WO2010128811A2

WO2010128811A2 - Thin film deposition apparatus and thin film deposition system comprising same

Info

Publication number: WO2010128811A2
Application number: PCT/KR2010/002887
Authority: WO
Inventors: 배경빈; 윤형석; 강창호
Original assignee: 에스엔유 프리시젼 주식회사
Priority date: 2009-05-07
Filing date: 2010-05-06
Publication date: 2010-11-11
Also published as: TW201107507A; JP2012526199A; WO2010128811A3; KR20100120941A; KR101119853B1; JP5506917B2; TWI386500B; CN102421933A; CN102421933B

Abstract

The present invention provides a thin film deposition apparatus comprising: a transfer chamber for transferring substrates; and a first process chamber and a second process chamber coupled to both sides of the transfer chamber, respectively, wherein each of the first process chamber and the second process chamber includes: a first substrate holder and a second substrate holder spaced apart from each other; and a spray unit interposed between the first substrate holder and the second substrate holder to consecutively supply deposition materials in the direction of the first and second substrate holders. The present invention also provides a thin film deposition system comprising the apparatus. The thus-configured apparatus of the present invention has multiple process chambers which perform the same process and which are connected to both sides of the transfer chamber, respectively, thus performing a thin film process simultaneously on multiple substrates and improving processing speed.

Description

Thin film deposition apparatus and thin film deposition system having same

The present invention relates to a thin film deposition apparatus, and more particularly, to a thin film deposition apparatus for forming a thin film on a substrate and a thin film deposition system in which the thin film deposition apparatus is connected in an in-line manner.

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 the respective chambers. 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 arranged 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, and can achieve high productivity by minimizing the process waiting time such as processing a plurality of substrates in parallel, loading / fixing of substrates, and placing / aligning deposition masks. To provide a thin film deposition apparatus and a thin film deposition system having the same.

In addition, the present invention provides a thin film deposition apparatus and a thin film deposition system having the same to maximize the common use of the overlapping equipment, thereby reducing the construction cost of the production line.

In addition, the present invention provides a thin film deposition apparatus and a thin film deposition system having the same to be able to overcome the deflection phenomenon of the substrate by performing a thin film process by placing the substrate in a vertical state.

According to an aspect of the present invention, a thin film deposition apparatus includes a transfer chamber in which a substrate is transferred; And first and second process chambers respectively coupled to both sides of the transfer chamber. Each of the first and second process chambers includes: first and second substrate holders spaced apart from each other; And a spraying unit installed between the first and second substrate holders to sequentially supply deposition raw materials toward the first and second substrate holders. It includes.

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

Preferably, the transfer chamber is provided with a substrate rotating member which rotates the substrate to stand in a vertical state or lie down in a horizontal state.

Preferably, the jetting unit is rotatable between the first substrate holder and the second substrate holder.

Preferably, the spray unit has a spray structure of any one of a point type, a linear type and a planar type.

Each of the first and second process chambers may be connected to a mask chamber for providing a deposition mask to each of the first and second substrate holders or replacing the deposition mask.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a thin film deposition system includes: a plurality of transfer chambers connected in a line to transfer a substrate; And first and second process chambers respectively coupled to at least one of the plurality of transfer chambers. Each of the first and second process chambers includes: first and second substrate holders spaced apart from each other; And an injection unit installed between the first and second substrate holders to sequentially supply deposition material toward the first and second substrate holders.

Preferably, the plurality of transfer chambers include a plurality of distribution chambers connected to the first and second process chambers to distribute the substrate and a plurality of buffer chambers connected between neighboring distribution chambers to temporarily hold the substrate. .

It is preferable to include a loading chamber connected to a front end of the plurality of transfer chambers and a substrate is carried in from the outside, and an unloading chamber connected to a rear end of the plurality of transfer chambers and the substrate is carried out.

According to the present invention, a plurality of process chambers that perform the same process are connected to both sides of the transfer chamber, so that the process speed may be increased by performing a thin film process on a plurality of substrates in parallel.

