CN113448177A

CN113448177A - Drawing device, data processing device, drawing method, and drawing data generation method

Info

Publication number: CN113448177A
Application number: CN202110293334.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 鉈落信也; 八坂智; 增田胜太; 中津智史
Original assignee: Screen Holdings Co Ltd
Current assignee: Screen Holdings Co Ltd
Priority date: 2020-03-24
Filing date: 2021-03-18
Publication date: 2021-09-28
Also published as: KR20210119309A; TWI792211B; TW202205346A; JP2021152572A; KR102566081B1; JP7463154B2

Abstract

The data processing device generates first division data indicating the respective drawing contents of a plurality of first mesh areas obtained by dividing the initial drawing area indicated by the initial drawing data by the initial mesh width, and generates first drawing data by synthesizing the drawing contents of the respective first mesh areas based on the positions of the alignment marks of the first substrate and based on the positions of the respective first mesh areas after rearrangement. The data processing device generates second divided data indicating respective contents of a plurality of second grid regions obtained by dividing the first drawing region indicated by the first drawing data by a grid width larger than the initial grid width, and generates second drawing data indicating a second drawing region including a predetermined pattern by synthesizing the contents of the second grid regions based on the positions of the alignment marks of the second substrate and the positions of the second grid regions after the rearrangement.

Description

Drawing device, data processing device, drawing method, and drawing data generation method

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a technique for forming an image on a substrate based on drawing data, and more particularly, to a technique for correcting drawing data in accordance with the shape of the substrate.

Background

A direct writing apparatus is known which scans a target surface of a substrate such as a printed circuit board, a semiconductor substrate, or a liquid crystal substrate with a laser beam or the like to write a circuit pattern. The circuit pattern is drawn by the direct drawing device according to the drawing data converted from the design data of the circuit pattern. The drawing data is data having a description format that can be processed by the direct drawing device.

The substrate may be slightly deformed by the treatment in the previous step, in addition to the warp and twist originally possessed by the substrate itself. On the other hand, design data is generally produced without considering deformation of the substrate. Therefore, when the circuit pattern is drawn by directly using the converted drawing data, the yield may be lowered. Therefore, the shape of the substrate may be measured in advance by drawing performed by the direct drawing apparatus, and the drawing data may be corrected based on the obtained measurement result.

For example, in patent document 1, a drawing area of a substrate is virtually divided into a plurality of mesh areas, and divided drawing data indicating the contents of the drawing of each of the divided mesh areas is generated. During drawing, the positions of the mesh areas are rearranged based on the positions of alignment marks provided on the substrate to be drawn. Then, the drawing contents corresponding to the rearranged mesh regions are synthesized, thereby generating corrected drawing data.

Patent document 1: japanese patent application laid-open No. 2010-204421

However, in the case of the related art, the drawing data is generated by reconfiguring the mesh area based on the position of the alignment mark of each substrate. The size of the mesh area is constant regardless of the degree of deformation of the substrate, and therefore, the same degree of calculation processing is required each time the drawing data is generated. Therefore, a large amount of calculation resources or calculation time is required for the correction process of the drawing data corresponding to the deformation of the substrate.

Disclosure of Invention

An object of the present invention is to provide a technique for reducing calculation resources and calculation time required for correction processing of drawing data corresponding to deformation of a substrate.

In order to solve the above problem, a first aspect provides a drawing apparatus for drawing a predetermined pattern on a substrate. The drawing device comprises: an object stage for placing a substrate having a plurality of alignment marks; an imaging unit that images the alignment mark of the substrate placed on the stage; a data processing unit that generates drawing data; and an irradiation unit configured to irradiate the substrate placed on the stage with light based on the drawing data. The data processing section executes the following processing: a data acquisition process of acquiring initial drawing data indicating an initial drawing area including a predetermined pattern; a first division process of generating first division data indicating each of the drawing contents of a plurality of first mesh regions obtained by dividing the initial drawing region by an initial mesh width, based on the initial drawing data; a first mark position specifying process of specifying a position of the alignment mark of the first substrate based on a captured image obtained by capturing an image of the first substrate by the imaging unit; a first reconfiguration process of reconfiguring each of the first mesh areas based on a position of the alignment mark of the first substrate; first combining processing for combining the drawing contents of the first mesh areas indicated by the first divided data based on the positions of the first mesh areas rearranged by the first rearrangement processing, and generating first drawing data indicating first drawing areas including a predetermined pattern. Further, the data processing section executes the following processing: a second division process of generating second division data indicating each of the drawing contents of a plurality of second mesh regions obtained by dividing the first drawing region by a mesh width larger than the initial mesh width, based on the first drawing data; a second mark position specifying process of specifying a position of the alignment mark of the second substrate based on a captured image obtained by capturing an image of the second substrate by the imaging unit; a second reconfiguration process of reconfiguring each of the second mesh areas based on a position of the alignment mark of the second substrate; and second combining processing for combining the drawing contents of the second mesh areas based on the positions of the second mesh areas rearranged by the second rearranging processing, and generating second drawing data indicating second drawing areas including a predetermined pattern.

A drawing apparatus according to a second aspect is the drawing apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the second division processing includes: the data processing unit generates preliminary division data indicating respective drawing contents of the plurality of second mesh regions for each of a plurality of preliminary mesh widths by dividing the first drawing region by the plurality of preliminary mesh widths different from each other, and the second reconfiguration process includes: the data processing unit selects one pre-divided data from the plurality of pre-divided data based on the position of the alignment mark of the second substrate, and rearranges each of the second mesh regions indicated by the selected pre-divided data.

A drawing apparatus according to a third aspect is the drawing apparatus according to the first or second aspect, wherein the second reconfiguration process includes: the data processing unit determines the grid width based on a distortion between the alignment marks of the second substrate with respect to the first substrate.

A drawing apparatus according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the drawing apparatus according to the third aspect, wherein the second reconfiguration process includes: the data processing unit determines the grid width based on a distortion between two adjacent alignment marks.

A drawing apparatus according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the drawing apparatus according to the third or fourth aspect, wherein the second reconfiguration process includes: the data processing unit determines the grid width based on a distortion between the two alignment marks located at the corner.

A sixth aspect provides a data processing apparatus that generates drawing data used by a drawing apparatus that draws a predetermined pattern on a substrate. The data processing apparatus includes: a processor; and a memory electrically connected with the processor. The processor performs the following processing: a data acquisition process of acquiring initial drawing data indicating an initial drawing area including a predetermined pattern; a first division process of generating first division data indicating each of the drawing contents of a plurality of first mesh regions obtained by dividing the initial drawing region by an initial mesh width, based on the initial drawing data; a first mark position determination process of determining a position of an alignment mark of a first substrate based on a captured image obtained by capturing an image of the first substrate; a first reconfiguration process of reconfiguring each of the first mesh areas based on a position of the alignment mark of the first substrate; first combining processing for combining the drawing contents of the first mesh areas indicated by the first divided data based on the positions of the first mesh areas rearranged by the first rearrangement processing, and generating first drawing data indicating first drawing areas including a predetermined pattern. In addition, the processor performs the following processing: a second division process of generating second division data indicating each of the drawing contents of a plurality of second mesh regions obtained by dividing the first drawing region by a mesh width larger than the initial mesh width, based on the first drawing data; a second mark position determination process of determining a position of the alignment mark of a second substrate based on a captured image obtained by capturing an image of the second substrate; a second reconfiguration process of reconfiguring each of the second mesh areas based on a position of the alignment mark of the second substrate; and second combining processing for combining the drawing contents of the second mesh areas based on the positions of the second mesh areas rearranged by the second rearranging processing, and generating second drawing data indicating second drawing areas including a predetermined pattern.

