JP2010231125A - Proximity exposure device, mask carrying method of the proximity exposure device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To safely carry a large mask without a risk of falling off from a handling arm. <P>SOLUTION: A mask carrying device which loads the mask 2 on the handling arm 50 to be carried is provided with an inclination adjustment mechanism for adjusting an inclination of the handling arm 50, and carries the mask 2 while inclining the handling arm 50 on which the mask 2 is loaded to the opposite direction of the direction in which the handling arm 50 bends by the inclination adjustment mechanism. An amount of deflection of the handling arm 50 on which the mask 2 is loaded becomes small, and the large mask 2 is safely carried without the risk of falling off from the handling arm 50. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a proximity exposure apparatus that exposes a substrate using a proximity method in the manufacture of a display panel substrate such as a liquid crystal display device, and a mask transport method of the proximity exposure apparatus, and in particular, transport of a large mask. The present invention relates to a proximity exposure apparatus and a mask transport method for the proximity exposure apparatus.

  Manufacturing of TFT (Thin Film Transistor) substrates, color filter substrates, plasma display panel substrates, organic EL (Electroluminescence) display panel substrates, and the like of liquid crystal display devices used as display panels is performed using photolithography using an exposure apparatus. This is performed by forming a pattern on the substrate by a technique. As an exposure apparatus, a projection method in which a mask pattern is projected onto a substrate using a lens or a mirror, and a minute gap (proximity gap) is provided between the mask and the substrate to transfer the mask pattern to the substrate. There is a proximity method. The proximity method is inferior in pattern resolution performance to the projection method, but the configuration of the irradiation optical system is simple, the processing capability is high, and it is suitable for mass production.

  The proximity exposure apparatus includes a chuck that supports a substrate and a mask holder that holds a mask, and performs exposure by bringing the mask held by the mask holder and the substrate supported by the chuck very close to each other. In the proximity exposure apparatus, exposure is generally performed by horizontally supporting the substrate, and the mask is vacuum-adsorbed at the peripheral portion by a mask holder and held facing the substrate above the substrate. The mask is normally transferred to the mask holder by a handling arm of a mask transfer robot. Patent Document 1 discloses a mask transfer device.

JP 2006-86332 A

  Usually, the handling arm of the mask transfer robot is a cantilever type, and when the mask is mounted on the handling arm, the handling arm bends due to the weight of the mask. As the size of the substrate increases with the recent increase in screen size of the display panel, the mask also increases in size and the weight of the mask increases. When the weight of the mask increases, the amount of deflection of the handling arm when the mask is mounted increases, and the mask may fall from the handling arm during the transfer of the mask.

  In general, the proximity exposure apparatus is provided with a mask stocker for storing masks that are not used, and a plurality of masks are stored in the mask stocker side by side. The transfer of the mask to the mask stocker is also usually performed by a handling arm of a mask transfer robot. When the mask weight increases and the amount of deflection of the handling arm when the mask is mounted increases, it is stored in the mask stocker to prevent the mask being transferred or the handling arm from coming into contact with the stored mask. It is necessary to increase the interval between the masks.

  An object of the present invention is to safely transport a large mask without fear of dropping from the handling arm. Another object of the present invention is to reduce the interval between the masks stored side by side in the mask stocker.

  The proximity exposure apparatus of the present invention includes a chuck that supports a substrate and a mask holder that holds the mask, and provides a minute gap between the mask and the substrate to transfer the mask pattern to the substrate. An exposure apparatus includes a mask transport device having a handling arm for mounting a mask and a tilt adjusting mechanism for adjusting the tilt of the handling arm, and the mask transport device handles the handling arm mounting the mask by the tilt adjusting mechanism. The mask is conveyed while tilting in the direction opposite to the direction in which the arm bends.

  In addition, the mask transport method of the proximity exposure apparatus of the present invention includes a chuck that supports the substrate and a mask holder that holds the mask, and a fine gap is provided between the mask and the substrate to form a mask pattern. A mask exposure method for a proximity exposure apparatus for transferring to a substrate, wherein the mask transfer apparatus for transferring the mask mounted on the handling arm is provided with a tilt adjusting mechanism for adjusting the tilt of the handling arm, and the handling arm having the mask mounted thereon. The mask is conveyed while being tilted in the direction opposite to the bending direction of the handling arm by the tilt adjusting mechanism.

  If the handling arm equipped with a mask is tilted in the direction opposite to the direction in which the handling arm bends by the tilt adjustment mechanism, the amount of deflection of the handling arm equipped with the mask will decrease, and a large mask will not fall off the handling arm. It is transported safely.

  Furthermore, the proximity exposure apparatus of the present invention includes a mask stocker for storing a plurality of masks arranged in a vertical direction, and the mask transport device is configured so that the handling arm on which the mask is mounted is opposite to the direction in which the handling arm bends by the tilt adjustment mechanism. The mask is conveyed to the mask stocker while being tilted in the direction. Further, the mask transport method of the proximity exposure apparatus of the present invention is provided with a mask stocker for storing a plurality of masks side by side, and the handling arm carrying the mask is moved in a direction opposite to the direction in which the handling arm bends by the tilt adjustment mechanism. The mask is transported to a mask stocker while tilting it. Since the amount of deflection of the handling arm for transporting the mask to the mask stocker is reduced, the interval between the masks stored side by side in the mask stocker can be reduced.

  According to the present invention, the mask transport device that transports the mask mounted on the handling arm is provided with the tilt adjustment mechanism that adjusts the tilt of the handling arm, and the handling arm equipped with the mask is moved by the tilt adjustment mechanism. By transporting the mask while tilting in the direction opposite to the deflection direction, the amount of deflection of the handling arm equipped with the mask can be reduced, so large masks can be transported safely without fear of falling off the handling arm. Can do.

  In addition, by providing a mask stocker that stores multiple masks side by side, and transporting the mask to the mask stocker while tilting the handling arm carrying the mask in the direction opposite to the direction in which the handling arm bends by the tilt adjustment mechanism Since the amount of deflection of the handling arm for transporting the mask to the mask stocker can be reduced, the interval between the masks stored side by side in the mask stocker can be reduced. Therefore, the height of the mask stocker can be kept low, or many masks can be stored in the mask stocker of the same height.

It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the proximity exposure apparatus by one embodiment of this invention. It is a side view which shows the state which moved the chuck | zipper to the exposure position. It is a top view of a mask conveyance robot. It is a side view of a mask conveyance robot. It is a top view of an inclination adjustment mechanism. It is a front view of an inclination adjustment mechanism. It is a figure explaining operation | movement of an inclination adjustment mechanism. It is a partial cross section side surface of the AA part of FIG. It is a figure explaining operation | movement of a mask conveyance robot. It is a figure explaining operation | movement of a mask conveyance robot. It is a side view of a mask stocker.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a proximity exposure apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a side view showing a state where the chuck is moved to the exposure position. The proximity exposure apparatus includes a base 3, an X guide 4, an X stage 5, a Y guide 6, a Y stage 7, a θ stage 8, a chuck support base 9, a chuck 10, a mask holder 20, a mask transport robot 30, and a mask stocker 60. It is comprised including. In addition to these, the proximity exposure apparatus carries a substrate into the chuck 10, a substrate transfer robot that carries the substrate out of the chuck 10, an irradiation optical system that irradiates exposure light, and a temperature control unit that performs temperature management within the apparatus. Etc.

  Note that the XY directions in the embodiments described below are examples, and the X direction and the Y direction may be interchanged.

  In FIG. 1, a chuck 10 is moved between a load / unload position for loading and unloading a substrate and an exposure position for exposing a substrate by an X stage 5 and a Y stage 7 described later. At the load / unload position, the substrate is carried into the chuck 10 and the substrate is carried out of the chuck 10 by a substrate transfer robot (not shown). The loading of the substrate onto the chuck 10 and the unloading of the substrate from the chuck 10 are performed using a plurality of push-up pins provided on the chuck 10. The push-up pin is housed inside the chuck 10 and is lifted from the inside of the chuck 10 to load the substrate onto the chuck 10, receive the substrate from the substrate transfer robot, and unload the substrate from the chuck 10. Deliver the substrate to the substrate transfer robot.

  In FIG. 2, a mask holder 20 that holds the mask 2 is installed above the exposure position where the substrate 1 is exposed. The mask holder 20 is provided with an opening through which exposure light passes. The mask holder 20 holds the peripheral portion of the mask 2 by vacuum suction using suction grooves (not shown) provided around the opening. An irradiation optical system (not shown) is disposed above the mask 2 held by the mask holder 20. At the time of exposure, exposure light from the irradiation optical system passes through the mask 2 and is irradiated onto the substrate 1, whereby the pattern of the mask 2 is transferred to the surface of the substrate 1 and a pattern is formed on the substrate 1.

  In FIG. 2, the chuck 10 is mounted on the θ stage 8 via the chuck support 9, and a Y stage 7 and an X stage 5 are provided below the θ stage 8. The X stage 5 is mounted on an X guide 4 provided on the base 3 and moves along the X guide 4 in the X direction (lateral direction in FIG. 2). The Y stage 7 is mounted on a Y guide 6 provided on the X stage 5, and moves along the Y guide 6 in the Y direction (the drawing depth direction in FIG. 2). The θ stage 8 is mounted on the Y stage 7 and rotates in the θ direction. The chuck support 9 is mounted on the θ stage 8 and supports the chuck 10 at a plurality of locations.

  The chuck 10 is moved between the load / unload position and the exposure position by the movement of the X stage 5 in the X direction and the movement of the Y stage 7 in the Y direction. At the load / unload position, the substrate 1 mounted on the chuck 10 is pre-aligned by moving the X stage 5 in the X direction, moving the Y stage 7 in the Y direction, and rotating the θ stage 8 in the θ direction. Is done. At the exposure position, the X stage 5 is moved in the X direction and the Y stage 7 is moved in the Y direction, whereby the substrate 1 mounted on the chuck 10 is stepped in the XY direction. Then, the substrate 1 is positioned by the movement of the X stage 5 in the X direction, the movement of the Y stage 7 in the Y direction, and the rotation of the θ stage 8 in the θ direction. Further, the gap between the mask 2 and the substrate 1 is adjusted by moving and tilting the mask holder 20 in the Z direction (vertical direction in FIG. 2) by a Z-tilt mechanism (not shown).

  In the present embodiment, the gap between the mask 2 and the substrate 1 is adjusted by moving and tilting the mask holder 20 in the Z direction. However, the chuck support base 9 is provided with a Z-tilt mechanism, The gap between the mask 2 and the substrate 1 may be adjusted by moving and tilting the chuck 10 in the Z direction.

  In FIG. 1, a mask transport robot 30 and a mask stocker 60 are provided in the back of the base 3. The mask stocker 60 stores a plurality of masks side by side. The mask transport robot 30 transports the mask 2 from the mask stocker 60 to the mask holder 20 and transports the mask 2 from the mask holder 20 to the mask stocker 60. A mask lifter (not shown) is provided on the lower surface of the mask holder 20. The mask lifter receives the mask 2 from the handling arm 50 of the mask transport robot 30 and attaches the mask 2 to the mask holder 20.

  FIG. 3 is a top view of the mask transfer robot. FIG. 4 is a side view of the mask transfer robot. The mask transfer robot 30 includes a robot base 31, a guide 32, a moving base 33, an elevating mechanism 34, a body 35, a turning mechanism 36, an arm base 37, an arm attachment shaft 38, an inclination adjusting mechanism, and a handling arm 50. ing.

  3 and 4, a guide 32 is provided on the robot base 31, and a movement base 33 is mounted on the guide 32. The moving base 33 is moved along the guide 32 in the lateral direction of FIGS. 3 and 4 by a moving mechanism (not shown). In FIG. 4, a lifting mechanism 34 is mounted on the moving base 33, and a body 35 is mounted on the lifting mechanism 34. The body 35 is moved up and down by the lifting mechanism 34. A turning mechanism 36 is connected to the body 35, and an arm base 37 is mounted on the turning mechanism 36. The arm base 37 is turned by the turning mechanism 36.

  3 and 4, one end of the handling arm 50 is attached to the arm attachment shaft 38 of the arm base 37, and the handling arm 50 is rotated about the arm attachment shaft 38 by a tilt adjusting mechanism described later. The A mask support portion 51 is provided on the upper surface of the handling arm 50, and the handling arm 50 carries the mask 2 indicated by a broken line on the mask support portion 51 and carries it.

  FIG. 5 is a top view of the tilt adjustment mechanism. FIG. 6 is a front view of the tilt adjustment mechanism. The tilt adjustment mechanism includes a guide stand 40, a linear motion guide 41, a bar 42, a plate 43, a moving block 44, a motor 45, a shaft joint 46, a ball screw 47a, a nut 47b, a bearing 48, a cam follower 49, and a cam 52. It is configured.

  5 and 6, a guide stand 40 is attached to the arm base 37, and a linear motion guide 41 is attached to the guide stand 40. The rail 41 a of the linear guide 41 is attached to the bar 42. The two bars 42 are connected by a U-shaped plate 43, and the bar 42 and the plate 43 move along the linear motion guide 41 in the horizontal direction of the drawing in FIG. 5 and in the depth direction of the drawing in FIG.

  In FIG. 5, a motor 45 is attached to the arm base 37, and a ball screw 47 a is connected to a rotating shaft of the motor 45 via a shaft coupling 46. The ball screw 47a is rotatably supported by a bearing 48. A moving block 44 is attached to the lower surface of the plate 43, and a nut 47 b that is moved by a ball screw 47 a is attached to the inside of the moving block 44. When the ball screw 47 a is rotated by the motor 45, the bar 42 and the plate 43 are moved in the lateral direction of the drawing along the linear motion guide 41.

  5 and 6, a cam 52 is attached to the side surface of the handling arm 50, and a cam groove to be described later is formed in the cam 52. On the other hand, a cam follower 49 is attached to the bar 42, and the cam follower 49 is inserted into the cam groove of the cam 52.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the tilt adjustment mechanism. After the mask 2 is mounted on the handling arm 50, the tilt adjusting mechanism rotates the ball screw 47a by the motor 45 and moves the bar 42 and the plate 43 to the left in the drawing as shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a partial cross-sectional side view of the AA portion of FIG. 8A shows before the movement of the bar 42 and the plate 43, and FIG. 8B shows after the movement of the bar 42 and the plate 43. As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the cam 52 is formed with an inclined cam groove 53. As shown in FIG. 7, when the bar 42 and the plate 43 are moved to the left in the drawing, the cam follower 49 attached to the bar 42 moves in the cam groove 53 to the left in the drawing as shown in FIG. Then, the cam 52 is pushed up by the cam follower 49. As a result, the handling arm 50 is rotated about the arm attachment shaft 38 as a fulcrum, and is inclined by an angle α.

  9 and 10 are diagrams for explaining the operation of the mask transfer robot. FIG. 9 shows a state where the handling arm 50 is not tilted. The handling arm 50 is bent due to the weight of the mask 2. If the amount of deflection d of the handling arm 50 is large, the mask 2 may be detached from the mask support portion 51 due to vibration or the like during the transfer of the mask 2, and the mask 2 may fall from the handling arm 50.

  FIG. 10 shows a state where the handling arm 50 is tilted. The mask transport robot 30 transports the mask 2 while tilting the handling arm 50 on which the mask 2 is mounted in a direction opposite to the direction in which the handling arm 50 bends by the tilt adjustment mechanism. Since the handling arm 50 loaded with the mask 2 is tilted in the direction opposite to the bending direction of the handling arm 50 by the tilt adjustment mechanism, the deflection amount d ′ of the handling arm 50 loaded with the mask 2 is reduced, and the large mask 2 is formed. , It is transported safely without fear of falling from the handling arm 50. In FIG. 8B, the angle α at which the handling arm 50 is tilted by the tilt adjusting mechanism is adjusted so that the deflection amount d ′ of the handling arm 50 is minimized according to the size and weight of the mask 2.

  FIG. 11 is a side view of the mask stocker. The mask stocker 60 supports both ends of the mask 2 by a mask support portion 61 and stores a plurality of masks 2 side by side. As shown in FIG. 10, when the mask 2 is transported to the mask stocker 60 while the handling arm 50 carrying the mask 2 is tilted in the direction opposite to the direction in which the handling arm 50 bends by the tilt adjustment mechanism, the mask 2 is transferred to the mask stocker. Since the amount of deflection d ′ of the handling arm 50 transported to 60 is reduced, it is possible to reduce the interval S between the masks 2 that are stored side by side in the mask stocker 60.

  According to the embodiment described above, the mask transport robot 30 that transports the mask 2 mounted on the handling arm 50 is provided with the tilt adjusting mechanism that adjusts the tilt of the handling arm 50, and the handling arm 50 mounted with the mask 2. Since the amount of deflection of the handling arm 50 on which the mask 2 is mounted can be reduced by transporting the mask 2 while tilting in a direction opposite to the direction in which the handling arm 50 bends by the tilt adjustment mechanism, a large mask 2 can be safely transported without fear of dropping from the handling arm 50.

  Further, a mask stocker 60 is provided for storing a plurality of masks 2 side by side, and the mask 2 is masked while the handling arm 50 mounted with the mask 2 is tilted in a direction opposite to the direction in which the handling arm 50 is bent by the tilt adjustment mechanism. Since the amount of deflection of the handling arm 50 for transporting the mask 2 to the mask stocker 60 can be reduced by transporting the mask 2 to the stocker 60, the interval between the masks 2 that are stored side by side in the mask stocker 60 is reduced. be able to. Therefore, the height of the mask stocker 60 can be kept low, or many masks 2 can be stored in the mask stocker 60 having the same height.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Substrate 2 Mask 3 Base 4 X guide 5 X stage 6 Y guide 7 Y stage 8 θ stage 9 Chuck support 10 Chuck 20 Mask holder 30 Mask transfer robot 31 Robot base 32 Guide 33 Moving base 34 Lifting mechanism 35 Body 36 Turning mechanism 37 arm base 38 arm mounting shaft 40 guide stand 41 linear motion guide 42 bar 43 plate 44 moving block 45 motor 46 shaft joint 47a ball screw 47b nut 48 bearing 49 cam follower 50 handling arm 51 mask support 52 cam 53 cam groove 60 mask stocker 61 Mask support

Claims (4)

In a proximity exposure apparatus that includes a chuck that supports a substrate and a mask holder that holds a mask, and provides a minute gap between the mask and the substrate to transfer the mask pattern to the substrate.
A mask transfer device having a handling arm carrying a mask and an inclination adjusting mechanism for adjusting the inclination of the handling arm;
The proximity exposure apparatus, wherein the mask transport apparatus transports a mask while tilting a handling arm carrying a mask in a direction opposite to a bending direction of the handling arm by the tilt adjusting mechanism. It has a mask stocker that stores multiple masks side by side,
The said mask conveyance apparatus conveys a mask to the said mask stocker, inclining the handling arm carrying a mask to the direction opposite to the bending direction of a handling arm by the said inclination adjustment mechanism. Proximity exposure equipment. A mask transport method for a proximity exposure apparatus, comprising a chuck for supporting a substrate and a mask holder for holding a mask, and providing a minute gap between the mask and the substrate to transfer the mask pattern to the substrate. ,
An inclination adjustment mechanism that adjusts the inclination of the handling arm is provided in the mask transfer device that carries the mask mounted on the handling arm.
A mask transport method for a proximity exposure apparatus, wherein a mask is transported while a handling arm carrying a mask is tilted in a direction opposite to a direction in which the handling arm bends by an inclination adjustment mechanism. A mask stocker is provided to store multiple masks side by side,
4. The mask transport of the proximity exposure apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the mask is transported to the mask stocker while the handling arm carrying the mask is tilted in a direction opposite to the direction in which the handling arm bends by the tilt adjustment mechanism. Method.

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