JP2009058666A - Exposure apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To suppress a shade of a shutter edge part from becoming obscure and unclear on the surface of a body to be exposed. <P>SOLUTION: An exposure apparatus includes: a conveying means 1 for conveying a color filter substrate 9 in which a plurality of exposure regions are arranged at least in a row in the setting direction; a mask stage 2 for holding a photomask 13; an always lighting light source 3 during exposure to the color filter substrate 9; and a shutter 4 for exchanging radiation and interception of exposure light by allowing the plurality of the exposure regions of the color filter substrate 9 to synchronize to successively pass the lower side of the photomask 13. The exposure apparatus includes: a fly eye lens 5 disposed between the light source 3 and shutter 4 and uniforming brightness distribution of the exposure light irradiating the photomask 13; a condenser lens 6 for imaging to superpose images of a plurality of microlenses of the fly eye lens 5 on the interception face of the exposure light by the shutter 4; and an offner optical system 7 for re-imaging the images of the plurality of the microlenses imaged to be superposed on the photomask 13. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  In the present invention, exposure light irradiation and blocking are switched by a shutter in synchronization with conveyance of an object to be exposed, and the outside of a plurality of exposure areas set at predetermined intervals along the conveyance direction of the object to be exposed is exposed. More particularly, the present invention relates to an exposure apparatus that can suppress blurring of a shadow of a shutter edge portion on the surface of an object to be blurred and becoming unclear.

  This type of conventional exposure apparatus has a stage on which an exposure object in which a plurality of exposure areas are set in at least one line is placed on the upper surface, and the exposure object is conveyed in the setting direction of the plurality of exposure areas, A mask stage that is arranged above the stage and holds the photomask in close proximity to the object to be exposed, and is constantly lit during the exposure period for the object to be exposed, and irradiates the photomask held on the mask stage with exposure light. A light source that is disposed between the mask stage and the light source, and that is disposed between the mask stage and the photo integrator. A condensing lens that converts the exposure light applied to the mask into parallel light, and is disposed between the photo integrator and the condensing lens. An imaging lens that forms the end face image of the integrator on the near side of the condenser lens, and a plurality of exposure areas arranged by the object to be exposed in the vicinity of the imaging position of the end face image of the photo integrator. Includes a shutter that switches between irradiation and blocking of exposure light in synchronization with sequentially passing under the photomask (for example, see Patent Document 1). This has the advantage that the shutter can be made small and interference with surrounding components can be avoided.

In other exposure apparatuses, proximity gap control is performed so that the gap formed between the photomask surface held by the mask holder and the glass substrate surface held by the exposure chuck becomes a predetermined gap. The exposure is performed after the exposure, and an exposure shutter means is provided directly above the photomask so as not to irradiate a part of the photomask with light rays at the time of proximity exposure (for example, Patent Document 2). reference).
JP 2007-121344 A JP-A-11-052583

  However, in such a conventional exposure apparatus, the exposure apparatus described in Patent Document 1 uses the imaging lens to form an image of the end face of the photo integrator once on the surface where the shutter blocks exposure light, and then collects it. Since it was designed to be magnified and projected onto the object by the optical lens, the shadow of the shutter edge is blurred based on the collimation half-angle of the exposure light, and a blurred image is also magnified and projected. In some cases, the resolution of the exposure pattern in the vicinity of the conveyance direction side edge portion of the plurality of exposure regions set to be lowered.

  In the exposure apparatus described in Patent Document 2, as shown in FIG. 10, the distance d1 between the object to be exposed, for example, the color filter substrate 9 and the photomask 13, is set to 100 μm, and the offset amount of the shutter 4 with respect to the photomask 13 is set. When d2 is 300 μm and the collimation half angle θ is 2 °, the size x of the unclear area where the shadow of the shutter edge 4a on the color filter substrate surface 9a is blurred is 2 × (100 + 300) × tan (2π / 180). ≈28 μm. On the other hand, in the case of the mask pattern 14 of the photomask 13, the size of the unclear area where the shadow of the edge is blurred is calculated to be about 7 μm in the same manner, and therefore the unclear area of the shadow of the shutter edge 4a is calculated. Is enlarged about four times as compared with the mask pattern 14. Therefore, by applying the exposure optical system of such an exposure apparatus, a plurality of exposure areas set along the transport direction sequentially pass under the photomask 13 on the surface of the exposure object transported in a predetermined direction. In synchronism with this, when exposure is performed while switching between irradiation and blocking of the exposure light by the shutter 4, there is a problem that the resolution of the exposure pattern in the vicinity of the conveyance direction side edge portions of the plurality of exposure regions decreases. there were.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an exposure apparatus that can cope with such problems and suppress the blurring of the shadow of the shutter edge on the surface of the object to be blurred.

