Large area heater

Abstract

An embodiment of the present invention provides a large area heater. The large area heater comprises: a heating plate, comprising a central area where heat is concentrated and a peripheral area surrounding the central area; and a plurality of unit heaters for heating at least a portion of the central area and at least a portion of the peripheral area, wherein each of the plurality of unit heaters comprises: a plurality of heating areas, generating different amounts of heat; a plurality of power lines, respectively and independently transmitting power to the plurality of heating areas; and power terminal pairs, arranged at corners of each unit heater to supply power to the plurality of power lines, the number of the power terminal pairs corresponding to the number of the plurality of heating areas.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a heater for semiconductor manufacturing equipment. Background Art

[0002] The heater converts electrical energy into heat energy. Generally, for the process of removing bubbles from the adhesive between the glass substrate and the lower substrate in the manufacturing process of the flexible OLED module, a furnace for manufacturing semiconductors equipped with a heater is indispensable, and is an important facility for managing the final yield of the OLED module. The heater is a main component for controlling the heat source in the semiconductor equipment, and as the OLED display increases, the heater module needs to be increased. When the heater module is increased, the difficulty of performing heat source control is reduced, and in particular, there is an effect of reducing the cost of components.

[0003] However, as the heater module increases in size, thermal uniformity decreases, and heater pattern design and module assembly technology are required according to the area expansion. In particular, since the semiconductor process has a large number of thermal processes and the thermal process makes it difficult to control the characteristics of the heat source as the area increases, it becomes difficult to cope with the equipment used to manufacture OLED displays. Summary of the invention

[0004] Technical Solution

[0005] An object of the present invention is to provide a large area heater having a structure that is relatively easy to control a heat source.

[0006] A large area heater is provided. The large area heater may include: a heating plate having a central area where heat is concentrated and a peripheral area surrounding the central area; and a plurality of unit heaters configured to heat at least a portion of the central area and at least a portion of the peripheral area. The plurality of unit heaters may include: a plurality of heating areas configured to generate different amounts of heat; a plurality of power lines configured to independently transmit power to each of the plurality of heating areas; and a plurality of power connection terminal pairs disposed at corners of the unit heater to supply power to the plurality of power lines, wherein the number of the plurality of power connection terminal pairs corresponds to the number of the plurality of heating areas.

[0007] In one embodiment, the heating area may include a single zone and multiple zones having multiple sub-zones with different heat generation. Electricity may be supplied to the multiple sub-zones through one power line.

[0008] In one embodiment, the plurality of unit heaters include heating areas that are bilaterally symmetrical and vertically symmetrical.

[0009] In one embodiment, the unit heater may include a first heating region corresponding to the central region and a second heating region corresponding to the peripheral region.A pattern density of the heater pattern disposed in the first heating region may be smaller than a pattern density of the heater pattern disposed in the second heating region.

[0010] In one embodiment, the unit heater may include a first heating region corresponding to the central region and a second heating region corresponding to the peripheral region. A cross-sectional thickness of the heater pattern disposed in the first heating region may be different from a cross-sectional thickness of the heater pattern disposed in the second heating region.

[0011] In one embodiment, the heating region may include a heater pattern formed by electrically connecting a plurality of sub-patterns.

[0012] In one embodiment, the plurality of sub-patterns may include: a first connector and a second connector, each of which is formed with a slit; and a sub-heating element bent in a zigzag shape and having a plurality of bending points between the first connector and the second connector.

[0013] In one embodiment, the temperature deviation of the central area is adjusted by controlling the temperature of a second heating area corresponding to the surrounding area. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In order to facilitate understanding of the present invention, the same elements will be represented by the same reference numerals. The configurations shown in the accompanying drawings are examples for describing the present invention and do not limit the scope of the present invention.

[0015] Figure 1 The unit heaters constituting the large area heater are exemplarily shown;

[0016] Figure 2 A large area heater consisting of four unit heaters is shown exemplarily;

[0017] Figure 3 The connection of sub-patterns to form a heating area is exemplarily shown;

[0018] Figure 4 The manufacturing process of a large area heater is shown exemplarily;

[0019] Figure 5 An embodiment of generating different amounts of heat for each heating zone is exemplarily shown; and

[0020] Figure 6 Another embodiment of generating different amounts of heat for each heating zone is exemplarily shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings may be implemented alone or in combination with other embodiments, but this is not intended to limit the present invention to a certain embodiment, and should be understood to include all changes, modifications, equivalents or substitutions within the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0022] Terms such as first, second, etc. may be used to refer to various elements, but these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms will be used to distinguish one element from another.

