CN108828905B

CN108828905B - Edge exposure machine

Info

Publication number: CN108828905B
Application number: CN201810686676.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 王威
Original assignee: Wuhan China Star Optoelectronics Technology Co Ltd
Current assignee: Wuhan China Star Optoelectronics Technology Co Ltd
Priority date: 2018-06-28
Filing date: 2018-06-28
Publication date: 2020-12-25
Anticipated expiration: 2038-06-28
Also published as: CN108828905A

Abstract

The application discloses expose limit machine should expose limit machine and include: an air supply mechanism and an exposure chamber; the top wall of the exposure chamber is provided with an air inlet, and the air supply mechanism is used for conveying air into the exposure chamber through the air inlet; the bottom wall of the exposure chamber is provided with a first discharge port so that the residue in the exposure chamber is discharged out of the exposure chamber through the first discharge port. By the mode, the display panel and the manufacturing method thereof, a good environment can be provided for an exposure process, PR residues generated in the exposure process are reduced, and the yield of the display panel is improved.

Description

Edge exposure machine

Technical Field

The application relates to the technical field of display, in particular to an edge exposure machine.

Background

In the manufacturing process of LTPS (Low Temperature polysilicon) liquid crystal displays and AMOLED (active matrix Organic Light-Emitting Diode) displays, photolithography is often used. In the photolithography process, the peripheral edge of the substrate often has residual photoresist (i.e., photoresist), and the residual photoresist is removed by exposing the peripheral edge of the substrate with an edge exposure machine.

The existing edge exposure machine has the defects that due to the design reason, the internal space is closed, no air flow circulation exists, the dust generated inside the machine stays inside the machine due to the oiling of PM (Pre maintenance) and the entering action of personnel, PR (Photoresist) residues seriously exceed the standard, the yield loss is very high, and particularly the influence of the round PR residues caused by large particles on the effective patterns of the AA area of the substrate with the medium and small sizes is great.

Disclosure of Invention

The main technical problem who solves of this application provides an edge exposure machine, can solve current edge exposure machine and produce the remaining problem of PR easily.

In order to solve the technical problem, the application adopts a technical scheme that: provided is an edge exposure machine, including: an air supply mechanism and an exposure chamber; the top wall of the exposure chamber is provided with an air inlet, and the air supply mechanism is used for conveying air into the exposure chamber through the air inlet; the bottom wall of the exposure chamber is provided with a first discharge port so that the residue in the exposure chamber is discharged out of the exposure chamber through the first discharge port.

The beneficial effect of this application is: be different from prior art's condition, the partial embodiment of this application, the limit machine that exposes utilizes air supply mechanism, the air inlet through exposure cavity roof setting is inside to the conveying gas of exposure cavity, utilize this gas can lead to the remaining residue of PR easily such as the volatile oil gas of the inside large granule of exposure cavity or photoresistance to carry the exposure cavity bottom, and discharge the exposure cavity through the first escape aperture that the diapire set up, thereby can provide good environment for the exposure processing procedure, reduce the PR that the exposure process produced and remain, and then improve display panel's yield.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a first embodiment of an edge exposure machine according to the present application;

FIG. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of an air supply mechanism including a filter device in the edge exposing machine of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a second embodiment of an edge exposure machine according to the present application;

FIG. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a third embodiment of an edge exposure machine according to the present application;

fig. 5 is a schematic structural view of a second discharge port including a plurality of second through holes in the edge-exposing machine of fig. 4.

Detailed Description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the drawings in the embodiments of the present application, and it is obvious that the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present application, and not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments, which can be derived by a person skilled in the art from the embodiments given herein without making any creative effort, shall fall within the protection scope of the present application.

As shown in fig. 1, in a first embodiment of the present disclosure, an edge exposure machine 10 includes: an air blowing mechanism 101 and an exposure chamber 102. An air inlet 1021 is provided in the ceiling wall of the exposure chamber 102, and the air blowing mechanism 101 is configured to blow air into the exposure chamber 102 through the air inlet 1021. The bottom wall of the exposure chamber 102 is provided with a first exhaust port 1022 so that the residue inside the exposure chamber 102 is exhausted out of the exposure chamber 102 through the first exhaust port 1022.