  In order to achieve the above object, an exposure apparatus according to the present invention places an object to be exposed, on which a plurality of exposure areas are arranged in at least one line, on an upper surface, and sets the exposure object in a setting direction of the plurality of exposure areas. A transport means for transporting the body, a mask stage for holding a photomask in close proximity to the object to be exposed, and a light that is constantly lit during an exposure period for the object to be exposed, and exposing light to the photomask held on the mask stage And a shutter that switches between irradiation and blocking of exposure light in synchronization with the sequential passage of a plurality of exposure areas under the photomask by conveyance of the object to be exposed. A photo integrator that is disposed between the light source and the shutter and uniformizes the luminance distribution of the exposure light applied to the photomask; and An imaging lens that forms an end face image of the photo integrator on a cross section, and an object side and an image side that re-image the end face image of the photo integrator formed by the imaging lens on the photomask. A re-imaging optical system.

  With such a configuration, with the light source constantly turned on during the exposure period for the object to be exposed, the object to be exposed on which the plurality of exposure areas are set in at least one line is placed on the upper surface, and the plurality of exposure areas are conveyed by the conveying means. Of the photo integrator that is imaged by the imaging lens on the photomask held on the mask stage in close proximity to the object to be exposed by the telecentric re-imaging optical system on the object side and the image side. The end face image is re-imaged, and the exposure area is blocked by the shutter that blocks the exposure light on the imaging surface of the end face image of the photo integrator by the imaging lens. The exposure light is switched between irradiation and blocking to sequentially expose a plurality of exposure areas of the object to be exposed, and to prevent a portion between the exposure areas adjacent in the conveyance direction of the object to be exposed from being exposed.

  The re-imaging optical system is an Offner optical system including at least one concave reflecting mirror and at least one convex reflecting mirror. As a result, the end face image of the photo integrator formed by the imaging lens on the photomask is re-imaged with an Offner optical system including at least one concave reflecting mirror and at least one convex reflecting mirror.

  The photo integrator is a fly-eye lens configured by arranging a plurality of micro lenses in the same plane, and the imaging lens blocks exposure light from the images of the micro lenses of the fly eye lens by the shutter. It is arranged so as to form an image superimposed on the surface. As a result, images of the plurality of microlenses of the fly-eye lens configured by arranging a plurality of microlenses in the same plane are superimposed on the exposure light blocking surface by the shutter by the imaging lens.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the blocking of the exposure light by the shutter is equivalent to the blocking of the exposure light at the position where the photomask is disposed, and the offset amount of the shutter with respect to the photomask can be made zero. . Therefore, it is possible to prevent the shadow of the shutter edge on the surface of the object to be exposed from being blurred and unclear. Further, the same surface as the exposure light irradiation surface of the photomask surface can be formed at the shutter passing position, and the blurred area of the shadow at the shutter edge can be reduced compared to the conventional technique in which the projected area is enlarged. Can do. Therefore, it is possible to improve the resolution of the exposure pattern at the side edges in the transport direction of the plurality of exposure regions set on the surface of the object to be exposed.

