JP2008020603A - Pattern correction method and pattern correction device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a pattern correction method in which an electrode disconnection part or the like can be corrected with a fine line of around 10 μm and a damage and contamination around the defective part are small. <P>SOLUTION: In the pattern correction method, a projecting part 3a of a shape meeting the defective part 2a is formed in a film 3 and a correction paste 4 is applied to the projecting part 3a and the projecting part 3a is brought into contact with the defective part 2a to transfer the correction paste 4 to the defective part 2a. Accordingly, the projecting part 3a is brought into contact with the defective part 2a and therefore, the circumference of the defective part 2a is prevented from being contaminated with the correction paste 4. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a pattern correction method and a pattern correction apparatus, and more particularly to a pattern correction method and a pattern correction apparatus for correcting a defective portion of a fine pattern formed on a substrate. More specifically, the present invention relates to a pattern correction method and a pattern correction device for correcting an open defect of an electrode that occurs in a manufacturing process of a flat panel display.

  In recent years, with the increase in size and definition of flat panel displays such as plasma displays, liquid crystal displays, and EL displays, the probability of defects in electrodes and liquid crystal color filters formed on glass substrates has increased. A method for correcting a defect has been proposed in order to improve the yield.

  For example, electrodes are formed on the surface of a glass substrate of a liquid crystal display. If this electrode is disconnected, apply the conductive correction paste (correction solution) attached to the tip of the application needle to the disconnection part, and apply the electrode several times while shifting the application position in the length direction of the electrode. It corrects (for example, refer patent document 1).

In addition, a film is provided so as to cover the defective part, the defective part and the film are removed almost simultaneously using laser light, and a correction ink (correction liquid) is applied to the removed part using the film as a mask. There is a method of peeling and removing (see, for example, Patent Documents 2 and 3).
JP-A-8-292442 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-125895 JP 2005-95971 A

  However, in the method of correcting the electrode, the conductive correction paste is attached to the tip of the application needle, and the correction paste is transferred to the disconnected portion. Therefore, the application diameter is determined by the flat surface size of the tip of the application needle, and is about 10 μm. It was difficult to realize the coating diameter, and it was also difficult to form a thin line using this.

  On the other hand, in the method using a film as a mask, it is possible to correct an electrode disconnection portion with a thin wire of about 10 μm, but since the film and the defective portion are removed almost simultaneously with a laser beam, a large laser power is required. There is a problem of damaging the periphery of the defective part. Further, since a hole is formed by laser ablation in the upper part of the film that is in close contact with the defective part, it is assumed that foreign matter (dust) generated at that time enters the gap between the film and the substrate and contaminates the vicinity of the defective part.

  Furthermore, if the adhesion between the hole around the hole in the film and the defective part is not improved, the correction ink is sucked into the gap between the film and the substrate by capillary action when the correction ink is applied to the hole, and the substrate is contaminated. It is also possible to do.

  Therefore, a main object of the present invention is to provide a pattern correction method and a pattern correction apparatus that can correct an electrode disconnection portion or the like with a thin wire of about 10 μm and that has little damage and contamination around the defect portion. .

  A pattern correction method according to the present invention is a pattern correction method for correcting a defective portion of a fine pattern formed on a substrate, wherein a protrusion having a shape corresponding to the defect is formed on a film, and a correction liquid is formed on the protrusion. Is applied, and the protrusion is brought into contact with the defective portion to transfer the correction liquid to the defective portion.

  Preferably, a groove is formed in the outer peripheral portion of the portion corresponding to the defect portion on the surface of the film, and a portion surrounded by the groove is used as a projection portion.

Preferably, a recess for storing correction fluid is provided on the surface of the protrusion.
Preferably, after the correction liquid is applied to the protruding portion, the protruding portion and the defective portion are opposed to each other with a predetermined gap, and the film is pressed against the substrate within a predetermined range, thereby bringing the protruding portion into contact with the defective portion. .

  Preferably, the film and the substrate are stretched almost in parallel so that the protrusion and the defect are opposed to each other with a predetermined gap.

