each other. Of course, a sealing member may be provided at a position where sealing is required in the installation of each member.

Although the elastic member having the outer cap and the moving member having the plurality of pads have been described above, the auxiliary pressing portion can be variously changed. For example, as shown in Fig. 8, the elastic member may be formed only of the diaphragm 121 without a separate outer cap, and the direction of expansion and contraction of the diaphragm is controlled by the inner walls of the substrate supports 20 and 30. At this time, the elastic member may be a single member or a shape in which a plurality of members are combined. In addition, the movable member may be mounted on the entire surface of the lower portion of the frame 111 with the pads 112. Of course, one pad may be mounted on a part of the lower surface of the frame 111.

Hereinafter, a substrate processing method, that is, a process of joining and joining substrates will be described. 9 is a cross-sectional view showing a substrate processing operation in the embodiment of the present invention. That is, FIGS. 9A and 9F conceptually show the respective operation processes of the substrate processing.

The substrate processing method includes the steps of providing the upper substrate S1 and the lower substrate S2, supporting the upper substrate S1 on the upper support 20 and supporting the lower substrate S2 on the lower support 30 A process of joining both substrates by narrowing the interval between the upper support 20 and the lower support 30, a process of pressing the edge of the combined substrate by applying pressure from at least one of the upper and lower sides of the combined substrate, (20) and the lower support (30).

First, the upper substrate S1 and the lower substrate S2 are prepared and the upper substrate S1 and the lower substrate S2 are formed on the upper and lower supports 20 and 30, respectively, as shown in FIG. 9A . Here, for example, an OLED element (not shown) is formed on the upper substrate S1. The upper substrate (S1) is supported and fixed by the attraction force of the attraction force portion of the upper support (20). The lower substrate S2 may be a capping glass panel for protecting the OLED elements. When the lower substrate S2 is mounted on the lower support 30, it is supported and fixed by the attraction force of the attraction force portion. Thereafter, although not shown, aligning means (not shown) are used to align the lower substrate S2 and the upper substrate S1. The chamber 100 is maintained in a vacuum state. At this time, a joining member (a) such as a sealant is applied along the edge of the lower substrate S2. The application of the bonding member can be performed before or after the lower substrate S2 is loaded into the chamber portion.

Referring to FIG. 9B, first, at least one of the upper and lower driving units 40 and 50 and the lower driving units 60 and 70 are used to narrow the gap between the upper support 20 and the lower support 30. For example, the upper support member 20 is lowered by using the upper drive portions 40 and 50, and the lower support member 30 and the upper support member 20 are disposed adjacent to each other. Then, the upper substrate (S1) and the lower substrate (S2) are brought into close contact with each other by further lowering the upper support (20).

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 9C, the auxiliary pressing portion 100 is driven toward the bonded substrate to press the edge of the bonded substrate. The pressing process of the edge is performed by pressing the pressing portion 100 at a plurality of positions along the edge of the combined substrate by using a moving member which moves by the expansion and contraction of the elastic member and the stretching member which are supplied by supplying the gas to the auxiliary pressing portion 100, can do. This additional pressing process can press the area where the joining member (a) formed between the upper substrate S1 and the lower substrate S2 is located. Further pressurization may be applied at least one of the top and bottom of the bonded substrates. As shown in the figure, the upper and lower auxiliary pressing portions 100 may be pushed in the direction of the substrates with the substrates being interposed therebetween, or both the upper and lower auxiliary pressing portions 100 may be pressed. From these, the bonded substrates can be uniformly adhered, and the edge region, for example, the region where the bonding material is located can be stably and uniformly bonded. Further, even if the flatness of the substrate supports 20 and 30 is somewhat poor, the substrate is further pressed using the auxiliary pressing portion 100, so that the substrates can be uniformly bonded.

Then, the bonded substrate is separated from the upper support 20 and the lower support 30, as shown in Fig. 9D. First, the gas in the auxiliary pressurizing portion 100 is exhausted by using a gas exhaust pipe connected to the auxiliary pressurizing portion 100 and an exhausting means. The auxiliary pressing portion 100 returns to the original state and is settled into the substrate supports 20 and 30. The upper substrate S1 is separated from the upper support 20 so that the upper substrate S1 is disposed on the lower substrate S2 supported on the lower support 30. [ That is, the attraction force of the upper support 20 is released. When the upper support 20 is raised by using the upper driving parts 40 and 50, the lower substrate S2 and the upper substrate S1 attached thereto are positioned on the lower support 30. Although not shown here, the bonding member a formed between the upper substrate S1 and the lower substrate S2 is cured to bond the upper substrate S1 and the lower substrate S2. The joining member (a) can be cured by light or heat depending on the material thereof.

And moves the upper substrate S1 and the lower substrate S2 mutually coupled out of the chamber part 100 for a subsequent process. To this end, as shown in Fig. 9D, the upper substrate S1 and the lower substrate S2 are separated from the lower support 30. That is, each of the lift members 80 is lifted by using the lift driving unit. At this time, the lift member 80 is lifted up so that a plurality of lift members 80 arranged on the lower side of the lower substrate S2 penetrate the lower support base 30 and protrude therefrom. Thus, the mutually bonded substrates are separated from the lower support 30 and positioned at the upper portion of the lift member 80. [ Thereafter, the bonded substrates can be moved to the outside of the chamber part 100 using a robot or the like.

Although the substrate adhering apparatus and the substrate adhering method have been described above, the present invention can be applied to various substrate processing apparatuses that process a substrate by supporting and fixing the substrate.

Although the present invention has been described with reference to the accompanying drawings and the preferred embodiments described above, the present invention is not limited thereto but is limited by the following claims. Accordingly, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various modifications and changes may be made thereto without departing from the spirit of the following claims.

10: chamber part 20, 30: substrate support 100: auxiliary pressing part
110: moving member 120: elastic member 200: piping part

Claims (21)

A chamber portion having an inner space;
An upper support disposed within the chamber to support the upper substrate; And
And a lower support disposed opposite to the upper support to support the lower substrate,
At least one of the upper support and the lower support being arranged along the edge and having an auxiliary pressing portion for pressing the edge of at least one of the upper substrate and the lower substrate,
The auxiliary pushing portion moves by gas injection and exhaust, and when the gas is injected, among the upper support and the lower support, the auxiliary pushing portion is protruded outward from the support, on which the substrate is contacted, And a moving member located on the inside of the substrate.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein a plurality of auxiliary pressing portions are provided, and a part of the auxiliary pressing portions is disposed at a corner of at least one of the upper support and the lower support.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the auxiliary pressing portion is provided on the upper supporter and the lower supporter, respectively, and the auxiliary presser is disposed facing the upper supporter and the lower supporter in the vertical direction.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the plurality of auxiliary pressing portions are provided for each unit element formed on the upper substrate and the lower substrate.
delete The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
Wherein the auxiliary pressing portion has an exposed region exposed through at least one of a lower surface of the upper support and an upper surface of the lower support, and the exposed region includes a pad made of a material softer than metal, .
The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
Wherein the auxiliary pressurizing portion includes a stretchable member having an opening that is retractable and extendable to be connected to the gas piping portion, and the moving member that moves by extension and contraction of the stretchable member.
The method of claim 7,
Wherein the elastic member includes a diaphragm which forms a space therein, and the movable member includes a frame which is brought into contact with a lower portion of the elastic member, and a pad provided on an exposed surface of the frame and more flexible than the frame.
The method of claim 8,
Wherein the elastic member includes an outer cap surrounding the diaphragm and capable of expanding and contracting in a vertical direction.
The method of claim 7,
Wherein the elastic member and the movable member are continuously provided in the thickness direction inside at least one of the upper support and the lower support, and the elastic member is connected to the gas injection pipe and the gas exhaust pipe.
An apparatus for supporting a substrate,
A substrate support for supporting the substrate;
And an auxiliary pressing portion arranged along the edge of the substrate support and at least a part of which is installed inside the substrate support and has a member that is expandable in the thickness direction of the substrate support,
Wherein the auxiliary pressing portion is moved by gas injection and exhaust, and when the gas is injected, protrudes outward of the support to contact and press the substrate, and when the gas is not injected, Device.
The method of claim 11,
Wherein the auxiliary pressing portion includes a stretchable member that is expandable and contractible and forms a space therein, and the moving member that is disposed at a lower portion of the stretchable member.
The method of claim 12,
The elastic member is connected to the gas piping,
Wherein the moving member comprises a frame which is in contact with the lower portion of the elastic member and a pad which is provided on an exposed surface of the frame and is more flexible than the frame.
The method of claim 12,
The stretching member is stretched and contracted by gas injection and exhaust,
Wherein the movable member moves in the thickness direction of the support base by the expansion and contraction of the elastic member.
The method according to any one of claims 12 to 14,
Wherein the horizontal cross-sectional area of the movable member is larger than the horizontal cross-sectional area of the elastic member.
14. The method of claim 13,
Wherein the frame extends to the outside of the outer surface of the substrate and the pad is disposed inside the outer surface of the substrate.
14. The method of claim 13,
Wherein the exposed surface of the pad and the exposed surface of the frame are on the same plane or the pad is protruded to the outside of the frame.
Providing an upper substrate and a lower substrate;
Supporting the upper substrate on an upper support and supporting the lower substrate on a lower support;
Closing the gap between the upper support and the lower support to couple the two substrates;
A moving member provided on an auxiliary pressing portion arranged along an edge of at least one of the upper support and the lower support to apply pressure from at least one of the upper and lower portions of the combined substrate, To partially pressurize the sample; And
And separating the bonded substrate from the upper support and the lower support.
19. The method of claim 18,
Wherein the step of pressing the edge presses the movable member at a plurality of positions along an edge of the combined substrate by supplying a gas to the auxiliary pressing unit and thereby using the member stretched.
The method of claim 19,
And pressurizing the auxiliary pressurizing portion to exhaust gas from the auxiliary pressurizing portion.
The method according to any one of claims 18 to 20,
Wherein the pressing step presses a region where a joining member formed between the upper substrate and the lower substrate is located.

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