Deposition apparatus, processing system, and method for manufacturing photovoltaic device layers

By using a horizontal sputtering cathode array with a rotatable cylindrical target and a substrate support combined with an electrostatic chuck in a large-area substrate processing system, the problems of uniformity and stability of material deposition on large-area substrates are solved, the flexibility and maintenance efficiency of the equipment are improved, and the cost is reduced.

CN115885057BActive Publication Date: 2025-09-16APPLIED MATERIALS INC
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Patent Information

Application Number
CN202180036943.8
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Patents(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Priority Date
2021-02-19
Filing Date
2021-06-02
Publication Date
2025-09-16
Estimated Expiration
2041-06-02

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Existing technologies have difficulty achieving uniform and stable material deposition on large-area substrates, especially in static deposition processes, and traditional vacuum processing systems have high flexibility and maintenance costs.

Method used

A horizontal sputtering cathode array with a rotatable cylindrical target and a substrate support combined with an electrostatic chuck, combined with cooling gas, is used for static deposition on large-area substrates in the horizontal direction, while reducing maintenance frequency and costs through an improved maintenance concept.

Benefits of technology

It achieves uniform deposition of materials on large-area substrates, improves the flexibility and maintenance efficiency of deposition equipment, reduces equipment ownership costs, and reduces the risk of substrate warping and degradation.

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Abstract

A deposition apparatus for performing large-area substrate processing in a substrate processing system is described. The deposition apparatus includes a vacuum chamber; a rotatable horizontal array of sputtering cathodes, the array configured to have cylindrical targets, the array disposed within the vacuum chamber; and a substrate support within the vacuum chamber, below the array, configured to allow the array to sputter downward onto a substrate on the substrate support in a static deposition process.
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to substrate processing, for example, in cluster tools, and particularly to cluster tools with horizontal substrate processing. Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to substrate processing apparatus, such as deposition apparatus, and particularly to apparatus for use in static deposition. Embodiments may also relate to horizontally oriented rotating cathode arrays, for example, straight or arched in static deposition applications, particularly for use in cluster system layouts. In particular, embodiments relate to deposition apparatus for large area substrate processing in substrate processing systems such as cluster processing systems, substrate processing systems for large area substrates, and methods of fabricating photovoltaic device layers. Background Art

[0002] A vacuum processing system is a system comprising at least a vacuum chamber having a processing region, wherein a substrate can be positioned relative to the processing region for processing the substrate. Several methods for depositing materials on substrates are known. For example, a substrate can be coated by using a physical vapor deposition (PVD) process such as a sputtering process or an evaporation process, a spraying process, or a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) process. The substrate on which the material is deposited, i.e., the substrate to be coated, is introduced into the vacuum chamber of the vacuum processing system and positioned relative to the processing region of the vacuum chamber of the vacuum processing system.

[0003] For example, the coating process can be carried out in a vacuum chamber. For a sputtering deposition process, material is ejected from a target material disposed in a vacuum chamber. The material is deposited onto a substrate. In a vacuum chamber, the ejection of material from the target material can be provided by bombarding the target material with ions generated in a plasma region. The target material is typically formed into a sputtering cathode by applying a potential difference, such that in the presence of a generated electric field, ions generated in the plasma region are accelerated / migrated toward the charged sputtering cathode and impact the sputtering cathode, thereby dislodging atoms from the cathode. The sputtering cathode thus provides the material for material deposition, thereby forming a material source.

[0004] Coating processes, i.e., material deposition processes, can be used for large-area substrates, such as those used in display manufacturing. Coated substrates can be used in a variety of technical fields, such as in microelectronics, in the production of semiconductor devices, as substrates for thin-film transistors, and as insulating plates. The trend towards larger substrates, such as in the manufacture of larger displays, leads to the need for larger vacuum processing systems.

[0005] Sputtering can be performed as magnetron sputtering, where a magnet assembly is used to confine the plasma to improve sputtering conditions. Plasma confinement can also be used to adjust the particle size distribution of the material to be deposited on the substrate. For example, a uniform layer with defined layer properties is beneficial. This is particularly true for deposition over large areas, such as in the manufacture of displays on large-area substrates. Furthermore, uniformity and process stability can be particularly difficult to achieve for static deposition processes, where the substrate does not continuously move through the deposition area.

[0006] For large-area substrates, manufacturing system flexibility, cost of ownership, and footprint are important considerations. Furthermore, in display manufacturing, substrates are processed horizontally. Vertical processing systems utilize multiple moving components to move substrates from a horizontal to vertical orientation. Therefore, horizontal processing systems—those that maintain substrates in a horizontal orientation—can be beneficial. Furthermore, cluster systems can enhance manufacturing flexibility, as a central vacuum transfer chamber allows for flexible movement of substrates to multiple processing chambers.

[0007] Improvements in product maintenance cycles increase the throughput of a substrate processing apparatus or substrate processing system, respectively.In view of the foregoing, improved deposition apparatus, improved processing systems, and improved methods for fabricating optoelectronic device layers would be beneficial. Summary of the Invention

[0008] In view of the above, according to the independent claims, a deposition apparatus, a substrate processing system and a method for manufacturing an electronic device layer, in particular a photovoltaic device layer, are provided. Further features, details, aspects, realizations and embodiments are shown in the dependent claims, the description and the drawings.

[0009] According to one embodiment, a deposition apparatus for performing large-area substrate processing in a substrate processing system is provided. The deposition apparatus includes: a vacuum chamber; a rotatable horizontal array of sputtering cathodes configured to have cylindrical targets, the rotatable horizontal array of sputtering cathodes disposed in the vacuum chamber; and a substrate support within the vacuum chamber, below the rotatable horizontal array of sputtering cathodes, and configured for a static deposition process in which the rotatable horizontal array of sputtering cathodes sputters downward onto a substrate on the substrate support.

[0010] According to one embodiment, a substrate processing system for large-area substrates is provided, comprising: a transfer chamber; one or more deposition apparatuses according to any embodiment described herein and coupled to the transfer chamber; and one or more load lock chambers coupled to the transfer chamber.

[0011] According to one embodiment, a method for manufacturing an electronic device layer is provided, comprising: loading a large-area substrate onto a robot arm of a robot at least partially disposed in a central transfer chamber; transferring the large-area substrate to a deposition apparatus according to any embodiment described herein; and sputtering a material layer onto the large-area substrate.

[0012] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a display device is provided. The display device includes a backplane disposed on a substrate. The backplane includes a plurality of lines for driving a display structure and pixel electrodes addressed by driving the display structure. The display device further includes one or more organic layers for emitting light when driving the pixel electrodes. A touch screen panel is deposited above the one or more organic layers disposed above the substrate. The touch screen panel may include one or more layers comprising or consisting of a material selected from the group consisting of copper, aluminum, titanium, molybdenum, and tungsten.

[0013] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a display device is provided. The display device includes a backplane disposed on a substrate. The backplane includes a plurality of lines for driving a display structure and pixel electrodes addressed by driving the display structure. The backplane includes sputtered copper wire having a thickness of 1 μm or greater. The copper wire is provided by sputtering. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] In order to enable a detailed understanding of the manner in which the above-described features of the present disclosure are achieved, a more particular description of the present disclosure, briefly summarized above, may be obtained by reference to embodiments, some of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It should be noted, however, that the accompanying drawings illustrate only typical embodiments of the present disclosure and are therefore not to be considered limiting of the scope, as the present disclosure may admit to other equally effective embodiments.

[0015] Figure 1 Schematically illustrates a processing system having at least a deposition apparatus for horizontal sputtering from a rotatable cylindrical target or cathode according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0016] Figure 2A shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a deposition apparatus including a horizontal sputtering cathode array according to embodiments described herein;

[0017] Figure 2B shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a deposition apparatus including a horizontal sputtering cathode array according to embodiments described herein;

[0018] Figure 3shows a schematic diagram of a substrate support having a chucking assembly, i.e., an electrostatic chuck (ESC), according to embodiments described herein;

[0019] Figure 4 schematically shows a perspective view of a processing system comprising at least a deposition apparatus for horizontal sputtering from a rotatable cylindrical target according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0020] Figure 5 shows a portion of a deposition apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, illustrating a cathode drive unit and a corresponding power supply;

[0021] Figure 6 shows a schematic diagram of a deposition apparatus including a vacuum chamber having three sections according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0022] Figure 7A and 7B shows a schematic side view of a deposition apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure and illustrates a maintenance concept;

[0023] Figure 8A and 8B shows a schematic side view of a deposition apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure and illustrates a maintenance concept;

[0024] Figure 9 A flow chart illustrating a maintenance method of a deposition apparatus for large area substrate processing according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown; and

[0025] Figure 10 A flow chart illustrating a method of fabricating an electronic device layer according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of the present disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

[0027] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to substrate processing systems for large area substrates. Specifically, the substrate processing system can be a cluster processing system having a deposition device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, wherein the deposition device includes an array of cylindrical sputtering cathodes for deposition in a horizontal substrate direction. Cylindrical sputtering cathodes can also be referred to as rotatable sputtering cathodes, wherein the cylindrical target rotates around an axis to improve material utilization. According to embodiments of the present disclosure, the horizontal direction should be understood as distinct from the vertical direction. The horizontal direction of the slit opening, substrate, sputtering cathode or sputtering cathode array should be understood as horizontal +- 20°.

[0028] Embodiments further relate to a deposition apparatus having a horizontal array of sputtering cathodes, particularly rotatable sputtering cathodes having, for example, cylindrical targets. The sputtering cathode array can be disposed above a substrate on which a material layer is deposited during a static deposition process.

