TW201446475A - Pattern forming apparatus and pattern forming method - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides a pattern forming device and a pattern forming method. An architrave shaped download object bench (61) is used for attaching rubber cloth, and a plurality of handle portions (625) capable of respectively rise and fall are used for supporting part of a central part of the rubber cloth. A printing roller unit (64) moves along the lower surface of the rubber cloth to uphold part of the rubber cloth, allowing the rubber cloth to be abutting the plane or substrate arranged above the rubber cloth. As the printing roller unit (64) moves, the handle portions (625) successively declines to retreat downwardly, so as to avoid interface between the handle portions (625) and the printing roller unit (64).

Description

Pattern forming device and pattern forming method

The present invention relates to a pattern forming apparatus and a pattern forming method for patterning a pattern forming material carried on a blanket by a plate or by patterning the formed pattern onto a substrate.

As a technique for forming a pattern on a substrate such as a glass substrate or a semiconductor substrate, there is a case where a blanket supporting a pattern is adhered to a substrate and the pattern is transferred to the substrate. Further, as a technique for supporting a pattern on a blanket, there is a case where a plate (negative plate) is pressed against a uniform film formed on a surface of a blanket by a pattern forming material to make a useless portion of the film. The film is removed by adhering to the plate, and only the portion to be patterned remains on the blanket to be patterned (patterned).

For example, a printing technique described in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. Hei 07-125179 is applied to a pattern transfer. For example, in the technique described in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 2002-036499, tension is applied in one direction, and the plate that is stretched and mounted on the frame is placed above the substrate in a state of being inclined with respect to the substrate, and the plate is pressed by a press roll. The one end portion is sequentially pressed against the substrate, and thereafter the plate is peeled off, whereby the pattern on the plate is transferred to the substrate.

In the above prior art, there is room for improvement in the alignment accuracy of the plate and the substrate. That is, in the above technique, the surface of the plate must be opened to abut the roller. The lower version is kept, and in order to prevent the plate from coming into contact with the substrate due to the bending caused by its own weight, the initial gap between the plate and the substrate must be made larger to some extent. Therefore, the positional deviation is likely to occur in the process of bringing the two close to and pressed against the state. Moreover, the alignment can be performed on one end side of the substrate and the plate, and the position alignment cannot be performed on the other end side, and the positional shift may gradually increase during the sequential pressing of the self-end.

The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a pattern forming apparatus and a pattern forming method for patterning a plate or a substrate against a blanket, which can make the plate or the substrate and the blanket higher. The technique of positional accuracy.

In order to achieve the above object, a pattern forming apparatus of the present invention includes: a first holding device including a plurality of partial support portions partially respectively abutting against a lower surface of the blanket, and the blanket supporting the pattern forming material on one side The supporting surface of the pattern forming material faces upward, and the plurality of partial support portions abut against the lower surface side of the blanket, thereby supporting the blanket in a horizontal posture; and the second holding device is used The substrate on which the pattern forming material is patterned or the substrate to be transferred is used as a processing object, and the object to be processed is held in close proximity to the upper surface of the blanket held by the first holding device; a push-up member that partially pushes up an effective area of the center portion of the blanket from a lower surface side of the blanket to abut against the object to be processed held by the second holding member, and along the blanket The lower surface moves to change the push-up position of the blanket; and the lifting device causes the plurality of partial support portions to be lifted and lowered individually.

In the above-described configuration, the blanket is partially pushed up by the side of the lower surface of the blanket disposed opposite to the object to be processed (plate or substrate), and the blanket is brought into contact with the object to be processed. In such a configuration, since the holding of the object to be processed disposed on the upper side is not particularly restricted, it can be held while being restrained from being bent. On the other hand, the blanket disposed on the lower side may be bent downward due to its own weight in a state where the center portion is opened. Therefore, the present invention causes the partial support portion to partially abut the blanket from the lower surface of the blanket. Central Department. Thereby, the bending of the blanket can be prevented to maintain the horizontal posture.

Therefore, the object to be processed and the blanket can be made closer to the prior art, and the gap between the two can be set to a minimum value. Further, it is possible to arrange the object to be processed and the blanket in parallel with each other. Therefore, the alignment can be performed in such a state that the two are close to each other, and since the amount of relative movement from the approaching state to the pressing of the blanket to abut against the object to be processed is small, the positional deviation during this period is The shift can also be suppressed to be small.

Since the plurality of partial support portions can be lifted and lowered individually, they can abut each other independently to the blanket or away from the blanket. Therefore, as the push-up member moves, the partial support portion which may become an obstacle to the movement can be separated from the blanket and retracted, so that there is no case where the local support portion interferes with the movement of the push-up member.

Therefore, according to the present invention, the plate or the substrate as the object to be processed can be brought into contact with the blanket with high positional accuracy. In addition, the contact between the object to be processed and the blanket herein includes a concept in which both of them are abutted by the pattern material carried on the supporting surface of the blanket.

For example, each of the partial support portions may be sequentially lowered from the state in which each of the partial support portions abuts against the lower surface of the blanket as the push-up member moves. More specifically, for example, a plurality of partial support portions may be arranged along the moving direction of the push-up member, and the lifting device lowers the partial support portions in the order of the moving direction of the push-up members. Thus, on the one hand, the blanket can be supported by the local support portion at the position where the push-up member does not reach, and on the other hand, the push-up member and the local portion can be avoided by lowering the local support portion as the push-up member approaches. Support department interference.

Further, for example, the push-up member may be configured to push up the region of the lower surface of the blanket which is longer in the axial direction than the effective region, and each of the partial support portions extends in the longitudinal direction of the axial direction. The abutting surface of the setting abuts the blanket. By pushing up the area of the longer effective area in a larger area, the blanket can be pressed to the object to be processed with a uniform pressing force in the axial direction. In this case, the partial support portion can be effectively abutted against the blanket by the abutting surface in the longitudinal direction in the direction in which the thrust member is aligned. The rubber sheet is prevented from being bent in the direction along the axial direction, thereby suppressing the distortion of the blanket.

In this case, for example, the support member may further include a support portion and a leg portion, and the support portion may extend along the push-up member in the axial direction and rotatably support the push-up member at both end portions. The leg portion extends downward from a central portion of the support portion in the axial direction; and the moving mechanism moves the support member in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction; and the pair of partial support portions are arranged in the axial direction and spaced apart from each other And the pair of the local support portions are arranged in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction, and the pair of the support members pass through the gap between the pair of local support portions. In such a configuration, the push-up member can be rotatably supported by the support member, and the leg portion of the support member can be moved without disturbing the lowered partial support portion.

Further, for example, the first holding means may include a holding frame that holds the peripheral portion of the outer side of the effective area of the blanket in a state where the lower side of the effective area of the blanket is open, and the plurality of partial support portions are The periphery of the blanket is more abutted against the lower surface of the blanket than the peripheral portion held by the holding frame. By holding the periphery of the blanket, the blanket can be brought closer to the horizontal position. Moreover, by holding the peripheral edge portion by the holding frame, it is possible to suppress the displacement of the blanket in the horizontal direction even when the partial support portion is separated.

Moreover, in order to achieve the above object, the pattern forming method of the present invention includes the first step of raising and lowering the supporting surface of the pattern forming material of the blanket supporting the pattern forming material upward. The plurality of partial support portions respectively partially abut against the lower surface of the blanket, thereby supporting the blanket as a horizontal posture; and the second step, which is to use a pattern for patterning the pattern forming material, or The substrate of the transfer pattern serves as a processing target, and the lower surface of the object to be processed and the supporting surface of the blanket are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined gap; and in the third step, the push-up member is brought into contact with a lower surface of the blanket, and the blanket is partially pushed up by the push-up member to abut against the object to be processed, and the push-up member is moved along the lower surface of the blanket; and in the third step, the portion is made The support portion is separated from the blanket as the movement of the push-up member is sequentially lowered.

According to the configuration of the above-described pattern forming apparatus, the blanket and the object to be processed can be brought into contact with each other with a slight gap therebetween in parallel with the object to be processed, so that the blanket can be handled with a slight movement. The object abuts with a high positional accuracy.

In the present invention, for example, in the first step, the plurality of partial support portions may be arranged along the moving direction of the push-up member, and in the third step, the partial support portions may be descended in the order of the moving direction of the push-up member. . Further, for example, in the first step, the pair of partial support portions may be arranged in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the push-up member, and the plurality of pairs of the partial support portions may be arranged along the moving direction and spaced apart from each other. In the third step, the paired partial support portions are integrally lowered as the push-up member moves. The effects exerted by these configurations are the same as those of the above-described pattern forming apparatus.

Further, for example, in the third step, if the distance between the abutting position of the push-up member and the blanket and the contact position between the partial support portion and the blanket is equal to or less than a specific value, the partial support may be provided. The ministry fell. At a position away from the abutment position with the push-up member, the blanket may be bent by its own weight, so the support by the local support portion is effective for posture maintenance. On the other hand, since the push-up member itself has a function of supporting the blanket from below at a position close to the abutment position of the push-up member, the necessity of supporting by the local support portion is low. Therefore, the timing at which the respective partial support portions are lowered can be determined according to the distance between the contact portion of the blanket and the contact position between the push-up member and the blanket by the respective partial support portions. Thereby, the contact between the partial support portion and the push-up member can be surely prevented, and the bending of the blanket can be suppressed.

Further, for example, in the first step, the peripheral portion of the blanket may be held by the holding frame, and the plurality of partial support portions may be in contact with the blanket on the inner side of the periphery of the blanket which is held by the holding frame. In the lower surface, in the third step, the holding frame is held to the periphery of the blanket and the partial support portion is lowered. By holding the periphery of the blanket, the blanket can be brought closer to the horizontal position. Moreover, by holding the peripheral edge portion by the holding frame, it is possible to suppress the displacement of the blanket in the horizontal direction even when the partial support portion is separated.

According to the present invention, since the blanket can be maintained in a horizontal posture by partially supporting the central portion of the blanket with a plurality of partial support portions, the plate or substrate as the object to be processed can be parallel and close to the blanket. To the configuration. Therefore, the positional deviation at the time of abutment can be reduced, and the plate or the substrate as the object to be processed can be brought into contact with the blanket with high positional accuracy.