A seventh aspect provides a drawing method for drawing a predetermined pattern on a substrate. The drawing method comprises the following steps: a data acquisition process of acquiring initial drawing data indicating an initial drawing area including a predetermined pattern; a first division process of generating first division data indicating each of the drawing contents of a plurality of first mesh regions obtained by dividing the initial drawing region by an initial mesh width, based on the initial drawing data; a first mark position determination process of determining a position of an alignment mark of a first substrate based on a captured image obtained by capturing an image of the first substrate; a first reconfiguration process of reconfiguring each of the first mesh areas based on a position of the alignment mark of the first substrate; a first combining process of combining the drawing contents of the first mesh areas indicated by the first divided data based on the positions of the first mesh areas rearranged by the first rearranging process, and generating first drawing data indicating first drawing areas including a predetermined pattern; and a first drawing process of drawing the first substrate based on the first drawing data. Further, the drawing method includes the following processes: a second division process of generating second division data indicating each of the drawing contents of a plurality of second mesh regions obtained by dividing the first drawing region by a mesh width larger than the initial mesh width, based on the first drawing data; a second mark position determination process of determining a position of an alignment mark of a second substrate based on a captured image obtained by capturing an image of the second substrate; a second reconfiguration process of reconfiguring each of the second mesh areas based on a position of the alignment mark of the second substrate; a second combining process of combining the drawing contents of the second mesh areas based on the positions of the second mesh areas rearranged by the second reconfiguration process to generate second drawing data indicating second drawing areas including a predetermined pattern; and a second drawing process of drawing the second substrate based on the second drawing data.

An eighth aspect provides a drawing data generating method for generating drawing data used by a drawing apparatus for drawing a predetermined pattern on a substrate. The drawing data generation method includes the following steps: a data acquisition process of acquiring initial drawing data indicating an initial drawing area including a predetermined pattern; a first division process of generating first division data indicating each of the drawing contents of a plurality of first mesh regions obtained by dividing the initial drawing region by an initial mesh width, based on the initial drawing data; a first mark position determination process of determining a position of an alignment mark of a first substrate based on a captured image obtained by capturing an image of the first substrate; a first reconfiguration process of reconfiguring each of the first mesh areas based on a position of the alignment mark of the first substrate; first combining processing for combining the drawing contents of the first mesh areas indicated by the first divided data based on the positions of the first mesh areas rearranged by the first rearrangement processing, and generating first drawing data indicating first drawing areas including a predetermined pattern. Further, the drawing data generation method includes the following processes: a second division process of generating second division data indicating each of the drawing contents of a plurality of second mesh regions obtained by dividing the first drawing region by a mesh width larger than the initial mesh width, based on the first drawing data; a second mark position determination process of determining a position of an alignment mark of a second substrate based on a captured image obtained by capturing an image of the second substrate; a second reconfiguration process of reconfiguring each of the second mesh areas based on a position of the alignment mark of the second substrate; and second combining processing for combining the drawing contents of the second mesh areas based on the positions of the second mesh areas rearranged by the second rearranging processing, and generating second drawing data indicating second drawing areas including a predetermined pattern.

According to the drawing device of the first aspect, the second mesh area rearranged to generate the second drawing data is larger than the first mesh area rearranged to generate the first drawing data. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the calculation resources and the calculation time required for the process of rearranging the second mesh regions and the process of synthesizing the drawing contents of the second mesh regions.

According to the drawing apparatus of the second aspect, by generating a plurality of pieces of pre-division data by dividing the plurality of pieces of pre-division data by the plurality of pre-grid widths, it is possible to reduce the calculation resources and the calculation time as compared with the case of generating the division data for each substrate.

According to the drawing apparatus of the third aspect, the first drawing data can be effectively corrected based on the distortion between the alignment marks on the second substrate.

According to the drawing apparatus of the fourth aspect, the first drawing data can be effectively corrected based on the distortion between the two adjacent alignment marks on the second substrate.

According to the drawing apparatus of the fifth aspect, the first drawing data can be effectively corrected based on the distortion between the two alignment marks located at the corner portion of the second substrate.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a drawing system according to an embodiment together with a flow of data.

Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a drawing system according to the embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the exposure resolution and the drawn pattern in the exposure apparatus.

Fig. 4 is a diagram showing a flow of preparation processing executed by the data processing apparatus.

Fig. 5 is a conceptual diagram for explaining processing performed by the first division unit.

Fig. 6 is a diagram conceptually showing a case where the drawing region is divided into a plurality of first mesh regions.

Fig. 7 is a diagram showing a flow of processing executed by the imaging system according to the embodiment.

Fig. 8 is a diagram showing a flow of processing executed by the imaging system according to the embodiment.

Fig. 9 is a diagram showing the arrangement of a plurality of alignment marks Ma in an ideal state assumed in designing a circuit pattern.

Fig. 10 is a diagram showing the arrangement of alignment marks in the first substrate having deformation.

Fig. 11 is a diagram showing the first mesh areas rearranged according to the description of the rearrangement data.

Fig. 12 is a diagram showing a first drawing area defined by the drawing data generated by the combining unit.

Fig. 13 is a diagram conceptually showing a case where the first drawing area is divided by a preliminary mesh width larger than the initial mesh width.

Fig. 14 is a diagram for explaining a flow of obtaining the second mesh width based on the distortion between two adjacent points.

Fig. 15 is a diagram for explaining a flow of obtaining the second grid width based on the deformation of the entire substrate.

Description of the reference numerals:

1 drawing device

2 data processing device

201 processor

203 RAM

204 storage unit

21 converting part

22 first division part

23 reconfiguration part

24 synthesis part

25 second division part

3 Exposure device

31 drawing controller

32 object stage

33 irradiating part

34 imaging part

9. 91, 92 substrate

D20 initial segmentation data

D21 segmenting the data set in advance

DD0 initial drawing data

DD1 and DD2 drawing data

DM1 and DM2 mark shot data

DP Pattern data

DS1, DS2 reconfiguration data

Ma alignment mark

RA0 initial drawing region

RA1 first drawing area

RA2 delineates an area

RE1 first grid area

RE2 second grid area

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The constituent elements described in the present embodiment are merely examples, and the scope of the present invention is not intended to be limited thereto. In the drawings, the size and number of the respective portions are exaggerated or simplified as necessary for easy understanding.