  Preferably, a recess is formed on the surface of the substrate side of the film, a groove is formed in the outer peripheral portion of the shape corresponding to the defect portion in the bottom of the recess, and a portion surrounded by the groove is a protrusion, By aligning the protrusion and the defect and bringing the film and the substrate into contact with each other, the protrusion and the defect are opposed to each other with a gap.

  Moreover, the pattern correction apparatus according to the present invention is a pattern correction apparatus for correcting a defective portion of a fine pattern formed on a substrate, and forms a protrusion having a shape corresponding to the defect on the film. A correction liquid is applied, and the protrusion is brought into contact with the defective part to transfer the correction liquid to the defective part.

  In the pattern correction method and the pattern correction apparatus according to the present invention, a protrusion having a shape corresponding to the defect is formed on the film, the correction liquid is applied to the protrusion, and the protrusion is brought into contact with the defect to correct the correction liquid. Transfer to the part. Therefore, since a film is used, an electrode disconnection part etc. can be corrected with a thin wire of about 10 μm. Further, unlike the case where the film and the defective portion are removed simultaneously by irradiating the laser beam, the periphery of the defective portion is not damaged by the laser beam. Further, since the protruding portion is brought into contact with the defective portion, the periphery of the defective portion is not contaminated with the correction liquid.

  In the pattern correction method according to the present invention, the protrusion is formed on one plane of the film by laser ablation in accordance with the shape to be applied to the defective portion. After the correction paste is attached to the tip of the protrusion, alignment is performed so that the protrusion and the defect face each other with a gap. Thereafter, the film is pressed toward the substrate from the surface opposite to the protrusion, whereby the protrusion is pressed against the defect and the correction paste is transferred to the defect.

  Even if correction paste is attached around the protrusion, if the protrusion is sufficiently higher than the periphery of the protrusion, the correction paste attached around the protrusion will not be transferred at the time of transfer. Therefore, a modified paste layer having a shape substantially the same as the shape of the protrusion can be obtained. Hereinafter, a pattern correction method according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  FIGS. 1A and 1B are diagrams showing a pattern correction method according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1A and 1B, it is assumed that an electrode 2 that is a fine pattern is formed on the surface of a substrate 1, and an open defect portion (disconnected portion) 2a is generated in the electrode 2. In this pattern correction method, the protrusion 3a is formed on one plane of the film 3, the correction paste 4 is applied to the tip surface of the protrusion 3a, and the tip surface of the protrusion 3a is brought into contact with the defect 2a to correct the paste. 4 is transferred to the defective portion 2a. As the correction paste 4, a metal nano paste using metal nanoparticles such as gold or silver, a metal complex solution, or a metal colloid can be used.

  The front end surface of the protrusion 3a has, for example, a rectangular shape, and is longer than the defect 2a so that the correction paste 4 can be applied to the normal electrodes 2 located at both ends of the defect 2a. Thereby, while reducing the resistance value of a correction part, the adhesiveness of a correction part can be improved.

  As the film 3, for example, a thin polyimide film is used. The film 3 only needs to have a width sufficient for use in correction, and is, for example, a roll film slit to about 5 mm to 15 mm. The film 3 preferably has a thickness that allows the underside to be seen through, and has a thickness of, for example, about 10 to 25 μm.

  The protrusion 3a is formed by laser ablation. As the laser, a pulse laser such as a YAG third harmonic laser, a YAG fourth harmonic laser, or an excimer laser is used. For example, as shown in FIG. 2A, the laser unit 5 is fixed to the upper part of the observation optical system 6 and irradiates the film 3 with laser light through an objective lens 7 fixed to the lower end of the observation optical system 6. The laser irradiation range is determined by, for example, a variable slit (not shown) built in the laser unit 5, and the film 3 is processed into a cross-sectional shape of the laser beam condensed by the objective lens 7.

