JP2012220722A - Exposure device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an exposure device capable of preventing damage to a mask caused by friction between the mask and a surface with which the mask is brought into contact when performing pre-alignment of the mask.SOLUTION: A proximity-scanning exposure device 1 projects exposure light EL through a mask M onto a substrate W and exposes a pattern P of the mask M on the substrate W. A mask tray unit 121 of a mask changer 120 includes: an air supply mechanism 125 that supplies air to an inferior surface of the mask M so as to cause the mask M to float; a mask positioning pin 196 that is brought into contact with an end face of the floating mask M so as to perform positioning of the mask M; and a pressing mechanism 198 that presses the end face of the floating mask M toward the mask positioning pin 196.

Description

  The present invention relates to an exposure apparatus, for example, an exposure apparatus suitable for exposing and transferring a mask pattern onto a substrate of a large flat panel display such as a liquid crystal display or a plasma display.

  A large flat panel display such as a liquid crystal display or a plasma display used for a large thin television or the like is manufactured by transferring a mask pattern onto a workpiece by proximity exposure transfer using a divided sequential exposure method. As this type of sequential sequential exposure method, a scan exposure method is known in which a mask is subdivided, a plurality of mask holding portions for holding these masks are arranged in a staggered manner, and exposure is performed while moving a work in one direction. ing. This exposure method utilizes the fact that a large pattern can be formed by joining together on the premise that there is a portion that is repeated to some extent in the pattern formed on the workpiece. In this case, the mask does not need to be large in accordance with the panel, and a relatively inexpensive mask can be used.

  In the exposure apparatus, the mask is exchanged by using a mask changer between a delivery position for carrying in and out the mask and an exchange position under the mask holding part for cleaning the mask. Yes.

  Further, in the exposure apparatus described in Patent Document 1, it is disclosed that a deflection control space is formed between the mask and the mask holding unit, and the pressure of the deflection control space is controlled by air to prevent the mask from bending. ing.

  In the substrate processing apparatus described in Patent Document 2, by blowing air between a cleaner plate having a through hole and the stage, the gap between the plate and the stage is kept constant, and the plate is moved in that state. It is disclosed that foreign matters are removed without damaging the stage.

  In the exposure apparatus described in Patent Document 3, the conductive band film formed on the mask is electrically grounded through the mask stage in order to prevent the mask from being charged by static electricity that is likely to occur in a gas-substituted environment. Is disclosed.

JP 2006-135087 A JP 2010-204650 A JP 2001-133959 A

  By the way, the exposure apparatus is required to prevent the mask from being damaged by friction between the mask and the surface in contact with the mask when pre-aligning the mask.

  Patent Document 1 uses air to prevent the mask from bending, and Patent Document 2 uses air to prevent the substrate from being damaged, and does not prevent the mask from being damaged by friction. Patent Document 3 also prevents damage to the mask due to charging, and does not prevent damage to the mask due to friction.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to prevent the mask from being damaged by friction between the mask and the surface with which the mask contacts when pre-aligning the mask. An object of the present invention is to provide a possible exposure apparatus.

The above object of the present invention is achieved by the following configurations.
(1) An exposure apparatus that irradiates a substrate with exposure light through a mask and exposes the pattern of the mask onto the substrate,
A mask holding unit for holding the mask;
A mask changer having a mask tray portion movable between a delivery position for carrying in or carrying out the mask and an exchange position facing the lower surface of the mask holding portion;
With
The mask tray part is
An air supply mechanism for supplying air to the lower surface of the mask and floating the mask;
A positioning part for positioning the mask in contact with the end face of the floated mask;
A pressing mechanism that presses the end face of the floated mask toward the positioning portion;
An exposure apparatus comprising:
(2) The exposure apparatus according to (1), wherein the mask tray section includes a base section and a plurality of spring members disposed between the chaser plate and the base section.
(3) The exposure apparatus irradiates the substrate, which is conveyed in a predetermined direction while approaching the plurality of masks, with exposure light through the plurality of masks, and exposes the patterns of the plurality of masks on the substrate. A proximity scan exposure apparatus,
The mask holding unit includes a plurality of upstream mask holding units arranged on the upstream side and a plurality of downstream mask holding units arranged on the downstream side, and the plurality of upstream mask holding units and the plurality of mask holding units are arranged on the downstream side. The downstream mask holding portion is arranged in a staggered manner along a direction intersecting the predetermined direction,
The mask tray portion includes an upstream mask tray portion movable between the delivery position and each exchange position facing the lower surface of each upstream mask holding portion, and the delivery position and the lower surface of each downstream mask holding portion. And a downstream mask tray that is movable between each of the exchange positions facing each other,
The exposure apparatus according to (1) or (2), wherein the mask changer includes a mask replacement drive unit that synchronously drives both the upstream mask tray unit and the downstream mask tray unit.
(4) The exposure apparatus irradiates exposure light through the plurality of masks to the substrate transported in a predetermined direction while approaching the plurality of masks, and exposes the patterns of the plurality of masks on the substrate. A proximity scan exposure apparatus,
The mask holding unit includes a plurality of upstream mask holding units arranged on the upstream side and a plurality of downstream mask holding units arranged on the downstream side, and the plurality of upstream mask holding units and the plurality of mask holding units are arranged on the downstream side. The downstream mask holding portion is arranged in a staggered manner along a direction intersecting the predetermined direction,
The mask tray portion includes an upstream mask tray portion movable between the delivery position and each exchange position facing the lower surface of each upstream mask holding portion, and the delivery position and the lower surface of each downstream mask holding portion. And a downstream mask tray that is movable between each of the exchange positions facing each other,
The exposure apparatus according to (1) or (2), wherein the mask changer includes a pair of mask replacement driving units that respectively drive the upstream mask tray unit and the downstream mask tray unit.

