UV curing apparatus, substrate processing equipment, and substrate processing method

Abstract

To provide a UV curing device which enables reduction of processing time of a substrate to improve productivity, and to provide a substrate processing facility and a substrate processing method.SOLUTION: A substrate processing method includes: a step in which a substrate G to which a photo-curable substance is applied is prepared; a step in which the substrate is placed on a substrate support base 110; a step in which a substrate processing space S is formed above the substrate and between a body of a UV curing device and an area of a part of the substrate; a step in which an inert gas atmosphere is formed at the processing space; and a step in which UV light is radiated in the processing space in which the inert gas atmosphere is formed. The processing space of the substrate is locally formed above the substrate to improve substrate processing efficiency.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a UV curing apparatus, a substrate processing facility, and a substrate processing method. More specifically, the present invention relates to a UV curing apparatus, a substrate processing facility, and a substrate processing method capable of locally forming a substrate processing space above a substrate to improve the substrate processing efficiency.

Background Art

[0002] Generally, coating refers to forming a film on the surface of an article in order to prevent damage to the surface of the article and adhesion of foreign substances and to adjust the reflectance. There are various types of coating methods, but recently, UV (Ultra violet) curing coating has been widely used.

[0003] UV curing coating is a coating method in which a UV coating liquid, which is a photocurable substance, is applied to the surface of an object, and UV light is irradiated to cure the UV coating liquid to form a film. The film formed in this way has physical properties such as high gloss, high hardness, and chemical resistance. In addition, since the curing speed of the UV coating liquid is faster than that of the thermal curing method, productivity can be improved, and moreover, since the heat treatment process is omitted, the number of process steps can be reduced. Further, since UV curing coating does not use an organic solvent, the impact on the environment can be minimized as much as possible, and since UV light is used, it can be easily applied to an object that is easily distorted by heat. In particular, since the curing speed of UV curing coating is extremely short, from several seconds to several tens of seconds, it is very advantageous for continuously coating an optical film used in the display field.

[0004] However, UV light with wavelengths below 200 nm absorbs oxygen from the air, producing ozone. This oxygen in the air suppresses the chemical reaction of the UV coating solution, reducing the curing density, which is a disadvantage. Furthermore, when coating optical films, if the UV coating solution comes into contact with oxygen, it will oxidize due to an oxidation reaction, reducing its optical properties.

[0005] For this reason, a method is used in which the object to be processed is brought into the chamber, the atmosphere inside the chamber is switched to a nitrogen atmosphere to lower the oxygen concentration inside the chamber, and then a UV curing coating is applied. However, as the size of the objects to be processed increases, the size of the chambers also increases, which means that it takes a long time to switch the atmosphere inside the chamber, and this leads to a decrease in productivity. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Korean Registered Patent Publication No. 10-1032398 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0007] The present invention provides a UV curing apparatus, substrate processing equipment, and substrate processing method that can shorten the processing time of substrates and improve productivity. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] An embodiment of the present invention may include a main body arranged to be movable along the upper part of an object to be processed, a UV lamp arranged at the lower part of the main body, a wall portion connected to the lower part of the main body to form a processing space between itself and the object to be processed, a gas supply unit partially arranged in the wall portion to supply an inert gas to the processing space, and a control unit for controlling the operation of the gas supply unit.

[0009] The wall portion may be formed in a hollow shape with its upper and lower parts open.

[0010] The wall portion may include a torso portion extending in the vertical direction and an extended portion at the lower part of the torso portion that is bent inward toward the main body.

[0011] The wall portion may be positioned so as to be inclined toward at least one of the inner and outer sides of the main body.

[0012] The gas supply unit comprises a nozzle disposed on the inner surface of the wall portion to inject gas into the space, a gas supply pipe connected to the nozzle to supply gas to the nozzle, and a valve disposed in the gas supply pipe. Alternatively, the gas supply unit may comprise a nozzle disposed on the inner surface of the wall portion to inject gas into the space, a gas supply pipe connected to the nozzle to supply gas to the nozzle, and a valve disposed in the gas supply pipe.

