JP2008224754A - Division sequential proximity exposure method and division sequential proximity exposure device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a division sequential proximity exposure method and a division sequential proximity exposure device with which arbitrary patterns with different size can be transferred and exposed to an arbitrary position on a substrate by one exposure device to improve production efficiency and effectively use substrates without waste. <P>SOLUTION: The division sequential proximity exposure device PE includes a substrate holder 21 which holds a substrate W, a mask holder 12 which holds a mask M having a plurality of exposure patterns P of different sizes, an irradiation means 40 for irradiating the substrate W with light for pattern exposure through the mask M, and a mask aperture mechanism 19 having lower and upper apertures 91, 92, 93, and 94 moving beyond the intermediate position of the mask M to partially cut off the light for pattern exposure. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a divided sequential proximity exposure method and a divided sequential proximity exposure apparatus. More specifically, the present invention relates to a divided sequential proximity exposure that divides a mask exposure pattern onto a substrate of a large flat panel display such as a liquid crystal display or a plasma display. The present invention relates to a proximity exposure method and a divided sequential proximity exposure apparatus.

  In proximity exposure, a translucent substrate (material to be exposed) coated with a photosensitive agent on the surface is held on the substrate holding part of the substrate stage, and the substrate is brought close to the mask held on the mask holding part of the mask stage. In a state where both are set to a predetermined gap, for example, several tens of μm to several hundreds of μm, both are made stationary. Next, the exposure pattern drawn on the mask is transferred onto the substrate by irradiating the mask with light for pattern exposure from the side away from the substrate of the mask.

  Recently, there is a demand for mass production of large liquid crystal displays and plasma displays. In this case, it is necessary to increase the accuracy and efficiency of exposure. As an example of high efficiency, there is a so-called multi-sided method in which a plurality of display panels are manufactured with a single substrate. For this multi-chamfering, for example, a mask smaller than the substrate is used, and the substrate holding unit is moved stepwise relative to the mask holding unit in a state where the mask is disposed close to and opposed to the substrate, and exposure light is irradiated at each step. A divided sequential proximity exposure method is used in which a plurality of patterns drawn on a mask are exposed and transferred onto a substrate.

  In a divided sequential proximity exposure apparatus that performs such exposure, a mask aperture mechanism that limits an exposure region by shielding exposure light in an arbitrary range on a mask held by a mask holding unit of a mask stage as necessary. (For example, refer patent document 1). The aperture member of the mask aperture mechanism is installed at a position as close to the mask as possible in order to sharpen the boundary between the exposure and light shielding ranges.

The mask aperture mechanism of the division sequential proximity exposure apparatus described in Patent Document 1 is divided into two aperture members, and a strip-shaped lower aperture disposed close to the mask and a flat plate-shaped upper aperture disposed away from the mask. Thus, the exposure range is limited, and interference with gap sensors and alignment cameras in the vicinity of the mask is prevented.
JP 2005-140936 A

  By the way, as an improvement in efficiency when performing multi-cavity processing from a large substrate, it is required to expose and transfer a pattern over as wide an area as possible and minimize the area other than the pattern discarded after the exposure transfer. For example, using a 2200 mm × 1850 mm substrate, there are cases where four 50-inch panels and four 30-inch panels each, and a plurality of patterns of 8 types in total are exposed and transferred onto the same substrate.

  In this case, conventionally, a plurality of exposure apparatuses are used, such as exposing a 30-inch panel pattern by another exposure apparatus after exposing a 50-inch panel pattern, or having an exposure pattern of a 50-inch panel. After exposure using a mask, it was necessary to replace the mask and perform exposure using a mask having an exposure pattern of a 30-inch panel. For this reason, there existed a problem that an enormous installation cost was required or the work process increased and the tact time increased.

  Further, in the mask aperture mechanism described in Patent Document 1, since the screw shaft of the ball screw mechanism that drives the aperture is supported by a support block arranged near the center of each side of the mask, the maximum moving distance of the aperture Is limited to ½ or less of the length of the mask, and the aperture can only move to near the center of the mask. For this reason, depending on the drawing position of the exposure pattern of the desired mask, it may not be possible to perform appropriate light shielding, and work such as changing the orientation of attaching the mask is required. There is a problem that time increases.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to allow a plurality of patterns of different sizes to be exposed and transferred to arbitrary positions on a substrate by a single exposure apparatus, and to improve production efficiency. It is an object of the present invention to provide a divided sequential proximity exposure method and a divided sequential proximity exposure apparatus that can be effectively used without wasting a substrate.