  According to the exposure apparatus of the present invention, the mask tray portion of the mask changer positions the mask by abutting the air supply mechanism for supplying air to the lower surface of the mask and causing the mask to float and the end face of the mask that has floated. A positioning unit; and a pressing mechanism that presses the end face of the floated mask toward the positioning unit. Therefore, since the mask that has floated while being positioned by the positioning portion and the pressing mechanism can be pre-aligned, it is possible to prevent the mask from being damaged by friction between the mask and the surface in contact with the mask.

  In addition, the mask can be pre-aligned by moving the mask toward the positioning unit by the pressing mechanism while the mask is floated by the mask tray unit, and the mask replacement time can be shortened. There is no need to separately provide a mask pre-alignment apparatus.

FIG. 1 is an overall perspective view of a proximity scan exposure apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a top view showing the proximity scanning exposure apparatus in a state where the upper structure such as the irradiation unit is removed. FIG. 3 is a view for explaining an arrangement state of the air pads. FIG. 4 is a schematic side view for explaining the substrate transport mechanism. FIG. 5 is a side view showing an exposure state in the mask arrangement region of the proximity scan exposure apparatus. FIG. 6A is a top view of the main part for explaining the positional relationship between the mask and the air pad, and FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view thereof. FIG. 7 is a top view of the substrate carry-in region for explaining the substrate pre-alignment mechanism and the substrate alignment mechanism. FIG. 8 is a bottom view of the irradiation unit. FIG. 9A is a schematic skeleton top view of the light shielding device, and FIG. 9B is a schematic skeleton side view of the light shielding device. FIG. 10A is an enlarged side view of the main part for showing the relationship between the pair of blind members and the mask, and FIG. 10B is an enlarged view of the main part showing one end part of the pair of blind members. . FIG. 11 is a side view showing a mask exchange state in the mask arrangement region of the proximity scan exposure apparatus. FIG. 12A is a top view showing the mask changer positioned at the transfer position, excluding the mask pre-alignment mechanism, and FIG. 12B is a side view thereof. FIG. 13 is a top view for explaining a mask replacement procedure. FIG. 14 is a perspective view showing the mask holding part and the mask tray part in the replacement position. FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram illustrating a modification of the arrangement of the plurality of mask driving units. FIG. 16 is a schematic diagram showing another modification of the arrangement of the plurality of mask driving units.

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

  As shown in FIG. 6, the proximity scan exposure apparatus 1 of the present embodiment applies a plurality of masks M on which a pattern P is formed to a substantially rectangular substrate W that is transported in a predetermined direction while approaching the mask M. Then, the exposure light EL is radiated to expose and transfer the pattern P onto the substrate W. That is, the exposure apparatus 1 is a scan exposure apparatus that performs exposure transfer while moving the substrate W relative to a plurality of masks M. Note that the size of the substantially rectangular mask used in the present embodiment is set to 300 mm × 350 mm, and the X-direction length of the pattern P corresponds to the X-direction length of the effective exposure region.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 5, the proximity scan exposure apparatus 1 floats and supports the substrate W, and transports the substrate W in a predetermined direction (X direction in the drawing), and a plurality of the substrate scanning mechanism 20. A mask holding mechanism 70 having a plurality of mask holding portions 71 each holding a mask M and arranged in two rows in a staggered manner along a direction (Y direction in the figure) intersecting with a predetermined direction, and a plurality of mask holding portions The plurality of irradiation units 80 that are respectively arranged on the upper part of the 71 and irradiate the exposure light EL, and are arranged between the plurality of irradiation units 80 and the plurality of mask holding units 71, and the exposure emitted from the irradiation unit 80. A plurality of light shielding devices 90 for shielding the light EL for use, a mask changer 120 for exchanging each mask M held by the plurality of mask holding parts 71, and a control part 190 for controlling them.

  The substrate transport mechanism 20, the mask holding mechanism 70, the plurality of irradiation units 80, the light shielding device 90, and the mask changer 120 are mounted on the apparatus base 2 installed on the ground via the level block 3 (see FIG. 4). Has been placed. Here, of the regions where the substrate transport mechanism 20 transports the substrate W, the region where the mask holding mechanism 70 is disposed above is the mask placement region EA, and the region upstream of the mask placement region EA is the substrate carry-in region. A region downstream of IA and mask placement region EA is referred to as a substrate carry-out region OA.

  The substrate transport mechanism 20 is disposed on the carry-in frame 5, the precision frame 6, and the carry-out frame 7 respectively configured by a plurality of square pipes or the like installed on the apparatus base 2 via other level blocks 4 (FIG. 4). See), a floating unit 21 that floats and supports the substrate W by air, and a frame 9 installed on the apparatus base 2 via another level block 8 on the side of the floating unit 21 in the Y direction. The substrate driving unit 40 that is arranged and holds the substrate W and transports the substrate W in the X direction and the substrate loading side area IA are provided, and the substrate W waiting in the substrate loading side area IA is pre-aligned. A substrate pre-alignment mechanism 50 and a substrate alignment mechanism 60 that performs alignment of the substrate W are included. Each level block 3, 4, 8 may be replaced with a vibration isolation table.

  As shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, the levitation unit 21 includes a plurality of long exhaust air pads to which a plurality of connecting rods 22 extending from the upper surface of the carry-in / out and precision frames 5, 6, 7 are respectively attached to the lower surface. 23, 24 and a plurality of elongate intake / exhaust air pads 25a, 25b, an air exhaust system 30 for exhausting air from a plurality of exhaust holes 26 formed in each air pad 23, 24, 25a, 25b, and an air exhaust pump 31, and an air suction system 32 and an air suction pump 33 for sucking air from the intake holes 27 formed in the intake / exhaust air pads 25 a and 25 b.

