JP2001201862A - Peripheral aligner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve the throughput and the working rate of a peripheral aligner. SOLUTION: A light source unit 14A and a light source unit 14B are respectively movable in ±X directions along a support member 12A and a support member 12B. The support members 12A and 12B are made to travel in ±Y directions, while emitting light beams from both light source units 14A and 14B, so that the photoresist of the peripheral part of a glass substrate G is exposed. In the state where either the light source units 14A or 14B is turned off, peripheral exposure operation is continued by the other light source unit. This, the continuation of the peripheral exposure operation by only the other light source unit is attained during the cool-down and the warm-up periods of a lamp needed at exchanging of the lamp of the other light source unit. Also, at exposing of an exposure object area along one line, both light source units 14A and 14B are moved in tandem along one line.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a process for manufacturing a glass plate or an IC substrate used for an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or a PDP (Plasma Display Panel) or the like. The present invention relates to a peripheral exposure apparatus that irradiates light to a photoresist applied to a portion other than a region where a pattern or the like is exposed.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a lithography step, which is one step of manufacturing a liquid crystal display panel or the like, a projection exposure apparatus having a projection optical system incorporated therein is used. The image of the pattern formed on the mask is projected onto the photoresist coated surface on the substrate by the projection optical system. The substrate has a portion where a pattern is exposed by the above-described process, that is, a pattern region, and a region where the pattern is not exposed, that is, a non-pattern region. This non-pattern area needs to be irradiated with light. The reason is that a positive resist is applied to the substrate. That is, the unexposed portion of the positive resist remains on the substrate even after development. In particular, when a photoresist is applied on a substrate by spin coating, the thickness of the photoresist is greater at the peripheral portion than at the central portion of the substrate. In general, the peripheral portion of the substrate is often a non-pattern region, and the photoresist remaining without being removed has a property that the photoresist is more easily peeled off as the film thickness increases. The positive resist may be peeled off during a later processing step and may be scattered as small pieces (particles). These particles cause a reduction in the yield of a substrate to be exposed, such as a liquid crystal display panel. Also, even if no peeling occurs, when a post-process such as CVD is performed on the substrate, if the photoresist is left around the substrate or the like, the thickness of the thin film formed in the pattern region may be uneven. There is also.

Therefore, it is common practice to irradiate a photoresist in a non-pattern area with light to expose the photoresist, and to remove unnecessary resist in a subsequent development step. As described above, various devices that irradiate a non-pattern region on a substrate by scanning a spot light emitted from a light source to irradiate the non-pattern region on the substrate with light have been proposed. Hereinafter, in this specification, an apparatus that irradiates a non-pattern area on a substrate with light is referred to as a “peripheral exposure apparatus”. In addition, a portion irradiated with light in a non-pattern region on the substrate is referred to as a “peripheral exposure region”.

[0004] As the pattern formed on the substrate becomes finer, a projection exposure apparatus having a shorter wavelength has been used. Along with this, the photosensitive wavelength band of the photoresist applied to the substrate has also shifted to the shorter wavelength side. Therefore, a light source that emits light of a short wavelength such as a g-line or an i-line is also used as a light source for the peripheral exposure apparatus.

As a light source used in the peripheral exposure apparatus that can handle the above-mentioned photoresist, a light source of high luminance, for example, an ultra-high pressure mercury lamp or the like is used for the purpose of improving production efficiency. The reason is that, when trying to give the same dose to the photoresist, a shorter exposure time is required if a large amount of light source is used. In other words, the speed at which the spot light emitted from the light source is scanned can be increased, and the irradiation of the peripheral exposure region can be completed in a short time.

[0006]

However, the peripheral exposure apparatus has been required to further improve the production efficiency. In addition to improving the throughput by further shortening the time required for exposure, It is required to improve the operation rate.

One of the factors that lowers the operation rate is the downtime of the apparatus while replacing the light source lamp. To explain this, an ultra-high pressure mercury lamp emits high heat with a large amount of light. For this reason, it is necessary to leave for a while after the light emission is stopped until the temperature is reduced to such an extent that the lamp can be replaced (during cooling down). In addition, it is necessary to leave the lamp for a while after the replacement of the lamp is completed and after the lighting is started until the wavelength and the light amount are stabilized (during warm-up). During this time, the peripheral exposure apparatus must stop its operation, and the number of substrates to be processed is greatly reduced.

An object of the present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and has as its object to improve the throughput and operating rate of a peripheral exposure apparatus.

[0009]