1‧‧‧ pattern forming device

2‧‧‧ main frame

4‧‧‧Upper platform block

6, 9‧‧‧ under the platform block

7‧‧‧Control unit

21‧‧‧Base frame

22, 23‧‧‧Upper Platform Support Framework

27‧‧‧Aligning the camera

40‧‧‧Upper platform components

41‧‧‧Upper platform (2nd holding device)

41a‧‧‧Under the surface of the upper platform

42‧‧‧Strengthening the framework

43‧‧‧ beam-shaped structures

44‧‧‧Upper adsorption unit

45, 46‧‧‧ Support column

47, 447‧‧‧ Lifting mechanism

61‧‧‧Under platform (holding frame, first holding device)

61a‧‧‧Under the surface of the platform

62, 63‧‧‧ Lifting unit

64, 94‧‧‧Transfer roller unit

91a~91e, 92a~92e‧‧‧ support hand institutions

95‧‧‧Three-way valve

241~243‧‧‧Pre-aligned camera for substrates

244~246‧‧‧Pre-aligned camera for blanket

421, 422‧‧‧ ribs

441,642, 942‧‧‧Support framework

442‧‧‧ tube

443‧‧‧Adsorption pad

444, 627‧‧‧ slider

445, 451, 461, 626, 646, 6211, 6221 ‧ ‧ rails

446, 481‧‧‧ base plate

482‧‧‧Upper Platform Block Support Agency

601, 901‧‧ ‧ alignment platform

602, 621, 622‧‧ ‧ pillar

603‧‧‧ Platform Support Board

605, 905‧‧ ‧ alignment platform support organization

611‧‧‧Open window

612‧‧‧ slot

613‧‧‧stop member

623‧‧‧Sliding base (lifting device)

624, 628‧‧‧ Lifting mechanism (lifting device)

625, 6252, 6253‧‧ hands (local support department, 1st Hold device)

625a‧‧‧ (hand 625) upper surface Junction)

625b, 914‧‧ ‧ adsorption holes

641‧‧‧Transfer roller (push-up member)

642‧‧‧Support Framework (Support Department)

643‧‧‧Support roller

644‧‧‧ Lifting mechanism

644a‧‧‧Base section (moving mechanism)

644b‧‧‧Support foot (foot, support member)

645‧‧‧lower frame

647‧‧‧Mobile institutions (mobile agencies)

701‧‧‧CPU

702‧‧‧Motor Control Department

703‧‧‧Valve Control Department

704‧‧‧Negative Pressure Supply Department

705‧‧‧Image Processing Department

706‧‧‧Gas Supply Department

707‧‧‧ Positive Pressure Supply Department

906‧‧‧Hand lift mechanism

911, 921‧‧ ‧ pedestal section

912, 922‧‧‧ arms

913, 923, 913a~913e, 923a~923e‧‧‧ blanket support members

941‧‧‧Transfer roller

944‧‧‧Support feet

963, 973‧‧‧ blanket support members

AR‧‧‧Active area

BL‧‧‧ blanket

G‧‧‧ gap

HP‧‧ version with hand

HS‧‧‧ substrate with hand

PP‧‧ version (processing object)

PT‧‧‧ coating layer

R1‧‧‧ area

R2‧‧‧ Pressing area

R3‧‧‧ Abutment area

R4‧‧‧ close area

S101, S103, S104‧‧‧Step 2

S102, S108‧‧‧Step 1

S105, S112‧‧‧Step 3

S107, S109, S110‧‧‧Step 2

SB‧‧‧Substrate (object to be processed)

SP‧‧ ‧ processing space

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of the pattern forming apparatus of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing a control system of the pattern forming apparatus.

Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the construction of the lower platform block.

Fig. 4 is a view showing the construction of the lifter unit.

Fig. 5 is a view showing the configuration of a transfer roller unit.

Figure 6 is a diagram showing the construction of the upper platform assembly.

Fig. 7 is a flow chart showing a pattern forming process.

8A to 8C are diagrams schematically showing the positional relationship of each unit of the apparatus at each stage of the process.

9A to 9C are diagrams schematically showing the positional relationship of each unit of the apparatus at each stage of the process.

10A and 10B are diagrams schematically showing the positional relationship of each unit of the apparatus at each stage of the process.

11A to 11C are diagrams schematically showing the positional relationship of each unit of the apparatus at each stage of the process.

12A to 12C are diagrams schematically showing the positional relationship of each unit of the apparatus at each stage of the process.

13A to 13C are diagrams schematically showing the positional relationship of each unit of the apparatus at each stage of the process.

Figure 14 is a view showing the positional relationship between a plate or a substrate and a blanket.

15A to 15C are diagrams schematically showing the positional relationship of each unit of the apparatus at each stage of the process.

16A and 16B are views showing the relationship between the position of the blanket, the transfer roller, and the hand.

Fig. 17 is a view showing the relationship between the position of the blanket, the transfer roller, and the hand.

Fig. 18 is a view showing a main part of a second embodiment of the pattern forming apparatus of the present invention.

19A and 19B are views showing the detailed structure of the support hand mechanism and its movement.

20A and 20B are views showing a more detailed structure of the blanket supporting member.

21A and 21B are views showing the positional relationship between the blanket supporting member, the substrate, and the blanket.

22A to 22C are first views schematically showing the positional relationship of each part of the apparatus in each stage of the pattern forming process of the second embodiment.

23A to 23D are views schematically showing the positional relationship of each part of the apparatus in each stage of the pattern forming process of the second embodiment.

<First embodiment>

Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a first embodiment of the pattern forming apparatus of the present invention. 2 is a block diagram showing a control system of the pattern forming apparatus. In addition, in FIG. 1, the state which removed the exterior guard is shown in the internal structure of a display apparatus. To uniformly represent the directions in the respective figures, the XYZ orthogonal coordinate axes are set as shown in the lower right of FIG. Here, the XY plane represents a horizontal plane, and the Z axis represents a vertical axis. In more detail, the (+Z) direction indicates the vertical upper side. The front direction of the device is observed in the (-Y) direction, and the entry and exit of the article from the outside to the device is performed in the Y-axis direction.

The pattern forming apparatus 1 has a configuration in which the main frame 2 is mounted with the upper platform block 4 and the lower platform block 6. In Fig. 1, in order to clarify the difference between the blocks, the upper platform block 4 is provided with a sparsely spaced point, and the lower platform block 6 is further densely spaced. In addition to the above, The pattern forming apparatus 1 includes a control unit 7 (FIG. 2) that controls each unit of the apparatus to perform a specific operation based on a processing program stored in advance. The detailed configuration of the upper platform block 4 and the lower platform block 6 will be described later, and the overall configuration of the device 1 will first be described.

The pattern forming apparatus 1 is a device for patterning by abutting the blanket BL held by the lower deck block 6 and the plate PP or the substrate SB held by the upper land block 4 against each other. The pattern forming process of the apparatus 1 is more specifically as follows. First, the coating layer carried on the blanket BL is patterned (patterned by abutting the plate PP made corresponding to the pattern to be formed on the blanket BL uniformly coated with the pattern forming material. deal with). Then, by bringing the blanket BL patterned in this manner into contact with the substrate SB, the pattern carried on the blanket BL is transferred to the substrate SB (transfer processing). Thereby, a desired pattern is formed on the substrate SB.

As described above, the pattern forming apparatus 1 can be used for both the patterning process and the transfer process in the pattern forming process in which the substrate SB forms a specific pattern, but it may be used only in the case of one of the processes.

The platform block 6 below the patterning device 1 is supported by the base frame 21 of the main frame 2. On the other hand, the upper platform block 4 is attached to a pair of upper platform support frames 22, 23 which are erected from the base frame 21 and which extend in the Y direction so as to sandwich the platform block 6 from the X direction.

Further, in the main frame 2, a pre-alignment camera for detecting the position of the substrate SB and the blanket BL carried into the apparatus is mounted. Specifically, three substrate pre-alignment cameras 241, 242, and 243 for detecting the edges of the substrate SB loaded into the device in the Y-axis direction at three different portions are attached to the upper platform support frames 22, 23, respectively. Set up the boom. Similarly, three pre-aligned cameras 244, 245, and 246 for detecting the edges of the blanket BL carried into the device in the Y-axis direction at three different portions are respectively mounted on the upper platform support frame 22, 23 erected booms. Further, in FIG. 1, a pre-alignment camera 246 for blankets located behind the upper deck block 4 is not shown. In addition, in Fig. 2, the pre-aligned camera for the substrate is abbreviated as "PA camera for substrate", and the pre-aligned camera for the blanket is abbreviated as "PA for blanket" camera".

Figure 3 is a perspective view showing the construction of the lower platform block. In the lower deck block 6, at the four corners of the plate-shaped alignment platform 601 which is open at the center, pillars 602 are respectively provided in the vertical direction (Z direction), and the pillars 602 are supported by the pillars 602. Although not shown in the drawings, a rotation direction (hereinafter referred to as "θ direction"), an X direction, and a Y direction having a rotation axis extending in the vertical direction Z as a rotation center is provided in a lower portion of the alignment stage 601. The 3 degrees of freedom, such as a crossed roller bearing, are aligned with the platform support mechanism 605 (Fig. 2). The alignment platform 601 is mounted to the base frame 21 via the alignment platform support mechanism 605. Therefore, by the action of the alignment platform support mechanism 605, the alignment platform 601 can be moved in a specific range in the X direction, the Y direction, and the θ direction with respect to the base frame 21.

On the upper portion of the platform support plate 603, an annular rectangular lower platform 61 having an upper surface that is substantially coincident with a horizontal plane and an open window 611 formed at a central portion thereof is disposed. A blanket BL is placed on the upper surface of the lower stage 61, and the lower stage 61 holds the blanket BL.

The opening size of the opening window 611 must be larger than the planar size of the effective area (not shown) of the central portion of the surface area of the blanket BL that functions effectively as the pattern forming region. That is, when the blanket BL is placed on the lower stage 61, the entire area of the lower surface of the blanket BL corresponding to the effective area must face the opening window 611, and the lower side of the effective area is completely open. Further, the coating layer formed of the pattern forming material is formed to cover at least the entire effective region.

On the upper surface 61a of the lower platform 61, a plurality of grooves 612 are provided along the respective sides of the peripheral edge of the opening window 611. Each of the grooves 612 is connected to the negative pressure supply unit 704 of the control unit 7 via a control valve (not shown). Each of the grooves 612 is disposed in a region smaller than the plane size of the blanket BL. Further, as shown by the one-dot chain line, the blanket BL is placed on the lower stage 61 so as to cover all of the grooves 612. Moreover, in order to make the above possible, the stopper member 613 for position limitation of the blanket BL is arrange|positioned suitably on the lower surface upper surface 61a.

By supplying a negative pressure to each of the grooves 612 and causing each of the grooves 612 to function as a vacuum suction groove, the four sides of the peripheral edge portion of the blanket BL are suction-held on the upper surface 61a of the lower stage 61. By forming the vacuum adsorption grooves by the plurality of grooves 612 which are independent of each other, even if vacuum breakage occurs in a part of the grooves for some reason, the adsorption of the other grooves to the blanket BL can be maintained. Therefore, the blanket BL can be surely held. Further, it is possible to adsorb the blanket BL with a stronger adsorption force than in the case where a separate groove is provided.

Below the opening window 611 of the lower stage 61, lifting hand units 62, 63 for moving the blanket BL up and down in the Z-axis direction, and a transfer roller unit 64 for abutting against the blanket BL and pushing up from below are provided. .

Fig. 4 is a view showing the construction of the lifter unit. Since the structure of the two lifter units 62 and 63 is the same, the structure of the lifter unit 62 will be described here. The lifter unit 62 includes two pillars 621 and 622 that are erected from the base frame 21 in the Z direction. A plate-shaped slide base 623 is attached to the pillars 621 and 622 so as to be movable up and down. More specifically, the rails 6211 and 6221 extending in the vertical direction (Z direction) are attached to the two pillars 621 and 622, respectively. A slider (not shown) attached to the back surface of the slide base 623, that is, the (+Y) side main surface, is slidably attached to the guide rails 6211 and 6221. Further, the elevating mechanism 624 including a suitable drive mechanism such as a motor and a ball screw mechanism moves the slide base 623 up and down in accordance with a control command from the control unit 7.

A plurality of (four in this example) hands 625 are attached to the slide base 623 so as to be movable up and down. The configuration of each hand 625 is substantially the same except that the shape of the base portion differs depending on the arrangement position. Each hand 625 is fixed to a slider 627 that is slidably engaged with a guide rail 626 that is attached to the front surface of the slide base 623, that is, the front surface of the (-Y) side, in the vertical direction (Z direction). The slider 627 is coupled to an elevating mechanism 628 that is attached to the back surface of the slide base 623 and includes a suitable drive mechanism such as a rodless cylinder. By the action of the elevating mechanism 628, the slider 627 moves in the up and down direction with respect to the slide base 623. Each of the hands 625 is provided with an independent lifting mechanism 628, so that the hands 625 can be individually moved up and down.