  The exhaust air pads 23 arranged in the substrate carry-in side area IA and the substrate carry-out side area OA are laid so that the longitudinal direction is mainly along the X direction, and the distance between adjacent pads is relatively increased to reduce the cost. I am trying. As shown in FIG. 3, among the air pads 24, 25a, 25b arranged in the mask arrangement area EA, the exhaust air pad 24 is laid so that the longitudinal direction is along the X direction, while the intake / exhaust air pads 25a, 25b is laid so that the longitudinal direction is along the Y direction.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 5, the intake / exhaust air pads 25a, 25b have a plurality of exhaust holes 26 and a plurality of intake holes 27, and air between the support surfaces 34 of the air pads 25a, 25b and the substrate W is provided. The pressure can be balanced and set to a predetermined flying height with high accuracy, and can be horizontally supported at a stable height.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the intake / exhaust air pads 25 a and 25 b are arranged to face each other so as to be positioned below the mask M at the time of exposure held by the mask holding unit 71, and the exposure region where the pattern P of the mask M is formed. Designed larger. In this way, the intake / exhaust air pads 25a and 25b are designed to be larger than the exposure area of the mask M, so that it is possible to suppress the occurrence of uneven exposure due to the air pads.

  The precision frame 6 extends from the intake / exhaust air pads 24, 25a, 25b arranged in the mask arrangement area EA to one side in the Y direction, and an exhaust air pad 141 constituting a mask pre-alignment mechanism 140 described later is provided. The longitudinal direction is continuously arranged along the Y direction.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the substrate drive unit 40 includes a gripping member 41 that grips the substrate W by vacuum suction, a linear guide 42 that guides the gripping member 41 along the X direction, and a gripping member 41 along the X direction. The mask holding mechanism 70 is attached to the drive motor 43 and the ball screw mechanism 44, which are driven in the above manner, and to be movable in the Z direction so as to protrude from the upper surface of the frame 9 and to the side of the frame 9 in the substrate carry-in area IA. And a plurality of work collision prevention rollers 45 that support the lower surface of the substrate W waiting to be conveyed to. The substrate driving unit 40 is provided only on one side in the Y direction in consideration of the bending of the substrate W, but may be provided on both sides in the Y direction. In addition, the gripping member 41 may be configured to allow driving of the substrate W in the θ direction (around the horizontal plane normal to the X and Y directions).

  As shown in FIG. 7, the substrate pre-alignment mechanism 50 includes an upstream side in the X direction of the substrate carry-in side area IA and one side in the Y direction, that is, one side of the opposite side of the substrate W waiting in the substrate carry-in side area IA. A plurality of reference pins 51, 52 arranged in the vicinity, and a plurality of pressing pins 53, 54 arranged in the X direction downstream side and the other side in the Y direction, that is, in the vicinity of the other side of the opposite side of the waiting substrate W. And a handshake pin 55 that adsorbs the substrate W and can be driven in the X direction together with the adsorbed substrate W.

  The reference pin 51 and the pressing pin 53 that are disposed to face each other in the X direction are disposed at positions that do not overlap with the plurality of air pads 23 in a top view. Each of the reference pin 51 and the pressing pin 53 can move forward and backward from the upper surface of the carry-in frame 5 and can move in the X direction by a driving unit (not shown). The reference pin 52 and the pressing pin 54 arranged to face each other in the Y direction are stretched over a pair of connecting frames 11 extending in the Y direction across a pair of frames 10 (see FIG. 1) on both sides in the Y direction. Attached to the direction frame 18. The reference pin 52 is provided so as to be able to advance and retract downward by a drive unit (not shown), and the pressing pin 54 can be advanced and retracted downward by a drive unit (not shown) and can be moved in the Y direction. The reference pins 51 and 52 and the pressing pins 53 and 54 have bearing rollers 58 and 59 that abut against the edge surface of the substrate W, respectively. Furthermore, the handshake pin 55 is provided in the carry-in frame 5 at a position that can face the substrate W on which the air pad 23 is not disposed, and is driven in the X direction over approximately 2/3 of the substrate carry-in area IA by a drive unit (not shown). Can be moved to.

  The position of the reference pin 51 in the X direction is adjusted by changing the size of the substrate W, changing the alignment mark position for each substrate, changing the transfer start position of the substrate W in order to synchronize with the light shielding device 90 described later, and the like. The Further, the number of each reference pin and pressing pin is at least the number shown in FIG. 7, that is, two reference pins 51, one reference pin 52, and pressing pins 53 and 54, respectively. What is necessary is just to increase as needed.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the substrate alignment mechanism 60 can also be driven in the Y direction together with the two alignment cameras 61 for detecting the reference marks provided on the substrate W and the substrate W, and with the sucked substrate W. A pair of θ correction suction pins 62.

  The alignment cameras 61 are respectively attached to the connection frames 11 and can be moved along the Y direction by a driving unit (not shown). Thereby, when the camera 61 detects the reference mark, the correction movement amount in the X, Y, and θ directions of the substrate W during alignment is calculated. The pair of suction pins 62 is provided on the carry-in frame 5 at a position that can face the substrate W on which the air pad 23 is not disposed, and can be moved in the Y direction and the Z direction by a drive unit (not shown). Accordingly, the pair of suction pins 62 that are separated by a predetermined distance in the X direction move relative to each other in the Y direction, so that the suctioned substrate W is aligned in the θ direction. The alignment adjustment of the substrate W in the X and Y directions is performed by correcting the X direction of the holding member 41 and correcting the Y direction of the mask holding unit 71 described later.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the mask holding mechanism 70 is provided for each of the above-described plurality of mask holding portions 71 and the mask holding portions 71. , A predetermined direction, a crossing direction, a vertical direction with respect to the horizontal plane of the predetermined direction and the crossing direction, and a plurality of mask driving units 72 driven around the normal line of the horizontal plane.