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of the present invention.
The following invention will be described with reference to FIGS. (1) A plurality of illumination units for irradiating exposure light to a non-pattern area of a photosensitive substrate G having a pattern area where a pattern is to be formed and a non-pattern area different from the pattern area. It is applied to a peripheral exposure apparatus having 14A and 14B. The above-described object is achieved by having the exposure control unit 100 that selects and exposes a predetermined illumination unit among the plurality of illumination units 14A and 14B according to the individual state of the plurality of illumination units 14A and 14B. . (2) The peripheral exposure apparatus according to the invention described in claim 2 is:
The exposure controller 100 selects at least one of the plurality of illumination units 14A and 14B as a predetermined illumination unit. (3) The peripheral exposure apparatus according to the invention described in claim 3 is:
The exposure control unit 100 excludes the illumination unit 14A or 14B during maintenance or preparation for irradiation from selection targets. (4) The peripheral exposure apparatus according to claim 4 is:
The exposure control unit 100 selects a predetermined illumination unit based on the illumination light amounts of the illumination units 14A and 14B. (5) The peripheral exposure apparatus according to the invention described in claim 5,
Exposure control unit 100 is a lighting unit that can emit a predetermined amount of irradiation light as a predetermined lighting unit.
B is selected. (6) The peripheral exposure apparatus according to the invention described in claim 6,
The exposure control unit 100 controls the selected illumination unit 14A,
A series of exposure operations when exposing a non-pattern area is changed according to 14B. (7) The peripheral exposure apparatus according to the invention described in claim 7,
The exposure control unit 100 controls the selected illumination unit 14A,
A series of exposure operations when exposing a non-pattern area is changed according to the number of 14B. (8) The peripheral exposure apparatus according to the invention described in claim 8,
The lighting unit 14A (14B) is connected to the light source 40A (40
B) and condensing optical systems 65A, 66A (65B, 66B); the exposure control section 100 selects a predetermined illumination unit 14A, 14B according to the state of the light source 40A (40B). . (9) Referring to FIGS. 3, 6 and 7 showing one embodiment, the invention according to claim 9 is directed to a pattern region where a pattern is to be formed and a non-pattern region different from the pattern region. A plurality of illumination units 14A for irradiating the non-pattern area of the photosensitive substrate G having exposure light with exposure light;
14B is applied to a peripheral exposure apparatus. Then, the exposure target portion PA extending on the same line in the non-pattern region
Is exposed, at least two of the plurality of illumination units 14A and 14B are moved relative to the photosensitive substrate G along the same line. (10) An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3 and FIG. 6 showing an embodiment. A pattern region where a pattern is to be formed and a non-pattern region different from the pattern region are provided. Illumination units 14A and 1B for irradiating the non-pattern area of the photosensitive substrate G having the
The present invention is applied to an exposure method of exposing a non-pattern area with exposure light emitted from the illumination units 14A and 14B using a peripheral exposure apparatus having a plurality of 4Bs. The illumination units 14A and 14B for exposing the photosensitive substrate G are selected and exposed according to the individual states of the plurality of illumination units 14A and 14B.

In the section of the means for solving the above-mentioned problems, which explains the configuration of the present invention, the drawings of the embodiments of the present invention are used for easy understanding of the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited to this.

[0011]

FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating a schematic configuration of a peripheral exposure apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
In FIG. 1, the X axis is taken in the horizontal direction of the paper, the Y axis is taken in the vertical direction, and the Z axis is taken in the direction perpendicular to the paper. In the following description, the directions along these coordinate axes are appropriately set in the X, Y, and Z directions. Called. The directions in which the coordinate values increase are referred to as plus X direction, plus Y direction, plus Z direction, and the like, as necessary. In the other figures, the coordinate axes are shown so as to match the coordinate axes shown in FIG. 1 as appropriate.

-Main scanning direction driving mechanism-Four columns 6A, 6B, 6C and 6D are fixed to four corners of the upper surface of the surface plate 2. A guide rail 8A is fixed to the upper ends of the columns 6A and 6C, and a guide rail 8B is fixed to the upper ends of the columns 6B and 6D along the Y direction.

Two support members 12A and 12B are extended between the guide rails 8A and 8B along the X direction. Inside the guide rail 8A, a feed screw mechanism (not shown) that is driven to rotate independently of each other by main scanning motors 30A and 31A (not shown in FIG. 1, see FIG. 6) is built in along the Y direction. I have. Further, inside the guide rail 8B, a feed screw mechanism (not shown) that is driven to rotate independently from each other by main scanning motors 30B and 31B (not shown in FIG. 1, see FIG. 7) is built in along the Y direction. Have been. By rotating the main scanning motors 30A and 30B forward and backward, the support member 12A is moved in the ± Y direction
In this specification, the ± Y direction in FIG. 1 can be moved in the “main scanning direction”). Similarly, by rotating the main scanning motors 31A and 31B forward and backward, the support member 12B can be moved in the ± Y direction.

-Sub-scanning direction driving mechanism-The light source unit 14A is supported by the support member 12A, and the light source unit 14B is supported by the support member 12B so as to be movable in ± X directions. A feed screw mechanism (not shown) that is driven to rotate by a sub-scanning motor 32A (not shown in FIG. 1, see FIG. 6) is built in the support member 12A along the X direction. Similarly,
A feed screw mechanism (not shown) rotatably driven by a sub-scanning motor 32B (not shown in FIG. 1, see FIG. 6) is built in the support member 12B along the X direction. By independently rotating the sub-scanning motors 32A and 32B forward and backward, the light source units 14A and 14B can be independently rotated in the ± X directions (hereinafter, FIG.
Are referred to as “sub-scanning directions”).

By the main scanning direction driving mechanism and the sub-scanning direction driving mechanism described above, the light source units 14A and 14B are configured to be movable independently of each other in a two-dimensional direction along the XY plane.

-Light amount sensor-The light amount sensor 48 is a sensor for measuring the light amount of the light flux emitted from the light source units 14A and 14B. The light amount sensor 48 sequentially measures the light amounts of the light beams emitted from the light source units 14A and 14B prior to the peripheral exposure operation. Note that the light source unit 1 is
The reason for measuring the amount of light emitted from the light beams 4A and 14B will be described later.

-Plate holder-Referring to Fig. 2 showing a state viewed from the direction II shown in Fig. 1, a plate holder 4 on which a glass substrate G to be exposed is placed is mounted on the surface plate 2. It is rotatably supported around the Z-axis by the fixed plate holder support 5. A plurality of protrusions 4a are provided on the upper surface of the plate holder 4. The heights of the plurality of protrusions 4a are almost equal. A hole connected to a negative pressure source via a conduit (not shown) is formed on the upper surface of the plurality of projections 4a, and the glass substrate G to be exposed is placed on the plate holder 4. After that, it is absorbed and fixed.

-Light Source Unit-FIG. 3 is a diagram schematically illustrating an internal configuration of the light source units 14A and 14B, and includes an optical axis of the light source unit 14A (14B) extending in a direction parallel to the Z axis. 2 shows a cross section in a plane. Since the light source units 14A and 14B have the same configuration, in FIG.
The components of B are denoted by reference numerals in parentheses, and only the configuration of the light source unit 14A will be described.