[0029] Embodiments of the present disclosure may further relate to horizontal sputtering from a cathode array above a substrate, particularly for stable or static substrate processing, wherein a substrate support is configured to cool the substrate during processing. For example, the substrate support may include an electrostatic chuck that attracts the substrate during processing (overcoming the force of gravity acting on the substrate) and a cooling gas provided between a surface of the substrate support and a substrate loaded on the substrate support.

[0030] Some embodiments may further relate to a deposition apparatus with an improved maintenance concept and a method of maintaining a deposition apparatus, in particular in a substrate processing system for large-area substrates. Furthermore, however, additionally or alternatively, embodiments may relate to a method of manufacturing a photovoltaic device layer using a deposition apparatus having an array of sputtering cathodes for depositing material on a horizontally oriented substrate.

[0031] For some applications, controlling the temperature of the substrate is beneficial for achieving good processing results. For example, substrate processing such as sputtering deposition can occur on a substrate that has layers previously processed. For the application to be processed, the substrate with the previously deposited layers is referred to as the substrate to be processed. For example, the substrate can include a glass plate or another substrate plate and one or more organic layers deposited on the glass plate or another substrate plate. During further deposition processing of a layer on the substrate having the one or more organic layers, the temperature of the substrate is advantageously controlled to reduce or avoid degradation of the one or more organic layers.

[0032] Furthermore, layer deposition can be targeted at relatively thick layers, for example. Depositing thick layers on a substrate, such as using a sputtering deposition process, can result in intrinsic stress in the deposited layer. This stress can cause the substrate to warp or bulge, potentially degrading device fabrication. During layer deposition, intrinsic stress in the deposited layer can be reduced by controlling the substrate temperature. Therefore, for such applications as well, the substrate temperature is advantageously controlled to reduce or avoid degradation in device fabrication.

[0033] As another combinable aspect, for static deposition, an array of rotatable cathodes with cylindrical targets can be utilized. Rotatable cathodes with cylindrical targets can be beneficial because the material utilization of the target is improved. The improved material utilization may result in a considerably longer maintenance cycle for target exchange. Even though long maintenance cycles are beneficial, the longer maintenance cycles for cylindrical targets may conflict with the maintenance of other components with shorter maintenance cycles. In order to utilize the longer maintenance cycles for target exchange while achieving shorter maintenance cycles for other components, deposition equipment and / or processing systems and improved maintenance concepts according to embodiments of the present disclosure are beneficial. Accordingly, horizontal sputtering arrays can be advantageous in general, and more specifically in equipment designs that further improve maintenance. In addition, simple and convenient access to components for maintenance can reduce the cost of ownership, particularly considering ergonomic access for maintenance.

[0034] Figure 1 A substrate processing system 100 is shown. The substrate processing system 100 may be a cluster system having a transfer chamber 120. The transfer chamber 120 may be a central transfer chamber. A robot 122 may be at least partially disposed within the transfer chamber 120. The robot 122 may have a robotic arm 154. The robot 122 may transfer substrates between chambers coupled to the transfer chamber 120. At least one load lock chamber 105 may be coupled to the transfer chamber 120. Figure 1 Two load lock chambers 105 are shown coupled to a transfer chamber 120. One or more deposition apparatuses 110 can be coupled to the transfer chamber 120. A robot 122 can transfer substrates between the load lock chambers and the deposition chambers, or vice versa, or between different deposition chambers connected to the transfer chamber 120.

[0035] The deposition apparatus 110 includes a vacuum chamber. Furthermore, the transfer chamber 120 may be a vacuum transfer chamber. Accordingly, substrates can be transferred from a load lock chamber to the transfer chamber, from the transfer chamber to the vacuum chamber of the deposition apparatus 110, and from the vacuum chamber of a first deposition apparatus to the vacuum chamber of another deposition apparatus under vacuum conditions.

[0036] The apparatus and systems described herein are configured to move and process large area substrates, particularly those having a surface area of ​​1 m 2or above a surface. The term "substrate" may specifically include substrates such as glass substrates, for example, glass plates. In addition, substrates may include wafers, slices of transparent crystals such as sapphire, etc. However, the term "substrate" may include other substrates that may be non-flexible or flexible, such as foils or meshes. The substrate may be formed of any material suitable for material deposition. According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the substrate is configured for display manufacturing and may specifically be a large-area substrate.

[0037] Figure 1 The substrate processing system 100 is schematically shown as including one or more deposition devices 110 according to the present disclosure. The one or more deposition devices 110 are intended for depositing material on a substrate and include a vacuum chamber and / or sputtering source area according to embodiments of the present disclosure. An array of deposition sources may be provided that is configured to deposit material onto the substrate in a horizontal processing area. The substrate processing system 100 further includes a transfer chamber 120, specifically a vacuum transfer chamber coupled to the one or more deposition devices.

[0038] Figure 1 A load lock chamber 105 is further shown. A transfer chamber 120 is coupled to one or more deposition apparatuses. A vacuum transfer chamber can move substrates to one or more vacuum chambers through an opening, specifically a horizontal slit opening.

[0039] In some embodiments, the substrate processing system 100 may include one or more support chambers arranged to perform specific additional functions, such as substrate storage. The processing system may include one or more load lock chambers 105 configured to receive substrates at atmospheric pressure or without vacuum conditions A and then transfer the substrates to a vacuum transfer chamber at vacuum conditions V. Vice versa, the load lock chamber may also receive substrates from a transfer chamber at vacuum conditions V and provide the substrates at atmospheric pressure or without vacuum conditions A.

[0040] When a substrate is transferred to or present in the transfer chamber 120 of the substrate processing system 100, a mechanism such as a robot is configured to transfer the substrate to a vacuum chamber adjacent to the transfer chamber 120, for example, for processing. The substrate is transferred from the transfer chamber 120 through an opening to the vacuum chamber 210 and / or to other support chambers (not shown) using a robot 122 or the like.

[0041] In the operating conditions of the substrate processing system 100, a vacuum condition V is maintained inside the substrate processing system 100, except for the load lock chamber 105. Within the load lock chamber, the vacuum condition V can be changed to an atmospheric condition or a non-vacuum condition A, and vice versa, in order to insert and / or remove a substrate before or after processing without affecting the vacuum V of other parts of the substrate processing system 100, specifically in the vacuum chamber, the transfer chamber 120 and / or the support chamber of the substrate processing system 100.

[0042] In order to transfer between the transfer chamber 120 and an adjacent vacuum chamber, for example, the vacuum chamber of the load lock chamber 105 or the vacuum chamber of the deposition apparatus 110, slit openings, in particular horizontal slit openings, may be provided in the transfer chamber and the adjacent vacuum chamber. Figure 1 As exemplarily shown in FIG, a maintenance area 115 is provided on one side of the deposition apparatus 110. The maintenance area is on one side of the deposition apparatus, opposite the slit opening facing the transfer chamber 120. Thus, the maintenance area 115 can be provided radially outward from the central transfer chamber. A transport path 130, such as a track, a guide track, or a guide path, can be provided from a first position of the deposition apparatus 110 to a second position of the maintenance area 115. One or more components of the deposition apparatus 110 can be moved along the transport path 130 between the deposition apparatus 110 and the maintenance area 115. As shown by the dotted circle 102, the substrate processing system 100 can have a footprint for manufacturing within the circle. In addition, as shown by the dotted circle 104, a surrounding area for maintenance can be provided between the dotted circle 102 and the dotted circle 104.

[0043] According to one embodiment, a substrate processing system for large area substrates is provided. The substrate processing system includes a transfer chamber according to an embodiment of the present disclosure and one or more deposition devices. The one or more deposition devices are coupled to the transfer chamber. In addition, one or more loading lock chambers are coupled to the transfer chamber. According to some embodiments that can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the transfer chamber has a rectangular, pentagonal or hexagonal shape. According to some embodiments, the transfer chamber can be a central transfer chamber. In addition, the transfer chamber can have a longitudinal layout compared to the concentric layout shown in the figure. For example, the transfer chamber has 2 or more horizontal slit openings, specifically 4 or more horizontal slit openings. According to some embodiments, the processing equipment may further include a robot at least partially arranged together with the transfer chamber, the robot having a robot arm that can be moved to an adjacent chamber.

[0044] According to a further embodiment, one or more further processing chambers can be coupled to the vacuum transfer chamber, for example, a central transfer chamber. In particular, one or more further processing chambers can be selected from a heating chamber coupled to the transfer chamber, a cooling chamber coupled to the transfer chamber, a pre-cleaning chamber coupled to the transfer chamber, a storage chamber coupled to the transfer chamber, an inspection chamber coupled to the transfer chamber and a CVD chamber coupled to the transfer chamber. One or more of the above chambers of the same type and / or different types can be coupled to the central transfer chamber. The inspection chamber can, for example, measure the thickness of a layer deposited in a previous deposition process, or can control the thickness of one or more layers before the substrate is unloaded from the processing system. Control of the layer thickness can be provided. The cleaning or pre-cleaning chamber can, for example, remove oxides from a metal layer, or can remove photoresist residues from previous manufacturing operations.

[0045] For the manufacture of multiple applications, at least a first deposition device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure and a second deposition device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may be provided. The cluster processing system can flexibly adapt to various processes by having different processing systems and the ability to flexibly move between different deposition devices. For example, a plurality of metal deposition devices may be provided. These metals may be the same metal or different metals. For example, deposition devices that deposit the same metal may be used to increase the layer thickness of a particular material layer while maintaining the tact time of the processing system. Furthermore, in addition or alternatively, different processes may be provided in different deposition devices, i.e., in production modules. For example, the different processes may include reactive sputtering processes and / or non-reactive sputtering processes.