  A plurality of mask holding portions 71 arranged in two rows in a staggered manner along the Y direction are arranged on the downstream side with a plurality of upstream mask holding portions 71a (six in this embodiment) arranged on the upstream side. A plurality of downstream mask holding portions 71b (six in this embodiment), and the upstream side between the column portions 12 (see FIG. 1) erected on both sides of the apparatus base 2 in the Y direction. Two main frames 13 are installed on the downstream side, and supported by mask driving units 72. Each mask holding portion 71 has an opening 77 penetrating in the Z direction, and the mask M is vacuum-sucked on the lower surface of the peripheral portion.

  The mask drive unit 72 is attached to the main frame 13 and moves along the X direction. The Z direction drive unit 73 is attached to the tip of the X direction drive unit 73 and is driven in the Z direction. A Y-direction drive unit 75 attached to the Z-direction drive unit 74 and driven in the Y-direction, and a θ-direction drive unit 76 attached to the Y-direction drive unit 75 and driven in the θ-direction. A mask holding portion 71 is attached to the tip of 76. Accordingly, the drive units 73, 74, 75, and 76 are arranged side by side in the X direction, and the mask drive unit 72 is downstream of the upstream mask holding unit 71a and the downstream side of the mask holding units 71a and 71b in the X direction. The side mask holding portion 71b extends to the opposite side to the opposite side and is attached to the main frame 13.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 8, the plurality of irradiation units 80 include a light source, a mirror, an optical integrator, a shutter, and the like (not shown) in the housing 81, and exposure light is applied to the mask M held by the mask holding unit 71. Irradiate EL. A guide rail 82 is attached to the lower surface of the casing 81, and the irradiation unit 80 is guided by a slider 83 fixed to the main frame 13 and a subframe 15 described later, and above the mask holding unit 71. Can be moved in the X direction between an exposure position EP (solid line in FIG. 5) disposed at a position and a retracted position RP (two-dot chain line in FIG. 5) deviating from the exposure position EP. For this reason, when the irradiation unit 80 is positioned at the retracted position RP, a space is formed above the intermediate connection frame 16 to be described later, so that the operator gets on the intermediate connection frame 16 and the mask holding mechanism 70. Therefore, it is possible to easily replace and maintain a light shielding device 90 and various detection means described later.

  The irradiation unit 80 is positioned at the exposure position EP and the retracted position RP by bringing a pair of stopper members 84 a and 84 b provided on the lower surface of the housing 81 into contact with a fixing member 85 provided on the main frame 13. Done in In addition, the irradiation unit 80 is configured with a position detection sensor that detects movement to the exposure position EP. Specifically, a sensor dog 86 is attached to the stopper member 84a that defines the exposure position EP, and the irradiation unit 80 is positioned at the exposure position EP by the photo switch 87 provided in the vicinity of the fixed member 85. Is detected. Note that the fixing member 85 and the photo switch 87 indicated by the one-dot chain line in FIG. 8 indicate the relative positions with respect to the housing 81 when the irradiation unit 80 is positioned at the exposure position EP. In the present embodiment, the amount of movement in the X direction of each irradiation unit 80 is set to 670 mm.

  As shown in FIGS. 5, 9, and 10, the plurality of light shielding devices 90 shield the exposure light EL emitted from the irradiation unit 80 in the vicinity of the mask M held by the mask holding unit 71, and A pair of plate-like blind members (light-shielding members) 108 and 109 that change the inclination angle so that the light-shielding width in a predetermined direction for shielding the exposure light EL, that is, the projection area viewed from the Z-direction, is variable; And a blind drive unit 92 that changes the inclination angle of the pair of blind members 108 and 109.

  The blind drive unit 92 is located between the upstream and downstream main frames 13 and 13 and between the column portions 14 and 14 (see FIG. 1) erected on both sides in the Y direction of the apparatus base 2. It is fixed to the subframes 15, 15 installed on the side through a Z-axis drive mechanism 91 so as to be movable up and down in the Z direction.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the blind drive unit 92 includes four motors 95a, 95a, 95b, and 95b that are mounted on both sides in the Y direction of the casing 93 that defines the opening 93a, and a motor 95a, The screw shafts 96a and 96b are rotated by the rotation of 95b, and the four ball screw mechanisms 98a, 98a, 98b and 98b for moving the nuts 97a and 97b in the X direction and the nuts 97a and 97b are fixed to the sliders 99a and 99b. The sliders 99a and 99b move in the X direction together with the nut 97a via the four linear guides 101a, 101a, 101b and 101b guided by the rails 100a and 100b and the connecting portion 102a fixed to the lower nut 97a by screws. A pair of arm portions 103 to which one blind member 108 is attached and an upper nut. Via a screw fixed coupling part 102b to 97b, provided to move in the X direction together with the nut 97b, a pair of arms 104 the other blind member 109 is attached, a.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 10A, each of the arm portions 103 and 104 includes first arm portions 105a and 105b that move in the X direction together with the nuts 97a and 97b from the casing 93, and each end is a first arm. Second arm portions 106a and 106b that are respectively connected to the lower ends of the portions 105a and 105b and whose other ends are connected to each other. One blind member 108 is fixed below the second arm portion 106a provided on both sides in the Y direction so that the longitudinal direction thereof is along the Y direction. Further, the other blind member 109 is fixed below the second arm portion 106b provided on both sides in the Y direction so that the longitudinal direction thereof is along the Y direction.

