Ultraviolet curing device, substrate processing apparatus, and substrate processing method

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an ultraviolet curing device, a substrate processing apparatus, and a substrate processing method. The substrate processing method includes preparing a substrate coated with a photocurable material; placing the substrate on a substrate support; forming a processing space for the substrate using a local area of the substrate above the substrate; forming an inert gas atmosphere in the processing space; and irradiating ultraviolet light in the processing space in which the inert gas atmosphere is formed. Since the processing space for the substrate is locally formed above the substrate, the substrate processing efficiency can be improved.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The disclosure relates to an ultraviolet (UV) curing device, a substrate processing apparatus, and a substrate processing method, and more particularly, to a UV curing device, a substrate processing apparatus, and a substrate processing method capable of locally forming a substrate processing space above a substrate to improve substrate processing efficiency. BACKGROUND

[0002] Generally, coating represents a feature of forming a film on a surface of an object, the purpose of which is to prevent damage on the surface of the object and foreign substances from adhering and to adjust reflectivity. Although various coating methods exist, UV curing coating has recently been widely used.

[0003] UV curing coating is a method for forming a film such that a UV coating solution, which is a photocurable material, is applied on a surface of an object, and UV light is used to irradiate the UV coating solution to cure the UV coating solution. The film formed as described above has properties such as high gloss, high hardness, and chemical resistance. In addition, since the curing speed of the UV coating solution is faster than that of a thermal curing method, productivity can be improved, and the number of processes can be reduced since a thermal treatment process is omitted. In addition, since no organic solvent is used in UV curing coating, UV curing coating can have the least impact on the environment, and since UV light is used, UV curing coating can be easily applied to an object that is easily thermally deformed. In particular, since the curing speed of the UV coating solution is extremely fast, between several seconds and several tens of seconds, the UV coating solution is very advantageous for continuously performing coating on an optical film used in the field of displays.

[0004] However, UV light having a wavelength of 200 nm or less has a limitation in that the UV light absorbs oxygen in the air to generate ozone, and the oxygen in the air limits a chemical reaction caused by the UV light of the UV coating solution, thereby reducing the curing density. In addition, when the UV coating solution contacts oxygen during coating of the optical film, the UV coating solution is oxidized to deteriorate the optical function.

[0005] Therefore, UV curing coating is performed after the object is loaded into a chamber, and the inside of the chamber is converted into a nitrogen atmosphere to reduce the oxygen concentration. However, the above-described method has a limitation in that as the size of the object increases, the size of the chamber also increases, and the time required to convert the internal atmosphere of the chamber increases, thereby reducing productivity.

[0006] [Related Art Documents]

[0007] [Patent Documents]

[0008] (Patent Literature 1) KR 10-1032398 B SUMMARY

[0009] The present disclosure provides a UV curing device capable of improving productivity by reducing substrate processing time, a substrate processing apparatus, and a substrate processing method.

[0010] According to an exemplary embodiment, a UV curing device includes a main body installed to move along an upper portion of an object to be processed, a UV lamp installed on a lower portion of the main body, a wall portion connected to the lower portion of the main body to form a processing space between the object to be processed and the main body, a gas supply portion having a portion installed on the wall portion to supply an inert gas to the processing space, and a control unit configured to control an operation of the gas supply portion.

[0011] The wall portion can have a hollow shape having an open upper portion and a lower portion.

[0012] The wall portion can include a body portion extending in a vertical direction and an extension portion disposed below the body portion and curved toward an inside of the main body.

[0013] The wall portion can be inclined toward at least one side of an inside and an outside of the main body.

[0014] The gas supply portion can include a nozzle installed on an inner surface of the wall portion to inject a gas to the space, a gas supply pipe connected to the nozzle to supply the gas to the nozzle, and a valve installed on the gas supply pipe.

[0015] The gas supply portion can further include an auxiliary nozzle installed on an outer surface of the wall portion to inject the gas in a vertical direction.

[0016] The UV curing device can further include a concentration meter installed on the wall portion to measure an oxygen concentration in the processing space.

[0017] The concentration meter can be disposed lower than the nozzle.