[0046] According to some embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the first deposition apparatus and the second deposition apparatus are configured to deposit the first metal layer in the first deposition apparatus and the second deposition apparatus, to deposit the first metal layer and the second metal layer, to deposit the layer using two reactive processes, to deposit the layer using two non-reactive processes, or to deposit the layer using one reactive process and one non-reactive process.

[0047] Figure 2A Deposition apparatus 110 is shown. Deposition apparatus 110 includes a vacuum chamber 210. According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, vacuum chamber 210 may include three segments. The three segments may be defined by the function of the segment, i.e., some segments or portions of the segment and adjacent segments may be fixedly connected or integrally formed. Dividing the vacuum chamber into multiple segments can reduce the cost of ownership. Specifically, according to embodiments of the present disclosure, maintenance of the deposition apparatus can be further improved by segmentation.

[0048] like Figure 2AThe vacuum chamber 210 shown in FIG. 2 includes a source frame segment 212. The source frame segment may be a fixed segment that is in a fixed position relative to the processing system, for example, relative to the central transfer chamber. The source frame segment is configured to support a source assembly and / or a source support assembly, respectively. Figure 2A As shown, a plurality of rotatable sputtering cathodes 250 and a plurality of anodes 252 are disposed in the source frame segment. Alternatively, one or more other sources may be provided and / or supported by the source support assembly.

[0049] An upper cover assembly 214 is disposed above the source frame section 212. The upper cover assembly 214 may be removed from the source frame section, for example, to service components disposed therein and / or to service components of the source assembly or source support assembly.

[0050] The substrate handling section 216 is disposed below the source frame section. The substrate handling section 216 includes or houses components for substrate processing, substrate alignment, substrate masking, substrate support, or the like. The substrate handling section has a first horizontal slit opening configured to load and unload substrates into the vacuum chamber 210. The first horizontal slit opening faces Figure 1 The transfer chamber 120 is shown in FIG. A first horizontal slotted opening beam is located at a first side of the substrate handling section.

[0051] The substrate handling section 216 can have an upper portion and a lower portion, wherein the lower portion can include a bottom cover assembly. The upper portion of the substrate handling section 216 includes a first horizontal slit opening. According to some embodiments that can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the upper portion of the substrate handling section 216 is securely coupled to the source frame section or integrally formed with the source frame section 212. Thus, the first horizontal slit opening is in a predetermined position relative to the source assembly. Additionally or alternatively, the first horizontal slit opening remains in the predetermined position relative to the source assembly.

[0052] like Figure 2A As shown, the vacuum chamber 210 can be supported by a base 218. The base 218 can include a base frame or three or more supports. Specifically, the base can support at least the source frame segment 212.

[0053] According to some embodiments, a deposition apparatus for large-area substrate processing in a cluster processing system is provided. The deposition apparatus includes a vacuum chamber. The vacuum chamber includes a source frame section, an upper cover assembly located above the source frame section and detachable from the source frame section, and a substrate handling section located below the source frame section. The substrate handling section has a first horizontal slit opening configured to load and unload substrates, wherein the first horizontal slit opening is located on a first side of the substrate handling section. The deposition apparatus includes a source support assembly. For the example of a sputtering source array, the source support assembly includes: a first group of cathode drive units, each cathode drive unit of the first group of cathode drive units being configured to rotate a horizontal cylindrical sputtering cathode; and a second group of cathode drive units, each cathode drive unit of the second group of cathode drive units being configured to rotate the horizontal cylindrical sputtering cathode, the first group of cathode drive units and the second group of cathode drive units being coupled to the source frame section of the vacuum chamber. The deposition apparatus further includes a substrate support located within the substrate handling section and an actuator coupled to the substrate support to vertically move the substrate support.

[0054] Figure 2A A support body 220 and an actuator 222 coupled to the support body 220 are shown. The actuator 222 may be a linear actuator or drive configured to vertically move the support body 220. For example, Figure 2A The support body 220 is shown in a first position below the upper ends of the substrate support pins 320. The actuator 222 can move the support body 220 to a second position, an upper position, in which the substrate support body is positioned above the upper ends of the substrate support pins 320.

[0055] When the substrate support body moves from the first position to the second position, the substrate placed on the substrate support pins 320 will be contacted by the substrate support body. Therefore, by raising the substrate support body from the first position to the second position, the substrate can be placed on the substrate support body for material deposition. Furthermore, by lowering the substrate support body holding the substrate from the second position to the first position, for example, after the substrate is positioned, the substrate can be placed on the substrate support pins 320.

[0056] The substrate support can be used in a processing system, such as a vacuum deposition system, or Figure 1 、 Figure 2A and Figure 2B1. A substrate support may be provided for holding a substrate within a vacuum chamber of a processing system. As an example, one or more material layers may be deposited on a substrate while the substrate is supported by the substrate support. According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the substrate support may be a support table, such as a substrate support table, or a pedestal, such as a substrate support pedestal disposed in a processing chamber of a vacuum processing system. The support table may be specifically configured for horizontal substrate processing or substantially horizontal substrate processing. For example, a processing chamber including a substrate support may be disposed in a cluster system.

[0057] The substrate can be held or supported by a substrate support on the back side, i.e., the side of the substrate that does not face the deposition source. The front side of the substrate, i.e., the side of the substrate that faces the deposition source, is not covered by a holding arrangement such as a carrier, so that the deposited material can reach otherwise difficult-to-reach areas of the substrate. In some applications, the substrate support may include an electrostatic chuck for holding the substrate on the back side. When loading the substrate onto the substrate support, the substrate can be provided onto the electrostatic chuck until an electrostatic force is generated. Some embodiments of the present disclosure provide a substrate support with an electrostatic chuck. The electrostatic force of the electrostatic chuck (ESC) makes it possible to provide a cooling gas between the substrate support and the substrate.

[0058] For vacuum processing or layer deposition in a vacuum chamber, such as sputtering, heat transfer for substrate cooling is limited due to the vacuum. Substrate cooling due to radiation is not significant. Furthermore, due to the vacuum environment in a vacuum processing system or vacuum deposition equipment, heat exchange due to convection is also not significant. It has been found that substrate cooling is primarily provided by conduction, i.e., heat transfer. Therefore, providing a cooling gas at the rear side of the substrate can improve substrate cooling. The application of substrate cooling during sputter deposition with a horizontally arranged rotatable sputtering cathode is beneficial when combined with substrate cooling using an ESC.

[0059] For certain applications, such as touch screen panels (TSPs) including organic layers, substrates having organic layers may be sensitive to temperature increases during subsequent substrate processing operations, such as when other layers are sputtered on the substrate. A cooling gas, such as helium or argon, may be provided to the gap between the substrate (e.g., a glass substrate) and the electrostatic chuck. According to some embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the substrate temperature is set at 100°C or below, specifically at 80°C or below. During substrate processing, the power of the sputtering process may be controlled to adjust the substrate temperature to a temperature limit. According to some embodiments of the present disclosure that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, a gas cushion may be provided, for example, a helium cushion or an argon cushion having a pressure of approximately 3 to 10 mbar. Heat transfer between the substrate and an ESC plate, such as a water-cooled plate, may be improved. According to some embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the substrate support may include water cooling for the substrate receiving surface.

[0060] Figure 3 A schematic cross-sectional view of a support body 220 according to an embodiment described herein is shown. The substrate support member may be a substrate support table. The support body 220 is configured to support a substrate in a processing chamber. The support body 220 includes a substrate support body 340 having a substrate support surface (e.g., a front surface 342) for supporting a substrate. A back surface 343 is provided opposite to the front surface 342. In addition, the substrate support member includes a suction cup assembly 321. The suction cup assembly 321 is configured to hold a substrate at the substrate support surface. The suction cup assembly may include an electrode assembly 325 for providing an electrostatic force to the substrate. For example, an electrostatic field may be provided by the electrode assembly 325 to act on the substrate for holding the substrate. The substrate can be supported in the processing chamber while being held by the electrostatic field.

[0061] According to embodiments described herein, the support body 220 includes a substrate support surface, i.e., a front surface 342. The substrate can be held at the substrate support surface by electrostatic forces. According to embodiments, the substrate support member can include a plurality of first openings 312 in the substrate support surface. The plurality of first openings can be connected to a gas conduit 310. The gas conduit can be connected to a gas supply. The gas conduit can be connected to a gas source 360 ​​for providing cooling gas. For example, the gas source 360 ​​can be a gas tank or a gas supply from a processing system. The gas conduit can include a plurality of channels 316. Each of the plurality of channels 316 can open into one of the plurality of first openings 312.

[0062] By supplying a cooling gas, such as helium or argon, to the gas conduit or passage 316, a cooling gas can be provided between the substrate supported by the support body 220 and the substrate support. Thus, the substrate temperature can be reduced during substrate processing. According to some embodiments, which can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the cooling gas can be selected from the group consisting of helium, argon, or the like.

[0063] According to embodiments described herein, the substrate support can include at least one non-conductive region. The at least one non-conductive region can be made of a dielectric material. Specifically, the dielectric can be made of a high thermal conductivity dielectric material such as pyrolytic boron nitride, aluminum nitride, aluminum oxide, silicon nitride, aluminum oxide, or equivalent materials, but can also be made of materials such as polyimide. The electrode assembly 325 can be embedded in the at least one non-conductive region or disposed on a side of the non-conductive region opposite the substrate support surface.

