JP2008242616A - Data transfer method, data transfer processing part, drawing apparatus and system - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a data transfer method, a data transfer processing part, a digital exposure machine and a system that can determine an actually required priority order according to why it is required. <P>SOLUTION: The data transfer method, data transfer processing part, digital exposure machines and system are characterized in that the digital exposure machines each notify the data transfer processing part of a data acquisition request and process information at least including information about a manufacturing line and an assigned process number in the manufacturing line, and the data transfer processing part determines priorities of data acquisition according to the process information notified by the digital exposure machines and permits the digital exposure machine of the highest priority to acquire data. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a data transfer method, a data transfer processing unit, a drawing apparatus, and a system, and more specifically, for example, a TFT (Thin) of a liquid crystal display panel in which a plurality of digital exposure machines are connected to one server as a drawing apparatus. The present invention relates to an efficient data transfer method to a digital exposure machine (drawing apparatus), a data transfer processing unit, a drawing apparatus, and a system in a manufacturing system (manufacturing line) such as a film transformer array.

  A manufacturing system of a liquid crystal display panel or the like has various manufacturing processes. Among these types of manufacturing systems, the TFT array manufacturing system and the color filter manufacturing system are configured by repeating a multi-stage photolithography and etching process. Of these, an analog mask has been conventionally used in the photolithography process. Exposure (analog exposure) was the mainstream.

However, in recent years, the resolution of liquid crystal display panels and the like has increased in resolution and size, and it has become impossible to cope with analog exposure. Therefore, instead of analog exposure in the photolithography process, a mask using a digital exposure machine is used. It is shifting to digitization (forming a mask by digital exposure).
For example, in the TFT manufacturing process, one layer of the TFT array is formed by a series of processes of “film formation → resist application → digital exposure → development → etching → resist stripping → cleaning”, and subsequently, the same as described above. The process of “film formation to cleaning” of the next layer is repeatedly performed to manufacture the TFT array. In the TFT array manufacturing process, a manufacturing line is configured with apparatuses as shown in FIG. 3, and substrate transfer between the apparatuses is performed by a belt conveyor or a transfer robot.

  As described above, a TFT array manufacturing system such as a liquid crystal display panel has a multi-stage process for a single substrate, and in recent years, a multi-stage digital exposure process. In many cases, a plurality of digital exposure machines corresponding to each stage are arranged, and digital data transfer to these digital exposure machines is controlled by a single server.

The problem here is, for example, when the type of liquid crystal display panel to be manufactured in the manufacturing line is changed, when new digital data needs to be transferred to each digital exposure machine. How to handle this efficiently.
This is because the transfer of data from the server to each digital exposure machine is basically performed based on a data transfer request from each digital exposure machine to the server.

  As a conventionally known technique, for example, in the method disclosed in Patent Document 1, a communication processing device as a host has a schedule management table for scheduling a plurality of processing devices in priority order, and a data transfer request from a terminal device. And a priority terminal check unit that checks the priority order of the terminal device.

  Further, for example, in the method disclosed in Patent Document 2, in order to preferentially perform transmission / reception processing for a transmission / reception processing request with a high degree of urgency, data transmission in the transmission side device is given as an example. The processing time, the data transfer time from the transmission side device to the reception side device, and the reception processing time in the reception side device are accumulated for each data, and the difference between this time and the current time is used as a margin time, The allowance time is compared for a plurality of data transmission requests, and the order of data transfer is determined.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 5-40715 JP-A-6-6407

In any of the methods disclosed in the above two patent documents, the order of data transfer is determined in accordance with the required priority.
However, when the exposure device in each process needs to have appropriate exposure data, such as a liquid crystal display panel production line in which a plurality of digital exposure devices are arranged, data transfer is simply performed according to the required priority. However, there is a problem that proper data transfer is not always performed from the viewpoint of the entire process.

That is, what is needed here is not simply following the data transfer request from each digital exposure machine (more generally, a drawing device), but it requires the priority order that is actually required. A data transfer method, a data transfer processing unit, a digital exposure machine (drawing apparatus), and a system that can be determined based on the reason.
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and the object of the present invention is to determine the priority order that is actually necessary and solves the problems based on the prior art based on the reason why it is necessary. An object of the present invention is to provide a data transfer method, a data transfer processing unit, a drawing apparatus, and a system that can be used.