[0018] The control unit can control an operation of the valve using a result measured in the concentration meter.

[0019] According to another exemplary embodiment, a substrate processing apparatus includes a substrate support unit configured to support a substrate on which a photocurable material is applied, and the UV curing device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, and the UV curing device is installed above the substrate support unit.

[0020] The substrate processing apparatus can further include a thermometer installed on the wall portion to measure a temperature of the substrate.

[0021] The substrate support unit can include a substrate support configured to support the substrate disposed thereon, and a cooling device configured to adjust a temperature of the substrate support, and the control unit can control operation of the cooling device using a result measured in the thermometer.

[0022] The wall portion can be spaced apart from the substrate support.

[0023] According to yet another exemplary embodiment, a substrate processing method includes preparing a substrate coated with a photocurable material; disposing the substrate on a substrate support; forming a processing space for the substrate using a local area of the substrate above the substrate; forming an inert gas atmosphere in the processing space; and irradiating UV light in the processing space in which the inert gas atmosphere is formed.

[0024] The irradiating the UV light can include moving the processing space in which the inert gas atmosphere is formed.

[0025] At least one of the forming the inert gas atmosphere and the irradiating the UV light can include measuring an oxygen concentration in the processing space.

[0026] The forming the inert gas atmosphere can include supplying an inert gas to the processing space, and at least one of the forming the inert gas atmosphere and the irradiating the UV light can include adjusting a flow rate of the inert gas supplied to the processing space according to the measured oxygen concentration.

[0027] The moving the processing space in which the inert gas atmosphere is formed can include adjusting a flow rate of an inert gas supplied to a front side and a flow rate of an inert gas supplied to a rear side differently with respect to a moving direction of the processing space in which the inert gas atmosphere is formed.

[0028] At least one of the forming the inert gas atmosphere and the irradiating the UV light can include forming an inert gas curtain between the processing space and the substrate.

[0029] The irradiating the UV light can include measuring a temperature of the substrate.

[0030] The irradiating the UV light can include adjusting a temperature of the substrate support according to the measured temperature of the substrate. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0031] The exemplary embodiments can be understood more fully from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0032] Figure 1 is a schematic view showing a substrate processing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0033] Figure 2 is an enlarged view showing a substrate processing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0034] Figure 3 is a view showing a modified example of a UV curing device.

[0035] Figure 4 is a view showing another modified example of a UV curing device.

[0036] Figure 5 is a graph representing an oxygen concentration in a chamber when a substrate is processed using a substrate processing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] Hereinafter, specific embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present disclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms, and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the concept of the application to those skilled in the art.

[0038] Figure 1 is a schematic view showing a substrate processing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment, and Figure 2 is an enlarged view showing a substrate processing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment.

[0039] Referring to Figure 1 and Figure 2 , a substrate processing apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment can include a substrate support unit 100 to support a substrate G disposed on the substrate support unit 100, a UV curing device 200 mounted on the substrate support unit 100 to move along the substrate G, and a control unit 300 to control an operation of each of the substrate support unit 100 and the UV curing device 200. The UV curing device 200 can include a main body 220, a UV lamp 230 mounted on the main body 220 to irradiate the substrate support unit 100 with UV light, a wall portion 240 (240a and 240b) disposed outside the UV lamp 230 to surround the UV lamp 230 and connected to a lower portion of the main body 220 to form a processing space S between the main body 220 and an object to be processed, a gas supply portion 250 having a portion formed on the wall portion 240 to inject a gas into the wall portion 240, and a driving device 210 to move the main body 220.

[0040] The substrate support unit 100 can include a substrate support 110, and a cooling device 120 for circulating a cooling medium in the substrate support 110. The substrate support 110 is a component for supporting a substrate G, e.g., a glass substrate of a display (e.g., an organic light emitting diode (OLED) and an LED). The substrate support 110 can have an area similar to or greater than that of the substrate G. For example, the substrate support 110 can have a width and a thickness in a horizontal direction, and a predetermined height. Here, the substrate support 110 can have various shapes (e.g., a rectangular shape or a circular shape) or a shape corresponding to that of the substrate G. The substrate support 110 can place the substrate G on the substrate support 110 to support the substrate G, or lift the substrate G to be spaced apart from a top surface of the substrate support 110 by a predetermined height, thereby supporting the substrate G. A flow path (not shown) for circulating the cooling medium can be defined in the substrate support 110.