The above object of the present invention can be achieved by the following constitution.
(1) A substrate holding unit for holding a substrate as an exposed material, a mask holding unit for holding a mask having at least first and second exposure patterns having different sizes, and light for pattern exposure via the mask. Irradiating means for irradiating the substrate; a feed mechanism for relatively moving the substrate holding portion and the mask holding portion so that the exposure pattern of the mask faces a plurality of predetermined positions on the substrate; A gap adjusting mechanism that adjusts a gap between the opposing surfaces of the mask and the substrate, and a mask aperture mechanism that partially blocks the light for pattern exposure irradiated to the mask from the irradiation unit to limit an exposure area. A divided sequential proximity exposure method using a divided sequential proximity exposure apparatus comprising:
Moving the aperture member of the mask aperture mechanism to a position beyond the intermediate position of the mask to shield one of the first and second exposure patterns;
A step of exposing and transferring the other of the first and second exposure patterns to the substrate by the irradiating means in a state where one of the first and second exposure patterns is shielded;
A divided sequential proximity exposure method comprising:
(2) The sensor carrier having the alignment camera and the gap sensor is moved to a position beyond the intermediate position of the mask so that the alignment camera and the gap sensor are arranged around the opposing surfaces of the substrate and the mask. (2) The divided sequential proximity exposure method according to (1).
(3) A substrate holding unit that holds a substrate as an exposed material, a mask holding unit that holds a mask, irradiation means that irradiates the substrate with light for pattern exposure through the mask, and exposure of the mask A feed mechanism that moves the substrate holding part and the mask holding part relative to each other so that a pattern faces a plurality of predetermined positions on the substrate, and a gap between the opposing surfaces of the mask and the substrate are adjusted. A divided sequential proximity exposure apparatus comprising: a gap adjustment mechanism; and a mask aperture mechanism that partially blocks the light for pattern exposure irradiated to the mask from the irradiation unit to limit an exposure area,
The divided successive proximity exposure apparatus, wherein the aperture member of the mask aperture mechanism is movable to a position exceeding an intermediate position of the mask.
(4) The division according to (3), further comprising a sensor carrier that includes an alignment camera and a gap sensor and is capable of moving the alignment camera and the gap sensor to at least a position exceeding an intermediate position of the mask. Sequential proximity exposure system.
(5) The divided sequential proximity exposure apparatus according to (3) or (4), wherein the mask held by the mask holding unit includes at least first and second exposure patterns having different sizes.
Note that "the other of the first and second exposure patterns is exposed and transferred to the substrate by the irradiating means in a state where one of the first and second exposure patterns is shielded from light" means the first and first When there are a plurality of exposure patterns of 2, the exposure of the other exposure pattern with one exposure pattern and a part of the other exposure pattern being shielded, and a part of one exposure pattern This includes a case where the rest of one exposure pattern and the other exposure pattern are exposed in a state where is shielded from light.

  According to the divided sequential proximity exposure method of the present invention, using the mask having at least the first and second exposure patterns of different sizes, the aperture member of the mask aperture mechanism is moved to a position beyond the intermediate position of the mask, One of the first and second exposure patterns is shielded from light, and one of the first and second exposure patterns is shielded from light, and the other of the first and second exposure patterns is exposed and transferred to the substrate by the irradiation means. Yes. As a result, an arbitrary exposure pattern selected from a plurality of exposure patterns formed on the mask is divided into a plurality of times and transferred to an arbitrary position on the substrate by one exposure apparatus. Efficiency can be improved. In addition, the exposure pattern can be appropriately transferred to the remaining portion of the substrate that has been discarded because it could not be used conventionally, and the production cost can be reduced by effectively utilizing the substrate.

  According to the divided sequential proximity exposure apparatus of the present invention, a substrate holding unit that holds a substrate, a mask holding unit that holds a mask, an irradiation unit that emits light for pattern exposure, a substrate holding unit and a mask holding unit, A feed mechanism that relatively moves the gap, a gap adjustment mechanism that adjusts the gap between the opposing surfaces of the mask and the substrate, and a mask aperture mechanism that partially blocks the light for pattern exposure and limits the exposure area. The aperture member of the mask aperture mechanism can be moved to a position exceeding the intermediate position of the mask, so that, for example, an arbitrary exposure pattern can be selected from a plurality of exposure patterns formed on the mask and shielded. it can. Thereby, it is possible to efficiently produce a plurality of panels by exposing and transferring an arbitrary exposure pattern to an arbitrary position on the substrate while sequentially selecting an arbitrary exposure pattern by one exposure apparatus, and minimizing the remaining portion of the substrate. .

