JP2013064897A - Proximity exposure device, exposure amount adjustment method of proximity exposure device, and manufacturing method of display panel substrate - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To effectively prevent occurrence of pattern steps in boundaries of sections when an exposure region of a substrate is exposed by diving the region into a plurality of consecutive sections.SOLUTION: Exposure amount adjustment plates 42a, 42b, 43a, and 43b are arranged above a mask 2 held by a mask holder 20. The exposure amount adjustment plates 42a, 42b, 43a, and 43b are moved in the vicinity of boundaries of respective sections A, B, C, and D of the exposure region of the substrate 1 to adjust light volumes of exposure light radiated to the vicinity of the boundaries of respective sections A, B, C, and D. When exposing exposure regions A, B, C, and D of the substrate 1, exposure light fluxes adjusted by respective exposure amount adjustment plates 42a, 42b, 43a, and 43b are radiated to the vicinity of the boundaries of respective sections A, B, C, and D in overlapped manners.

Description

  The present invention relates to a proximity exposure apparatus that exposes a substrate using a proximity method in manufacturing a display panel substrate such as a liquid crystal display device, a method for adjusting the exposure amount of the proximity exposure apparatus, and a display using the same BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a panel substrate, and in particular, a proximity exposure apparatus that performs exposure by dividing an exposure area of a substrate into a plurality of continuous sections, a method for adjusting an exposure amount of the proximity exposure apparatus, and a display panel substrate using the same It relates to a manufacturing method.

  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.

  In the proximity exposure apparatus, the mask pattern is transferred to the substrate on a one-to-one basis. Therefore, when the substrate is enlarged and the exposure area is increased, a mask having the same size as the exposure area is required, and the cost of the mask increases. Therefore, for example, when a pattern having the same shape is repeatedly formed by exposure of a color filter substrate or the like of a liquid crystal display device, a mask smaller than the exposure area is used, and the exposure area of the substrate is divided into a plurality of continuous sections. Exposure is performed.

  When exposure is performed by dividing the exposure area of the substrate into a plurality of continuous sections, if the amount of exposure light varies from section to section, the height of the pattern to be formed changes abruptly at the boundary of each section, and the pattern step is Occur. In the display panel substrate, the step of this pattern is recognized by the human eye, and the display quality deteriorates. In Patent Document 1, as a conventional technique, a filter with a gradient of transmittance is used, the exposure amount is gently inclined at the edge of the mask, the edge is overlapped between adjacent sections, and the boundary is exposed. It describes that the exposure amount of the part is made uniform. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-228561 discloses a technique for reducing the difference in exposure amount at the boundary portion by alternately arranging exposure areas and light-shielding areas in the vertical and horizontal directions on the mask.

JP 2004-133200 A

  It is difficult to make the amount of exposure light uniform over the entire surface of the mask, and particularly in the peripheral portion of the mask, the amount of exposure light varies depending on the location due to diffraction of the exposure light. For example, the amount of exposure light differs between the upper end and lower end of each section to be exposed, or the right end and left end, and the variation in the amount of exposure light varies depending on the exposure apparatus or mask. It changes every time. However, the method using the filter described in Patent Document 1 as the prior art cannot cope with the difference in the amount of exposure light at the periphery of each section. In addition, the technique described in Patent Document 1 requires special processing for the mask.

  It is an object of the present invention to effectively prevent the occurrence of a pattern step at the boundary of each section without performing special processing on the mask when the exposure area of the substrate is divided into a plurality of continuous sections. It is to be. Another object of the present invention is to manufacture a high-quality display panel substrate.

  A proximity exposure apparatus according to the present invention includes a chuck that supports a substrate and a mask holder that holds a mask, and performs proximity exposure in which an exposure area of the substrate supported by the chuck is divided into a plurality of continuous sections. In the apparatus, the exposure amount adjustment is provided above the mask held by the mask holder, moves near the boundary of each section of the exposure area of the substrate, and adjusts the amount of exposure light irradiated to the vicinity of each section boundary. In the exposure of each section of the exposure area of the substrate, exposure light whose light amount is adjusted by the exposure amount adjusting plate is overlapped and irradiated near the boundary of each section.

  The exposure amount adjusting method of the proximity exposure apparatus of the present invention includes a chuck that supports a substrate and a mask holder that holds the mask, and divides the exposure area of the substrate supported by the chuck into a plurality of continuous sections. An exposure amount adjustment method for a proximity exposure apparatus that performs exposure by providing an exposure amount adjustment plate above a mask held by a mask holder and moving the exposure amount adjustment plate near the boundary of each section of the exposure area of the substrate And adjusting the amount of exposure light irradiated to the vicinity of each section boundary, and exposing the exposure light adjusted by the exposure amount adjustment plate to the vicinity of each section boundary when exposing each section of the exposure area of the substrate. It is irradiated repeatedly.

  Further, the proximity exposure apparatus of the present invention includes a driving unit that moves the exposure amount adjusting plate, and the driving unit adjusts the movement start time and the moving speed of the exposure amount adjusting plate to irradiate near the boundary of each section. The amount of exposure light to be adjusted is adjusted for each boundary of each section. Further, the exposure amount adjustment method of the proximity exposure apparatus of the present invention adjusts the movement start time and the movement speed of the exposure amount adjustment plate, and the amount of exposure light radiated to the vicinity of the boundary of each section is set. It adjusts for each boundary.

  An exposure adjustment plate is provided above the mask held by the mask holder, and the exposure adjustment plate is moved near the boundary of each section of the exposure area of the substrate, so that the amount of exposure light irradiated near the boundary of each section Therefore, by adjusting the movement start time and movement speed of the exposure amount adjustment plate, the exposure light irradiated to the vicinity of the boundary of each section according to the difference in the amount of exposure light in the peripheral part of each section Can be adjusted with high accuracy for each boundary of each section. Then, when exposing each section of the exposure area of the substrate, the exposure light whose light amount is adjusted by the exposure amount adjusting plate is radiated in the vicinity of the boundary of each section, so that the exposure light irradiated near the boundary of each section is irradiated. It is effectively prevented that the total light quantity changes gently and a pattern step occurs at the boundary between the sections.

  Furthermore, the proximity exposure apparatus of the present invention is arranged over the mask held by the mask holder over the width in the Y direction of the mask, and near the boundary extending in the Y direction of each section of the exposure area of the substrate. A plurality of first exposure adjustment plates for adjusting the amount of exposure light irradiated to the vicinity of the boundary extending in the Y direction of each section, and a mask held by the mask holder, respectively. The mask is arranged over the width in the X direction, moves independently in the Y direction near the boundary extending in the X direction of each section of the exposure area of the substrate, and is irradiated near the boundary extending in the X direction of each section. And a plurality of second exposure adjustment plates for adjusting the amount of exposure light.

  In the proximity exposure method of the proximity exposure apparatus according to the present invention, a plurality of first exposure adjustment plates are provided over the width of the mask in the Y direction above the mask held by the mask holder. The amount of exposure light irradiated to the vicinity of the boundary extending in the Y direction of each section by independently moving the exposure amount adjusting plate in the X direction in the vicinity of the boundary extending in the Y direction of each section of the exposure area of the substrate And a plurality of second exposure amount adjustment plates are provided over the width of the mask in the X direction above the mask held by the mask holder, and each second exposure amount adjustment plate is attached to the exposure region of the substrate. These are moved independently in the Y direction in the vicinity of the boundary extending in the X direction of each section, and the amount of exposure light irradiated to the vicinity of the boundary extending in the X direction of each section is adjusted.