  In order to achieve the above object, a data transfer method according to the present invention is a data transfer method in a system configured by connecting a plurality of drawing devices in the same production line to one data transfer processing unit. The drawing apparatus notifies the data transfer processing unit of data acquisition request and process information including at least the information of the manufacturing line and its own process number in the manufacturing line, and the data transfer processing unit The priority of data acquisition is determined based on the process information notified from the drawing apparatus, and the drawing apparatus having the highest priority is allowed to acquire data.

  Here, the data transfer processing unit permits the data acquisition when one of the plurality of drawing apparatuses receives a data acquisition request having higher priority after allowing the data acquisition. It is preferable that the drawing apparatus that has stopped permission and resumes data transfer after recovery from permission stop.

  The data transfer processing unit according to the present invention is a data transfer processing unit in a system configured by connecting a plurality of drawing devices in the same production line to one data transfer processing unit, the drawing device On the basis of the process information notified from, and means for determining the priority of data acquisition and means for permitting the drawing apparatus having the highest priority to acquire data.

  Here, in addition to each of the above means, the data transfer processing unit further receives a data acquisition request having a higher priority after allowing data acquisition to one of the plurality of drawing devices. It is preferable to have a means for stopping permission to the drawing apparatus permitted to acquire the data.

  The drawing device according to the present invention is a drawing device in a system configured by connecting a plurality of drawing devices in the same production line to one data transfer processing unit, and includes at least the data acquisition request. Means for notifying the data transfer processing unit of process information including information on the production line and its own process number in the production line, and means for starting data acquisition when permitted by the data transfer processing unit; It is characterized by having.

  Here, in addition to the above means, the drawing apparatus further includes means for interrupting data transfer when receiving a data transfer permission stop from the data transfer processing unit and restarting data transfer after recovery from the permission stop. It is preferable to have.

  The system according to the present invention is a system configured by connecting a plurality of drawing apparatuses in the same production line to one data transfer processing unit, and the digital server according to claim 3 or 4 And a drawing apparatus according to claim 5 or 6.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to realize a data transfer method, a data transfer processing unit, a drawing device, and a system that can be used to determine the priority order that is actually required based on the reason for the necessity. There is an effect.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on preferred embodiments shown in the drawings.
In the following description, the present invention will be described by taking the manufacture of a TFT array as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and various semiconductor devices such as a CPU and various memories, integrated circuits for mobile phones, It can be suitably used to create digital mask data in the manufacture of various products such as printed wiring boards.

  FIG. 1A and FIG. 2 are diagrams showing a main part of a system (hereinafter simply referred to as a system) constituting a TFT array manufacturing line of a liquid crystal display panel according to an embodiment of the present invention. A plurality of digital exposure machines 12a, 12b, 12c, and 12d, and a data transfer processing unit 14 and a digital exposure machine (hereinafter also simply referred to as an exposure machine) that perform data transfer control and the like as necessary for the plurality of digital exposure machines. 1 shows a system 10 mainly composed of one or more data storages 16 for storing data to be sent to (1 is shown in FIG. 2) and an input / output device 18.

  Here, the data transfer processing unit 14 of the system 10 according to the present embodiment includes a CPU 14a that performs overall control of the system 10, an input / output unit 14b, a data conversion function unit 14c that performs data conversion from design data described later, and the like. It has a priority determination function unit 14d for determining priority, which will be described later, a data acquisition permission function unit 14e, ROM 14f, RAM 14g, which will be described later, and a transmission / reception unit 14h for controlling transmission / reception.

Here, the data conversion function unit 14c receives design data including pattern design data over a plurality of layers constituting the TFT array, and uses this data in the photolithography process of each layer in actual TFT array manufacturing. It has a function of converting into digital mask data (bitmap data) for forming a mask.
When there is a data transmission request from the exposure units 12a, 12b, 12c, and 12d, the priority determination function unit 14d determines the data transmission request from each exposure unit based on the process information included in the message. It has a function of determining priority.

The data acquisition permission function unit 14e has a function of outputting a message indicating that data acquisition is permitted to the corresponding exposure device based on the priority determined by the priority determination function unit 14d. is there.
A message to permit the data acquisition is sent from the transmission / reception unit 14h.