  Hereinafter, a divided sequential proximity exposure method and a divided sequential proximity exposure apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a division sequential proximity exposure apparatus PE that divides a mask exposure pattern onto a large substrate and performs proximity exposure holds the mask M movably in the X, Y, and θ directions. The stage 10, the substrate stage 20 that holds the substrate W as an exposed material so as to be movable in the X, Y, and Z directions, and illumination that is an irradiation unit that irradiates the substrate W with light for pattern exposure via the mask M The optical system 40 is mainly configured.

  Note that the mask M has a plurality of exposure patterns of different sizes, and the substrate W is disposed opposite to the mask M, and the surface (of the mask M is exposed to transfer the exposure pattern drawn on the mask M). A photosensitive agent is applied to the opposite surface side).

  For convenience of explanation, the illumination optical system 40 will be described. The illumination optical system 40 includes, for example, a high-pressure mercury lamp 41 that is a light source for ultraviolet irradiation, and a concave mirror 42 that collects light emitted from the high-pressure mercury lamp 41. Between the two types of optical integrators 43 that are switchably arranged near the focal point of the concave mirror 42, plane mirrors 45 and 46 and a spherical mirror 47 for changing the direction of the optical path, and between the plane mirror 45 and the optical integrator 43 And an exposure control shutter 44 that controls the opening and closing of the irradiation light path.

  When the exposure control shutter 44 is controlled to be opened at the time of exposure, the light emitted from the lamp 41 is held on the mask M held on the mask stage 10 via the optical path L shown in FIG. The surface of the substrate W is irradiated as light for pattern exposure, and the exposure pattern of the mask M is exposed and transferred onto the substrate W.

  The substrate stage 20 includes a substrate holding unit 21 that holds the substrate W, and a substrate moving mechanism 22 that moves the substrate holding unit 21 in the X, Y, and Z directions with respect to the apparatus base 50. The substrate holding unit 21 has a plurality of suction nozzles (not shown) for sucking the substrate W on the upper surface, and detachably holds the substrate W by a vacuum suction mechanism (not shown). The substrate moving mechanism 22 includes a Y-axis table 23, a Y-axis feed mechanism 24, an X-axis table 25, an X-axis feed mechanism 26, and a Z-tilt adjustment mechanism 27 below the substrate holding unit 21.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the Y-axis feed mechanism 24 includes a linear guide 28 and a feed drive mechanism 29, and a slider 30 attached to the back surface of the Y-axis table 23 extends 2 on the apparatus base 50. The Y-axis table 23 is driven along the guide rail 31 by a motor 32 and a ball screw device 33 while straddling the guide rail 31 through a rolling element (not shown).

  The X-axis feed mechanism 26 has the same configuration as the Y-axis feed mechanism 24 and drives the X-axis table 25 in the X direction with respect to the Y-axis table 23. Further, the Z-tilt adjustment mechanism 27 has one movable wedge mechanism formed by combining the wedge-shaped moving bodies 34 and 35 and the feed drive mechanism 36 at one end side in the X direction and two at the other end side. Consists of. The feed drive mechanisms 29 and 36 may be a combination of a motor and a ball screw device, or may be a linear motor having a stator and a mover. Further, the number of Z-tilt adjustment mechanisms 27 installed is arbitrary.

  Thereby, the substrate moving mechanism 22 feeds and drives the substrate holding unit 21 in the X direction and the Y direction, and moves the substrate holding unit 21 to Z so as to finely adjust the gap between the opposing surfaces of the mask M and the substrate W. Fine movement and tilt adjustment in the axial direction. That is, the Y-axis feed mechanism 24 and the X-axis feed mechanism 26 constitute the feed mechanism of the present invention, and the Z-tilt adjustment mechanism 27 constitutes the gap adjustment mechanism of the present invention.

  Bar mirrors 61 and 62 are respectively attached to the X-direction side and Y-direction side of the substrate holding unit 21, and a total of three laser interferometers are installed at the Y-direction end and the X-direction end of the apparatus base 50. 63, 64, 65 are provided. As a result, the laser light is irradiated from the laser interferometers 63, 64, 65 to the bar mirrors 61, 62, the laser light reflected by the bar mirror 62 is received, and the laser light and the laser light reflected by the bar mirrors 61, 62 are received. The position of the substrate stage 20 is detected by measuring the interference.

  The mask stage 10 has a mask stage base 11 having a rectangular opening 11a formed at the center thereof, and holds the mask M and is mounted on the opening 11a of the mask stage base 11 so as to be movable in the X axis, Y axis, and θ directions. A mask holding frame 12 is provided as a mask holding portion.

  The mask stage base 11 is supported by a plurality of columns 51 erected on the apparatus base 50 on the substrate stage side, and a Z-axis coarse movement mechanism 52 (between the mask stage base 11 and the columns 51). 2), the apparatus base 50 can be moved up and down.