  Moreover, according to the invention which concerns on Claim 2, a re-imaging optical system can be comprised with a reflective mirror, and manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  According to the third aspect of the present invention, the brightness distribution of the exposure light applied to the photomask can be made more uniform.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view showing an embodiment of an exposure apparatus according to the present invention. In this exposure apparatus, the exposure light is switched between irradiation and blocking by a shutter in synchronization with the conveyance of the object to be exposed, and the outside of a plurality of exposure areas set at predetermined intervals along the conveyance direction of the object to be exposed is exposed. The conveying means 1, the mask stage 2, the light source 3, the shutter 4, the fly-eye lens 5, the condenser lens 6, the Offner optical system 7, the imaging means 8, Comprising. In the following description, the case where the object to be exposed is the color filter substrate 9 coated with a color resist will be described.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the transport means 1 places a color filter substrate 9 (shown in two rows in the figure) in which a plurality of exposure regions 10 are arranged in at least one row and set at a gap G <b> 2 on the upper surface of the stage 11. Then, it is conveyed at a constant speed (V) in the set direction of the plurality of exposure areas 10 (the direction of arrow A in FIG. 1). The transport unit 1 includes a position detection sensor and a speed detection sensor (not shown) so that the movement distance and movement speed of the color filter substrate 9 can be detected. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 10a indicates a first exposure area, reference numeral 10b indicates a second exposure area, and reference numeral 10c indicates a third exposure area. Further, reference numeral 12a indicates a portion between the first and second exposure areas 10a and 10b (hereinafter referred to as “first non-exposure area”), and reference numeral 12b indicates the second and third exposure areas 10a and 10b. A portion between the exposure regions 10b and 10c (hereinafter referred to as “second non-exposure region”) is shown.

  A mask stage 2 is disposed above the conveying means 1. The mask stage 2 holds the photomask 13 in close proximity to the color filter substrate 9 through a predetermined gap, for example, a gap of about 100 μm, and is controlled by control means (not shown) to carry the mask. In the plane parallel to the upper surface of the stage 11 of the means 1, the color filter substrate 9 can be displaced in the direction orthogonal to the conveying direction indicated by the arrow A, so that the photomask 13 and the color filter substrate 9 can be aligned. It has become.

  Here, the photomask 13 is for transferring a mask pattern 14 formed thereon by irradiation of exposure light to a color resist on the color filter substrate 9, and as shown in FIG. , A light shielding film 16, a mask pattern 14, a viewing window 17, and a mask side alignment mark 18.

The transparent substrate 15 is a transparent glass substrate that transmits ultraviolet light and visible light with high efficiency, and is made of, for example, quartz glass.
As shown in FIG. 1, a light shielding film 16 is formed on one surface of the transparent substrate 15. The light shielding film 16 shields exposure light and is formed of an opaque thin film of, for example, chromium (Cr).

  As shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of mask patterns 14 are formed on the light shielding film 16 in one direction. The plurality of mask patterns 14 are openings having a predetermined shape that allow the exposure light to pass therethrough. The mask patterns 14 are formed on the color filter substrate 9 shown in FIG. The image is transferred onto the pixels 20 of the black matrix 19. For example, the pixel 20 has a width substantially equal to the width of the pixels 20 and has a rectangular shape with a long length D in a direction orthogonal to the arrangement direction, and is formed at intervals equal to the three pitch intervals of the pixels 20. ing. In FIG. 3, for example, the lower edge of the mask pattern 14a located in the center is preset as the reference position R1.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a viewing window 17 is formed in the light shielding film 16 in the vicinity of the plurality of mask patterns 14 on the side in the arrangement direction. The viewing window 17 is for observing the substrate-side alignment mark 21 and the pixel 20 of the black matrix 19 formed on the color filter substrate 9 shown in FIG. Thus, the position of the substrate side alignment mark 21 and the reference position R2 set in advance on the lower edge of the pixel 20a located at the center of the black matrix 19 in FIG. 4, for example, can be detected. And as shown in FIG. 3, it is formed in a rectangular shape extending from the center side toward one end 13a in parallel with the arrangement direction of the plurality of mask patterns 14.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a plurality of mask-side alignment marks 18 are formed on the light-shielding film 16 so as to be arranged from the center side toward the other end portion 13 b on the side of one end portion of the viewing window 17. The plurality of mask side alignment marks 18 are for aligning a reference position R1 preset on the mask pattern 14 with a reference position R2 preset on the pixel 20 of the color filter substrate 9. , Corresponding to the mask pattern 14. Further, the formation position is such that the lower edge of the mask alignment mark 18 in FIG. 3 coincides with the lower edge of the corresponding mask pattern 14. For example, a mask side alignment mark 18 formed on the central side of the light shielding film 16 is set in advance as a reference mark 18a. As a result, the reference mark 18a and the substrate-side alignment mark 21 of the color filter substrate 9 are positioned so as to have a predetermined positional relationship, whereby the reference position R1 of the mask pattern 14 and the color filter substrate 9 are adjusted. It is possible to perform alignment with the reference position R2.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the photomask 13 is held on the mask stage 2 with the side on which the light shielding film 16 is formed facing down. In the figure, the width W indicates the minimum width of the region irradiated with the exposure light.

