Patent Description:
Semiconductor devices, display devices, and other electronic devices include a plurality of thin films. Various methods may be used to form the plurality of thin films, one of which is a deposition method.

The deposition method uses various raw materials, e.g., one or more gases, to form a thin film. The deposition method includes a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method, an atomic layer deposition (ALD) method, and the like.

Among display apparatuses, an organic light-emitting display apparatus is expected to become a next generation display apparatus due to its wide viewing angles, high contrast, and fast response speeds. The conventional organic light-emitting display apparatus includes an intermediate layer having an organic emission layer between first and second electrodes which face each other, and also includes one or more various thin films. At this point, a deposition process is used to form a thin film of the organic light-emitting display apparatus.

<CIT> discloses an organic deposition system and method. <CIT> discloses a film formation apparatus which reduces vibration and deformation. <CIT> discloses a film deposition device which enables accurate alignment. <CIT> discloses a vacuum processing device for replacing an alignment mask.

Example embodiments provide a deposition apparatus which may be used to efficiently perform a deposition process and to easily improve a characteristic of a deposition film, a method of manufacturing a thin film using the deposition apparatus, and a method of manufacturing an organic light-emitting display apparatus. According to a first aspect, there is provided a plasma vapor deposition apparatus according to Claim <NUM>. According to a second aspect, there is provided a method of forming a thin film on a substrate using a plasma vapor deposition apparatus according to Claim <NUM>. Details of embodiments are provided in the dependent claims.

Features will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art by describing in detail example embodiments with reference to the attached drawings, in which:.

Example embodiments will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings; however, they may be embodied in different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey example implementations to those skilled in the art.

In the drawing figures, the dimensions of layers and regions may be exaggerated for clarity of illustration. It will also be understood that when a layer or element is referred to as being "on" another layer or substrate, it can be directly on the other layer or substrate, or intervening layers may also be present. In addition, it will also be understood that when a layer is referred to as being "between" two layers, it can be the only layer between the two layers, or one or more intervening layers may also be present.

Hereinafter, the example embodiments will be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings.

<FIG> is schematic drawing of a deposition apparatus <NUM> in an example not according to the invention. <FIG> is a view of a mask <NUM> and a substrate S aligned by using alignment units <NUM> of the deposition apparatus <NUM>.

Referring to <FIG>, the deposition apparatus <NUM> may include a chamber <NUM>, a support unit <NUM>, a supply unit <NUM>, the alignment units <NUM>, and alignment confirmation members <NUM>.

The chamber <NUM> may be connected to a pump (not shown) to control atmospheric pressure during a deposition process, and may accommodate and protect the substrate S, the support unit <NUM>, and the supply unit <NUM>. Also, the chamber <NUM> may include at least one doorway 101a through which the substrate S or the mask <NUM> may move in and out.

The substrate S for the deposition process is disposed on the support unit <NUM>. The support unit <NUM> enables the substrate S to be immovable or unshakable during the deposition process, which is performed on the substrate S. In this regard, the support unit <NUM> may include a clamp (not shown). Also, the support unit <NUM> may include one or more adsorption holes (not shown) for adsorption between the support unit <NUM> and the substrate S. The support unit <NUM> includes first holes <NUM> and second holes <NUM>, which will be described in more detail below.

The alignment units <NUM> are placed to penetrate the first holes <NUM> of the support unit <NUM>. The alignment units <NUM>, e.g., linear members, are formed as to be movable while supporting a lower surface of the mask <NUM>. In particular, the alignment units <NUM> may move along the Z-axis, as shown in <FIG>. Also, the alignment units <NUM> may move in a direction of X-axis and a direction perpendicular to the X-axis of <FIG> (the details will be described later). The alignment units <NUM> are disposed outside of the substrate S, e.g., each of the alignment units <NUM> may be horizontally spaced apart from an adjacent edge of the substrate S as to least not overlap the substrate S along a vertical direction.

The mask <NUM> has an opening unit (not shown) corresponding to a deposition pattern, i.e., a pattern to be formed on the substrate S. Also, the mask <NUM> may be an open mask. During the deposition process, the mask <NUM> and the substrate S may be positioned in close proximity to each other, as shown in <FIG>.