[0023] The terms used in the following description are intended only to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. Singular expressions include plural expressions as long as they are clearly interpreted in different ways. Terms such as "including" and "having" are intended to indicate the presence of features, quantities, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof used in the following description, and therefore should be understood not to exclude the possibility of the presence or addition of one or more other different features, quantities, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof.

[0024] Figure 1 The unit heaters constituting the large area heater are exemplarily shown.

[0025] A large area heater 100 (see Figure 2 ) includes a plurality of unit heaters 10. The unit heater 10 includes a plurality of heater patterns attached to an insulating plate having a width L1 and a length L2. In one embodiment, the insulating plate may be a mica plate, but is not limited thereto. The insulating plate may include an upper insulating plate and a lower insulating plate, and the plurality of heater patterns may be interposed between the upper insulating plate and the lower insulating plate.

[0026] The unit heater 10 may include multiple heating zones A, B, C, and D. The heating zone may be a single zone C, D or a multi-zone A, B. Single zones and multi-zones may be formed by multiple heater patterns. Multi-zones may include multiple sub-zones, such as a1, a2, a3, a4 in the heating zone A, which receive power supplied through a power line 12. A heater pattern may be formed by connecting multiple sub-zones. Each of the multiple heating zones A, B, C, and D may generate different amounts of heat. The multiple heating zones A, B, C, and D may be arranged to be spaced apart from each other by a certain interval for electrical insulation and thermal insulation. On the other hand, a temperature sensor may be provided for each heating zone. The following will refer to Figure 5 and Figure 6 A method of manufacturing each of the plurality of heating areas A, B, C, and D having different heat amounts is described in detail.

[0027] Each of the plurality of heating areas A, B, C and D is supplied with power by a single power source. The power connection area 11 is located near one edge of the unit heater 10. In the power connection area 11, the same number of power connection terminal pairs as the number of heating areas are provided. Figure 1 In the case of the unit heater 10 shown, since there are four heating areas, four power connection terminal pairs are provided in the power connection area 11. A power line 12 is provided for each heating area, without distinguishing between a single area and multiple areas. One end of the power line 12 is electrically connected to the power connection area 11, and the other end is electrically connected to the heating areas A, B, C, and D. That is, the power line can extend from the power connection terminal pairs along the periphery of the unit heater 10. The power line 12 can be formed of the same material as the heater pattern, so that heat is generated by the transmitted power.

[0028] Unlike the single zones C and D, since each of the multiple zones A and B is composed of a plurality of sub-zones, the power supplied through the power line 12 is distributed to the respective sub-zones within each of the multiple zones. Figure 1 As shown, each sub-area may be connected in series. In another embodiment, each sub-area may be connected to a sub power line (not shown) branched from the other end of the power line 12.

[0029] In the unit heater 10, a plurality of heating areas A, B, C, and D may be provided in consideration of the temperature uniformity of the large area heater 100 to which the plurality of unit heaters 10 are connected. Compared with the case where the unit heater 10 is implemented using the same heater pattern (i.e., the heat generated in all heating areas is the same), it is difficult to control the temperature deviation that may occur in the unit heater 10 and the temperature deviation that may occur in the large area heater 100. On the other hand, in a structure in which each of the plurality of heating areas is controlled individually (i.e., power is controlled for each single area and sub-area), it is difficult to arrange power lines for transmitting power, and since a separate temperature controller needs to be provided for each area, the manufacturing cost increases. Reference will be made to Figure 2 The large area heater describes in detail the arrangement of the heating area taking into account temperature deviation control.

[0030] Figure 2 A large area heater composed of four unit heaters is shown as an example.