[0013] The gas supply unit may further include auxiliary nozzles disposed on the outer surface of the wall portion to inject gas in an upward and downward direction.

[0014] The processing space may be equipped with a concentration measuring device installed in the wall to measure the oxygen concentration.

[0015] The concentration measuring device may be positioned below the nozzle.

[0016] The control unit may also be capable of controlling the operation of the valve using the results measured by the concentration measuring instrument.

[0017] A substrate processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a substrate support section for supporting a substrate on which a photocurable substance has been coated on the upper part, and a UV curing apparatus disposed above the substrate support section, as described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

[0018] The wall portion may be provided with a temperature measuring device arranged to measure the temperature of the substrate.

[0019] The substrate support portion includes a substrate support table for supporting the substrate at the upper part and a cooling device for adjusting the temperature of the substrate support table, and the control portion may be capable of controlling the operation of the cooling device using the result measured by the temperature measuring device. <0OO0073>

[0020] The wall portion may be arranged so as to be separated from the substrate support table.

[0021] The substrate processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a process of preparing a substrate coated with a photocurable substance, a process of placing the substrate on a substrate support table, a process of forming a processing space for the substrate above the substrate and between a part of the regions of the substrate, a process of forming an inert gas atmosphere in the processing space, and a process of irradiating UV light in the processing space where the inert gas atmosphere is formed.

[0022] The process of irradiating the UV light may include a process of moving the processing space where the inert gas atmosphere is formed.

[0023] At least one of the process of forming the inert gas atmosphere and the process of irradiating the UV light may include a process of measuring the concentration of oxygen in the processing space.

[0024] The process of forming the inert gas atmosphere includes a process of supplying an inert gas to the processing space, and at least one of the process of forming the inert gas atmosphere and the process of irradiating the UV light may include a process of adjusting the flow rate of the inert gas supplied to the processing space based on the measured oxygen concentration.

[0025] The process of moving the processing space in which the inert gas atmosphere is formed may include a process of adjusting the flow rate of the inert gas supplied to the front side and the flow rate of the inert gas supplied to the rear side with respect to the direction in which the processing space in which the inert gas atmosphere is formed moves so that they are different from each other.

[0026] At least one of the process of forming the inert gas atmosphere and the process of irradiating the UV light may include a process of forming an inert gas curtain between the processing space and the substrate.

[0027] The process of irradiating the UV light may include a process of measuring the temperature of the substrate.

[0028] The process of irradiating the UV light may include a process of adjusting the temperature of the substrate support table based on the measured temperature of the substrate.

Advantages of the Invention

[0029] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a curing process of a photocurable substance applied to a substrate can be performed in the atmosphere. That is, a nitrogen atmosphere can be locally formed between the UV curing device and the substrate. In this way, by locally forming a nitrogen atmosphere between the UV curing device and the substrate and irradiating UV light, it is possible to prevent the UV light and the photocurable substance from coming into contact with oxygen. Therefore, the time required to switch the atmosphere inside the chamber for performing the curing process can be shortened to improve the process efficiency and the productivity of the substrate. In addition, since the curing process can be performed without separately providing a chamber, the cost of providing the chamber and the maintenance cost of the chamber can be reduced.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0030] [Figure 1] A diagram schematically showing a substrate processing facility according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] An enlarged view of a substrate processing facility according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3]A diagram showing a modified example of a UV curing apparatus. [Figure 4] This diagram shows other variations of the UV curing apparatus. [Figure 5] A graph showing the oxygen concentration inside the chamber when processing a substrate using the substrate processing equipment according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0031] Embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited in any way to the embodiments disclosed below and can be embodied in a variety of different forms, and these embodiments are provided merely to complete the disclosure of the present invention and to fully inform those with ordinary skill of the scope of the invention.