  A plurality of first exposure amount adjustment plates are provided over the width of the mask in the Y direction above the mask held by the mask holder, and each first exposure amount adjustment plate is attached to each section of the exposure region of the substrate. In the vicinity of the boundary extending in the Y direction, the light is moved independently in the X direction to adjust the amount of exposure light irradiated to the vicinity of the boundary extending in the Y direction of each section. The amount of exposure light to be applied can be adjusted with high accuracy. Further, a plurality of second exposure amount adjustment plates are provided over the width of the mask in the X direction above the mask held by the mask holder, and each second exposure amount adjustment plate is attached to each of the exposure regions of the substrate. In the vicinity of the boundary extending in the X direction of each section, the amount of exposure light irradiated to the vicinity of the boundary extending in the X direction of each section is adjusted by independently moving in the Y direction near the boundary extending in the X direction. It is possible to adjust the amount of exposure light irradiated to the head with high accuracy. Therefore, when the exposure area of the substrate is divided into a plurality of sections that are continuous in the X and Y directions, the total amount of exposure light irradiated in the vicinity of the boundary extending in the X direction and the boundary extending in the Y direction of each section is gently reduced. It is effectively prevented that the step of the pattern changes at the boundary extending in the X direction and the boundary extending in the Y direction.

  The method for producing a display panel substrate according to the present invention exposes a substrate by using any one of the above-described proximity exposure apparatuses, or performs exposure by using the exposure adjustment method of any of the above-described proximity exposure apparatuses. The substrate is exposed while adjusting the amount of light. By using the above-described proximity exposure apparatus or the exposure amount adjustment method of the proximity exposure apparatus, when the exposure area of the substrate is divided into a plurality of continuous sections and exposed, a pattern step occurs at the boundary of each section. Is effectively prevented, and a high-quality display panel substrate is manufactured.

  According to the proximity exposure apparatus and the exposure amount adjustment method of the proximity exposure apparatus of the present invention, the exposure amount adjustment plate is provided above the mask held by the mask holder, and the exposure amount adjustment plate is divided into each section of the exposure region of the substrate. The exposure light with the light amount adjusted by the exposure amount adjustment plate at the time of exposure of each section of the exposure area of the substrate is adjusted by adjusting the amount of exposure light irradiated near the boundary of each section. By overlapping and irradiating the vicinity of the boundary of the section, it is possible to effectively prevent the occurrence of a pattern step at the boundary of each section without performing special processing on the mask.

  Further, according to the proximity exposure apparatus and the exposure amount adjustment method of the proximity exposure apparatus of the present invention, a plurality of first exposure amounts over the width of the mask in the Y direction above the mask held by the mask holder. An adjustment plate is provided, and each first exposure amount adjustment plate is independently moved in the X direction in the vicinity of the boundary extending in the Y direction of each section of the exposure region of the substrate, to the vicinity of the boundary extending in the Y direction of each section. A plurality of second exposure adjustment plates are provided over the width of the mask in the X direction above the mask held by the mask holder by adjusting the amount of exposure light to be irradiated, and each second exposure adjustment By adjusting the amount of exposure light irradiated to the vicinity of the boundary extending in the X direction of each section by moving the plate independently in the Y direction near the boundary extending in the X direction of each section of the exposure area of the substrate The exposure area of the substrate is connected in the XY direction. When exposure is divided into a plurality of sections which, it is possible to prevent the level difference of the pattern at the boundary extending in the boundary and the Y-direction extending in the X direction of each partition is generated effectively.

  According to the method for manufacturing a display panel substrate of the present invention, when the exposure area of a substrate is divided into a plurality of continuous sections and exposed, it is possible to effectively prevent the occurrence of a pattern step at the boundary of each section. Therefore, a high-quality display panel substrate can be manufactured.

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. FIG. 3A is a top view of the mask holder and the exposure amount adjusting device, and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view of the EE portion of FIG. It is a figure which shows an example of the exposure area | region of a board | substrate, and a mask. It is a figure explaining operation | movement of an exposure amount adjustment board. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the manufacturing process of the TFT substrate of a liquid crystal display device. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the manufacturing process of the color filter board | substrate of a liquid crystal display device.

  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, an exposure adjustment device, and an exposure adjustment device. The drive circuit 52, the stage drive circuit 60, and the main controller 70 are included. In FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, an exposure amount adjusting device to be described later is omitted. In addition to these, the proximity exposure apparatus carries a substrate 1 into the chuck 10 and also carries a substrate transport robot that unloads the substrate 1 from the chuck 10, an irradiation optical system that irradiates exposure light, and a temperature at which temperature management in the apparatus is performed. A control unit is provided.

  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, the chuck 10 is in a load / unload position where the substrate 1 is loaded and unloaded. At the load / unload position, the substrate 1 is carried into the chuck 10 and the substrate 1 is carried out of the chuck 10 by a substrate transfer robot (not shown). The loading of the substrate 1 onto the chuck 10 and the unloading of the substrate 1 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 receive the substrate 1 from the substrate transfer robot and unload the substrate 1 from the chuck 10 when loading the substrate 1 onto the chuck 10. In doing so, the substrate 1 is delivered to the substrate transfer robot. The chuck 10 supports the back surface of the substrate 1 by vacuum suction.

  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 20a through which exposure light passes, and the mask 2 is mounted below the opening 20a. A suction groove is provided around the opening 20a on the lower surface of the mask holder 20, and the mask holder 20 holds the peripheral portion of the mask 2 by vacuum suction using the suction groove. An irradiation optical system (not shown) is disposed above the mask 2 held by the mask holder 20. The surface of the substrate 1 is coated with a photosensitive resin material (photoresist). During 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 X stage 5, Y stage 7, and θ stage 8 are provided with drive mechanisms (not shown) such as ball screws and motors, linear motors, etc., and each drive mechanism is driven by a stage drive circuit 60 of FIG. The

  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. 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). Then, the mask 2 and the substrate 1 are aligned 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. In FIG. 1, the main controller 70 controls the stage drive circuit 60 to move the X stage 5 in the X direction, move the Y stage 7 in the Y direction, and rotate the θ stage 8 in the θ direction. .

  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 this embodiment, the mask 10 and the substrate 1 are aligned by moving the chuck 10 in the XY direction by the X stage 5 and the Y stage 7, but the mask holder 20 is moved in the XY direction. The mask 2 may be aligned with the substrate 1 by moving the mask holder 20 in the XY directions.

  FIG. 3A is a top view of the mask holder and the exposure amount adjusting device, and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view of the EE portion of FIG. The exposure adjustment device includes exposure adjustment plates 42a, 42b, 43a, 43b, ball screw nuts 44a, 44b, 45a, 45b, ball screws 46a, 46b, 47a, 47b, guides 48, 49, and motors 50a, 50b, 51a and 51b are comprised.

  In FIGS. 3A and 3B, the exposure adjustment plates 42 a and 42 b are arranged over the width of the mask 2 in the Y direction above the mask 2 held by the mask holder 20. Both ends of the exposure adjustment plate 42a are movably held by guides 48 attached to the inner surface of the mask holder 20 via ball screw nuts 44a. By driving each motor 50a connected to each ball screw 46a synchronously, the exposure adjustment plate 42a is moved along the guide 48 in the X direction. Similarly, both ends of the exposure adjustment plate 42b are movably held by the guide 48 via ball screw nuts 44b. By driving each motor 50b connected to each ball screw 46b in synchronization, the exposure adjustment plate 42b is moved in the X direction along the guide 48. In FIG. 1, the exposure adjustment device driving circuit 52 drives the motors 50 a and 50 b under the control of the main controller 70.

