Surface treatment system and method

• US 7,677,199 B2
• Filed: 12/30/2002
• Issued: 03/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Electronics, Inc. (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Cho, Cheon-Soo, Youn, Dong-Sik, Ha, Samchul, Lee, Hyun-Wook
• Primary Examiner(s): Zervigon; Rudy
• Application Number:
  US10/485,900
• Publication Number:
  US 20050016455A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,633 Days
• Field of Search: 118/723.E, 118/723.ER, 118/724, 118/715, 118/723.R, 156/345.43, 156/345.27, 156/345.37
• US Class Current: 118/723.00E
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/4411 Cooling of the reaction chamber walls C23C16/45572 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: C23C 16/50 using electric discharges generation and control of plasma in discharge tubes for surface treatment H01J37/32, H01J37/34

Abstract

A surface treatment system is disclosed to form a deposition layer at a surface of an object of surface treatment by using a deposition reaction in which an electrode (110) for applying power to form a deposition reaction in the deposition chamber (100) is installed between an inner wall (120) of the deposition chamber (100) and an object of surface treatment (900) and further includes a cooling unit (200) installed at the inner wall (120) of the deposition chamber (100) facing the electrode (110) and cooling ambient thereof.

Claims

1. A surface treatment system for forming a deposition layer at a surface of an object, comprising:

a deposition chamber having an inner vertical wall;

a gas injection unit for injecting a gas for a deposition reaction in the deposition chamber;

an electrode unit substantially parallel to the inner vertical wall for applying power to form a deposition reaction in the deposition chamber, said electrode unit being installed between the inner vertical wall of the deposition chamber and the object,

a cooling unit adapted to contain a refrigerant and disposed against the inner vertical wall of the deposition chamber and adjacent to a side of the electrode for cooling the injected gas with the refrigerant contained within the cooling unit for dropping the temperature between the inner vertical wall and the electrode unit,

wherein the cooling unit includes a cooling plate installed against the inner vertical wall of the deposition chamber, the cooling plate includes a plurality of slots for receiving the gas injection unit, and a refrigerant passage of the cooling unit extends within the cooling plate and around a periphery of the slots; and

a control unit for operating the cooling unit,

wherein the cooling unit further comprises;

a heat exchanger operatively connected to the cooling plate for releasing heat generated in the deposition chamber and absorbed by the cooling plate.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the refrigerant of the cooling unit is water and further comprising means for maintaining the refrigerant at a temperature below a temperature of the interior of the deposition chamber.

3. The system according to claim 1, wherein the cooling plate is installed integrally with the inner wall of the deposition chamber and facing the electrode.

4. The system according to claim 1, further comprising a gas injection unit for injecting gas for a deposition reaction installed integrally with the cooling plate in the deposition chamber.

5. The system according to claim 1, wherein the cooling plate comprises:

the refrigerant passage containing the refrigerant;

a refrigerant inlet through which the refrigerant is introduced into the refrigerant passage; and

a refrigerant outlet through which the refrigerant is discharged from the refrigerant passage, the refrigerant inlet and the refrigerant outlet being operatively connected to the heat exchanger.

6. A surface treatment system for forming a deposition layer at a surface of an object, comprising:

a deposition chamber having an inner vertical wall and a horizontal wall and forming a deposition space;

a pair of gas injection units installed at least two sides of the inner vertical wall of the deposition chamber for injecting gas for a deposition reaction within the deposition space;

a gas discharge unit disposed at a center of the horizontal wall of the deposition chamber and dividing the deposition space into two deposition areas for discharging a deposition reaction-spent gas outwardly away from the deposition chamber;

a plurality of electrodes installed within the deposition space adjacent and substantially parallel to the inner vertical wall for applying power to the deposition chamber;

a first cooling unit and a second cooling unit respectively installed against the inner vertical wall at two sides of the deposition chamber for cooling the ambient and dropping the temperature between the inner vertical wall and the electrode units, wherein two of the electrodes are positioned to be adjacent to the first cooling unit and the second cooling unit, respectively; and

a control unit for operating the first and second cooling units,

wherein the first and second cooling units each include;

a cooling plate installed against an inner wall of the deposition chamber; and

a heat exchanger operatively connected to the cooling plate for releasing heat generated in the deposition chamber and absorbed by the cooling plate.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein the cooling plate is installed integrally with the inner wall of the deposition chamber and in contact with a side of the respective electrode.

8. The system according to claim 6, wherein the gas injection unit is installed integrally with the cooling plate.

9. The system according to claim 6, wherein the cooling plate comprises:

a refrigerant passage containing a refrigerant;

a refrigerant inlet through which the refrigerant is introduced into the refrigerant passage; and

a refrigerant outlet through which the refrigerant is discharged from the refrigerant passage, the refrigerant inlet and the refrigerant outlet being operatively connected to the heat exchanger.

10. The system according to claim 9, wherein the cooling plate includes a plurality of slots for receiving the gas injection unit, and the refrigerant passage extends within the cooling plate and around a periphery of the slots.

11. The system according to claim 6, wherein the refrigerant of the cooling unit is water and further comprising means for maintaining the refrigerant at a temperature below a temperature of the interior of the deposition chamber.

12. A surface treatment system for forming a deposition layer at a surface of an object, comprising:

a deposition chamber having an interior inner vertical wall;

an electrode unit for applying power to form a deposition reaction in the deposition chamber, said electrode unit being installed substantially parallel to the inner vertical wall and between the inner vertical wall of the deposition chamber and the object,

a cooling unit disposed against the inner wall of the deposition chamber and adjacent to a side of the electrode, said cooling unit cooling the electrode with a refrigerant contained within the cooling unit,

wherein the cooling unit further comprises;

a cooling plate installed against an inner wall of the deposition chamber; and

a heat exchanger operatively connected to the cooling plate for releasing heat generated in the deposition chamber and absorbed by the cooling plate,

wherein the cooling plate includes a plurality of slots, and the refrigerant passage extends within the cooling plate and around a periphery of the slots,

a gas injection unit for injecting gas for a deposition reaction installed in the slots of the cooling plate in the deposition chamber,

a gas outlet formed in an upper surface of the deposition chamber; and

a control unit for operating the cooling unit,

wherein the cooling unit cools the injected gas for dropping the temperature between the inner vertical wall and the electrode unit,

wherein the refrigerant of the cooling unit is water and further comprising means for maintaining the refrigerant at a temperature below a temperature of the interior of the deposition chamber.