That is, in the lifter unit 62, the lift base 623 moves the slide base 623 up and down, so that the hands 625 can be integrally moved up and down, and the respective lifters 628 can be independently moved to move the hands 625 individually.

The upper surface 625a of the hand 625 is processed into an elongated planar shape having a longitudinal direction in the Y direction, and the upper surface 625a abuts against the lower surface of the blanket BL to support the blanket BL. Further, the upper surface 625a is provided with an adsorption hole 625b that communicates with the negative pressure supply portion 704 provided in the control unit 7 via a pipe (not shown) and a control valve. Thereby, the negative pressure from the negative pressure supply unit 704 is supplied to the adsorption hole 625b as needed, and the blanket BL can be adsorbed and held on the upper surface 625a of the hand 625. Therefore, the slip when the blanket BL is supported by the hand 625 can be prevented.

Further, the adsorption hole 625b is supplied with an appropriate gas such as dry air or an inert gas from the gas supply unit 706 of the control unit 7 via a pipe and a control valve (not shown). In other words, the negative pressure from the negative pressure supply unit 704 and the gas from the gas supply unit 706 are selectively supplied to the adsorption holes 625b by opening and closing of the respective control valves controlled by the control unit 7.

When the gas from the gas supply unit 706 is supplied to the adsorption hole 625b, a small amount of gas is ejected from the adsorption hole 625b. Thereby, a slight gap is formed between the lower surface of the blanket BL and the hand surface 625a, and the hand 625 is in a state of being supported by the lower side of the blanket BL from the lower surface of the blanket BL. Therefore, the blanket BL can be supported by the respective hands 625, and the blanket BL can be moved in the horizontal direction without causing sliding friction with respect to the respective hands 625. Further, a gas ejection hole may be separately provided on the hand surface 625a unlike the adsorption hole 625b.

Returning to Fig. 3, in the lower platform block 6, the lifter units 62, 63 having the above-described configuration are disposed such that the hands 625 face inward and face each other in the Y direction. In a state where each hand 625 is lowered to the lowest position, the hand surface 625a is located at a position where the upper surface 61a of the lower stage is vertically retracted downward (i.e., the (-Z) direction. On the other hand, in a state where each hand 625 is raised to the highest position, the front end of each hand 625 becomes the opening window 611 from the lower stage 61. The state of the top is highlighted. At this time, the hand surface 625a reaches a position where the lower surface upper surface 61a protrudes upward, that is, in the (+Z) direction.

Further, when viewed from above, the front ends of the opposing hand 625 of the two lift hand units 62, 63 are spaced apart from each other so that they do not contact each other. Further, as described below, the transfer roller unit 64 moves in the X direction by the gap.

Fig. 5 is a view showing the configuration of a transfer roller unit. The transfer roller unit 64 includes a transfer roller 641, a support frame 642, and a lifting mechanism 644. The transfer roller 641 is a cylindrical roller member that extends in the Y direction. The support frame 642 extends in the Y direction below the transfer roller 641 and rotatably supports the transfer roller 641 from both end portions thereof. The lift mechanism 644 includes a suitable drive mechanism and moves the support frame 642 up and down in the Z direction. The transfer roller 641 is not rotatably connected to the rotary drive mechanism. Further, the support frame 642 is provided with a support roller 643 that abuts against the surface of the transfer roller 641 from below to prevent the transfer roller 641 from being bent.

The length of the transfer roller 641 in the Y direction is shorter than the length of the side in the Y direction among the four sides of the opening window 611 of the lower stage 61, that is, the opening size of the opening window 611 in the Y direction. Moreover, it is longer than the length of the plate PP or the substrate SB in the Y direction when held on the upper stage described below. The length of the effective area which is effective as the pattern forming region in the blanket BL is of course less than the length of the plate PP or the substrate SB, so that the transfer roller 641 is longer than the effective area in the Y direction.

The elevating mechanism 644 includes a base portion 644a and a support leg 644b extending upward from the base portion 644a and connected to the vicinity of the center of the support frame 642 in the Y direction. The support leg 644b is movable up and down with respect to the base portion 644a by a suitable drive mechanism such as a motor or a cylinder. The base portion 644a is slidably attached to the guide rail 646 extending in the X direction, and is further coupled to a moving mechanism 647 including a suitable drive mechanism such as a motor and a ball screw mechanism. The guide rail 646 is attached to an upper surface of the frame 645 extending in the X direction and fixed to the lower frame of the base frame 21. By the movement mechanism 647, the transfer roller 641, the support frame 642, and the elevating mechanism 644 integrally move in the X direction.

In the pattern forming apparatus 1, the transfer roller 641 is brought into contact with the rubber held on the lower stage 61. The cloth BL and the blanket BL are partially pushed up, and the details will be described later. Thereby, the blanket BL is brought into contact with the plate PP or the substrate SB which is held on the upper stage and which is disposed adjacent to the blanket BL.

The elevating mechanism 644 is moved by the gap formed by the opposing hand 625 of the lifter units 62, 63. Further, the upper surface 625a of each hand 625 can be retracted in the (-Z) direction to be lower than the lower surface of the support frame 642 of the transfer roller unit 64. Therefore, by moving the elevating mechanism 644 in this state, the support frame 642 of the transfer roller unit 64 passes over the upper surface 625a of each hand 625. Thereby, the transfer roller unit 64 can be prevented from colliding with the hand 625.

Next, the structure of the upper platform block 4 will be described. As shown in FIG. 1, the upper platform block 4 includes a platform assembly 40 as a structure extending in the X direction, a pair of support columns 45, 46 supporting the same, and lifting and moving the upper platform assembly 40 in the Z direction as a whole. Lifting mechanism 47. The support columns 45, 46 are erected from the upper platform support frames 22, 23, respectively, and support the X-direction end portions of the upper platform assembly 40, respectively. Further, the elevating mechanism 47 includes an appropriate driving mechanism such as a motor and a ball screw mechanism.

Figure 6 is a diagram showing the construction of the upper platform assembly. The upper platform assembly 40 includes an upper platform 41, a reinforcing frame 42 provided on an upper portion of the upper platform 41, a beam-like structure 43, and an adsorption unit 44 attached to the upper portion of the upper platform 41. The upper stage 41 is attached to the lower surface holding plate PP or the substrate SB. The beam-like structure 43 is combined with the reinforcing frame 42 and extends horizontally in the X direction. As shown in Fig. 6, the upper platform assembly 40 has a shape that is substantially symmetrical with respect to the XZ plane and the YZ plane including the center of its shape, respectively.

The upper stage 41 is a flat member having a slightly smaller planar size than the plate PP or the substrate SB to be held, and the lower surface 41a held in a horizontal posture is a holding plane in which the plate PP or the substrate SB is brought into contact with each other. The plane is required to have a high degree of flatness, so that the material thereof is preferably quartz glass or stainless steel. Further, a through hole for attaching the adsorption pad of the upper adsorption unit 44 described below is provided on the holding surface.

The reinforcing frame 42 includes reinforcing ribs extending in the Z direction on the upper surface of the upper platform 41 The combination. As shown, in order to prevent the upper stage 41 from being bent to maintain the flatness of the lower surface (holding plane) 41a, the reinforcing ribs 421 parallel to the YZ plane and the reinforcing ribs 422 parallel to the XZ plane are respectively appropriately combined. The reinforcing ribs 421, 422 may be composed of, for example, a metal plate.

Further, the beam-like structure 43 is a structure in which a plurality of metal plates are combined and formed in the longitudinal direction in the X direction, and both end portions thereof are supported by the support columns 45 and 46 and are movable up and down. Specifically, on the one hand, the support columns 45 and 46 are respectively provided with the guide rails 451 and 461 extending in the Z direction, and on the other hand, the (+Y) side main faces of the beam-shaped structural body 43 opposed thereto are attached. Sliders (not shown) are slidably engaged. Further, as shown in FIG. 1, the beam-like structure 43 and the support column 46 are connected by the elevating mechanism 47, and the elevating mechanism 47 is actuated, and the beam-like structure 43 is in the vertical direction while maintaining the horizontal posture (Z). Direction) move. Since the upper stage 41 is integrally coupled to the beam-shaped structure 43 via the reinforcing frame 42, the upper stage 41 is moved up and down while holding the holding plane 41a horizontal by the movement of the lifting mechanism 47.

Further, the structure of the reinforcing frame 42 and the beam-like structure 43 is not limited to those shown in the drawings. Here, the plate-like member parallel to the YZ plane and the plate-shaped member parallel to the XZ plane are combined to obtain the required strength, but a metal plate or an angle member or the like may be appropriately combined into other shapes. The purpose of this configuration is to lightly construct the upper platform assembly 40. In order to reduce the bending of the respective portions, it is also considered to increase the thickness of the upper platform 41 or to make the beam-like structure 43 a solid body, but this will result in an increase in the mass of the upper platform assembly 40 as a whole.

If the weight of the structure disposed on the upper portion of the device becomes large, the mechanism for supporting or moving it needs further strength and durability, and the device as a whole becomes very large and heavy. Therefore, it is more realistic to obtain the required strength by a combination of sheets or the like, and to reduce the weight of the entire structure.

Further, a pair of upper adsorption units 44 are attached to the upper portion of the upper platform 41 surrounded by the reinforcing frame 42. The state in which an upper adsorption unit 44 is taken upward is shown in the upper part of FIG. In the upper adsorption unit 44, for example, a rubber adsorption pad 443 is attached to the lower end of a plurality of tubes 442 extending downward from the support frame 441. The upper end side of each tube 442 is connected to the negative pressure supply unit 704 of the control unit 7 via a pipe (not shown) and a control valve. The support frame 441 is formed so as not to interfere with the shape of the ribs 421, 422 constituting the reinforcing frame 42.

The support frame 441 is movably supported by the base plate 446 in the vertical direction via the pair of sliders 444 and the pair of guide rails 445 that are engaged therewith. Further, the base plate 446 and the support frame 441 are coupled by an elevating mechanism 447 including a suitable drive mechanism such as a motor and a ball screw mechanism. By the action of the lifting mechanism 447, the support frame 441 is lifted and lowered with respect to the base plate 446, and the tube 442 and the adsorption pad 443 are lifted and lowered integrally therewith.

The upper adsorption unit 44 is attached to the upper stage 41 by fixing the base plate 446 to the side surface of the beam-like structure 43. In this state, the lower end of each tube 442 and the suction pad 443 are inserted into a through hole (not shown) provided in the upper stage 41. Moreover, by the action of the lifting mechanism 447, the adsorption pad 443 moves up and down between the adsorption position and the retracted position, and the adsorption position is the lower surface of the adsorption pad 443 enters and exits to the lower surface (maintaining plane) 41a of the upper platform 41. The retracted position is such that the lower surface of the adsorption pad 443 is retracted to the inside (upper side) of the through hole of the upper stage 41. Further, when the lower surface of the adsorption pad 443 is positioned at substantially the same height as the holding plane 41a of the upper stage 41, the upper stage 41 cooperates with the adsorption pad 443 to hold the plate PP or the substrate SB on the holding plane 41a.

Returning to Fig. 1, the upper platform assembly 40 is configured to be disposed on the base plate 481 as described above. In more detail, the support columns 45, 46 are respectively erected on the base plate 481, and the upper platform assembly 40 is detachably mounted to the support posts 45, 46. The base plate 481 is supported by a platform block support mechanism 482 mounted on the upper platform support frames 22, 23 including a suitable movable mechanism such as a cross roller bearing.