  3A and 3B, the exposure adjustment plates 43 a and 43 b are disposed over the width of the mask 2 in the X direction above the mask 2 held by the mask holder 20. Both ends of the exposure adjustment plate 43a are movably held by guides 49 attached to the inner surface of the mask holder 20 via ball screw nuts 45a. By driving each motor 51 a connected to each ball screw 47 a synchronously, the exposure adjustment plate 43 a is moved in the Y direction along the guide 49. Similarly, both ends of the exposure adjustment plate 43b are movably held by the guide 49 via ball screw nuts 45b. By driving each motor 51b connected to each ball screw 47b in synchronization, the exposure adjustment plate 43b is moved in the Y direction along the guide 49. In FIG. 1, the exposure adjustment device driving circuit 52 drives the motors 51 a and 51 b under the control of the main controller 70.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of an exposure area of a substrate and a mask. FIG. 4A shows an example in which the exposure area on the entire surface of the substrate 1 is divided into four sections A, B, C, and D that are continuous in the XY directions indicated by the broken lines. FIG. 4B shows the mask 2 used at this time, and a portion indicated by a broken line on the mask 2 is a portion corresponding to the opening 20a through which the exposure light of the mask holder 20 passes.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the exposure adjustment plate. 5A shows the operation of the exposure adjustment plate 42a when exposing the section A of the exposure region of the substrate 1, and FIG. 5B shows the X direction of the exposure light irradiated on the substrate 1 at this time. Indicates the amount of light. When exposing the section A of the exposure area of the substrate 1, the main controller 70 controls the exposure adjustment device drive circuit 52 to drive the motors 50 a, so that the exposure adjustment plate 42 a is moved to the exposure area of the substrate 1. In the vicinity of the boundary of the sections A and B extending in the Y direction, it is moved in the X direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. As a result, the amount of exposure light applied to the substrate 1 changes gently in the vicinity of the boundary extending in the Y direction of the sections A and B of the exposure area of the substrate 1 as shown in FIG.

  FIG. 5B shows a case where the amount of exposure light is not uniform in the X direction, and the amount of exposure light in the left peripheral portion of the section A is larger than the amount of exposure light in the right peripheral portion of the section A. Show.

  Similarly, when exposing the section A of the exposure area of the substrate 1, the main controller 70 controls the exposure adjustment device drive circuit 52 to drive each motor 51 a, so that the exposure adjustment plate 43 a is attached to the substrate 1. Is moved in the Y direction in the vicinity of the boundary extending in the X direction of the sections A and D of the exposure area. Thereby, the light quantity of the exposure light irradiated to the board | substrate 1 changes gently in the vicinity of the boundary extended in the X direction of the divisions A and D of the exposure area | region of the board | substrate 1. FIG.

  5C shows the operation of the exposure adjustment plate 42b when exposing the section B of the exposure area of the substrate 1, and FIG. 5D shows the X direction of the exposure light irradiated on the substrate 1 at this time. Indicates the amount of light. When exposing the section B of the exposure area of the substrate 1, the main controller 70 controls the exposure adjustment device driving circuit 52 to drive each motor 50 b, so that the exposure adjustment plate 42 b is moved to the exposure area of the substrate 1. In the vicinity of the boundary extending in the Y direction of the sections A and B, it is moved in the X direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. As a result, the amount of exposure light applied to the substrate 1 changes gently in the vicinity of the boundary extending in the Y direction of the sections A and B of the exposure area of the substrate 1 as shown in FIG.

  5D, similarly to FIG. 5B, the amount of exposure light is not uniform in the X direction, and the amount of exposure light in the left peripheral portion of the section B is equal to that in the right peripheral portion of the section B. This shows a case where the amount of exposure light is greater than the amount of exposure light.

  Similarly, when exposing the section B of the exposure area of the substrate 1, the main controller 70 controls the exposure adjustment device driving circuit 52 to drive each motor 51 a, and the exposure adjustment plate 43 a is attached to the substrate 1. Is moved in the Y direction in the vicinity of the boundary extending in the X direction of the sections B and C of the exposure area. Thereby, the light quantity of the exposure light irradiated to the board | substrate 1 changes gently in the vicinity of the boundary extended in the X direction of the divisions B and C of the exposure area | region of the board | substrate 1. FIG.