  Here, the data storage 16 has a function of receiving the digital mask data (bitmap data) generated by the data conversion function unit 14c and storing it. The exposure machines 12a, 12b, 12c, and 12d perform digital mask exposure (digital exposure) in the photolithography process of each layer in TFT array manufacture.

  The data storage 16 does not necessarily have to store data via the data conversion function unit 14c. As described above, one or more data storages 16 are connected to the data transfer processing unit 14. May be. Further, the data storage 16 may be configured integrally with the data transfer processing unit 14.

  The meaning of FIG. 2 is that when design data including pattern design data corresponding to a kind of a TFT array to be manufactured is given, this data is previously stored in each layer of the TFT array in the data conversion function unit 14c. It is converted into corresponding digital mask data (bitmap data), stored in the data storage 16, and prepared for a transfer request from the exposure machine (12a, 12b, 12c, 12d) corresponding to each layer. Show.

  Next, functions of the exposure machines 12a, 12b, 12c, and 12d will be described. Each of the exposure machines 12a, 12b, 12c, and 12d, in addition to the function of exposing the substrate in accordance with the digital mask data, includes a data acquisition request, information on the production line, and its own process number in the production line. The communication function for notifying the data transfer processing unit 14 of the process information including the data mask and the digital mask data (bitmap data) corresponding to the request when the data transfer processing unit 14 permits it are stored. A function of starting acquisition of digital mask data from the data storage 16 is provided.

  Here, as a trigger of the function of each of the exposure machines 12a, 12b, 12c, and 12d sending a data acquisition request to the data transfer processing unit 14, for example, the type (size) of the liquid crystal display panel manufactured in the TFT array manufacturing line And the like, and information related to changes in the process number of the exposure process in charge of the exposure machines 12a, 12b, 12c, and 12d (collectively these are also referred to as process information).

The exposure machines 12a, 12b, 12c, and 12d perform predetermined processing such as thawing on the digital mask data supplied from the mask data generation unit (data conversion function unit 14c), and perform image exposure of the substrate by itself, that is, their own. Exposure data that is data corresponding to image exposure by the exposure head is generated.
Further, the exposure machines 12a, 12b, 12c, and 12d use a recording light modulated in accordance with the exposure data generated from the digital mask data, on a substrate (an image recording medium such as an insulating layer, a conductor layer, or a Si layer). The substrate on which the photoresist layer is formed is imagewise exposed to record an image.

  There are no particular restrictions on the substrate exposure method in the exposure machines 12a, 12b, 12c, and 12d, and various image exposure methods for the substrate (photosensitive material) using known recording light can be used. For example, the exposure machines 12a, 12b, 12c, and 12d receive recording light modulated according to exposure data using a two-dimensional spatial modulation element such as a DMD (Digital Micromirror Device), and the two-dimensional spatial modulation element. The image may be exposed on the substrate by relatively moving the substrate and the optical system in a direction orthogonal to the scanning line that defines the image, or a light beam modulated according to the exposure data may be used. The image may be exposed on the substrate by deflecting in the main scanning direction and scanning and transporting the substrate in the direction orthogonal to the main scanning direction (or moving the optical system).

  Further, as described above, the data transfer processing unit 14 determines the priority for giving permission regarding the data acquisition request based on the process information notified from the exposure machines 12a, 12b, 12c, and 12d as described above. And a data acquisition permission function unit 14e that permits the exposure apparatus having the highest priority among the priorities determined by the priority determination function unit 14d to acquire data. I have.

  Here, the priority in the data acquisition priority determination function unit 14e is preferably determined based on, for example, the process number in the process information notified from the exposure machines 12a, 12b, 12c, and 12d. That is, high priority is given in the order corresponding to the exposure process located upstream of the series of manufacturing processes (in the example shown, exposure machines 12a → 12b → 12c → 12d).

  Note that the design data 20 shown in FIG. 2 is data in which a plurality of layers are collectively described for each type of liquid crystal display panel created by CAD or the like. In the data conversion function unit 14 c in the transfer processing unit 14, the data is converted into digital mask data (bitmap data) that can be used for exposure (drawing) by each exposure machine and stored in the data storage 16.