In addition, the present invention can sequentially achieve a thin film process for a plurality of substrates provided in the process chamber through a single injection unit to achieve cost reduction and productivity improvement at the same time.

In addition, the present invention is provided with a plurality of processing means on both sides of the inside of the process chamber, it is possible to perform a preliminary preparation for the other process or to perform a post-cleaning operation while the process of one side is performed. Therefore, the overall work waiting time can be shortened and productivity can be greatly improved.

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.

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.

110: loading chamber 120: unloading chamber

200A, 200B:

process chamber

311, 312, 321, 322: mask chamber

410: distribution chamber 420: buffer chamber

511,512,611,612: gates 520,530,620,630: substrate holder

521: support 522: clamp

G: Substrate M: Mask

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described an embodiment according to the present invention in more detail. 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 to those skilled in the art to fully understand the scope of the invention. It is provided to inform you. 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

transfer chambers

410, 420, 400 are connected in a line between a front loading chamber 110 and a rear unloading chamber 120. Among them, the first and

second process chambers

200A and 200B are connected to both of the transfer chambers 410, so that the substrate transfer and the unit process are performed in an in-line manner. . In this case, since two substrates G1 / G2 and G3 / G4 may be carried into the internal spaces of the first and

second process chambers

200A and 200B, the unit process for one substrate G1 / G2 is performed. In the meantime, the preliminary preparation work of the unit process for the other side substrate G3 / G4 can be performed.

The loading chamber 110 serves to receive the substrates G1, G2, G3, and G4 that have completed a predetermined preliminary process at atmospheric pressure, and to carry them into the vacuum transfer chamber 400, and the unloading chamber 120 The substrates G1, G2, G3, and G4, which have completed a series of unit processes, receive the substrates G1, G2, G3, and G4 from the transfer chamber 400 and take them 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 transfer chamber 400 is connected to the first and

second process chambers

200A and 200B and is connected between the distribution chamber 410 and neighboring distribution chambers for distributing the substrates G1, G2, G3, and G4. The buffer chamber 420 may be temporarily suspended by the substrates G1, G2, G3, and G4. In this case, the buffer chamber 420 provides a temporary space in which the substrates G1, G2, G3, and G4 temporarily stay for process waiting. The distribution chamber 410 is provided with a substrate rotating member (not shown) for rotating the substrates G1, G2, G3, and G4 to stand in a vertical state or to lie down in a horizontal state. The substrates G1, G2, G3, and G4 conveyed in a horizontal state from the preceding chamber by the substrate rotating member are erected in a vertical state and introduced into the first and

second process chambers

200A and 200B. The substrates G1, G2, G3, and G4 carried out in the vertical state from the two

process chambers

200A and 200B are laid down in a horizontal state and conveyed to the subsequent chamber. Accordingly, the substrates G1, G2, G3, and G4 may be disposed in a vertical state in the thin film process, thereby minimizing substrate deflection, and the substrates G1, G2, G3, and G4 may be disposed in the vertical state during substrate transfer. It is possible to minimize the breakage of the substrate due to the flow. Of course, the substrates G1, G2, G3, and G4 may be disposed in a vertical state even when the substrate is conveyed, and in this case, the substrate rotating member does not need to be provided in the distribution chamber 410.

The first and

second process chambers

200A and 200B are connected to both sides of each of the distribution chambers 410, and the deposition masks M1 / M3, and each of the first and

second process chambers

200A and 200B are also connected to each of the distribution chambers 410. First and second mask chambers 311/321, 312/322 for supplying the M2 / M4 are connected. The first and second mask chambers 311/321, 312/322 store deposition masks to be used or replaced in the thin film process. Of course, since the first and second mask chambers 311/321, 312/322 may be used in common, only one common mask chamber may be connected to each of the first and

second process chambers

200A and 200B.