  A light source 3 is disposed above the conveying means 1. The light source 3 is always lit during the exposure period for the color filter substrate 9 and irradiates the photomask 13 held on the mask stage 2 with exposure light, and emits exposure light including ultraviolet rays. Mercury lamp, xenon lamp or ultraviolet light emitting laser.

  A shutter 4 is disposed between the mask stage 2 and the light source 3. The shutter 4 switches between irradiation and blocking of exposure light in synchronism with the sequential passage of the plurality of exposure regions 10 under the photomask 13 by the conveyance of the color filter substrate 9. It moves in the direction of arrow B at the same speed V as the moving speed V of the color filter substrate 9 indicated by arrow A, and exposure light is applied to the first and second non-exposure areas 12a and 12b of the adjacent color filter substrate 9. It can be prevented from being irradiated. The shutter 4 that has moved in the direction of arrow B and closed the optical path of the exposure light is returned at high speed in the direction of arrow C when exposing the exposure region 10.

  A fly eye lens 5 is disposed between the light source 3 and the shutter 4. The fly-eye lens 5 is a photo-integrate that makes the luminance distribution of the exposure light irradiated to the photomask 13 uniform, and is configured by arranging a plurality of microlenses in the same plane.

  A condenser lens 6 is disposed between the fly-eye lens 5 and the shutter 4. The condenser lens 6 is an imaging lens that forms an image by superimposing images of a plurality of microlenses of the fly-eye lens 5 on a surface (indicated by a broken line in FIG. 1) where the shutter 4 blocks exposure light. A plurality of lenses are combined to be designed such that the image size on the blocking surface is the same as the exposure light irradiation area on the photomask 13.

  An Offner type optical system 7 is disposed between the shutter 4 and the mask stage 2. The Offner optical system 7 is composed of one concave reflecting mirror 22 and one convex reflecting mirror 23 disposed at the focal position thereof, and becomes a telecentric re-imaging optical system on the object side and the image side. Is. The exposure light irradiation surface of the photomask 13 and the exposure light blocking surface of the shutter 4 have the same relationship. Therefore, the shutter 4 is equivalent to moving the irradiation surface of the photomask 13, and the offset amount of the shutter 4 with respect to the photomask 13 becomes zero. This is equivalent to the shutter 4 being disposed close to and opposed to the color filter substrate 9, and the shadow of the edge of the shutter 4 on the surface of the color filter substrate 9 is suppressed from being blurred and unclear. The irradiation surface and the blocking surface are in a one-to-one relationship. As a result, the shadow unsharp area at the edge of the shutter 4 is not projected on the surface of the color filter substrate 4 in an enlarged manner.

  The exposure light irradiation surface of the photomask 13 is generally an area where a plurality of mask patterns 14 of the photomask 13 are formed, but covers the viewing window 17 and the mask alignment mark 18 of the photomask 13. If a filter that reflects or absorbs ultraviolet rays and transmits visible light is formed, the entire photomask 13 may be used as an exposure light irradiation surface.

  The exposure optical system 24 includes the light source 3, fly-eye lens 5, condenser lens 6, shutter 4, Offner optical system 7, and mask stage 2. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 25 denotes a plane reflection mirror.