  Therefore, when the light shielding device 90 shields the exposure light EL emitted from the irradiating unit 80, the pair of blind members 108 and 109 is stored in a position outside the exposure area in the opening 93a. By driving the upper pair of motors 95a and 95a to move the first arm portion 105b in the X direction so as to be separated from the first arm portion 105a, the pair of blind members 108 and 109 have the same inclination angle. Hold it gradually. Thereby, the exposure light EL in the part where the blind members 108 and 109 have advanced into the exposure region is shielded.

  Further, the pair of blind members 108 and 109 are further opened by driving the pair of lower motors 95b and 95b to move the first arm portion 105a in the X direction so as to be separated from the first arm portion 105b. In addition, the entire exposure area can be shielded by the blind members 108 and 109.

  As shown in FIG. 10B, one end 108a of one blind member 108 is formed in a substantially flat plate shape, and one end 109a of the other blind member 109 is one end 108a of one blind member 108. Has a curved shape covering. Both the blind members 108 and 109 are variable in inclination angle by the drive unit 92, but the one end portions 108a and 109a are close to each other and overlap each other when viewed from the vertical direction regardless of the inclination angle. . Thereby, when the pair of blind members 108 and 109 move in the X direction while changing the inclination angle, the exposure light EL is prevented from leaking at one end side of each other.

  Further, since the inclination angle of the pair of blind members 108 and 109 can be changed to a position where they are parallel to each other, it is possible to suppress the decrease in the exposure amount when the blind members 108 and 109 cross the exposure region as much as possible.

  As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the mask changer 120 is disposed between the upstream mask holding portion 71a and the downstream mask holding portion 71b, holds the mask M, and holds the mask M in the mask holding portion. 71 between a pair of mask trays 121 that can be opposed to the lower surfaces of the upstream and downstream mask holding portions 71a and 71b, and between the upstream mask holding portion 71a and the downstream mask holding portion 71b. And a connecting portion 122 for connecting the pair of mask tray portions 121 and a mask replacement driving portion 123 for driving the pair of mask tray portions together with the connecting portion 122 in the Y direction.

  The pair of mask tray portions 121 includes a flat base portion 191, a flat plate chaser plate 192 disposed above the base portion 191 so as to be relatively movable in the horizontal direction with respect to the base portion 191, and the chaser plate. A plurality of air supply mechanisms 125 that are provided on the upper surface of the peripheral edge of 192 and on which the mask M can be placed and that supply air to the lower surface of the mask M to float the mask M are provided.

  In addition, the pair of mask tray portions 121 abuts a plurality of spring members 194 disposed between the chaser plate 192 and the base portion 191 and the end face of the mask M that has floated during mask pre-alignment described later. , A plurality of mask positioning pins (positioning portions) 196 for positioning the mask M in the horizontal direction with respect to the chaser plate 192, and the end face of the mask M that has floated during mask pre-alignment are also used as mask positioning pins 196. And a pressing mechanism 198 that presses toward the center.

  The chaser plate 192 is supported above the base portion 191 via a spring member 194. For this reason, the chaser plate 192 can move relative to the base portion 191 and can follow the movement of the mask holding portion 71 together with the mask M. Thereby, when the mask M is attached to the mask holding part 71, the attachment position of the mask M can be changed by extending and contracting the spring member 194 when the mask holding part 71 descends to a certain position. The adsorption force can be made constant. Further, when attaching the mask M to the mask holding part 71, even if the mask holding part 71 collides with the mask M, it is possible to prevent an excessive force from being applied to the mask M by expanding and contracting the spring member 194. It is possible to prevent the mask M from being deformed or the mask M from being damaged.

  The mask positioning pins 196 are positions where they can come into contact when the end surfaces of the mask M levitated by the plurality of air supply mechanisms 125 are pre-aligned, and on the base portion 191 on one side in the X direction and one side in the Y direction. Has been placed.

  The pressing mechanism 198 is disposed on the base portion 191 on the other side in the X direction and the other side in the Y direction opposite to the side on which the mask positioning pins 196 are disposed. The pressing mechanism 198 is configured by a cylinder mechanism or a servo mechanism (not shown), and presses the end face of the mask M that has floated toward the mask positioning pins 196 from the X direction and the Y direction, and the end face of the mask M is used for the mask. The mask M is pre-aligned by being brought into contact with the positioning pins 196. The mask positioning pins 196 and the pressing mechanism 198 may be disposed on the chaser plate 192.

  The connecting part 122 connects the pair of mask tray parts 121 obliquely with respect to the X direction in accordance with the arrangement of the connecting part main body 128 to which the slider 127 is attached and the mask holding part 71 arranged in a staggered manner. A pair of arm portions 129.

  The mask replacement drive unit 123 is housed in a support unit 131 that extends in the Y direction below the intermediate connection frame 16 that extends in the Y direction, and a belt 133 that is rotationally driven by the drive motor 132 and the connection unit 122. And a movable portion 134 that is coupled to a part of the belt 133 and is driven in the Y direction by the rotation of the belt 133. The movable part 134 extends laterally from the opening 131a of the support part 131 and is fixed to the connecting part 122 positioned below. In addition, a guide rail 135 is provided below the support portion 131, and the pair of mask tray portions 121 are guided in the Y direction by a slider 127 straddling the guide rail 135. The intermediate connection frame 16 is attached to an intermediate portion of frames 17 and 17 extending in the X direction that connect the upstream and downstream subframes 15 and 15 on both sides in the Y direction (see FIG. 1).