In addition, the first and

second process chambers

200A and 200B connected to the same distribution chamber 410 are configured to perform the same unit process, and the first and second process chambers 211 / connected to the series of distribution chambers. 221/231/241/251 / 261,212 / 222/232/242/252/262 are configured to perform a series of device processes on a substrate. 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, first and

second process chambers

211 and 212 for forming a hole injection layer are connected to the first distribution chamber, and first and

second process chambers

221 and 222 for forming a hole transport layer are connected to the second distribution chamber. do. In addition, the first and

second process chambers

231 and 232 for forming the emission layer are connected to the third distribution chamber, and the first and

second process chambers

241 and 242 for forming the electron transport layer are connected to the fourth distribution chamber. In addition, first and

second process chambers

251 and 252 for forming an electron injection layer are connected to the fifth distribution chamber, and first and

second process chambers

261 and 262 for forming a cathode are connected to the sixth transfer chamber. In this case, the first and

second chambers

231 and 232 for forming the light emitting layer may include a plurality of chambers 231a / 231b, 231c and 232a for forming blue (B), green (G) and red (R) light emitting layers to achieve natural colors. / 232b / 232c, and the first and

second chambers

261 and 262 for forming the cathode may include a plurality of chambers 261a / 261b, 261c, 262a / 262b / 262c for forming the cathode of the multilayer structure. It may include.

Each of the

process chambers

200A and 200B is formed in a rectangular box shape, and a predetermined reaction space for processing the substrates G1, G2, G3, and G4 is provided therein. In the reaction space, first and second substrate holders 520/620, 530/630 supporting the substrates G1, G2, G3, and G4 in a vertical state are installed to be spaced apart from each other, and the first and second substrate holders 520.

Injection units

540 and 640 are installed between / 620, 530 and 630. In addition, first and second gates 511/611, 512/612 are formed in the

process chambers

200A and 200B to be connected to the distribution chamber 410 so that the substrate G is loaded or taken out. In this case, the first and second gates 511/611 and 512/612 may be configured as slit valves.

Each of the first and second substrate holders 520/620, 530/630 is provided with a support 521 for supporting a rear surface of the substrates G1, G2, G3, and G4, and the substrate G is provided on the support 521. And a temperature controller 523 for controlling the substrate temperature. The temperature controller 523 is installed inside or under the support 521 to control the substrates G1 / G2 and G3 / G4 mounted on the support 521 to be maintained at a temperature suitable for performing a process. . The temperature control means 521 may be composed of a combination of at least one of cooling means for cooling the substrates G1 / G2, G3 / G4 and heating means for heating the substrates G1 / G2, G3 / G4. Can be. In this embodiment, a cooling passage is formed in the body of the support 521 so that the substrate temperature is kept constant at the process temperature, thereby improving reactivity with the deposition material deposited on the upper surfaces of the substrates G1 / G2 and G3 / G4. .

The clamp 522 holds the edges of the substrates G1, G2, G3, and G4 to prevent the substrates G1, G2, G3, and G4 seated on the support 521 from flowing during the process. In this embodiment, the deposition masks M1, M2, M3, and M4 are disposed on the substrates G1, G2, G3, and G4 to regulate the thin film patterns formed on the substrates G1, G2, G3, and G4. Therefore, the clamp 522 may be configured to fix the substrates G1, G2, G3, and G4 and the deposition masks M1, M2, M3, and M4 on the support 521.

The

injection units

540 and 640 are installed between the first and second substrate holders 520/620, 530/630 to inject a raw material in a vaporized state toward the first substrate holder direction or the second substrate holder direction. At this time, although not shown, each injection unit (540,640) includes a crucible in which the raw material is stored, a heating part for vaporizing the raw material and an injection part for injecting the vaporized raw material, and the injection part has a point (point) point. -type, line-type, and plane-type (plane-type) has a spray structure of any one, for example, this embodiment is a linear deposition source 540 configured by arranging a plurality of point deposition sources in a row The

linear deposition sources

540 and 640 uniformly inject raw materials to the entire area of the substrates G1, G2, G3, and G4 while reciprocating left and right by a reciprocating driving member (not shown).

In particular, the

spray units

540 and 640 of the present embodiment are rotated 180 degrees with respect to the

first substrate holders

520 and 620 to spray the raw materials toward the

second substrate holders

530 and 630, or vice versa. And to spray the raw material in the direction of (520,620). Accordingly, the thin film process for the plurality of substrates G1 / G2, G3 / G4 provided on both sides of the

single chamber

200A or 200B may be sequentially performed using one injection unit.