  An imaging unit 8 is disposed above the transport unit 1. The image pickup means 8 captures and images the substrate side alignment mark 21 formed on the color filter substrate 9 and the mask side alignment mark 18 formed on the photomask 13 in the same field of view through a mirror 26. And a line CCD 27 having a large number of light receiving elements arranged in a straight line, and formed on the substrate side alignment mark 21 and the pixel 20 and the photomask 13 disposed in front of the line CCD 27 and formed on the color filter substrate 9. And an imaging lens 28 for forming an image of the mask-side alignment mark 18 on the line CCD 27, respectively. In this case, the image pickup means 8 and the photomask 13 are aligned in advance so that the line CCD 27 can pick up the portion of the photomask 13 that coincides with the longitudinal axis of the viewing window 17.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 1, an optical distance correction unit 29 is disposed between the line CCD 27 and the imaging lens 28 on the optical path of the imaging unit 8. The optical distance correction means 29 is for substantially matching the optical distance between the line CCD 27 of the image pickup means 8 and the color filter substrate 9 and the optical distance between the line CCD 27 of the image pickup means 8 and the photomask 13. It consists of a transparent member having a predetermined refractive index larger than the refractive index of air, for example, a glass plate. Specifically, the optical distance correction means 29 is disposed on the optical path connecting the line CCD 27 of the image pickup means 8 and the color filter substrate 9 through the viewing window 17 formed on the photomask 13. As a result, the image of the substrate-side alignment mark 21 and the like of the color filter substrate 9 that is shifted in the optical axis direction of the imaging means 8 and the image of the mask-side alignment mark 18 of the photomask 13 are simultaneously connected on the line CCD 27. Can be imaged. Although not shown in FIG. 1, an illuminating unit is provided so as to illuminate the imaging position of the imaging unit 8.

Next, the operation of the exposure apparatus configured as described above will be described.
Here, as shown in FIG. 4, the color filter substrate 9 used has an opaque film made of Cr or the like formed on one surface of a transparent glass substrate. As shown in FIG. 20 is formed in a matrix. Further, alignment is performed by correcting a positional deviation between a reference position R1 preset on the photomask 13 and a reference position R2 preset on the color filter substrate 9 at a substantially central portion on the one end 9a side. Therefore, one elongated substrate-side alignment mark 21 is formed. Further, on the side of the substrate-side alignment mark 21, a plurality of alignment confirmation marks 30 are arranged from the center side toward one side end portion 9 b so as to correspond to the pixels 20 and coincide with the three pitch intervals of the array of the pixels 20. Formed at intervals. The substrate-side alignment mark 21 and the alignment confirmation mark 30 are formed so that the lower edge of each mark coincides with the lower edge of the corresponding pixel 20 in FIG.

  The color filter substrate 9 thus formed is coated with a predetermined color resist on the upper surface, and the end 9a side where the substrate-side alignment mark 21 is formed is positioned on the leading side in the transport direction indicated by arrow A in FIG. Then, it is placed on the stage 11 of the transport means 1 and transported in the direction of arrow A at a constant speed V.

  On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 3, the photomask 13 has the end portion 13c side on which the observation window 17 is formed positioned on the front side in the transport direction indicated by the arrow A, and forms a light shielding film 16 as shown in FIG. It is held on the mask stage 2 with the finished surface down. And it is made to oppose and adjoin to the upper surface of the color filter board | substrate 9 conveyed.

  In such a state, the substrate side alignment mark 21, the alignment confirmation mark 30, and the pixel 20 on the color filter substrate 9 are imaged by the imaging unit 8 through the viewing window 17 formed in the photomask 13. In this case, an optical distance correction unit 29 is disposed on the optical path connecting the line CCD 27 of the imaging unit 8 and the color filter substrate 9 through the viewing window 17 formed in the photomask 13, and the optical distance is determined by the imaging unit. Since the optical distance between the eight line CCDs 27 and the photomask 13 is substantially matched, the substrate-side alignment marks 21 on the color filter substrate 9 and the like that are located in the optical axis direction of the image pickup means 8 are shifted. The image and the image of the mask side alignment mark 18 of the photomask 13 are simultaneously formed on the line CCD 27 of the image pickup means 8. Therefore, the image of the substrate side alignment mark 21 and the like and the image of the mask side alignment mark 18 that are simultaneously imaged by the imaging unit 8 are simultaneously processed by an image processing unit (not shown).

Here, first, the substrate-side alignment mark 21 of the color filter substrate 9 and the mask-side alignment mark 18 of the photomask 13 observed by the imaging unit 8 through the viewing window 17 of the photomask 13 as shown in FIG. Images are taken simultaneously. At this time, the image processing unit reads the detection position on the line CCD 27 where the substrate-side alignment mark 21 is detected and the detection position on the line CCD 27 where the reference mark 18a of the photomask 13 is detected. The calculation unit calculates the distance L. Then, it is compared with a predetermined value L ₀ set in advance and stored in a memory not shown.

Then, as shown in FIG. 5, the mask stage is integrated with the photomask 13 so that the distance L between the substrate side alignment mark 21 and the reference mark 18a is L ₀ or L ₀ ± α (α is an allowable value). 2 is moved in the directions of arrows X and Y. As a result, the reference position R1 of the photomask 13 and the reference position R2 of the color filter substrate 9 match within a predetermined allowable range.

