Flat panel display manufacturing apparatus

Abstract

Disclosed herein is a flat panel display manufacturing apparatus in a predetermined process is performed using plasma generated therein. In such a flat panel display manufacturing apparatus, a process gas is supplied into a chamber in an evenly diffused state to generate even plasma inside a symmetrical interior space of the chamber. Consequently, the flat panel display manufacturing apparatus can appropriately control flow rate of the plasma, thereby being capable of performing even processing on a large-scale substrate. In the flat panel display manufacturing apparatus, a substrate pedestal thereof is provided with a combination of vertical and horizontal shielding members, thereby being entirely protected from attack of the plasma, resulting in an increased life-span.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention relates to a flat panel display manufacturing apparatus which is capable of performing a predetermined process on a substrate under vacuum using plasma generated in the chamber. [0002] 1. Background of the Invention [0003] 2. Description of the Related Art [0004] In general, flat panel display manufacturing apparatuses are classified into wet-etching apparatuses using wet-chemical, and dry-etching apparatuses using inert gas. [0005] In such a dry-etching apparatus, a specific reactive gas is introduced into a strong electric field produced between two substrate pedestals, so that it is changed into an ionized plasma gas while being taken away electrons by the electric field. Here, the ionized plasma gas shows high reactivity in a neutral state. After that, using a byproduct produced as the plasma gas reacts with exposed regions of an oxide film not covered by a photoresist mask, the dry-etching apparatus performs a predetermined pr...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The present invention provides a flat panel display manufacturing apparatus with a shower head that has a simplified structure and is easy to manufacture. The shower head can eliminate generation of an arcing phenomenon around spray holes during etching, prevent warping at the center region of a spray plate, and prevent uneven processing of a substrate due to spatial asymmetry. The apparatus also includes baffles that maintain constant flow rate of plasma regardless of exhaust units, enabling even processing of a substrate. The plasma shielding device effectively protects a substrate pedestal from plasma. Overall, the invention provides a more efficient and reliable method for manufacturing flat panel displays."

Problems solved by technology

As shown in FIG. 1, the shower head, provided in the conventional dry-etching type apparatus, has a complicated structure wherein a plurality of diffusion plates 4 and 5 are mounted, resulting in an increase in manufacturing costs of the dry-etching apparatus.

Typically, the spray plate 6 is formed with hundreds to thousands of spray holes, and the diameter of the spray holes is excessively small, less than 1 mm, complicating processing of the spray holes.

In this case, if a specific region of the anodized aluminum is damaged by plasma and exposed to the outside, electric current is instantaneously concentrated on the exposed aluminum of the shower head body and the spray plate, causing an arcing phenomenon.

Such an arcing phenomenon, specifically, frequently occurs around the spray holes of the spray plate 6, causing damage to the spray holes and resulting in the necessity of periodic exchange of the spray plate 6.

However, due to the high price and difficult manufacturing process thereof, frequent exchange of the spray plate 6 disadvantageously increases the price of substrates being produced.

The spray plate having such an increased surface area, however, suffers from warping at the center region thereof, complicating even diffusion of a process gas.

This provides the chamber with an asymmetrical interior space about the substrate pedestals and generates uneven plasma flow inside the chamber, resulting in uneven processing of substrates.

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