[0031] refer to Figure 2, the large area heater 100 may include four unit heaters 10a, 10b, 10c, and 10d and a heating plate (not shown) having a size of a width of 2L1 and a length of 2L2. Each of the four unit heaters 10a, 10b, 10c, and 10d may have a plurality of heating areas symmetrical with a virtual center vertical line or horizontal line passing through the center of the large area heater 100. For example, referring to the first unit heater 10a (with Figure 1 The second unit heater 10b is symmetrical to the first unit heater 10a, and the third unit heater 10c is the first unit heater 10a rotated 180 degrees. Instead of symmetrically arranging the unit heaters 10a, 10b, 10c, and 10d, the heater pattern may be directly disposed on an insulating plate having the same size as a heating plate having a width of 2L1 and a length of 2L2. However, it is difficult to maintain the arrangement of the heater pattern during the manufacturing process, and in particular, it is difficult to ensure a heating / pressing device capable of processing a large-area insulating plate.

[0032] The heating plate may include a central area 110 where heat is concentrated and a peripheral area 120 surrounding the central area 110. When the four unit heaters 10a, 10b, 10c, and 10d are arranged symmetrically, the first heating areas A1, A2, A3, and A4 of the respective unit heaters 10a, 10b, 10c, and 10d heat the central area 110, and the second heating areas B1 to D4 heat the peripheral area 120. In particular, the central area 110 is an area where heat is directly transferred to a heated object (e.g., an OLED substrate), and is an area where precise temperature uniformity is required. On the other hand, the peripheral area 120 may transfer heat directly to the heated object according to a heating method (e.g., whether there is physical contact between the heating plate and the heated object), but may also transfer heat mainly to the central area 110 to reduce the temperature deviation of the central area 110.

[0033] In the large area heater 100, the first heating areas A1, A2, A3 and A4 corresponding to the central area 110 account for a relatively higher proportion of the entire area than the second heating areas B1 to D4 corresponding to the surrounding area 120, and the heat generated per unit area is relatively low compared to the heat generated by the surrounding area 120. Since the surrounding area 120 surrounds the central area 110, the heat generated in the surrounding area 120 is easily moved to the central area 110. Therefore, the temperature of the central area 110 can be finely controlled by the surrounding area 120. The heating areas B1 to D4 corresponding to the surrounding area 120 are composed of multi-zones B1 to B4 and single zones C1 to D4 that are independently power controlled, and the heat of each zone is different from each other. Similarly, the heating areas A1 to A4 corresponding to the central area 110 are configured as multiple zones, and the heat generated in each zone is different from each other. By individually increasing or decreasing the temperature of each zone in the surrounding area 120 according to the temperature measurement in the central area 110, the temperature deviation of the central area 110 can be kept within a required range.

[0034] Figure 3 The connection of sub-patterns to form a heating area is shown exemplarily.

[0035] refer to Figure 3 , the heater pattern 20 may be formed by connecting a plurality of sub-patterns 21 to 23. For example, the sub-patterns 21 to 23 may be curved patterns. The sub-patterns 21 to 23 may include a pair of connectors 21a and 21b and a sub-heating element 21c bent in a zigzag shape and having a plurality of bending points between the connectors. The sub-heating element 21c may be bent approximately 90 degrees at the bending points.

[0036] For example, the two sub-patterns 21 and 22 can be electrically connected by assembling connectors 21a and 22a. The connector 21a includes a slit 21aa extending from the bottom to the top, and the connector 22a includes a slit 22aa extending from the top to the bottom. For example, when assembled into the slits 21aa, 22aa, the left end of the connector 21a is located below the right end of the connector 22a, and the right end of the connector 21a is located above the left end of the connector 22a. Then, the connectors 21a and 22a can be connected by welding or the like.

[0037] The use of slits for assembly is useful for adjusting the spacing between sub-patterns and positioning sub-patterns. The extension length of the slit formed in the connector of the two sub-patterns to be connected can be determined according to the spacing between the sub-patterns. For example, the length of each slit can be the same or different. In addition, the slit can be formed to be able to identify up and down or left and right. For example, the slit can extend obliquely, or one end of the slit can be formed to have different left and right shapes. On the other hand, the sub-patterns can be connected by simply overlapping the connector.

[0038] Figure 4 The manufacturing process of the large area heater is shown exemplarily.

[0039] As described above, the large area heater 100 may be composed of a plurality of symmetrical unit heaters 10. The unit heater 10 may be manufactured using a finished insulating substrate having a predetermined thickness or using a prepreg for manufacturing an insulating substrate.