[0064] According to some embodiments that can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the support body 220 can include one or more voltage sources configured to apply one or more voltages to the plurality of electrodes 322. In some embodiments, the one or more voltage sources are configured to ground at least some of the plurality of electrodes 322. As an example, the one or more voltage sources can be configured to apply a first voltage having a first polarity, a second voltage having a second polarity to the plurality of electrodes 322, and / or to ground the plurality of electrodes 322. According to some embodiments, each electrode, each second electrode, each third electrode, or each fourth electrode in the plurality of electrodes can be connected to a separate voltage source. The term "polarity" refers to electrical polarity, i.e., negative (-) and positive (+), and as an example, the first polarity can be negative polarity and the second polarity can be positive polarity, or the first polarity can be positive polarity and the second polarity can be negative polarity. According to some embodiments that can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the ESC of the substrate support can be a monopolar or bipolar electrostatic chuck.

[0065] According to an embodiment, the controller 330 can be configured to control one or more voltage sources for applying one or more voltages to the electrode assembly 125 and / or grounding the electrode assembly 125. The controller 330 can be configured to regulate the chuck assembly, i.e., the controller can be configured to control the electrostatic chuck. The controller 330 can be configured to regulate the gas source 360. According to further embodiments that can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the controller can be configured to control or communicate with one or more temperature sensors. According to further embodiments that can be combined with other embodiments described herein, such as Figure 3 The controller 330 shown may be separated into individual controllers for the voltage source, gas supply, and / or temperature sensor.

[0066] Some embodiments of the present disclosure can perform temperature measurement A, enabling precise temperature control. According to some embodiments, the ESC is equipped with a temperature sensor. Thus, substrate measurements can be performed for each substrate loaded onto the ESC, for example, without breaking vacuum. Furthermore, the cooling efficiency of cooling gases such as helium is maintained. Process recipes can be adjusted based on the measured values.

[0067] Cooling of a substrate, such as cooling of at least a portion of a substrate loaded on a substrate support, may include flowing a cooling gas through a plurality of first openings in a front side of a substrate support body of the substrate support. The support body 220 serves as a stage for supporting the substrate during deposition of a material layer on the substrate.

[0068] According to some embodiments, a substrate support, for example, a substrate support table, is provided for supporting a substrate in a vacuum processing system. The substrate support includes a substrate support body having a front side for supporting a substrate and a rear side opposite the front side. A suction cup assembly is disposed in the substrate support body or on the rear side of the substrate support body. The substrate support body includes: a plurality of first openings in the front side, the plurality of first openings being fluidly connected to a gas conduit; and a plurality of second openings passing through the substrate support body, which are configured as a plurality of lifting pins for supporting the substrate during loading or unloading. The substrate support includes: a plurality of first protrusions on the front side, each first protrusion at least partially surrounding a second opening of the plurality of second openings; and a plurality of second protrusions on the front side, which are configured for temperature measurement. According to some embodiments, a temperature sensor may be provided.

[0069] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for manufacturing a layer of an electronic device, particularly an optoelectronic device such as a display, is provided. The method includes loading a large-area substrate onto a robotic arm 154 of a robot 122 disposed at least partially within a transfer chamber 120. The method further includes transferring the large-area substrate to a deposition apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The method further includes sputtering a layer of material onto the large-area substrate, particularly in a static deposition process, from a horizontal array of rotatable sputtering cathodes, the sputtering cathodes of the horizontal array sputtering downward onto the substrate on a substrate support.

[0070] According to some embodiments, the method further includes cooling the substrate to a temperature of 200°C or less, specifically 100°C or less, during sputtering. According to some embodiments, the substrate temperature may be more specifically 80°C or less. The substrate may be cooled by providing a cooling gas between the front end of the substrate support body and the substrate. The substrate may be electrostatically clamped to the substrate support to allow the cooling gas pressure to be, for example, 1 mbar or more and / or 15 mbar or less, specifically from 2 mbar to 7 mbar.

[0071] According to one embodiment, the method may include depositing a touch screen panel on a display structure, specifically a display structure including an organic layer. The touch screen panel is provided by sputtering one or more layers of the touch screen panel onto the display structure including one or more organic layers. According to some embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the one or more layers sputtered onto the display structure are selected from the group consisting of copper, aluminum, titanium, molybdenum, and tungsten. In addition, oxides, nitrides, or oxynitrides of the above materials may be provided, for example, by reactive sputtering.

[0072] A substrate having a display structure having an organic layer may be sensitive to temperature increases during subsequent substrate processing operations, such as when other layers are sputtered on the substrate. A cooling gas, such as helium, may be provided to the gap between the substrate (e.g., a glass substrate) and the electrostatic chuck. According to some embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the substrate temperature is set at 100°C or below, specifically at 80°C or below. In view of the foregoing, embodiments of the present disclosure have the advantage that the touch screen panel can be deposited directly on the display structure including the organic layer therein. Therefore, the need for a touch screen deposited on a second substrate, wherein the touch screen is connected to the display, is reduced.

[0073] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a display device is provided. The display device includes a backplane disposed on a substrate. The backplane includes a plurality of lines for driving a display structure and pixel electrodes addressed by driving the display structure. The display device further includes one or more organic layers for emitting light when the pixel electrodes are driven. A touch screen panel is deposited above the one or more organic layers disposed above the substrate. The touch screen panel may include one or more layers comprising or consisting of a material selected from the group consisting of copper, aluminum, titanium, molybdenum, and tungsten.

[0074] A further application of the method for manufacturing an electronic device layer, in particular a method for manufacturing an optoelectronic device layer such as a display, may be as follows. For larger display sizes, the resistance of the gate lines and signal lines used to drive the display is beneficially reduced to compensate for the increased length of the lines. In addition, even if the energy consumption of the display is beneficially reduced, some electro-optical devices such as organic displays may operate at higher currents (while having lower voltages). The gate lines and signal lines of the display or other conductors of the display provide power to various areas of the display, in particular large-area displays, and can be manufactured by depositing a copper layer whose structure produces lines and / or conductors. In order to reduce the resistance, the thickness of the layer is increased. Copper (Cu) can be deposited by sputtering, for example in a deposition apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the apparatus having a substrate support located below a horizontal array of rotatable sputtering cathodes in a vacuum chamber and configured as a static deposition process for causing the horizontal array of sputtering cathodes to sputter downwardly onto a substrate supported on the substrate support.

[0075] According to some embodiments, the copper layer can be sputtered to have a thickness of 1 μm or more, for example 1.1 μm or more, or even up to several microns, such as 6 μm or more up to 11 μm and more. Sputtering a thick copper layer will produce intrinsic stress in the layer, which may cause warping or bulging of the substrate. And further processing may be degraded. According to some embodiments that can be combined with other embodiments described herein, cooling the substrate can reduce the stress of the copper layer. Therefore, a thick copper layer can be advantageously sputtered while the substrate is cooled. In particular, for copper layers with a thickness of 3 μm or more, such as copper layers with a thickness of 7 μm or more, and more particularly for copper layers with a thickness of 10 μm or less, reducing intrinsic stress is particularly advantageous. A cooling gas, such as helium, can be provided to the gap between the substrate (e.g., a glass substrate) and the electrostatic chuck. According to some embodiments that can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the substrate temperature is set at 100°C or below, specifically at 80°C or below.

[0076] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a display device is provided. The display device includes a backplane disposed on a substrate. The backplane includes a plurality of lines for driving a display structure and pixel electrodes addressed by the driving display structure. The backplane includes sputtered copper wire having a thickness of 1 μm or greater. The copper wire is provided by sputtering.

[0077] Back to Figure 2A and Figure 2BThe support body 220 serves as a workbench to support the substrate during deposition of a material layer on the substrate. If the workbench is moved to the upper position, i.e., the second position, the substrate can be positioned below the edge exclusion mask 230. During material deposition, small edges around the substrate, for example, edges of up to a few millimeters, are covered by the edge exclusion mask. The edges of the substrate are not covered by the deposited material. The edge exclusion mask 230 provides edge exclusion on the workbench supporting the substrate. The edge exclusion mask 230 can be coupled to the substrate handling section 216 of the vacuum chamber 210 using an edge exclusion support frame.

[0078] According to some embodiments, which can be combined with other embodiments described herein, one or more shields can be provided within the vacuum chamber 210. The shields within the vacuum chamber reduce or prevent the inner surfaces of the vacuum chamber 210 or deposition apparatus 110 from being covered with coating material during operation of the deposition source. Figure 2A A side protective shield 242 is shown. The side protective shield can be disposed within the source frame section. Furthermore, the side protective shield can extend upwardly into the upper cover assembly 214 and downwardly into the substrate handling section 216. The side protective shield can further be provided by a plurality of interconnected pieces. Having smaller pieces can make maintenance of the side protective shield easier. Maintenance of the side protective shield can include cleaning the side protective shield after a predetermined amount of deposition material has accumulated on the side protective shield.

[0079] Figure 2A A pre-sputtering shield 244 is further shown. The pre-sputtering shield 244 can be disposed within the upper cover assembly 214. If the rotatable sputtering cathode 250 is operated in a magnetron-up position in FIG. 2 , i.e., for cleaning the cathode target, the pre-sputtering shield can be coated with the deposition material. The pre-sputtering shield 244 can additionally or alternatively protect the surface of the upper cover assembly 214 from being sprayed with deposition material molecules.

[0080] Figure 2A An array of rotatable sputtering cathodes 250 is shown, specifically a horizontal array of rotatable sputtering cathodes. The rotatable sputtering cathodes 250 are rotatable sputtering cathodes having a cylindrical target. The rotatable sputtering cathodes 250 extend along a rotation axis that is parallel to the axis of rotation. Figure 2A The paper surface is vertical. Figure 2A The cross section of the array sputtering cathode shown in is provided along a line, namely Figure 2A The sputtering cathodes of the sputtering cathode array are arranged at the same height. The surface of the sputtering cathode or the rotation axis of the sputtering cathode respectively forms a plane, specifically substantially parallel to the plane of the support body 220. Similar to the sputtering cathode, the anode can also be arranged at the same height. Figure 2AThe anode region is shown to be at the same height as the cathode region. Alternatively, the anode region may be positioned at a different height than the cathode array. For example, the plane defined by the anode region may be in the plane defined by the cathode array, between the plane defined by the cathode array and the upper cover assembly 214, or between the plane defined by the cathode array and the support body.