The operation of the system constituting the production line of the liquid crystal display panel array according to this embodiment configured as described above will be specifically described below.
Here, the production line includes four exposure steps performed by the exposure units 12a, 12b, 12c, and 12d (assuming that the steps are performed in the order of the exposure units 12a, 12b, 12c, and 12d). The case (see FIG. 3) will be described as an example with reference to FIGS.

Here, FIG. 1A shows the connection status between the data storage 16 and each exposure device 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d in the TFT array production line.
In the case (b), as an example of the prior art, when a data acquisition request for the data storage 16 from each exposure device is issued almost simultaneously, the data storage 16 sends data to each exposure device. It shows the situation where the transfer starts almost simultaneously.
In this case, data transfer from the data storage 16 to each exposure machine is performed in parallel, and the timing at which exposure by the exposure machine 12a (exposure machine A), which is the first exposure process, is started is described later in the present embodiment. This shows a significant delay compared to such a method.

  That is, in the processing method shown in FIG. 1B, the time required for “data acquisition” is substantially the total time in which a plurality of data transfer processes are processed in parallel (so-called time division parallel processing). Exposure by the exposure machine 12a (exposure machine A) which is the first exposure process until the data transfer to the exposure machines 12a (exposure machine A), 12b (B), 12c (C) and 12d (D) is completed. On the other hand, the exposure machines B, C, and D that have acquired data substantially simultaneously with the exposure machine A cannot perform exposure using the data until the previous process is completed. This results in inconvenience.

As a result, in the case of this method, the necessary time (operation time) of a series of exposure processing by the exposure machines 12a (exposure machine A), 12b (B), 12c (C), and 12d (D) is the above-mentioned “data acquisition”. And the time required for the exposure process starting from the end of the previous process in the exposure machine B, the exposure machine C, and the exposure machine D. , it becomes the _{t 1).}

  On the other hand, in the processing method according to this embodiment shown in FIG. 1C, when there is a data acquisition request from the exposure apparatus, only one exposure apparatus is permitted to acquire data according to the priority of the exposure apparatus. To do. Since the exposure apparatus adds its own process information (manufacturing line information and process number) to the data acquisition request as described above, the data transfer processing unit 14 receives a plurality of data acquisition requests at the same time. Based on this, the order of the exposure machines that allow data acquisition is determined according to the priority.

  In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, as described above, the process starts with the exposure machine A, followed by the exposure machine B, the exposure machine C, and the exposure machine D (see FIG. 1A). Since the order has been determined, for example, when there is a data acquisition request from the exposure machine B and the exposure machine D, the exposure machine B is first given permission to acquire data, and after the data acquisition of the exposure machine B is completed, the exposure is performed. Give machine D permission to acquire data. Accordingly, when there is a data acquisition request from these four exposure machines at the same time, the data transfer processing unit 14 permits data acquisition for the exposure machine A, the exposure machine B, the exposure machine C, and the exposure machine D. In this case, as shown in FIG. 1C, the priority is determined in the order of exposure machine A → exposure machine B → exposure machine C → exposure machine D.

As a result, in this example, the data transfer processing unit 14 first gives the exposure machine 12a (exposure machine A) permission to acquire data required there. The exposure machine 12a (exposure machine A) transfers (acquires) necessary data from the data storage 16 accordingly. The exposure machine 12a (exposure machine A) that has acquired the necessary data starts exposure.
The data transfer processing unit 14 permits the exposure machine 12b (exposure machine B) having the next highest priority to obtain data required there after the data acquisition of the exposure machine 12a (exposure machine A) is completed.
Hereinafter, similarly, the data transfer processing unit 14 sequentially grants data acquisition permission to the exposure machine 12c (exposure machine C) and the exposure machine 12d (exposure machine D). Each exposure unit starts exposure when it acquires necessary data from the data storage 16.

By adopting such a data transfer method, the exposure system 12a (exposure machine A), 12b (B), 12c (C), 12d (D) is used in the processing method according to this embodiment shown in FIG. ) series of exposure required time by (uptime) decreases by an amount corresponding to the exposure start was earlier by the exposure apparatus 12a (exposure machine a), it is time represented by t ₂ in FIG. Here, the shortened time is t ₁ -t ₂ .