  Next, the alignment confirmation mark 30 on the color filter substrate 9 is imaged by the imaging means 8 through the viewing window 17 of the photomask 13. Then, the detection position on the line CCD 27 where each alignment confirmation mark 30 is detected and the detection position on the line CCD 27 where each mask side alignment mark 18 of the photomask 13 is detected are read, and each detection position is not shown in the figure. The average value of is calculated. The average value is compared with the detection position on the line CCD 27 where the substrate-side alignment mark 21 of the color filter substrate 9 is detected immediately after alignment adjustment. If both coincide with each other within a predetermined allowable range, the alignment is reliable. It is judged that this was done. Then, as shown in FIG. 7, after the substrate side alignment mark 21 is detected, when the substrate moves by (g1 + g2 + D), the shutter 4 moves at high speed in the direction of arrow C to open the optical path of the exposure light, and the exposure light is photon-exposed. The mask 13 is irradiated. As a result, the image of the mask pattern 14 of the photomask 13 is transferred onto the pixels 20 of the color filter substrate 9. If the average value and the detection position of the substrate-side alignment mark 21 do not match, it is determined that the color filter substrate 9 is, for example, a different type or a defective formation of the black matrix 19, and in this case Stop exposure and alert.

Thereafter, the reference position R2 set for the pixel 20 is detected based on the image data of the pixel 20 of the color filter substrate 9 imaged by the imaging means 8. Then, the detection position on the line CCD 27 where the reference position R2 is detected is compared with the detection position on the line CCD 27 where the reference mark 18a of the photomask 13 is detected, and the distance L between them is L ₀ or L ₀ ± α. The photomask 13 is finely moved in the directions of arrows X and Y integrally with the mask stage 2 so that If necessary, the photomask 13 is rotated and adjusted integrally with the mask stage 2 around the center thereof. As a result, even if the color filter substrate 9 is transported while swinging in a direction orthogonal to the transport direction indicated by the arrow A, the photomask 13 moves following it. In this way, the mask pattern 14 of the photomask 13 is transferred to the color filter substrate 9 being conveyed, and a striped exposure pattern row 31 (see FIG. 9) is accurately formed on the predetermined pixels 20 of the color filter substrate 9. Will be.

Next, an exposure procedure performed using the exposure apparatus of the present invention will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.
First, in step S1, the transfer means 1 is activated by turning on a start switch (not shown), and the color filter substrate 9 placed on the upper surface of the stage 11 is moved at a predetermined speed V in the direction of arrow A shown in FIG. Start conveyance. At the same time, as shown in FIG. 7B, the light source 3 is turned on. At this time, as shown in FIG. 4D, the shutter 4 is stopped in a state where the optical path is blocked, and the exposure light is not irradiated onto the color filter substrate 9.

  Then, when the color filter substrate 9 moves and the tip of the substrate-side alignment mark 21 reaches the position coincident with the longitudinal axis below the viewing window 17 of the photomask 13 as shown in FIG. In S2, the substrate-side alignment mark 21 is detected by the imaging means 8 (see FIG. 7A).

  Next, in step S <b> 3, the position of the stage 11 is read by the position detection sensor provided in the transport unit 1, and the moving distance of the color filter substrate 9 from the time when the substrate side alignment mark 21 is detected is measured. Here, as shown in FIG. 3, the distance between the longitudinal axis of the viewing window 17 of the photomask 13 and the edge of the mask pattern 14 on the viewing window 17 side is g1, and the substrate-side alignment mark 21 as shown in FIG. When the distance between the edge of the pixel 20 and the edge of the color filter substrate 9 adjacent to the one end portion 9a of the color filter substrate 9 is g2, the movement distance of the substrate is sequentially compared with a preset value (g1 + g2 + D) stored in the memory. As shown in FIG. 7E, when the two match, the process proceeds to step S4. At this time, in FIG. 5, the front end portion 14 b of the photomask 13 of the mask pattern 14 in the direction of arrow A and the pixel 20 on the leading side of the first exposure area 10 a of the color filter substrate 9 in the direction of arrow A are the same direction. The front end 20b (in this embodiment, the front end E1 of the first exposure region 10a in the direction of arrow A coincides. In this case, the photomask 13 is close to and faces the color filter substrate 9. Therefore, the shadow area of the front edge 14b of the mask pattern 14 in the direction of arrow A on the surface of the color filter substrate 9 is small, and the direction of arrow A of the exposure pattern exposed in the first exposure area 10a is small. The resolution of the front edge is increased, so that the exposure accuracy is improved.