The 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 loaded 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 in a vacuum state is sequentially transferred to a plurality of

transfer chambers

410 and 420 connected in series with the loading chamber 110, and each of the process chambers connected to some of the transfer chambers ie, the distribution chamber 410. The unit process is performed by adding to (211/221/231/241/251 / 261,212 / 222/232/242/252/262). That is, the substrate G is sequentially introduced into the hole injection

layer forming chambers

211 and 212, the hole transport

layer forming chambers

221 and 222, and the light emitting

layer forming chambers

231 and 232 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 chambers

241 and 242, the electron injection

layer forming chambers

251 and 252, and the

cathode forming chambers

261 and 262 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, which has completed the device process, is transferred to the unloading chamber 120 and is carried out to the outside at atmospheric pressure.

In the thin film deposition process, the substrate G is conveyed in the vertical state or the horizontal state, and the thin film process is performed in the vertical state. At this time, when the substrate transfer is in a horizontal state, a process of switching the substrate G in the horizontal state to the vertical state is required in each transfer chamber 410. 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.

First, as shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the first and second substrates G1 and G2 in a horizontal state are loaded into the distribution chamber 410 and then converted into a vertical state, and the first and second process chambers ( After being loaded into the inside of the 200A and 200B, the substrate 200 is fixed to the

substrate holders

520 and 630. At this time, conveyance of the 1st, 2nd board | substrate G1 and G2 can be performed simultaneously or by predetermined time difference. Subsequently, deposition masks M1 and M2 are provided from

mask chambers

311 and 322 connected to the first and

second process chambers

200A and 200B, and the deposition masks M1 and M2 are provided on the first and second substrates. G1, G2) is arranged in front of the deposition surface and aligned. Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 5, the injection directions of the

injection units

540 and 640 are positioned to face the deposition surfaces of the first and second substrates G1 and G2, and the first and second substrates are disposed through the

injection units

540 and 640. The first thin film process is performed on the first and second substrates G1 and G2 by spraying a vaporized raw material onto the deposition surfaces of G1 and G2.

5 and 6, the third and fourth substrates G3 and G4 are loaded into the distribution chamber 410 during the first thin film process. The third and fourth substrates G3 and G4 are converted into the vertical state in the distribution chamber 410, and are loaded into the first and

second process chambers

200A and 200B, respectively, and then the

substrate holders

520 and 630. Is fixed to. Subsequently, deposition masks M3 and M4 are provided from the

mask chambers

312 and 321 connected to the first and

second process chambers

200A and 200B, respectively. G3, G4) are arranged in front of the deposition surface and aligned. As such, the loading / fixing operation of the third and fourth substrates G3 and G4 and the placement / alignment operation of the deposition masks M3 and M4 therefor are preferably performed during the first thin film process. Thus, productivity can be improved by shortening the waiting time for performing the next second thin film process.

Subsequently, as shown in FIG. 7, when the first thin film process is completed, the spray directions of the

spray units

540 and 640 are rotated 180 degrees in the opposite direction. Accordingly, when the deposition surfaces of the third and fourth substrates G3 and G4 and the spraying directions of the

injection units

540 and 640 face each other, the third and fourth substrates G3 and G4 may be disposed through the

injection units

540 and 640. A second thin film process is performed on the third and fourth substrates G3 and G4 by spraying a vaporized raw material on the deposition surface.

Subsequently, as illustrated in FIGS. 7 and 8, the deposition masks M1 and M2 are separated from the first and second substrates G1 and G2 that have completed the first thin film process while the second thin film process is being performed, and the deposition mask M1 is performed. The first and second substrates G1 and G2 from which M2 is separated are brought back into the distribution chamber 410. Subsequently, the first and second substrates G1 and G2 are converted into a horizontal state in the distribution chamber 410 and then sequentially transferred to subsequent process chambers that perform horizontal transfer to perform a series of device processes. As such, the carrying out / separating operation of the first and second substrates G1 and G2 and the separating operation of the deposition masks M1 and M2 used therein are preferably performed during the performance of the second thin film process. Therefore, it is possible to shorten the waiting time for performing the next first thin film process to improve productivity.

Meanwhile, the deposition masks M1, M2, M3, and M4 used in the first and second thin film processes are used in the next thin film process while staying in the chamber, and masks corresponding to replacement factors such as contamination and breakage occur. It is transferred to the

chambers

311, 312, 313, 314 and taken out to the atmosphere. Thereafter, the deposition mask is reused through operations such as cleaning and repairing. Of course, the deposition masks used in the

mask chambers

311, 312, 313, 314 and the spare deposition masks for replacement are stored, thereby minimizing the process downtime during the replacement operation.

As such, in the thin film processing system according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of substrates G1 / G2 and G3 / G4 may be connected by connecting a plurality of

process chambers

200A and 200B to perform the same process on both sides of the transfer chamber 400. The thin film process for) may be performed in parallel to increase the process speed. In addition, the

process chamber

200A or 200B is provided with a

single injection unit

540, 640 for sequentially injecting raw materials toward the plurality of substrate holders 520/530, 620/630, thereby providing a

single injection unit

540, 640. By sequentially performing a thin film process on a plurality of substrates G1 / G2 and G3 / G4, cost reduction and productivity improvement may be simultaneously achieved. In addition, the

process chamber

200A or 200B is provided with a plurality of process means 520/530 and 620/630 on both sides thereof, so that the preliminary preparatory work for the other process is performed during one process, for example, The import / fix operation and the deposition / arrangement operation of the deposition mask may be performed, or the post-cleaning operation may be performed, for example, the carrying out / separation operation of the substrate and the separation operation of the deposition mask. Therefore, the overall work waiting time can be shortened and productivity can be greatly improved.

As mentioned above, although this invention was demonstrated with reference to the above-mentioned Example and an accompanying drawing, this invention is not limited to this, It is limited 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.

Claims

A transfer chamber through which the substrate is transferred; And

First and second process chambers coupled to both sides of the transfer chamber, respectively; Including,

Each of the first and second process chambers,

First and second substrate holders spaced apart from each other; And

An injection unit provided between the first and second substrate holders to sequentially supply deposition raw materials toward 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 transfer chamber is provided with a substrate rotating member for rotating the substrate to stand in a vertical state or lying down in a horizontal state.
The method according to claim 1,

And the spray unit is rotatable between the first substrate holder and the second substrate holder.
In claim 1,

The spray unit is a thin film deposition apparatus having a spray structure of any one of the point, linear and planar.
The method according to claim 1,

In each of the first and second process chambers,

And a mask chamber connected to each of the first and second substrate holders or to replace a deposition mask.
A plurality of transfer chambers connected in line to transfer the substrates; And

First and second process chambers respectively coupled to at least one of the plurality of transfer chambers; Including,

Each of the first and second process chambers,

First and second substrate holders spaced apart from each other; And

An injection unit provided between the first and second substrate holders to sequentially supply deposition raw materials toward the first and second substrate holders; Thin film deposition system comprising a.
The method according to claim 7,

The plurality of transfer chambers,

A plurality of distribution chambers connected to the first and second process chambers to distribute the substrate; And

A plurality of buffer chambers connected between neighboring distribution chambers to suspend the substrate temporarily; Thin film deposition system comprising a.
The method according to claim 7,

A loading chamber connected to a front end of the plurality of transfer chambers to which a substrate is loaded from the outside; And

An unloading chamber connected to a rear end of the plurality of transfer chambers, the substrate being carried out to the outside; Thin film deposition system comprising a.
The method according to claim 7,

And the first and second substrate holders support the substrate in a vertical state.
The method according to claim 7,

The transfer chamber is provided with a substrate rotating member for rotating the substrate to stand in a vertical state or lying down in a horizontal state.
The method according to claim 7,

And the spraying unit is rotatable between the first substrate holder and the second substrate holder.