[0040] In step 200, the insulating substrate is cut according to the size of the unit heater 10 to manufacture an upper insulating plate and a lower insulating plate. The insulating substrate has high electrical insulation. The insulating substrate may be a mica plate, but is not limited thereto. In addition to the mica plate, a metal plate coated with a material having high electrical insulation and / or high thermal conductivity such as magnesium oxide, zirconium oxide, silicon oxide, titanium oxide, aluminum nitride, aluminum oxide, etc., a non-metallic plate formed of ceramics, silicon carbide, etc., or a synthetic resin such as polyimide may also be used. In addition, the upper insulating plate and / or the lower insulating plate may be coated with an anti-oxidation film. The anti-oxidation film may prevent the surface of the insulating plate from being oxidized.

[0041] In step 210, a plurality of sub-patterns are manufactured. The sub-patterns may be manufactured by, for example, etching or cutting a metal film formed of nickel, invar, SUS, silver, tungsten, molybdenum, chromium, or an alloy thereof. Since the sub-patterns are made of a thin metal film, they must be handled with care. To address this problem, the metal film may be processed while being attached to the adhesive film.

[0042] In step 220, a high temperature adhesive is applied to the surfaces to laminate the upper and lower insulation boards.

[0043] In step 230, the sub-pattern is attached to the surface of the lower insulating plate. The heater pattern may be completed by welding the connector of the attached sub-pattern. On the other hand, the sub-pattern may be welded in step 210 to attach the completed heater pattern to the surface of the lower insulating plate. In addition, in order to protect the heater pattern and / or increase electrical insulation, the heater pattern may be coated with an insulating film, or the heater pattern may be interposed between insulating films. The insulating layer or insulating film may be formed of a synthetic resin such as polyimide, silicone resin, epoxy resin, phenolic resin, etc.

[0044] In step 240, the lower insulating plate with the heater pattern attached is cured by a high temperature and high pressure press, and the upper insulating plate is attached to the lower insulating plate in step 250. In step 260, the unit heater 10 consisting of the upper insulating plate, the heater pattern and the lower insulating plate is cured by a high temperature and high pressure press.

[0045] In step 270, a plurality of unit heaters 10 are connected to the heating plate to complete the large area heater.

[0046] Figure 5 An embodiment of achieving different heat generation for each heating area is exemplarily shown. Here, the heater pattern set in each zone is an example to help understanding.

[0047] refer to Figure 5 , the heat generated by the multiple heater patterns 31 to 34 is different. To this end, the pattern density of each heater pattern can be different. The pattern density can be determined by the horizontal width p, the vertical width w, and the thickness t. The horizontal width p is the width of the heater pattern between two horizontally arranged bending points, the vertical width w is the width of the heater pattern between two vertically arranged bending points, and the thickness t is the line width of the heater pattern. The horizontal width p, the vertical width w, and the thickness t of the heater patterns 31 to 34 can be selected to achieve the temperature range required by the semiconductor device and maintain the temperature deviation.

[0048] Meanwhile, the heater pattern may be selected in consideration of the distance from the power connection area 11. As the distance from the power connection area 11 increases, the power line 12 becomes longer and the resistance also increases, so that power loss may occur. Therefore, even if the same power is supplied to the heating area of ​​the same area, a difference in the amount of heat generated will occur depending on the length of the power line 12. Therefore, in the case of a heating area far from the power connection area 11, the resistance can be reduced by increasing the thickness t. On the other hand, in the case of a heating area close to the power connection area 11, the resistance caused by the power line 12 is small, so the thickness t can be reduced. For example, the pattern density of a heating area relatively far from the power connection area 11 may be less than the pattern density of an area relatively close to the power connection area 11.

[0049] The heat generated per unit area of ​​the heating area (e.g., a3) relatively far from the power connection area 11 can be less than the heat generated per unit area of ​​the area (e.g., b3 or D) closer to the power connection area 11. Therefore, the temperature deviation required by the semiconductor manufacturing equipment can be achieved by temperature control of b3 or D with a higher pattern density.

[0050] Figure 6 Another embodiment of generating different amounts of heat for each heating zone is exemplarily shown.