[0081] Figure 2B It is further shown that Figure 2A The deposition equipment shown is similar to the deposition equipment shown. Figure 2A The described features, details, implementations and embodiments may be applied analogously to Figure 2B The described embodiment. Figure 2B In the case of Figure 2A The described embodiment, because the source assembly or the corresponding source support assembly includes a first group of rotatable sputtering cathodes 250 arranged at a first height in the deposition apparatus, and a second group of rotatable sputtering cathodes 350 arranged at a second height in the deposition apparatus. The second group of rotatable cathodes can specifically include a first rotatable sputtering cathode located at a first edge or boundary of the sputtering cathode array and a second rotatable sputtering cathode located at a second, opposite edge or boundary of the sputtering cathode array. The second group of rotatable cathodes can be arranged at a lower height than the first group of rotatable cathodes. Similarly, the cathode drive units of the second group of rotatable cathodes and the corresponding bearings supporting the rotatable sputtering cathodes can be arranged at a lower height than the first group of rotatable cathodes.

[0082] According to some embodiments that can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the source assembly can be disposed on a curved surface. Specifically, the cathode drive units or sputtering cathodes at the edge or boundary of the array can be disposed closer to the substrate support. The anodes 352 at the edge or boundary of the source assembly can be disposed at a lower height, for example, closer to the substrate support body. The curved surface can include a straight portion in the center of the sputtering cathode array and can include curved portions at opposite ends of the sputtering cathode array. In addition, the curved surface can be arched so that the central sputtering cathode is further away from the support body 220 than the outer sputtering cathodes.

[0083] According to some embodiments that can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the first group of cathode drive units and the second group of cathode drive units are at different heights. Figure 4 and Figure 5As exemplarily shown in FIG, a first set of cathode drive units is disposed on a side of the source frame section opposite the first side of the substrate handling section. According to some embodiments, the source support assembly may further include a first set of cathode bearings opposite the first set of cathode drive units. According to further embodiments that may be combined with other embodiments of the present disclosure, the source support assembly includes a plurality of anodes.

[0084] According to some embodiments that can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the source frame segment can support a deposition source, such as a sputtering source, specifically a rotatable horizontal array of sputtering cathodes. One or more sources can be arranged in an array or in other modes. The upper cover assembly may include one or more gas passages for process gases. Additionally or alternatively, the substrate support body can be movable in a substantially vertical direction and a horizontal direction. For example, the process can be measured and / or process conditions can be controlled in situ to provide layer properties according to process specifications.

[0085] Figure 2B 1 shows further details regarding a vacuum chamber that can be combined with other embodiments described herein. The substrate handling section 216 of the vacuum chamber 210 includes an upper portion that is securely coupled to or integrally formed with the source frame section 212 of the vacuum chamber. A lower cover assembly 318 is removably coupled to the vacuum chamber 210, for example, at a flange 316 of the substrate handling section 216 of the vacuum chamber 210. As described in more detail below, having a lower cover assembly removably coupled to the upper portion of the substrate handling section allows for an improved maintenance concept for the vacuum chamber in general.

[0086] According to some embodiments, which can be combined with other embodiments described herein, one or more fixed portions of the substrate handling section of the vacuum chamber are provided for connection to a vacuum pump (see Figure 8A The vacuum pump 810 is located on a flange 310 of the vacuum chamber 210. Specifically, the flange or flanges may be coupled to the sidewalls of the substrate handling section of the vacuum chamber. Accordingly, a vacuum pump is provided on the sidewalls of the vacuum chamber 210. The vacuum pump is not positioned below the deposition source array, substrate, or substrate support body. Providing the vacuum pump on the side increases the maintenance cycle of the vacuum pump and provides better separation of components according to their maintenance cycles, as will be described in more detail below.

[0087]

[0014] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to static deposition as compared to dynamic deposition, where a substrate is continuously moved past a deposition source, such as a line source.

[0088] The embodiments described herein relate particularly to the deposition of materials, for example for display fabrication on large area substrates. According to some embodiments, the large area substrate or a carrier supporting one or more substrates may have a thickness of at least 0.5 m2 For example, the deposition system may be adapted to process large area substrates, such as GEN5 substrates, which correspond to approximately 1.4 m 2 Base plate (1.1m x 1.3m), GEN7.5 corresponds to about 4.29m 2 Baseboard (1.95mx 2.2m), GEN8.5 corresponds to about 5.7m 2 Baseboard (2.2mx 2.5m), even GEN10 corresponds to about 8.7m 2 Substrates of 2.85m x 3.05m are also possible. Even larger generations, such as GEN11 and GEN12, and corresponding substrate areas are also achievable. According to further embodiments, substrates half the size of the aforementioned generations can be processed. Alternatively or additionally, semiconductor wafers can be processed and coated in a deposition system according to the present disclosure.

[0089] According to embodiments described herein, the method provides for sputter deposition with a positioned substrate for a static deposition process. Generally, and particularly for processing large-area substrates, such as those in a horizontal orientation, a distinction can be made between static deposition and dynamic deposition. Dynamic sputtering, i.e., an inline process in which the substrate is continuously or quasi-continuously moved near a deposition source, is easier because the process can be stabilized before the substrate is moved to the deposition area and then maintained constant as the substrate passes the deposition source. The continuous or quasi-continuous movement of the substrate avoids non-uniformities that can occur due to the different positions of adjacent sputtering cathodes. However, dynamic deposition also has other drawbacks, such as particle generation. This may be particularly applicable to TFT backplane deposition. It should be noted that the term static deposition process is distinct from a dynamic deposition process and does not exclude any movement of the substrate, as will be understood by those skilled in the art. A static deposition process may include, for example, a static substrate position during deposition, an oscillating substrate position during deposition, a substantially constant average substrate position during deposition, a jittering substrate position during deposition, and / or a wobbling substrate position during deposition. A static deposition process may also be a deposition process in which the cathodes are arranged in a chamber, i.e., a predetermined set of cathodes is arranged in the chamber, and the deposition chamber in which the substrate is positioned has a sealed atmosphere relative to an adjacent chamber, such as a central transfer chamber, for example, by closing a valve unit to separate the chamber from the adjacent chamber during deposition of the layer. Therefore, a static deposition process may be understood as a deposition process with a static position, a deposition process with a substantially static position, or a deposition process with a partially static position of the substrate. As described herein, a static deposition process can be clearly distinguished from a dynamic deposition process, which does not require that the substrate position of the static deposition process does not move during deposition.

[0090] In order to reduce or avoid Figure 2A The predetermined distance between the rotatable sputtering cathodes 250 or Figure 2B The non-uniformity of the distance between the rotatable sputtering cathode 250 and the second set of rotatable sputtering cathodes 350 may provide one or more of the following concepts. The support body 220 providing a support stage during layer deposition on the substrate may be coupled to an actuator to move horizontally, i.e., Figure 2A and Figure 2B During deposition of a layer of material on the substrate, the support body 220 providing a support table during deposition of the layer on the substrate can be moved vertically up and down. This vertical movement can be performed using an actuator 222. During layer deposition, the edge exclusion mask 230 can be moved together with the substrate for vertical movement. The movement of the support body can be combined and a back and forth movement can be provided in addition or alternatively. The movement, in particular the movement in the horizontal direction, can correspond to the distance of the sputtering cathode, or can be less than the distance of the sputtering cathode, for example, half the distance of the sputtering cathode. Various types of movement of the substrate or substrate support may be referred to herein as substrate swing.

[0091] The array of sputtering cathodes can be moved horizontally, i.e. Figure 2A and Figure 2B The left and right directions in the vacuum chamber 210. For example, the area of ​​the sputtering cathodes can be moved relative to the source frame section 212 of the vacuum chamber 210. The array of sputtering cathodes can be moved vertically up and down during layer deposition. The various types of movement of the cathode array (or a single cathode relative to the source frame section) may be referred to herein as deposition array swing. The horizontal and vertical movements described above may be combined with each other. Substrate swing and deposition array swing may be provided simultaneously. Movement of the substrate and the sputtering cathode array relative to each other may increase the uniformity of the deposited layer and may reduce or avoid non-uniformities.

[0092] According to further embodiments, which can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the magnetron within each rotatable sputtering cathode can be moved from a first position, e.g. Figure 2A and Figure 2B The left position in , moves to the second position at a certain angle, such as Figure 2A and Figure 2BThe magnetron can be positioned to the right of the support body, specifically by having the magnetron oriented perpendicular to the support body surface. The movement of the magnetron can provide a back-and-forth movement and can be referred to as a swinging movement of the magnetron. The first position can be a first end position of the angular movement, and the second position can be a second end position of the angular movement on the opposite side of the center position. According to some embodiments that can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the movement can be back-and-forth between the first position and the second position, wherein the magnetron moves continuously, except for the pivoting positions, i.e., the two end positions. According to other embodiments that can be combined with the embodiments described herein, the magnetron can be moved to the first position and stopped at the first position. Thereafter, the magnetron can be moved to the second position and stopped at the second position. Material deposition can be performed in the first and second positions. Material deposition can be stopped when moving from the first position to the second position, or vice versa. According to further embodiments, particularly for continuous magnetron movement, the number of cycles of moving from the first position to the second position, or from the second position to the first position, can be synchronized with the deposition time of a layer on the substrate. For example, the number of cycles and the movement speed may be selected so that the time period of one cycle multiplied by an integer n or twice the integer n equals the deposition time.

