JP2010026421A - Peripheral exposure apparatus and peripheral exposure method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a peripheral exposure apparatus that is applied to a large substrate, has simple and small apparatus constitution, reduces the apparatus cost, and reduces failure loss caused by a particle; and to provide a peripheral exposure method. <P>SOLUTION: In the peripheral exposure apparatus, an exposure apparatus exposes a periphery out of the exposure region of a predetermined mask pattern formed on a rectangular substrate. The peripheral exposure apparatus includes a receiving/delivering mechanism for receiving and delivering a substrate, a substrate direction-changing mechanism for horizontally rotating the substrate by 90° in the longitudinal or lateral direction, a conveying mechanism that is installed between the receiving/delivering mechanism and the substrate direction-changing mechanism and horizontally conveys the substrate by reciprocating action, and an exposure mechanism formed of a pair of exposure heads installed adjustable to the substrate width on both sides of a conveyance passage of the conveying mechanism. The receiving/delivering mechanism, substrate direction changing mechanism, and conveying mechanism can horizontally convey the substrate by reciprocating action. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention exposes an unnecessary area outside the exposure area of a predetermined mask pattern in a photosensitive layer formed on the surface of a large rectangular substrate for manufacturing a liquid crystal display device, etc. The present invention relates to a peripheral exposure apparatus that exposes a partial photosensitive layer in advance.

  In general, a manufacturing process of a color filter for a liquid crystal display device is performed by applying a colored photosensitive resin or a transparent photosensitive resin obtained by dispersing and mixing a colorant such as a pigment or a dye into a photosensitive resin on a glass substrate. The resist film is coated and dried to a uniform thickness by a spinless coating method, and the resist film is subjected to pattern exposure in a desired shape by a photolithographic method, followed by developing and post-baking by repeating the necessary number of times. . Here, the exposure position of the mask pattern is usually set so as to create a strip-shaped margin having a width of about several millimeters or a wider margin in the periphery of the substrate.

  For this reason, when a positive photosensitive resin is used in the photolithographic method, the unexposed photosensitive resin remains in a strip shape around the substrate after development. The remaining unnecessary photosensitive resin may have adverse effects such as generation of dust during the subsequent processing process. Therefore, before or after the exposure of the mask pattern, it is necessary to expose the unnecessary photosensitive resin region and to remove it by developing.

  Conventionally, the peripheral exposure apparatus that exposes the unnecessary photosensitive resin region has an illumination optical system that can irradiate light on the entire surface of a rectangular glass substrate, and a mask pattern is exposed to the glass substrate. Alternatively, a mask that shields an exposed area is arranged to perform batch exposure. However, the glass substrate has become larger year by year, and recently, a large glass substrate called the sixth generation (1500 mm × 1800 mm) or the eighth generation (2160 mm × 2400 mm) has been used. For this reason, the above-described collective exposure apparatus not only increases the illumination optical system and the mask and increases the cost, but also has poor energy efficiency and is difficult to cope with in terms of material technology.

  Therefore, a method has been proposed in which only the peripheral portion of the rectangular glass substrate is exposed with a certain width. Patent Document 1 includes a transport unit that transports a rectangular substrate from the substrate storage unit toward the exposure stage of the exposure apparatus, and a peripheral exposure optical system that can expose a pattern of an arbitrary shape during the transport. A peripheral exposure apparatus is disclosed. Peripheral exposure of a desired shape is performed by the operation of a rod lamp capable of covering the long side length of the substrate and the driving blind. Further, Patent Document 2 discloses an ultraviolet irradiation head scanning unit necessary for exposure of the peripheral portion, an ultraviolet irradiation head moving unit that moves in an orthogonal direction, a unit that detects the inclination of the reference side of the substrate, A peripheral exposure apparatus having a control means is disclosed. Compared to the former, the latter enables a cheaper device configuration. Further, in Patent Document 3, a guide guide on one side of a substrate, a moving mechanism that moves along the guide, and a light source unit that can move along the moving mechanism circulate while exposing the periphery of the workpiece (substrate). A peripheral exposure apparatus is disclosed. In any case, since the driving of the exposure head or the driving of the blind moves directly above the pattern portion of the substrate, it is necessary to pay close attention to the generation of particles from the sliding portion.