Inside the light source unit 14A, an extra-high pressure mercury lamp 40A is fixed inside a reflecting mirror 62A. A relay lens 66A and a projection lens 65A are fixed below the reflecting mirror 62A, and the ultra-high pressure mercury lamp 40A
After being converged by the reflecting mirror 62A, the light flux emitted from the glass substrate G is guided to the photosensitive surface of the glass substrate G, that is, the surface on which the photoresist is applied, via the relay lens 66A and the projection lens 65A.

The shutter actuator 34A causes X
The shutter 63A driven in the direction along the Y plane transmits light emitted from the ultra-high pressure mercury lamp 40A to the relay lens 6A.
This is for switching between a state of guiding to the incident surface of 6A and a state of blocking. In general, a warm-up time of several tens of minutes after starting the lamp lighting is required until the light emitted from the ultra-high pressure mercury lamp is stabilized. Therefore, if it is necessary to temporarily stop the irradiation of the light emitted from the ultra-high pressure mercury lamp 40A after the peripheral exposure apparatus starts operating, the ultra-high pressure mercury lamp 40A is not turned off without being turned off. The light is shielded by the shutter 63A.

The blind 64A, which is driven by the blind actuator 36A, shapes the light beam irradiated on the glass substrate G into a rectangular shape,
A and 14B have a function of adjusting the width of a light beam along a direction orthogonal to the scanning direction. The blind 64A is arranged between the light emitting surface of the projection lens 65A and the photoresist coated surface of the glass substrate G so as to be as close as possible to the photoresist coated surface. Note that the blind 64A may be arranged at a position conjugate to the photoresist coating surface (the position indicated by the arrow C in FIG. 3) with respect to the projection lens 65A.

The loader 70 described below with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 may or may not be built in the peripheral exposure apparatus. The description will be made assuming that it is installed outside (near). In FIGS. 4 and 5, the peripheral exposure apparatus only shows the surface plate 20, the plate holder 4, and the plate holder supporting portion 5, and other components are not shown.

The loader 70 includes a peripheral exposure device and other devices,
For example, it is used for transporting a glass substrate G to be exposed to and from a coater / developer, a liquid crystal exposure apparatus, or the like. An arm 72 of the SCARA robot is installed on a base 75 installed on a floor or the like. The arm 72 has a degree of freedom of movement in a plane direction parallel to the XY plane, ± Z directions, and around the Z axis. This arm 72
A U-shaped transfer frame 73 is fixed to the end of the frame.
The glass substrate G is transported while being supported by the arms 73a of the transport frame 73.

The operation of the loader 70 when placing the glass substrate G on the plate holder 4 will be described with reference to FIGS. As described above, the plate holder 4 is provided with the plurality of protrusions 4a, and the loader 70 is provided with the arm in the space slightly above the protrusion 4a so that the arm 72 and the substrate G do not collide with the protrusion 4a. The glass substrate G supported by the unit 73a is transported. And the glass substrate G
When the loader reaches a predetermined position on the plate holder 4, the loader 7
0 moves the arm 72 in the minus Z direction to lower the glass substrate G. In this process, the glass substrate G comes into contact with the plurality of projections 4a, and then the glass substrate G is vacuum-adsorbed to the upper surface of the projection 4a. Thereafter, the loader 70 moves the arm 72 in the minus Y direction and retracts it outside the peripheral exposure device. Then, the peripheral exposure apparatus starts operating as described later.

-Control Circuit-FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a control circuit that controls the operation of the peripheral exposure apparatus described above. The control unit 100 that integrally controls the operation of the peripheral exposure apparatus includes main scanning motors 30A, 30B, 31A and 31B, sub-scanning motors 32A and 32B, shutter actuators 34A and 34B, and a blind actuator 36A.
And 36B, and ultra high pressure mercury lamps 40A and 4
0B is connected. The control unit 100 is further connected with an electromagnetic directional switching valve 50, a light amount sensor 48, a stage actuator 52, a light emission stop switch 49, and a light emission restart switch 51. The electromagnetic directional switching valve 50
This is for switching between a state in which communication is made between a hole formed in each of the protrusions 4a and a negative pressure source (not shown) and a state in which the connection is cut off. The stage actuator 52 is for rotating the plate holder 4 around a rotation axis parallel to the Z axis. The light emission stop switch 49 is a switch operated by an operator, and is a switch for setting to turn off any of the ultra-high pressure mercury lamps 40A and 40B. The light emission restart switch 51 is a switch operated by the operator, and is a switch for setting the light emission stop switch 49 to turn off the ultra-high pressure mercury lamp 40A or 40B which has been set to be turned off.

The control section 100 is also connected to a host computer 200. This host computer 2
Reference numeral 00 denotes a device for performing overall control of the manufacturing process by communicating with control circuits incorporated in a plurality of devices including the peripheral exposure device, and is provided outside the peripheral exposure device. The control unit 100 includes control parameters such as a process sequence when the glass substrate G to be exposed is mounted on the plate holder 4 and the host computer 200 exposes the glass substrate G, and a dose amount given to the exposed surface of the glass substrate G. In response to input of such information (recipe), control of the exposure operation described below is started.

-Operation of Peripheral Exposure Apparatus-The operation of the peripheral exposure apparatus configured as described above will be described with reference to FIGS. In the following description of operation, it is assumed that the warm-up of the ultrahigh pressure mercury lamps 40A and 40B has been completed after a considerable time has elapsed since the start of lighting, and the ultrahigh pressure mercury lamps 40A and 40B are in a stable state, that is, a state in which peripheral exposure can be performed.

According to the recipe input from the host computer 200, the control section 100 starts the peripheral exposure operation control. Here, first, a case will be described in which the periphery and four sides of the glass substrate G having a rectangular outer shape are exposed in a square shape. After the glass substrate G is placed on the plate holder 4, the control unit 100 controls the electromagnetic directional switching valve 50 so that the holes formed in the plurality of protrusions 4a communicate with the negative pressure source (not shown). Thereby, the glass substrate G is attracted and fixed to the plate holder 4.