  Similarly, when exposing the section C of the exposure area of the substrate 1, the main controller 70 controls the exposure adjustment device driving circuit 52 to drive each motor 50b, and the exposure adjustment plate 42b is attached to the substrate. It is moved in the X direction in the vicinity of the boundary extending in the Y direction of sections C and D of one exposure area. Thereby, the light quantity of the exposure light irradiated to the board | substrate 1 changes gently in the vicinity of the boundary extended in the Y direction of the divisions C and D of the exposure area | region of the board | substrate 1. FIG. Further, when exposing the section C of the exposure area of the substrate 1, the main controller 70 controls the exposure adjustment device drive circuit 52 to drive each motor 51b, and the exposure adjustment plate 43b is attached to the substrate 1. It is moved in the Y direction in the vicinity of the boundary extending in the X direction between the sections B and C of the exposure area. Thereby, the light quantity of the exposure light irradiated to the board | substrate 1 changes gently in the vicinity of the boundary extended in the X direction of the divisions B and C of the exposure area | region of the board | substrate 1. FIG.

  Similarly, when exposing the section D of the exposure region of the substrate 1, the main controller 70 controls the exposure amount adjusting device driving circuit 52 to drive each motor 50a, so that the exposure amount adjusting plate 42a is attached to the substrate. It is moved in the X direction in the vicinity of the boundary extending in the Y direction of sections C and D of one exposure area. Thereby, the light quantity of the exposure light irradiated to the board | substrate 1 changes gently in the vicinity of the boundary extended in the Y direction of the divisions C and D of the exposure area | region of the board | substrate 1. FIG. Further, when exposing the section D of the exposure area of the substrate 1, the main controller 70 controls the exposure adjustment device driving circuit 52 to drive each motor 51 b, so that the exposure adjustment plate 43 b is attached to the substrate 1. The exposure area is moved in the Y direction in the vicinity of the boundary extending in the X direction between the sections A and D of the exposure area. Thereby, the light quantity of the exposure light irradiated to the board | substrate 1 changes gently in the vicinity of the boundary extended in the X direction of the divisions A and D of the exposure area | region of the board | substrate 1. FIG.

  Exposure amount adjustment plates 42 a, 42 b, 43 a, 43 b are provided above the mask 2 held by the mask holder 20, and the exposure amount adjustment plates 42 a, 42 b, 43 a, 43 b are provided in the sections A, B, Since the amount of exposure light irradiated near the boundaries between the sections A, B, C, and D is adjusted by moving near the boundaries between C and D, the movement of the exposure amount adjustment plates 42a, 42b, 43a, and 43b is started. By adjusting the time and moving speed, the light is irradiated to the vicinity of the boundaries of the sections A, B, C, and D according to the difference in the amount of exposure light in the peripheral portions of the sections A, B, C, and D. The amount of exposure light can be adjusted with high accuracy for each boundary between the sections A, B, C, and D.

  FIG. 5E shows the amount of exposure light in the X direction irradiated to the substrate 1 when the present invention is not used. Similarly to FIGS. 5B and 5D, when the amount of exposure light in the left peripheral part of the sections A and B is larger than the amount of exposure light in the right peripheral part of the sections A and B, the sections A and B Are arranged in the X direction and exposed, the amount of exposure light changes abruptly at the boundary between the sections A and B as shown in FIG. Therefore, the height of the pattern to be formed changes abruptly at the boundary between the sections A and B, and a pattern step is generated.

  FIG. 5F shows the total light amount in the X direction of the exposure light irradiated onto the substrate 1 according to the present embodiment. At the exposure of each section A, B, C, D of the exposure area of the substrate 1, exposure light whose light amount is adjusted by the exposure amount adjusting plates 42a, 42b, 43a, 43b is used as the boundary between the sections A, B, C, D. Since irradiation is performed in the vicinity, the total amount of exposure light irradiated to the vicinity of the boundaries between the sections A, B, C, and D changes gently, and the pattern step at the boundary between the sections A, B, C, and D Is effectively prevented from occurring.

  According to the embodiment described above, the exposure adjustment plates 42a, 42b, 43a, 43b are provided above the mask 2 held by the mask holder 20, and the exposure adjustment plates 42a, 42b, 43a, 43b are attached to the substrate 1. The exposure area of the substrate 1 is adjusted by adjusting the amount of exposure light radiated to the vicinity of the boundaries of the sections A, B, C, and D. During the exposure of each of the sections A, B, C, and D, exposure light whose light amount is adjusted by the exposure amount adjustment plates 42a, 42b, 43a, and 43b is superimposed and irradiated near the boundaries of the sections A, B, C, and D. By doing so, it is possible to effectively prevent the occurrence of pattern steps at the boundaries of the sections A, B, C, and D without performing special processing on the mask.

  Furthermore, a plurality of first exposure amount adjustment plates 42a and 42b are provided over the width of the mask 2 in the Y direction above the mask 2 held by the mask holder 20, and the first exposure amount adjustment plates 42a and 42a are provided. 42b is moved independently in the X direction in the vicinity of the boundary extending in the Y direction of each section A, B, C, D of the exposure area of the substrate 1, and extends in the Y direction of each section A, B, C, D. A plurality of second exposure amount adjustment plates 43a and 43b are arranged over the width of the mask 2 in the X direction above the mask 2 held by the mask holder 20 by adjusting the amount of exposure light irradiated to the vicinity of the boundary. The second exposure amount adjusting plates 43a and 43b are independently moved in the Y direction in the vicinity of the boundaries extending in the X direction of the sections A, B, C, and D of the exposure region of the substrate 1, respectively. Amount of exposure light irradiated near the boundary extending in the X direction of A, B, C, D When the exposure is performed by dividing the exposure area of the substrate 1 into a plurality of sections A, B, C, and D continuous in the XY direction, the boundary extending in the X direction of each section A, B, C, and D and the Y It is possible to effectively prevent the occurrence of a pattern step at the boundary extending in the direction.

  By exposing the substrate using the proximity exposure apparatus of the present invention, or by adjusting the amount of exposure light using the exposure amount adjustment method of the proximity exposure apparatus of the present invention, When the exposure area of the substrate is divided into a plurality of continuous sections for exposure, it is possible to effectively prevent the occurrence of a pattern step at the boundary of each section, so that a high-quality display panel substrate is manufactured. be able to.

  For example, FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the manufacturing process of the TFT substrate of the liquid crystal display device. In the thin film formation step (step 101), a thin film such as a conductor film or an insulator film, which becomes a transparent electrode for driving liquid crystal, is formed on the substrate by sputtering, plasma chemical vapor deposition (CVD), or the like. In the resist coating process (step 102), a photosensitive resin material (photoresist) is applied by a roll coating method or the like to form a photoresist film on the thin film formed in the thin film forming process (step 101). In the exposure step (step 103), the mask pattern is transferred to the photoresist film using a proximity exposure apparatus, a projection exposure apparatus, or the like. In the development step (step 104), a developer is supplied onto the photoresist film by a shower development method or the like to remove unnecessary portions of the photoresist film. In the etching process (step 105), a portion of the thin film formed in the thin film formation process (step 101) that is not masked by the photoresist film is removed by wet etching. In the stripping step (step 106), the photoresist film that has finished the role of the mask in the etching step (step 105) is stripped with a stripping solution. Before or after each of these steps, a substrate cleaning / drying step is performed as necessary. These steps are repeated several times to form a TFT array on the substrate.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the manufacturing process of the color filter substrate of the liquid crystal display device. In the black matrix forming step (step 201), a black matrix is formed on the substrate by processing such as resist coating, exposure, development, etching, and peeling. In the colored pattern forming step (step 202), a colored pattern is formed on the substrate by a dyeing method, a pigment dispersion method, a printing method, an electrodeposition method, or the like. This process is repeated for the R, G, and B coloring patterns. In the protective film forming step (step 203), a protective film is formed on the colored pattern, and in the transparent electrode film forming step (step 204), a transparent electrode film is formed on the protective film. Before, during or after each of these steps, a substrate cleaning / drying step is performed as necessary.

  In the TFT substrate manufacturing process shown in FIG. 6, in the exposure process (step 103), in the color filter substrate manufacturing process shown in FIG. 7, in the black matrix forming process (step 201) and the colored pattern forming process (step 202). In this exposure process, the proximity exposure apparatus or the exposure amount adjustment method of the proximity exposure apparatus of the present invention can be applied.