[0093] According to yet further embodiments, different modes of substrate wobbling, deposition array wobbling and / or magnetron wobbling may be combined.

[0094] According to some embodiments, which can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the source support assembly includes a first set of magnetron drive units, each magnetron drive unit being configured to move a magnetron at an angle within a horizontal cylindrical sputtering cathode.

[0095] Figure 4 and Figure 5 A portion of a deposition apparatus and a central transfer chamber according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 1 ) includes four or more side walls 420, such as Figure 4 Six side walls are shown. Each side wall may have a horizontal slit opening 422. Figure 2A The robot arm 154 is shown partially inserted into the vacuum chamber of the deposition apparatus through a horizontal slot opening 416 of the vacuum chamber of the deposition apparatus. The vacuum chamber of the deposition apparatus includes a source frame section 212, an upper cover assembly 214, and a substrate handling section 216. The dashed lines indicate the separation between the functional portion supporting the deposition source assembly, i.e., the source frame section, and the functional portion supporting components for substrate handling, substrate alignment, substrate support, substrate masking, or the like.

[0096] like Figure 5As shown, the cathode drive unit 540 can be coupled to the source frame section 212 and can be operatively coupled to the rotatable sputtering cathode to rotate the cylindrical target. A cathode drive cabinet 440 can be disposed near the source frame section 212 of the vacuum chamber 210. Specifically, the cathode drive cabinet 440 can be disposed on a side of the vacuum chamber opposite the horizontal slit opening 416. In addition, a supply cabinet 430 can be disposed above the cathode drive cabinet. The supply cabinet 430 and the cathode drive cabinet 440 can also be combined with each other. The supply cabinet 430 can include, for example, a power supply 530 for providing power to the rotatable sputtering cathode 250.

[0097] According to some embodiments, the deposition apparatus may include one or more power supplies selected from the group consisting of a DC power supply, a pulsed DC power supply, and a bipolar pulsed power supply or the like.

[0098] The supply cabinet 430 may further include a cooling unit for cooling liquid for the sputtering cathode or other electrical components of the deposition apparatus. According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the cathode drive cabinet and the supply cabinet may be disposed on a side of the vacuum chamber opposite to the central transfer chamber. Thus, it is possible to provide access from the maintenance area 115 (see FIG. Figure 1 ) for easy access.

[0099] Figure 4 The base 218 is shown, on which the vacuum chamber of the deposition apparatus is disposed. According to some embodiments, which can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the lower cover assembly 318 is disposed on a movable base 418. The movable base 418 can be moved, specifically along the transport path 130 together with the lower cover assembly 318. The movable base can be moved in the maintenance area 115 (see FIG. Figure 1 ). Figure 4 The support body 220 is shown supported by the lower cover assembly 318. According to some embodiments, which can be combined with other embodiments described herein, multiple components can be supported by the lower cover assembly 318. Thus, as the movable base 418 is moved along the transport path 130, the components supported by the lower cover assembly 318 are moved within the maintenance area 115. This can provide improved maintenance.

[0100] The movable base, specifically the combination of the movable base 418 and the lower cover assembly 318 can be moved similar to a drawer and may include multiple shielding members, an edge exclusion mask 230, a support body 220, i.e., a support table, multiple lifting pins, an actuator 222 configured to move the support body, or the like.

[0101] Figure 6A schematic diagram illustrating another embodiment of a deposition apparatus is shown. A base 218 supports a portion of the deposition apparatus's vacuum chamber. An upper cover assembly 214 is disposed on the source frame section of the vacuum chamber. A pre-sputtering shield is provided by a first pre-sputtering shield 644 and a second pre-sputtering shield 642. The first pre-sputtering shield 644 and the second pre-sputtering shield 642 are separated from each other to provide a gas inlet channel for processing during the sputtering process. Figure 6 2 shows a first set of rotatable sputtering cathodes 250 and a second set of rotatable sputtering cathodes 350. A horizontal slit opening 416 is schematically shown, and a substrate 650 is set on the substrate support pins 320. When the support body 220 is moved by the actuator 222, the substrate 650 moves toward the sputtering cathodes and toward the edge exclusion mask 230.

[0102] Figure 6 Further shown is an alignment actuator 620. The alignment actuator 620 can horizontally move a substrate 650 while supported on substrate support pins. Accordingly, the substrate 650 can be aligned relative to the support body 220. Aligning the substrate relative to the support body 220 positions the substrate in a predetermined position so that the edge exclusion mask 230 masks a predetermined portion of the substrate during layer fabrication.

[0103] According to some embodiments, the deposition apparatus disclosed herein may further include a substrate mask within the substrate handling section and at least one shield within the substrate handling section. A maintenance area is provided on a second side of the substrate handling section opposite to the first side of the substrate handling section, i.e., a side of the substrate handling section including a horizontal slit opening, wherein the maintenance area is configured to receive at least the substrate mask and the at least one shield. As described above, the components may be moved by Figure 6 The movement of the movable base 418 shown provides for the maintenance area. Alternatively, the maintenance area may be provided by Figure 7A and Figure 7B Movement of the cart 710 shown in FIG. 7 provides components to the maintenance area.

[0104] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a deposition apparatus having a rotatable sputtering cathode array, in particular a rotatable sputtering cathode array having a cylindrical target, wherein the deposition apparatus is configured for static deposition.

[0105] Furthermore, additionally or alternatively, embodiments relate to an improved deposition system with an improved maintenance concept. This improved maintenance concept takes into account functional sections of the deposition system's vacuum chamber. These sections are associated with two different maintenance cycles for components within the sections. Thus, one channel is provided for components with a shorter maintenance cycle, while at least one different channel is provided for components with a longer maintenance cycle. Consequently, the overall maintenance concept is improved.

[0106] Figure 7A and Figure 7B Different side views of the deposition apparatus are shown and options for an improved maintenance concept are shown. The vacuum chamber comprises a source frame segment 212 for supporting a deposition source, such as an array of rotatable sputtering cathodes 250. Furthermore, the source frame segment 212 supports a corresponding cathode drive unit 540. An upper cover assembly 240 is detachably arranged next to the source frame segment 212. A substrate handling segment 216 is arranged below the source frame segment 212. A horizontal slit opening is provided in the substrate handling segment. Figure 7A and Figure 7B In the described embodiment, a maintenance slit opening is provided on a side of the substrate handling section 216 opposite the horizontal slit opening 416 for loading and unloading substrates. The arm or handle of the cart 710 can be inserted into the portion of the vacuum chamber corresponding to the substrate handling section 216 and can be coupled to one or more components provided in the substrate handling section. These components may include an edge exclusion mask, a mask shield, or the like. In addition, a support body or other components can be coupled to the arm or handle of the cart 710. After corresponding vertical movement of the arm or handle of the cart, these components can be removed from the vacuum chamber and transported by the cart 710 along the transport path in the maintenance area 115. Figure 7A and Figure 7B The support body 220 and the actuator coupled to the support body are shown in a lower position, thereby extending the substrate support pins above the surface of the support body. Figure 7A and Figure 7B The support body 220' is shown in an upper position. It will be appreciated that this is the same support body at different times during operation, namely in the first position (lower position) and the second position (upper position).

[0107] Figure 8A and Figure 8B Different side views of the deposition apparatus are shown and further options for an improved maintenance concept are illustrated. Figure 8A and Figure 8B Corresponding to the previous Figure 6 Some details are described herein, where repetition is avoided. The vacuum chamber includes a source frame section 212 and an upper cover assembly 214 detachably connected to the source frame section. A lower cover assembly is detachably coupled to the upper portion of a substrate handling section 216. Various components, such as a support body (i.e., a support table), alignment actuators, substrate support pins, and one or more shielding members, are coupled to the lower cover assembly. These components can be moved into the maintenance area 115 along with a movable base 418. For example, the movable base 418 can have a base frame with rollers 818 or the like.

[0108] According to some embodiments, which can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the substrate handling section can be securely coupled to the source frame section or formed integrally therewith, and wherein the substrate handling section has a second horizontal slot opening for inserting an arm of a maintenance cart, the second horizontal slot opening being on a second side of the substrate handling section. Figure 7A and Figure 7B Shown in.

[0109] According to some embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, the substrate processing may include one or more side walls securely coupled to or integrally formed with the source frame segment and a bottom cover assembly detachable from the one or more side walls. The bottom cover assembly may be moved into a maintenance area. For example, the bottom cover assembly may include a transport unit, such as a movable base, configured to horizontally move the bottom cover assembly between a first position below the source frame segment and a second position in the maintenance area, and vice versa. According to further embodiments, the cart or movable bottom cover assembly shown in FIG. 7 may also be moved to another maintenance area, such as a maintenance area adjacent to the source frame segment. Figure 1 The maintenance area shown in is more remote than that shown in the figure.

[0110] According to some embodiments, which can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the transport unit can include a lifting function to vertically move the bottom cover assembly. Accordingly, the bottom cover assembly can be vertically moved so that the bottom cover assembly can be lowered from an operational position in which the vacuum chamber is sealed. Components coupled to the bottom cover assembly are lowered along with the bottom cover assembly so that the components can be vertically moved to the side toward a maintenance area, i.e., below the lower edge of the side wall of the substrate handling section.

[0111] The deposition apparatus may further include an alignment system configured to move the substrate relative to the substrate support, and a pin array to support the substrate above the substrate support and transport the substrate on the substrate support. One or more components, specifically four or more components, of the substrate support, the actuator, the substrate mask, the at least one shield, the alignment system, and the pin array are coupled to the bottom cover assembly so as to be movable with the bottom cover assembly upon actuation of the transport unit.