The control unit 100 includes main scanning motors 30A,
0B, 31A, 31B and sub-scanning motors 32A, 32
By rotating B, the light emitting units of the light source units 14A and 14B are sequentially positioned above the light amount sensor 48, and the light amount of the light beam emitted from each light source unit is measured. Control unit 1
00 temporarily stores the value obtained by measurement.

Subsequently, the control unit 100 controls the light source units 14A and 14A based on the dose (exposure) included in the recipe information input from the host computer 200.
The moving speed when B is moved relative to the glass substrate G is calculated.

The controller 100 controls the shutter actuators 34A and 34B to control the shutters 63A and 63B.
Is closed so that no light flux is emitted from the light source units 14A and 14B. Subsequently, the control unit 100 controls the main scanning motors 30A, 30B, 31A, 31B and the sub-scanning motor 3
2A and 32B are controlled, and the light source units 14A and 14B are driven in the main scanning direction and the sub scanning direction to perform positioning. That is, the light emission positions of the light source units 14A and 14B are made to coincide with the peripheral exposure start position. Subsequently, the control unit 100 controls the blind actuators 36A, 36B based on the recipe input from the host computer 200.
And adjust the light source unit 1 according to the width of the peripheral exposure area.
The beam width of the light beam emitted from 4A, 14B is adjusted.

The control unit 100 controls the shutter actuators 34A and 34B to open the shutters 63A and 63B so that the light beams are emitted from the light source units 14A and 14B. Then, the main scanning motors 30A, 30B, 31A,
By controlling 31B, the light source units 14A and 14B are caused to scan in the main scanning direction. Light source units 14A and 14B
Scans the upper side of the glass substrate G at a substantially constant speed while being held by the supporting members 12A and 12B, and completes the peripheral exposure on two sides of the glass substrate G (two sides along the Y direction in FIG. 1). I do.

As described above, when the peripheral exposure of the two opposing sides of the glass substrate G is completed, the control unit 10
0 controls the shutter actuators 34A and 34B to close the shutters 63A and 63B,
The emission of the light beam from 14B is stopped.

Subsequently, the control unit 100 controls the stage actuator 52 to rotate the plate holder 4 by 90 degrees around a rotation axis parallel to the Z axis. Then, according to the recipe input from the host computer 200, the control unit 10
0 controls the sub-scanning motors 32A and 32B and the blind actuators 36A and 36B to control the light source unit 14;
The distance between the optical axes of A and 14B is changed and the beam size is changed.

Following the rotation of the plate holder 4, the change of the distance between the optical axes of the light source units 14A and 14B, and the change of the beam size, the control unit 100 controls the main scanning motor 3
By controlling 0A, 30B, 31A, and 31B, the light source units 14A and 14B are moved in the main scanning direction, and the light beam emission section is moved to the next peripheral exposure start position.

Subsequently, the control unit 100 controls the shutter actuators 34A and 34B to control the shutters 63A,
The main scanning motors 30A, 30B, 63B are opened by opening the light source unit 63B so that the light beams are emitted from the light source units 14A, 14B.
31A, 31B, and the light source units 14A, 14B
Are scanned in the main scanning direction.

By the above control operation by the control unit 100, the peripheral exposure of the four sides ("B" shape) of the glass substrate G is completed. In the above description, an example has been described in which the control unit 100 controls the blind actuators 36A and 36B to change the beam size according to the width of the peripheral exposure area when performing the peripheral exposure on the four sides of the glass substrate G. It is not necessary to change the beam size. That is, when performing the peripheral exposure of the four sides of the glass substrate G, the beam size may be kept small, and the extra light flux may escape to the outside of the glass substrate G.

When the pattern shape of the peripheral exposure region is not the shape of the letter "B", for example, the shape of the so-called "eye", "day", or "field", or a combination of these. If the pattern has the shape described above, the control unit 100 subsequently repeats the above-described peripheral exposure operation. At this time, when the number of lines forming the pattern of the peripheral exposure area is an even number,
Exposure is performed by scanning both A and 14B. On the other hand, when the number of lines constituting the pattern of the peripheral exposure area is an odd number, exposure of the remaining one line is performed by one of the three methods described below with reference to FIG. . FIG. 7 shows a part of the peripheral exposure apparatus shown in FIG. 1, and shows only the vicinity of the light source units 14A and 14B.

(1) Method of Performing Peripheral Exposure Using Only One Light Source Unit In the case of performing peripheral exposure using one of the light source units 14A and 14B, the control unit 100 controls each light source unit 14A, Based on the measurement result of the light amount of the light beam emitted from 14B, peripheral exposure is performed using a light source unit capable of emitting a light beam of a larger amount. Since the scanning speed can be increased by using the light source unit having the larger amount of light, the throughput of the peripheral exposure apparatus can be increased. (2) Method of Peripheral Exposure by Arranging and Scanning Light Source Units in Columns This method employs two light sources along the extending direction of a line forming a pattern PA of a peripheral exposure area as shown in FIG. In this method, the peripheral exposure is performed such that the units 14A and 14B are arranged in tandem. By scanning a plurality of light source units 14A and 14B in a column on one line as described above, the dose per light source unit 14A and 14B can be reduced. That is, since the scanning speed can be increased, the time required for peripheral exposure can be reduced, and the throughput of the exposure apparatus can be improved. (3) A method in which one line forming the pattern of the peripheral exposure area is shared by a plurality of light source units to perform the peripheral exposure. This method is similar to the method of the above (2). In this method, when exposing one of the lines forming the PA, the plurality of light source units 14A and 14B move along the one line to perform the peripheral exposure. The difference from the method (2) is that, as shown in FIG.
The point is that when the peripheral exposure is performed along the line A, the exposure regions of the plurality of light source units 14A and 14B are shared. In this case, the scanning speed cannot be increased,
Since the plurality of light source units 14A and 14B share the different areas on one line and perform the peripheral exposure, and the exposure is performed almost simultaneously, the scanning distance of each of the light source units 14A and 14B until the peripheral exposure is completed is reduced. Can be shortened. Therefore, the time required for peripheral exposure can be reduced.

