KR-20260066613-A - Variable Electric Field Discharge Device

KR20260066613AKR 20260066613 AKR20260066613 AKR 20260066613AKR-20260066613-A

Abstract

One embodiment provides a vacuum static elimination device for static elimination of a process object in a vacuum atmosphere, comprising: a rod-shaped main body part including a material having insulating properties; an electrode part arranged parallel to the main body part on the upper side of the main body part, wherein an anode provided on one side and a cathode provided on the other side are spaced apart from each other; and a needle pin part including a plurality of anode needle pins spaced apart from each other and a plurality of cathode needle pins spaced apart from each other and positioned downwards from the anode; wherein the needle pin part includes a needle pin spacing adjustment part for adjusting the spacing between the anode needle pins and the cathode needle pins, and static elimination of the object using an electric field formed between the anode needle pins and the cathode needle pins.

Inventors

박진호
임영진

Assignees

주식회사 저스템

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20250804
Priority Date: 20241104

Claims (7)

In a static elimination device for static elimination of a process object in a vacuum atmosphere, A rod-shaped main body comprising a material having insulating properties; An electrode portion disposed parallel to the main body portion on the upper side of the main body portion, wherein an anode provided on one side and a cathode provided on the other side are positioned spaced apart from each other; and A needle pin section comprising a plurality of positive needle pins spaced apart from each other and positioned in the lower direction of the positive electrode, and a plurality of negative needle pins spaced apart from each other and positioned in the lower direction of the negative electrode; The above needle pin portion includes a needle pin spacing adjustment portion that adjusts the spacing between the positive needle pin and the negative needle pin, and A vacuum static elimination device that eliminates static electricity from an object using an electric field formed between the positive needle pin and the negative needle pin.
In paragraph 1, The above main body is a vacuum static elimination device comprising a ceramic material.
In paragraph 1, The above main body is a vacuum static elimination device having a terminal length of 200 to 400 mm.
In paragraph 1, The plurality of positive needle pins are spaced apart from each other at regular intervals, and the plurality of negative needle pins are spaced apart from each other at regular intervals. A vacuum static elimination device in which the plurality of positive needle pins and the plurality of negative needle pins are arranged to intersect each other.
In paragraph 1, A vacuum static elimination device that controls the needle pin spacing adjustment unit through an externally located control device based on data acquired in real time through a performance monitoring sensor.
In paragraph 1, A vacuum static elimination device further comprising a foreign matter collection unit disposed below the above-mentioned needle pin portion to prevent foreign matter from falling.
In paragraph 6, A vacuum static elimination device comprising a foreign substance collection section that includes a passage section for discharging the collected foreign substance to the outside.

Description

Variable Electric Field Discharge Device This embodiment relates to an electric field variable static elimination device capable of efficiently eliminating static electricity even in a vacuum environment, specifically for verifying the performance of an ion source. Static electricity is generated by various causes, including friction and peeling. Such static electricity can occur in diverse environments, regardless of whether the material is a solid, liquid, insulator, or conductor. While the generated static electricity consists of equal amounts of positive and negative charges, in actual processes, static electricity of only one polarity often appears due to the difference in capacitance between the two. In the manufacturing process of electronic devices such as memory devices, flat panel displays, and integrated circuits, foreign substances may adhere to the electronic devices due to the generation of static electricity, or patterns may be damaged by electrostatic discharge. Various methods are being implemented to suppress or eliminate such static electricity generation, and methods to eliminate static electricity using ionization devices are mainly being proposed. Ionization devices generate positive and negative ions and release them into the air using a fan or compressed air, and the released ions neutralize the charged particles by providing ion particles opposite to the charged particles of the substrate where static electricity is generated, thereby eliminating static electricity. Meanwhile, accumulated static electricity attracts fine particles to the substrate surface, causing defects, or damages the gate oxide film through electrostatic discharge (ESD), drastically reducing process yield. To mitigate these risks, bar-type ionizers utilizing corona discharge optimized for atmospheric pressure environments have been the most widely adopted in industrial settings. However, most conventional rod-type ionizers are designed to be long, typically around 1200 mm in length. This specification is established based on atmospheric pressure cleanroom processes that must cover a wide area at once. Recently, semiconductor and display manufacturing equipment is accelerating the modularization of vacuum environments, such as load-locks and transfer chambers, to improve thin film characteristics and reduce contamination. Rods longer than 1 m physically exceed the insertion ports of these small chambers, or even if insertion is possible, they interfere with internal robots, gas shower heads, sensor plates, etc., significantly limiting the freedom of placement. Furthermore, there are also issues regarding the materials used. Conventional rod bodies typically feature a structure combining extruded aluminum with insulating components such as polycarbonate and PVC. Organic materials exhibit severe out-gassing during heating and corona burnout in low vacuum conditions, thereby increasing sources of particle and molecular contamination within the chamber. Simultaneously, the formation of non-uniform oxide films on the aluminum surface under low vacuum and high voltage conditions causes discharge instability, which in turn amplifies ion offset deviations. Furthermore, from an electrical perspective, long rod structures are vulnerable to fluctuations in corona critical voltage under low vacuum conditions. As the potential difference between electrodes is transmitted over long distances, losses and distribution imbalances are amplified, degrading discharge stability and consequently causing non-uniformity in the decay time at the center and edges of the substrate. In particular, the latest processes require a residual potential of ±50 V or less and a decay time of 1 s or less, but it is difficult to meet these specifications with conventional ionizers alone. In addition, there are limitations in the arrangement of needle pins. Conventional devices are manufactured with a fixed needle pin pitch, making it difficult to fine-tune the electric field strength or effective range according to the requirements of each piece of equipment or process. Replacing or rearranging the pins requires separating and disassembling the entire rod, which leads to prolonged downtime and a sharp increase in maintenance costs. Furthermore, conventional technology focuses solely on static elimination functions and often lacks sensor capabilities to verify and record in real-time whether the device actually meets required performance standards. Consequently, users must install a separate Charge Plate Monitor (CPM) either inside or outside the chamber, which results in space loss as well as reduced data reproducibility due to setting variations. There are also vulnerabilities in terms of cleanliness. Needle pins burn out during the corona discharge process, generating metal fragments or oxides. The existing rod structure lacks space to catch fragments falling beneath the pin and does not provide a vent path for external discharge. As a result, fine