  Accordingly, the pair of mask tray parts 121 connected to the movable part 134 via the connecting part 122 drives the belt 133 to exchange the mask M, and a delivery position WP for carrying in or out the mask M. Then, it moves in the Y direction between the lower surface of each mask holding portion 71 and the exchange position CP facing it. The delivery position WP is provided on the side opposite to the one end side in the Y direction where the substrate driving unit 40 is installed so that the mask tray unit 121, the mask exchange driving unit 123, and the like do not interfere with each component of the substrate driving unit 40. ing.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 12, the base 191 of the mask tray 121 has an illuminance for detecting the illuminance of each exposure light EL at each position where each exposure light EL from the plurality of irradiation units 80 is irradiated. A sensor 199 is provided. Each irradiating unit 80 is provided with another illuminance sensor that detects the illuminance of the exposure light EL in the irradiating unit 80, and the control unit 190 uses the illuminance sensor 199 to each irradiating unit 80. The current value of the light source is controlled so that the illuminance at the target illuminance value becomes the target illuminance value, and the illuminance values at the respective irradiating units 80 are controlled by a plurality of other illuminance sensors. The illuminance of each light source in can be controlled to be the same.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 11, the proximity scanning exposure apparatus 1 includes various detection means such as laser displacement meters 160 and 161, a mask alignment camera 171, a tracking camera 172, and a tracking illumination 173. ing.

  Laser displacement meters 160 (160a, 160b, 160c) are provided at at least three positions in the region where the substrate W and each mask M face each other. One laser displacement meter 160 a located above the mask M is attached to the mask holding unit 71 and constitutes a gap sensor that detects a gap between the substrate W and the mask M. The two laser displacement meters 160b and 160c located below the substrate are arranged at positions where the substrate W and the mask M face each other on the side of the air pad 25a larger than the exposure region located below the mask M. Is detected (see FIG. 3). When the substrate W is a raw glass, the laser displacement meters 160b and 160c can also detect the gap, and the laser displacement meters 160a, 160b and 160c constitute a gap sensor.

  The mask alignment camera 171 images the reference mark formed on the mask M and transmits it to the control unit 190 described later. The tracking camera 172 captures an image of a reference mark on the substrate W or a ground pattern formed on the substrate W in order to detect a relative displacement between the mask M and the substrate W, and transmits the image to the control unit 190 described later. .

  These two laser displacement meters 160b and 160c, the mask alignment camera 171 and the tracking camera 172 do not protrude from the upper surfaces of the air pads 24, 25a and 25b between the adjacent air pads 24, 25a and 25b in the mask arrangement area EA. It is attached to the precision frame 6.

  The laser displacement meter 161 is attached to the carry-in frame 5 and detects the thickness of the substrate W. The follower illumination 173 is attached to the housing 93 of the blind drive unit 92.

  Here, as shown in FIG. 4, the carry-in, precision, and carry-out frames 5, 6, and 7 connect a plurality of square pipes 180 extending in the horizontal direction and a plurality of square pipes 181 extending in the vertical direction on the apparatus base 2. Configured to define a space 182 penetrating in the X direction and the Y direction. As a result, the worker enters the space 182 and, for example, the air pads 22, 23, 24, 25a, 25b, the above-described various detection means, the work collision prevention roller 45, the reference pin 51, and the pressing pin 53 The auxiliary machines such as the handshake pin 55, the suction pin 62, and the drive shafts of the pins 51, 53, 55, and 62 can be easily exchanged and maintenance work can be easily performed.

  The control unit 190 is connected to each mechanism such as the substrate transport mechanism 20, the mask holding mechanism 70, the irradiation unit 80, the light-shielding device 90, the mask changer 120, and the like including the detection unit and the driving units. Each mechanism is driven and controlled based on the detection signal from the means. In particular, the control unit 190 detects a relative positional deviation between the mask M and the substrate W during exposure, drives the mask driving unit 72 based on the detected relative positional deviation, and sets the position of the mask M to the substrate W. Make it follow in real time. At the same time, the gap between the mask M and the substrate W is detected, the mask driving unit 72 is driven based on the detected gap, and the gap between the mask M and the substrate W is corrected in real time.

  Next, exposure transfer of the substrate W will be described using the proximity scan exposure apparatus 1 configured as described above. In the present embodiment, when a pattern of R (red), G (green), or B (blue) is drawn on the color filter substrate W on which a base pattern (for example, a black matrix) is drawn. Will be described.

  After the proximity scan exposure apparatus 1 supports the substrate W transported to the substrate carry-in area IA by air from the exhaust air pad 23 by a loader or the like (not shown) and performs pre-alignment work and alignment work for the substrate W. Then, the substrate W chucked by the holding member 41 of the substrate driving unit 40 is transferred to the mask arrangement area EA.

  Then, the substrate W moves onto the exhaust air pad 24 and the intake / exhaust air pads 25a and 25b provided in the mask arrangement area EA, and is lifted and supported with vibrations eliminated as much as possible. When the exposure light EL is emitted from the light source in the irradiation unit 80, the exposure light EL passes through the mask M held by the mask holding unit 71, and the pattern is exposed and transferred to the substrate W.

  At this time, the shift of the pattern due to the movement error of the substrate W is given by processing the image of the base pattern detected by the tracking camera 172. Then, the mask drive unit 72 can finely adjust the position of the mask M in accordance with the processed image data, thereby correcting the pattern deviation in real time.