The supply unit <NUM> is disposed opposite to the substrate S so as to supply one or more raw materials, i.e., a deposition material, in a direction toward the substrate S to advance the deposition process with respect to the substrate S. That is, the supply unit <NUM> is placed above the support unit <NUM> to overlap the substrate S. For example, the supply unit <NUM> may be a showerhead type that supplies one or more gases in a direction toward the substrate S.

In addition, a voltage may be applied between the supply unit <NUM> and the support unit <NUM> to transform the raw material, which is supplied as a gas phase from the supply unit <NUM> in a direction toward the substrate S, to a plasma phase. That is, the deposition apparatus <NUM> may be a plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) apparatus. For example, voltage may be applied to each of the supply unit <NUM> and the support unit <NUM>. However, the example embodiments are not limited thereto, and a separate electrode (not shown) may be disposed in the deposition apparatus <NUM> to generate plasma between the supply unit <NUM> and the support unit <NUM>.

A size of the supply unit <NUM> is not limited, as long as the supply unit <NUM> may be formed to have a larger area than the substrate S, e.g., an area of a surface of the supply unit <NUM> facing the substrate S may be larger than an area of a surface of the substrate S facing the supply unit <NUM>. Therefore, a deposition layer that is uniform throughout an entire surface of the substrate S may be formed.

<FIG> is a magnified view of a portion R of <FIG>. <FIG> is a plan view of the support unit <NUM> of <FIG> in detail. <FIG> is a detailed plan view of one of the first holes <NUM> of the support unit <NUM> of <FIG>.

Referring to <FIG>, the support unit <NUM> includes the first holes <NUM> and the second holes <NUM>.

Each of the alignment units <NUM> is placed to penetrate through one of the first holes <NUM>. That is, a number of the first holes <NUM> corresponds to a number of the alignment units <NUM>. For example, as shown in <FIG>, the first holes <NUM> may be positioned at, e.g., adjacent to, four corners of the support unit <NUM>, and the alignment units <NUM> may be disposed to penetrate through the four first holes <NUM>, as shown in <FIG>. That is, the number of the alignment units <NUM> and the number of the first holes <NUM> may be the same.

In addition, the first holes <NUM> are formed larger than at least a cross-sectional area of the alignment units <NUM>. That is, as shown in <FIG>, a diameter of the each first hole <NUM> may be larger than a diameter of a cross section of a corresponding alignment unit <NUM>. , e.g., a space may be defined between an outer sidewall of the alignment unit and an inner wall of a corresponding first hole <NUM> (<FIG>). Therefore, the alignment units <NUM> may move through the first holes <NUM>. That is, as shown in <FIG>, the alignment units <NUM> may move vertically (along the Z-axis of <FIG>) through the first holes <NUM>, and as shown in <FIG>, the alignment units <NUM> may also move parallel to the X-Y plane within the first holes <NUM>, i.e., along either of directions X1, X2, Y1, and Y2 of <FIG>.

The alignment units <NUM> are in contact with a lower surface of the mask <NUM> to support the mask <NUM>. The alignment unit <NUM> may move along the X, Y, or Z-axis, i.e., in <NUM>-dimensions, while supporting the mask <NUM>. Therefore, the mask <NUM>, being supported by the alignment units <NUM>, may also move along the X, Y, or Z-axis by the movement of the alignment units <NUM>.

The second holes <NUM> are positioned to overlap, e.g., correspond with, the substrate S. For example, as illustrated in <FIG>, the substrate S may cover the second holes <NUM>. The second holes <NUM> may be positioned closer to a center region of the support unit <NUM> than the first holes <NUM>. For example, as illustrated in <FIG>, each second hole <NUM> may be between a center of the support unit <NUM> and a corresponding first hole <NUM> to form a diagonal line through the center of the support unit.

The alignment confirmation members <NUM> are placed under the chamber <NUM> to overlap, e.g., correspond with, the second holes <NUM>. Also, the alignment confirmation members <NUM> are positioned not to move outside of the support unit <NUM>, e.g., the support unit <NUM> may be positioned to completely cover and overlap upper surfaces of alignment confirmation members <NUM>. Therefore, the alignment confirmation members <NUM> may be prevented from being contaminated by the raw material, which is sprayed from the supply unit <NUM>, and thus accurate confirmation ability of the alignment confirmation members <NUM> may be maintained.