Further, since there are not many dust generation sources and the exposure sides of the square substrate can be exposed collectively one by one, in Patent Document 4, an exposure unit having a bar-shaped light source arranged in the horizontal direction and a square substrate are placed. There is disclosed a peripheral exposure apparatus that includes a stage, and that the stage can move only in two directions, a direction orthogonal to the axial direction of the rod-shaped light source and a rotational direction. In this case, the entire peripheral exposure apparatus is compact, but the exposure unit needs to have a length that matches the long side of the substrate and is held across the rotating stage. Very large and expensive.

  On the other hand, as a method for removing residues around the substrate, Patent Document 5 discloses a method for processing two end faces of a glass substrate at a time as an inline processing apparatus for a color filter. Here, the glass substrate is placed and moved on the slide table, the resist residue remaining on the peripheral edge of the two sides is decomposed by the first ozone / ultraviolet treatment machine, and then the slide table is moved, After the glass substrate is rotated 90 degrees in the rotating device section, the glass substrate is moved to the second ozone / ultraviolet treatment machine in accordance with the width of the other two unprocessed sides of the glass substrate. A method is disclosed in which the remaining resist residue is decomposed. However, in the above-described method, the substrate can be transported in one direction and a simple configuration is possible. However, the apparatus becomes long and large, and the cost of the apparatus is high particularly in a large substrate. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1, there is an example in which the substrate 10 is reciprocated and the long side processing and the short side processing are performed by separate exposure heads 50 and 51. Since the structure moves directly above the substrate, it is necessary to pay close attention to the generation of particles from the sliding portion as described above. In addition, there is a problem that the apparatus cost is increased because each of the long-side exposure and the short-side exposure has a separate exposure head, and one of the exposure heads is moved to the full width of the substrate.

In the conventional peripheral exposure apparatus, when the apparatus is operated, the particles and the substrate are completely separated because of the movement of the exposure head, the driving of the blind for shielding, or the rotation of the substrate (stage) in the exposure unit. This is difficult, because particles generated from sliding parts or rotating parts and grease scattering to reduce sliding resistance adhere to the substrate, resulting in defective loss due to defective substrate manufacturing and manufacturing opportunity loss due to necessary maintenance. Will occur. Even in the conventional apparatus, measures such as exhausting have been implemented as an attempt to remove the generated particles. However, the actual situation is that the generation source is not taken into consideration.
JP 05-190448 A JP 07-283122 A JP-A-11-154039 JP 2001-350271 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-100021

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and can be applied to a large-sized substrate, the apparatus configuration is simple and small, the apparatus cost can be reduced, and the peripheral exposure that can reduce the defect loss caused by particles. An object is to provide an apparatus and a peripheral exposure method.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a peripheral exposure apparatus for exposing a periphery outside an exposure area of a predetermined mask pattern formed on a rectangular substrate by an exposure apparatus.
A receiving / dispensing mechanism for receiving / dispensing a substrate, a substrate direction changing mechanism for horizontally rotating the substrate 90 degrees horizontally, and a reciprocating substrate installed between the receiving / dispensing mechanism and the substrate direction changing mechanism. It comprises a transport mechanism that transports horizontally by operation, and an exposure mechanism comprising a pair of exposure heads that can be adjusted to the substrate width on both sides of the transport path of the transport mechanism, and also includes a receiving / dispensing mechanism and a substrate direction change. Each of the mechanism and the transport mechanism is a peripheral exposure apparatus that can reciprocate and horizontally transport a substrate.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a peripheral exposure method characterized by comprising at least processing steps (1) to (9) by the peripheral exposure apparatus according to the first aspect. It is.
(1) Stage of receiving substrate on stage for carrying substrate, (2) Outgoing substrate alignment stage for aligning substrates for forward exposure processing, (3) Ultraviolet light of a pair of exposure heads installed on both sides of conveyance path The forward exposure position setting stage for moving / fixing the light irradiation area to a position corresponding to the substrate width in the forward path, (4) transporting the substrate together with the stage, and the two sides parallel to the substrate transport direction in the forward path, Outgoing exposure stage in which exposure processing is performed by the pair of exposure heads on both sides of the conveyance path, (5) Substrate direction changing stage in which the stage on which the substrate is placed is rotated 90 degrees by forward rotation or reverse rotation, and (6) Exposure process in the backward path A return path substrate alignment stage for aligning the substrates for use, (7) a return path exposure position setting stage for moving and fixing the ultraviolet light irradiation area of the pair of exposure heads to a position corresponding to the substrate width in the return path; Is transported along with the stage, and the substrate is The two sides side parallel to the feeding direction, the backward exposure step of the exposure process in the pair of the exposure head, (9) the payout phase from the exposed substrate mounting 置搬 feed stage.

