Method of manufacturing electronic apparatus including plastic substrate, electronic apparatus manufactured using the method, and apparatus for use in the method

A method of manufacturing an electronic apparatus including a plastic substrate, which can facilitate in separating the electronic apparatus including the plastic substrate from a stage, an electronic apparatus manufactured using the method, and an apparatus including the stage for use in the method. The method includes: preparing a stage on which a plurality of island-shaped separation lubricators are arranged; disposing the plastic substrate on the stage; forming a device on the plastic substrate; and separating the plastic substrate from the stage.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED PATENT APPLICATION

This application claims priority to and the benefit of Korean Patent Application No. 10-2008-0114748, filed on Nov. 18, 2008, in the Korean Intellectual Property Office, the entire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The following description relates to a method of manufacturing an electronic apparatus including a plastic substrate, an electronic apparatus manufactured using the method, and an apparatus for use in the method.

2. Description of the Related Art

In general, a flexible electronic apparatus, such as a flexible display apparatus, includes a plastic substrate. A method of manufacturing an electronic apparatus includes disposing a plastic substrate on a stage formed of a glass material and arranging various devices on the plastic substrate.

In order to place the various devices at precise positions on the plastic substrate, the plastic substrate should not be separated from the stage when forming the various devices. For example, when a semiconductor layer, a gate insulating layer, a gate electrode, and source/drain electrodes are formed in order to form a thin film transistor on the plastic substrate, if the plastic substrate were to be displaced with respect to the stage, the thin film transistor may be damaged. On the other hand, once the electronic apparatus including the plastic substrate is completely manufactured, the plastic substrate should be easily separated from the stage. If the plastic substrate were not easily separated from the stage, the plastic substrate or the various devices formed on the plastic substrate may be damaged while the plastic substrate is separated from the stage.

As such, there is a need to develop a method of manufacturing an electronic apparatus including a plastic substrate which can overcome the aforesaid problems.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

An aspect of an embodiment of the present invention is directed toward a method of manufacturing an electronic apparatus including a plastic substrate, which can facilitate in separating the electronic apparatus including the plastic substrate from a stage, an electronic apparatus manufactured using the method, and an apparatus for use in the method.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a method of manufacturing an electronic apparatus including a plastic substrate. The method includes: preparing a stage on which a plurality of island-shaped separation lubricators are arranged; disposing the plastic substrate on the stage with the plurality of island-shaped separation lubricators therebetween; forming a device on the plastic substrate; and separating the plastic substrate from the stage.

The preparing of the stage may include forming a plurality of island-shaped separation lubricators on the stage.

An adhesive force between the island-shaped separation lubricators and the stage may be greater than an adhesive force between the island-shaped separation lubricators and the plastic substrate.

An adhesive force between the plastic substrate and the island-shaped separation lubricators may be less than an adhesive force between the plastic substrate and the stage.

The stage may be formed of a glass material.

The separation lubricators may be formed of a silicon oxide and/or silicon nitride material.

The plastic substrate may be formed of a polyimide material.

The disposing of the plastic substrate may include forming the plastic substrate on the stage by utilizing slit coating.

The preparing of the stage may include forming the plurality of island-shaped separation lubricators and an anti-peeling member on the stage, the plurality of island-shaped separation lubricators being in a first region on the stage, the anti-peeling member being outside the first region of the island-shaped separation lubricators.

The anti-peeling member surrounds the first region of the island-shaped separation lubricators.

The anti-peeling member may include a plurality of anti-peeling units spaced apart from one another.

An adhesive force between the anti-peeling member and the plastic substrate may be greater than an adhesive force between the stage and the plastic substrate.

The separating of the plastic substrate may include separating the plastic substrate from the stage by cutting the plastic substrate along a cutting line that is located between the anti-peeling member and the island-shaped separation lubricators.

The anti-peeling member may include a material selected from the group consisting of aluminum oxides, gallium oxides, boron oxides, magnesium oxides, calcium oxides, strontium oxides, and combinations thereof.

The anti-peeling member may have a band gap between about 4 and about 9 eV.

The preparing of the stage may include: forming the plurality of island-shaped separation lubricators in the first region on the stage; and forming the anti-peeling member outside the first region of the island-shaped separation lubricators so that the anti-peeling member surrounds the first region of the island-shaped separation lubricators.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an electronic apparatus including a plastic substrate, which is manufactured using the above method.

According to another embodiment of the present invention, there is provided an apparatus including a stage having a surface on which a plurality of island-shaped separation lubricators are disposed.

An adhesive force between the separation lubricators and the stage may be greater than an adhesive force between the separation lubricators and a plastic substrate.

An adhesive force between the separation lubricators and a plastic substrate may be less than an adhesive force between the stage and the plastic substrate.

The stage may be formed of a glass material.

The separation lubricators may be formed of a silicon oxide and/or silicon nitride material.

The apparatus may further include an anti-peeling member on the surface of the stage and outside a region in which the island-shaped separation lubricators are disposed.

The anti-peeling member may surround the region in which the island-shaped separation lubricators are disposed.

The anti-peeling member may include a plurality of anti-peeling units spaced apart from one another.

An adhesive force between the anti-peeling member and a plastic substrate may be greater than an adhesive force between the stage and the plastic substrate.

The anti-peeling member may include a material selected from the group consisting of aluminum oxides, gallium oxides, boron oxides, magnesium oxides, calcium oxides, strontium oxides, and combinations thereof.

The anti-peeling member may have a band gap between about 4 and about 9 eV.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the following detailed description, only certain exemplary embodiments of the present invention are shown and described, by way of illustration. As those skilled in the art would recognize, the invention may be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Also, in the context of the present application, when an element is referred to as being “on” another element, it can be directly on the another element or be indirectly on the another element with one or more intervening elements interposed therebetween. Like reference numerals designate like elements throughout the specification.

FIGS. 1A through 1Care cross-sectional schematic views illustrating a method of manufacturing an electronic apparatus, according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring toFIG. 1A, a stage110on which a plurality of island-shaped separation lubricators112are disposed is prepared. A plastic substrate121is disposed on the stage110. The plastic substrate121may be disposed on the stage110in various ways, for example, to form the plastic substrate121by coating a plastic substrate forming material on the stage110and then hardening the plastic substrate forming material. In doing so, an adhesive force is created between the plastic substrate121and the stage110, and thus the plastic substrate121can be prevented or protected from being separated from the stage110while devices are formed on the plastic substrate121in a subsequent process. However, if the plastic substrate121is first formed and then disposed on the stage110, the plastic substrate121may be separated from the stage110while devices are formed on the plastic substrate121in a subsequent process.

The plastic substrate121may be disposed on the stage110by spin coating a plastic substrate forming material onto the stage110. Spin coating is a procedure that may be used to uniformly apply a plastic substrate forming material to the stage110by coating the plastic substrate forming material on at least one portion of the stage110and rotating the plastic substrate forming material. However, spin coating may cause excess plastic substrate forming material to spin off the stage100, and thus manufacturing costs may be increased. To reduce the amount of plastic substrate forming material used, the plastic substrate121may be disposed on the stage110by slit coating. Slit coating is a procedure that may be used to uniformly apply a plastic substrate forming material onto the stage110by discharging the plastic substrate forming material from slits.

Referring toFIG. 1B, a device122is formed on the plastic substrate121to form an electronic apparatus120including the plastic substrate121and the device122. Although the device122is formed as one layer inFIG. 1B, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the device122may have various suitable structures. For example, the device122may be a thin film transistor, an organic light emitting device, or a combination thereof. If the device122is an organic light emitting device including a pixel electrode, a counter electrode facing the pixel electrode, and an intermediate layer interposed between the pixel electrode and the counter electrode, the electronic apparatus120may be an organic light emitting display apparatus. Of course, various other suitable processes including a process of forming a protective layer and/or a sealing substrate after the device122is formed on the plastic substrate121may be performed.

Referring toFIG. 1C, the plastic substrate121is separated from the stage110to complete the manufacture of the electronic apparatus120including the plastic substrate121. Another suitable electronic apparatus may be manufactured by using the electronic apparatus120manufactured using the method ofFIGS. 1A through 1C.

In order to form the device122at a precise position on the plastic substrate121, the plastic substrate121should not be separated from the stage110when forming the device122. Accordingly, there should be an adhesive force between the plastic substrate121and the stage110so as not to move the plastic substrate121while the device122is formed on the plastic substrate121. On the other hand, after the completion of the manufacture of the electronic apparatus120including the plastic substrate121and the device122, the plastic substrate121should be easily separated from the stage110. If the plastic substrate121is not easily separated from the stage110, the plastic substrate121or the device122formed on the plastic substrate121may be damaged while the plastic substrate121is separated from the stage110.

Accordingly, the method ofFIGS. 1A through 1Cuses the stage110on which a plurality of island-shaped separation lubricators112are disposed. That is, the plastic substrate121is disposed on the stage110to have an adhesive force between the plastic substrate121and the stage110, and in order to easily separate the plastic substrate121from the stage110when necessary, the plurality of island-shaped separation lubricators112are disposed on the stage110to reduce the adhesive force between the plastic substrate121and the stage110. As a result, the adhesive force in regions where the plastic substrate121contacts the island-shaped separation lubricators112is reduced and the adhesive force in regions of the stage110other than the regions where the plastic substrate121contacts the island-shaped separation lubricators112is maintained. Thus, the plastic substrate121is usually attached to the stage110, and when desired, the plastic substrate121can be easily separated from the stage110without damaging the plastic substrate121and/or the device122formed on the plastic substrate121.