  In step S4, as shown in FIG. 7D, the shutter 4 is moved at a high speed in the direction of arrow C shown in FIG. 1, and the optical path of the exposure light is opened. As a result, as shown in FIG. 6C, exposure of the first exposure region 10a of the color filter substrate 9 is started.

  In step S5, the position of the stage 11 is read by the position detection sensor of the transport means 1, and the moving distance of the color filter substrate 9 from the exposure start time is measured. Then, it is sequentially compared with the set value (G1-D) stored in advance in the memory, and if both match, the process proceeds to step S6. At this time, as shown in FIG. 8A, the front edge 4a in the arrow A direction of the shutter 4 and the front end in the arrow A direction (or the first end of the first non-exposure region 12a of the color filter substrate 9). The rear end portion E2 in the arrow A direction of the second exposure area 10a and the rear end portion 14c in the arrow A direction of the mask pattern 14 of the photomask 13 coincide with each other. In this case, since the surface on which the shutter 4 blocks the exposure light and the exposure light irradiation surface of the photomask 13 have an equivalent relationship, the shadow of the edge 4a of the shutter 4 on the surface of the color filter substrate 9; The shadow of the edge portion 14c of the mask pattern 14 is in the same state, and the blurred area of both shadows is reduced. Therefore, the resolution of the rear edge of the exposure pattern exposed in the first exposure area 10a in the direction of arrow A is increased, and the exposure accuracy is improved.

  In step S6, as shown in FIGS. 7D and 8A, the shutter 4 starts moving in the arrow B direction at a speed V in synchronization with the movement of the color filter substrate 9. In step S7, when the exposure light path is completely blocked by the shutter 4 as shown in FIG. 8B, the shutter 4 stops moving as shown in FIG. 7D. Thereby, the exposure with respect to the 1st exposure area | region 10a of the color filter board | substrate 9 is complete | finished. At the same time, the number of exposures “1” is counted.

  In step S8, whether or not the exposure to the last exposure area 10, for example, the third exposure area 10c in FIG. 2, has been completed is determined by setting the number of exposures to a preset value (for example, “ In comparison with 3 ″), the determination is made by a control unit (not shown). Here, for example, when the exposure for the first exposure area 10a has only been completed, the determination is “NO” and the process proceeds to step S9.

  In step S9, the position of the stage 11 is read by the position detection sensor of the transport means 1, and the moving distance of the color filter substrate 9 from the end of exposure to the first exposure region 10a is measured. Then, it is sequentially compared with the set value (G2 + D) stored in the memory, and when the color filter substrate 9 moves by (G2 + D) and the two values match, the light shielding for the first non-exposure area 12a shown in FIG. The process ends (see FIGS. 7C and 7E). At this time, as shown in FIG. 8C, the rear end portion in the direction of arrow A in the first non-exposure region 12a of the color filter substrate 9 (or the arrow A in the second exposure region 10b). The front end portion E3 in the direction coincides with the front end portion 14b in the arrow A direction in the mask pattern 14 of the photomask 13. And it progresses to step S10 in order to start the exposure with respect to the following exposure area | region 10 (for example, 2nd exposure area | region 10b).

  In step S10, as shown in FIG. 7D and FIG. 8C, the shutter 4 is returned in the direction of arrow C at a high speed. As a result, the optical path of the exposure light is opened, and exposure to the next exposure area 10 (for example, the second exposure area 10b) is started. Then, the process returns to step S5.

  Thereafter, steps S5 to S10 are repeatedly executed. When the count value of the number of exposures coincides with the set value and the exposure for the last exposure region 10 (for example, the third exposure region 10c) is completed, step S8 is “ The determination is “YES” and the process proceeds to step S11.

  In step S11, as shown in FIG. 7B, the light source 3 is turned off. Thereby, the exposure of the exposure region 10 for one row set in the conveyance direction of the color filter substrate 9 is completed.