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 20a opening 42a, 42b, 43a, 43b exposure amount adjusting plate 44a, 44b, 45a, 45b Ball screw nut 46a, 46b, 47a, 47b Ball screw 48, 49 Guide 52 Exposure amount adjusting device drive circuit 50a, 50b, 51a, 51b Motor 60 Stage drive circuit

Claims (8)

In a proximity exposure apparatus that includes a chuck for supporting a substrate and a mask holder for holding a mask, and exposes an exposure area of the substrate supported by the chuck in a plurality of continuous sections.
An exposure amount adjusting plate provided above the mask held by the mask holder, moving near the boundary of each section of the exposure area of the substrate, and adjusting the amount of exposure light irradiated to the vicinity of each section boundary; Prepared,
A proximity exposure apparatus that irradiates exposure light, the amount of which is adjusted by the exposure amount adjusting plate, in the vicinity of the boundary of each section during exposure of each section of the exposure area of the substrate.   A driving unit that moves the exposure amount adjusting plate; and the driving unit adjusts the movement start time and the moving speed of the exposure amount adjusting plate to adjust the amount of exposure light irradiated to the vicinity of each partition, The proximity exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein adjustment is performed for each partition boundary. Above the mask held by the mask holder, it is arranged over the width in the Y direction of the mask, and independently moves in the X direction near the boundary extending in the Y direction of each section of the exposure area of the substrate. A plurality of first exposure adjustment plates for adjusting the amount of exposure light irradiated to the vicinity of the boundary extending in the Y direction of the section;
Above the mask held by the mask holder, it is arranged over the width of the mask in the X direction, and moves independently in the Y direction in the vicinity of the boundary extending in the X direction of each section of the exposure area of the substrate. 3. The proximity exposure according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of second exposure amount adjustment plates that adjust the amount of exposure light irradiated to the vicinity of the boundary extending in the X direction of the section. apparatus. A method for adjusting an exposure amount of a proximity exposure apparatus, comprising: a chuck for supporting a substrate; and a mask holder for holding a mask; and exposing an exposure area of the substrate supported by the chuck in a plurality of continuous sections.
An exposure adjustment plate is provided above the mask held by the mask holder, and the exposure adjustment plate is moved near the boundary of each section of the exposure area of the substrate, so that the amount of exposure light irradiated near the boundary of each section Adjust
An exposure amount adjustment method for a proximity exposure apparatus, wherein exposure light whose light amount is adjusted by an exposure amount adjustment plate is irradiated and overlapped near the boundary of each division at the time of exposure of each division of an exposure region of a substrate.   5. The light amount of exposure light irradiated to the vicinity of each section boundary is adjusted for each boundary of each section by adjusting the movement start time and moving speed of the exposure amount adjusting plate. Exposure amount adjustment method for proximity exposure apparatus. A plurality of first exposure amount adjustment plates are provided over the width of the mask in the Y direction above the mask held by the mask holder, and each first exposure amount adjustment plate is attached to each section of the exposure region of the substrate. Move independently in the X direction near the boundary extending in the Y direction, and adjust the amount of exposure light irradiated to the vicinity of the boundary extending in the Y direction of each section,
A plurality of second exposure amount adjustment plates are provided over the width of the mask in the X direction above the mask held by the mask holder, and each second exposure amount adjustment plate is attached to each section of the exposure region of the substrate. 6. The amount of exposure light irradiated to the vicinity of the boundary extending in the X direction of each section is adjusted by independently moving in the Y direction in the vicinity of the boundary extending in the X direction. A method for adjusting an exposure amount of the proximity exposure apparatus described.   A method for manufacturing a display panel substrate, wherein the substrate is exposed using the proximity exposure apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3.   A display panel substrate, wherein the substrate is exposed while adjusting the amount of exposure light by using the exposure amount adjustment method of the proximity exposure apparatus according to claim 4. Manufacturing method.

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