To this end, an adhesive force between the plastic substrate121and the island-shaped separation lubricators112should be less than the adhesive force between the plastic substrate121and the stage110. To this end, the plastic substrate121may be formed of polyimide, the stage110may be formed of a glass material, and the island-shaped separation lubricators112may be formed of a silicon oxide and/or a silicon nitride. An adhesive force between the island-shaped separation lubricators112and the stage110may be greater than the adhesive force between the island-shaped separation lubricators112and the plastic substrate121. In doing so, when the plastic substrate121is separated from the stage110, the island-shaped separation lubricators112can be prevented from being separated from the stage110and attached to the plastic substrate121.

When the electronic apparatus120including the plastic substrate121is manufactured, curves conforming to the island-shaped separation lubricators112may be formed in a surface121aof the plastic substrate121of the electronic apparatus120. However, the sizes of the curves formed in the surface121aof the plastic substrate121and the island-shaped separation lubricators112illustrated inFIGS. 1A through 1Care exaggerated for illustrative purposes. Referring toFIG. 1A, the curves formed in the surface121aof the plastic apparatus120manufactured using the method ofFIGS. 1A through 1Cmay not be normally recognized by a user because the island-shaped separation lubricators112have a thickness t1of about several to tens of nanometers compared to the plastic substrate121having a thickness t2of about several micrometers.

The island-shaped separation lubricators112formed on the stage110may be damaged while the electronic apparatus120is manufactured using the method ofFIGS. 1A through 1C. Accordingly, in certain circumstances, before the plastic substrate121is formed on the stage110, the plurality of island-shaped separation lubricators112may be formed on the stage110. Also, various suitable modifications to the method of manufacturing may be made. For example, the plastic substrate121may be separated from the stage110and then a film may be coated on the surface121aof the plastic substrate121to planarize the surface121aof the plastic substrate121.

FIG. 2Ais a plan schematic view andFIGS. 2B,2C,2D,2E, and2F are cross-sectional schematic views illustrating a method of manufacturing an electronic apparatus, according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring toFIGS. 2A and 2B, a plurality of island-shaped separation lubricators212are disposed on a stage210in a first region and an anti-peeling member214is disposed outside the first region of the plurality of island-shaped separation lubricators212to surround the first region in which the island-shaped separation lubricators212are disposed.

Referring toFIG. 2C, a plastic substrate221is disposed on the stage210by coating a plastic substrate forming material on the stage210and then hardening the plastic substrate forming material. Here, in one embodiment, slit coating is utilized rather than spin coating in consideration of the amount of the plastic substrate forming material used. When slit coating is used, the plastic substrate221is formed on the stage210to expose an outer periphery (or periphery regions) of the stage210, such as shown inFIG. 2C. However, when the plastic substrate221is formed on the stage210, if the island-shaped separation lubricators212are used in order to easily separate the plastic substrate221from the stage210in a subsequent process, the plastic substrate221may be separated from the stage210during a manufacturing process. That is, since an overall adhesive force between the plastic substrate221and the stage210is reduced due to the island-shaped separation lubricators212, the plastic substrate221may be separated from the stage210during the manufacturing process.

Accordingly, in the method ofFIGS. 2A through 2F, the anti-peeling member214as well as the island-shaped separation lubricators212are formed on the stage210in order to prevent the separation of the plastic substrate221from the stage210during the manufacturing process. That is, the method ofFIGS. 2A through 2Fallows the plastic substrate221to be easily separated from the stage210in a subsequent process by using the island-shaped separation lubricators212, and protects or prevents the plastic substrate221from being separated from the stage210during a manufacturing process by using the anti-peeling member214that is disposed along an outer periphery of the plastic substrate221. To this end, an adhesive force between the anti-peeling member214and the plastic substrate221may be greater than an adhesive force between the stage210and the plastic substrate221. Accordingly, the overall adhesive force between the plastic substrate221and the stage210including the anti-peeling member214is increased, thereby protecting or preventing the plastic substrate210from being separated from the stage210during the manufacturing process. The anti-peeling member214may be formed of a material selected from the group consisting of aluminium oxides, gallium oxides, boron oxides, magnesium oxides, calcium oxides, strontium oxides, and combinations thereof.