  If, for example, two exposure optical systems 24 are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the transport direction (arrow A direction) in a plane parallel to the upper surface of the stage 11, the first to third exposure regions 10a to 10a. The exposure area 10 adjacent to 10c is also exposed at the same time, and the exposure pattern row 31 can be formed for all the exposure areas 10 as shown in FIG.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the fly-eye lens 5 is applied as a photo integrator has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the photo integrator may be a light pipe or a kaleidoscope.

  In the above embodiment, the case where the re-imaging optical system is the Offner type optical system 7 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the re-imaging optical system may be a telecentric re-imaging optical system on the object side and the image side. For example, a Schwarzschild type optical system, a Dyson type optical system, or the like may be used.

  Further, in the above description, the shutter 4 moves in synchronism with the non-exposed area 12 of the color filter substrate 9 passing under the photomask 13 to block the optical path of the exposure light, and at the start of exposure However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the same number of slits as the plurality of exposure regions 10 of the color filter substrate 9 are formed along the moving direction of the shutter 4 to thereby form the color filter substrate. The shutter 4 is moved in one direction of an arrow B in synchronization with the passage of the plurality of non-exposure areas 12 of 9 through the lower side of the photomask 13 in order to block exposure light and switch irradiation. Good.

  In the above description, the case where the object to be exposed is the color filter substrate 9 has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and any wiring substrate can be used as long as it forms a stripe-shaped exposure pattern array in the plurality of exposure regions 10. Anything may be used.

It is a front view which shows schematic structure of embodiment of the exposure apparatus by this invention. It is a top view which shows an example of the several exposure area | region set to the color filter board | substrate used in the said exposure apparatus. It is a top view which shows one structural example of the photomask used in the said exposure apparatus. It is a top view which shows the example of 1 structure of the color filter board | substrate used in the said exposure apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows position alignment with the said photomask and color filter board | substrate. It is a flowchart explaining the exposure procedure performed using the said exposure apparatus. It is a timing chart explaining operation | movement of the shutter synchronized with the some exposure area | region of the said color filter board | substrate passing sequentially under the photomask. It is explanatory drawing which shows the exposure prevention operation | movement with respect to the non-exposure area | region of a color filter board | substrate in the exposure operation | movement by the said exposure apparatus. It is a top view which shows the state in which the exposure pattern row | line was formed in the several exposure area | region of the color filter board | substrate by the said exposure apparatus. It is explanatory drawing which shows the phenomenon in which the shadow of the shutter edge part in a prior art blurs.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Conveyance means 2 ... Mask stage 3 ... Light source 4 ... Shutter 5 ... Fly eye lens (photo integrator)
6. Condenser lens (imaging lens)
7 ... Offner type optical system (re-imaging optical system)
9. Color filter substrate (exposed body)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Exposure area | region 13 ... Photomask 22 ... Concave reflection mirror 23 ... Convex reflection mirror

Claims (3)

A transport unit configured to place an object to be exposed on which the plurality of exposure areas are arranged in at least one line on the upper surface, and to convey the object to be exposed in a setting direction of the plurality of exposure areas;
A mask stage for holding a photomask in close proximity to the object to be exposed;
A light source that is constantly lit during an exposure period for the object to be exposed, and that irradiates exposure light onto a photomask held on the mask stage;
An exposure apparatus comprising: a shutter that switches between irradiation and blocking of exposure light in synchronization with a plurality of exposure areas sequentially passing under the photomask by conveying the object to be exposed;
A photo integrator disposed between the light source and the shutter, and uniformizing a luminance distribution of exposure light applied to the photo mask;
An imaging lens that forms an end face image of the photo integrator on a blocking surface of exposure light by the shutter;
A re-imaging optical system telecentric on the object side and the image side for re-imaging the end face image of the photo integrator imaged by the imaging lens on the photo mask;
An exposure apparatus comprising:   2. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the re-imaging optical system is an Offner optical system including at least one concave reflecting mirror and at least one convex reflecting mirror. The photo integrator is a fly-eye lens configured by arranging a plurality of micro lenses in the same plane,
3. The imaging lens is arranged to form an image by superimposing images of a plurality of microlenses of the fly-eye lens on an exposure light blocking surface by the shutter. Exposure equipment.

Images