[0032] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing a substrate processing facility according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 2 is an enlarged view of the substrate processing facility according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the substrate processing equipment according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a substrate support section 100 for supporting a substrate G at its upper part, a UV curing device 200 disposed above the substrate support section 100 so as to be movable along the substrate G, and a control unit 300 for controlling the operation of the substrate support section 100 and the UV curing device 200. The UV curing device 200 may include a main body 220, a UV lamp 230 disposed on the main body 220 to irradiate UV light toward the substrate support section 100, a wall section 240 (240a, 240b) arranged outside the UV lamp 230 so as to surround the UV lamp 230 and connected to the lower part of the main body 220 to form a processing space S between it and the object to be processed, a gas supply section 250 which is partially formed in the wall section 240 to inject gas into the interior of the wall section 240, and a drive device 210 for moving the main body 220.

[0034] The substrate support section 100 may include a substrate support base 110 and a cooling device 120 for circulating a cooling medium through the substrate support base 110. The substrate support base 110 is a component for supporting a substrate G, such as a glass substrate G of a display like an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) or light-emitting diode (LED). The substrate support base 110 may have an area approximately the same as that of the substrate G, or an area larger than that of the substrate G. For example, the substrate support base 110 may be formed to have a width and thickness in the horizontal direction and a predetermined height. In this case, the substrate support base 110 may be formed to exhibit various shapes such as a square shape or a circular shape, or it may be formed to exhibit a shape corresponding to the shape of the substrate G. The substrate support base 110 may support the substrate G by placing it on top of it, or it may support the substrate G by levitating it and separating it from the upper surface of the substrate support base 110 by a predetermined height. A flow path (not shown) for circulating a cooling medium may be provided inside the substrate support base 110.

[0035] The cooling device 120 may circulate a cooling medium through a flow path formed inside the substrate support base 110. That is, the cooling device 120 may supply a cooling medium to the flow path of the substrate support base 110 and collect the cooling medium that has passed through the flow path. These processes can be performed continuously to circulate the cooling medium through the flow path of the substrate support base 110. The cooling device 120 may adjust the temperature of the cooling medium and supply it to the substrate support base 110, or it may be connected to other external cooling equipment (not shown) and supply a cooling medium adjusted to a constant temperature to the substrate support base 110. The cooling device 120 can accurately adjust the temperature of the substrate support base 110 by adjusting the supply speed and flow rate of the cooling medium.

[0036] The UV curing device 200 may be positioned above the substrate support base 110 so as to be movable, and may irradiate the substrate G supported on the upper part of the substrate support base 110 with UV light. The UV curing device 200 may also form an inert gas atmosphere between itself and the substrate support base 110, i.e., the substrate G, and irradiate the substrate G with UV light to cure the photocurable material, such as a dielectric material, coated on the substrate G. In other words, the UV curing device 200 can form an inert gas atmosphere, such as a nitrogen atmosphere, in the area irradiated with UV light to suppress or prevent the photocurable material coated on the substrate G from reacting with oxygen contained in the atmosphere.

[0037] The UV curing apparatus 200 may include a main body 220, a UV lamp 230 disposed on the main body 220 to irradiate UV light toward the substrate support portion 100, a wall portion 240 arranged outside the UV lamp 230 so as to surround the UV lamp 230 and connected to the lower part of the main body 220 to form a processing space between the wall portion 240 and the substrate G to be processed, a gas supply portion 250 formed in part of the wall portion 240 to inject gas into the interior of the wall portion 240, and a drive device 210 for moving the main body 220. The UV curing apparatus 200 may also include a concentration meter 260 for measuring the oxygen concentration in the processing space formed between the wall portion 240 and the substrate G.

[0038] First, the drive unit 210 may include a guide frame 211 positioned at a distance above the substrate support base 110 to support the main body 220, and a drive unit (not shown) that provides power to move the main body 220.

[0039] The guide frame 211 may be arranged to extend in the direction in which the substrate support base 110 extends, for example, along the width direction of the substrate support base 110. The drive unit 213 provides power to move the main body 220 and may be located on the guide frame 211 or on the main body 220.