The alignment confirmation members <NUM> may confirm an alignment state of the substrate S and the mask <NUM> through the second holes <NUM> of the support unit <NUM>. The alignment confirmation members <NUM> may be, e.g., a camera. Transparent windows 101b may be formed at areas overlapping, e.g., corresponding to, the second holes <NUM> at a lower part of the chamber <NUM> to ease the confirming performance of the alignment confirmation members <NUM>. For example, the alignment confirmation members <NUM> may be on an optical axis with the substrate S through the transparent window 101b and the second hole <NUM> (dashed line in <FIG>). Also, although not shown, an alignment mark (not shown) is formed in each of the substrate S and the mask <NUM>, and thus the alignment confirmation members <NUM> may confirm an alignment state of the substrate S and the mask <NUM> by checking the alignment mark of each of the substrate S and the mask <NUM>.

Hereinafter, the operation of the deposition apparatus <NUM> according to an embodiment will be briefly described.

The substrate S is inserted into the chamber <NUM> of the deposition apparatus <NUM> and disposed on the support unit <NUM>. Also, the mask <NUM> is inserted into the chamber <NUM> and disposed on the alignment units <NUM> to be supported by the alignment units <NUM>.

The alignment units <NUM> align the mask <NUM> with respect to the substrate S while moving in a planar motion parallel to the substrate S. That is, the alignment units <NUM> perform an aligning task while moving along the X-axis or Y-axis in the first holes <NUM> of the support unit <NUM>. Here, the alignment confirmation members <NUM> confirm the alignment mark (not shown) of the mask <NUM> and the alignment mark (not shown) of the substrate S in real-time. In this regard, the alignment units <NUM> may easily align the mask <NUM> with respect to the substrate S.

After performing the aligning task on the X-Y plane, the alignment units <NUM> move along the Z-axis. That is, as shown in <FIG>, the alignment units <NUM> move down toward the substrate S and position the mask <NUM> and the substrate S in close proximity. After the aligning task, the desired raw material is provided from the supply unit <NUM>, and thus a deposition layer of a desired pattern may be easily formed on the substrate S.

<FIG> is a cross-sectional view of the support unit <NUM> of <FIG>. <FIG> and <FIG> are modified examples of support units <NUM>' and <NUM>". For convenience in description, other elements than the support units <NUM>, <NUM>', or <NUM>", the substrate S, and the mask <NUM> are omitted.

As shown in <FIG>, for example, the support unit <NUM> may have a flat upper surface. The substrate S and the mask <NUM> are disposed on the flat upper surface of the support unit <NUM>.

Also, as shown in <FIG>, the support unit <NUM>' may have a curved upper surface. In particular, a center region may protrude upward compared to end regions of the upper surface of the support unit <NUM>'. Moreover, a lower surface of the support unit <NUM>' may also be curved to correspond to the upper surface of the support unit <NUM>'. Because of such a curve of the support unit <NUM>', the substrate S may also have a curve corresponding to the upper surface of the support unit <NUM>' when the substrate S is disposed on the support unit <NUM>'. Thus, the substrate S and the support unit <NUM>' may be effectively adhered to each other. When the substrate S and the support unit <NUM>' are adhered to each other, contamination of the lower surface of the substrate S and the upper surface of the support unit <NUM>' by the raw material sprayed from the supply unit <NUM> may be effectively prevented. Also, the mask <NUM> may also be curved to correspond to the substrate S, so the substrate S and the mask <NUM> may be effectively adhered to each other, thereby facilitating a precise control of deposition layer of a desired pattern on the substrate S.

A degree of the curve may vary, but a distance between the most protruding portion of the center region of the upper surface of the support unit <NUM>' and the end regions of the upper surface of the support unit <NUM>' is about <NUM> or less. That is, when the upper surface of the support unit <NUM>' is curved too much, the substrate S may curve too much, thereby causing a deposition layer thereon to be degraded during the deposition process. Particularly, when an inorganic deposition layer is formed on the substrate S, defects, e.g., cracks or the like, may occur, so the degree of the curve needs to be controlled as described above.