  The mask holding frame 12 also has a rectangular opening 12a at the center, and is moved in the X, Y, and θ directions by a mask position adjusting mechanism (not shown) provided on the upper surface of the mask stage base 11. To do. The mask position adjusting mechanism includes an actuator (not shown) such as various cylinders for driving the mask holding frame 12 and a guide mechanism (not shown) provided between the mask stage base 11 and the mask holding frame 12. . Below the mask holding frame 12, a chuck portion 53 having a plurality of suction nozzles (not shown) opened on the lower surface is attached, and the mask M is detachably held by a vacuum suction mechanism (not shown).

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the mask stage 10 is provided with a plurality of gap sensors 17 and an alignment camera 18 disposed on the sensor carrier 70. The gap sensor 17 measures the gap between the opposing surfaces of the mask M and the substrate W and adjusts the gap by the Z-tilt adjustment mechanism 27. The alignment camera 18 images an alignment mark (not shown) on the mask M side and an alignment mark (not shown) on the substrate W (or substrate stage 20) side and drives the mask position adjustment mechanism to perform alignment adjustment.

  A total of eight sensor carriers 70 are provided along each side of the mask holding frame 12 and are arranged on the mask stage base 11 so as to be movable along the direction toward the center of the mask holding frame 12. A first table 71; and a second table 72 arranged on the first table 71 so as to be movable in a direction orthogonal to the moving direction of the first table 71 (a direction along the side of the mask holding frame 12). The gap sensor 17 and the alignment camera 18 are installed on the second table 72, respectively.

  The first table 71 is a linear guide including two guide rails 73 extending on the mask stage base 11 and a slider 74 (see FIG. 2) attached to the back surface of the first table 71 and straddling the guide rail 73. 75 and a feed drive mechanism 78 including a motor 76 and a ball screw device 77, and the motor 76 is rotated to bring the first table 71 along the guide rail 73 to the center of the mask holding frame 12 by the ball screw device 77. Move along the direction you head. In the drawing, the ball screw device 77 shows only the screw shaft, and the rolling elements and the ball screw nut are not shown.

  The lengths of the screw shafts of the two guide rails 73 and the ball screw device 77 are set to the width and length of the opening 12a of the mask holding frame 12, that is, the effective width and effective length of the mask M or more. The second table 72 including the gap sensor 17 and the alignment camera 18 can move beyond the X-direction or Y-direction intermediate positions CX and CY of the mask M as shown in FIG.

  The second table 72 has the same configuration as the linear guide 75 and the feed drive mechanism 78 of the first table 71 and includes a linear guide 81 and a feed drive mechanism 82. The linear guide 81 is mounted on the first table 71 along the sides of the mask holding frame 12 on the first table 71 and the slider 84 mounted on the back surface of the second table 72 and straddling the guide rail 83 (see FIG. 4). ). The feed drive mechanism 82 includes a motor 85 and a ball screw device 86. When the motor 85 is rotated, the second table 72 is moved in the direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the first table 71 along the guide rail 83 (direction along the side of the mask holding frame 12) by the action of the ball screw device 86. Move on one table 71. The gap sensor 17 and the alignment camera 18 may be disposed on the sensor carrier 70 so that they can be driven independently of each other. In the drawing, the ball screw device 86 also shows only the screw shaft, and the rolling elements and the ball screw nut are not shown.

  Further, the mask stage 10 is provided with four mask aperture mechanisms 19 that partially block the pattern exposure light irradiated to the mask M from the irradiation optical system 40 and limit the exposure area. It is provided along each side.

  The mask aperture mechanism 19 is disposed close to the mask M and is disposed above the lower apertures 91 and 92, and lower apertures (aperture members) 91 and 92 that shield the area including the boundary portion of the exposure area. The lower aperture 91 includes upper apertures (aperture members) 93 and 94 that shield the light shielding area and the continuous area. The upper apertures 93 and 94 are arranged so as to slightly overlap the lower apertures 91 and 92, and the upper and lower apertures shield the pattern exposure light emitted from the irradiation optical system 40 by the collimation angle. The mask M is prevented from being irradiated even when it spreads at the boundary position. In FIG. 3, the lower and upper apertures 91, 92, 93, 94 are indicated by two-dot chain lines.