[0040] The main body 220 supports the UV lamp 230 and the wall portion 240, and may incorporate electronic elements (not shown) for operating the UV lamp 230. The main body 220 may also be connected to the guide frame 211 of the drive unit 210 and reciprocate in the direction in which the guide frame 211 extends. In this case, the main body 220 may be formed in a block shape or in a bar shape extending in one direction. If the main body 220 is formed in a block shape, multiple blocks may be connected in one direction to form a bar shape. This is because the substrate G is formed to have a plate shape with area, and UV light is irradiated onto the substrate G while the main body 220 is moved in the direction in which the substrate G extends, for example, in the width direction, so that UV light is irradiated in a direction that intersects horizontally with the direction of movement of the main body 220. That is, UV light is irradiated over the entire substrate G while the main body 220 is moved.

[0041] The UV lamp 230 may be positioned at the bottom of the main body 220 so as to irradiate the substrate support base 110 with UV light. In this case, the UV lamp 230 may be provided as a lamp of various shapes, such as a bulb-shaped lamp, a rod-shaped lamp, or an LED lamp, as long as it can irradiate UV light.

[0042] The wall portion 240 may be connected to the lower part of the main body 220 so as to extend vertically. The wall portion 240 may also be connected to the main body 220 so as to surround the outside of the UV lamp 230. Such a wall portion 240 may be formed in a hollow shape with the top and bottom open, forming an optical path so that UV light emitted from the UV lamp 230 can irradiate the substrate G. The wall portion 240 may also serve as a buffer to temporarily contain an inert gas so that an inert gas atmosphere can be formed between it and the substrate G during processing. The wall portion 240 may be formed as a single unit, or it may be formed as an assembly of multiple units combined together.

[0043] The wall portion 240 may be connected to the main body 220 and form a processing space S for the substrate G between itself and the substrate G at the lower part of the main body 220. The wall portion 240 may form a processing space at the lower part of the main body 220, for example, between the main body 220 and the substrate support base 110, or between the UV lamp 230 and the substrate G. Such a wall portion 240 may be provided in an "L" shape, comprising a body portion extending in the vertical direction and an extended portion that is bent inward from the main body 220 or toward the processing space S. In this case, if an extended portion is formed in the wall portion 240, the effect is obtained that the nitrogen gas supplied to the processing space S by the extended portion will temporarily remain there without being immediately discharged toward the substrate S. Alternatively, the wall portion 240 may be formed in an "I" shape, comprising only a body portion, and may be provided to have a curved surface in at least a part of it. The shape of the wall portion 240 is not limited in any way, as long as a processing space capable of forming an inert gas atmosphere, such as a nitrogen atmosphere, can be formed above the substrate G, it may be provided to exhibit various shapes.

[0044] Such wall portion 240 may be provided in various shapes.

[0045] Figure 3 shows a museum-style diagram of a UV curing apparatus.

[0046] The wall section 240 may be connected to the main body 220 in a symmetrical shape, as shown in Figures 3(a) to 3(c), or it may be connected to the main body 220 in an asymmetrical shape, as shown in Figure 3(d). For example, when the wall section 240 is connected symmetrically to both sides of the main body 220, the wall section 240 may be connected to the main body 220 so as not to tilt, or it may be connected to the main body 220 so as to tilt inward, or it may be connected to the main body 220 so as to tilt outward. Furthermore, when the wall section 240 is connected asymmetrically to both sides of the main body 220, at least one of the wall sections 240 connected to both sides of the main body 220 may be connected to the main body 220 so as to tilt inward or outward. In this case, when the wall portion 240 is connected to the main body 220 at an angle, it is desirable to position the wall portion 240 so as to be tilted forward with respect to the direction of movement of the main body 220, for example, the direction in which it moves while irradiating with UV light. This is to allow nitrogen gas to come into contact with the substrate G before UV light is irradiated onto the substrate G, thereby removing any residual oxygen on the substrate G. In order for the main body 220 to cure the photocurable material, it is desirable that the wall portion 240 be connected to the main body 220 so as to be tilted forward with respect to the direction in which it moves while irradiating the substrate G with UV light.