Therefore, the upper platform assembly 40 as a whole can be moved horizontally relative to the main frame 2. Specifically, the base plate 481 is horizontally moved in the horizontal plane, that is, in the XY plane, by the action of the upper platform block supporting mechanism 482. a pair of base plates disposed corresponding to each of the support columns 45, 46 The 481 can move independently of each other. With the movement of the base plate 481, the upper platform assembly 40 is movable in a specific range in the X direction, the Y direction, and the θ direction with respect to the main frame 2.

The respective portions of the pattern forming apparatus 1 configured as described above are controlled by the control unit 7. As shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 7 includes a CPU 701, a motor control unit 702, a valve control unit 703, and a negative pressure supply unit 704. The CPU 701 manages the overall operation of the device. The motor control unit 702 controls the motors provided in the respective units. The valve control unit 703 controls the control valves provided in the respective units. The negative pressure supply unit 704 generates a negative pressure supplied to each unit. Further, when the negative pressure supplied from the outside can be utilized, the control unit 7 may not include the negative pressure supply portion.

The motor control unit 702 manages the positioning or movement of each unit of the apparatus by controlling the motor group provided in each functional block. Further, the valve control unit 703 controls the valve group connected to the negative pressure of each functional block by the negative pressure supply unit 704 and the valve group connected to the pipe path of the hand 625 from the gas supply unit 706. The management of the vacuum adsorption using the negative pressure supply and the release thereof, and the gas ejection from the hand surface 625a are managed.

Further, the control unit 7 includes an image processing unit 705 that performs image processing on an image captured by a camera. The image processing unit 705 performs specific image processing on the images captured by the substrate pre-alignment cameras 241 to 243 and the blanket pre-alignment cameras 244 to 246 attached to the main frame 2, thereby detecting the substrate. The approximate position of the SB and the blanket BL. Further, specific image processing is performed on the image captured by the alignment camera 27 for precise alignment described below, whereby the positional relationship between the substrate SB and the blanket BL is more accurately detected. The CPU 701 controls the upper platform block support mechanism 482 and the alignment support mechanism 605 based on the position detection results to align the plate PP or the substrate SB held on the upper stage 41 with the position of the blanket BL held on the lower stage 61 ( Pre-alignment processing and precision alignment processing).

Next, the pattern forming process of the pattern forming apparatus 1 configured as described above will be described. In the pattern forming process, the plate PP or the substrate SB held by the upper stage 41 and the blanket BL held by the lower stage 61 are spaced apart from each other by a slight gap. Further, the transfer roller 641 abuts against the lower surface of the blanket BL and partially pushes the blanket BL upward. Push, moving along the lower surface of the blanket BL. The pushed up blanket BL first partially abuts against the plate PP or the substrate SB, and the abutting portion gradually expands as the roller moves, and finally abuts against the plate PP or the substrate SB as a whole. Thereby, the patterning of the self-printing PP to the blanket BL or the pattern transfer from the blanket BL to the substrate SB is performed.

Fig. 7 is a flow chart showing a pattern forming process. 8A to 15C are diagrams schematically showing the positional relationship of each unit of the apparatus at each stage of the processing. Hereinafter, the operation of each part in the pattern forming process will be described with reference to FIGS. 8A to 15C. In addition, in order to make the relationship of each part of each stage of a process easy to understand, the structure which is not directly related to the process of this stage, or the illustration of the code|symbol which it is attached is abbreviate|omitted. In addition, in the case where the object to be processed of the upper stage 41 is the plate PP and the substrate SB is the same, the operation is the same except for a part of the substrate. Therefore, the plate PP and the substrate SB are appropriately exchanged and referred to.

In the pattern forming process, for the initialized pattern forming apparatus 1, first, a plate PP corresponding to the pattern to be formed is loaded and placed on the upper stage 41 (step S101), and a uniform coating formed by the pattern forming material is carried in. The blanket BL of the cloth layer is placed on the lower stage 61 (step S102). In the PP, the effective surface corresponding to the pattern is carried in downward, and the blanket BL is carried in with the coating layer facing upward.

8A to 8C show the process of loading the plate PP or the substrate SB into the apparatus to be placed on the upper stage 41. As shown in FIG. 8A, in the initial state, the upper stage 41 is retracted upward, so that the interval from the lower stage 61 becomes larger, and a larger processing space SP is formed between the two stages. Further, each hand 625 is retracted below the upper surface of the lower stage 61. The transfer roller 641 is located at the most (-X) direction among the positions facing the opening window 611 of the lower stage 61, and is retracted to a position lower than the upper surface of the lower stage 61 in the vertical direction (Z direction). The respective control valves connected to the negative pressure supply portion 704 have been closed.

In this state, the thickness of the plate placed on the outside is measured in advance by the HP version PP, and then moved into the processing space SP in the (+Y) direction from the front side of the apparatus, that is, the (-Y) direction. The version of the hand HP can be used as an operating fixture manually operated by the operator, or it can be external Hand the robot. At this time, the hand 625 and the transfer roller 641 are retracted to the lower side, whereby the carrying operation can be easily performed. After positioning the plate PP at a specific position, the upper platform 41 is lowered as indicated by the arrow.

If the upper platform 41 is lowered to a specific position close to the plate PP, as shown in FIG. 8B, the adsorption pad 443 disposed on the upper stage 41 protrudes below the lower surface of the upper stage 41, that is, the holding plane 41a, and abuts. On the surface of the PP. The plate PP is held by the adsorption pad 443 adsorbing the upper surface of the plate PP by opening the control valve connected to the adsorption pad 443. Then, the adsorption pad 443 is raised in a state of continuous adsorption, whereby the plate PP is lifted from the plate by hand HP. At this point in time, the plate is moved outside the device by hand HP.

Finally, as shown in FIG. 8C, the lower surface of the adsorption pad 443 rises to the same height as or slightly higher than the holding plane 41a, whereby the upper surface of the plate PP is in close contact with the holding plane 41a of the upper stage 41. Keep it. It may be configured such that an adsorption groove or an adsorption hole is provided on the lower surface of the upper stage 41, and the plate PP delivered from the adsorption pad 443 is adsorbed by the above. In this way, the version of PP remains intact. The substrate SB can be carried in by the substrate HS by the substrate in the same order.

9A to 9C, 10A and 10B show the process of loading the blanket BL into the lower stage 61 after the loading of the plate PP. If the holding of the upper platform 41 to the plate PP is completed, as shown in FIG. 9A, the upper platform 41 rises, forming a larger processing space SP again, and each hand 625 rises above the upper surface 61a of the lower stage 61. At this time, the upper surfaces 625a of the respective hands 625 are all at the same height.

In this state, as shown in FIG. 9B, the blanket BL on which the coating layer PT formed of the pattern forming material is formed on the upper surface is placed on the outside by the hand HB and is carried into the processing space SP. The blanket BL is measured for its thickness before being carried in. The blanket hand HB is preferably a fork type having a claw extending in the Y direction so as to be able to enter through the gap of the hand 625 without interfering with the hand 625.

By the blanket, the HB is lowered by hand or the hand 625 is raised, and the upper surface of the hand 625 is raised. The 625a abuts against the lower surface of the blanket BL as shown in Fig. 9C, after which the blanket BL is supported by the hand 625. By supplying a negative pressure to the adsorption hole 625b (Fig. 4) provided in the hand 625, it can be more reliably supported. Thus, the blanket BL is delivered from the blanket by hand HB to the hand 625, and the blanket can be discharged to the outside of the apparatus by the hand HB.

Thereafter, as shown in FIG. 10A, the hand 625 is lowered in a state where the heights of the upper surfaces 625a of the respective hands 625 are uniform, and finally, the hand surface 625a is made the same height as the upper surface 61a of the lower stage 61. Thereby, the peripheral edge portion of the four sides of the blanket BL abuts against the upper surface 61a of the lower stage 61.

At this time, as shown in FIG. 10B, the vacuum suction groove 612 provided on the upper surface 61a of the lower stage is supplied with a negative pressure, and the blanket BL is suction-held. Along with this, the adsorption by the hand 625 is released. Thereby, the blanket BL is in a state in which the peripheral portion of the four sides is suction-held by the lower stage 61. In Fig. 10B, in order to clearly show that the suction holding by the hand 625 is released, the blanket BL is separated from the hand 625, but the state in which the lower surface of the blanket BL is in contact with the hand surface 625a is actually maintained.

Assuming that the hand 625 is left in this state, it is considered that the blanket BL is bent downward at the center portion due to its own weight, and the entire shape becomes a downward convex shape. By maintaining the hand 625 at the same height as the lower stage upper surface 61a, such bending can be suppressed, and the blanket BL can be maintained in a planar state. In this manner, the blanket BL is in a state in which the peripheral portion thereof is sucked and held by the lower stage 61, and the center portion is supported by the hand 625, whereby the holding of the blanket BL is completed.

The order in which the plate PP and the blanket BL are carried can also be reversed from the above. However, when the plate PP is carried in after the blanket BL is carried in, foreign matter falls on the blanket BL during the loading of the plate PP to contaminate the coating layer PT formed by the pattern forming material or cause defects. By placing the blanket PP on the lower stage 61 after the plate PP is placed on the upper stage 41 as described above, the above problem can be avoided in advance.

Returning to Figure 7, the plate PP and the blanket BL are respectively placed on the upper and lower platforms, followed by The pre-alignment process of the plate PP and the blanket BL is performed (step S103). Further, the gap is adjusted so as to be separated from each other by a predetermined gap (step S104).

11A to 11C are views showing a process of a gap adjustment process and an alignment process. Here, the precision alignment process shown in FIG. 11C is only necessary for the transfer process described below, and therefore will be described in the description of the subsequent transfer process. As described above, the plate PP, the substrate SB, or the blanket BL are carried in from the outside, and may cause a positional shift when it is delivered. The pre-alignment processing is for roughly arranging each of the plate PP or the substrate SB held by the upper stage 41 and the blanket BL held by the lower stage 61 at a position suitable for the subsequent processing.

Fig. 11A is a side view schematically showing a configuration for performing pre-alignment. As described above, in the present embodiment, a total of six pre-aligned cameras 241 to 246 are provided on the upper portion of the apparatus. Among them, the three cameras 241 to 243 are for detecting a substrate pre-alignment camera held on the outer edge of the plate PP (or the substrate SB) of the upper stage 41. Further, the other three cameras 244 to 246 are pre-aligned cameras for the blanket for detecting the outer edge of the blanket BL. Further, although the pre-aligned cameras 241 to 243 are referred to as "pre-alignment cameras for substrates" for convenience, these can be used for any of the alignment of the plate PP and the alignment of the substrate SB. And, the processing content is the same.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 11A, the substrate pre-alignment cameras 241 and 242 are disposed at substantially the same position in the X direction and have different positions in the Y direction, and the plate PP or the substrate SB is photographed from above. -X) Side outer edge. The upper stage 41 is formed to have a slightly smaller planar size than the substrate SB. Therefore, the (-X) side outer edge portion of the plate PP (or the substrate SB) extending to the outside of the end portion of the upper stage 41 can be photographed from above. Further, although not shown in the drawing, another substrate pre-alignment camera 243 is provided on the near side of the paper surface of FIG. 11A, and the camera 243 is from the (-Y) side outer edge of the upper plate PP (or the substrate SB). unit.

On the other hand, the pre-aligned cameras 244 and 246 for the blanket are disposed at substantially the same position in the X direction and the positions are different from each other in the Y direction, and are respectively photographed from above. The (+X) side outer edge portion of the blanket BL of the platform 61. Further, on the near side of the paper surface of Fig. 11A, another pre-alignment camera 245 for blanket is provided, and the camera 245 photographs the (-Y) side outer edge portion of the blanket BL from above.