  The lower apertures 91 and 92 are arranged in pairs in the X direction and the Y direction, each formed in a strip shape, and supported at both ends by guides 95 arranged on each side on the mask holding frame 12. At the same time, the intermediate portion is bent so as to be close to the mask M. Specifically, the pair of lower apertures 91 that face each other in the X direction are supported by a pair of guides 95 extending along the X direction on the mask holding frame 12, and a pair of lower apertures that face each other in the Y direction. Both 92 are supported by a pair of guides 95 extending along the Y direction on the mask holding frame 12. The lower apertures 91 and 92 are connected at their intermediate portions to the upper apertures 93 and 94 by two connecting stays 96, respectively.

  A ball screw nut 110 that is screwed onto the screw shaft 112 is provided on the lower surfaces of the upper apertures 93 and 94, and the screw shaft 112 is rotationally driven by the motor 111. When the screw shaft 112 is rotationally driven, the lower apertures 91 and 92 and the upper apertures 93 and 94 are interlocked via the ball screw nuts 110 attached to the upper apertures 93 and 94, and both ends of the lower apertures 91 and 92 are connected. It moves in the X direction and the Y direction along the guide 95 that supports the part. The screw shaft 112 and the motor 111 are disposed on an aperture holding base 113 attached to the edge of the mask holding frame 12.

  Since the length of the screw shaft 112 is set to be substantially the same as the width and length of the opening 12a of the mask holding frame 12, the distal ends of the lower apertures 91 and 92 and the upper apertures 93 and 94 are illustrated in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the mask M can move beyond the intermediate positions CX, CY in the X direction or the Y direction.

  The intermediate portion of the lower aperture 91 is bent and formed to have a different height from the intermediate portion of the lower aperture 92 in order to avoid interference with the lower aperture 92. Similarly, the upper apertures 93 and 94 are arranged at different heights so as not to interfere with each other when moved.

  Next, referring to FIG. 5 to FIG. 8, a method for multi-paneling a plurality of panels having different sizes using the mask M in which a plurality of exposure patterns having different sizes is formed in the divided sequential proximity exposure apparatus PE described above. I will explain.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 5B, a mask having a first exposure pattern Pa having a large size and four second exposure patterns Pb (Pb1, Pb2, Pb3, Pb4) having a small size. As shown in FIG. 5A, the large-sized panel 2 surface transferred by the first exposure pattern Pa on the substrate W and the second exposure pattern Pb are performed. The panel 16 having a small size to be transferred is formed.

(1) First Shot First, the substrate holding unit 21 is horizontally moved by the substrate moving mechanism 22 so that the large substrate W held by the substrate holding unit 21 and the mask M held by the mask holding frame 12 are predetermined. Opposite the position. In the first shot, as shown in FIG. 5A, the substrate holder 21 moves relative to the mask holding frame 12 so that the lower left portion of the substrate W and the mask M face each other.

  Then, the screw shaft 112 is rotationally driven by the motor 111 of the mask aperture mechanism 19 and the second exposure patterns Pb1, Pb2, Pb3 are driven by the lower and upper apertures 91, 92, 93, 94 as shown in FIG. , Parts other than the first exposure pattern Pa including Pb4 are covered. At the same time, by operating the motors 76 and 85 of the sensor carrier 70, the first table 71 and the second table are arranged so that the gap sensor 17 and the alignment camera 18 are arranged around the opposing portion of the substrate W and the mask M. 72 is moved. Thereafter, the gap sensor 17 and the alignment camera 18 detect the alignment and gap between the substrate W and the mask M, operate the mask position adjustment mechanism and the z-tilt adjustment mechanism 27, and adjust the alignment and gap.

  Then, the exposure control shutter 44 is controlled to open, and the pattern exposure light irradiated from the lamp 41 is irradiated through the mask M, so that the first exposure pattern Pa, which is an exposed portion on the mask M, is applied to the substrate W. The pattern P1 is obtained by exposure and transfer on the top.

(2) Second Shot Next, as shown in FIG. 6A, the substrate holding unit 21 is moved to the mask holding frame 12 by the substrate moving mechanism 22 so that the upper left part of the paper surface of the substrate W faces the mask M. Move in the Y direction. Further, as shown in FIG. 6B, all the exposure patterns Pa, Pb1, Pb2, Pb3, and Pb4 of the mask M can be exposed by retracting the lower and upper apertures 92 and 94 positioned above the paper surface. It becomes a part.

  Then, after adjusting the alignment and gap in a state where the gap sensor 17 and the alignment camera 18 are arranged around the opposing portion of the substrate W and the mask M, exposure and transfer are performed to obtain patterns P2, P3, P4, P5, and P6. In FIG. 5A to FIG. 7A and FIG. 8, the hatched portion represents the pattern exposed in the step, and the shaded portion represents the pattern already exposed in the previous step. .

