JP2013098329A - Exposure equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To suppress cost for a mask used for exposure without necessitating a complicated and expensive exposure mechanism for exposing a large sized material to be exposed.SOLUTION: The exposure equipment includes a plurality of photo masks formed with a light blocking region for blocking irradiation light from a light source and a light transmission region for transmitting the irradiation light on a glass substrate and a mask retaining section for retaining the plurality of photo masks in between the light source and the transported material to be exposed. The mask retaining section retains by connecting the plurality of photo masks which are juxtaposed on a same plane so that respective end sections of adjacent photo masks are in contact with each other. In this case, the plurality of photo masks compose one piece of photo mask as a whole by being juxtaposed and connected, and are individually attachable to/detachable from the mask retaining section.

Description

  The present invention relates to an exposure apparatus, and more particularly to an exposure apparatus that exposes the surface of a material to be exposed using a mask having a predetermined mask pattern.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an exposure apparatus that exposes the surface of an exposed material through a mask having a predetermined mask pattern while conveying the exposed material is known. The exposure by such an exposure apparatus is used, for example, for manufacturing a color filter for a liquid crystal display device, an alignment process for a photo-alignment film, and the like. Regarding the manufacture of liquid crystal display devices, the size of exposed materials is increasing in order to improve productivity and reduce costs. For example, in a glass substrate used as a material to be exposed in the manufacture of a color filter or an alignment process of a photo-alignment film, a ninth generation having a size of about 2400 mm × 2800 mm and a tenth generation having a size of about 2900 mm × 3100 mm In addition, the 11th generation, the 12th generation, etc., which are further increased in size, are rapidly increasing in size.

  When the exposure target becomes large, in order to expose a predetermined pattern on a large material to be exposed, a mask capable of shielding or transmitting exposure light over a larger area than before is required. However, when the mask is enlarged in accordance with the increase in the size of the exposed material, the difficulty of manufacturing the mask increases, and the cost increases accordingly.

  As a method for avoiding an increase in the size of the mask, a method of exposing an exposed material using a plurality of masks is known (for example, Patent Document 1). In Patent Document 1, a first mask stage that holds the first mask and moves in the scanning direction, and a second mask that holds the second mask and is movable with respect to the first mask stage. An exposure apparatus having a stage is described. In this exposure apparatus, the first mask and the second mask are separated from each other and held on separate mask stages. As described above, the second mask stage is movable with respect to the first mask stage, and the relative arrangement of the first mask stage and the second mask stage is controlled by the control device.

JP 2009-258391 A

  However, in the exposure apparatus described in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to provide a separate mask stage for each of a plurality of masks, and a mechanism for separately moving these mask stages is also necessary. Therefore, the exposure method using the mask becomes complicated and the manufacturing cost of the exposure apparatus increases.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to suppress the cost of a mask used for exposure without requiring a complicated and expensive exposure mechanism for exposing a large exposure material.

  The present invention relates to an exposure apparatus. In order to achieve the above object, an exposure apparatus according to the present invention includes a light source that irradiates the surface of a material to be exposed, a transport unit that transports the material to be exposed, a light-blocking region that blocks light emitted from the light source, and the irradiation light. A plurality of photomasks formed on a glass substrate, and a mask holding unit that holds the plurality of photomasks between the light source and the conveyed material to be exposed. The mask holding unit is configured to hold a plurality of photomasks juxtaposed on the same plane so that the end portions of adjacent photomasks are in contact with each other. By being connected, one photomask is configured as a whole and can be individually attached to and detached from the mask holding portion.

“Material to be exposed” refers to an object to be exposed. The “material to be exposed” includes a substrate having a surface to be exposed and a base material, and examples of the “material to be exposed” include a glass substrate and a photosensitive film on which a photoresist film is laminated.
“Parallel” refers to placing them side by side. A plurality of photomasks may be juxtaposed in a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction of the exposed material, or may be juxtaposed in a direction parallel to the conveying direction of the exposed material.

  As an example, the mask holding unit vertically holds a plurality of juxtaposed and connected photomasks, and the transport unit holds the exposed material so that the surface of the exposed material faces the plurality of photomasks. It is conveyed in the vertical direction. In this case, the mask holding unit includes, as an example, an upper end holding unit that holds the upper ends of a plurality of photomasks that are juxtaposed and connected, and a lower end holding unit that holds the lower ends of the plurality of photomasks. Has a lower end placing portion on which lower ends of the plurality of photomasks are placed.

  “Vertical” means a direction perpendicular to the horizontal plane. In the description of the claims and the description of the specification, “vertical” includes “substantially vertical”.

  The mask holding unit may include an adsorption unit for adsorbing and holding a plurality of photomasks, and the adsorption unit is configured to remove only a part of the plurality of photomasks when the plurality of photomasks are attached or detached. It may be controllable so as to be sucked and held.

  As an example, the light-shielding region and the light-transmitting region formed in a plurality of photomasks form a mask pattern, and the mask pattern of at least one photomask is different from the mask patterns of other photomasks. .

  In the exposure apparatus according to the present invention, the mask holding unit is configured to hold a plurality of photomasks juxtaposed on the same plane so that the end portions of adjacent photomasks are in contact with each other. The plurality of photomasks are juxtaposed and connected to form one photomask as a whole, and can be individually attached to and detached from the mask holding portion. Therefore, in the exposure apparatus according to the present invention, a large photomask can be formed by connecting a plurality of small photomasks. If the number of small photomasks to be connected is increased, a larger photomask can be formed. A mask can be formed. Therefore, according to the exposure apparatus of the present invention, it is necessary for the photomask by using a plurality of small photomasks that can be manufactured at low cost in parallel rather than forming a large photomask with a single substrate. Cost can be reduced.

  The connection of the plurality of small photomasks is realized by the mask holding unit connecting and holding the plurality of photomasks. Therefore, it is sufficient to prepare a plurality of small photomasks to be held by the mask holding portion, and a complicated connecting step is not necessary. Further, the mask holding unit does not hold the plurality of photomasks separately and move the plurality of photomasks separately. