KR20060086625A - Substrate Processing - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a process for supplying a processing liquid to a plate surface while inclining a substrate by a first inclination angle in a transverse direction in a transport direction in a first processing unit, and in the transverse direction in a transport direction in a second processing unit by the first processing unit. Supplying the treatment liquid to the plate surface while inclining the second inclination angle smaller than the inclination angle; It relates to a substrate processing method comprising the step of supplying a liquid to the plate surface. This can reduce the problem that the degree of contact with the processing liquid varies depending on the position of the substrate in the processing of the substrate such as development, etching and cleaning.

Description

Substrate processing method {METHOD FOR PROCESSING SUBSTRATE}

1 is a schematic view showing a processing method of a substrate according to an embodiment of the present invention,

2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a processing method of a substrate according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention as a change of a transfer part;

3 is a flowchart illustrating a method of treating a substrate according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Explanation of Signs of Major Parts of Drawings

10a, 10b, 10c: processing unit 21: processing liquid supply unit

30: transfer unit 100: substrate

The present invention relates to a processing method of a substrate used for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method for treating a substrate in which a problem of changing the degree of contact with the processing liquid is reduced according to the position of the substrate when the substrate is processed using the processing liquid such as development, etching, and cleaning.

The liquid crystal display device includes a thin film transistor substrate on which a thin film transistor is formed, a color filter substrate on which a color filter layer is formed, and a liquid crystal panel on which a liquid crystal layer is positioned. Since the liquid crystal panel is a non-light emitting device, a backlight unit for irradiating light may be disposed on the rear surface of the thin film transistor substrate. Light transmitted from the backlight unit is controlled according to the arrangement of the liquid crystal layer.

In addition, in order to drive each pixel of the liquid crystal panel, a driving circuit and a data driver and a gate driver for receiving a driving signal from the driving circuit and applying a voltage to the data line and the gate line in the display area are provided.

During the manufacturing process of the color filter substrate or the thin film transistor substrate, there is a process of spraying the processing liquid onto the substrate to process the substrate. Specifically, a developing process of forming a photoresist pattern from an exposed photoresist film, a etching process of forming a metal layer pattern, an electrode pattern, etc. using the photoresist pattern formed in the developing process, and a cleaning process of cleaning a substrate that has undergone a development process or an etching process The treatment liquid used in each process is a developer, an etchant, and DI (deionized) water.

The process of treating the substrate by spraying the treatment liquid is usually performed while transferring the substrate. At this time, in order to easily remove the processing liquid processing the substrate from the substrate is transferred to give a constant inclination angle in the horizontal direction of the transfer direction.

However, when the substrate is transferred with a constant inclination angle as in the conventional treatment method, the portion of the substrate positioned at the lower portion has a relatively greater contact with the treatment liquid than the portion disposed at the upper portion thereof. This is because the treatment liquid sprayed on the upper portion flows down to the lower portion. That is, the degree of contact with the processing liquid varies depending on the position of the substrate, and the difference in the degree of contact becomes more severe as the size of the substrate increases. This problem does not occur when the dipping method of dipping the substrate in the treatment liquid, but the dipping method has a problem that the substrate can not be stably transported when the substrate is a predetermined size or more.

Recently, as the size of the substrate increases, the uniformity of the line width and the etching profile of the wiring in the substrate has become a very important problem. The uniform contact of the entire substrate with the treatment liquid is essential to ensure such uniformity. However, if the degree of contact with the processing liquid is significantly different according to each part of the substrate as in the prior art, uniformity cannot be secured.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method of treating a substrate in which the problem of varying the contact time with the processing liquid varies depending on the position of the substrate.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of treating a substrate, the method comprising: supplying a processing liquid to a plate surface while inclining the substrate at a first inclination angle in a transverse direction in a transporting direction in a first processing unit; Supplying the processing liquid to the plate surface while inclining the second inclination angle smaller than the first inclination angle in the horizontal direction, and in a third processing unit, a third direction opposite to the first inclination angle in the transverse direction of the transfer direction; Supplying the treatment liquid to the plate surface while being inclined by the inclination angle.

In the second processing unit, the substrate may be transferred in parallel with the transfer direction.

The first inclination angle and the third inclination angle may be the same size.

The first inclination angle and the third inclination angle may be between 3 degrees and 7 degrees.                     

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. 1 is a schematic view showing a substrate processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating a processing method of a substrate according to an embodiment of the present invention as a change in the transfer unit.

First, a processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

The processing apparatus 1 used in the substrate processing method according to the embodiment of the present invention is composed of a plurality of processing units 10a, 10b, 10c having a similar configuration.

Each processing unit 10a, 10b, 10c is connected to one another as a bath type. A passage 40 is provided between the processing units 10a, 10b, and 10c to connect each other to carry in or take out the substrate 100.

The processing liquid supply part 21 which supplies the processing liquid 22 to the board | substrate 100 is provided in the upper part of each processing unit 10a, 10b, 10c. The processing liquid supply unit 21 sprays the processing liquid 22 to supply the substrate 100, and a plurality of processing liquids 22 are supplied along the transfer path of the substrate 100 so that the processing liquid 22 is uniformly supplied over the entire substrate 100. Is installed. Although not shown, the treatment liquid supply unit 21 may further include a treatment liquid storage tank.

The treatment liquid 22 may be any one of a developing solution, an etching solution, and a washing solution according to the use of each processing apparatus 1.

When the treating solution 22 is a developer, an organic alkaline solution series containing no metal component is used, and the alkaline component is completely removed through the washing process.

When the treatment liquid 22 is an etching liquid, its components vary depending on the etching target. When etching aluminum or molybdenum, the etchant contains phosphoric acid, nitric acid, and acetic acid. When tantalum is etched, the etchant contains hydrofluoric acid and nitric acid. When etching chromium, the etchant contains ammonium cesium nitrate and nitric acid. In addition, when etching indium tin oxide (ITO), the etchant includes hydrochloric acid, nitric acid, and iron chloride.

When the processing liquid 22 is a cleaning liquid, the processing liquid 22 is usually DI (deionized) water. In this case, the processing units 10a, 10b, and 10c may further include an aqua knife in which a nozzle is formed in the transverse direction of the transfer direction of the substrate 100 in addition to the processing liquid supply unit 21 for rapid cleaning. Can be.

The substrate 100 is seated on the transfer unit 30 and reciprocates in the processing units 10a, 10b and 10c or is transferred between the processing units 10a, 10b and 10c. The substrate 100 is positioned below the processing liquid supply part 21 to receive the processing liquid 22 sprayed from the processing liquid supply part 21, and exposes a portion to be treated with the processing liquid 22. When the treatment is a development, the exposed photosensitive film is exposed. When the treatment is etched, the metal layer to be etched, the transparent electrode layer, the insulating layer, etc. are exposed, and the portion that will not be etched is covered with a photosensitive film. When the treatment is washing, the developer or etching solution and the developed photosensitive layer, the etched and separated metal layer are exposed.

The transfer unit 30 is of a conveyor belt type and also transfers the substrate 100 between the processing units 10a, 10b, and 10c, and reciprocates the substrate 100 in one processing unit 10a, 10b, 10c. Sometimes. The transfer part 30 may be rotated forward or reverse, and has a plurality of rollers 31 arranged in a row, a support part 32 coupled to the rollers 31 to directly contact the rear surface of the substrate 100, and a substrate. There is a side roller 33 which rotates by the movement of the 100 and contacts and supports the side surface of the substrate 100 to prevent the substrate 100 from being separated from the transfer part 30. The side rollers 33 are provided on both sides of the substrate 100 side by side. The transfer part 30 is made of a material which is not deteriorated by the treatment liquid 22, and the support part 32 is preferably made of a plastic material because the support part 32 should not impact the substrate 100. The transfer unit 30 further includes a controller (not shown) for controlling whether the roller 31 is rotated and the rotation direction.

In addition, the control unit controls the transfer unit 30 so as to alternately inclined in the transverse direction of the substrate 100 transfer direction. As in the first processing unit 10a, the transfer unit 30 may transfer the substrate 100 inclined θ1 in a horizontal direction of the transfer direction of the substrate 100 so that one side of the substrate 100 is positioned at an upper portion thereof. . The transfer unit 30 may transfer the substrate 100 in parallel with the transfer direction in the second processing unit 10b. In other words, the second inclination angle θ2 is 0 degrees. In addition, the transfer unit 30 may transfer the substrate 100 in an inclined direction θ3 in a direction opposite to that of the first processing unit 10a in the third processing unit 10c, that is, the one side thereof is below. The first inclination angle θ1 in the first processing unit 10a and the third inclination angle θ3 in the third processing unit 10c may be between 3 and 7 degrees. If the inclination angle is smaller than 3 degrees, the removal rate of the processing liquid 22 is too slow. If the inclination angle is larger than 7 degrees, the time for which the processing liquid 22 stays on the substrate 100 becomes too short. In addition, the first inclination angle θ1 and the third inclination angle θ3 may be the same.

In addition, although not shown, the transfer part 30 of the present invention preferably further includes an inclination adjusting member for inclining the substrate 100 in the horizontal direction of the substrate 100. The inclination adjusting member can be constituted by a piston device or the like.

The processing apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention can be modified in various ways. For example, four or more processing units 10a, 10b, and 10c may be provided, and when the treatment is cleaning, an aqua knife may be additionally installed.

Hereinafter, a processing method of the substrate 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 3. For example, the process of forming the gate wiring on the substrate 100 is as follows.

A gate metal layer is deposited on the substrate material, and a photosensitive liquid is applied. After the soft bake process, the solvent in the photoresist is removed to form a photoresist film. Exposure is performed using a mask having a predetermined pattern formed on the photoresist film from which the solvent is removed. After that, the development process is as follows.

In the developing process, the substrate 100 is loaded into the transfer unit 30 to the first processing unit 10a (S100). The processing liquid 22 sprayed from the processing liquid supply part 21, that is, the developing solution is supplied to the substrate 100 after the substrate 100 is normally loaded into the first processing unit 10a to develop the photosensitive film (S200). . In the photosensitive film of the substrate 100, the unexposed region reacts with the processing liquid 22 when the photosensitive liquid is negative, and the exposed region reacts with the processing liquid 22 when the photosensitive liquid is positive. At this time, the transfer direction of the substrate 100 is the first transfer direction from the first processing unit 10a toward the second processing unit 10b. In addition, the transfer unit 30 transfers the substrate 100 by inclining the first inclination angle θ1 in the horizontal direction with respect to the transfer direction of the substrate 100. In the portion located below the substrate 100, the time for contacting the processing liquid 22 is longer than that in the upper portion.

In some cases, the transfer unit 30 may transfer the substrate 100 in a second transfer direction opposite to the first transfer direction to reciprocate the substrate 100.

Subsequently, the substrate 100 is loaded into the second processing unit 10b (S300). In addition, the transfer unit 30 transfers the substrate 100 in a direction parallel to the transfer direction and develops the substrate 100 (S400). That is, the second inclination angle θ2 in the second processing unit 10b is 0 degrees. do. Thereby, the time which contacts the process liquid 22 in the whole part of the board | substrate 100 becomes constant. Like the first processing unit 10a, the transfer unit 30 may transfer the substrate 100 in a second transfer direction opposite to the first transfer direction to reciprocate the substrate 100.

Subsequently, the substrate is loaded into the third processing unit 10c (S500).

In addition, the transfer unit 30 tilts the substrate 100 by a third inclination angle θ3 to transfer the substrate 100 (S600). The third inclination angle θ3 is the same size as the first inclination angle θ1 but the direction thereof is opposite. That is, the portion of the substrate 100 positioned at the lower portion of the first processing unit 10a goes to the upper portion, and the portion of the substrate 100 positioned at the upper portion thereof goes to the lower portion. As a result, in the previous step (S200), the portion that is relatively in contact with the treatment liquid 22 is less in contact, and on the contrary, the portion that is relatively less in contact with the treatment liquid 22 is in contact with much. In some cases, the transfer unit 30 may transfer the substrate 100 in a second transfer direction opposite to the first transfer direction to reciprocate the substrate 100.

Even if the inclination direction is alternately switched as described above, since the side rollers 33 are provided on both side surfaces of the substrate 100, the substrate 100 is not separated from the transfer part 30.

Meanwhile, another substrate 100 is loaded into the first processing unit 10a to repeat the process.

Through this process, the substrate 100 taken out from the third processing unit 10c is in a state where the development of the photoresist film is completed. In some cases, the substrate 100 may be further processed in an additional processing unit. In the development process, since the substrate 100 is alternately and inclinedly transferred, the problem that a specific portion is in contact with the developer is reduced.

Subsequently, the substrate 100 undergoes a cleaning process, an etching process, and another cleaning process, and details of these processes are similar to those described above.

Since the degree of contact with the processing liquid 22 was uniform throughout the substrate 100, the nonuniformity of the completed gate wiring is reduced.

As described above, according to the present invention, when processing a substrate using a processing liquid such as development, etching, cleaning, etc., there is provided a substrate processing method in which a problem that the remaining time of the processing liquid varies according to the position of the substrate is reduced. do.

Claims (4)

Supplying the processing liquid to the plate surface while inclining the substrate at a first inclination angle in the transverse direction in the first processing unit; Supplying the processing liquid to a plate while transferring the substrate in an inclined direction by a second inclination angle smaller than the first inclination angle in a transverse direction in a transport direction; And feeding the processing liquid to the plate surface while inclining the substrate in a transverse direction of the transfer direction by a third inclination angle opposite to the first inclination direction in a third processing unit. The method of claim 1, The substrate processing method of the second processing unit, characterized in that the substrate is transferred in parallel with the transfer direction. The method of claim 1, And the first inclination angle and the third inclination angle are the same size. The method of claim 1, And the first inclination angle and the third inclination angle are between 3 degrees and 7 degrees.

Images