The gas delivered by the blowing mechanism 101 is usually Clean and Dry gas (CDA), such as compressed nitrogen, and the specific type of the gas can be selected according to actual requirements, which is not limited herein.

The number of the air inlets 1021 and the number of the first exhaust ports 1022 may be one or more, and are specifically set according to actual requirements, which is not specifically limited herein.

Specifically, in one application example, when the PM is oiled or a person enters the inside of the exposure chamber 102 to work, dust is easily generated inside the exposure chamber 102, and PR residue is easily caused when the substrate is exposed. Therefore, before exposing the substrate, the exposure chamber 102 may first use the air supply mechanism 101 to supply CDA gas to the interior of the exposure chamber 102 through the air inlet 1021 arranged on the top wall of the exposure chamber 102, the CDA gas may generate an air flow to carry away large particle dust (greater than 0.3 μm) or residue such as oil gas easily causing PR residue inside the exposure chamber 102, and the air flow may be discharged out of the exposure chamber 102 through the discharge outlet 1022 arranged on the bottom wall of the exposure chamber 102, so as to provide a good environment for the exposure process, reduce PR residue generated in the exposure process, especially circular PR residue, and further improve yield of the display panel (such as a small and medium size display panel smaller than 15 feet).

Alternatively, the air supply mechanism 101 may be a device with a filtering function, such as an FFU (Fan Filter Unit), which is a self-powered modular end-air supply filtering device with a filtering function. The fan filter unit sucks Air from the top and filters the Air through HEPA (High Efficiency Air filter), and the filtered clean Air is uniformly sent out at the speed of about 0.45M/S +/-20% on the whole Air outlet surface. Of course, in another embodiment, as shown in fig. 2, the blower mechanism 101 may be a blower including a filter 1011. The filter 1011 may dry a gas (e.g., air) entering the filter 1011 to produce a clean dry gas for delivery into an exposure chamber.

In other embodiments, the bottom wall may be inclined to further improve the efficiency of the discharge of the residue.

Specifically, as shown in fig. 3, in the second embodiment of the edge exposure machine of the present application, the edge exposure machine 20 includes an air supply mechanism 101 and an exposure chamber 102. An air inlet 1021 is provided in the ceiling wall of the exposure chamber 102, and the air blowing mechanism 101 is configured to blow air into the exposure chamber 102 through the air inlet 1021. The bottom wall of the exposure chamber 102 is provided with a first exhaust port 1022 so that the residue inside the exposure chamber 102 is exhausted out of the exposure chamber 102 through the first exhaust port 1022.

An exposure platform 103 is arranged in the exposure chamber 102, the exposure platform 103 is used for bearing a substrate, the bottom wall of the exposure chamber 103 is arranged in an inclined manner, and a first included angle alpha is formed between the bottom wall and the first surface A; wherein the first surface a is parallel to the surface on which the exposure stage 103 is located.

The specific angle of the first included angle α can be set according to actual requirements, for example, 30 degrees. Optionally, the first included angle α is not greater than 45 degrees.

The exposure stage 103 may be a stage fixed inside the exposure chamber 102 for carrying a substrate, or may be a stage that is movable relative to the exposure chamber 102, for example, by being slidably connected to the exposure chamber 102 by a transfer table or a slide rail, so that the carried substrate can be moved into/out of the exposure chamber 102.

The inclined direction of the bottom wall can be leftward or rightward, and the inclined direction can be specifically set according to actual requirements, and is not specifically limited here.

Specifically, in one application example, the exposure stage 103 is disposed parallel to the horizontal plane, such as parallel to the XOY plane in fig. 3, that is, the first surface a is parallel to the XOY plane, the bottom wall of the exposure chamber 103 is disposed obliquely, and forms a first included angle α (e.g., 25 degrees) with the first surface a, so that when the CDA airflow in the exposure chamber 102 is conveyed from the top wall to the bottom wall, the CDA airflow is guided due to the oblique disposition of the bottom wall, and the efficiency of discharging the CDA airflow carrying the residues from the first discharge port 1022 of the bottom wall is improved.

Alternatively, in order to further improve the residue discharge efficiency and reduce the gas backflow, the bottom wall may be provided as an orifice plate, i.e., the first discharge port 1022 may include a plurality of first through holes 1022a formed in the bottom wall, the first through holes 1022a being used to discharge the residue inside the exposure chamber 102.

The first through holes 1022a may be uniformly distributed on the bottom wall in a grid shape. Of course, in other embodiments, the first through holes 1022a may be randomly distributed on the bottom wall.

Specifically, in the above application example, when the CDA airflow in the exposure chamber 102 is conveyed from the top wall to the bottom wall, since the bottom wall is formed with the plurality of first through holes 1022a, the first through holes 1022a can be uniformly distributed in the grid shape on the bottom wall, the CDA airflow carrying the residue can be fully discharged out of the exposure chamber 102 through the plurality of first through holes 1022a, the gas rebounds less and flows back, and therefore the discharge effect of the residue can be improved.

Alternatively, as shown in fig. 3, the edge-exposing machine 20 may further include an illumination mechanism 104 disposed on a side of the exposure stage 103 facing the air inlet 1021, and a mask 105 disposed between the illumination mechanism 104 and the exposure stage 103.

The illumination mechanism 104 is for providing a light beam, and the mask 105 has pattern information for generating outgoing light containing the pattern information to expose a substrate placed on the exposure stage 103.

The illumination mechanism 104 may be an ultra-high pressure mercury lamp, which emits UV ultraviolet light.

Specifically, in an application example, the pattern information of the mask 105 may be a pattern exposing an edge of a substrate, the substrate coated with a photoresist is covered by the mask 105 and enters the exposure chamber 102, the UV ultraviolet light emitted by the illumination mechanism 104 passes through the mask 105 and is emitted onto the substrate, and after the exposed substrate is developed, the photoresist on the edge of the substrate may be removed. In other application examples, the edge exposure machine may also be a projection type exposure machine, and an optical lens group may be disposed between the mask and the exposure platform according to requirements, which is not specifically limited herein.

Optionally, referring further to fig. 3, the edge-exposing machine 20 further comprises a waste collection mechanism 106, wherein the waste collection mechanism 106 is in communication with the first discharge port 1022 for collecting the residue discharged from the first discharge port 1022.

The waste collection mechanism 106 may include a filter device for filtering the residue in the air stream, and the filtered air stream may be recycled. The waste collection mechanism 106 may also be a mechanism that includes a vacuum negative pressure line by which the residue may be transported to a facility where the waste is centrally disposed of.

As shown in fig. 4, in the third embodiment of the edge exposure machine of the present application, the structure of the edge exposure machine 30 is similar to that of the second embodiment of the edge exposure machine of the present application, and the same points are not repeated, except that: the edge-exposing machine 30 of the present embodiment further includes a base plate 107 for supporting the edge-exposing machine 30, and a second discharge port 1071 is formed in a position of the base plate 107 corresponding to the bottom wall, for discharging the residue discharged from the first discharge port 1022 out of the edge-exposing machine 30.

Specifically, in one application example, in order to further reduce the air flow backflow and improve the residue discharge effect, in the present embodiment, the bottom plate 107 supporting the edge-exposing machine 30, for example, the raised floor supporting the edge-exposing machine 30, is provided as an orifice plate having the second discharge port 1071, and the bottom plate 107 is disposed with respect to the bottom wall of the exposure chamber 102. When the air current that carries the residue is discharged from first exhaust port 1022, because the bottom plate 107 that sets up with this diapire relatively is provided with second discharge port 1071, this air current can be discharged out through second discharge port 1071, and can not be by the bounce-back backward flow to can further improve the emission effect of residue, and then provide good environment for the exposure processing procedure, reduce the PR of exposure process and remain, improve display panel's yield.

Alternatively, as shown in fig. 5, the second discharge port 1071 may include a plurality of second through holes 1071a formed in the bottom plate 107, a projection of the second through holes 1071a in the conveying direction of the gas at least partially coinciding with the first through holes 1022 a.

Specifically, since the bottom plate 107 is disposed opposite to the bottom wall of the exposure chamber 102, and the projection of the second through hole 1071a in the conveying direction of the gas at least partially coincides with the first through hole 1022a, when the gas flow carrying the residue is discharged from the first through hole 1022a, the gas flow can be discharged through the second through hole 1071a at least partially coinciding, and the blocking of the solid plate is less, the backflow is less, and the discharge efficiency is improved.

The base plate 107 may be a raised floor that supports the edge exposure machine 30 such that the edge exposure machine 30 is disposed on an upper level (level L20), and a lower level/bottom level (level L10) separated by the raised floor may be used for placing other devices such as an electrical box.

Optionally, as shown in fig. 4, the edge-exposing machine 30 of the present application further comprises a waste collection mechanism 108, wherein the waste collection mechanism 108 is communicated with the second discharge port 1071 for collecting the residue discharged from the second discharge port 1071.

The waste collection mechanism 108 may include a filter device for filtering the residue in the air stream, and the filtered air stream may be recycled. The waste collection mechanism 108 may also be a mechanism that includes a vacuum negative pressure line by which the residue may be transported to a facility where the waste is centrally disposed of.

The utility model provides an edge exposure machine utilizes air supply mechanism, air inlet through the setting of exposure cavity roof is to the inside conveying gas of exposure cavity, utilize this gas can easily lead to the remaining residue of PR to carry exposure cavity bottom with the inside large granule of exposure cavity or the volatile oil gas of photoresistance etc. to discharge the exposure cavity through the first discharge opening that the diapire set up, thereby can provide good environment for the exposure processing procedure, reduce the PR that the exposure process produced and remain, and then improve display panel's yield.

The above description is only for the purpose of illustrating embodiments of the present application and is not intended to limit the scope of the present application, and all modifications of equivalent structures and equivalent processes, which are made by the contents of the specification and the drawings of the present application or are directly or indirectly applied to other related technical fields, are also included in the scope of the present application.

Claims

1. An edge exposure machine is characterized by comprising: an air supply mechanism and an exposure chamber;

the top wall of the exposure cavity is provided with an air inlet, and the air supply mechanism is used for conveying air into the exposure cavity through the air inlet;

a first discharge port is formed in the bottom wall of the exposure chamber, so that residues in the exposure chamber are discharged out of the exposure chamber through the first discharge port;

an exposure platform is arranged in the exposure chamber and used for bearing a substrate; the bottom wall of the exposure chamber is obliquely arranged, and a first included angle is formed between the bottom wall and the first surface;

wherein the first surface is parallel to the surface of the exposure platform;

the first discharge port comprises a plurality of first through holes formed in the bottom wall, and the first through holes are used for discharging residues in the exposure chamber;

the edge exposure machine further comprises a bottom plate for supporting the edge exposure machine, and a second discharge port is formed in the position, corresponding to the bottom wall, of the bottom plate and used for discharging the residues discharged by the first discharge port out of the edge exposure machine;

the second discharge port includes a plurality of second through holes formed in the bottom plate, and a projection of the second through holes in the conveying direction of the gas at least partially coincides with the first through holes.

2. The edge exposure machine of claim 1, wherein the first included angle is not greater than 45 degrees.

3. The edge exposure machine according to claim 1, wherein the first through holes are distributed on the bottom wall in a grid shape.

4. The edge exposing machine according to claim 1, further comprising a waste collecting mechanism connected to the first discharge port or the second discharge port for collecting the residue discharged from the first discharge port or the second discharge port.

5. The edge exposing machine according to claim 1, wherein the air supply mechanism comprises a filtering device for filtering air to obtain clean and dry air.

6. The edge exposure machine according to claim 1, further comprising an illumination mechanism disposed on a side of the exposure platform facing the air inlet, and a mask disposed between the illumination mechanism and the exposure platform, wherein the illumination mechanism is configured to provide a light beam, and the mask has pattern information for generating an outgoing light including the pattern information to expose a substrate placed on the exposure platform.