[0047] The gas supply unit 250 may include a nozzle 253 formed in the wall portion 240, a gas reservoir 251 capable of storing inert gas to be supplied to the nozzle 253, a gas supply pipe (not shown) connecting the nozzle 253 and the gas reservoir 251, and a valve 255 disposed in the gas supply pipe to adjust the flow rate of the inert gas.

[0048] The nozzle 253 may be formed on the inner surface of the wall portion 240 so as to be able to inject an inert gas into the processing space S. The nozzle 253 may be provided in a slit shape so as to extend in the thickness direction of the substrate G on which the main body 220 extends, or a plurality of nozzles may be formed so as to be spaced apart in the thickness direction of the substrate G on which the main body 220 extends.

[0049] The gas supply piping may be formed from a material that is expandable or contractible in at least part of its length, or from a flexible material, so as not to affect the movement of the main body 220. The valve 255 may be installed in the gas supply piping to regulate the flow rate of the inert gas supplied to the nozzle 253.

[0050] On the other hand, a passage for supplying inert gas to the nozzle 253 may be formed inside the wall portion 240. The passage may be formed to be a single continuous passage throughout the entire wall portion 240, or it may be formed to be branched into multiple passages. For example, the passage may be formed to branch into a wall portion 240 located on the front side and a wall portion 240 located on the rear side with respect to the direction of movement of the main body 220. In this case, the gas supply piping may be independently connected to the passage located on the front side and the passage located on the rear side with respect to the direction of movement of the main body 220, and valves may be provided in each gas supply piping. If necessary, the flow rates of the inert gas supplied to the passage formed in the wall portion 240 located on the front side and the passage formed in the wall portion 240 located on the rear side may be adjusted to be different from each other.

[0051] The concentration meter 260 may measure the oxygen concentration in the processing space S formed between the wall portion 240 and the substrate G. The concentration meter 260 may be disposed on the inner surface of the wall portion 240 or at the bottom of the main body 220. However, since oxygen affects the curing of the photocurable material applied to the substrate G, it is preferable that the concentration meter 260 be disposed on the side adjacent to the substrate G to which the photocurable material is applied. For example, the concentration meter 260 may be disposed at a position lower than the nozzle 235.

[0052] The substrate support section 100 may further include a temperature measuring device 130 for measuring the temperature of the substrate support base 110. The temperature measuring device 130 may be provided as a pyrometer, infrared thermometer, or the like, capable of measuring the temperature of the substrate G in a non-contact manner. Such a temperature measuring device 130 may be arranged on the wall section 240 so as to be able to measure the temperature of the substrate G in a non-contact manner. For example, the temperature measuring device 130 may be arranged on the bottom surface of the wall section 240 facing the substrate support base 110, away from the substrate G. The temperature measuring device 130 may be arranged in various locations other than the bottom surface of the wall section 240, as long as it is possible to measure the temperature of the substrate G in a non-contact manner. In addition, multiple temperature measuring devices 130 may be arranged along the direction in which the main body 220 extends, for example, along the thickness direction of the substrate G, so as to be able to measure the temperature of the substrate G in the area irradiated with UV light.

[0053] The control unit 300 may control the overall operation of the entire substrate processing equipment, including the cooling device 120, the drive unit 213, the UV lamp 230, the valve 255, the concentration meter 260, and the temperature meter 130. In particular, the control unit 300 may control the operation of the valve 255 using the oxygen concentration measured by the concentration meter 260. The control unit 300 may also control the operation of the cooling device 120 using the temperature of the substrate G measured by the temperature meter 130.

[0054] Figure 4 shows another modification of the UV curing apparatus.