In addition, as shown in <FIG>, an upper surface of the support unit <NUM>" may be curved while a lower surface of the support unit <NUM>" may be flat. In this regard, stable positioning of the support unit <NUM>" may be easily performed in the chamber <NUM>.

According to the deposition apparatus <NUM> of the current embodiment, the substrate S is disposed on the upper surface of the support unit <NUM>, and the supply unit <NUM> is disposed above the support unit <NUM> and opposite to the substrate S. Also, the mask <NUM> may be disposed on the upper surface of the substrate S to form a deposition layer of a desired pattern. The mask <NUM> may be easily aligned with the substrate S by using the alignment units <NUM>. Particularly, the mask <NUM> and the substrate S may be aligned without an influence of the supply unit <NUM> by moving the alignment units <NUM>, which penetrate through the first holes <NUM> of the support unit <NUM> to contact the mask <NUM>, in three dimensions to align the mask <NUM> with the substrate S.

Further, the alignment confirmation members <NUM> are arranged under the support unit <NUM>, and may examine and confirm the alignment state of the substrate S and the mask <NUM> through the second holes <NUM> of the support unit <NUM> in real-time, so the alignment task of the substrate S and the mask <NUM> may be efficiently performed. In particular, the alignment confirmation members <NUM> may be disposed opposite to the supply unit <NUM>, with the support unit <NUM> therebetween. That is, the supply unit <NUM> is disposed above the support unit <NUM>, and the alignment confirmation members <NUM> are disposed below the support unit <NUM>. Thus, the alignment confirmation members <NUM> may be shielded from the supply unit <NUM>, thereby contamination caused by the deposition raw materials sprayed from the supply unit <NUM> may be prevented or substantially minimized with respect to the alignment confirmation members <NUM>.

Also, when the support unit <NUM>' or <NUM>" with the curved upper surface is used, the substrate S and the mask <NUM> may be easily adhered to each other. Therefore, formation of a precise pattern for a deposition layer on the substrate S may be provided.

<FIG> is a schematic view of a deposition apparatus <NUM> according to the invention. <FIG> is a magnified view of a portion R of <FIG>. <FIG> is a detailed plan view of the support unit <NUM> of <FIG>.

Referring to <FIG> and <FIG>, the deposition apparatus <NUM> may include a chamber <NUM>, a support unit <NUM>, a supply unit <NUM>, alignment units <NUM>, alignment confirmation members <NUM>, a power unit <NUM>, lift pins <NUM>, a base plate <NUM>, and a cleaning unit <NUM>.

The chamber <NUM> may be connected to a pump (not shown) to control atmospheric pressure during a deposition process, and may accommodate and protect the substrate S, the support unit <NUM>, and the supply unit <NUM>. Also, the chamber <NUM> may include at least one doorway 201a through which the substrate S or a mask <NUM> may move in and out.

The substrate S for the deposition process is disposed on the support unit <NUM>. In particular, when the substrate S is inserted into the chamber <NUM> through the doorway 201a of the chamber <NUM>, the substrate is disposed on the lift pins <NUM>. The lift pins <NUM> may move vertically, i.e., along the Z-axis of <FIG>, thus the lift pins <NUM> having the substrate S thereon move down in a direction toward the support unit <NUM> to place the substrate S on the support unit <NUM>. The lift pins <NUM> are disposed to penetrate through second holes <NUM> of the support unit <NUM>. The lift pins <NUM> move in a vertical direction passing through the second holes <NUM>.

The support unit <NUM> enables the substrate S to be immovable or unshakable during the deposition process, which is performed on the substrate S. In this regard, the support unit <NUM> may include a clamp (not shown). Also, the support unit <NUM> may include adsorption holes (not shown) for adsorption between the support unit <NUM> and the substrate S. The support unit <NUM> includes first holes <NUM>, second holes <NUM>, and the third holes <NUM>. Moreover, the support unit <NUM> is formed to move vertically. That is, the support unit <NUM> moves in a direction of Z1 or Z2 as shown in <FIG>. In this regard, a space between the substrate S and the supply unit <NUM> may be controlled after the substrate S is disposed on the support unit <NUM>, and thus deposition conditions, particularly plasma generating conditions, may be varied.