The positions of the plate PP (or the substrate SB) and the blanket BL are respectively grasped based on the results of the pre-alignment cameras 241 to 246. Then, the plate PP (or the substrate SB) and the blanket BL are respectively positioned at predetermined target positions by actuating the upper platform block support mechanism 482 and the alignment platform support mechanism 605 as needed.

Further, when the blanket BL is horizontally moved together with the lower stage 61, as shown in Fig. 11A, it is preferable that the upper surface 625a of each hand 625 is slightly spaced from the lower surface of the blanket BL. To achieve this, the gas supplied from the gas supply unit 706 can be ejected from the adsorption hole 625b of the hand 625 in advance. This case is also the same in the precision alignment process described below.

Moreover, in order to facilitate the processing of the substrate SB which is thin or large and which is likely to be bent, for example, the substrate SB may be subjected to processing in a state in which the back surface is in contact with the plate-shaped supporting member. In this case, even if the support member is larger than the substrate SB, it is only necessary to configure the position of the outer edge portion of the substrate SB. For example, the support member is made of a transparent material, or a transparent window is partially provided for the support member. Or the through hole or the like, the same pre-alignment process as described above can be performed.

Then, as shown in FIG. 11B, the platform 41 above the holding plate PP is lowered with respect to the platform 61 under the holding blanket BL, so that the interval G between the plate PP and the blanket BL coincides with a preset setting value. At this time, the thickness of the PP and the blanket BL measured in advance is considered. That is, the interval between the upper stage 41 and the lower stage 61 is adjusted so that the gap between the reference plate PP and the blanket BL becomes a specific value. The gap value G here can be, for example, about 300 μm.

Regarding the thickness of the plate PP and the blanket BL, in addition to the individual difference caused by the dimensional deviation in manufacturing, even if it is the same part, it is necessary to consider, for example, the change in thickness due to swelling, and therefore it is preferable to use it every time. Take measurements. Also, regarding the gap G, The surface below the plate PP is defined between the surface of the blanket BL and the upper surface of the plate PP and the upper surface of the coating layer PT of the pattern forming material supported on the blanket BL. As long as the thickness of the coating layer PT is strictly managed during the coating stage, it is technically equivalent to two definitions.

Returning to Fig. 7, the plate PP and the blanket BL are disposed opposite each other with a gap G therebetween, and then the transfer roller 641 is brought into contact with the lower surface of the blanket BL and moved in the X direction to make the plate PP. Abuts the blanket BL. Thereby, the coating layer PT of the pattern forming material on the blanket BL is patterned by the plate PP (patterning process; step S105).

12A to 12C show the process of the patterning process. As shown in Fig. 12A, the transfer roller 641 is raised to a position directly below the blanket BL, and the center line of the transfer roller 641 in the X direction becomes substantially the same position as the end of the plate PP, or is relatively oriented ( -X) Positioning in a slightly offset position. In this state, as shown in FIG. 12B, the transfer roller 641 is further raised to abut against the lower surface of the blanket BL, and the blanket BL at the abutting position is partially pushed upward. Thereby, the blanket BL (more strictly, the coating layer PT of the pattern forming material carried on the blanket BL) is pressed against the lower surface of the plate PP with a specific pressing force. The transfer roller 641 is longer than the plate PP (and the effective area) in the Y direction, so that the elongated region in the Y direction from the one end in the Y direction to the other end in the lower surface of the plate PP is in contact with the blanket BL. .

By moving the elevating mechanism 644 in the (+X) direction while the blanket roller 641 is pressed in this manner, the push-up position of the blanket BL is moved in the (+X) direction. At this time, in order to prevent the hand 625 from coming into contact with the transfer roller 641, as shown in FIG. 12C, the hand 625 whose distance from the transfer roller 641 in the X direction becomes a specific value or less is at least retracted downward to the upper surface 625a of the hand 625. Supports the low position of the lower surface of the frame 642.

Since the suction by the hand 625 has been released, the blanket BL is not pulled downward as the hand 625 is lowered. Further, by appropriately managing the timing of starting the lowering in synchronization with the movement of the transfer roller 641, it is possible to prevent the use of the blanket which is supported by the hand 625. BL hangs down because of its own weight.

13A to 13C show the migration process of the transfer roller 641. Since the state in which the abutting PP and the blanket BL are adhered via the coating layer PT of the pattern forming material is maintained, as shown in FIG. 13A, the plate PP is adhered to the blanket BL as the transfer roller 641 moves. The area gradually expands toward the (+X) direction. At this time, as shown in the figure, the hand 625 is sequentially lowered as the transfer roller 641 approaches.

Thus, finally, as shown in FIG. 13B, all the hands 625 are lowered, and the transfer roller 641 reaches the vicinity of the (+X) side end portion below the lower stage 61. At this point of time, the transfer roller 641 reaches the position directly below the (+X) side of the (+X) side of the plate PP or slightly closer to the (+X) side, so that the lower surface of the plate PP abuts against the blanket BL. Coating layer PT on top.

While the transfer roller 641 is moving at a constant height, the area of the lower surface of the blanket BL pressed by the transfer roller 641 is fixed. Therefore, the transfer roller 641 is pressed against the blanket BL by the lifting mechanism 644 while applying a fixed load, and the plate PP and the blanket BL are sandwiched between the coating layer PT of the pattern forming material. Press each other with a fixed pressing force. Thereby, the patterning of the self-printing PP to the blanket BL can be favorably performed.

In addition, in the case of patterning, it is preferable to use the entire surface area of the plate PP effectively, but the peripheral portion of the plate PP inevitably generates an area that cannot be effectively utilized due to damage or contact with the hand during transportation. As shown in FIG. 13B, when the central portion other than the end portion of the plate PP is set as the effective region AR that functions effectively as a plate, it is preferable that the pressing force of the transfer roller 641 is at least in the effective region AR and The travel speed is fixed. Therefore, it is necessary to make the length of the transfer roller 641 in the Y direction longer than the length of the effective area AR in this direction. Further, in the X direction, it is preferable that the transfer roller 641 is moved from the (-X) side position from the end portion of the (X) direction of the more effective area AR, and the fixed speed is maintained until at least the effective area AR is reached. The end of the (+X) direction. The surface area of the blanket BL opposed to the effective area AR of the plate PP becomes an effective area on the side of the blanket BL.

Figure 14 shows the positional relationship of the plate or substrate to the blanket. More specifically, the drawing is a plan view of the positional relationship when the upper viewing plate PP or the substrate SB is in contact with the blanket BL. As shown, the blanket BL has a larger planar size than the plate PP or the substrate SB. The region R1 in the vicinity of the peripheral edge portion of the blanket BL attached to the dot in the figure is a region in contact with the lower platform upper surface 61a when held on the lower stage 61. The blanket BL is held by the lower stage 61 in a state in which the lower surface of the area on the inner side of the above-mentioned area is open.

The plate PP and the substrate SB are of substantially the same size, and these are smaller than the opening window size of the lower stage 61. Further, the effective area AR which is effectively used for actual pattern formation is smaller than the size of the plate PP or the substrate SB. Therefore, the area of the blanket BL corresponding to the effective area AR is in a state in which the lower surface is open and faces the opening window 611 of the lower stage 61.

The hatched area R2 indicates a region (pressing region) in the lower surface of the blanket BL that is simultaneously pressed by the transfer roller 641. The pressing region R2 is an elongated region extending in the Y direction, which is a direction in which the roller extends, and both end portions in the Y direction extend to the outside of the end portion of the plate PP or the substrate SB. Therefore, when the blanket roller 641 presses the blanket BL in a state parallel to the lower surface of the blanket BL, the pressing force is uniform in the Y direction from one end to the other end in the Y direction of the effective region AR.

By thus causing the transfer roller 641 to move in the X direction while facing the effective area AR with a uniform pressing force in the Y direction, the plate PP or the substrate SB and the blanket BL are uniformly distributed in the entire area of the effective area AR. Pressing pressure on each other. Thereby, it is possible to prevent a pattern from being damaged due to uneven pressing to form a high-quality pattern.

As described above, after the transfer roller 641 reaches the (+X) side end portion, the transfer roller 641 is stopped, and as shown in FIG. 13C, the transfer roller 641 is retracted downward. Thereby, the transfer roller 641 is separated from the lower surface of the blanket BL, so that the patterning process is finished.

Returning to Fig. 7, after the patterning process is completed, the plate PP and the blanket BL are carried out (step S106). 15A to 15C show the process of carrying out the plate and the blanket. First, as shown in FIG. 15A, the hands 625 that have been lowered during the patterning process are raised again, and the above table is The surface 625a is positioned at the same height as the upper surface 61a of the lower stage 61. In this state, the adsorption of the adsorption pad 443 of the upper stage 41 to the plate PP is released. Thereby, the upper platform 41 is released from the plate PP, and the laminated body in which the plate PP and the blanket BL are integrated via the coating layer PT of the pattern forming material is left on the lower stage 61. The central portion of the laminate is supported by the hand 625.

Then, as shown in FIG. 15B, the upper stage 41 is raised to form a large processing space SP, and the adsorption by the groove 612 of the lower stage 61 is released (the adsorption by the adsorption tank or the adsorption hole is utilized for adsorption). And the hand 625 is further raised and moved further above the lower platform 61. At this time, it is preferable to adsorb and hold the laminated body by the hand 625.

Thereby, it is possible to make an entry and exit from the outside. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 15C, the blanket receiving hand HB is received from the outside, and the operation opposite to the loading is performed, whereby the blanket BL in a state in which the plate PP is adhered is carried out to the outside. If the plate PP adhered in the above manner is peeled off from the blanket BL by a suitable peeling device, a specific pattern is formed on the blanket BL.

Next, a case where the pattern formed on the blanket BL is transferred to the substrate SB which is the final target will be described. The steps are basically the same as in the case of the patterning process. That is, as shown in Fig. 7, first, the substrate SB is placed on the upper stage 41 (step S107), and then the blanket BL whose patterning is completed is placed on the lower stage 61 (step S108). Then, after the pre-alignment process and the gap adjustment of the substrate SB and the blanket BL are performed (steps S109 and S110), the transfer roller 641 is transferred to the lower portion of the blanket BL to transfer the pattern on the blanket BL to Substrate SB (transfer processing; step S112). After the transfer is completed, the integrated blanket BL and the substrate SB are carried out, and the process ends (step S113). The series of actions are also the same as those shown in Figs. 8A to 15C. Furthermore, when the plate PP is referred to as the substrate SB in the figures, the symbol PT refers to the pattern after the patterning process.

However, in the transfer process, a pattern is appropriately transferred at a specific position of the substrate SB, and more precise alignment (precise alignment processing) of both is performed before the substrate SB is brought into contact with the blanket BL ( Step S111). Fig. 11C shows the process thereof.

Although not described in FIG. 1, the pattern forming apparatus 1 is provided with a precision alignment camera 27 that supports a support column that is erected from the susceptor frame 21 in the (+Z) direction. The precision alignment camera 27 is provided with four optical axes arranged vertically upward by the four corners of the substrate SB by the opening windows 611 of the lower stage 61.

An alignment mark (substrate side alignment mark) serving as a position reference is formed in advance at four corners of the substrate SB. On the other hand, at the position corresponding to the substrate-side alignment mark of the blanket BL, a blanket-side alignment mark is formed as one of the patterns patterned by the plate PP. The precision alignment camera 27 photographs the same in the same field of view, detects the positional relationship between them, and obtains the positional shift amount between the two, and obtains the amount of movement of the blanket BL as corrected. By using the alignment stage support mechanism 605 to move the alignment stage 601 by only the calculated amount of movement, the lower stage 61 is moved in the horizontal plane, and the positional deviation of the substrate SB and the blanket BL is corrected.