< embodiment >

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a drawing system 100 according to an embodiment together with a flow of data. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of the drawing system 100 according to the embodiment. The imaging system 100 includes an imaging device 1 and a pattern designing device 4. The imaging apparatus 1 is a direct imaging apparatus that scans the target surface 9a of the substrate 9 with the exposure laser beam LB to image an exposure image as a circuit pattern on the target surface 9a of the substrate 9.

The drawing device 1 includes a data processing device 2 (data processing unit) that generates drawing data DD, and an exposure device 3 that performs drawing (exposure) based on the drawing data DD. The data processing apparatus 2 and the exposure apparatus 3 are not necessarily provided integrally, and may be physically separated as long as data can be transmitted and received therebetween.

As shown in fig. 2, the data processing apparatus 2 includes a processor 201, a ROM202, a RAM203, and a storage unit 204, which are electrically connected to each other by a bus BS 1. The processor 201 includes a CPU or GPU, etc. The RAM203 is a storage medium capable of reading and writing information, and specifically is an SDRAM. The storage unit 204 is a non-transitory recording medium capable of reading and writing information, and includes an HDD (hard disk drive) or an SSD (solid state drive). The storage unit 204 stores a program P.

The processor 201 executes the program P stored in the storage unit 204 with the RAM203 as a work area. Thereby, the data processing device 2 generates the drawing data DD.

Input unit 205 and display unit 206 are electrically connected to bus BS 1. The input unit 205 is configured by, for example, a keyboard, a mouse, and the like, and receives an input of a command, a parameter, and the like. The display unit 206 is configured by, for example, a liquid crystal display or the like, and displays various information such as processing results and messages. Further, a reading device 207 is connected to the bus BS1, and the reading device 207 reads recorded content from a removable recording medium RM (an optical disk, a magnetic disk, a semiconductor memory, or the like). The program P may be read from the recording medium RM by the reading device 207 and stored in the storage unit 204. The program P may be stored in the storage unit 204 via a network.

The exposure device 3 and the pattern designing device 4 are connected to the bus BS 1. The data processing device 2 generates the drawing data DD used in the exposure device 3 based on the pattern data DP created by the pattern design device 4. The pattern data DP is design data of the circuit pattern. The pattern data DP is usually described as vector data such as a polygon. The exposure device 3 performs exposure based on the drawing data DD described as raster data. Thus, the data processing apparatus 2 converts the pattern data DP into raster data. As will be described later, the drawing apparatus 1 generates drawing data DD corrected in accordance with the deformation of the substrate 9 to be drawn. Therefore, even with the deformed substrate 9, the exposure apparatus 3 can favorably draw the circuit pattern based on the corrected drawing data DD.

The exposure apparatus 3 performs a drawing process on a plurality of substrates 9 one by one. Therefore, the data processing device 2 generates the drawing data DD corresponding to the respective deformations for the plurality of substrates 9 processed by the exposure device 3. The first substrate 9 subjected to the drawing process in the exposure apparatus 3 is referred to as a substrate 91. Further, the substrate 92 is used as the second and subsequent substrates 9 on which the drawing process is performed after the substrate 91 in the exposure apparatus 3. The data processing device 2 generates drawing data DD1 and drawing data DD2 as drawing data DD for performing drawing processing on the substrate 91 and the substrate 92.

As shown in fig. 1, the data processing device 2 has a conversion section 21, a first division section 22, a rearrangement section 23, a synthesis section 24, and a second division section 25. The conversion section 21, the first division section 22, the reconfiguration section 23, the synthesis section 24, and the second division section 25 are functions realized in a software manner by the processor 201 executing the program P. Each processing unit may be realized by a dedicated circuit such as an ASIC (application specific integrated circuit) in a hardware manner. The pattern data DP, the initial drawing data DD0, the division condition data DC, the initial division data D20, the marker capture data DM, the rearrangement data DS (rearrangement data DS1 and DS2), the drawing data DD (drawing data DD1 and DD2), and the previously divided data set D21 shown in fig. 1 are data stored in the RAM203 or the storage unit 204 as appropriate.

The conversion unit 21 acquires pattern data DP from the pattern designing apparatus 4, and converts the pattern data DP into initial drawing data DD 0. The initial rendering data DD0 is data in a grid format that can be processed by the exposure device 3. The first divider 22 generates initial divided data D20 based on the initial rendering data DD0 and the division condition data DC.

The reconfiguration section 23 generates reconfiguration data DS based on the marker imaging data DM. The mark imaging data DM represents an imaging image obtained by the imaging unit 34 of the exposure apparatus 3 imaging the alignment mark Ma provided on the substrate 9 placed on the stage 32. The image pickup unit 34 acquires mark image pickup data DM1 obtained by picking up an image of the alignment mark Ma of the substrate 91 and mark image pickup data DM2 obtained by picking up an image of the alignment mark Ma of the substrate 92. The rearrangement unit 23 generates rearrangement data DS1 based on the marker imaging data DM 1. Further, the rearrangement unit 23 generates rearrangement data DS2 based on the marker imaging data DM1 and DM 2.

The synthesizing unit 24 generates drawing data DD1 based on the initial segmentation data D20 and the rearrangement data DS 1. The second divider 25 generates a previously divided data set D21 based on the drawing data DD 1. Further, the synthesizing unit 24 generates drawing data DD2 based on the rearrangement data DS2 and the previously divided data set D21.

In the data processing device 2, details of the processing performed by the conversion unit 21, the first division unit 22, the rearrangement unit 23, the synthesis unit 24, and the second division unit 25 will be described later.

The exposure device 3 performs drawing on the substrate 9 in accordance with the drawing data DD supplied from the data processing device 2. As shown in fig. 1, the exposure apparatus 3 includes a drawing controller 31 that controls the operations of the respective sections, a stage 32 on which the substrate 9 is placed, an irradiation section 33 that emits the laser beam LB, and an imaging section 34 that images the target surface 9a of the substrate 9 placed on the stage 32. The type of the laser beam LB is appropriately determined depending on the photosensitive material or the like applied to the target surface 9a of the substrate 9.

In the exposure apparatus 3, at least one of the stage 32 and the irradiation portion 33 is movable in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction, which are horizontal biaxial directions orthogonal to each other. Therefore, in a state where the substrate 9 is placed on the stage 32, the exposure apparatus 3 can irradiate the laser beam LB from the irradiation portion 33 while relatively moving the stage 32 and the irradiation portion 33 in the main scanning direction. Further, the stage 32 may be movable in a rotational manner in a horizontal plane, or the irradiation unit 33 may be movable in a vertical direction.

The irradiation unit 33 includes a light source (not shown) for emitting laser light, and a modulation unit 33a such as a DMD (digital micromirror device) for modulating the laser light emitted from the light source. The drawing controller 31 irradiates the substrate 9 on the stage 32 with the laser beam LB modulated by the modulator 33 a. More specifically, the drawing controller 31 sets on/off of the irradiation of the laser beam LB for each modulation unit of the modulator 33a in accordance with the description of the drawing data DD defining the presence or absence of exposure for each pixel position. Then, while the irradiation unit 33 is relatively moved in the main scanning direction with respect to the stage 32, the drawing controller 31 emits the laser beam LB from the irradiation unit 33 in an on/off setting, thereby irradiating the substrate 9 on the stage 32 with the laser beam LB modulated based on the drawing data DD.