[0041] The cooling device 120 can circulate the cooling medium along the flow path defined in the substrate support 110. That is, the cooling device 120 can supply the cooling medium to the flow path of the substrate support 110 and collect the cooling medium that has passed through the flow path. The above-described process can be performed uninterruptedly to circulate the cooling medium along the flow path of the substrate support 110. The cooling device 120 can adjust the temperature of the cooling medium and supply the cooling medium to the substrate support 110, or be connected to a different external cooling apparatus (not shown) and supply the cooling medium having a temperature adjusted to a predetermined temperature to the substrate support 110. The cooling device 120 can precisely adjust the temperature of the substrate support 110 by adjusting the supply speed or supply flow rate of the cooling medium.

[0042] The UV curing device 200 can move on the substrate support 110 to irradiate the substrate G supported by the upper portion of the substrate support 110 with UV light. The UV curing device 200 can form an inert gas atmosphere between the UV curing device 200 and the substrate support 110, i.e., the substrate G, and irradiate the substrate G with UV light to cure a photo-curable material (e.g., a dielectric material) applied on the substrate G. In other words, the UV curing device 200 can form an inert gas atmosphere (e.g., a nitrogen atmosphere) in a region irradiated with UV light to limit or prevent the photo-curable material applied to the substrate G from reacting with oxygen contained in the atmosphere.

[0043] The UV curing device 200 can include a main body 220, a UV lamp 230 installed on the main body 220 to irradiate the substrate support unit 100 with UV light, a wall portion 240 provided outside the UV lamp 230 to surround the UV lamp 230 and connected to a lower portion of the main body 220 to form a process space between the main body 220 and the substrate G as an object to be processed, a gas supply portion 250 having a portion formed on the wall portion 240 to inject gas into the wall portion 240, and a driving portion 210 for moving the main body 220. In addition, the UV curing device 200 can include a concentration meter 260 for measuring the oxygen concentration in the process space formed between the wall portion 240 and the substrate G.

[0044] First, the driving device 210 can include a guide frame 211 spaced apart upward from the substrate support 110 to support the main body 220, and a driver (not shown) for providing power for moving the main body 220.

[0045] The guide frame 211 can extend in the extension direction of the substrate support 110, for example, the width direction D2 of the substrate support 110. The driver 213 can provide power for moving the main body 220 and be installed on the guide frame 211 or the main body 220.

[0046] The main body 220 can support the UV lamp 230 and the wall portion 240 and include an electronic device (not shown) for operating the UV lamp 230. In addition, the main body 220 can be connected to the guide frame 211 of the driving device 210 and move in the extension direction of the guide frame 211. Here, the main body 220 can have a block shape or a bar shape extending in one direction. When the main body 220 has a block shape, a plurality of main bodies 220 can be connected in one direction to have a bar shape. This is to irradiate the substrate G with UV light in a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the main body 220 (because the substrate G has a plate shape with an area) and the main body 220 moves in the extension direction of the substrate G, for example, the width direction D2, to irradiate the substrate G with UV light. That is, the entire substrate G is irradiated with UV light while the main body 220 is moved.

[0047] The UV lamp 230 can be installed at a lower portion of the main body 220 to irradiate the substrate support 110 with UV light. Here, the UV lamp 230 can include various types of lamps such as a bulb type, a bar-shaped lamp, and an LED lamp as long as the lamp emits UV light.

[0048] The wall portion 240 can be connected to a lower portion of the main body 220 to extend in a vertical direction. The wall portion 240 can be connected to the main body 220 to surround the UV lamp 230. The wall portion 240 can have a hollow shape in which an upper portion and a lower portion are open to form a light path so that UV light emitted from the UV lamp 230 irradiates the substrate G. In addition, the wall portion 240 can function as a buffer that temporarily accommodates an inert gas to form an inert gas atmosphere between the substrate G and the wall portion 240 while the substrate G is processed. The wall portion 240 can be formed in an integrated shape or an assembly assembled from a plurality of parts.