  The film 3 is placed below the objective lens 13 by the film placement unit 10. When the protrusion 3 a is formed on the film 3, the outer peripheral portion of the region left as the protrusion 3 a is laser ablated to form an annular groove 3 b in the film 3. The step of forming the groove 3b is preferably performed at a position away from the position of the defective portion 2a, or is performed by the film 3 alone so that the defective portion 2a is not irradiated with laser light.

  The film 3 is held in a state where it is folded horizontally and stretched horizontally by the left and right fixed rollers 11 and 12 and the fixed roller 13 provided above between them at a position away from the substrate 1. Is done. In the example of FIG. 2 (a), a laser beam is irradiated on the substantially central portion of the film surface 3P between the fixed rollers 12 and 13, and a groove 3b is formed in the outer peripheral portion of the region left as the protruding portion 3a. Since the groove 3b does not penetrate, foreign matter (dust) generated by laser ablation does not fall on the substrate 1. At the time of laser ablation, a shielding plate 14 may be inserted below the film 3 to receive foreign matter or laser light. If there is a space, the shielding plate 14 may be permanently installed. Further, the film 3 is folded and disposed below the film surface 3P, and the folded portion 3S may be used instead of the shielding plate 14.

  The film 3 is supplied from the film supply reel 15 and is collected by the film take-up reel 16 via the fixed rollers 13, 12, and 11, and a certain tension is applied to the film 3. A film placement unit 10 composed of these components includes a sub-XYZ stage (not shown) that moves an XY stage (not shown) that moves the substrate 1 in the horizontal direction, an observation optical system 6 and the like that moves vertically. It can be moved in the XYZ directions independently of a stage (not shown).

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the shapes of the protrusion 3a and the groove 3b. In FIG. 3, a groove 3 b is formed by laser ablation around the film surface 3 </ b> P on the side facing the laser portion 5, leaving a portion that becomes the protrusion 3 a. The protrusion 3a is formed according to the shape of the defect 2a. For example, the protrusion 3a has a width of 5 to 10 μm and a length of about 5 to 50 μm. In addition, in the example of FIG. 3, although the protrusion part 3a was processed into the linear shape, it is also possible to process the protrusion part 3a into other shapes, such as a U-shape and a dogleg shape.

  When laser processing is performed on the groove 3b around the protrusion 3a using a rectangular slit, the four sides of the protrusion 3a are processed into four grooves, so that laser light is applied to the groove 3b as shown in FIG. The region 3b1 irradiated only once and the region 3b2 irradiated with the laser beam twice are generated, and the region 3b2 is about twice as deep as the region 3b1. Therefore, the depth of the groove 3b is determined in consideration of the film thickness of the film 3 so that the region 3b2 does not penetrate the film 3. Further, when the correction paste 4 is applied to the protrusion 3a, even if the correction paste 4 sticks out of the protrusion 3a and adheres to the bottom of the groove 3b, the film thickness of the correction paste 4 is lower than the tip surface of the protrusion 3a. This will not be a problem at the time of transfer. For example, if the thickness of the correction paste 4 is 1 μm or less, the depth of the groove 3b may be about 2 to 5 μm.

  At the time when the formation of the protrusion 3a is completed, dust generated during laser ablation is scattered on the film surface 3P. In order to remove dust, a step of irradiating a laser beam with weak power over a wide range around the protrusion 3a may be included. At this time, by switching to the YAG second harmonic laser beam and irradiating a wide range centered on the hole 3a with a weak laser power, it is possible to remove only dust, and new dust may be generated. Is prevented.

  As described above, since the projection 3a is not processed by the laser beam in a state where the film 3 is attached or adhered to the defect 2a, the vicinity of the electrode 2 or the defect 2a is not damaged. Moreover, since the groove | channel 3b formed in the film 3 does not penetrate, dust does not adhere to the back surface of the film surface 3P.