By aligning the alignment marks formed on the substrate with the small gap G between the substrate SB and the blanket BL, the alignment marks formed by the same camera can be used to accurately position the substrate SB and the blanket BL. . In this sense, the above-described alignment processing can be described as a precise alignment process with higher precision in the case where the substrate SB and the blanket BL are individually photographed. By abutting the two from the above state, in the present embodiment, a pattern with high-precision alignment can be formed at a specific position of the substrate SB. Further, by performing the pre-alignment processing of the substrate SB and the blanket BL in advance, the alignment marks respectively formed on the substrate SB and the blanket BL can be positioned in the field of view of the precision alignment camera 27.

Further, when forming the pattern of the blanket BL by the plate PP, it is not always necessary to perform precise alignment processing as described above. The reason for this is that by previously preparing the blanket side alignment mark together with the pattern to the plate PP, the positional deviation between the pattern formed on the blanket BL and the blanket side alignment mark is not generated, as long as the eraser is used. The cloth side alignment mark is precisely aligned with the substrate side alignment mark, and a slight positional shift of the plate PP and the blanket BL does not affect the pattern formation. In this regard, only the pre-alignment is performed in the patterning process. Reason.

16A, 16B, and 17 are views showing the relationship between the position of the blanket, the transfer roller, and the hand. More specifically, FIGS. 16A and 16B schematically show how the abutting position of the transfer roller 641 and the blanket BL and the abutting position of each hand 625 and the blanket BL change with the movement of the transfer roller 641, respectively. Picture. Furthermore, FIG. 16A corresponds to the timing of FIG. 12B, and FIG. 16B corresponds to the timing of FIG. 13A. Further, Fig. 17 is a view showing the positional relationship from the (+X) direction. Further, in the description of FIG. 17 and the following, when it is necessary to distinguish between the hands 625 provided in the two lift hand units 62, 63, the hand lift unit disposed on the (+Y) side is indicated by the symbol 6252. The hand of 62 indicates the hand provided on the lifter unit 63 disposed on the (-Y) side by the symbol 6253.

The positional relationship between the blanket BL and the plate PP or the substrate SB, the position of the region BL of the blanket BL abutting on the lower stage 61, and the position of the effective area AR are as described above. In the state where the transfer roller 641 shown in FIG. 16A is pressed against the blanket BL, the peripheral edge portion R1 near the four sides of the blanket BL is placed and adsorbed and held by the lower stage 61. On the other hand, in the central portion of the inner side, the hand 625 corresponds to the shape of the upper surface 625a of the hand 625 and the elongated abutment region R3 along the Y direction abuts against the lower surface of the blanket BL to support the rubber. Cloth BL.

In the present embodiment, the two hand lift units 62 and 63 are disposed such that the hands 625 are opposed to each other, and four hands 625 are provided in each of the units 62 and 63. One hand 6252 provided in the lifter unit 62 is aligned with the position of the hand 6253 provided in the lifter unit 63 in the X direction (FIG. 17), and the position of the X-direction of the pair of abutment regions R3 corresponding thereto is also identical. . Further, the front ends of the 1 opponents 6252 and 6253 are arranged apart from each other in the Y direction. Further, such a hand is arranged in four pairs with respect to the X direction being spaced apart from each other. Therefore, there are a total of eight abutment regions R3.

By supporting the blanket BL in each of the plurality of portions appropriately dispersed, the bending of the blanket BL in the center portion can be prevented, thereby maintaining the blanket BL in a horizontal posture. In Fig. 17, the state in which one opponent 6252 and 6253 has been lowered is indicated by a solid line, and The line indicates a state in which the hands 6252 and 6253 rise to substantially the same height as the upper surface 61a of the lower stage 61. In the state indicated by the broken line, the upper surfaces of the hands 6252, 6253 are abutted against the lower surface of the blanket BL to support them.

The transfer roller 641 starts to abut against the blanket BL on the (-X) side in the most (-X) direction of the abutting region R3. The area indicated by the symbol R2 in Fig. 16A indicates the area (pressing area) of the blanket BL to which the transfer roller 641 abuts immediately after the contact.

When the transfer roller 641 starts moving, the pressing region R2 corresponding thereto moves in the (+X) direction. In this process, when the distance between the pressing region R2 of the transfer roller 641 and the contact region R3 of the hand 625 in the X direction is equal to or less than a specific value, the hand 625 forming the contact region R3 moves downward. More specifically, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 17, one of the opponents 6252 and 6253 descends in conjunction with each other, and is retracted below the support frame 642 of the support transfer roller 641. At this time, the support leg 644b passes through the gap between the front ends of the hands 6252 and 6253, thus avoiding the interference of the support leg 644b with the hands 6252 and 6253.

As shown in FIG. 16B, as the pressing region R2 of the transfer roller 641 moves in the (+X) direction, the printing roller 641 moves in the moving direction from the pressing region R2 to the rear side (-X) side, forming a plate. The surface of the lower surface of the PP or the substrate SB and the upper surface of the blanket BL are in close contact with each other via the layer of the pattern forming material, and they are expanded in the (+X) direction as the transfer roller 641 moves.

Further, as the transfer roller 641 approaches, the hand 625 supporting the central portion of the blanket BL is sequentially separated from the blanket BL in the order of the moving direction of the transfer roller 641, and the transfer roller 641 is vacated by this. Space. Fig. 16B shows a state in which the transfer roller 641 travels from the (-X) direction to the position near the second hand 625 as shown in Fig. 13A. Thus, the plate PP or the substrate SB is brought into contact with the blanket BL, and finally the plate PP or the substrate SB is in close contact with the blanket BL.

By continuing to support with the hand 625 before the transfer roller 641 approaches a certain distance, the blanket BL can be maintained in a horizontal posture just before the transfer roller 641 is reached. especially By abutting the hand 625 against the blanket BL in the longitudinal direction (Y direction) in the same direction (Y direction) as the pressing region R2 of the transfer roller 641, the PP can be abutted before the abutment. Or the gap between the substrate SB and the blanket BL is kept constant in the Y direction, so that a good pattern formation without distortion or deformation can be performed.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the lower stage 61 and the upper stage 41 function as the "holding frame" and the "second holding means" of the present invention, respectively. Further, each of the hand 625 and the transfer roller 641 functions as a "partial support portion" and a "push-up member" of the present invention. Further, the upper surface 625a of each hand 625 corresponds to the "abutment surface" of the present invention. Further, the slide base 623, the lift mechanism 624, the lift mechanism 628, and the like provided in the lifter units 62 and 63 function integrally as the "lifting device" of the present invention. Further, the lower stage 61 and the respective hands 625 function integrally as the "first holding means" of the present invention.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the support frame 642 of the transfer roller unit 64 functions as the "support portion" of the present invention, and the support leg 644b functions as the "foot portion" of the present invention. The ground functions as a "support member" of the present invention. Further, the base portion 644a and the moving mechanism 647 function integrally as the "moving mechanism" of the present invention. Further, in the present embodiment, the plate PP and the substrate SB correspond to the "object to be processed" of the present invention.

Further, in the pattern forming process (FIG. 7) of the above embodiment, steps S102 and S108 correspond to the "first step" of the present invention, respectively, and steps S101, S103, and S104 and steps S107, S109, and S110 correspond to the present invention. The "second step" of the invention. Further, steps S105 and S112 correspond to the "third step" of the present invention, respectively.

<Second embodiment>

Next, a second embodiment of the pattern forming apparatus of the present invention will be described. In the pattern forming apparatus of the second embodiment, a part of the structure of the lower land block is different from the pattern forming apparatus 1 of the first embodiment. On the other hand, the other configuration of the first embodiment, that is, the main frame 2, the upper platform block 4, the control unit 7, and the like can be basically directly used as the second The main frame of the embodiment, the upper platform block, the control unit, and the like. Therefore, the following description will focus on the structure different from the first embodiment, in particular, the structure and operation of the lower platform block. The same components as those in the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals and will not be described.

Fig. 18 is a view showing a main part of a second embodiment of the pattern forming apparatus of the present invention. More specifically, Fig. 18 is a view showing the structure of the platform block 9 in the second embodiment. The lower platform block 9 includes an alignment platform 901. The alignment stage 901 corresponds to the alignment stage 601 of the first embodiment, and its structure and function are also substantially the same. That is, the alignment stage 901 has a plate shape with a central portion open, and can be movably supported within a specific range by the alignment platform support mechanism 905 having the same function as the alignment stage support mechanism 605 of the first embodiment. The base frame 21 (Fig. 1).

On the upper surface of the alignment platform 901, a plurality of support hand mechanisms are provided. More specifically, on the upper surface of the alignment stage 901 on the (-Y) side with respect to the central opening portion of the alignment stage 901, five units are sequentially disposed from the (-X) side toward the (+X) side. The hand mechanisms 91a, 91b, 91c, 91d, and 91e are supported. The configurations of the five supporting hand mechanisms 91a, 91b, 91c, 91d, and 91e are the same as each other.

On the other hand, on the upper surface of the alignment stage 901 located on the (+Y) side with respect to the central opening portion of the alignment stage 901, five sets of support are sequentially provided from the (-X) side toward the (+X) side. Hand mechanisms 92a, 92b, 92c, 92d, 92e. The configurations of the five supporting hand mechanisms 92a, 92b, 92c, 92d, 92e are identical to each other. Further, the support hand mechanism 91a and the support hand mechanism 92a have shapes that are symmetrical with respect to the X-axis, and the functions thereof are the same. Further, each of the support hand mechanisms 91a, 91b, 91c, 91d, and 91e is disposed at the same position as each of the support hand mechanisms 92a, 92b, 92c, 92d, and 92e in the X direction. In the present embodiment, the supporting hand mechanisms 91a, 91b, 91c, 91d, 91e, 92a, 92b, 92c, 92d, and 92e cooperate to support the blanket BL in a horizontal posture, and the details will be described later.

Further, it is disposed adjacent to the (-X) side of the support hand mechanisms 91a and 92a located on the most (-X) side. A transfer roller unit 94 is disposed. The specific configuration of the transfer roller unit 94 is the same as that of the transfer roller unit 64 of the first embodiment. In other words, the transfer roller unit 94 includes a transfer roller 941 which is formed in a roll shape and is rotatably supported in the Y direction, and is configured to be movable in the vertical direction (Z direction). It is close to and away from the lower surface of the blanket BL, and is movable in the X direction while abutting against the lower surface of the blanket BL. Similarly to the transfer roller 641 of the first embodiment, the transfer roller 941 has a function of partially pushing the blanket BL against the substrate SB (or the plate PP) to realize the substrate BL from the blanket to the substrate. Patterning of the SB pattern, or patterning of the pattern forming material on the blanket BL using the plate PP.

19A and 19B are views showing the detailed structure of the support hand mechanism and its movement. Here, a support hand mechanism 91a disposed on the (-Y) side of the alignment platform 901 and a support hand mechanism 92a disposed on the (+Y) side of the alignment platform 901 are exemplified, but as described above, The support hand mechanisms 91b, 91c, 91d, and 91e have the same structure as the support hand mechanism 91a, and the support hand mechanisms 92b, 92c, 92d, and 92e have the same configuration as the support hand mechanism 92a. Further, the support hand mechanism 92a has a structure that is symmetrical with respect to the support hand mechanism 91a with respect to the X-axis.

As shown in FIG. 19A, the supporting hand mechanism 91a includes a base portion 911 which is inclined toward the (+Y) side from the upper surface of the self-aligning stage 901 and extends obliquely upward; from the base portion 911 to the base portion 911 An arm 912 extending in a direction in which the directions are the same is extended; and a blanket supporting member 913 that is coupled to the upper end of the arm 912 and has an upper surface extending in the horizontal direction in the Y direction. Similarly, the supporting hand mechanism 92a includes a base portion 921 that is inclined toward the (-Y) side from the upper surface of the self-aligning platform 901 and extends obliquely upward; a direction from the base portion 921 to the extending portion of the base portion 921 An arm 922 extending in the same direction; and a blanket supporting member 923 coupled to the upper end of the arm 922 and having an upper surface extending in the horizontal direction in the Y direction.

The upper surfaces of the blanket supporting members 913, 923 are processed to be substantially flat, and the positions of the upper surfaces in the Z direction are identical to each other. Therefore, the supporting hand mechanisms 91a, 92a can be held integrally as a support for the blanket BL from below to be held in a posture parallel to the Y-axis. Again, Next, in the case where it is necessary to distinguish the blanket supporting members 913 provided in each of the supporting hand mechanisms 91a to 91e, the suffixes (a to e) for distinguishing the respective supporting hand mechanisms are attached to the symbols. For example, a symbol 913a is attached to the blanket supporting member provided to the supporting hand mechanism 91a. The same applies to the case where the blanket supporting members 923 are provided differently from each of the supporting hand mechanisms 92a to 92e.

The arm 912 supporting the hand mechanism 91a is coupled to the hand lifting mechanism 906, and is configured to be movable forward and backward with respect to the base portion 911 along the extending direction of the arm 912. Similarly, the arm 922 of the supporting hand mechanism 92a is also coupled to the hand lifting mechanism 906, and is configured to be movable forward and backward with respect to the base portion 921 along the extending direction of the arm 922. The hand lifting mechanism 906 integrally moves the two arms 912 and 922 forward and backward in accordance with a control command from the control unit 7 (FIG. 2). Thereby, the blanket supporting members 913 and 923 move in the Z direction and the Y direction in a state where the horizontal postures are maintained and the heights of the blanket supporting members 913 and 923 are the same.

In this manner, the pair of supporting hand mechanisms 91a and 92a located at the same position in the X direction integrally lift and lower the blanket supporting members 913 (913a) and 923 (923a) included in each. Similarly, between the pair of support hand mechanisms 91b and 92b having the same position in the X direction, between the support hand mechanisms 91c and 92c, between the support hand mechanisms 91d and 92d, and between the support hand mechanisms 91e and 92e, Each of the blanket supporting members 913 and 923 also moves up and down while maintaining the same position in the height direction (Z direction). However, the hand lifting mechanism 906 is configured to be between the supporting hand mechanisms 91a, 91b, 91c, 91d, 91e (or between the supporting hand mechanisms 92a, 92b, 92c, 92d, 92e) which are different in position from each other in the X direction, and can be mutually The raising and lowering of the arm 912 (or the arm 922) is performed independently.

In a state in which the blanket supporting members 913, 923 are positioned by the hand lifting mechanism 906 at the upper position shown in FIG. 19A, the blanket supporting members 913, 923 abut against the lower surface of the blanket BL, thereby supporting the blanket. BL. By positioning the blanket supporting members 913 and 923 of the respective supporting hand mechanisms 91a to 91e and 92a to 92e at the same height, the blankets BL can be maintained in a horizontal posture as a whole.

On the other hand, a state in which the blanket supporting members 913, 923 are positioned by the hand lifting mechanism 906 at the lower position shown in Fig. 19B will be described. When the blanket supporting members 913 and 923 of the supporting hand mechanisms 91a to 91e and 92a to 92e are all lowered to the lower position, the blanket BL is supported to be horizontal at the upper surface position of the blanket supporting members 913 and 923 at this time. In the posture, the blanket supporting member 913 (or the blanket supporting member 923) can be independently raised and lowered between the supporting hand mechanisms 91a to 91e (or the supporting hand mechanisms 92a to 92e).

It is considered that only a part of the blanket supporting members 913, 923 supporting the hand mechanism are located at the lower position, and the blanket supporting members of the other supporting hand mechanisms are in the state of the upper position. Here, the case where the blanket supporting members 913a and 923a supporting only the hand mechanisms 91a and 92a are located at the lower position, and the other of the supporting hand mechanisms 91b to 91e, 92b to 92e are located at the upper position is considered as an example.

In this case, the blanket BL is supported at the same position as the position shown in Fig. 19A by the blanket supporting members 913b to 913e and 923b to 923e located at the upper position. Therefore, the blanket supporting members 913a and 923a of the supporting hand mechanisms 91a and 92a located at the lower position are separated from the blanket BL and are retracted to the lower side.

The arm 912 and the base portion 911 of the supporting blanket supporting member 913a of the supporting hand mechanism 91a are obliquely extended, and the blanket supporting member 913a is moved in the (-Z) direction when moving from the upper position to the lower position. Move in the direction of (-Y). Similarly, when the blanket supporting member 923a of the supporting hand mechanism 92a moves from the upper position to the lower position, it moves in the (-Y) direction in addition to the movement in the (+Y) direction. As a result, the two blanket supporting members 913a and 923a are positioned at the lower position in a state in which the positions in the Z direction are the same and are further spaced apart from each other in the Y direction.

Thus, the transfer roller unit 94 can be made to enter a space formed between the lower surface of the blanket BL and the blanket supporting members 913a, 923a. Specifically, the transfer roller 941 and the support frame 942 (corresponding to the support frame 642 of the first embodiment) can be made to enter the upper surface of the blanket supporting members 913a, 923a formed at the lower position and the eraser. cloth The gap in the Z direction between the lower surfaces of BL. Further, the support leg 944 (corresponding to the support leg 644b of the first embodiment) that supports the support frame 942 can enter the gap in the Y direction formed by the blanket support members 913a and 923a being spaced apart from each other.

In such a configuration, when the transfer roller unit 94 is moved in the X direction, the transfer roller unit 94 can be avoided by retracting the blanket supporting members 913, 923 at positions on the traveling path thereof to the lower position. Interference with the blanket supporting members 913, 923. Moreover, by positioning the blanket supporting members 913, 923 located at positions that do not interfere with the transfer roller unit 94 at the upper position, the blanket BL can be continuously maintained at a fixed height in a horizontal posture. Therefore, in the present embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, the transfer roller 941 can be horizontally moved along the lower surface of the blanket BL while maintaining the blanket BL in a horizontal posture.

20A and 20B are views showing a more detailed structure of the blanket supporting member. More specifically, FIG. 20A is a perspective view showing a structure of an upper portion of the blanket supporting member 913, and FIG. 20B is a cross-sectional view thereof. Here, a blanket supporting member 913 will be described as an example, but the configuration of the other blanket supporting member 923 opposed thereto is also the same.

The upper surface of the blanket supporting member 913 is processed to be flat, and is subjected to mirror polishing processing or lining processing using a suitable material such as fluororesin to reduce the frictional resistance with the blanket BL. Further, a plurality of adsorption holes 914 for adsorbing and holding the lower surface of the blanket BL are provided on the upper surface of the blanket supporting member 913. As shown in FIG. 20B, each of the adsorption holes 914 is selectively supplied to the negative pressure supplied from the negative pressure supply unit 704 of the control unit 7 by the three-way valve 95, or is provided to the control unit 7 in the present embodiment. The positive pressure supplied from the positive pressure supply unit 707. When the negative pressure is supplied from the negative pressure supply unit 704 to each of the adsorption holes 914, the blanket BL is suction-held by the respective adsorption holes 914 on the upper surface of the blanket support member 913. On the other hand, when the positive pressure supply unit 707 supplies a positive pressure to each of the adsorption holes 914, the blanket BL is slightly floated from the upper surface of the blanket support member 913 by the gas ejected from the respective adsorption holes 914. The status is supported. At this time, the blanket supporting member The friction between the 913 and the blanket BL becomes extremely small. Further, in the blanket supporting member 913, the function of ejecting gas from the adsorption holes 914 to float the blanket BL is not essential.

Further, in the same manner as the platform block 6 of the first embodiment, the platform block 9 includes a valve group for controlling supply and stop of the positive pressure and the negative pressure to the adsorption hole 914, and mechanically driving each unit. The motor groups are controlled by the control unit 7.

21A and 21B are views showing the positional relationship between the blanket supporting member, the substrate, and the blanket. As shown in Fig. 21A, the plurality of blanket supporting members 913, 923 are substantially evenly distributed in such a manner as to cover the entire effective area AR of the central portion of the blanket BL, and support the lower surface of the blanket BL, particularly the effective area AR. . Thereby, the effective area AR is maintained in a horizontal posture.

Further, how the respective blanket supporting members 913 and 923 support the blanket BL outside the effective area AR is arbitrary as long as the blanket BL can be supported in a horizontal posture. For example, as shown in FIG. 21B, a blanket supporting member 963 extending in the Y direction to the outside of the end portion of the blanket BL may be provided, and an eraser that abuts only the outer side of the effective area AR against the blanket BL may be provided. Cloth support member 973.

When the transfer roller 941 is positioned at a specific initial position, it is adjacent to the (-X) side of the blanket supporting members 913a and 923a located on the most (-X) side of the blanket supporting members 913 and 923. More specifically, the transfer roller 941 has the position as the initial position, that is, the position adjacent to the (-X) side of the blanket supporting members 913a, 923a, and the outer side of the more effective area AR, that is, more (-X) In the same manner as in the first embodiment, the end portion of the substrate SB (or the plate PP) of the upper stage 41 is held closer to the (+X) side than the first embodiment, and is on the lower surface of the blanket BL. The position directly below is separated from the blanket BL. At this time, the transfer roller 941 is located below the substrate SB (or the plate PP) on the outer side of the effective area AR.

Next, the pattern forming process of the pattern forming apparatus of the present embodiment will be described. The purpose or basic operation of this processing is the same as the processing (Fig. 7) of the first embodiment described above. However, due to the difference in the structure of the lower platform block, the actions of the various parts of the lower platform block are formed. It is different from the first embodiment. Specifically, the process of carrying the substrate SB or the plate PP into the apparatus and holding it by the upper stage 41 is the same as that of the first embodiment. On the other hand, the process of loading the blanket BL into the apparatus until it is in close contact with the substrate SB or the plate PP held by the upper stage 41 is different from that of the first embodiment. Hereinafter, the operation will be described with reference to FIGS. 22A to 22C and FIGS. 23A to 23D centering on a process different from the first embodiment.

22A to 22C and 23A to 23D are diagrams schematically showing the positional relationship of each unit of the apparatus at each stage of the pattern forming process of the second embodiment. In addition, the operation of each part when the substrate SB is held by the upper stage 41 and the pattern forming finished blanket BL is carried into the lower deck block 9 and the transfer process (steps S107 to S112 of FIG. 7) is performed will be described. . However, as described in the first embodiment, the operation of patterning using the plate PP and the blanket BL (steps S101 to S105 of FIG. 7) is basically the same as the transfer without performing the precision alignment process. The same is handled. Therefore, in the following description, the operation of the patterning process will be described by replacing the "substrate SB" with the "plate PP" and omitting the precision alignment process.

As shown in FIG. 22A, when the blanket BL is carried in from the outside, all of the blanket supporting members 913a to 913e and 923a to 923e are positioned in the upper position. Therefore, the blanket BL can be received by a hand (not shown) from a blanket included in an external transfer robot or the like. Further, at this time, the transfer roller 941 is positioned at a retracted position further retracted toward the (-X) side from the initial position shown in Fig. 21A, thereby avoiding interference with the blanket or the blanket BL entering from the outside. Further, a negative pressure is applied to the adsorption holes 914 provided on the upper surface of each of the blanket supporting members, and the received blanket BL is adsorbed and held.

Next, pre-alignment processing is performed. In the pre-alignment process, similarly to the process of the first embodiment, the peripheral portion of the blanket BL is imaged by the blanket pre-alignment cameras 244 to 246, and the blanket BL is placed on the horizontal surface based on the result of the photographing. Move inside, thereby positioning the blanket BL at the target position. At this time, the alignment platform supporting mechanism 905 integrally moves the respective supporting hand mechanisms 91a to 91e and 92a to 92e in the XYθ direction together with the alignment platform 901. Thereby, the positioning of the blanket BL is performed.

Then, precise alignment processing is performed through the gap adjustment. As shown in FIG. 22B, by the alignment camera 27 disposed under the blanket BL, the blanket BL is captured by the gap of the blanket supporting member, and the substrate held on the upper stage 41 and disposed opposite the blanket BL SB. The precise alignment processing is performed by moving the alignment stage 901 based on the positional relationship of the captured alignment marks, which is the same as in the first embodiment.

When the position of the substrate SB held by the upper stage 41 and the blanket BL supported by the supporting hand mechanisms 91a to 91e and 92a to 92e is completed, the blanket BL is pushed up to be in close contact with the substrate SB. Pattern transfer. That is, as shown in FIG. 22C, after the transfer roller 941 is moved to the initial position immediately below the (-X) side end portion of the substrate SB, the transfer roller 941 is moved upward, whereby transfer is performed as shown in FIG. 23A. The roller 941 pushes up the blanket BL so as to be in close contact with the lower surface of the substrate SB. Thereby, the transfer of the pattern on the blanket BL to the substrate SB is started.

In addition, during the period from the loading of the blanket BL to the completion of the precision alignment process, the blanket support members 913 and 923 are prevented from being displaced relative to the support hand mechanisms 91a to 91e and 92a to 92e. Each of the adsorption holes 914 supplies a negative pressure to adsorb and hold the blanket BL. On the other hand, before the push-up of the blanket BL by the transfer roller 941 is started, the supply of the negative pressure to each of the adsorption holes 914 is stopped, and the adsorption holding is released.

Then, the transfer roller 941 moves in the (+X) direction while abutting against the lower surface of the blanket BL. At this time, as shown in FIG. 23B and FIG. 23C, in synchronization with the movement of the transfer roller 941, the blanket supporting members 913, 923 located at positions where the transfer roller 941 interferes with the transfer roller 941 are sequentially arranged. Retreat to the lower position. Thereby, interference between the transfer roller 941 and the blanket supporting members 913, 923 is prevented. The movement of each of the blanket supporting members 913 and 923 at this time is similar to the movement of the hand 625 of the first embodiment.

By bringing the blanket supporting members 913, 923 into contact with the lower surface of the blanket BL immediately before being pushed by the transfer roller 941, the posture of the blanket BL can be maintained in a horizontal state. Thereby, the pattern on the blanket BL can be transferred to a specific position on the substrate SB. On the other hand, in the region of the blanket BL that is pushed up by the transfer roller 941, since it is in a state of being in close contact with the substrate SB, it is not necessary to further support by the blanket supporting members 913 and 923. Therefore, it is not necessary to return the blanket supporting members 913, 923 that have been retracted to the lower position to the upper position.

Further, in order to prevent the blanket BL from being displaced in the horizontal direction with the transfer roller 941 being pushed up, the respective blanket supporting members 913 and 923 may supply the suction holes 914 immediately before the downward positional movement is started. The state of negative pressure. In this case, it is necessary to independently control the timing of the supply of the negative pressure for each of the blanket supporting members 913 and 923.

As described above, the blanket supporting members 913 and 923 are sequentially retracted, and as shown in FIG. 23D, the entire substrate SB is adhered to the blanket BL, and the pattern on the blanket BL is transferred to the substrate SB. Thereafter, the transfer roller 941 is returned to the original position, and the respective blanket supporting members 913 and 923 are raised, and the laminated body in which the substrate SB and the blanket BL are integrated is received from the upper stage 41. Further, the laminated body is delivered to an external robot or the like and carried out, whereby the pattern forming process is completed.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the supporting hand mechanisms 91a to 91e and 92a to 92e are integrally formed and function as the "first holding means" of the present invention, and in particular, the blanket supporting members 913 and 923 have The function of the "local support unit" of the present invention. Further, the transfer roller unit 94 functions as a "push up device" of the present invention. Further, the other configurations are common to the first embodiment.

<Other>

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. For example, the shape and the number of the hand 625 of the above embodiment are examples, and are not limited thereto. For example, three or more hands may be arranged in the Y direction.

Further, in the holding of the blanket BL from the lower surface, in addition to the flat portion of the elongated hand surface as in the above embodiment, it is known that the support member having the pin shape standing upright is abutted. Receiver. However, such a point contact or a support method having a small contact area is small in that the stress near the support point concentrates on the pattern forming material on the blanket BL to cause deformation of the pattern. In this sense, it is preferably supported by a large area, and it is particularly preferable that the hand is in contact with the contact region R3 extending in the same direction as the longitudinal direction of the pressing region R2 of the transfer roller 641 as in the above embodiment. On the blanket BL.

Further, for example, in the above-described embodiment, the hand 625 is disposed only in a range in which the lower surface of the blanket BL opened at the center portion is in contact with the transfer roller 641 in the X direction, and the blanket BL is supported. The moving range of the transfer roller 641 in the X direction is provided on the outer side to partially support the member of the blanket BL. These components may also not be provided with a lifting function.

Further, for example, in the above-described embodiment, the first opponents 6252 and 6253 arranged in the Y direction are configured to be independently movable up and down, and then the operation control for moving up and down in conjunction with each other is performed. 1 The structure in which the positional relationship of the opponent is fixed and always lifted integrally.

Further, for example, in the above embodiment, the hand 625 corresponding to the "partial support portion" of the present invention is placed on the blanket BL between the outer portion of the device and the outer portion 61 of the present invention. The handover. However, it is not necessary that the local support device has a function of performing a blanket transfer to the outside.

Further, for example, in the above-described embodiment, the hand 625 which is lowered downward from the position immediately below the blanket BL as the transfer roller 641 approaches is maintained at this position, but may be returned after the transfer roller 641 passes. The position directly under the blanket BL.

Further, for example, in the above-described first embodiment, the peripheral portions of the four sides of the rectangular blanket BL are held by the annular lower platform 61. However, as long as the posture of the blanket is maintained, one of the peripheral portions may be opened. However, in order to prevent displacement of the position accompanying the roll movement, it is preferable to maintain at least both end portions of the roll moving direction (X direction).

The present invention can be preferably applied to a process of patterning a pattern forming material on a blanket by a plate in a pattern forming process of forming a pattern on various substrates such as a glass substrate or a semiconductor substrate, and transferring the pattern on the blanket. One or both of the processes printed to the substrate.

6‧‧‧ Lower platform block

21‧‧‧Base frame

61‧‧‧Under platform

61a‧‧‧Under the surface of the platform

62, 63‧‧‧ Lifting unit

64‧‧‧Transfer roller unit

601‧‧ Alignment platform

602‧‧‧ pillar

603‧‧‧ Platform Support Board

611‧‧‧Open window

612‧‧‧ slot

613‧‧‧stop member

625‧‧‧ hands

BL‧‧‧ blanket

Claims (11)

A pattern forming apparatus comprising: a first holding device comprising a plurality of partial support portions partially respectively abutting against a lower surface of the blanket; and the pattern forming material of the blanket to carry a pattern forming material on one side The supporting surface faces upward, and the plurality of partial support portions abut against the lower surface side of the blanket, thereby supporting the blanket in a horizontal posture; and a second holding device for forming the pattern a material-patterned plate or a substrate to be transferred as a processing object, and the object to be processed is held in close proximity to the upper surface of the blanket held by the first holding device; and the push-up member is Pushing up the effective area of the central portion of the blanket from the lower surface side of the blanket to abut against the object to be processed held by the second holding means, and moving along the lower surface of the blanket The above-mentioned blanket is pushed up to change position; and the lifting device is configured to raise and lower the plurality of partial support portions individually. The pattern forming device of claim 1, wherein the lifting device causes the plurality of partial support portions to abut against the lower surface of the blanket from the plurality of the partial support portions as the push-up member moves The status drops in sequence. The pattern forming device of claim 2, wherein the plurality of partial support portions are arranged along a moving direction of the push-up member, and the lifting device lowers the partial support portion in the order of the moving direction of the push-up member. The pattern forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the push-up member collectively pushes up a region of the lower surface of the blanket that is longer than an effective direction of the effective region in an axial direction, the partial support Each of the parts is extended in the longitudinal direction of the axial direction The abutting surface is in contact with the above-mentioned blanket. The pattern forming device of claim 4, further comprising: a support member including a support portion and a leg portion, wherein the support portion extends along the push-up member in the axial direction and rotates the push-up member at both end portions Conveniently, the leg portion extends downward from a central portion of the support portion in the axial direction, and a moving mechanism that moves the support member in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction; and the pair of the partial support portions The axial direction is arranged and spaced apart from each other, and the pair of the partial support portions are arranged in a direction orthogonal to the axial direction, and the plurality of pairs are arranged; the leg portion of the support member passes through the pair of the partial support portions The gap between the two. The pattern forming apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the first holding means includes a holding frame that holds the blanket in a state in which the holding frame is open below the effective area of the blanket The peripheral portion of the outer side of the effective region, the plurality of partial support portions abut on the lower surface of the blanket in the inner side of the peripheral portion of the blanket held by the holding frame. A pattern forming method comprising: a first step of partially supporting a plurality of supporting portions of the pattern forming material of the blanket supporting the pattern forming material facing upward and independently rising and falling Not locally contacting the lower surface of the blanket, thereby supporting the blanket in a horizontal posture; and the second step, which is a plate for patterning the pattern forming material or a substrate to be transferred. As the object to be processed, the surface of the object to be processed is The carrying surface of the blanket is disposed close to the opposite direction with a predetermined gap; and the third step is such that the push-up member abuts against the lower surface of the blanket, and the rubber is pressed by the push-up member The cloth is partially pushed up to abut against the object to be processed, and the push-up member is moved along the lower surface of the blanket; and in the third step, the partial support portion is moved along with the push-up member It descends from the above blanket in descending order. The pattern forming method according to claim 7, wherein in the first step, the plurality of partial support portions are arranged along a moving direction of the push-up member, and in the third step, the partial support portion is along the upper surface The order in which the pushing members move is decreased. The pattern forming method according to claim 7 or 8, wherein in the third step, a distance between the abutting member and the blanket, and a distance between the partial support portion and the blanket abutting position When the value is equal to or lower than the specific value, the local support portion is lowered. The pattern forming method according to claim 7 or 8, wherein in the first step, the pair of the partial support portions are arranged in a direction orthogonal to a moving direction of the push-up member and spaced apart from each other, and the plurality of pairs are arranged The partial support portions are arranged side by side in the moving direction, and in the third step, the partial support portions that are paired with each other are integrally lowered as the push-up members move. The pattern forming method of claim 7 or 8, wherein in the first step, the peripheral portion of the blanket is held by the holding frame, and the plurality of the partial support portions are held by the holding frame in the blanket The peripheral portion is further in contact with the lower surface of the blanket, and in the third step, the holding frame is held by the periphery of the blanket and the partial support portion is lowered.