  The invention according to claim 3 of the present invention is characterized in that the receiving / dispensing mechanism has a mechanism capable of rotating the substrate 90 degrees by detecting the vertical and horizontal directions of the substrate. It is an exposure apparatus.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a peripheral exposure apparatus according to the third aspect, wherein the step of receiving the substrate on the mounting / conveying stage and the step of dispensing the exposed substrate from the mounting / conveying stage. However, the vertical and horizontal directions of the substrate are detected, the substrate is rotated 90 degrees, and the substrate is received for each substrate corresponding to the direction of the long side and the short side of the substrate mounting / conveying stage. The peripheral exposure method according to claim 2, wherein:

  As described above, in the peripheral exposure apparatus of the present invention, by moving the substrate back and forth, short-side exposure and long-side exposure can be performed with small ultraviolet rays that are sufficient to process only a narrow area at a pair of substrate ends. Since it can be used as an exposure head that can be irradiated, the apparatus can be made compact, and the optical system does not require a complicated configuration, so that the apparatus cost can be reduced. The exposure heads installed on both sides are only required to be movable and finely movable over a short distance as long as the ultraviolet light irradiation area can be adjusted in accordance with the width of the long side and the short side of the substrate. Therefore, it is possible to remove a conventional drive system such as a motor and a guide, a cover for removing particles generated from the sliding portion, and an exhaust pipe, or to reduce the size and simplification, and to reduce the apparatus cost. Furthermore, since the peripheral exposure apparatus of the present invention does not have an apparatus configuration for moving or driving just above the exposure area of the mask pattern of the substrate, it is possible to reduce defect loss due to particles.

  In the peripheral exposure method of the present invention, the substrate is received and dispensed by a mechanism capable of detecting the vertical and horizontal directions of the substrate and rotating the substrate by 90 degrees, and the substrate is received for each substrate. Since it can be performed corresponding to the direction of the long side and the short side of the stage for placing and conveying, there is no need to move the ultraviolet irradiation position of the exposure head at the time of acceptance, By coordinating and controlling the operation of the rotating part that rotates 90 degrees in reverse and the reciprocating operation of the substrate, the shortest tact time can be realized and high throughput can be realized.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a peripheral exposure apparatus according to the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 2 is a schematic view of an example of the peripheral exposure apparatus of the present invention as viewed from above. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram showing a processing flow of an example of the peripheral exposure method of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the substrate exposure apparatus according to the present invention includes a substrate receiving / dispensing mechanism (A), a substrate direction changing mechanism (B) for horizontally rotating the substrate 90 degrees horizontally and horizontally, and these two regions. An exposure mechanism consisting of a pair of exposure heads installed on both sides of the transport path for exposing each of the sides of the substrate transported by the reciprocating motion by two sides each. (D). In addition, as each apparatus / part for realizing each mechanism constituting the peripheral exposure mechanism of the present invention, those used in a manufacturing process of a liquid crystal color filter substrate using a known glass substrate by a photolithography method are used. And is not limited to specific devices / parts.

  The peripheral exposure target substrate 10 coated with a normal positive photosensitive resin or the like is first received by the stage for placement and conveyance, and is aligned by the alignment mechanism 30 for exposure processing in the forward path. At this time, the ultraviolet light irradiation areas of the pair of exposure heads 50 installed on both sides of the transport path are moved and fixed at positions corresponding to the substrate width in the forward path. Note that the position of the ultraviolet light irradiation area of the exposure head 50 may remain fixed if the width of the previous substrate (that is, the short side / long side direction) is the same in continuous processing of the same product type. Next, the substrate 10 is transported together with the stage, and the two sides parallel to the substrate transport direction in the forward path are exposed by a pair of exposure heads 50 on both sides of the transport path. Here, as the light source of the exposure head, a high-pressure mercury lamp, a normal lamp house type ultraviolet light source, or a rod-shaped light source can be used, and a known method can be used for an optical control mechanism such as a shutter. Not limited.