(3) Third Shot Next, as shown in FIG. 7A, the substrate holding unit 21 moves the substrate holding mechanism 21 against the mask holding frame 12 by the substrate moving mechanism 22 so that the upper right portion of the paper surface of the substrate W faces the mask M. Move in the X direction. Further, as shown in FIG. 7B, the lower and upper apertures 92 and 94 positioned below the paper surface are advanced to a position exceeding the intermediate position CY in the Y direction of the mask M, and the lower one positioned on the left side of the paper surface. The side and upper apertures 91 and 93 are advanced to a position slightly exceeding the intermediate position CX in the X direction of the mask M, so that the exposure patterns Pb3 and Pb4 of the mask M become portions that can be exposed.

  Then, after adjusting the alignment and gap in a state where the gap sensor 17 and the alignment camera 18 are arranged around the opposing portion of the substrate W and the mask M, exposure transfer is performed to obtain patterns P7 and P8.

(4) Fourth to Eighth Shots As shown in FIGS. 8A to 8E, the substrate holding unit 21 is moved relative to the mask holding frame 12 in the Y direction by the substrate moving mechanism 22, In a state where the two exposure patterns Pb3 and Pb4 are exposed portions (see FIG. 7B), the exposure transfer is sequentially performed. As a result, patterns P9 and P10 (see FIG. 8A) in the fourth shot, patterns P11 and P12 (see FIG. 8B) in the fifth shot, and patterns P13 and P14 in the sixth shot. (See FIG. 8C.) In the seventh shot, P15 and P16 (see FIG. 8D) are obtained, and in the eighth shot, P17 and P18 (see FIG. 8E) are obtained.

  In any of the exposures in the fourth to eighth shots, the second exposure patterns Pb3 and Pb4 are portions that can be exposed as in the third shot, so that the movement of the apertures 91, 92, 93, and 94 is necessary. do not do. On the other hand, in the sixth to eighth shots, the substrate holding unit 21 moves relative to the mask holding frame 12, whereby a part of the mask M moves to a position not facing the substrate W.

  For this reason, in the sixth to eighth shots, the sensor carrier 70 positioned in the Y direction (the lower side in the drawing) is arranged so that the gap sensor 17 and the alignment camera 18 are arranged around the facing portion of the mask M and the substrate W. One table 71 is moved. 8C to 8E, only the gap sensor 17 and the alignment camera 18 located on the lower side of the drawing are illustrated. In particular, as shown in FIG. 8E, when the area where the mask M faces the substrate W is smaller than 1/2 above the paper surface, the gap sensor 17 and the alignment camera 18 located below the paper surface. Is moved beyond the intermediate position CY in the Y direction of the mask M by the sensor carrier 70, and is arranged around the opposing portion of the mask M and the substrate W.

  In the present embodiment, the gap sensor 17 and the alignment camera 18 are moved around the opposing portion of the substrate W and the mask M to perform the alignment adjustment and the gap adjustment. The alignment adjustment and the gap adjustment may be performed by moving the mask M around a portion where exposure is possible.

  Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the substrate holding unit 21 that holds the substrate W, the mask holding frame 12 that holds the mask M, the illumination optical system 40 that irradiates light for pattern exposure, and the exposure pattern of the mask M. The gap between the opposing surfaces of the mask M and the substrate W, and the substrate moving mechanism 22 for relatively moving the substrate holding portion 21 and the mask holding frame 12 so as to face the plurality of predetermined positions on the substrate W. A z-tilt adjustment mechanism 27 and a mask aperture mechanism 90 that partially blocks the light for pattern exposure and limits the exposure area. The lower and upper apertures 91, 92, 93, 94 can be moved to a position beyond the intermediate positions CX, CY of the mask M. Therefore, if the mask M has the first and second exposure patterns Pa, Pb having different sizes, the first and Second exposure patterns Pa, can be shielded by selecting any exposure pattern from the Pb.

  In the multi-chamfer exposure operations shown in FIGS. 5 to 8, in the third to eighth shots, the lower and upper apertures 91, 92, 93, and 94 of the mask aperture mechanism 19 are set to the intermediate positions CX and CY of the mask M, respectively. The first exposure pattern Pa and the second exposure pattern portions Pb1 and Pb2 are shielded from light, and the first exposure pattern Pa and the second exposure pattern portions Pb1 and Pb2 are shielded from light. In this state, the remaining second exposure patterns Pb3 and Pb4 are exposed and transferred to the substrate W to obtain a pattern. Thereby, an arbitrary exposure pattern selected from the plurality of exposure patterns Pa and Pb formed on the mask M is divided into a plurality of times and exposed at an arbitrary position on the substrate W by one exposure apparatus. Transcription can improve production efficiency. In addition, the exposure pattern is appropriately transferred to the surplus portions of the substrate W that could not be used in the past (patterns P7 to P16 in FIG. 8), and the production cost can be effectively utilized. Can be reduced.

  In addition, according to the present embodiment, the sensor carrier 70 that includes the alignment camera 18 and the gap sensor 17 and that can move the alignment camera 18 and the gap sensor 17 to positions beyond the intermediate positions CX and CY of the mask M is further provided. Even when the center positions CX and CY of the mask M do not face the substrate W, the alignment camera 18 and the gap sensor 17 can be moved to positions beyond the intermediate positions CX and CY in the respective directions of the mask M. . As a result, the alignment camera 18 detects misalignment between the alignment mark on the substrate side and the alignment mark on the mask side and adjusts the alignment between the mask M and the substrate W at each side of the facing portion between the mask M and the substrate W. At the same time, the gap sensor 17 measures the gap between the substrate W and the mask M and places the mask M and the substrate W close to each other with a predetermined gap, so that the exposure pattern can be exposed and transferred with high accuracy.

  In the above example, the mask M has the exposure patterns Pa and Pb of two sizes, and the two exposure patterns Pa and Pb are combined and transferred onto the substrate W. The number of patterns is not limited to two, and three or more exposure patterns can be formed on the mask M, and exposure transfer can be performed by combining three or more exposure patterns.

  The divided successive proximity exposure apparatus PE of the present embodiment is also suitable when the transport direction of the substrate W is restricted to a predetermined direction due to the convenience of a transport device (not shown) that supplies the substrate W or the like. Used for

  For example, as shown in FIG. 9B, exposure transfer is performed using a mask M on which the first exposure pattern Pc and the second exposure pattern Pd (Pd1, Pd2) are formed, and the result is shown in FIG. 9A. As described above, the large panel 2 surface transferred by the first exposure pattern Pc and the small panel 2 surface transferred by the second exposure pattern Pd are formed on the substrate W.

  In this case, in a state where the mask M is attached to the mask holding frame 12 so that the second exposure pattern Pd is positioned above the paper surface, as shown in FIG. 10, a pattern P2 ′ to be transferred by the second exposure pattern Pd. , P3 ′ is conveyed so that the position on the upper surface of the paper is positioned, and as shown in FIG. 11, the positions of the patterns P2 ′ and P3 ′ to be transferred by the second exposure pattern Pd are positioned on the lower surface of the paper. May be transported in such a way.

  In the former case, as shown in FIG. 10A, in the first shot exposure transfer, after the patterns P1 ′, P2 ′, and P3 ′ are formed, the substrate holder 21 is moved relative to the mask M. Then, as shown in FIG. 10B, the second exposure pattern Pd is shielded by the lower and upper apertures 92 and 94 in one of the Y directions (upper side of the paper), and the second shot is exposed and transferred. P4 'is formed. Therefore, any exposure transfer is performed without moving the apertures 92 and 94 on both sides in the Y direction beyond the intermediate position CY of the mask M.

  On the other hand, in the latter case, as shown in FIG. 11A, the second exposure pattern Pd is shielded by the lower and upper apertures 92 and 94 in one of the Y directions (upward on the paper surface) and the first shot is exposed. After performing the transfer and forming the pattern P4 ′, the substrate holding part 21 is moved relative to the mask holding frame 12 in the Y direction, and as shown in FIG. The second exposure pattern Pd is shielded by the side and upper apertures 92 and 94, and the second shot is exposed and transferred to form a pattern P1 ′. Further, the substrate holding portion 21 is moved relative to the mask holding frame 12 in the Y direction, and as shown in FIG. 11C, the lower and upper apertures 92 and 94 in the other Y direction (downward on the paper surface). The first exposure pattern Pc is shielded from light and the third shot is exposed and transferred to form patterns P2 ′ and P3 ′.

  Therefore, in the exposure transfer of the third shot, the other lower and upper apertures 92 and 94 in the Y direction need to be moved beyond the intermediate position CY of the mask M in order to shield the first exposure pattern Pc. . In the conventional exposure apparatus, since the aperture could not be moved beyond the intermediate position of the mask M, an operation of reversing the mask M or the substrate W by 180 degrees or the like was necessary. By using the proximity exposure apparatus PE, exposure transfer can be performed without performing such reversal work, and the tact time can be shortened.

  In the exposure transfer of the third shot, the gap sensor 17 and the alignment camera 18 are also moved to a position exceeding the intermediate position CY of the mask M by the sensor carrier 70, and are arranged around the opposing portion of the substrate W and the mask M. Therefore, alignment adjustment and gap adjustment can be performed with higher accuracy.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to embodiment mentioned above, A deformation | transformation, improvement, etc. are possible suitably.

It is a partial exploded perspective view of the division | segmentation successive proximity exposure apparatus which is embodiment of this invention. It is a front view of the division | segmentation successive proximity exposure apparatus in FIG. It is a top view of the mask stage in FIG. It is a principal part side view which shows the state which the aperture, the gap sensor, and the alignment camera moved beyond the center position of a mask. In (a), when a mask having one large exposure pattern and four small exposure patterns is used and two large exposure patterns and 16 small exposure patterns are exposed and transferred onto the substrate, the first shot is exposed. It is the schematic which shows the positional relationship of a mask and a board | substrate, (b) is the schematic which shows the positional relationship of a mask, an aperture, and a board | substrate. (A) is the schematic which shows the positional relationship of the mask and a board | substrate in exposure of the 2nd shot, (b) is the schematic which shows the positional relationship of a mask, an aperture, and a board | substrate. (A) is the schematic which shows the positional relationship of the mask and a board | substrate in exposure of the 3rd shot, (b) is the schematic which shows the positional relationship of a mask, an aperture, and a board | substrate. It is the schematic which shows the positional relationship of the mask and a board | substrate in exposure of the 4th shot from the 8th shot. (A) is the schematic of the board | substrate on which the pattern of 2 types of size is exposed and transferred 2 patterns at a time, (b) is the schematic of the mask used for this. In FIG. 9, it is a figure which shows the procedure which carries out exposure transfer of the pattern to the board | substrate conveyed from one side. In FIG. 9, it is a figure which shows the procedure which carries out exposure transfer of the pattern to the board | substrate conveyed from the other.

Explanation of symbols

12 Mask holding frame (mask holding part)
17 Gap sensor 18 Alignment camera 19 Mask aperture mechanism 21 Substrate holder 24 Y-axis feed mechanism (feed mechanism)
26 X-axis feed mechanism (feed mechanism)
27 Z-tilt adjustment mechanism (gap adjustment mechanism)
40 Illumination optical system (irradiation means)
70 Sensor carrier 91, 92 Lower aperture (aperture member)
93, 94 Upper aperture (aperture member)
CX, CY Mask intermediate position M Mask Pa, Pc First exposure pattern Pb, Pd Second exposure pattern PE Division successive proximity exposure apparatus W Substrate (material to be exposed)

Claims (5)

A substrate holding unit for holding a substrate as a material to be exposed; a mask holding unit for holding a mask having at least first and second exposure patterns of different sizes; and light for pattern exposure through the mask. Irradiating means for irradiating the substrate, a feed mechanism for relatively moving the substrate holding portion and the mask holding portion so that the exposure pattern of the mask faces a plurality of predetermined positions on the substrate, the mask and the mask A gap adjusting mechanism that adjusts a gap between a surface facing the substrate, and a mask aperture mechanism that partially blocks the light for pattern exposure irradiated to the mask from the irradiation unit to limit an exposure area. A divided sequential proximity exposure method using the divided sequential proximity exposure apparatus provided,
Moving the aperture member of the mask aperture mechanism to a position beyond the intermediate position of the mask to shield one of the first and second exposure patterns;
A step of exposing and transferring the other of the first and second exposure patterns to the substrate by the irradiation means in a state where one of the first and second exposure patterns is shielded;
A divided sequential proximity exposure method comprising:   A sensor carrier having the alignment camera and the gap sensor is moved to a position exceeding an intermediate position of the mask so that the alignment camera and the gap sensor are arranged around the opposing portion of the substrate and the mask. The divided sequential proximity exposure method according to claim 1. A substrate holding unit for holding a substrate as an exposed material; a mask holding unit for holding a mask; irradiation means for irradiating the substrate with light for pattern exposure through the mask; and an exposure pattern of the mask A feed mechanism that relatively moves the substrate holding portion and the mask holding portion to face a plurality of predetermined positions on the substrate, and a gap adjustment mechanism that adjusts a gap between the facing surfaces of the mask and the substrate. And a mask aperture mechanism that partially blocks the light for pattern exposure irradiated to the mask from the irradiation means and limits an exposure area, and a divided sequential proximity exposure apparatus comprising:
The divided successive proximity exposure apparatus, wherein the aperture member of the mask aperture mechanism is movable to at least a position exceeding an intermediate position of the mask.   4. The divided sequential proximity exposure apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a sensor carrier having an alignment camera and a gap sensor and capable of moving the alignment camera and the gap sensor to a position exceeding an intermediate position of the mask. .   5. The divided sequential proximity exposure apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the mask held by the mask holding unit has at least first and second exposure patterns having different sizes.

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