The alignment units <NUM> are placed to penetrate the first holes <NUM> of the support unit <NUM>. The alignment units <NUM> are formed as to be movable while supporting a lower surface of the mask <NUM>. In particular, the alignment unit <NUM> may move along the X, Y, or Z-axis while supporting the mask <NUM> in the same manner described in the previous embodiment. The alignment units <NUM> are disposed outside of the substrate S, at least not to overlap the substrate S.

The mask <NUM> includes a mask body <NUM> and a mask frame <NUM>. The mask body <NUM> has an opening unit (not shown) corresponding to a deposition pattern, which will be formed on the substrate S. Here, the mask body <NUM> may have a plurality of patterned opening units. In another embodiment, the mask <NUM> may be an open mask, and particularly the mask body <NUM> may have one opening unit of an extended type without a separate pattern. During the deposition process, the mask <NUM> and the substrate S may be positioned in close proximity to each other.

The supply unit <NUM> is disposed opposite to the substrate S so as to supply one or more raw materials in a direction toward the substrate S to proceed with the deposition process with respect to the substrate S. That is, the supply unit <NUM> is placed above the support unit <NUM>. For example, the supply unit <NUM> may be a showerhead that supplies one or more gases in a direction toward the substrate S. Also, the supply unit <NUM> may be formed to uniformly supply the raw material onto the entire surface of the substrate S, and may be a diffuser type.

The base plate <NUM> may be disposed above the supply unit <NUM>. That is, the base plate <NUM> may be disposed farther from the substrate S than the supply unit <NUM>. The base plate <NUM> supports the supply unit <NUM>.

In addition, a voltage may be applied between the supply unit <NUM> and the support unit <NUM> to transform the raw material, which is supplied as a gas phase from the supply unit <NUM> in a direction toward the substrate S, to a plasma phase. For example, a voltage may be applied to each of the supply unit <NUM> and the support unit <NUM>. In another example, a voltage may be applied to the base plate <NUM>. Moreover, when a voltage is applied, a ground voltage may be applied to one side.

The power unit <NUM> provides a voltage for transforming the raw material, which is supplied as a gas phase from the supply unit <NUM> in a direction toward the substrate S, to a plasma phase. The power unit <NUM> may provide various types of voltages, e.g., radio frequency (RF) voltage. The power unit <NUM> may be disposed outside of the chamber <NUM>. However, the example embodiments are not limited thereto, and a separate electrode (not shown) may be disposed in the deposition apparatus <NUM> to generate plasma between the supply unit <NUM> and the support unit <NUM>.

A size of the supply unit <NUM> is not limited, as long as the supply unit <NUM> may be formed to have a larger area than the substrate S. Therefore, a deposition layer that is uniform throughout an entire surface of the substrate S may be formed.

The cleaning unit <NUM> may be disposed as to be connected with the chamber <NUM>. The cleaning unit <NUM> cleans the chamber <NUM> when the chamber <NUM> is contaminated as the deposition process is performed. The cleaning unit <NUM> may generate and provide a remote plasma into the chamber <NUM> to clean the chamber <NUM>. For example, as the cleaning unit <NUM> is supplied with a NF<NUM> gas, the gas is transformed into a plasma phase, and the plasma is inserted to the chamber <NUM> so as the plasma may be in contact with layers formed on inner walls of the chamber <NUM>, and thus the inner walls of the chamber <NUM> may be cleansed.

The alignment units <NUM>, the support unit <NUM>, and the like will be described in detail.

One of the alignment units <NUM> is placed to penetrate through one of the first holes <NUM>. That is, a number of the first holes <NUM> corresponds to a number of the alignment units <NUM>. For example, as shown in <FIG>, the first holes <NUM> may be positioned adjacent to four corners of the support unit <NUM>, and although not shown, the alignment units <NUM> may also be disposed to penetrate through the four first holes <NUM>. In addition, the first holes <NUM> are formed larger than at least a cross-sectional area of the alignment units <NUM>. Therefore, the alignment units <NUM> may move through the first holes <NUM>.