[0055] Referring to Figure 4, the UV curing apparatus may further include auxiliary nozzles 257 disposed on the wall portion 240 to inject inert gas from outside the processing space S. The auxiliary nozzles 257 may be disposed on the outer surface of the wall portion 240 to inject inert gas toward the substrate G. In this case, the auxiliary nozzles 257 may be disposed on the wall portion 240 to inject gas along the thickness direction of the substrate G. For this reason, the auxiliary nozzles 257 may form an inert gas curtain, such as a nitrogen gas curtain, between the wall portion 240 and the substrate support base 110, or between the wall portion 240 and the substrate G. If such a nitrogen curtain is formed, the nitrogen gas injected into the processing space S via the nozzles 253 will stay in the processing space S for a longer time, blocking the inflow of air from the outside into the processing space S. Therefore, the atmosphere inside the processing space S can be kept constant.

[0056] This explanation assumes that the substrate processing equipment does not have a chamber. However, a chamber may be used not for the purpose of controlling the atmosphere for substrate processing, but for the purpose of recovering the nitrogen gas injected onto the substrate.

[0057] The following describes a substrate processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0058] The substrate processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention may include the steps of: preparing a substrate coated with a photocurable substance; placing the substrate on a substrate support; forming a processing space on the upper part of the substrate that communicates with a portion of the substrate; forming a nitrogen atmosphere in the processing space; and irradiating the substrate with UV light from the processing space where the nitrogen atmosphere has been formed.

[0059] First, a substrate G coated with a photocurable material may be prepared. In this case, the substrate G may be a glass substrate for displays such as OLEDs and LCDs, and the photocurable material may contain a dielectric material. However, the substrate and the photocurable material are not limited to these.

[0060] Once the substrate G is prepared, it may be placed on top of the substrate support base 110. In this case, the substrate G may be placed in contact with the top of the substrate support base 110, or it may be levitated by spraying air from the substrate support base 110 to a predetermined distance away from it. The reason for levitating the substrate G above the substrate support base 110, as in the latter case, is that if the substrate G is made of a translucent material, irradiating the substrate G with UV light to cure the photocurable material may cause the topology or pattern on the surface of the substrate support base 110 to be transferred to the photocurable material, potentially resulting in moiré patterns.

[0061] Once the substrate G is placed on the substrate support base 110, the main body 220 of the UV curing apparatus may be moved to one side of the substrate G, for example, to the left of the substrate G. Then, the operation of the valve 255 of the gas supply unit 250 may be controlled by controlling the control unit 300 to supply nitrogen gas stored in the gas reservoir 251 to the nozzle 253.

[0062] If nitrogen gas is supplied, it may be injected into the processing space S inside the wall portion 240 via the nozzle 253. When nitrogen gas is supplied to the processing space S in this way, the air inside the processing space S is discharged to the outside through the space between the wall portion 240 and the substrate G, and the atmosphere inside the processing space S can be switched to a nitrogen atmosphere.

[0063] In this way, nitrogen gas may be continuously injected into the processing space S to maintain a nitrogen atmosphere inside the processing space S, and the UV lamp 230 may be operated to irradiate the substrate G with UV light. Alternatively, nitrogen gas may be injected from the outside of the processing space S, i.e., from outside the wall portion 240, toward the substrate G using the auxiliary nozzle 257. In this case, the auxiliary nozzle 257 may inject gas toward the substrate G to form a nitrogen curtain between the wall portion 240 and the substrate G. As a result, the nitrogen gas injected into the processing space S via the nozzle 253 can temporarily remain within the processing space S due to the nitrogen curtain. Furthermore, the nitrogen curtain blocks the inflow of air into the processing space S, allowing a nitrogen atmosphere to be smoothly maintained in the area of ​​the substrate G irradiated with UV light.

[0064] Furthermore, the drive unit 210 may be used to move the main body 220 of the UV curing device 200 to the other side of the substrate G, for example, to the right, while curing the photocurable material applied to the upper part of the substrate G. At this time, the nitrogen gas sprayed from the nozzle 253 can be discharged between the wall portion 240 and the substrate G, removing any air or oxygen remaining on the surface of the substrate G. As the main body 220 is moved, the processing space S also moves along the direction of movement of the main body 220, and the photocurable material is continuously cured in the moved processing space S.

[0065] Next, once the photocurable material has cured, the substrate G may be transported to the subsequent processing location. Then, the control unit 300 may be used to activate the valve 255 to shut off the supply of nitrogen gas, and the main body 220 may be moved to one side of the substrate support base 110 to process the subsequent substrate G.

[0066] During the curing process of such a photocurable material, the oxygen concentration inside the processing space S may be measured. In this case, the oxygen concentration may be measured continuously from the time the valve 255 is activated to supply nitrogen gas to the processing space S until the curing of the photocurable material is complete, that is, until the processing of the substrate G is complete.

[0067] Since the substrate processing process is carried out at atmospheric pressure without a separate chamber, it is impossible to control the oxygen concentration inside the processing space S to "0". For this reason, the substrate may be processed while controlling the oxygen concentration to a level that does not affect the curing of the photocurable material, for example, to 1,000 ppm or less. In this case, if the oxygen concentration is higher than 1,000 ppm, there is a risk that UV light will absorb oxygen and produce ozone or oxidize the photocurable material, and that moiré patterns may be formed in the film formed on the substrate G due to the airflow generated in the processing space S. For this reason, it is preferable to control the oxygen concentration in the processing space S to 1,000 ppm or less.

[0068] During the processing of the substrate G, the oxygen concentration inside the processing space S may be continuously measured using the concentration meter 260 to maintain the oxygen concentration inside the processing space S at 1,000 ppm or less. In this case, if the oxygen concentration measured by the concentration meter 260 is 1,000 ppm or higher, the control unit 300 may control the operation of the valve 255 to increase the flow rate of nitrogen gas injected through the nozzle 253. On the other hand, if the oxygen concentration measured by the concentration meter 260 is 1,000 ppm or less, the flow rate of nitrogen gas injected through the nozzle 253 may be maintained as is.

[0069] Furthermore, the temperature of the substrate support stand 110 may be controlled during the processing of the substrate G. That is, the temperature of the substrate G and the substrate support stand 110 may rise excessively due to UV light. Therefore, the temperature of the substrate G may be adjusted by measuring the temperature of the substrate G using the temperature measuring instrument 130 and controlling the operation of the cooling device 120 based on the measured temperature, thereby controlling the flow rate and circulation speed of the cooling medium circulating inside the substrate support stand 110.

[0070] The following describes experimental results for verifying the substrate processing capability of the substrate processing method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0071] A substrate coated with a photocurable material was placed on a substrate support stand, and the photocurable material was cured by irradiating it with UV light while creating a localized nitrogen atmosphere above the substrate using a UV curing device. The oxygen concentration was then measured in the space formed inside the wall of the UV curing device. The time taken to reach oxygen concentrations of 1,000 ppm, 800 ppm, 600 ppm, 500 ppm, 300 ppm, and 200 ppm was measured.

[0072] Table 1 below shows the results of measuring the time it takes for the oxygen concentration to reach a predetermined level.

[0073] [Table 1]

[0074] We were able to infer that the time it takes for the oxygen concentration to reach 1,000 ppm, which has little effect on the curing of the photocurable material by UV light, is 9 to 12 seconds, with an average of 10.5 seconds. In this way, by locally creating a nitrogen atmosphere only in the area irradiated with UV light, the processing time for the substrate can be shortened compared to conventional techniques, which took about 30 minutes to switch the entire chamber to a nitrogen atmosphere. Furthermore, when we cured the photocurable material using this method and tested the quality of the cured film, we were able to confirm that it was almost identical to, or exhibited the same quality as, a film cured using conventional techniques.