[0049] The wall portion 240 can be connected to the main body 220 to form a processing space S of the substrate G between the main body 220 and the substrate G located below the main body 220. The wall portion 240 can form the processing space below the main body 220 (e.g., between the main body 220 and the substrate support 110 or between the UV lamp 230 and the substrate G). The wall portion 240 can have an "L" shape including a body portion extending in a vertical direction and an extension portion bent toward the inside of the main body 220 or the processing space S. Here, when the wall portion 240 includes the extension portion, an effect that nitrogen gas supplied to the processing space S is temporarily stagnated instead of being directly discharged by the extension portion can be obtained. Alternatively, the wall portion 240 can have an "I" shape including only the body portion or a shape in which at least a portion thereof is a curved surface. However, the exemplary embodiments are not limited to the shape of the wall portion 240 as long as a processing space for forming an inert gas atmosphere (e.g., a nitrogen gas atmosphere) is formed above the substrate G.

[0050] The wall portion 240 can have various shapes.

[0051] Figure 3 is a view showing a modified example of a UV curing device.

[0052] The wall portion 240 can be connected to the main body 220 to have a symmetric shape as shown in (a) to (c) of Figure 3 Figure 3 Figure 3 ​​The wall portion 240 can be connected to the main body 220 so as to be inclined toward the inside or the outside of the main body 220. Here, when the wall portion 240 is connected to the main body 220 so as to be inclined, the wall portion 240 can preferably be inclined in a forward direction with respect to the moving direction of the main body 220 (e.g., the moving direction while emitting UV light). This is to remove oxygen remaining on the substrate G by enabling nitrogen gas to first contact the substrate G before the substrate G is irradiated with UV light. Preferably, the wall portion 240 can be connected to the main body 220 and inclined in a forward direction with respect to the moving direction of the main body 220 while the main body 220 irradiates the substrate G with UV light to cure the photocurable material.

[0053] The gas supply portion 250 can include a nozzle 253 formed in the wall portion 240, a gas reservoir 251 for storing inert gas supplied to the nozzle 253, a gas supply conduit (not shown) connecting the nozzle 253 and the gas reservoir 251, and a valve 255 installed on the gas supply conduit to adjust the flow rate of the inert gas.

[0054] The nozzle 253 can be formed on the inner surface of the wall portion 240 to inject inert gas into the process space S. The nozzle 253 can have a slit shape to extend in the thickness direction D1 in which the main body 220 extends, or a plurality of nozzles 253 can be spaced apart from each other in the thickness direction D1 in which the main body 220 extends.

[0055] The gas supply conduit can have at least a portion made of a stretchable or flexible material so as not to affect the movement of the main body 220. The valve 255 can be installed on the gas supply conduit to adjust the flow rate of the inert gas supplied to the nozzle 253.

[0056] In addition, a passage for supplying inert gas to the nozzle 253 can be formed in the wall portion 240. The passage can be formed as one connection body provided over the entire wall portion 240, or can be divided into a plurality of passages. For example, the passage can be divided into a passage provided in the wall portion 240 at the front side and a passage provided in the wall portion 240 at the rear side with respect to the moving direction of the main body 220. In this case, a gas supply pipe can be independently connected to each of the passage provided at the front side and the passage provided at the rear side with respect to the moving direction of the main body 220, and a valve can be installed on each gas supply pipe. In addition, the flow rate of inert gas supplied to each of the passage formed in the wall portion 240 provided at the front side and the passage formed in the wall portion 240 provided at the rear side can be adjusted in different ways.

[0057] The concentration meter 260 can measure the oxygen concentration in the process space S formed between the wall portion 240 and the substrate G. The concentration meter 260 can be installed on the inner surface of the wall portion 240 or at the lower portion of the main body 220. Since oxygen affects the photocurable material when the substrate G coated with the photocurable material is cured, the concentration meter 260 can be preferably installed at the side adjacent to the substrate G coated with the photocurable material. For example, the concentration meter 260 can be installed at a position lower than the position of the nozzle 253.

[0058] The substrate support unit 100 can further include a thermometer 130 for measuring the temperature of the substrate support 110. The thermometer 130 can include an infrared thermometer or a pyrometer that measures the temperature of the substrate G in a non-contact manner. The thermometer 130 can be installed on the wall portion 240 to measure the temperature of the substrate G in a non-contact manner. For example, the thermometer 130 can be installed on the bottom surface of the wall portion 240 facing the substrate support 110 and spaced apart from the substrate G. The thermometer 130 can be installed at various positions other than the bottom surface of the wall portion 240 as long as the thermometer measures the temperature of the substrate G in a non-contact manner. In addition, a plurality of thermometers 130 can be installed along the extension direction of the main body 220 (e.g., the thickness direction D1 of the substrate G) to measure the temperature of the substrate G in the region where the UV light is irradiated.

[0059] The control unit 300 can control the overall operation of all the substrate processing apparatuses, such as the cooling device 120, the driver 213, the UV lamp 230, the valve 255, the concentration meter 260, and the thermometer 130. In particular, the control unit 300 can control the operation of the valve 255 using the oxygen concentration measured by the concentration meter 260. In addition, the control unit 300 can control the operation of the cooling device 120 using the temperature of the substrate G measured in the thermometer 130.

[0060] Figure 4is a view showing another modified example of the UV curing apparatus.

[0061] Referring to Figure 4 The UV curing apparatus can further include an auxiliary nozzle 257 installed in the wall portion 240 and injecting an inert gas to the outside of the process space S. The auxiliary nozzle 257 can be installed on the outer surface of the wall portion 240 to inject the inert gas toward the substrate G. Here, the auxiliary nozzle 257 can be installed in the wall portion 240 to inject the gas along the thickness direction D1 of the substrate G. Accordingly, the auxiliary nozzle 257 can form an inert gas curtain (e.g., a nitrogen curtain) between the wall portion 240 and the substrate support 110 or between the wall portion 240 and the substrate G. When the nitrogen curtain is formed as described above, the time for which the nitrogen injected through the nozzle 253 stays in the process space S can be increased, and the air introduced from the outside into the process space S can be blocked. Accordingly, the internal atmosphere of the process space S can be constantly maintained.

[0062] Although the substrate processing apparatus does not include a chamber in the exemplary embodiment, the chamber can be used for the purpose of collecting the nitrogen injected toward the substrate, rather than for the purpose of controlling the atmosphere in which the substrate is processed.

[0063] Hereinafter, a substrate processing method according to an exemplary embodiment will be set forth.

[0064] The substrate processing method according to an exemplary embodiment can include preparing a substrate coated with a light-cured material; disposing the substrate on a substrate support; forming a process space communicating with a partial region of the substrate above the substrate; forming a nitrogen atmosphere in the process space; and irradiating the substrate with UV light in the process space in which the nitrogen atmosphere is formed.

[0065] First, a substrate G coated with a light-cured material can be prepared. Here, the substrate G can include a glass substrate for a display (e.g., an OLED and an LCD), and the light-cured material can include a dielectric material. However, the exemplary embodiment is not limited to the substrate and the light-cured material.

[0066] When the substrate G is prepared, the substrate G can be disposed on a substrate support 110. Here, the substrate G can be disposed on the substrate support 110 in contact, or be lifted apart from the substrate support 110 by a predetermined distance by injecting air from the substrate support 110. The reason for lifting the substrate G above the substrate support 110 as the latter is that, when the substrate G is made of a light-transmissive material, while the light-cured material is cured by irradiating the substrate G with UV light, when a pattern or topology of the surface of the substrate support 110 is transferred to the light-cured material, moire can be generated.

[0067] When the substrate G is placed on the substrate support 110, the main body 220 of the UV curing device can be moved to one side of the substrate G, for example, the left side of the substrate G. Thereafter, the nitrogen gas stored in the gas storage 251 can be supplied to the nozzle 253 by controlling the operation of the valve 255 of the gas supply part 250 using the control of the control unit 300.

[0068] When the nitrogen gas is supplied, the nitrogen gas can be injected into the process space S in the wall part 240 through the nozzle 253. When the nitrogen gas is supplied into the process space S as described above, the air present in the process space S can be discharged to the outside through the space between the wall part 240 and the substrate G, and the inside of the process space S can be converted into a nitrogen gas atmosphere.

[0069] The nitrogen gas atmosphere in the process space S can be maintained by continuously injecting the nitrogen gas into the process space as described above, and the UV lamp 230 can be operated to irradiate the substrate G with UV light. In addition, the auxiliary nozzle 257 can be used to inject the nitrogen gas from the outside of the process space S, that is, the outside of the wall part 240, toward the substrate. Here, the auxiliary nozzle 257 can form a nitrogen gas curtain between the wall part 240 and the substrate G by injecting the gas toward the substrate G. Thus, the nitrogen gas injected into the process space S through the nozzle 253 can be temporarily retained in the process space S by the nitrogen gas curtain. In addition, the air introduced into the process space S can be blocked by the nitrogen gas curtain to smoothly maintain the nitrogen gas atmosphere in the area of the substrate G where irradiation with UV light is performed.

[0070] In addition, the photocured material applied on the substrate G can be cured when the main body 220 of the UV curing device 200 is moved to the other side of the substrate G, for example, the right side, using the driving device 210. Here, the nitrogen gas injected from the nozzle 253 can be discharged between the wall part 240 and the substrate G to remove the air or oxygen remaining on the surface of the substrate G. When the main body 220 is moved, the process space S can be moved in the direction of movement of the main body 220, and the photocured material can be continuously cured in the moved process space S.

[0071] Thereafter, when the photocured material is cured, the substrate G can be transferred to the next process position. In addition, the supply of the nitrogen gas can be blocked by operating the valve 255 using the control unit 300, and the main body 220 can be moved to one side of the substrate support 110 for subsequent processing of the substrate G.

[0072] While the photocured material is cured as described above, the oxygen concentration in the process space S can be measured. Here, the oxygen concentration can be continuously measured after the nitrogen gas is supplied to the process space S by operating the valve 255 until the photocured material is completely cured, that is, until the substrate G is completely processed.

[0073] Since the substrate is processed at atmospheric pressure without a separate chamber, the oxygen concentration in the processing space S can not be controlled to "0". Therefore, the substrate can be processed by controlling the oxygen concentration to a degree that does not affect curing of the photocurable material, for example, a degree equal to or less than 1,000 ppm. When the oxygen concentration is greater than 1,000 ppm, the UV light can absorb oxygen to generate ozone or oxidize the photocurable material, and can form mura on a film formed on the substrate G by the air flow generated in the processing space S. Therefore, it can be preferable to control the oxygen concentration in the processing space S to be equal to or less than 1,000 ppm.

[0074] The oxygen concentration in the processing space S can be continuously measured using the concentration meter 260, and the oxygen concentration in the processing space S can be maintained to be equal to or less than 1,000 ppm while the substrate G is processed. Here, when the oxygen concentration measured by the concentration meter 260 is equal to or greater than 1,000 ppm, the control unit 300 can control the operation of the valve 255 to increase the flow rate of nitrogen injected through the nozzle 253. On the other hand, when the oxygen concentration measured by the concentration meter 260 is equal to or less than 1,000 ppm, the flow rate of nitrogen injected through the nozzle 253 can be maintained.

[0075] In addition, the temperature of the substrate support 110 can be controlled while the substrate G is processed. That is, the substrate G and the substrate support 110 can be excessively heated by the UV light. Therefore, when the temperature of the substrate G is measured using the temperature meter 130, and the operation of the cooling device 120 is controlled according to the measured temperature, the circulation speed or flow rate of the cooling medium circulating in the substrate support 110 can be controlled to adjust the temperature of the substrate support 110.

[0076] Hereinafter, results of experiments for verifying the substrate processing performance of the substrate processing method according to exemplary embodiments will be explained.

[0077] Figure 5 is a graph representing the oxygen concentration in the chamber when a substrate is processed using the substrate processing apparatus according to exemplary embodiments.

[0078] A substrate coated with a photocurable material was placed on a substrate support, and the photocurable material was irradiated with UV light while a nitrogen atmosphere was locally formed above the substrate using a UV curing device. In addition, the oxygen concentration was measured in a space formed in the wall portion of the UV curing device. Here, the time required for the oxygen concentration to reach each of 1,000 ppm, 800 ppm, 600 ppm, 500 ppm, 300 ppm, and 200 ppm was measured.

[0079] Table 1 below shows results obtained by measuring the time required for the oxygen concentration to reach a preset concentration.

[0080] [Table 1]

[0081]

[0082] It is understood that the time required for the oxygen concentration to reach 1000 ppm ranges from 9 seconds to 12 seconds (average 10.5 seconds), in which time the oxygen concentration hardly affects the curing of the photocurable material by the UV light. When the nitrogen atmosphere is locally formed only on the area irradiated with the UV light, the processing time can be reduced much more than the prior art in which it takes about 30 minutes to convert the entire interior of the chamber into a nitrogen atmosphere. In addition, it can be known that the results obtained by curing the photocurable material in the above-described method and testing the quality of the cured film exhibit the same or similar quality as that of the film cured by the related art.

[0083] According to an exemplary embodiment, a curing process of a photocurable material applied on a substrate can be performed in an atmosphere. That is, a nitrogen atmosphere can be locally formed between a UV curing device and the substrate. Since the nitrogen atmosphere is locally formed between the UV curing device and the substrate, and the UV light is irradiated, the UV light and the photocurable material can be prevented from contacting oxygen. Accordingly, the time required for converting the interior atmosphere of a chamber for performing the curing process can be reduced to improve process efficiency and productivity of the substrate. In addition, since the curing process can be performed without a separate chamber, the cost of preparing the chamber or the maintenance cost of the chamber can be saved.

[0084] As described above, although the present application has been particularly shown and described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details can be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application as defined by the appended claims. Therefore, the scope of the present application is not defined by the detailed description of the present application but by the appended claims, and all differences within the scope will be interpreted as included in the present application.

Claims

1. An ultraviolet curing device, comprising: a main body installed to move along an upper portion of an object to be processed; an ultraviolet lamp installed on a lower portion of the main body; a wall portion connected to the lower portion of the main body to form a processing space between the object to be processed and the lower portion of the main body; a gas supply portion having a portion installed on the wall portion to supply an inert gas to the processing space; and a control unit configured to control an operation of the gas supply portion, wherein the wall portion includes a body portion extending in a vertical direction and an extension portion provided below the body portion and curved toward an inside of the main body.

2. The ultraviolet curing device according to claim 1, wherein the wall portion has a hollow shape having an open upper portion and a lower portion.

3. The ultraviolet curing device according to claim 2, wherein the wall portion is inclined toward at least one side of an inside and an outside of the main body.

4. The ultraviolet curing device according to claim 1, wherein the gas supply portion includes: a nozzle installed on an inner surface of the wall portion to inject the inert gas to the processing space; a gas supply pipe connected to the nozzle to supply the inert gas to the nozzle; and a valve installed on the gas supply pipe.

5. The ultraviolet curing device according to claim 4, wherein the gas supply portion further includes an auxiliary nozzle installed on an outer surface of the wall portion to inject the gas in a vertical direction.

6. The ultraviolet curing device according to claim 4, further comprising a concentration meter installed on the wall portion to measure an oxygen concentration in the processing space.

7. The ultraviolet curing device according to claim 6, wherein the concentration meter is disposed lower than the nozzle.

8. The ultraviolet curing device according to claim 6, wherein the control unit controls an operation of the valve using a result measured in the concentration meter.

9. A substrate processing apparatus, comprising: a substrate support unit configured to support a substrate on which a photocurable material is applied; and the ultraviolet curing device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the ultraviolet curing device is installed above the substrate support unit.

10. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a thermometer installed on a wall portion to measure a temperature of the substrate.

11. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the substrate support unit includes: a substrate support configured to support the substrate provided on the substrate support; and a cooling device configured to adjust a temperature of the substrate support, wherein a control unit controls an operation of the cooling device using a result measured in the thermometer.

12. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the wall portion is spaced apart from the substrate support. ​ ​ ​ ​

Images