When scanning to one end of the scanning region in the main scanning direction, the scanning controller 31 moves the stage 32 by a predetermined distance in the sub-scanning direction. Then, the drawing controller 31 scans the other end portion of the drawing area in the main scanning direction. In this way, the scanning in the main scanning direction and the movement of the stage 32 in the sub-scanning direction are alternately repeated a predetermined number of times by the scanning controller 31, thereby forming an exposure image based on the scanning data DD on the target surface 9a of the substrate 9.

The imaging unit 34 images a plurality of alignment marks Ma of the substrate 9 placed on the stage 32. The captured image of the alignment mark Ma is supplied as mark captured data DM to the reconfiguration section 23 of the data processing device 2.

The alignment mark Ma is provided on the target surface 9a of the substrate 9. The alignment mark Ma may be an alignment mark provided by machining such as a through hole, or may be an alignment mark formed by patterning by a printing process, a photolithography process, or the like.

< basic concept of correction processing >

Next, the correction processing performed when the data processing device 2 generates the drawing data DD will be described. In general, the pattern data DP is created on the assumption that the substrate 9 having a flat screen and an ideal shape is drawn without distortion. However, warpage or distortion may occur in the actual substrate 9, and distortion or the like may occur due to processing in a previous step. Therefore, even if a circuit pattern is drawn on the substrate 9 while the pattern data DP is held, it is difficult to obtain a desired circuit pattern. Therefore, the data processing device 2 converts the position (coordinates) of the circuit pattern described in the pattern data DP to form a circuit pattern corresponding to the shape of the substrate 9. In short, the correction processing performed when generating the drawing data DD is coordinate conversion processing. The data processing device 2 performs correction processing in consideration of the exposure resolution in the exposure device 3, as described below.

Fig. 3 is a diagram for explaining the relationship between the exposure resolution and the drawn pattern in the exposure device 3. Further, an X axis corresponding to the main scanning direction and a Y axis corresponding to the sub scanning direction are shown in fig. 3.

In the exposure apparatus 3, exposure is performed by moving the stage 32 in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction with respect to the irradiation portion 33. Therefore, a side inclined at the inclination angle α 1 with respect to the X direction, such as the graph F1 shown in fig. 3 (a), is described as being similar to the staircase graph F2 in the drawing data DD as shown in fig. 3 (b). At this time, the step of the stepwise pattern F2 corresponds to the exposure resolution in the sub scanning direction in the exposure apparatus 3. Hereinafter, the exposure resolution in the sub-scanning direction is referred to as "δ". As shown in fig. 3 (b), the stepped pattern F2 is drawn from (1) to (8) in stages by a plurality of scans in the main scanning direction.

In the correction process for generating the drawing data DD including the pattern F1, it is not necessary to generate coordinate values that faithfully represent the pattern F1, and coordinate values that represent the stepped pattern F2 may be directly generated.

Fig. 3 (c) shows a case where the pattern F3 having the inclination angle α 2 smaller than the inclination angle α 1 of the pattern F1 is approximated with the staircase pattern F4 at the exposure resolution δ. The step width (length of each step in the main scanning direction) in the step pattern F2 is w1, and the step width of the step pattern F4 is w 2. Thus w2 > w 1.

Fig. 3 (d) shows the case where the pattern F3 is approximated at the exposure resolution δ as in fig. 3 (c). However, in fig. 3 (d), the step width w3 of the stepped pattern F5 of the approximation pattern F3 is set to w3 equal to 2 · w 1. In this case, although the accuracy of approximation is inferior to that of (c) in fig. 3, if δ is sufficiently small, the accuracy is practically sufficient.

When the inclination of the pattern F1 is the maximum inclination (the maximum distortion error with respect to the main scanning direction) allowable for the circuit pattern, the circuit pattern having a small inclination compared to the pattern F1 can be approximated with a stepwise pattern having steps of an integral multiple of δ and step widths of an integral multiple of w 1. The same discussion holds true in the sub-scanning direction (however, the exposure resolution in this case is defined by the size of the modulation unit 33 a). Therefore, when the correction processing (coordinate conversion processing) in consideration of the deformation of the substrate 9 is performed, the converted circuit pattern is drawn in the main scanning direction in units of a width determined based on the exposure resolution in the sub-scanning direction and in the sub-scanning direction in units of a width determined based on the exposure resolution in the main scanning direction.

As described above, the data processing device 2 divides the entire circuit pattern (drawing target image) expressed by the initial drawing data DD0, which is raster data obtained from the pattern data DP, into a plurality of mesh regions in advance. The grid region is rectangular, and the length of the vertical width is determined according to the exposure resolution and the allowable degree of pattern deformation. Then, the data processing device 2 obtains the drawing data DD by performing coordinate conversion for each mesh region. Such a series of processes corresponds to a correction process.

< operation of data processing apparatus >

Next, the processing executed by the data processing device 2 will be described in detail. The data processing device 2 performs preparation processing before actually performing drawing on the substrate 9. The result of the preparation process is used for drawing a circuit pattern on the substrate 9. The preparation process is explained with reference to fig. 4.

< preparation treatment >

Fig. 4 is a diagram showing a flow of preparation processing executed by the data processing apparatus 2. First, the conversion section 21 acquires the pattern data DP in the form of a vector from the pattern designing apparatus 4 (step S1 in fig. 4). The conversion section 21 converts the acquired pattern data DP into initial drawing data DD0 in a grid form (step S2 in fig. 4). The circuit pattern represented by the pattern data DP is drawn inside a rectangular drawing area set with respect to the target surface 9a of the substrate 9 in the exposure apparatus 3. As shown in fig. 1, the initial drawing data DD0 generated by the conversion unit 21 is transferred to the first division unit 22.

The first divider 22 obtains the initial mesh width of the mesh region for generating the initial divided data D20 from the initial drawing data DD0, in accordance with the description of the division condition data DC (step S3). The division condition data DC includes, as data elements, information for determining the maximum degree of deformation allowed for the circuit pattern at the time of correction processing, and the exposure resolutions in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction in the exposure device 3.

Fig. 5 is a conceptual diagram for explaining the processing performed by the first divider 22. Fig. 5 shows an X axis corresponding to the main scanning direction and a Y axis corresponding to the sub scanning direction. In fig. 5, a rectangle formed by the vertices A, B, C, D shown by solid lines indicates the initial drawing area RA0 of the circuit pattern in the pattern data DP or the initial drawing data DD 0. The coordinates of vertex a are (X1, Y1), the coordinates of vertex B are (X2, Y1), the coordinates of vertex C are (X2, Y2), and the coordinates of vertex D are (X1, Y2). When X2-X1 is Lx and Y2-Y1 is Ly, Lx and Ly denote the sizes of the initial drawing region RA0 in the main scanning direction and the sub scanning direction.