[0075] Although specific embodiments have been described in the detailed description of the present invention, it goes without saying that various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of the present invention should not be limited in any way to the embodiments described above, and should be defined not only by the claims described later, but also by something equivalent to these claims. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0076] 100: Circuit board support section 110: PCB support stand 120: Cooling device 130: Temperature measuring device 200:UV curing equipment 210: Drive unit 220: Main unit 230: UV lamp 240: Wall part 250: Gas Supply Department 251: Gas storage 253: Nozzle 255: Valve 257: Auxiliary nozzle 260: Concentration measuring device 300: Control Unit

Claims

1. A main body is positioned to be movable along the top of the object to be processed, A UV lamp is provided at the bottom of the main body, A wall portion connected to the lower part of the main body so as to form a processing space between itself and the object to be processed, A gas supply unit is provided, partly located in the wall portion, to supply an inert gas to the processing space. A control unit for controlling the operation of the gas supply unit, Equipped with, The aforementioned gas supply unit, A nozzle is disposed on the inner surface of the wall portion to inject an inert gas into the processing space, An auxiliary nozzle is provided on the outer surface of the wall portion to inject an inert gas in the vertical direction, A UV curing device equipped with [a specific feature].

2. The UV curing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the wall portion is formed in a hollow shape with the upper and lower parts open.

3. The UV curing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the wall portion comprises a body portion extending in the vertical direction and an extended portion at the lower part of the body portion that is bent toward the inside of the main body.

4. The UV curing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the wall portion is arranged to be inclined toward at least one of the inner and outer sides of the main body.

5. The aforementioned gas supply unit, A gas supply pipe connected to the nozzle to supply an inert gas to the nozzle, A valve installed in the aforementioned gas supply piping, The UV curing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising the above.

6. The UV curing apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising a concentration measuring device disposed in the wall portion for measuring the oxygen concentration in the processing space.

7. The UV curing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the concentration measuring instrument is positioned below the nozzle.

8. The UV curing apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the control unit is capable of controlling the operation of the valve using the results measured by the concentration measuring instrument.

9. A substrate support section for supporting a substrate coated with a photocurable substance on the top, Displaced on the upper part of the substrate support portion, the UV curing apparatus described in any one of claims 1-8, A substrate processing facility equipped with the following features.

10. The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a temperature measuring device disposed in the wall portion for measuring the temperature of the substrate.

11. The substrate support portion is, A circuit board support base for supporting the circuit board at the top, A cooling device for adjusting the temperature of the substrate support base, Equipped with, The substrate processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the control unit is capable of controlling the operation of the cooling device using the results measured by the temperature measuring instrument.

12. The substrate processing equipment according to claim 11, wherein the wall portion is arranged to be separated from the substrate support base.

13. The process of preparing a substrate coated with a photocurable material, The process of placing the aforementioned substrate on a substrate support base, A process of forming a processing space for the substrate on the upper part of the substrate and between it and a part of the substrate, The process of forming an inert gas atmosphere in the processing space, The process of irradiating UV light in a processing space where the aforementioned inert gas atmosphere is formed, Includes, The process of forming the inert gas atmosphere includes the process of supplying an inert gas to the processing space. The process of irradiating with UV light includes the process of moving through the processing space in which the inert gas atmosphere is formed. The process of moving the processing space in which the inert gas atmosphere has been formed is as follows: This process includes adjusting the flow rate of the inert gas supplied to the front side and the flow rate of the inert gas supplied to the rear side in the direction in which the processing space, where the inert gas atmosphere is formed, moves, so that they are different from each other. Substrate processing method.

14. The substrate processing method according to claim 13, wherein at least one of the steps of forming the inert gas atmosphere and irradiating with UV light includes a step of measuring the concentration of oxygen in the processing space.

15. The substrate processing method according to claim 14, wherein at least one of the steps of forming the inert gas atmosphere and irradiating with UV light further includes a step of adjusting the flow rate of the inert gas supplied to the processing space based on the measured oxygen concentration.

16. The substrate processing method according to claim 15, wherein at least one of the steps of forming the inert gas atmosphere and irradiating with UV light includes a step of forming an inert gas curtain between the processing space and the substrate.

17. The process of irradiating with UV light is as follows: A substrate processing method according to any one of claims 13-16, further comprising the step of measuring the temperature of the substrate.

18. The substrate processing method according to claim 17, wherein the process of irradiating with UV light includes a process of adjusting the temperature of the substrate support base based on the measured temperature of the substrate.

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