  In the above-described processing method according to the present embodiment shown in FIG. 1C, the data is transmitted from the exposure machine 12a (exposure machine A), 12b (B), 12c (C), 12d (D) to the data transfer processing unit 14. Based on the process information included in the data acquisition request, the priority determination function unit 14d assigns a priority to the data acquisition request from each exposure unit, so that an effect of enabling such processing is obtained. Is.

  Although not shown in the drawings, the data transfer processing unit 14 assigns priorities based on the process information included in the data acquisition request sent from each exposure machine, and then acquires the data first. If there is a data acquisition request from an exposure device having a higher priority than the exposure device that has permitted the data, the data transfer processing unit 14 stops permission to the exposure device that has previously permitted data acquisition, It is also possible to permit a data acquisition request from a new exposure apparatus having a higher priority.

  In this case, at the time when data acquisition is completed in the exposure apparatus that has been permitted to acquire the data later, the data transfer processing unit 14 once permits the data acquisition and then stops the permission. It is preferable to notify the suspension release of permission and permit the exposure apparatus to resume the data acquisition once interrupted.

  The exposure apparatus preferably has a function of starting, interrupting, or resuming data acquisition based on the permission or permission stop instruction from the data transfer processing unit 14 described above.

The above embodiment shows an example of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications and improvements are made without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Needless to say, it may be.
For example, the above example is an example in which the present invention is applied to an exposure apparatus (exposure method) that performs drawing by exposing a substrate to be processed (photosensitive material). However, the present invention draws using an inkjet head as a drawing system. The present invention can be applied to various drawing methods and drawing apparatuses that perform drawing by scanning, such as drawing by ink-jet printing and drawing by thermal recording using a thermal head as a drawing system.

It is a figure for demonstrating the basic principle of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the data transfer system in the TFT array manufacturing line of the liquid crystal display panel which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the outline | summary of the principal part structure of TFT array manufacturing processes, such as a liquid crystal display panel.

Explanation of symbols

10 System (System constituting the production line of TFT array of liquid crystal display panel)
12a, 12b, 12c, 12d Exposure machine (digital exposure machine)
14 Data transfer processing unit 14a CPU
14b Input / output unit 14c Data conversion function unit 14d Priority determination function unit 14e Data acquisition permission function unit 14f ROM
14g RAM
14h Transmission / reception unit 16 Data storage 18 Input / output device 20 Design data

Claims (7)

A data transfer method in a system configured by connecting a plurality of drawing devices in the same production line to one data transfer processing unit,
The drawing apparatus notifies the data transfer processing unit of data acquisition request and process information including at least the information of the manufacturing line and its own process number in the manufacturing line,
The data transfer processing unit determines the priority of data acquisition based on the process information notified from the drawing device,
A data transfer method characterized by allowing a drawing apparatus having the highest priority to acquire data.   If the data transfer processing unit receives a data acquisition request having a higher priority after allowing data acquisition to one of the plurality of drawing apparatuses, the data transfer processing unit permits the drawing apparatus that has permitted the data acquisition. The data transfer method according to claim 1, wherein the drawing apparatus that has received the permission stop resumes data transfer after recovery from the permission stop. A data transfer processing unit in a system configured by connecting a plurality of drawing devices in the same production line to one data transfer processing unit,
Means for determining the priority of data acquisition based on the process information notified from the drawing device;
A data transfer processing unit comprising: a unit that permits data acquisition to a drawing device having the highest priority. In addition to the above means,
When one of the plurality of drawing apparatuses receives a data acquisition request having a higher priority after allowing data acquisition, the apparatus has means for stopping permission to the drawing apparatus permitted to acquire the data. The data transfer processing unit according to claim 3. A drawing device in a system configured by connecting a plurality of drawing devices in the same production line to one data transfer processing unit,
Means for notifying the data transfer processing unit of data acquisition request and process information including at least the information of the production line and its own process number in the production line;
A drawing apparatus comprising: means for starting data acquisition when permitted by the data transfer processing unit. In addition to the above means,
6. The drawing apparatus according to claim 5, further comprising means for interrupting data transfer when receiving a data transfer permission stop from the data transfer processing unit and restarting the data transfer after recovery from the permission stop. A system in which a plurality of drawing devices in the same production line are connected to one data transfer processing unit,
A system comprising the digital server according to claim 3 or 4, and the drawing apparatus according to claim 5 or 6.

Images