Four rectangles Sq1 to Sq4 (rectangles each composed of vertices a1 to a4, B1 to B4, C1 to C4, and D1 to D4) centered at the vertices A, B, C, D of the initial drawing area RA0 indicated by a dotted line indicate the range of errors that are allowed for the vertices at the time of correction processing. The error range corresponds to the maximum error range allowed for the constituent unit of the circuit pattern.

Here, the arbitrary rectangles Sq1 to Sq4 are also defined as p · Lx as the dimension in the X axis direction and q · Ly as the dimension in the Y axis direction (0 < p, q < 1). Then, a line segment connecting an arbitrary point in the rectangle Sq1 and an arbitrary point in the rectangle Sq2 represents a deformed state that can be obtained by the side AB in accordance with the deformation of the substrate 9. At this time, the deformation of the side AB to the line segment A3B1 (or the line segment A2B4) is the deformation that gives the maximum inclination that the side AB allows. The inclination angle α of the side A3B1 with respect to the line segment AB is the maximum inclination angle allowed by the side AB. The inclination angle α satisfies the following expression.

tan α ═ qLy/(X2-X1-pLx) ═ qLy/(1-p) Lx ≈ qLy/Lx · · formula (1)

The same holds true for the edge CD parallel to the edge AB. That is, even for the side CD, deformation up to the line segment C4D2 (or the line segment C1D3) having the inclination angle α is allowable. That is, in the main scanning direction, deformation from a state parallel to the main scanning direction to the inclination angle α is permitted. In addition, although fig. 5 shows the line segment C3D1 as an example of the deformation of the side CD, since the inclination angle α' of the deformation from the side CD to the line segment C3D1 is smaller than the inclination angle α, the deformation does not take into account the calculation of the initial mesh width of the mesh region.

Here, assuming that the exposure resolution in the sub-scanning direction is δ y, the initial grid width wx of the grid region in the main scanning direction is obtained by the following equation.

wx δ y/tana δ yLx/qLy · formula (2)

Similarly to the inclination angle α in the main scanning direction, the maximum inclination angle β that is allowable for the deformation of the side BC and the side DA in the sub scanning direction satisfies the following expression.

tan β -pLx/(Y2-Y1-qLy) ═ pLx/(1-q) Ly ≈ pLx/Ly · formula (3)

When the exposure resolution in the main scanning direction is δ x, the initial grid width wy of the grid region in the sub-scanning direction is obtained by the following equation.

wy δ x/tan β δ xLy/pLx · formula (4)

The exposure resolutions δ x and δ y of the exposure device 3 and the error range of the vertex A, B, C, D are provided in advance as the division condition data DC. Lx and Ly are known values determined from the initial drawing data DD0, and may be provided as data elements of the division condition data DC, for example. These are in any case known values. Based on these values, the first dividing unit 22 obtains initial mesh widths wx and wy of the mesh region according to the arithmetic expressions shown in expressions (3) and (4).

For example, the size of the drawing region is Lx ═ Ly 500mm, the exposure resolution is δ x ═ δ y ═ 1 μm, and the allowable error range of each vertex of the drawing region is pLx ═ qLy ═ 500 μm (that is, the allowable error range is 0.1% of the size of the drawing region). Thus, wx and wy are about 1 μm.

When the error ranges of the vertices A, B, C, D are different from each other, the initial mesh widths wx and wy can be obtained by the same method. When the error ranges of the vertices A, B, C, D in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction are set to (2axLx, 2ayLy, 2bxLx, 2byLy, 2cxLx, 2cyLy, and 2dxLx, 2dyLy), the initial mesh widths wx and wy of the first mesh region RE1 are expressed as follows.

wx ≈ Min { δ yLx/(ay + by) Ly, δ yLx/(cy + dy) Ly }. formula (5)

wy ≈ Min { δ xLy/(bx + cx) Lx, δ xLy/(dx + ax) Lx }. formula (6)

Returning to fig. 4, in step S3, the first divider 22 determines initial mesh widths wx and wy of the mesh region. In this way, the first divider 22 virtually divides the drawing area including the circuit pattern expressed by the initial drawing data DD0 into a plurality of areas (step S4). Then, the first divider 22 generates initial divided data D20 indicating the respective drawing contents of the plurality of first mesh regions RE1 obtained by the division from the initial drawing data DD0 (step S5) (see fig. 1).

Fig. 6 is a diagram conceptually showing a case where the drawing region is divided into the first mesh region RE 1. First, each region obtained by dividing the initial drawing region RA0 by the initial mesh widths wx and wy is set as a basic region RC 1. Then, a region around the basic region RC1 to which an additional region RC2 having a width corresponding to the exposure resolutions δ x, δ y in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction is added is set as one first grid region RE 1. In fig. 6, each rectangular region divided by a broken line is a basic region RC1, a frame-shaped region located around the basic region RC1 is an additional region RC2, and each rectangular region divided by a solid line is a first mesh region RE 1. As shown in fig. 6, adjacent first mesh regions RE1 overlap each other. The adjacent first mesh regions RE1 are overlapped in order to avoid generation of a space between the adjacent first mesh regions RE1 when the first mesh regions RE1 is moved according to the deformation of the substrate 9.

The first dividing unit 22 describes, in the initial divided data D20, the coordinates of the reference position Ms of each first mesh region RE1, which is a data element for specifying each first mesh region RE1, information on the content of drawing, and the dimensions mx and my in the main scanning direction and the sub scanning direction. The reference position Ms can be set arbitrarily, and for example, as shown in fig. 6, the center (center of gravity) of the first mesh region RE1 may be set as the reference position Ms. Further, since mx is wx +2 δ x and my is wy +2 δ y, the first divided part 22 may describe the initial mesh widths wx and wy and the exposure resolutions δ x and δ y in the initial divided data D20 instead of mx and my. When the first dividing unit 22 generates the initial divided data D20, the data processing device 2 ends the preparation process.

< flow of drawing processing >

Fig. 7 and 8 are diagrams illustrating a flow of processing executed by the imaging system 1 according to the embodiment. After the preparation process, the drawing apparatus 1 sequentially executes the drawing process for the plurality of substrates 9. First, as shown in fig. 7, the substrate 91 is carried into the stage 32 of the exposure apparatus 3 (step S11 in fig. 7). The substrate 91 may be carried in by manual work by a person or by a carrying device not shown. When the substrate 91 is placed on the stage 32, the imaging unit 34 images the alignment mark Ma provided on the target surface 9a of the substrate 91 (step S12 in fig. 7). The imaging area of the imaging unit 34 may be a size including the entire substrate 9, or may be a size including only one or a plurality of alignment marks Ma. In the latter case, all the alignment marks Ma may be imaged by moving the stage 32 in the horizontal biaxial direction. The captured image obtained by the capturing section 34 is supplied to the rearrangement section 23 (refer to fig. 1) as mark captured data DM1 through the drawing controller 31.

Fig. 9 is a diagram showing the arrangement of a plurality of alignment marks Ma in an ideal state assumed in designing a circuit pattern. As shown in fig. 9, the plurality of alignment marks Ma are arranged at equal intervals in the horizontal biaxial direction. For reference, fig. 9 also shows the arrangement of the reference position Ms of the first mesh region RE 1. When the alignment marks Ma are arranged at equal intervals (in an ideal state), the reference positions Ms of the first mesh region RE1 are also arranged at equal intervals. In addition, the solid lines and the broken lines shown in fig. 9 are for assisting understanding of the drawings, and are not observed on the substrate 9.

When the actual substrate 9 is not deformed, the alignment marks Ma are provided at equal intervals as shown in fig. 9. On the other hand, when the substrate 9 is deformed, the position of the alignment mark Ma deviates from the ideal position. The degree of deformation can vary depending on the substrate 9. In the exposure apparatus 3, in order to form a desired pattern on each substrate 9, the position of the alignment mark Ma as an index of deformation of the substrate 9 is determined by actually measuring each substrate 9.

Returning to fig. 7, the rearrangement unit 23 specifies the coordinates of each alignment mark Ma set on the substrate 91 based on the mark imaging data DM1, and stores the specified coordinates as the first mark coordinate information in the storage unit 204. (step S13 in FIG. 7). The coordinates can be determined by, for example, performing known image processing such as binarization processing or pattern recognition on the captured image.

Fig. 10 is a diagram showing the arrangement of the alignment marks Ma in the first substrate 91 having deformation. Each alignment mark Ma of the ideal configuration shown in fig. 9 is shown by a dotted line + mark in fig. 10. The reconfiguration section 23 reconfigures each of the first mesh areas RE1 in accordance with the deformation of the substrate 91 based on the determined coordinates of each of the alignment marks Ma (step S14 in fig. 7). Specifically, the rearrangement unit 23 specifies the rearranged coordinates of the reference position Ms of each first mesh area RE1 based on the position coordinates of the alignment mark Ma located around each first mesh area RE 1. That is, the rearrangement unit 23 specifies the position of each first mesh region RE1 when rearranging the first mesh regions RE1 (see fig. 6) arranged regularly in an ideal state according to the shape of the substrate 91.

For example, the reconfigured coordinates of the reference positions Ms1, Ms2, Ms3, Ms4 shown in fig. 10 are determined based on the coordinates of the alignment marks Ma1, Ma2, Ma3, Ma4 (or a part thereof) located therearound. The reference position Ms at which the reconfigured coordinates are determined is illustrated in fig. 10. In addition, a known coordinate conversion method can be used to determine the coordinate of the reference position Ms. As an example, focusing on the triangle formed by the alignment marks Ma1, Ma2, and Ma4, a matrix is obtained which represents affine transformation from the triangle in the case of the ideal arrangement shown in fig. 9 to the triangle based on the actual arrangement shown in fig. 10. Then, the coordinate conversion of the reference position Ms can be performed using the matrix obtained.

The rearrangement unit 23 obtains the coordinates of the reference position Ms of each of the first mesh areas RE1 after the rearrangement, and generates rearrangement data DS1 (see fig. 1) indicating the coordinates of each of the first mesh areas RE1 after the rearrangement.

When the reconfiguration section 23 generates reconfiguration data DS1, the synthesis section 24 generates drawing data DD1 based on the initial divided data D20 and the reconfiguration data DS1 (step S15 in fig. 7). Specifically, the combining unit 24 shifts the position of each first mesh region RE1 from the ideal position to the position described in the reconfiguration data DS 1. Then, the synthesis unit 24 synthesizes the drawn contents of the shifted first mesh areas RE1 to generate one piece of drawing data DD representing the whole drawn contents of the drawn areas. Further, the displacement of first grid area RE1 is realized by moving the coordinates of the pixels constituting each first grid area RE1 in accordance with the coordinate movement (translational movement) of reference position Ms.

Fig. 11 is a diagram showing the first mesh regions RE1 rearranged in accordance with the description of the rearrangement data DS 1. As shown in fig. 11, a portion where drawing contents overlap is generated between adjacent first mesh regions RE 1. The contents of the overlapping portions are appropriately adjusted by a predetermined logical operation such as multiplication of the two.

Fig. 12 is a diagram showing the first drawing region RA1 defined by the drawing data DD1 generated by the synthesis unit 24. For reference, fig. 12 also shows the alignment mark Ma whose position is measured. Although not shown in fig. 11, a circuit pattern based on the content described in the initial divided data D20 is actually arranged in the drawing area RA 2.

The data processing device 2 transmits the drawing data DD1 generated by the combining unit 24 to the drawing controller 31. The drawing controller 31 controls the modulation unit 33a based on the drawing data DD1 to draw a circuit pattern on the target surface 9a of the substrate 91 (step S16 in fig. 7). The drawing data DD1 is data obtained by correcting the initial drawing data DD0 based on the deformation of the substrate 91 based on the arrangement of the alignment marks Ma. Therefore, the exposure apparatus 3 can accurately draw a desired circuit pattern on the substrate 91 by performing exposure based on the drawing data DD 1.

When the drawing process of the substrate 91 is completed, the next substrate 92 is drawn. Here, when the substrate 92 belongs to the same lot as the substrate 91, the difference between the deformation of the substrate 91 and the deformation of the substrate 92 is often small. When there is no difference in deformation between the

substrates

91 and 92, the drawing data DD2 for the substrate 92 can be made the same as the drawing data DD1 for the substrate 91. Even if there is a slight difference in deformation between the substrate 91 and the substrate 92, the drawing data DD1 may be corrected to have a grid width larger than the initial grid widths wx and wy. From this viewpoint, as will be described later, the data processing device 2 performs correction processing for generating the drawing data DD 2by correcting the drawing data DD1 in accordance with the deformation of the substrate 92.

In order to efficiently perform the correction process, the data processing device 2 virtually divides the first drawing region RA1 expressed by the drawing data DD1 into a plurality of preliminary grid widths wx and wy larger than the initial grid widths wx and wy in advance (step S17 in fig. 7). The size of each preliminary grid width may be, for example, an integer multiple (2, 3, 4) of the initial grid width wx, wy, but this is not essential. The second dividing unit 25 generates pre-divided data describing the drawing contents of each mesh region obtained by dividing each pre-mesh width. Thereby, the second divider 25 generates the previously divided data set D21 as a set of a plurality of divided data (step S18 in fig. 7).