  Next, the stage on which the substrate 11 on which the two sides are subjected to exposure processing is rotated 90 degrees by normal rotation or reverse rotation by a known substrate rotation mechanism (not shown) to change the short side / long side direction of the substrate. Here, the selection of normal rotation or reverse rotation is selected so that the position of the orientation flat (notch provided in one of the four corners of the substrate) indicating the direction of the substrate when the substrate is dispensed is unified. The Next, the substrate 11 is aligned by the alignment mechanism 31 for exposure processing in the return path. Further, the pair of exposure heads 50 are moved and fixed at positions where the ultraviolet light irradiation area corresponds to the substrate width on the return path. Next, the substrate 11 is transported in the reverse direction together with the stage, and the unprocessed two sides parallel to the transport direction of the substrate 11 on which two sides are processed in the return path are subjected to exposure processing by the pair of exposure heads 50.

  Finally, the processed substrate 12 subjected to the exposure processing on all four sides is discharged from the mounting / conveying stage. Usually, the processed substrate 12 is immediately put into the developing process, and the light remaining outside the exposure area of the mask pattern is emitted. The positive photosensitive resin whose solubility in the developer is increased by the contact is removed.

  As described above, the peripheral exposure apparatus and peripheral exposure method of the present invention have a simple apparatus configuration and can be made compact, and the apparatus cost can be reduced. Moreover, it is possible to suppress the generation of particles mechanically, and a reduction in defect loss can be expected. For this reason, the size of the mother glass is extremely effective as a peripheral exposure apparatus used for manufacturing a color filter substrate or the like using a large glass substrate called sixth generation (1500 mm × 1800 mm) or eighth generation (2160 mm × 2400 mm). .

Schematic which shows the conventional peripheral exposure apparatus. 1 is a schematic view of an example of a peripheral exposure apparatus according to the present invention as viewed from above. Schematic which shows the processing flow of an example of the board | substrate exposure method of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

(B) ... Substrate receiving / dispensing mechanism (b) ... Substrate direction changing mechanism (c) ... Transfer mechanism (d) ... Exposure mechanism 10 ... Substrate 11 ... Substrate (2) Side treatment) 12 ... Substrate (4 side treatment)
30, 31 ... alignment mechanism 50, 51 ... exposure head

Claims (4)

In the peripheral exposure apparatus that exposes the periphery outside the exposure area of the predetermined mask pattern formed on the rectangular substrate by the exposure apparatus,
A receiving / dispensing mechanism for receiving / dispensing a substrate, a substrate direction changing mechanism for horizontally rotating the substrate 90 degrees horizontally, and a reciprocating substrate installed between the receiving / dispensing mechanism and the substrate direction changing mechanism. It comprises a transport mechanism that transports horizontally by operation, and an exposure mechanism comprising a pair of exposure heads that can be adjusted to the substrate width on both sides of the transport path of the transport mechanism, and also includes a receiving / dispensing mechanism and a substrate direction change. A peripheral exposure apparatus characterized in that each of the mechanism and the transport mechanism can transport the substrate back and forth horizontally. The peripheral exposure method according to claim 1, comprising at least processing steps including (1) to (9).
(1) The stage of receiving the substrate on the stage for placing and conveying,
(2) Outgoing substrate alignment stage for aligning the substrate for the exposure processing in the outward route;
(3) a forward exposure position setting stage in which the ultraviolet light irradiation area of a pair of exposure heads installed on both sides of the transport path is moved and fixed to a position corresponding to the substrate width in the forward path;
(4) A forward exposure stage in which the substrate is transported together with the stage, and the two sides parallel to the substrate transport direction in the forward path are exposed with the pair of exposure heads on both sides of the transport path;
(5) Substrate direction changing stage in which the stage on which the substrate is placed is rotated 90 degrees forward or backward,

(6) a return path substrate alignment stage for aligning the substrates for exposure processing in the return path;
(7) a return exposure position setting step of moving and fixing the ultraviolet light irradiation area of the pair of exposure heads to a position corresponding to the substrate width in the return path;
(8) a return path exposure stage in which the substrate is transported together with the stage, and the two sides parallel to the substrate transport direction on the return path are exposed by the pair of exposure heads;
(9) Discharging stage of the exposed substrate from the mounting / conveying stage.   The peripheral exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the receiving / dispensing mechanism includes a mechanism capable of detecting the vertical and horizontal directions of the substrate and rotating the substrate by 90 degrees. According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the peripheral exposure apparatus, the step of receiving the substrate on the stage for carrying the substrate and the step of feeding the exposed substrate from the stage for carrying the substrate detect the vertical and horizontal directions of the substrate. 3. The peripheral exposure method according to claim 2, wherein the substrate is received corresponding to the direction of the long side and the short side of the stage for carrying and placing the substrate for each substrate. .