The alignment units <NUM> are in contact with the lower surface of the mask <NUM> to support the mask <NUM>. The alignment unit <NUM> may move along the X, Y, or Z-axis, i.e., in <NUM>-dimensions, while supporting the mask <NUM>. Therefore, the mask <NUM> being supported by the alignment units <NUM> may also move along the X, Y, or Z-axis by the movement of the alignment units <NUM>.

The third holes <NUM> are positioned to correspond with the substrate S. The third holes <NUM> may be positioned closer to a center region of the support unit <NUM> than the first holes <NUM>.

The alignment confirmation members <NUM> are placed under the chamber <NUM> to correspond with the third holes <NUM>. Also, the alignment confirmation members <NUM> are positioned not to move outside of the support unit <NUM>. Therefore, the alignment confirmation members <NUM> may be prevented from being contaminated by the raw material, which is sprayed from the supply unit <NUM>, and thus accurate confirmation ability of the alignment confirmation members <NUM> may be maintained.

The alignment confirmation members <NUM> confirm an alignment state of the substrate S and the mask <NUM> through the third holes <NUM> of the support unit <NUM>. The alignment confirmation members <NUM> may be, e.g., a camera. Transparent windows (not shown) are formed at areas corresponding to the third holes <NUM> at a lower part of the chamber <NUM> to ease the confirming performance of the alignment confirmation members <NUM>. Also, although not shown, an alignment mark (not shown) is formed in each of the substrate S and the mask <NUM>, and thus the alignment confirmation members <NUM> confirm an alignment state of the substrate S and the mask <NUM> by checking the alignment mark of each of the substrate S and the mask <NUM>.

The second holes <NUM> are positioned closer to a center region of the support unit <NUM> than the first holes <NUM> and the third holes <NUM>. The lift pins <NUM> are placed to penetrate through the second holes <NUM> and a size of the second holes <NUM> may be formed larger than a cross-sectional area of the lift pins <NUM>. Therefore, the lift pins <NUM> may easily move vertically through the second holes <NUM>, i.e., without contacting the sidewalls of the second holes <NUM>.

Hereinafter, the operation of the deposition apparatus <NUM> according to another embodiment will be briefly described.

When the substrate S is inserted into the chamber <NUM> of the deposition apparatus <NUM>, the substrate S is supported by the lift pins <NUM> disposed so as to penetrate through the second holes <NUM> of the support unit <NUM>. The lift pins <NUM> move down while supporting the substrate S toward the support unit <NUM> and dispose the substrate S on the upper surface of the support unit <NUM>. In order to allow for the vertical movement of the lift pins <NUM>, the lift pins <NUM> may be disposed in the chamber <NUM>, or as shown in <FIG> and <FIG>, certain areas of the lift pins <NUM> may be disposed penetrating through the chamber <NUM>.

Also, the mask <NUM> is inserted into the chamber <NUM> and disposed on the alignment units <NUM> to be supported by the alignment units <NUM>. The alignment units <NUM> align the mask <NUM> with respect to the substrate S, while moving in a planar motion parallel to the substrate S. That is, the alignment units <NUM> perform an aligning task while moving along the X-axis or Y-axis in the first holes <NUM> of the support unit <NUM>. Here, the alignment confirmation members <NUM> confirm the alignment mark (not shown) of the mask <NUM> and the alignment mark (not shown) of the substrate S in real-time. In this regard, the alignment units <NUM> may easily align the mask <NUM> with respect to the substrate S.

After performing the aligning task on the X-Y plane, the alignment units <NUM> move along the Z-axis toward the support unit <NUM>. That is, the alignment units <NUM> move down toward the support unit <NUM> and position the mask <NUM> and the substrate S in close proximity. After the aligning task, the desired raw material is provided from the supply unit <NUM>, and thus a deposition layer of a desired pattern may be easily formed on the substrate S. Here, to increase efficiency of a raw material supply, a distance between the supply unit <NUM> and the substrate S may be controlled by the vertical movement of the support unit <NUM>.

As described above, a plasma may be generated for the deposition process.

Although not shown, the support unit <NUM> may also have a flat surface or a curved surface, as described with reference to <FIG>.