Fig. 13 is a diagram conceptually showing a case where first drawing region RA1 is divided by a preliminary grid width larger than initial grid widths wx and wy. The example shown in fig. 13 is an example in which the second dividing unit 25 divides the first drawing region RA1 by preliminary grid widths 2wx and 2wy that are 2 times the initial grid widths wx and wy. The second dividing unit 25 sets each region divided by the preliminary mesh widths 2wx and 2wy as a basic region, as in the first dividing unit 22. Next, around the basic region, a region to which an additional region of a predetermined width is applied is set as one second mesh region RE 2. Thus, the adjacent second mesh regions RE2 overlap each other. When the second mesh region RE2 is set, the second divider 25 specifies the drawing contents of each second mesh region RE2 based on the drawing data DD1, and generates the pre-divided data in which the drawing contents of each second mesh region RE2 are described. The second dividing unit 25 also acquires the pre-divided data for other pre-mesh widths in the same manner as the method described with reference to fig. 13.

When the drawing process of the substrate 91 is completed, the substrate 91 is carried out of the exposure apparatus 3, and the next substrate 92 is carried into the exposure apparatus 3 (step S20 in fig. 8). Then, the image pickup section 34 picks up the alignment mark Ma of the substrate 92, thereby acquiring the mark pickup data DM2 (step S21 in fig. 8). The rearrangement unit 23 determines the coordinates of the alignment mark Ma of the substrate 92 based on the mark capturing data DM2, and saves the determined coordinates as second mark position information in the storage unit 204 (step S22 in fig. 8).

Further, the rearrangement unit 23 determines the second mesh width based on the first marker coordinate information and the second marker position information stored in the storage unit 204 (step S23). The second grid width is a grid width necessary for using the drawing data DD1 to correct relative deformation of the substrate 92 with respect to the substrate 91 (hereinafter, simply referred to as deformation of the substrate 92). The processing for obtaining the second grid width will be described below with reference to fig. 14 and 15.

< calculation of second mesh width based on deformation between two adjacent points >

Fig. 14 is a diagram for explaining a flow of obtaining the second mesh width based on the distortion between two adjacent points. First, the rearrangement unit 23 obtains the deformation of the substrate 92 from the positional relationship between two alignment marks Ma adjacent in the main scanning direction or the sub scanning direction. For example, as shown in fig. 14, attention is paid to two alignment marks Ma11, Ma12 adjacent in the main scanning direction. When the vector between the alignment marks Ma11, Ma12 obtained from the first mark coordinate information is denoted by a and the vector between the alignment marks Ma11, Ma12 obtained from the second mark coordinate information is denoted by b, the distortion between the alignment marks Ma11, Ma12 is obtained as the difference (Δ x1, Δ y1) between the components in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction of the vectors a, b (that is, the size of b-a). The grid widths wx1 and wy1 required for correcting the distortion between two points of the alignment marks Ma11 and Ma12 on the substrate 92 are considered.

Here, the grid widths wx1 and wy1 for correcting the amounts of deformation (Δ x1 and Δ y1) between the alignment marks Ma11 and Ma12 of the substrate 92 were examined. First, when the main scanning direction is examined, the exposure resolution δ x is set to a maximum distance over which the divided mesh region can be moved in order to maintain the drawing accuracy. Therefore, the minimum number of divisions between the alignment marks Ma11, Ma12 is a value obtained by dividing the deformation amount Δ x1 by the exposure resolution δ x. The sub-scanning direction is a value obtained by dividing the deformation amount Δ y1 by the exposure resolution δ y. Assuming that the distance between the alignment marks Ma11 and Ma12 on the substrate 92 is L11, the grid widths wx1 and wy1 necessary for correcting the distortion between the alignment marks Ma11 and Ma12 on the substrate 92 are obtained by the following equations.

wx1 ═ L11/(Δ X1/Δ X) · formula (7)

wy1 ═ L11/(Δ Y1/δ Y) · · formula (8)

The rearrangement unit 23 obtains the grid widths wx1 and wy1 necessary for correcting the distortion between the two adjacent alignment marks Ma in the above-described manner. Then, the minimum mesh widths wx1m and wy1m, which are the minimum of all the calculated mesh widths wx1 and wy1, are stored in the storage unit 204 as the first candidate of the second mesh width.

< calculation of second grid Width based on deformation of the entire substrate 92 >

Fig. 15 is a diagram for explaining a flow of obtaining the second grid width based on the deformation of the entire substrate 92. As shown in fig. 15, the entire deformation is based on the distance between two points selected from the alignment marks Ma21, Ma22, Ma23, and Ma24 located at four corners among all the alignment marks Ma and the deformation of the substrate 92 between the two points selected, for example, to determine the grid widths wx2 and wy 2. At least one alignment mark Ma exists between each of the alignment marks Ma21, Ma22, Ma23, and Ma 24.

For example, when the distance between the alignment marks Ma21 and Ma22 is L21 and the amount of deformation between the alignment marks Ma21 and Ma22 on the substrate 92 is Δ x2 and Δ y2, the grid widths wx2 and wy2 with respect to the alignment marks Ma21 and Ma22 on the substrate 92 are obtained by the following equations.

wx2 ═ L21/(Δ x2/Δ x) · formula (9)

wy2 ═ L21/(Δ y2/δ y) · formula (10)

The rearrangement unit 23 also obtains the grid widths wx2 and wy2 with respect to the other two alignment marks Ma in the same manner. The rearrangement unit 23 stores the minimum mesh widths wx2m and wy2m, which are the minimum of all the mesh widths wx2 and wy2, in the storage unit 204 as candidates of the second mesh width.

The rearrangement unit 23 selects the smaller one of the minimum grid widths wx1m and wx2m obtained in the main scanning direction as the second grid width wx 2. The rearrangement unit 23 selects the smaller one of the minimum grid widths wy1m and wy2m obtained in the sub-scanning direction as the second grid width wy 2.

Returning to fig. 8, when the second grid widths wx2 and wy2 are determined in step S23, the reconfiguration unit 23 determines whether or not the second grid widths wx2 and wy2 are smaller than the minimum preliminary grid width (step S231 in fig. 8). When the second grid widths wx2, wy2 are smaller than the minimum preliminary grid width (no in step S231), it is difficult to correct the drawing data DD1 matching the deformation of the substrate 92 using the preliminary divided data set D21. Therefore, the data processing device 2 returns to step S14, and generates the drawing data DD2 with respect to the substrate 92 using the initial division data D20.

When the second grid widths wx2, wy2 are larger than the minimum preliminary grid width (yes in step S231), the reconfiguration unit 23 determines whether or not the second grid widths wx2, wy2 are larger than the maximum preliminary grid width (step S24 in fig. 8). When the second grid widths wx2, wy2 are larger than the maximum previous grid width (yes in step S24), the data processing device 2 directly transmits the drawing data DD1 to the drawing controller 31. Thereby, the drawing controller 31 performs drawing of the substrate 92 using the drawing data DD1 (step S25 in fig. 8).

When the rearrangement unit 23 determines that the second mesh widths wx2 and wy2 are equal to or smaller than the maximum preliminary mesh width (no in step S24), the preliminary partition data to be used is determined from the preliminary partition data set D21 (step S26 in fig. 8). Specifically, the rearrangement unit 23 selects the previously-divided data generated with the largest previous mesh width among the previous mesh widths smaller than the second mesh width in the previously-divided data set D21. By selecting the pre-division data having the largest possible pre-mesh width in this way, the amount of computation required for the process of rearranging the second mesh region RE2 (step S27) and the process of combining the rendering contents of the second mesh regions RE2 (step S28), which will be described later, can be reduced.

The rearrangement unit 23 rearranges each of the second mesh regions RE2 described in the pre-divided data, based on the deformation of the substrate 92 with respect to the substrate 91, which is determined based on the first mark coordinate information and the second mark coordinate information, using the selected pre-divided data (step S27). The process based on the rearrangement by the rearrangement unit 23 is performed in the same manner as step S14 shown in fig. 7. The rearrangement unit 23 generates rearrangement data DS2 (see fig. 1) indicating the positions of the respective mesh areas after the rearrangement.

When the rearrangement unit 23 generates the rearrangement data DS2, the synthesis unit 24 generates the drawing data DD2 based on the previously divided data and the rearrangement data DS2 (step S28 in fig. 8). The previously divided data is data selected by the reconfiguration section 23 from the previously divided data set D21 in step S26. The process of generating the drawing data DD 2by the synthesizing unit 24 is performed in the same manner as in step S15 shown in fig. 7.

The data processing device 2 transmits the drawing data DD2 generated by the combining unit 24 to the drawing controller 31. The drawing controller 31 controls the modulation unit 33a based on the drawing data DD2 to draw a circuit pattern on the target surface 9a of the substrate 92 (step S29 in fig. 8).

Next, the data processing device 2 determines whether the drawing process is completed (step S30). When there is a substrate 9 to be drawn, the data processing device 2 returns to step S20, and repeats the processing of step S20 and subsequent steps. Thereby, the drawing process for the next substrate 9 is executed.

As described above, in the drawing apparatus 1, the drawing data DD2 for the second and subsequent substrates 9 is generated by correcting the drawing data DD1 for the first substrate 9. When the distortion of the second and subsequent substrates 9 with respect to the first substrate 9 is small, the amount of correction of the drawing data DD1 is small, and therefore, the calculation resources and the calculation time required for generating the drawing data DD2 can be reduced.

The size of second mesh region RE2 reconfigured in step S27 is larger than the size of first mesh region RE1 reconfigured in step S14. Thus, the number of second mesh regions RE2 is less than the number of first mesh regions RE 1. Therefore, the calculation resources or the calculation time required for the process of reconfiguration in step S27 and the process of synthesizing the drawing content in step S28 can be reduced in stages.

In the drawing apparatus 1, the first drawing region RA1 represented by the drawing data DD1 is divided in advance by a mesh width in advance of a different size, thereby generating the pre-divided data set D21. Therefore, the calculation resources or the calculation time can be reduced as compared with the case where the divided data is generated for each substrate 9.

The present invention has been described in detail, but the above description is illustrative in all aspects, and the present invention is not limited thereto. It is understood that numerous variations not illustrated can be devised without departing from the scope of the invention. The configurations described in the embodiments and the modifications may be appropriately combined or omitted unless contradictory to each other.

Claims

1. A drawing apparatus for drawing a predetermined pattern on a substrate,

comprising:

an object stage for placing a substrate having a plurality of alignment marks;

an imaging unit that images the alignment mark of the substrate placed on the stage;

a data processing unit that generates drawing data; and

an irradiation unit configured to irradiate the substrate placed on the stage with light based on the drawing data;

the data processing section executes the following processing:

a data acquisition process of acquiring initial drawing data indicating an initial drawing area including a predetermined pattern;

a first division process of generating first division data indicating each of the drawing contents of a plurality of first mesh regions obtained by dividing the initial drawing region by an initial mesh width, based on the initial drawing data;

a first mark position specifying process of specifying a position of the alignment mark of the first substrate based on a captured image obtained by capturing an image of the first substrate by the imaging unit;

a first reconfiguration process of reconfiguring each of the first mesh areas based on a position of the alignment mark of the first substrate;

a first combining process of combining the drawing contents of the first mesh areas indicated by the first divided data based on the positions of the first mesh areas rearranged by the first rearranging process, and generating first drawing data indicating first drawing areas including a predetermined pattern;

a second division process of generating second division data indicating each of the drawing contents of a plurality of second mesh regions obtained by dividing the first drawing region by a mesh width larger than the initial mesh width, based on the first drawing data;

a second mark position specifying process of specifying a position of the alignment mark of the second substrate based on a captured image obtained by capturing an image of the second substrate by the imaging unit;

a second reconfiguration process of reconfiguring each of the second mesh areas based on a position of the alignment mark of the second substrate; and

and a second combining process of combining the drawing contents of the second mesh areas based on the positions of the second mesh areas rearranged by the second reconfiguration process, and generating second drawing data indicating second drawing areas including a predetermined pattern.

2. The drawing device as defined in claim 1,

the second division process includes the following processes: the data processing unit generates preliminary division data indicating the respective drawing contents of the plurality of second mesh regions for each of a plurality of preliminary mesh widths by dividing the first drawing region by the plurality of preliminary mesh widths different from each other,

the second reconfiguration process includes the following processes: the data processing unit selects one pre-divided data from the plurality of pre-divided data based on the position of the alignment mark of the second substrate, and rearranges each of the second mesh regions indicated by the selected pre-divided data.

3. The drawing apparatus as defined in claim 1 or 2, wherein,

the second reconfiguration process includes the following processes: the data processing unit determines the grid width based on a distortion between the alignment marks of the second substrate with respect to the first substrate.

4. The drawing device as defined in claim 3,

the second reconfiguration process includes the following processes: the data processing unit determines the grid width based on a distortion between two adjacent alignment marks.

5. The drawing apparatus as defined in claim 3 or 4, wherein,

the second reconfiguration process includes the following processes: the data processing unit determines the grid width based on a distortion between the two alignment marks located at the corner.

6. A data processing device for generating drawing data used by a drawing device for drawing a predetermined pattern on a substrate,

the method comprises the following steps:

a processor; and

a memory electrically connected to the processor,

the processor performs the following processing:

a first mark position determination process of determining a position of an alignment mark of a first substrate based on a captured image obtained by capturing an image of the first substrate;

a second mark position determination process of determining a position of the alignment mark of a second substrate based on a captured image obtained by capturing an image of the second substrate;

7. A drawing method for drawing a predetermined pattern on a substrate,

the drawing method comprises the following steps:

a first drawing process of drawing the first substrate based on the first drawing data;

a second mark position determination process of determining a position of an alignment mark of a second substrate based on a captured image obtained by capturing an image of the second substrate;

a second reconfiguration process of reconfiguring each of the second mesh areas based on a position of the alignment mark of the second substrate;

a second combining process of combining the drawing contents of the second mesh areas based on the positions of the second mesh areas rearranged by the second reconfiguration process to generate second drawing data indicating second drawing areas including a predetermined pattern; and

and a second drawing process of drawing the second substrate based on the second drawing data.

8. A method for generating drawing data used by a drawing apparatus for drawing a predetermined pattern on a substrate,

the drawing data generation method includes the following steps: