JP2011007879A - Exposing device for internal layer substrate and method of separating substrate from mask - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To quickly and reliably separate a substrate from an exposure mask.SOLUTION: In each of an exposure stage 1 and an upper frame 2, a pusher 12 protruding to push one end of the substrate 10 in the direction to separate it from the exposure mask 11 is arranged, and a nozzle 21 jetting a gas between the substrate 10 and the exposure mask 11 is formed in the pusher 12. The pusher 12 is installed in the position for pushing the end of the substrate 10, while the nozzle 21 is formed to jet the gas toward the center of the substrate 10 to be separated. The gas jetted from the nozzle 21 is an ionized gas having a static electricity removal effect.

Description

  The present invention relates to an exposure apparatus for an inner layer substrate used in an exposure process in which a mask is brought into close contact with an inner layer substrate, and a substrate and mask peeling method in the exposure apparatus.

  The exposure apparatus for the inner layer substrate sets one exposure mask on the exposure mask holding plate assembled on the exposure stage, and sets the other exposure mask on the exposure mask holding plate assembled on the upper frame disposed above the exposure mask holding plate. The substrate is disposed between both exposure masks, and the front and back surfaces of the substrate are exposed simultaneously by a UV irradiation apparatus disposed below the exposure mask holding plate and above the upper frame.

Briefly explaining the conventional exposure process of the exposure apparatus for the inner layer substrate, the substrate which has been previously relative aligned on the input conveyor is adsorbed by the suction pad of the input carrier and placed on the exposure stage (lower exposure mask holding plate). To the top). Then, the exposure stage on which the substrate is placed rises and comes into close contact with the upper frame, and vacuuming is performed so that the substrate and the upper and lower exposure masks are brought into close contact. Thereafter, exposure is performed. When the exposure is completed, the exposure stage is lowered, and the discharge carrier is operated to discharge the substrate.
In such an inner layer substrate exposure apparatus, when discharging the substrate after exposure, it is necessary to peel off the substrate and the exposure mask that are vacuum-adhered, and the operation of peeling the exposure mask and the substrate installed on the upper frame is For example, as disclosed in Patent Document 1, the jumping pin is used, and the exposure mask and the substrate installed on the lower side are peeled off by air blow as disclosed in Patent Document 2. It was.

JP 2006-32662 A JP 2001-215716 A

  As described above, since the substrate and the exposure mask are brought into close contact with each other by evacuation, a process of quickly peeling them off after the exposure is necessary. However, when the substrate is thin and soft like the inner layer substrate, the substrate bends. It took time.

  Therefore, in view of such problems, the present invention solves the above-mentioned problems particularly in the exposure apparatus for the inner layer substrate, and the exposure apparatus for the inner layer substrate having a function of quickly and reliably peeling the substrate from the exposure mask, It is another object of the present invention to provide a substrate and exposure mask peeling method that quickly and reliably peels the substrate from the exposure mask.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the invention of claim 1 is characterized in that an exposure mask is disposed on each of an exposure stage and an upper frame disposed above the exposure stage, and is provided on both sides of a substrate disposed between the two. In the inner layer substrate exposure apparatus capable of exposing the pattern of
Both the exposure stage and the upper frame are provided with a pusher that protrudes and presses the substrate in a direction in which the substrate is peeled off from the exposure mask, and a nozzle that ejects gas between the substrate and the exposure mask. In preparation for the pusher tip,
The nozzle is connected to gas supply means for ejecting gas in accordance with the push-out operation of the pusher.
According to this configuration, in addition to the pusher pressing the substrate in the direction in which the substrate is peeled off from the exposure mask, the gas is ejected and forcedly peeled off, so that even when the substrate is thin and easily bent, the substrate is quickly removed from the exposure mask. Can be peeled off. Therefore, the negative pressure between the substrate and the exposure mask can be released in a short time, and the exposure cycle time of the exposure apparatus can be shortened.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the configuration according to the first aspect, the pusher is installed at a portion that presses an end of the substrate, and the nozzle pushes the gas toward the center of the substrate to be peeled. It is formed in the front-end | tip part, It is characterized by the above-mentioned.
According to this configuration, the gas ejected from the nozzle is ejected from the end portion of the substrate toward the central portion, so that it becomes easier to peel off.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the configuration of the first or second aspect, the pusher nozzle provided on the exposure stage is in communication with the exposure stage even when the pusher is in the submerged state, and the pusher is submerged. An air suction means for sucking air from the nozzle in a state is connected.
According to this configuration, since the pusher nozzle sucks air and closes the substrate in addition to the substrate peeling operation by gas ejection, both the substrate peeling and the close contact can be quickly performed. Therefore, the exposure cycle time of the exposure apparatus can be further shortened, and the cost of the exposure stage can be suppressed by providing the pusher with a plurality of functions.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the configuration according to any one of the first to third aspects, an ionizer that generates an ionized gas having a static eliminating action is provided between the gas supply unit and the nozzle. The gas ejected from the nozzle has a static electricity removing action.
According to this configuration, since the gas ejected from the nozzle has a static electricity removing action, the static electricity charged between the exposure mask and the substrate can be removed, and in addition to both being more easily peeled off, It is also possible to prevent the attachment of dust.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, there is provided an exposure apparatus in which an exposure mask is disposed on at least one of an exposure stage and an upper frame disposed above the exposure stage, and a substrate is sandwiched between the exposure stage and the upper frame for exposure. In order to peel the substrate from the exposure mask, at least one of the exposure stage and the upper frame is provided with a pusher that moves in the direction of the substrate through the exposure mask, and the pusher is projected to protrude the substrate. A substrate and exposure mask peeling method for pushing up one end of the substrate, wherein a nozzle for ejecting gas is provided in the pusher between the substrate and the exposure mask, and gas is ejected from the nozzle while the substrate is pushed up by the pusher. To promote peeling.
According to this method, even when the substrate is thin and easily bent, the substrate can be quickly removed from the exposure mask.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the method of the fifth aspect, the gas ejected from the nozzle is an ionized gas having an action of removing static electricity generated between the substrate and the exposure mask. Features.
According to this method, since the gas ejected from the nozzle 1 has a static electricity removing action, static electricity generated between the exposure mask and the substrate when the substrate is peeled can be removed, and both are more easily peeled off.

  According to the present invention, the pusher presses the substrate in the direction in which the substrate is peeled off from the exposure mask, and the gas is blown out to forcibly peel off, so that even when the substrate is thin and easily bent, the substrate can be quickly removed from the exposure mask. Can be peeled off.

It is a front view which shows an example of the inner layer board | substrate exposure apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is A1 part expansion explanatory drawing of FIG. 1, (a) is a pusher sinking state, (b) has shown the pusher protrusion state. It is A2 part expansion explanatory drawing of FIG. 1, (a) is a pusher sinking state, (b) has shown the pusher protrusion state. It is explanatory drawing of a pusher front-end | tip part, (a) is A3 part enlarged view of FIG. 2, (b) is A4 part enlarged view. It is explanatory drawing of the control system of the gas which ejects or attracts | sucks from a nozzle, and has shown the state which contact | adhered the exposure mask to the board | substrate. It is explanatory drawing of board | substrate insertion operation | movement, and has shown the state in which the board | substrate was conveyed on the exposure stage. It is explanatory drawing of board | substrate insertion operation | movement, and has shown the state which delivered the board | substrate to the exposure stage. It is sectional explanatory drawing to which the pusher vicinity at the time of exposure was expanded. It is explanatory drawing of board | substrate discharge | emission operation | movement, and is the figure which raised the upper frame. It is explanatory drawing of board | substrate discharge | emission operation | movement, and is a figure which delivers the board | substrate on an exposure table to a discharge | emission carrier. It is operation | movement explanatory drawing of board | substrate discharge | emission, and is the figure which peeled off the board | substrate from the exposure table.

  DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a front view showing an example of an exposure apparatus for an inner layer substrate according to the present invention. Reference numeral 1 denotes a substrate 10 (shown in FIG. 2) placed thereon, and a predetermined surface is placed on one surface of the substrate 10. An exposure stage on which an exposure mask for exposing a pattern is set, 2 is an upper frame on which an exposure mask for exposing a predetermined pattern is set on the other surface of the substrate 10, and 3 is an exposure stage 1 on the substrate 10. An input carrier for input to the substrate 4, an input conveyor 4, an output carrier 5 for discharging the exposed substrate 10, an output conveyor 6, 7 (7 a, 7 b) a UV irradiation device, and 12 a in close contact with the exposure stage 1. A lower pusher for peeling the substrate 10 and 12b are upper pushers for peeling the substrate 10 in close contact with the upper frame 2. The lower pusher 12a and the upper pusher 12b are respectively installed at two locations in accordance with the corresponding substrate 10.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged explanatory view of the A1 portion of FIG. 1, and is a sectional explanatory view of the lower pusher 12a. The state which set the board | substrate 10 and the exposure mask 11 (lower exposure mask 11a) is shown. FIG. 2A shows a submerged state in which the tip of the lower pusher 12a is accommodated in the exposure stage 1, and FIG. 2B shows a state in which one end of the substrate 10 is lifted up.
The lower pusher 12 a is installed upright on the back surface of the exposure stage 1 so as to be orthogonal to the exposure mask holding plate 1 a installed in the exposure stage 1. The pusher formed on the exposure stage 1 by driving the air cylinder 15. It moves in and out on the exposure mask holding plate 1a from the insertion hole 1b. An insertion hole 18 is also formed in the corresponding lower exposure mask 11a, and when the lower pusher 12a installed on the back surface of the exposure stage 1 projects, the substrate 10 is directly pressed as shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged explanatory view of a portion A2 in FIG. 1, and is a cross-sectional explanatory view of the upper pusher 12b. The state which set the board | substrate 10 and the exposure mask 11 (upper exposure mask 11b) is shown. FIG. 3A shows a submerged state in which the tip of the upper pusher 12b is accommodated in the upper frame 2, and FIG. 3B shows a state where one end of the substrate 10 is peeled off.
The upper pusher 12 b is installed upright on the back surface of the upper frame 2 so as to be orthogonal to the exposure mask holding plate 2 a installed in the upper frame 2, and a pusher insertion hole formed in the upper frame 2 by driving the air cylinder 16. 2b moves in and out on the exposure mask holding plate 2a. An insertion hole 18 is also formed in the corresponding upper exposure mask 11b, and when the upper pusher 12b installed on the back surface of the upper frame 2 protrudes, the substrate 10 is directly pressed as shown in FIG.

4 is an explanatory view of the pusher tip, FIG. 4 (a) is an enlarged sectional view of the A3 portion of FIG. 2, and FIG. 4 (b) is an enlarged sectional view of the A4 portion of FIG. Although FIG. 4 shows the tip of the lower pusher 12a, the tip of the upper pusher 12b has the same shape, so the lower pusher 12a will be described as a representative.
As shown in FIG. 4, the lower pusher 12 a has a flat front end surface 20 that presses the substrate 10, and a nozzle 21 for ejecting gas is formed on a side portion in the vicinity of the front end surface 20. The nozzle 21 is formed slightly obliquely toward the front end direction, communicates with a through hole 22 extending from the rear along the pusher central axis, and is connected to a rear end portion of the lower pusher 12a (pipe 23 ( Air is supplied from (shown in FIGS. 2 and 3).

The pusher insertion hole 1b formed in the exposure stage 1 is widened by forming a tapered surface 24 at the end on the exposure mask holding plate 1a side, and the nozzle 21 of the lower pusher 12a in the submerged state is connected to the exposure stage 1. It is formed to communicate with the top. Although not shown, the pusher insertion hole 2b of the upper frame 2 is similarly formed with a tapered surface so that the nozzle 21 of the upper pusher 12b in the submerged state communicates with the exposure mask holding plate 2a of the upper frame 2.
B1 is an arrow indicating the flow of air sucked from the nozzle 21 and is executed when the substrate 10 described later is inserted. The arrow B2 indicates the flow of air ejected from the nozzle 21.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of a control system for gas ejected or sucked from the nozzle 21, and shows a state in which the lower exposure mask 11 a and the upper exposure mask 11 b are in close contact with the substrate 10. The through hole 22 of the lower pusher 12a is connected to a pneumatic pressure source 32 via a first direction control valve 30 that controls the air to be ejected and an ionizer 31 that ionizes the air. The branched pipe is connected to a suction source 34 via a second direction control valve 33 that controls the air to be sucked.
On the other hand, the through hole 22 of the upper pusher 12b is connected to the ionizer 31 via the third direction control valve 35 and supplied with air ejected from the same pneumatic pressure source 32. The ionizer 31 ionizes the air supplied from the air pressure source 32 to a polarity that removes static electricity generated when the substrate 10 is peeled off.

  The exposure stage 1 is provided with a rubber bank 37 so as to surround the exposure mask holding plate 1 a, and a suction hole 38 is provided inside the rubber bank 37. The suction hole 38 is connected to the suction source 34 via the fourth direction control valve 39, and is used to suck and vacuum the area surrounded by the rubber bank 37 so that the substrate 10 and the exposure mask 11 are in close contact with each other. The

  In the exposure apparatus for the inner layer substrate thus configured, when the exposure masks 11a and 11b are set on the upper and lower exposure mask holding plates 1a and 2a and the substrate 10 is loaded, the UV irradiation apparatuses 7a and 7b installed on the upper and lower sides. Thus, the front and back of the substrate 10 are exposed simultaneously. The process is as follows, and will be described with reference to the operation explanatory diagrams of FIGS. 6 and 7 are explanatory views of the substrate 10 loading operation, FIG. 8 is an enlarged explanatory view of the vicinity of the pushers 12a and 12b during exposure, and FIGS. 9 to 11 are explanatory views of the substrate 10 discharging operation.

  First, the substrate 10 pre-aligned (advanced relative alignment) on the input conveyor 4 shown in FIG. 1 is sucked by the suction pad 3a of the input carrier 3 and assembled to the exposure stage 1 as shown in FIG. Is conveyed onto the lower exposure mask holding plate 1a. At this time, the exposure stage 1 is lowered to the lowest position, a carry-in space is secured on the exposure stage 1, the input carrier 3 enters the exposure stage 1, and the substrate 10 is conveyed to a predetermined position. . The exposure stage 1 is configured so that it can be lifted and lowered by a lifting means that is not displayed.

When the substrate 10 is transferred onto the exposure stage 1, the exposure stage 1 is raised to the delivery position, and the lower exposure mask 11a contacts the lower surface of the substrate 10 as shown in FIG. When contact is made, air is sucked from the nozzle 21 of the lower pusher 12a by the action of the second direction control valve 33 and the suction source 34 as shown by the arrow B1 in FIG. 4A and the arrow B3 in FIG. The substrate 10 is attracted to the exposure mask holding plate 1a.
Thereafter, the suction of the input carrier 3 by the suction pad 3a is released, and the exposure stage 1 is lowered to an intermediate position slightly below the delivery position. Thus, the delivery of the substrate 10 is completed, and the input carrier 3 that has received the substrate 10 returns to the input conveyor 4.

  Next, the exposure stage 1 rises from an intermediate position to a pre-vacuum position that contacts the upper frame 2, the rubber bank 37 provided on the exposure stage 1 is brought into close contact with the upper frame 2, the suction source 34, the fourth The air in the space partitioned by the rubber bank 37 is drawn by operating the direction control valve 39 from the suction hole 38 as shown by the arrow B4 in FIG. In this way, the exposure stage 1 is raised until the upper surface of the substrate 10 comes into close contact with the upper exposure mask 11b set on the exposure mask holding plate 2a provided on the upper frame 2, and finally the upper and lower exposure stages 11 as shown in FIG. The exposure masks 11 a and 11 b are in close contact with the substrate 10.

When the exposure mask 11 is in close contact with the substrate 10 in this way, the upper and lower UV irradiation devices 7a and 7b are activated to expose the front and back of the substrate 10 simultaneously. When the exposure is completed, the suction from the suction hole 38 is stopped, and the close contact between the upper and lower exposure mask holding plates 1a and 2a is released. At this time, as shown in FIG. 9, the upper pusher 12b provided on the upper frame 2 pushes one end of the substrate 10 in the direction of peeling from the upper exposure mask 11b (downward direction in the figure), and at the same time, the arrow in FIG. Air is ejected from the nozzle 21 as shown in B4. When the air cylinder 16 is driven, the upper pusher 12b protrudes, and air is ejected from the nozzle 21 by the action of the third direction control valve 35, the ionizer 31, and the air pressure source 32.
At this time, the two pushers 12b installed at the two corners of the substrate 10 project, and ionized air is ejected from the nozzle 21 all at once toward the center of the substrate 10, and the substrate 10 and the upper exposure mask 11b are in close contact with each other. Is forcibly released.
Then, the exposure stage 1 is lowered to the lowest position. As the exposure stage 1 is lowered, an entry area for the discharge carrier 5 is secured.

When the discharge carrier 5 enters the exposed substrate 10, the exposure stage 1 rises again to the delivery position as shown in FIG. 10, the suction pad 5 a of the discharge carrier 5 is brought into contact with the upper surface of the substrate 10, and the suction pad 5 a The substrate 10 is adsorbed. At this time, the lower pusher 12a provided in the exposure stage 1 protrudes and pushes the end portion of the substrate 10 in a direction (upward in the drawing) to be peeled from the lower exposure mask 11a, and at the same time, the arrow B2 in FIG. As shown, air is ejected from the nozzle 21. When the air cylinder 15 is driven, the lower pusher 12a protrudes, and air is ejected from the nozzle 21 by the action of the first directional control valve 30, the ionizer 31, and the air pressure source 32.
Thus, as shown in FIG. 11, the two pushers 12 a installed at the two corners of the substrate 10 protrude, and ionized air is ejected from the nozzle 21 toward the center of the substrate 10 at the same time. The close contact with the side exposure mask 11a is forcibly released.

  Thereafter, the exposure stage 1 is lowered to the lowest position, the substrate 10 stuck to the suction pad 5a is separated from the exposure stage 1, and the delivery is completed. The substrate 10 attached to the suction pad 5a is transported onto the discharge conveyor 6 and the exposure process ends.

Thus, in addition to the pushers 12a and 12b pressing the substrate 10 in the direction in which the substrate 10 is peeled off from the exposure mask 11, the substrate 10 is warped to cause the exposure mask 11 to be warped. The substrate does not remain attached, and the substrate 10 can be quickly removed from the exposure mask 11 even when the substrate 10 is thin and easily bent. Therefore, the negative pressure between the substrate and the exposure mask can be released in a short time, and the exposure cycle time of the exposure apparatus can be shortened.
Moreover, since the gas ejected from the nozzle 21 is ejected from one end of the substrate 10 toward the central portion, it becomes easier to peel off.