[0112] Figures 6 to 8B The maintenance concept according to some embodiments of the present disclosure is described, which relates to a deposition apparatus comprising a rotatable sputtering cathode and / or a corresponding cathode drive unit. The maintenance concept according to embodiments of the present disclosure and a deposition apparatus utilizing the maintenance concept can also be provided for other deposition sources.

[0113] According to one embodiment, a deposition apparatus for processing large-area substrates in a processing system is provided. The deposition apparatus includes a vacuum chamber having a source frame section, an upper cover assembly positioned above the source frame section and removable from the source frame section, and a substrate handling section positioned below the source frame section, the substrate handling section having a first horizontal slit opening configured to load and unload substrates, the first horizontal slit opening being positioned on a first side of the substrate handling section. The deposition apparatus further includes a source support assembly and / or a source assembly disposed within the source frame section. The deposition apparatus further includes a substrate support positioned within the substrate handling section; and an actuator coupled to the substrate support for vertically moving the substrate support, wherein the substrate handling section includes one or more sidewalls securely coupled to or integrally formed with the source frame section; and a bottom cover assembly removable from the one or more sidewalls. According to some embodiments, the bottom cover assembly can be moved into a maintenance area. For example, the bottom cover assembly can include a transport unit configured to horizontally move the bottom cover assembly between a first position below the source frame section and a second position in the maintenance area, and vice versa. In addition, the transport unit may have a lifting function to vertically move the bottom cover assembly. According to some embodiments that can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the deposition device may further include a substrate mask within the substrate handling section, and at least one shield within the substrate handling section. A maintenance area is provided on a second side of the substrate handling section opposite to the first side of the substrate handling section, wherein the maintenance area is configured to receive at least the substrate mask and the at least one shield. According to a further optional embodiment, the alignment system is configured to move the substrate relative to the substrate support and / or the pin array to support the substrate above the substrate support and to convey the substrate on the substrate support. One or more, specifically four or more, components supported by the lower cover assembly can be moved into the maintenance area together with the lower cover assembly.

[0114] The maintenance concepts and corresponding deposition equipment described herein are for cluster processing systems. Embodiments of a vacuum chamber having a maintenance area next to the deposition equipment and including a segment according to the present disclosure, wherein a lower cover assembly supports a component having a first maintenance cycle that can be removed from the vacuum chamber to the maintenance area, such as a transport device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, can also be applied to in-line processing systems.

[0115] Figure 9A flow chart illustrating a method for maintaining a deposition apparatus, specifically a deposition apparatus for large-area substrate processing, is shown. The deposition apparatus includes a vacuum chamber having a first horizontal slit opening facing a transfer chamber. According to operation 902, an edge exclusion mask or a substrate mask and at least one shield are respectively moved downward, for example, by moving a lid assembly of the vacuum chamber or by moving an arm of a cart extending into the vacuum chamber. The substrate mask and the at least one shield are moved toward a side of the vacuum chamber opposite the first horizontal slit opening, i.e., toward a slit opening of a central transfer chamber of a cluster processing system (see operation 904). In operation 906, maintenance is performed on the substrate mask and the at least one shield. In operation 908, the substrate mask and the at least one shield are moved toward the first horizontal slit opening. For example, the lower lid assembly can be moved toward the horizontal slit opening, and the vacuum chamber of the deposition apparatus can be sealed to evacuate for further deposition processes.

[0116] According to some embodiments, the substrate mask and at least one shield are moved by moving a lower cover assembly of the vacuum chamber. According to some embodiments, which may be combined with other embodiments described herein, a substrate support and one or more of an actuator, an alignment system, and a pin array coupled thereto can be moved along with the lower cover assembly of the vacuum chamber. The above-described maintenance procedure can rely on a relatively short maintenance cycle. In particular, for a rotatable sputtering cathode having a cylindrical target, the maintenance cycle of the sputtering cathode can be quite long.

[0117] According to some embodiments, which can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the upper cover assembly of the vacuum chamber can be removed. The first sputtering cathode and / or the first anode can be removed from the top of the vacuum chamber, specifically after removing the upper cover assembly. Removing the upper cover assembly provides access to the source frame section from above.

[0118] After removing the first sputtering cathode and / or the first anode, specifically at one end of the sputtering cathode array, maintenance can be provided by having personnel stand in the vacuum chamber, specifically upright within the source frame segment. According to another optional embodiment, the second sputtering cathode and / or the second anode on the second opposite end of the sputtering cathode array can be removed to provide maintenance access for personnel at both ends of the sputtering cathode. After the lower cover assembly is moved, a maintenance platform can be installed below the vacuum chamber. Other sputtering cathodes can be removed or maintained from the bottom of the vacuum chamber. Maintenance personnel can occupy some of the area previously occupied by the first sputtering cathode or the first anode removed from the top of the vacuum chamber.

[0119] According to yet a further embodiment, a method of manufacturing a photovoltaic device layer is provided, such as Figure 10As shown, the method includes loading a large area substrate onto a robot arm of a robot at least partially disposed in a central transfer chamber, as shown in block 912. As shown in block 914, the large area substrate is transferred to a deposition apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, and a layer of material is deposited, for example, by sputtering, on the large area substrate (see block 916). According to some embodiments, which can be combined with other embodiments described herein, the substrate is cooled to a temperature of 100° C. or less, particularly 80° C. or less, during sputtering, as shown in block 918.

[0120] Various further embodiments are provided in this disclosure, some of which are listed in the clauses listed below.

[0121] Item 1. A deposition apparatus for performing large-area substrate processing in a substrate processing system, comprising: a vacuum chamber, the vacuum chamber comprising: a source frame section; an upper cover assembly, the upper cover assembly being above the source frame section and detachable from the source frame section; and a substrate handling section, the substrate handling section being below the source frame section, the substrate handling section having a first slit opening configured to load and unload a substrate, the first slit opening being at a first side of the substrate handling section; the deposition apparatus further comprising: a source support assembly, the source support assembly being disposed within the source frame section; a substrate support member, the substrate support member being within the substrate handling section; and an actuator, the actuator being coupled to the substrate support member to move the substrate support member toward the source frame section or the upper cover assembly, wherein the substrate handling section comprises: one or more side walls, the one or more side walls being securely coupled to the source frame section or being integrally formed with the source frame section; and a bottom cover assembly, the bottom cover assembly being detachable from the one or more side walls.

[0122] Clause 2. The deposition apparatus of clause 1, wherein the bottom cover assembly is movable into a maintenance area.

[0123] Clause 3. The deposition apparatus of clause 2, wherein the bottom cover assembly comprises a transport unit configured to horizontally move the bottom cover assembly between a first position below the source frame segment and a second position in the maintenance area, and vice versa.

[0124] Clause 4. The deposition apparatus according to Clause 3, wherein the transport unit has a lifting function to vertically move the bottom cover assembly.

[0125] Item 5. The deposition device according to any one of items 2 to 4 further includes: a substrate mask, which is within the substrate transport section; and at least one shielding member, which is within the substrate transport section, wherein the maintenance area is configured to at least receive the substrate mask and the at least one shielding member, specifically, wherein the maintenance area is arranged on a second side of the substrate transport section opposite to the first side of the substrate transport section.

[0126] Item 6. The deposition apparatus of any one of Items 1 to 5, further comprising: an alignment system configured to move the substrate relative to the substrate support; and a pin array for supporting the substrate above the substrate support and conveying the substrate on the substrate support.

[0127] Item 7. A deposition apparatus according to any one of Items 1 to 6, wherein one or more of the substrate support, the actuator, the substrate mask, the at least one shield, the alignment system, and the pin array are coupled to the bottom cover assembly so as to be movable with the bottom cover assembly when the transport unit is actuated.

[0128] Item 8. A deposition apparatus for performing large-area substrate processing in a substrate processing system, comprising: a vacuum chamber, the vacuum chamber comprising: a source frame section; an upper cover assembly, the upper cover assembly being above the source frame section and detachable from the source frame section; and a substrate handling section, the substrate handling section being below the source frame section, the substrate handling section having a first slit opening configured to load and unload a substrate, the first slit opening being at a first side of the substrate handling section; the deposition apparatus further comprising: a source support assembly, the source support assembly comprising: a first group of cathode drive units, each cathode drive unit of the first group of cathode drive units being configured to rotate a horizontal cylindrical sputtering cathode; and a second group of cathode drive units, each cathode drive unit of the second group of cathode drive units being configured to rotate a horizontal cylindrical sputtering cathode, the first group of cathode drive units and the second group of cathode drive units being coupled to the source frame section of the vacuum chamber; the deposition apparatus further comprising: a substrate support member, the substrate support member being within the substrate handling section; and an actuator, the actuator being coupled to the substrate support member toward the source frame section or the upper cover assembly.

[0129] Clause 9. The deposition apparatus of clause 8, wherein the first set of cathode drive units is at a different height than the second set of cathode drive units.

[0130] Clause 10. The deposition apparatus of any one of clauses 8 to 9, wherein the first set of cathode drive units is disposed on a side of the source frame section opposite to the first side of the substrate handling section.

[0131] Clause 11. The deposition apparatus of clause 10, wherein the source support assembly further comprises: a first set of cathode bearings opposite the first set of cathode drive units.

[0132] Clause 12. The deposition apparatus of any one of clauses 8 to 11, the source support assembly further comprising: a first set of magnetron drive units, each magnetron drive unit configured to move a magnetron at a certain angle within the horizontal cylindrical sputtering cathode.

[0133] Clause 13. The deposition apparatus of any one of clauses 8 to 12, wherein the source support assembly further comprises: a plurality of anodes.

[0134] Clause 14. The deposition apparatus of any one of clauses 8 to 13, further comprising one or more power supplies selected from the group consisting of: a direct current power supply; a pulsed direct current power supply; and a bipolar pulsed power supply.

[0135] Item 15. The deposition device according to any one of items 8 to 14 further includes: a substrate mask, wherein the substrate mask is within the substrate transport section; and at least one shielding member, wherein the at least one shielding member is within the substrate transport section; and a maintenance area, wherein the maintenance area is specifically arranged on a second side of the substrate transport section opposite to the first side of the substrate transport section, wherein the maintenance area is configured to receive at least the substrate mask and the at least one shielding member.

[0136] Item 16. A deposition apparatus according to Item 15, wherein the substrate handling section is securely coupled to or integrally formed with the source frame section, and wherein the substrate handling section has a second slit opening for inserting an arm of a maintenance cart, the second slit opening being on a second side of the substrate handling section.

[0137] Item 17. A deposition apparatus according to Item 15, wherein the substrate handling section comprises: one or more side walls, the one or more side walls being securely coupled to the source frame section or being integrally formed with the source frame section; and a bottom cover assembly, the bottom cover assembly being removable from the one or more side walls.

[0138] Clause 18. The deposition apparatus of Clause 17, wherein the bottom cover assembly is movable into the maintenance area.

[0139] Clause 19. A deposition apparatus according to any one of clauses 17 to 18, wherein the bottom cover assembly comprises: a transport unit configured to horizontally move the bottom cover assembly between a first position below the source frame segment and a second position in the maintenance area, and vice versa.

[0140] Clause 20. The deposition apparatus according to Clause 19, wherein the transport unit has a lifting function to vertically move the bottom cover assembly.

[0141] Clause 21. The deposition apparatus of any one of clauses 17 to 20, further comprising: an alignment system configured to move the substrate relative to the substrate support; and a pin array for supporting the substrate above the substrate support and conveying the substrate on the substrate support.

[0142] Item 22. A deposition apparatus according to any one of items 17 to 21, wherein one or more of the substrate support, the actuator, the substrate mask, the at least one shield, the alignment system, and the pin array are coupled to the bottom cover assembly so as to move with the bottom cover assembly when the transport unit is actuated.

[0143] Item 23. A deposition apparatus according to any one of items 17 to 21, wherein four or more of the substrate support, the actuator, the substrate mask, the at least one shield, the alignment system, and the pin array are coupled to the bottom cover assembly so as to be movable together with the bottom cover assembly when the transport unit is actuated.

[0144] Item 24. A substrate processing system for a large area substrate, comprising: a transfer chamber; one or more deposition devices according to any one of Items 1 to 23 and coupled to the transfer chamber; and one or more load lock chambers, the one or more load lock chambers coupled to the transfer chamber.

[0145] Item 25. The substrate processing system of Item 24, wherein the transfer chamber has a rectangular, pentagonal, or hexagonal shape.

[0146] Clause 26. The substrate processing system of any one of Clauses 24 to 25, wherein the transfer chamber has four or more slot openings.

[0147] Clause 27. The substrate processing system of any one of Clauses 24 to 26, further comprising: a robot disposed at least partially with the transfer chamber, the robot having a robot arm movable to an adjacent chamber.

[0148] Item 28. A method for maintaining a deposition device for large-area substrate processing, the deposition device having a vacuum chamber, the vacuum chamber having a first slit opening facing a transfer chamber, the method comprising: moving a substrate mask and at least one shield toward a side of the vacuum chamber opposite to the first slit opening; maintaining the substrate mask and the at least one shield; and moving the substrate mask and the at least one shield toward the first slit opening.

[0149] Clause 29. The method of Clause 28, wherein the substrate mask and the at least one shield are moved by moving a lower cover assembly of the vacuum chamber.

[0150] Clause 30. The method of Clause 29, further comprising moving one or more of a substrate support, an actuator coupled to the substrate support, an alignment system, and a pin array along with a bottom cover assembly of the vacuum chamber.

[0151] Clause 31. The method of any one of clauses 28 to 30, further comprising: removing an upper cover assembly of the vacuum chamber from the vacuum chamber; and detaching a first sputtering cathode from a top of the vacuum chamber.

[0152] Clause 32. The method according to clause 31, further comprising: installing a maintenance platform below the vacuum chamber after moving the lower cover assembly; and further removing the sputtering cathode from the bottom of the vacuum chamber.

[0153] Item 33. A method for manufacturing a photovoltaic device layer, the method comprising: loading a large area substrate on a robotic arm of a robot at least partially disposed in a central transfer chamber; transferring the large area substrate to a deposition apparatus according to any one of Items 1 to 23; and sputtering a layer of material on the large area substrate.

[0154] In view of the foregoing, embodiments of the present disclosure can provide one or more of the following advantages. A rotatable array of sputtering cathodes that sputter downwardly onto a substrate can be provided. Applications can be provided that include substrate temperature control, as described above, specifically a rotatable horizontal array of sputtering cathodes that sputter downwardly onto a substrate supported on a substrate support in a static deposition process, and having an ESC for enhanced substrate cooling. Access to deposition equipment components can be provided based on the length of component maintenance cycles. Convenient access to deposition equipment can be provided, and maintenance can be improved.

[0155] While the foregoing is directed to implementations of the present disclosure, other and further implementations of the disclosure may be devised without departing from the basic scope thereof, and the scope of the same is to be determined by the claims that follow.

Claims

1. A deposition apparatus for processing a large-area substrate in a substrate processing system, comprising: A vacuum chamber, comprising: Source frame segment; an upper cover assembly, the upper cover assembly being above the source frame section and being detachable from the source frame section; and a substrate handling section below the source frame section, the substrate handling section comprising one or more side walls and a bottom cover assembly, the one or more side walls being securely coupled to or integrally formed with the source frame section, the bottom cover assembly being detachable from the one or more side walls; a rotatable sputtering cathode horizontal array configured to have cylindrical targets, the rotatable sputtering cathode horizontal array being disposed in the source frame section; and a substrate support within the substrate handling section, below the rotatable horizontal array of sputtering cathodes, and configured for a static deposition process in which the rotatable horizontal array of sputtering cathodes sputters downward onto a substrate on the substrate support, wherein The upper cover assembly capable of being removed from the source frame segment provides a first channel for maintaining the rotatable sputtering cathode horizontal array, and the bottom cover assembly capable of being removed from the one or more side walls provides a second channel for maintaining multiple components supported by the bottom cover assembly, wherein the maintenance cycle of the components maintained through the first channel is longer than the maintenance cycle of the components maintained through the second channel.

2. The deposition apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the substrate support comprises: a substrate supporting body having a front side for supporting the substrate and a rear side opposite to the front side; and A suction cup assembly is provided in the substrate supporting body or at the rear side of the substrate supporting body.

3. The deposition apparatus of claim 2, wherein the substrate support further comprises: Gas ducts; A plurality of first openings in the front side of the substrate support body are connected to the gas conduit.

4. The deposition apparatus of claim 3 , wherein the substrate support further comprises: A temperature sensor is configured to measure a temperature of the substrate. The deposition apparatus of claim 4 , wherein the temperature sensor is at least partially disposed in the substrate supporting body.

6. The deposition apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising: a gas source connected to the gas conduit; and A controller is connected to the temperature sensor and to the gas source to regulate the gas source based on the substrate temperature.

7. The deposition apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein The substrate handling section has a first slot opening configured to load and unload substrates, the first slot opening being at a first side of the substrate handling section; The deposition apparatus further comprises: a source support assembly, the source support assembly being disposed within the source frame segment to support the rotatable sputtering cathode horizontal array; and An actuator is coupled to the substrate support to move the substrate support toward the source frame section or the upper cover assembly. The deposition apparatus of claim 7 , wherein the bottom cover assembly is movable into a maintenance area.

9. The deposition apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the bottom cover assembly comprises: A transport unit is configured to horizontally move the bottom cover assembly between a first position below the source frame segment and a second position in the maintenance area, and vice versa.

10. The deposition apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising: A pin array is provided for supporting the substrate above the substrate support and for transporting the substrate on the substrate support.

11. The deposition apparatus of claim 10 , wherein one or more of the substrate support, the actuator, the substrate mask, the at least one shield, the alignment system, and the pin array are coupled to the bottom cover assembly so as to be movable with the bottom cover assembly upon actuation of the transport unit.

12. A substrate processing system for a large-area substrate, comprising: transfer chamber; one or more deposition devices according to any one of claims 1 to 6 and coupled to the transfer chamber; and One or more load lock chambers are coupled to the transfer chamber.

13. A method of manufacturing an electronic device layer, the method comprising: loading the large area substrate onto a robotic arm of a robot at least partially disposed in the central transfer chamber; transferring the large-area substrate into a deposition apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6; and A layer of material is sputtered onto the large-area substrate.

14. The method according to claim 13, further comprising: The substrate was cooled to 200° C. or below during sputtering.

15. The method according to claim 13, further comprising: The substrate was cooled to 100° C. or below during sputtering.

16. The method according to claim 13, further comprising: The substrate was cooled to 80° C. or below during sputtering.

17. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 16, wherein the layer is a metal layer deposited over an organic layer. The method according to claim 17 , wherein the metal layer is a metal layer for a touch screen panel.

19. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 16, wherein the layer is a copper layer having a thickness of 900 nm or more.

20. The method of any one of claims 14 to 16, wherein the layer is a copper layer having a thickness of 1.1 μm or more.

21. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 16, wherein the layer is a copper layer having a thickness of 3 μm or more.

22. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 16, wherein the layer is a copper layer having a thickness of 7 μm or more.

23. The method according to any one of claims 14 to 16, wherein the layer is a copper layer having a thickness of 10 μm or more.

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