According to the deposition apparatus <NUM>, the substrate S is disposed on the upper surface of the support unit <NUM>, and the supply unit <NUM> is disposed above the support unit <NUM> and opposite to the substrate S. Also, the mask <NUM> may be disposed on the upper surface of the substrate S to form a deposition layer of a desired pattern. The mask <NUM> may be easily aligned with the substrate S by using the alignment units <NUM>. Particularly, the mask <NUM> and the substrate S may be aligned without an influence of the supply unit <NUM> by moving the alignment units <NUM> in the first holes <NUM> of the support unit <NUM>. Further, as the alignment confirmation members <NUM> are arranged under the support unit <NUM>, and the alignment confirmation members <NUM> advance the alignment task by confirming the alignment state of the substrate S and the mask <NUM> through the third holes <NUM> of the support unit <NUM> in real-time, the alignment task of the substrate S and the mask <NUM> may be efficiently performed.

In particular, the alignment confirmation members <NUM> are disposed opposite to the supply unit <NUM> with the support unit <NUM> therebetween. That is, the support unit <NUM> is disposed above the support unit <NUM>, and the alignment confirmation members <NUM> are disposed under the support unit <NUM>. Thus, the alignment confirmation members <NUM> prevent contamination caused by the deposition raw materials being sprayed from the supply unit <NUM>.

Also, when the substrate S is disposed on the support unit <NUM>, the substrate S is placed by using the lift pins <NUM> penetrating through the second holes <NUM> of the support unit <NUM>. Thus, the substrate S may be immovably or unshakably disposed on the support unit <NUM> at a desired location. Particularly, the second holes <NUM> may be positioned closer to the center region of the support unit <NUM> than the first holes <NUM> and the third holes <NUM> so as the lift pins <NUM> do not influence the aligning task of the mask <NUM>. In addition, if the upper surface of the support unit <NUM> is curved, the substrate S and the mask <NUM> may be adhered to each other, and thus a precise pattern may be formed on a deposition layer of the substrate S.

<FIG> is a schematic cross-sectional view of an organic light-emitting display apparatus <NUM> manufactured using any one of the deposition apparatuses <NUM> and <NUM>. <FIG> is a magnified view of a portion F of <FIG>.

Referring to <FIG>, the organic light-emitting display apparatus <NUM> may include a substrate <NUM>. The substrate <NUM> may be formed of, e.g., a glass material, a plastic material, or a metal. A buffer layer <NUM> may be formed on the substrate <NUM> to provide a planarized surface and to prevent moisture and foreign materials from penetrating towards the substrate <NUM>.

A thin film transistor (TFT) <NUM>, a capacitor <NUM>, and an organic light-emitting device <NUM> may be formed on the buffer layer <NUM>. The TFT <NUM> may include an active layer <NUM>, a gate electrode <NUM>, and source/drain electrodes <NUM>. The organic light-emitting device <NUM> may include a first electrode <NUM>, a second electrode <NUM>, and an intermediate layer <NUM>. The capacitor <NUM> may include a first capacitor electrode <NUM> and a second capacitor electrode <NUM>.

More specifically, the active layer <NUM> formed to a predetermined pattern may be disposed on an upper surface of the buffer layer <NUM>. The active layer <NUM> may include an inorganic semiconductor material, e.g., silicon, an organic semiconductor material, or an oxide semiconductor material, and may be formed by optionally doping a p-type dopant or an n-type dopant.

A gate insulating film <NUM> may be formed on the active layer <NUM>. The gate electrode <NUM> may be formed on the gate insulating film <NUM> to correspond to the active layer <NUM>. The first capacitor electrode <NUM> may be formed on the gate insulating film <NUM> by using the same material used to form the gate electrode <NUM>.

An interlayer insulating layer <NUM> covering the gate electrode <NUM> may be formed, and the source/drain electrodes <NUM> may be formed to contact predetermined regions of the active layer <NUM> on the interlayer insulating layer <NUM>. The second capacitor electrode <NUM> may be formed on the interlayer insulating layer <NUM> by using the same material used to form the source/drain electrodes <NUM>.

A passivation layer <NUM> covering the source/drain electrodes <NUM> may be formed, and an additional insulating layer may be further formed on the passivation layer <NUM> to planarize the TFT <NUM>.