Further, since the nozzle 21 of the lower pusher 12a performs the adhesion operation of the substrate 10 by sucking air in addition to the operation of peeling off the substrate 10 by gas ejection, both the peeling and the adhesion of the substrate 10 are quickly performed. it can. Therefore, the exposure cycle time of the exposure apparatus can be further shortened, and the cost of the exposure stage 1 can be suppressed by providing the pusher 12a with a plurality of functions.
Further, since the air ejected from the nozzle 21 has a static electricity removing action, static electricity generated between the exposure mask 11 and the substrate 10 when the substrate 10 is peeled can be removed, and both are more easily peeled off.

In the above embodiment, the pushers 12 are arranged at two locations according to the substrate 10, but the number of pushers 12 can be changed depending on the size and thickness of the substrate 10. When the substrate is large, the exposure stage 1 and the upper frame are arranged. 4 may be provided in 2 each.
In addition, a tapered surface 24 is provided at the tip of the pusher insertion hole 1b of the exposure stage 1 so as not to close the nozzle 21, but a recess is provided on the lower pusher 12a side so that the lower pusher 12a is in a depressed state. A gas passage may be provided from the nozzle 21 to the upper surface of the exposure stage 1.
Furthermore, although the gas ejected from the nozzle 21 is air, it may be, for example, nitrogen gas that is not affected by the environment.

  1 ... Exposure stage 2 ... Upper frame 10 ... Substrate 11 (11a, 11b) Exposure mask 12a ... Lower pusher (pusher) 12b ... Upper pusher (pusher) 21 ... Nozzle, 24 ... Tapered surface, 30 ... First direction control source (gas supply means), 31 ... Ionizer, 33 ... Second direction control valve (air suction means), 32 ... Air pressure source (gas supply) Means), 34... Suction source (air suction means), 35... Third direction control valve (gas supply means).

Claims (6)

In an exposure apparatus for an inner layer substrate, in which an exposure mask is disposed on each of an exposure stage and an upper frame disposed above the exposure stage, and a predetermined pattern can be exposed on both surfaces of the substrate disposed between the two,
Both the exposure stage and the upper frame are provided with a pusher that protrudes and presses the substrate in a direction in which the substrate is peeled off from the exposure mask, and a nozzle that ejects gas between the substrate and the exposure mask. In preparation for the pusher tip,
An exposure apparatus for an inner layer substrate, wherein the nozzle is connected to a gas supply means for ejecting a gas in accordance with the protrusion operation of the pusher. 2. The pusher is installed at a portion that presses an end of the substrate, and the nozzle is formed at the tip of the pusher so as to eject gas toward the center of the substrate to be peeled. Exposure apparatus for inner layer substrates. The pusher nozzle provided on the exposure stage is in communication with the exposure stage even when the pusher is in the depressed state, and is connected to an air suction means for sucking air from the nozzle when the pusher is in the depressed state. 3. An exposure apparatus for an inner layer substrate according to claim 1, wherein the exposure apparatus is an inner layer substrate. The ionizer which produces | generates ionized gas which has a static electricity removal effect | action is provided between the said gas supply means and the said nozzle, The gas ejected from the said nozzle has a static electricity removal effect | action. 4. The inner layer substrate exposure apparatus according to any one of 3 above. An exposure apparatus in which an exposure mask is disposed on at least one of an exposure stage and an upper frame disposed above the exposure stage, and the substrate is sandwiched between the exposure stage and the upper frame for exposure. A pusher that protrudes toward the substrate through the exposure mask is provided on at least one of the exposure stage and the upper frame, and the substrate is exposed to push up the pusher to push up one end of the substrate. A mask peeling method,
Separation of substrate and exposure mask characterized in that a nozzle for jetting gas is provided in the pusher between the substrate and the exposure mask, and gas is blown out from the nozzle while pushing up the substrate with the pusher to promote peeling. Method. 6. The method of peeling a substrate and an exposure mask according to claim 5, wherein the gas ejected from the nozzle is an ionized gas that acts to remove static electricity generated between the substrate and the exposure mask.

Images