  During the exposure operation, the laser displacement meters 160a, 160b, and 160c installed for each mask detect the gap between the substrate W and the mask M. Then, based on the detected gap, the Z direction drive unit 74 of the mask drive unit 72 controls the mask holding unit 71 in real time in the vertical direction. For this reason, when the substrate W is transported by the substrate transport mechanism 20, a height variation of about 30 μm to 40 μm may occur due to the thickness variation of the substrate W. It is possible.

  As described above, pattern exposure can be performed on the entire substrate W by performing continuous exposure in the same manner. Since the masks M held by the mask holding unit 71 are arranged in a staggered pattern, even if the masks M held by the upstream or downstream side mask holding units 71a and 71b are arranged apart from each other, the substrate A pattern can be formed in W without a gap.

  Further, in order to clean the mask M at a predetermined timing, the mask M is exchanged at any time using the mask changer 120. As shown in FIG. 13, the mask exchange is performed at the same time in the first upstream and downstream side mask holding portions 71a1 and 71b1 arranged at one end in the Y direction, and the next upstream side and downstream side in turn. Side mask holders 71a2, 71b2,. . . , 71a5, 71b5, and finally the sixth upstream and downstream mask holding portions 71a6, 71b6 arranged at the other end in the Y direction.

  Specifically, first, the mask driving unit 72 raises all the mask holding units 71 to the retreat position for performing mask replacement. At this time, the light shielding device 90 also raises and retracts the housing 93. Then, the pair of empty mask tray portions 121 on which the mask M is not mounted are moved below the first upstream and downstream mask holding portions 71a1 and 71b1 (exchange position CP). Then, the mask driving units 72 of the first upstream and downstream mask holding units 71a1 and 71b1 are driven to lower the mask holding units 71a1 and 71b1 to the attachment / detachment positions.

  Next, the mask tray 121 receives the used mask M held by the mask holders 71a1 and 71b1. Specifically, the mask holding portions 71a1 and 71b1 release the suction of the used mask M, and the mask tray portion 121 sends air from the air supply mechanism 125 to the lower surface of the mask M and floats by the pressing mechanism 198. The mask floated with respect to the chaser plate 192 is positioned and held by pressing the end face of M toward the mask positioning pins 196. Thereafter, the mask holding portions 71a1 and 71b1 are raised to the retracted position and moved to the delivery position WP. When transporting the mask M, the mask M that has floated may be transported while being positioned by the mask positioning pins 196 and the pressing mechanism 198, or may be transported to the upper surface of the air supply mechanism 125 without floating the mask M. You may convey the mask M in the mounted state. In particular, it is possible to prevent the mask M from being damaged by friction because the mask tray 121 moves between the transfer position WP of the mask M and the replacement position CP while the mask M is levitated.

  At the delivery position WP, first, the used mask M that has floated is returned from the mask tray unit 121 to a cassette (not shown) by a mask loader (not shown). Thereafter, when an unused (cleaned) mask M is placed on the mask tray 121 from the cassette by a mask loader, the mask M is pre-aligned.

  Specifically, the unused mask M is floated and held by the air supplied from the air supply mechanism 125, and the end face of the mask M lifted by the pressing mechanism 198 is pressed toward the mask positioning pins 196. The mask M that has floated with respect to the chaser plate 192 is positioned and held. Thereby, the pre-alignment of the unused mask M is completed. Note that the pre-alignment of the mask M can be performed using the mask alignment camera 171 when the mask M is moved below the mask holding portions 71a and 71b. Further, the pre-alignment of the mask M is possible even during the transfer of the mask M, which leads to a reduction in tact time and an improvement in throughput.

  Then, after the tray portion 121 on which the mask M is placed is moved again below the first upstream and downstream mask holding portions 71a1 and 71b1, the first mask holding portions 71a1 and 71b1 are again attached and detached. To lower.

  Further, the first mask holding units 71a1 and 71b1 are moved by the mask driving unit 72, and the position of the unused mask M is finely adjusted. Thereafter, the mask M is sucked by the mask holding portions 71a1 and 71b1 in a state where the unused mask M is floated on the mask tray portion 121. Further, the mask holding portions 71a1 and 71b1 are raised to the retracted position. Thereby, the replacement of the first mask M is completed. The suction of the mask M by the mask holding portions 71a1 and 71b1 can be performed without causing the mask M to float.

  Next, the vacant mask tray 121 is moved from one end in the Y direction to the lower side of the second upstream and downstream mask holders 71a2 and 71b2.

  Thereafter, the above operation is repeated until the mask M of the sixth mask holding portions 71a6 and 71b6 on the other end side in the Y direction is replaced, and the replacement operation of the mask M is completed. After the replacement work is completed, the mask tray portion 121 of the mask changer 120 moves to the delivery position WP. Therefore, according to the above-described mask exchange, the pair of masks M can be collected and mounted by one reciprocating operation of the pair of mask tray portions 121, and the tact time can be shortened.

  As described above, according to the proximity scanning exposure apparatus 1 of the present embodiment, the mask tray unit 121 of the mask changer 120 supplies the air to the lower surface of the mask M, and the air supply mechanism 125 that floats the mask M. And a mask positioning pin 196 for positioning the mask M in contact with the end face of the mask M that has floated, and a pressing mechanism 198 for pressing the end face of the mask M that has floated toward the mask positioning pin 196. Accordingly, the mask that has floated while being positioned by the mask positioning pin 196 and the pressing mechanism 198 can be pre-aligned, and therefore, the mask M is prevented from being damaged by friction between the mask M and the surface with which the mask M is in contact. be able to. In addition, the mask M can be pre-aligned by moving the mask M toward the mask positioning pins 196 by the pressing mechanism 198 in a state where the mask M is floated by the mask tray 121, and the mask M is replaced. The time can be shortened, and there is no need to separately provide an apparatus for pre-alignment of the mask M.