The first electrode <NUM> may be formed on the passivation layer <NUM>. The first electrode <NUM> may be formed to be electrically connected to one of the source/drain electrodes <NUM>. Afterwards, a pixel defining film <NUM> covering the first electrode <NUM> may be formed. After forming a predetermined opening <NUM> in the pixel defining film <NUM>, an intermediate layer <NUM> that includes an organic light-emitting layer may be formed in a region defined by the opening <NUM>. The second electrode <NUM> may be formed on the intermediate layer <NUM>.

An encapsulating layer <NUM> may be formed on the second electrode <NUM>. The encapsulating layer <NUM> may contain an organic material or an inorganic material, and may have a structure in which the organic material and the inorganic material are alternately stacked. For example, the encapsulating layer <NUM> may be formed by using the deposition apparatus <NUM> or <NUM>. That is, a desired layer may be formed by using the deposition apparatus <NUM> or <NUM>, after inserting the substrate <NUM> on which the second electrode <NUM> is formed into the chamber <NUM> or <NUM>.

In particular, the encapsulating layer <NUM> may include an inorganic layer <NUM> and an organic layer <NUM>. The inorganic layer <NUM> may include a plurality of layers 71a, 71b, and 71c, and the organic layer <NUM> may include a plurality of layers 72a, 72b, and 72c. At this point, the layers 71a, 71b, and 71c of the inorganic layer <NUM> may be formed by using the deposition apparatus <NUM> or <NUM>.

However, the examples herein are not limited thereto. That is, the buffer layer <NUM>, the gate insulating film <NUM>, the interlayer insulating layer <NUM>, the passivation layer <NUM>, the pixel defining film <NUM>, and other insulating layers may also be formed by using the deposition apparatus <NUM> or <NUM> according to the examples. Also, the active layer <NUM>, the gate electrode <NUM>, the source/drain electrodes <NUM>, the first electrode <NUM>, the intermediate layer <NUM>, the second electrode <NUM>, and other various thin films may be formed by using the deposition apparatus <NUM> or <NUM> according to the examples.

As described above, when the deposition apparatus <NUM> or <NUM> are used, the characteristics of the deposited films formed in the organic light-emitting display apparatus <NUM> is increased, e.g., the electrical characteristics and image quality characteristics are increased. Also, thin films included in liquid crystal display (LCD) apparatuses and thin films included in various display apparatuses besides the organic light-emitting display apparatus <NUM> may be formed by using the deposition apparatus <NUM> or <NUM>.

In contrast, when a conventional organic light-emitting display apparatus is increased in size and is expected to have high definition, it may be difficult to deposit a large thin film with a desired characteristic. Also, there may be a limit in increasing an efficiency of a process of forming the large thin film.

Claim 1:
A plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) apparatus (<NUM>) for performing a deposition process by using a mask (<NUM>) with respect to a substrate, the deposition apparatus (<NUM>) comprising:
a chamber (<NUM>) including a transparent window at a lower part of the chamber;
a support unit (<NUM>) in the chamber (<NUM>), the support unit (<NUM>) including first holes (<NUM>) and being configured to support the substrate;
a supply unit (<NUM>) configured to supply at least one deposition raw material toward the substrate;
movable alignment units (<NUM>) through the first holes (<NUM>) of the support unit (<NUM>), the alignment units (<NUM>) being configured to support the mask (<NUM>) and to align the mask (<NUM>) with respect to the substrate,
alignment confirmation members, (<NUM>) disposed opposite to the supply unit (<NUM>) with the support unit (<NUM>) therebetween, the alignment confirmation members configured to confirm an alignment state of the substrate and the mask through the transparent window of the chamber, wherein
a cross-sectional area of the alignment units (<NUM>) is smaller than a cross sectional area of the first holes (<NUM>), the alignment units (<NUM>) being movable in three dimensions inside the first holes (<NUM>); and
a power unit (<NUM>) configured to apply voltage between the supply unit (<NUM>) and the support unit (<NUM>) to generate plasma, wherein the deposition apparatus further comprises lift pins (<NUM>) through second holes (<NUM>) in the support unit (<NUM>), the lift pins (<NUM>) being configured to support the substrate and to move vertically in the second holes (<NUM>) to dispose the substrate onto the support unit (<NUM>), optionally wherein the second holes (<NUM>) are closer to a center region of the support unit (<NUM>) than the first holes (<NUM>).