The anti-peeling member214may be formed of an oxide material having a band gap between about 4 eV and about 9 eV. The plastic substrate221is separated from the stage210by irradiating a laser beam having a wavelength of 308 nm onto the plastic substrate221to cut the plastic substrate221as will be described later with reference toFIG. 2E. Although the anti-peeling member214is exposed to the laser beam in the cutting process, the anti-peeling member214should not react to the laser beam. That is, since the laser beam used to separate the plastic substrate221from the stage210has a wavelength of 308 nm, the anti-peeling member214may be formed of a material having a band gap greater than 4 eV with respect to the laser beam having the wavelength of 308 nm.

Referring toFIG. 2C, the plastic substrate221is formed on the stage210including the island-shaped separation lubricators212and the anti-peeling member214. Referring toFIG. 2D, a device222is formed on the plastic substrate221to form an electronic apparatus220including the plastic substrate221and the device222. Next, the plastic substrate221should be separated from the stage210. However, the plastic substrate221may not be easily separated from the stage210due to the anti-peeling member214. Accordingly, referring toFIG. 2E, a cutting line C is determined to be located between the anti-peeling member214and the island-shaped separation lubricators212, and referring toFIG. 2F, the plastic substrate221may be separated from the stage210by cutting the plastic substrate221along the cutting line C. The plastic substrate221may be cut by irradiating a laser beam as described above.

FIG. 3is a plan schematic view for explaining a method of manufacturing an electronic apparatus, according to another embodiment of the present invention. The embodiment with the stage210ofFIG. 3is different from the embodiment with the stage210ofFIG. 2Ain the shape/structure of its anti-peeling member. That is, inFIG. 2A, the anti-peeling member214is formed in a single continuous unit to surround the plurality of island-shaped separation lubricators212. However, inFIG. 3, a plurality of anti-peeling members or units214′ are disposed on the stage210to be spaced apart from one another, in such a way as to surround the plurality of island-shaped separation lubricators212.

While the electronic apparatus222is manufactured by using the method ofFIG. 3, the island-shaped separation lubricators212and the anti-peeling members or units214′ formed on the stage210may be damaged. Accordingly, in one embodiment, before the plastic substrate221is formed on the stage210, the plurality of island-shaped separation lubricators212is formed on the stage210, and the anti-peeling members or units214′ are also formed on the stage210to surround the island-shaped separation lubricators212. Also, various suitable modifications to the method of manufacturing may be made. For example, after the plastic substrate221is separated from the stage210, a film may be coated on the surface221aof the plastic substrate221to planarize the surface221a.

The electronic apparatuses120and220respectively manufactured using the methods ofFIGS. 1 and 2have various aspects/enhancements, including flexibility, because of the plastic substrates121and221. Since both the plastic substrates121and221and the devices122and222formed on the plastic substrates121and221are protected or prevented from being damaged during the manufacturing process of the electronic apparatuses120and220, the yield of the electronic apparatuses120and220can be dramatically increased.

An apparatus including a stage used to manufacture an electronic apparatus using the methods ofFIGS. 1 and 2will now be explained. Referring toFIG. 1A, the apparatus includes the stage110having a surface on which the plurality of island-shaped separation lubricators112are disposed. The adhesive force between the island-shaped separation lubricators112and the stage110may be greater than the adhesive force between the island-shaped separation lubricators112and the plastic substrate121, and the adhesive force between the island-shaped separation lubricators112and the plastic substrate121may be less than the adhesive force between the stage110and the plastic substrate121. The stage110may be formed of a glass material, and the island-shaped separation lubricators112may be formed of silicon oxide and/or silicon nitride.

Also, referring toFIGS. 2A and 2B, the apparatus used to manufacture an electronic apparatus using the methods ofFIGS. 1 through 3may further include the anti-peeling member214surrounding the island-shaped separation lubricators212. Referring toFIG. 3, the apparatus may include the plurality of anti-peeling members or units214′ spaced apart from one another. The plastic substrate221may be prevented or protected from being separated from the stage210when an electronic apparatus is manufactured by using such an apparatus by making the adhesive force between the anti-peeling member214or members214′ and the plastic substrate221greater than an adhesive force between the stage210and the plastic substrate221. The anti-peeling member214or members214′ may include a material selected from the group consisting of aluminium oxides, gallium oxides, boron oxides, magnesium oxides, calcium oxides, strontium oxides, and combinations thereof. Also, the anti-peeling member214may be formed of an oxide material having a band gap between 4 and 9 eV as described above.

As described above, the method of manufacturing the electronic apparatus including the plastic substrate, the electronic apparatus manufactured using the method, and the apparatus used to manufacture the electronic apparatus for use in the method according to embodiments of the present invention can facilitate in separating the electronic apparatus including the plastic substrate from its manufacturing stage.