  Further, since the pair of mask tray parts 121 includes a plurality of spring members 194 disposed between the chaser plate 192 and the base part 191, the mask M is attached to the mask holding part 71 without causing the mask M to float. Even so, when the mask holding part 71 descends to a certain position, the attachment position of the mask M can be changed by expanding and contracting the spring member 194, and the suction force of the mask M can be made constant. . Further, when attaching the mask M to the mask holding part 71, even if the mask holding part 71 collides with the mask M, it is possible to prevent an excessive force from being applied to the mask M by expanding and contracting the spring member 194. It is possible to prevent the mask M from being deformed or the mask M from being damaged.

  In the present embodiment, when the plurality of mask driving units 72 are arranged so that the plurality of upstream and downstream mask holding units 71a and 71b extend on the opposite side to the side facing each other, the mask tray unit 121 is Between the upstream mask tray part movable between the delivery position WP and each exchange position CP of each upstream mask holding part 71a, and between the delivery position WP and each exchange position CP of each downstream mask holding part 71b. The mask changer 120 includes a mask replacement drive unit 123 that synchronously drives both the upstream mask tray unit and the downstream mask tray unit. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 15, when the plurality of mask driving units 72 are arranged so as to be positioned between the plurality of upstream and downstream mask holding units 71a and 71b, You may make it have a pair of mask replacement drive parts 123 which each drive a side mask tray part and a downstream mask tray part. In addition, as shown in FIG. 16, even when all of the plurality of mask driving units 72 are arranged to extend to the upstream side and the downstream side of the downstream side mask holding portions 71 a and 71 b, You may make it have a pair of mask replacement drive parts 123 which each drive a mask tray part and a downstream mask tray part.

  The present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can of course be changed or improved within the scope of the invention.

  The mechanism for levitating and supporting the substrate of the present invention is preferably a levitating unit using air that is available at low cost and is easy to handle as in the present embodiment, but is not limited thereto. In addition, the mechanism for levitating and supporting the substrate of the present invention may be provided at least in the exposure region. In other regions, the substrate W is supported by a plurality of rollers protruding from the support surface, The structure which floats may be sufficient.

  Further, the mask changer 120 of the present invention is configured such that each of the pair of mask tray portions 121 conveys the mask M one by one, but a plurality of masks M may be conveyed respectively.

1 Proximity scan exposure equipment (exposure equipment)
2 Device base 3, 4, 8 Level block 13 Main frame 15 Sub frame 20 Substrate transport mechanism 21 Floating unit 40 Substrate drive unit 50 Substrate pre-alignment mechanism 60 Substrate alignment mechanism 70 Mask holding mechanism 71 Mask holding unit 72 Mask driving unit 80 Irradiation Portion 82 guide rail 83 slider 90 light shielding device 120 mask changer 121 mask tray portion 125 air supply mechanism 190 control portion 192 chaser plate 194 spring member 196 mask positioning pin (positioning portion)
198 Pressing mechanism 199 Illuminance sensor CP Replacement position WP Delivery position EP Exposure position RP Retraction position IA Substrate carry-in side area EA Mask placement area OA Substrate carry-out area

Claims (4)

An exposure apparatus that irradiates a substrate with exposure light through a mask and exposes the mask pattern onto the substrate,
A mask holding unit for holding the mask;
A mask changer having a mask tray portion movable between a delivery position for carrying in or carrying out the mask and an exchange position facing the lower surface of the mask holding portion;
With
The mask tray part is
An air supply mechanism for supplying air to the lower surface of the mask and floating the mask;
A positioning part for positioning the mask in contact with the end face of the floated mask;
A pressing mechanism that presses the end face of the floated mask toward the positioning portion;
An exposure apparatus comprising:   The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the mask tray portion includes a base portion, and a plurality of spring members disposed between the chaser plate and the base portion. The exposure apparatus irradiates a substrate transported in a predetermined direction while approaching a plurality of masks through the plurality of masks, and exposes the patterns of the plurality of masks on the substrate. An exposure apparatus,
The mask holding unit includes a plurality of upstream mask holding units arranged on the upstream side and a plurality of downstream mask holding units arranged on the downstream side, and the plurality of upstream mask holding units and the plurality of mask holding units are arranged on the downstream side. The downstream mask holding portion is arranged in a staggered manner along a direction intersecting the predetermined direction,
The mask tray section includes an upstream mask tray section movable between the delivery position and each exchange position of each upstream mask holding section, and each exchange position of the delivery position and each downstream mask holding section. A downstream mask tray portion movable between,
3. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the mask changer includes a mask replacement drive unit that synchronously drives both the upstream mask tray unit and the downstream mask tray unit. The exposure apparatus irradiates a substrate transported in a predetermined direction while approaching a plurality of masks through the plurality of masks, and exposes the patterns of the plurality of masks on the substrate. An exposure apparatus,
The mask holding unit includes a plurality of upstream mask holding units arranged on the upstream side and a plurality of downstream mask holding units arranged on the downstream side, and the plurality of upstream mask holding units and the plurality of mask holding units are arranged on the downstream side. The downstream mask holding portion is arranged in a staggered manner along a direction intersecting the predetermined direction,
The mask tray section includes an upstream mask tray section movable between the delivery position and each exchange position of each upstream mask holding section, and each exchange position of the delivery position and each downstream mask holding section. A downstream mask tray portion movable between,
3. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the mask changer includes a pair of mask replacement driving units that respectively drive the upstream mask tray unit and the downstream mask tray unit. 4.

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