[0051] refer to Figure 6 By changing the cross-sectional thickness of the heating elements 41, 51, and 61 for each heating area, the amount of heat generated can be different. When observing the cross section of the heater pattern, the thickness t of the cross section of the heating element 51 of the second heater pattern 50 is 50 is greater than the thickness t of the cross section of the heating element 41 of the first heater pattern 40 40, but the third heater pattern 50 is smaller than the cross-sectional thickness of the heating element. Assuming that the pattern density and the distance from the power connection area 11 are the same, the heat generated by the heating elements 41, 51 and 61 may be different according to the cross-sectional thickness.

[0052] The above description of the present invention is exemplary, and those skilled in the art will appreciate that other forms of modifications may be made to the present invention without changing the technical ideas or essential features of the present invention. Therefore, it should be understood that the above embodiments are illustrative and non-restrictive in all aspects. In particular, the features of the present invention described with reference to the accompanying drawings are not limited to the structures shown in the specific drawings, and may be implemented independently or in combination with other features.

[0053] The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the detailed description above, and it should be understood that all changes or modifications resulting from the meaning and scope of the claims and their equivalent concepts are included in the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A large area heater, comprising: a heating plate having a central region where heat is concentrated and a peripheral region surrounding the central region; as well as a plurality of unit heaters configured to heat at least a portion of the central area and at least a portion of the surrounding area, Wherein, the plurality of unit heaters include: multiple heating zones, configured to produce different amounts of heat; a plurality of power lines configured to independently transmit power to each of the plurality of heating zones; and a plurality of power connection terminal pairs disposed at corners of the unit heater to supply power to the plurality of power lines, wherein the number of the plurality of power connection terminal pairs corresponds to the number of the plurality of heating areas, Wherein, the unit heater comprises: A first heating area corresponding to the central area; and A second heating area, corresponding to the surrounding area, wherein a pattern density of the heater pattern disposed in the first heating region is smaller than a pattern density of the heater pattern disposed in the second heating region, Wherein, the heating area includes: Single zone; and Multi-zone, with multiple sub-zones that generate different amounts of heat, wherein power is supplied to the plurality of sub-areas via a power line, wherein the heating region includes a heater pattern formed by electrically connecting a plurality of sub-patterns, Wherein, the multiple sub-patterns include: a first connector and a second connector, each of which is formed with a slit; and The sub-heating element is bent in a zigzag shape and has a plurality of bending points between the first connector and the second connector.

2. The large area heater according to claim 1, wherein: The plurality of unit heaters include heating areas that are bilaterally symmetrical and vertically symmetrical.

3. The large area heater according to claim 1, wherein: The temperature deviation of the central area is adjusted by controlling the temperature of the second heating area corresponding to the peripheral area.

4. A large area heater, comprising: a heating plate having a central region where heat is concentrated and a peripheral region surrounding the central region; as well as a plurality of unit heaters configured to heat at least a portion of the central area and at least a portion of the surrounding area, Wherein, the plurality of unit heaters include: multiple heating zones, configured to produce different amounts of heat; a plurality of power lines configured to independently transmit power to each of the plurality of heating zones; and a plurality of power connection terminal pairs disposed at corners of the unit heater to supply power to the plurality of power lines, wherein the number of the plurality of power connection terminal pairs corresponds to the number of the plurality of heating areas, Wherein, the unit heater comprises: A first heating area corresponding to the central area; and A second heating area, corresponding to the surrounding area, wherein a cross-sectional thickness of the heater pattern disposed in the first heating region is different from a cross-sectional thickness of the heater pattern disposed in the second heating region, Wherein, the heating area includes: Single zone; and Multi-zone, with multiple sub-zones that generate different amounts of heat, wherein power is supplied to the plurality of sub-areas via a power line, wherein the heating region includes a heater pattern formed by electrically connecting a plurality of sub-patterns, Wherein, the multiple sub-patterns include: a first connector and a second connector, each of which is formed with a slit; and The sub-heating element is bent in a zigzag shape and has a plurality of bending points between the first connector and the second connector.

5. The large area heater according to claim 4, wherein: The plurality of unit heaters include heating areas that are bilaterally symmetrical and vertically symmetrical.

6. The large area heater according to claim 4, wherein: The temperature deviation of the central area is adjusted by controlling the temperature of the second heating area corresponding to the peripheral area.

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