Electrostatic Chuck Ion Emission for OLED Substrate Handling
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing electrostatic chucks face challenges in stably chucking and dechucking large area substrates in high vacuum environments, leading to deflection and handling difficulties due to residual electrostatic charges, which affect manufacturing efficiency and thin film uniformity in OLED production.
Innovation Solution
An electrostatic chuck with an insulating plate and electrodes having openings for ion emission to neutralize electrostatic charges, featuring a corona discharge unit and a sensor for balanced ion sensing, ensures smooth chucking and dechucking of large substrates by removing residual charges.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If high voltage is applied to the electrostatic chuck to support large area substrate, then the substrate can be stably held, but residual electrostatic charges remain causing difficult separation and handling errors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the harmful residual electrostatic charges from the electrostatic chuck surface by introducing ions through openings in the insulating plate. This removes the unwanted clinging force that prevents easy substrate separation while maintaining the ability to hold substrates stably during processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces ions as an intermediary substance to neutralize residual electrostatic charges. These ions act as a mediator between the electrostatic chuck and the substrate, enabling easy separation without directly modifying the chuck's holding mechanism or the substrate itself.
2Manufacturing precision
If high voltage is applied to the electrostatic chuck to minimize substrate deflection, then thin film uniformity is improved, but manufacturing time increases due to handling difficulties
Solution Approach 1:
By extracting residual electrostatic charges through ion introduction, the patent eliminates the handling difficulties that slow down manufacturing. Substrates can be quickly separated from the electrostatic chuck without manual intervention, improving productivity while maintaining the high voltage holding capability needed for thin film uniformity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary charge removal immediately after substrate processing by introducing ions through the openings. This preliminary action prevents the accumulation of residual charges that would otherwise cause handling delays, ensuring continuous high-speed manufacturing operations.
3Ease of operation
If openings are added to the insulating plate for ion emission, then electrostatic charge removal is enabled, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the insulating plate by adding multiple openings distributed across its surface. This segmentation allows ions to be introduced at multiple locations simultaneously, effectively removing residual charges across the entire chuck surface without requiring a complex overall structure. The openings are simple geometric features that integrate easily into the existing chuck design.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution enables stable and efficient handling of large substrates, reducing manufacturing time and improving thin film uniformity by preventing substrate deflection and electrostatic interference, facilitating commercial-scale OLED production.
Implementation Method 1
high voltage of several kV is applied to the electrostatic chuck
Implementation Method 2
emitting ions into the at least one opening to remove electrostatic charges
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2
Figure 3
AI summary
The present invention discloses an electrostatic chuck sucking and supporting a substrate with an electrostatic force and an OLED manufacturing apparatus having the same. The electrostatic chuck includes an insulating plate having at least one opening penetrating a center thereof, a pair of electrodes mounted on the insulating plate, a first controller applying a voltage to the pair of electrodes, and an electrostatic charge removing unit disposed near the insulating plate and emitting ions into the at least one opening to remove electrostatic charges distributed around a side of the insulating plate.