  When the protrusion 3a is completed, the correction paste 4 is applied to the protrusion 3a in the state shown in FIG. In addition, when the objective lens 7 interferes at the time of application | coating, the objective lens 7 is evacuated upwards with the observation optical system 6 and the laser part 5. FIG.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the correction paste 4 is applied to the protrusion 3a. The correction paste 4 is applied to the protrusion 3a so that the correction paste 4 does not adhere to the outer periphery of the groove 3b. At this time, if the groove 3b is deeper than the film thickness of the correction paste 4, the correction paste 4 may adhere to the bottom of the groove 3b. For example, even if the correction paste 4 spreads in the region A indicated by the two-dot chain line, there is no problem as long as the spread portion is within the groove 3b.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the correction paste 4 is applied by bringing the tip of the application needle 20 into contact with the protrusion 3 a while the correction paste 4 is attached to the flat surface 20 a at the tip of the application needle 20. Apply. The flat surface 20a of the applicator needle 20 has a diameter of, for example, about 30 to 70 μm, and an appropriate diameter is selected according to the size of the formed protrusion 3a. It is preferable to select and apply the application needle 5 so that the area of the protruding portion 3a can be entirely accommodated on the flat surface 5a. However, when application is not possible at one time, the application needle 5 is divided into a plurality of times. The film 3 may be placed on the flat table 21 and applied. It is also possible to use the shielding plate 14 as the flat table 21.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the correction paste 4 may be applied to the protrusion 3 a using a microdispenser 22. The application method is not limited to these, and other methods may be used.

  Returning to FIG. 2, FIG. 2B shows a state in which the correction paste 4 is attached to the protrusion 3a. Thereafter, the film 3 is wound up in the R direction (clockwise direction in the drawing), and the protrusion 3a of the film 3 is inverted downward as shown in FIG. The protrusion 3a to which the correction paste 4 is attached is opposed to the substrate 1, and the position adjustment is performed based on the image processing result so that the defect 2a and the protrusion 3a are opposed by the relative movement of the substrate 1 and the film placement unit 10. To do. FIG. 2C shows a state where the position adjustment is completed. The position adjustment can also be performed manually.

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 8, the protrusion 3 a and the defect 2 a are opposed to each other with a certain gap G. The gap G is, for example, about 10 to 1000 μm. In this state, as shown in FIG. 9, when the film 3 is pressed against the substrate 1 side by the pressing member 23 from the opposite side of the protruding portion 3a, the film 3 is elastically deformed so that the protruding portion 3a contacts the defective portion 2a. The correction paste 4 attached to the part 3a is transferred to the defective part 2a. Here, an application needle having a flat surface 23 a at the tip is used as the pressing member 23. It is also possible to use the application needle 20 for applying the correction paste 4 shown in FIG. In this case, even if the correction paste 4 is attached to the tip of the application needle 20, it is pressed through the film 3, so that the substrate 1 is not contaminated.

  The pressing member 23 is capable of moving back and forth in a vertical direction along a guide (linear motion bearing) (not shown), and presses the film 3 only by its own weight of the movable part including the pressing member 23. Even if the pressing member 23 descends and comes into contact with the film 3, the pressing member 23 retracts upward along the guide, so that the flat surface 23a of the pressing member 23 is not overloaded. A driving means (not shown) for driving the pressing member 23 is time-controlled and controlled by a control means (not shown).

  If the pressing member 23 is retracted upward immediately after the protruding portion 3a contacts the defective portion 2a, the film 3 returns to its original state due to its elasticity, so that the protruding portion 3a has the defective portion 2a as shown in FIG. The correction layer 4A made of the correction paste 4 is formed so as to cover the defect portion 2a. After the film 3 is moved away from the defect 2a by the sub XYZ stage, the correction layer 4A is cured. As the curing process, an ultraviolet curing or a heat curing process is performed in accordance with the specification of the correction paste 4. After the curing treatment, if necessary, the correction layer 4A is further baked.

  In the above example, since the tip surface of the protrusion 3a and the film surface 3P are in the same plane, when the protrusion 3a with the correction paste 4 attached to the tip surface is pressed against the defect 2a by the pressing member 23, the correction paste 4 It is also assumed that is pushed out of the protrusion 3a. Therefore, countermeasures as shown in FIGS. 11A and 11B may be taken.

  In the method of FIG. 11A, the tip surface of the projection 3a is laser ablated so that the tip surface of the projection 3a is, for example, 1 to 2 μm lower than the film surface 3P. Thereby, when the pressing member 23 is pressed, the correction paste 4 is easily held in the gap between the tip end surface of the protruding portion 3a and the defective portion 2a. In the method shown in FIG. 11B, a recess 3c having a depth of 1 to 2 μm, for example, is formed on the tip surface of the protrusion 3a. In this case, storing the correction paste 4 in the recess 3c prevents the correction paste 4 from being pushed out of the protrusion 3a.

  In the correction method described here, the film 3 is arranged with a certain gap G with respect to the substrate 1, and when the gap G is as small as several tens of μm, the fixed rollers 11 and 12 contact the substrate 1. Therefore, a support member that supports each of the fixed rollers 11 and 12 so as to be movable in the vertical direction may be provided.

  When such a support member is provided, as shown in FIG. 12, the fixed roller 11 has a two-stage shape in which the small diameter portion 11A and the large diameter portion 11B are arranged coaxially, and the film 3 is placed on the small diameter portion 11A. The large diameter portion 11B is brought into contact with the substrate 1. In this case, the gap G is a dimension obtained by subtracting the film thickness of the film 3 from the radius difference between the small diameter portion 11A and the large diameter portion 11B. The fixed roller 12 has the same configuration as the fixed roller 11. In this case, the gap G can be easily adjusted.

  FIG. 13 is a cross-sectional view showing another method for adjusting the gap G between the protrusion 3a and the defect 2a. In this method, a recess 3d is provided on the surface of the film 3 facing the substrate 1, and a groove 3b is formed at the bottom of the recess 3d to form a protrusion 3a. At the time of correction, the correction paste 4 is applied to the tip surface of the protrusion 3a, and then the protrusion 3a is positioned on the defect 2a and the film 3 is placed on the substrate 1. Thereby, the protrusion 3a and the defect 2a are opposed to each other with a gap G corresponding to the depth of the recess 3d. With such a shape, it is possible to implement a method in which the film 3 is loosened by the reels 15 and 16 and hung in a substantially U shape, and its lower end is brought into contact with the substrate 1.

  Next, if the film surface on the opposite side of the protrusion 3a is pressed by the pressing member 23, the bottom portion of the recess 3d is elastically deformed so that the tip surface of the protrusion 3a contacts the defect 2a, and the tip of the protrusion 3a. The correction paste 4 is transferred from the surface to the defective portion 2a. The size of the recess 3d is set within a range in which the film 3 is deformed during application and the protrusion 3a can adhere to the defect 2a. For example, in the case of the film 3 having a thickness of 12.5 μm, the size of the recess 3 d is about 100 μm to 300 μm square and the depth is about 1 μm to 5 μm. The recess 3d may be formed by laser ablation, or may be formed by mechanical means such as transfer of a mold. The depression 3d may be formed continuously in advance in the extending direction of the film 3, or may be formed intermittently.

  If the defective portion 2a is corrected by such a method, the applied correction paste 4 is sucked into the gap between the substrate 1 and the film 3 by capillary action, and there is no fear of contaminating the substrate 1 over a wide range. . Moreover, since it is not necessary to arrange | position the film 3 with a clearance gap from the defect part 2a or the board | substrate 1, operation of the film 3 is simplified.

  Further, when the correction paste 4 is applied to the defective portion 2a through the hole formed in the film 3, if the correction paste 4 to be used has a high viscosity, it may be sucked into the gap between the substrate 1 and the film 3 by capillary action. However, it is also assumed that the correction paste 4 does not adhere to the defective portion 2a due to poor fluidity. On the other hand, if the protrusion 3a is formed on the film 3 and the correction paste 4 attached to the protrusion 3a is transferred to the defect 2a as described above, the suction of the correction paste 4 due to the capillary phenomenon is prevented. Therefore, the viscosity of the correction paste 4 may be small.

  According to the above pattern correction method, a thin line pattern can be easily formed, and can be applied to a place where pattern formation of 10 μm or less is necessary, for example, as in the electrode correction of a TFT (thin film transistor) panel of a liquid crystal panel. . In addition to the electrodes, the black matrix of the liquid crystal color filter has a line width of less than 20 μm as the definition becomes higher, and this correction can be applied.

  In addition, a projection 3a is formed on the film 3 in accordance with the shape of the defect 2a, and the correction paste 4 attached to the projection 3a is transferred to the defect 2a. Therefore, the gap between the film 3 and the substrate 1 is corrected by capillary action. Without the paste 4 being sucked in, it is possible to obtain the correction layer 4A having substantially the same shape as the tip surface of the protrusion 3a.

  The embodiment disclosed this time should be considered as illustrative in all points and not restrictive. The scope of the present invention is defined by the terms of the claims, rather than the description above, and is intended to include any modifications within the scope and meaning equivalent to the terms of the claims.

It is a figure which shows the pattern correction method by one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the pattern correction method shown in FIG. 1 concretely. It is a figure which shows the projection part and groove | channel shown in FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating concretely the formation method of the groove | channel shown in FIG. It is a figure for demonstrating the effect of the projection part shown in FIG. 3, and a groove | channel. It is a figure which shows the method of apply | coating correction paste to the projection part shown in FIG. It is a figure which shows the other method of apply | coating correction paste to the projection part shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which made the protrusion part with which correction paste was apply | coated oppose the defect part. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which pressed the film with the press member and made the projection part contact the defect part. It is sectional drawing which shows the state which retracted the press member shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing which shows the example of a change of this embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the other example of a change of this embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows the further another example of a change of this embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Board | substrate, 2 electrode, 2a Open defect part, 3 film, 3a protrusion part, 3b groove | channel, 3c recessed part, 3d hollow, 4 correction paste, 4A correction layer, 5 laser part, 6 observation optical system, 7 objective lens, 10 film Arrangement unit, 11-13 Fixed roller, 14 Shield plate, 15 Film supply roll, 16 Film take-up roll, 20 Coating needle, 20a Flat surface, 21 Flat stand, 22 Micro dispenser, 23 Press member, 23a Flat surface.

Claims (7)

A pattern correction method for correcting a defective portion of a fine pattern formed on a substrate,
A protrusion having a shape corresponding to the defect is formed on the film, a correction liquid is applied to the protrusion, and the correction liquid is transferred to the defect by bringing the protrusion into contact with the defect. A pattern correction method.   2. The groove according to claim 1, wherein a groove is formed in an outer peripheral portion of a portion of the surface of the film corresponding to the defect portion, and the portion surrounded by the groove is the protrusion. Pattern correction method.   The pattern correction method according to claim 1, wherein a recess for storing the correction liquid is provided on a surface of the protrusion.   After the correction liquid is applied to the protrusion, the protrusion and the defect are opposed to each other with a predetermined gap, and the film is pressed against the substrate within a predetermined range, whereby the protrusion is The pattern correction method according to claim 1, wherein the pattern is brought into contact with a portion.   The pattern correction method according to claim 4, wherein the protrusion and the defect are opposed to each other with a predetermined gap by stretching the film substantially parallel to the substrate.   A recess is formed on the surface of the film on the substrate side, a groove is formed in an outer peripheral portion of a shape corresponding to the defect portion in the bottom of the recess, and a portion surrounded by the groove is the protrusion. 5. The protrusion and the defective portion are aligned and the film and the substrate are brought into contact with each other, whereby the protrusion and the defective portion are opposed to each other with a gap therebetween. The pattern correction method described in 1. A pattern correction apparatus for correcting a defective portion of a fine pattern formed on a substrate,
A protrusion having a shape corresponding to the defect is formed on the film, a correction liquid is applied to the protrusion, and the correction liquid is transferred to the defect by bringing the protrusion into contact with the defect. A pattern correction device.

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