In the above method, if one of the lines forming the pattern of the peripheral exposure area is exposed by the method (1), the light source unit which does not participate in the peripheral exposure operation is the peripheral light exposure unit. Move so as not to interfere with the light source unit participating in the operation.

-Peripheral exposure operation continuously performed when replacing the lamp-If any of the ultra-high pressure mercury lamps 40A and 40B needs to be replaced, the peripheral exposure apparatus according to the present invention is subject to replacement. The peripheral exposure operation can be continued with the extra high pressure mercury lamp that is not used. Hereinafter, the peripheral exposure operation at that time will be described with reference to FIGS. In the following, the replacement object is an ultra-high pressure mercury lamp 14
The description will be made assuming that 14A of A and 14B.

FIG. 8 is a timing chart schematically showing an example of an operation sequence of the peripheral exposure apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. The operation sequence shown in FIG.
It is controlled by the control unit 100 shown in FIG. FIG.
FIG. 9A shows an example of the pattern PA in the peripheral exposure area shown in FIG.
(B) and FIG. 9 (c) sequentially show how each line forming the pattern PA in the peripheral exposure area is exposed by the operation sequence shown in FIG. FIG.
The pattern PA of the peripheral exposure area shown in FIG. 9A is composed of the first to fourth lines extending in the vertical direction in the figure and the fifth to eighth lines extending in the horizontal direction. Hereinafter, these lines are simply referred to as “line 1”, “line 2”,.

First, a normal peripheral exposure operation will be described with reference to FIGS. 8 and 9B. In the present embodiment, since the peripheral exposure is usually performed by the two light source units 14A and 14B, the exposure of two lines is performed in one main scan. That is, the exposure of lines 1 and 4 is performed almost simultaneously on the outward path of main scanning, and the exposure of lines 2 and 3 is performed almost simultaneously on the return path. In FIG. 8, 14, 2 in the graph showing the operation timing of the main scanning.
, 58, 67,..., Which indicate that line 1 and line 4, line 2 and line 3, line 5 and line 8, and line 6 and line 7 in one main scan as described above. Each shows a state of being exposed almost simultaneously.
Subsequently, the plate holder 4 is rotated by 90 degrees, and the exposure of the lines 5 and 8 is performed almost simultaneously on the outward path of the main scanning, and the exposure of the lines 6 and 7 is performed almost simultaneously on the return path.
The above exposure operation is performed by the procedures A, B, C, and D shown in FIG.
Is shown in FIG. At this time, switching between irradiating and not irradiating the glass substrate G is performed by the control unit 100 controlling the shutter actuators 34A and 34B (FIG. 6), and the ultrahigh-pressure mercury lamps 40A and 40B are always turned on. ing.

Subsequently, while the peripheral exposure operation described above is being performed, the operator operates the light emission stop switch 49 (FIG. 6).
The control operation of the control unit 100 in the case where the setting is made to turn off the extra-high pressure mercury lamp 40A by operating is described.

For example, as shown in FIG.
If the operator operates the light emission stop switch 49 to turn off the ultra-high pressure mercury lamp 40A during the exposure operation of the line 3 (the timing indicated by the symbol A in FIG. 8), Does not turn off.
Then, the operator operates the light emission stop switch 4 as described above.
9 after the completion of the exposure performed at the time of operating 9 (the timing indicated by reference numeral B in FIG. 8)
Then, the super high pressure mercury lamp 40A is turned off. Therefore, there is no possibility that the ultra-high pressure mercury lamp 40A is turned off during the peripheral exposure and the glass substrate G is not a defective product. In addition, the operator can perform the above-described operation without worrying about how far the currently performed peripheral exposure operation has progressed, so that the operability of the peripheral exposure apparatus can be improved.

After turning off the ultra-high pressure mercury lamp 40A, the control unit 100 controls the peripheral exposure operation using a single light source as described below.

After the new glass substrate G is placed on the plate holder 4, the control unit 100 controls the main scanning motors 30A, 3A
1A and the sub-scanning motor 32A are controlled to move the light source unit 14A out of the peripheral exposure operation range. The light source unit 14A may not be moved outside the peripheral exposure operation range as described above, and may continue to move while not interfering with the movement of the light source unit 14B. In this case, the light source unit 14A may be retracted out of the peripheral exposure operation range and stopped only when the lamp is replaced. Subsequently, the control unit 100 controls the main scanning motors 30B and 31B and the sub-scanning motor 32B to move the light emitting unit of the light source unit 14B to the exposure start position of the line 1. Thereafter, the control unit 100 controls the main scanning motors 30B and 31B and the sub-scanning motor 32B to alternately perform the main scanning operation and the sub-scanning operation of the light source unit 14B. At the time of the above control operation, the control unit 100 controls the shutter actuator 34B to emit a light beam from the light source unit 14B only during the main scanning operation of the light source unit 14B. FIG. 9C shows an example of an exposure procedure when the peripheral exposure operation is performed in this manner. As shown in steps P to W in FIG. 9C, even when all the light source units are not turned on, the lines 4, 4, 3, 2, 5, 6, and 6 7, the peripheral exposure operation is continuously performed using the line 8 and the light source unit 14B which is not turned off. The state at this time is shown on the right side in the graph showing the operation timing of the main scanning in FIG. That is, in this graph, 4, 3, 2, 1,
There are parts marked 5, 6, 7, and 8 which are 1
.., Line 4, line 3, line 2,...

In the peripheral exposure operation using only the light source unit 14B, the light source unit 14A moves to a position where it does not interfere with the light source unit 14B participating in the peripheral exposure operation, so that the peripheral exposure operation can be performed continuously.
At this time, although the throughput is reduced as compared with the case where two light source units are used, the peripheral exposure operation can be performed continuously, so that a decrease in the operation rate of the peripheral exposure apparatus due to lamp replacement is suppressed to a minimum. be able to.

When a predetermined period of time has elapsed since the ultra-high pressure mercury lamp 40A was turned off and the temperature of the ultra-high pressure mercury lamp 40A has dropped to such an extent that it can be replaced, the operator changes the ultra-high pressure mercury lamp 40A to a new one. Replace with At this time, since the light source unit 14A is located outside the operating range of the light source unit 14B participating in the peripheral exposure operation,
Even when the lamp is replaced, the operation of the peripheral exposure apparatus can be continued. After replacing the ultra-high pressure mercury lamp 40A with a new one, the operator operates the light emission restart switch 51 (FIG. 6) to set the ultra-high pressure mercury lamp 40A to start lighting. When the control unit 100 detects the setting by the operator, the control unit 100 restarts energizing the ultrahigh-pressure mercury lamp 40A with the shutter 63A closed.

-Peripheral exposure operation after resumption of lamp lighting-New glass substrate G is maintained until the warm-up of extra-high pressure mercury lamp 40A is completed after a predetermined time has elapsed after re-energization of extra-high pressure mercury lamp 40A. Each time it is set, the peripheral exposure operation using only the light source unit 14B described above is repeatedly performed. After detecting that the operation of the ultrahigh-pressure mercury lamp 40A is stabilized, the control unit 100 restarts the peripheral exposure operation using all the light source units 14A and 14B at a sharp point. Here, the “fine place” means, for example, that the peripheral exposure operation performed when the operation stability of the ultra-high pressure mercury lamp 40A is detected is completed, and the peripheral exposure operation for a new glass substrate G is started. Indicates a point in time. Regarding this “good place”, from the viewpoint of minimizing the decrease in the operation rate of the peripheral exposure apparatus, the operation is performed immediately after the peripheral exposure operation performed when the operation stability of the ultra-high pressure mercury lamp 40A is detected is completed. It is desirable to start the peripheral exposure operation. But,
The peripheral exposure operation using all the light source units 14A and 14B may be restarted after several peripheral exposure operations have been postponed. Regarding the return timing control of the light source unit 14A, the light source unit 14A, which is performed when the operation stability of the ultra-high pressure mercury lamp 40A is detected, is determined.
After the scanning by only B is completed, the light source unit 14 is applied to the remaining pattern (line) of the peripheral exposure target.
A, 14B may be used to perform peripheral exposure.

The light emission stop switch 49 and the light emission restart switch 51 described above may be provided on a console (not shown) or operated by a keyboard or the like (not shown) by an operator. Is also good. Alternatively, the operator may operate a touch panel or the like provided on a display (not shown) that displays the operation state of the peripheral exposure apparatus.

The control unit 100 controls the ultra-high pressure mercury lamp 40A,
As a method of detecting the stability of the operation of the 40B, a voltage applied to the ultra-high pressure mercury lamp and a current flowing in the ultra-high pressure mercury lamp are measured, and the measurement result reaches a predetermined value. There is a way to detect Alternatively, the elapsed time from the start of lighting of the ultrahigh-pressure mercury lamp may be measured, and it may be detected that the time has reached a predetermined value. In addition, a luminance sensor, a radiation temperature measurement sensor, or the like may be provided to detect that the operation of the ultra-high pressure mercury lamp is stable based on the magnitude of a signal output from these sensors.

FIG. 10 shows the peripheral exposure operation performed after restarting the turning-on of the ultra-high pressure mercury lamp that has been turned off as described above.
This will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 10 is a timing chart schematically showing an example of an operation sequence of the peripheral exposure apparatus performed after the turned-off ultrahigh-pressure mercury lamp 40A restarts lighting. In FIG. 10, the operator operates the light emission restart switch 51 during the peripheral exposure operation performed after the substrate replacement performed at the timing denoted by the symbol α to set the restart of the lighting of the ultra-high pressure mercury lamp 40A. In accordance with this setting, the control unit 100 starts energization of the ultra-high pressure mercury lamp 40A (timing denoted by A in FIG. 10). The control unit 100 detects the completion of the stabilization of the operation of the extra-high pressure mercury lamp 40A by the above-described method (the timing denoted by the symbol B in FIG. 10). Thereafter, as a new glass substrate G is placed on the plate holder 4 (timing denoted by reference symbol β in FIG. 10), the controller 100 starts the peripheral exposure operation using all the light source units.

As described above, the operator can set the restart of the turned-on ultrahigh-pressure mercury lamp 40A without worrying about the operation state of the peripheral exposure apparatus, so that the operability can be improved. it can. Then, after the ultrahigh-pressure mercury lamp 40A whose lighting has been resumed has completed warming-up, the control unit 100 returns to the plurality of light source units 14A,
Since the peripheral exposure operation using 14B is automatically restarted, the peripheral exposure is not performed in an unstable light emitting state. Therefore, there is no possibility that the glass substrate G will be defective during the peripheral exposure due to the replacement operation of the ultra-high pressure mercury lamp. Further, regarding the replacement of the ultra-high pressure mercury lamp 40A, a display indicating that replacement is possible or an operator call is performed. Alternatively, until the operator is on standby, the light may be exchanged or the lit one may continue exposure.

As described above, after turning off the ultrahigh-pressure mercury lamp 40A to be replaced, wait for the cooling down to be completed, replace it with a new ultrahigh-pressure mercury lamp 40A, start lighting, and then warm up. Until the completion, the peripheral exposure can be continued with the remaining ultra-high pressure mercury lamp 40B. For this reason, it is possible to minimize a decrease in the processing capability of the peripheral exposure apparatus due to the replacement work of the light source lamp.

In the above description, both the light source units 14A and 14B can be moved on the entire exposure target area of the glass substrate G to be exposed. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described above. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, referring to FIG. 1, the light source unit 14A can move only in the left area, and the light source unit 14B can move only in the right area with respect to a center line extending in the Y direction of the glass substrate G. May be configured to be movable. In this case, when performing the peripheral exposure using a single light source unit, the peripheral exposure cannot be performed in the procedure as shown in FIG. 9C, so that the procedure described below with reference to FIG. Peripheral exposure may be performed.

FIG. 11A shows an example of the pattern PA in the peripheral exposure area as in FIG. 9A.
FIG. 11B shows a state in which the lines 1 to 8 forming the pattern PA in the peripheral exposure area are sequentially exposed. For example, when the ultrahigh-pressure mercury lamp 40A is to be replaced, the control unit 100 controls the peripheral exposure operation using only the light source unit 14B as follows. That is, the control unit 100 sequentially performs exposure of the line 4 and the line 3 (procedure K), and rotates the plate holder 4 90 degrees clockwise in FIG. Subsequently, the control unit 100 sequentially performs the exposure of the line 5 and the line 6 (procedure L), further rotates the plate holder 4 by 90 degrees in the clockwise direction, and sequentially performs the exposure of the line 1 and the line 2 (procedure M). . The control unit 100 further rotates the plate holder 4 by 90 degrees clockwise to expose the lines 8 and 7 (procedure N).

After exposing all the lines constituting the pattern PA in the peripheral exposure area as described above, the control unit 100 rotates the plate holder 4 270 degrees counterclockwise to return to the initial position. . Instead of rotating the plate holder 4 to the initial position by rotating it 270 degrees counterclockwise as described above, the plate holder 4 may be further rotated 90 degrees clockwise.
In this case, it is desirable to rotate the plate holder 4 in the opposite direction to that described above during the peripheral exposure performed on the next glass substrate G. By controlling the rotation of the plate holder 4 in this manner, the pneumatic system piping connected to the plate holder 4 and the electric system wiring are not twisted.

Although the peripheral exposure apparatus has been described as having two light source units 14A and 14B, the number of light source units may be three or more. In this case, when peripheral exposure is performed using all the light source units, the last remaining line number may be odd depending on the relationship between the number of lines forming the pattern of the peripheral exposure area and the number of light source units. In such a case, the remaining number of patterns obtained by dividing the number of lines forming the pattern of the peripheral exposure area by the number of light source units participating in the peripheral exposure may be exposed by some light source units.

In the above description, the super-high pressure mercury lamp 40A
The example in which the light source unit 14B is scanned in the main scanning direction when peripheral exposure is performed using only the light source unit 14B until the light source unit 14B can be used again until the light source unit 14B can be used again has been described. The peripheral exposure may be performed by scanning in the sub-scanning direction. That is, the light source units 14A and 14B are
Alternatively, it can be moved in a sub-scanning direction substantially orthogonal to the main scanning direction while being supported by 12B. Utilizing this, when the glass substrate G is placed as shown in FIG.
The light source unit 14B may be scanned in the main scanning direction for peripheral exposure on the long side and in the sub-scanning direction for peripheral exposure on the short side. In this case, it is desirable that the beam size of the light beam emitted from the light source unit is configured to be changeable in a two-dimensional direction. In the above, an example in which peripheral exposure is performed by the ultra-high pressure mercury lamp 40B when the ultra-high pressure mercury lamp 40A is to be replaced has been described. However, when the ultra-high pressure mercury lamp 40B is to be replaced, peripheral exposure is performed only by the light source unit 14A. Of course you can.

In the above description, in order to detect the amount of light emitted from the light source units 14A and 14B,
Although the example in which the light amount sensor 48 is provided on the surface plate 2 has been described, the light amount sensor 48 may be built in each of the light source units 14A and 14B.

In order to drive the plurality of light source units in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction, not only the feed screw mechanism described above but also other actuators and mechanisms such as a linear motor and a belt driving mechanism are used. It may be something.

In the above, the operation of performing the peripheral exposure of a glass substrate used for an LCD panel, a PDP panel, or the like has been described. However, the present invention can be applied to a device that performs the peripheral exposure of another substrate such as a wafer.

In the above description, the exposure of a linear line is performed. However, when driving the light source units 14A and 14B, the driving along the main scanning direction and the driving along the sub-scanning direction are combined. It is possible to expose even a non-pattern area to be subjected to peripheral exposure along a curve or a polygonal line.

In the above description, the plurality of light source units 14
A and 14B have been described in which the supporting members 12A and 12B are independently driven in the main scanning direction.
A plurality of light source units may be supported movably in the sub-scanning direction on one support member. in this case,
Since the plurality of light source units cannot be driven independently in the main scanning direction, the exposure described with reference to FIG. 7 cannot be performed. However, for example, while one of the light source units is warming up, exposure can be performed using the remaining light source units by the method described with reference to FIGS.

In the correspondence between the above-described embodiments and the claims, the ultra-high pressure mercury lamps 40A and 40B serve as light sources,
Relay lenses 66A, 66B and projection lens 65A,
65B is a light condensing optical system, and the light source units 14A and 14B
B configures an illumination unit, the glass substrate G configures a photosensitive substrate, and the control unit 100 configures an exposure control unit.

[0067]

As described above, according to the present invention, the following effects can be obtained. (1) According to the first or tenth aspect of the present invention, a predetermined lighting unit of the plurality of lighting units is selected and exposed according to the state of each of the plurality of lighting units, so that, for example, maintenance is performed. Exposure can be performed by selecting a unit other than the illumination unit, such as one that is in the middle, is preparing for irradiation, or has a reduced light amount, so that a decrease in the operation rate of the exposure apparatus can be suppressed. (2) According to the invention described in claim 2, the exposure control unit selects at least one of the plurality of illumination units as the predetermined illumination unit, thereby continuing the exposure operation with at least one illumination unit. And a reduction in the operation rate of the exposure apparatus can be suppressed. (3) According to the third aspect of the present invention, the exposure control unit excludes the illumination unit under maintenance or preparation for irradiation from the selection targets, so that the exposure can be continuously performed with the remaining illumination units. In addition, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the operation rate of the exposure apparatus. (4) According to the invention described in claim 4, the exposure control unit selects a predetermined illumination unit based on the illumination light amount of the illumination unit. Can be shortened, and the throughput of the exposure apparatus can be improved. (5) According to the invention described in claim 5, the exposure control unit selects an illumination unit capable of irradiating a predetermined amount of irradiation light as the predetermined illumination unit, thereby suppressing an increase in time required for exposure. be able to. (6) According to the invention described in claim 6, the exposure control unit changes a series of exposure operations when exposing a non-pattern area according to the selected illumination unit, thereby changing the selected illumination unit. The exposure operation can be performed in an optimal procedure according to the number, the state, the light amount, and the like, and the exposure time can be shortened to improve the throughput of the exposure apparatus. (7) According to the invention described in claim 7, the exposure control unit changes the series of exposure operations when exposing the non-pattern area in accordance with the number of selected illumination units, thereby selecting the selected unit. The exposure operation can be performed in an optimal procedure according to the number of illumination units, and the exposure time can be shortened to improve the throughput of the exposure apparatus. (8) According to the invention as set forth in claim 8, the illumination unit has a light source and a condensing optical system, and the exposure control unit selects a predetermined illumination unit according to a state of the light source. For example, by selecting an illumination unit according to the state of the light source such as during maintenance, turning off the light, preparing for irradiation, or decreasing the amount of light, the operating rate of the exposure apparatus can be reduced. It becomes possible to suppress. (9) According to the ninth aspect, when exposing an exposure target portion extending on the same line in the non-pattern area of the photosensitive substrate, at least two of a plurality of illumination units are aligned on the same line. , The exposure time can be shortened and the throughput of the exposure apparatus can be improved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating a schematic configuration of a peripheral exposure apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view illustrating a schematic configuration of a peripheral exposure apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view schematically showing a configuration example of a light source unit.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a loader that transfers an object to be exposed between the peripheral exposure apparatus according to the present embodiment and another apparatus.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining how an exposure target is set in a peripheral exposure apparatus by a loader;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram schematically showing a control circuit of the peripheral exposure apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a state in which a plurality of illumination units are moved along the same line when exposing an exposure target portion extending on the same line.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an operation sequence of the peripheral exposure apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, and illustrates a state where one of two light source units is turned off during the exposure operation. FIG.

FIG. 9 is a diagram sequentially illustrating an example of how peripheral exposure is performed using only some light source units.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an operation sequence of the peripheral exposure apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, and explains how the exposure operation using the light source unit apart from the exposure operation is restarted. FIG.

FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating another example in which peripheral exposure is performed using only some of the light source units.

[Explanation of symbols]

2 ... platen 4 ... plate holder 5 ...
Plate holder support 8A, 8B ... Guide rail 12A, 12B ...
Support members 14A, 14B Light source unit 30A, 30B, 31A, 31B Main scanning motor 32A, 32B Sub scanning motor 34A, 34B Shutter actuator 36A, 36B Blind actuator 40A, 40B Ultra-high pressure mercury lamp 48 Light intensity sensor 49: light emission stop switch 51: light emission restart switch 52: stage actuator 70: loader 100: control unit 200: host computer

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A peripheral exposure apparatus having a plurality of illumination units for irradiating exposure light to said non-pattern area of a photosensitive substrate having a pattern area where a pattern is to be formed and a non-pattern area different from said pattern area. An edge exposure apparatus, comprising: an exposure control unit that selects and exposes a predetermined illumination unit among the plurality of illumination units in accordance with individual states of the plurality of illumination units. 2. The peripheral exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the exposure control section selects at least one of the plurality of illumination units as the predetermined illumination unit. apparatus. 3. The peripheral exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the exposure control unit excludes a lighting unit during maintenance or preparation for irradiation from selection targets. 4. The peripheral exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the exposure control unit selects the predetermined illumination unit based on an illumination light amount of the illumination unit. . 5. The peripheral exposure apparatus according to claim 4, wherein said exposure control unit selects an illumination unit capable of irradiating a predetermined irradiation light amount as said predetermined illumination unit. . 6. The peripheral exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the exposure control unit performs a series of operations when exposing the non-pattern area according to the selected illumination unit. A peripheral exposure apparatus that changes an exposure operation. 7. The peripheral exposure apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the exposure control unit changes a series of exposure operations when exposing the non-pattern area according to the number of the selected illumination units. A peripheral exposure apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. 8. The peripheral exposure apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the illumination unit has a light source and a condensing optical system, and the exposure control unit is configured to perform the predetermined illumination according to a state of the light source. A peripheral exposure apparatus characterized by selecting a unit. 9. A peripheral exposure apparatus having a plurality of illumination units for irradiating exposure light to said non-pattern area of a photosensitive substrate having a pattern area on which a pattern is to be formed and a non-pattern area different from said pattern area. When exposing an exposure target portion extending on the same line in the non-pattern region, at least two of the plurality of illumination units are relatively moved with the photosensitive substrate along the same line. Peripheral exposure equipment. 10. A peripheral exposure apparatus having a plurality of illumination units for irradiating exposure light to said non-pattern area of a photosensitive substrate having a pattern area where a pattern is to be formed and a non-pattern area different from said pattern area. An exposure method for exposing the non-pattern area with exposure light emitted from the illumination unit, wherein an exposure unit for exposing the photosensitive substrate is selected and exposed according to an individual state of the plurality of illumination units. An exposure method comprising: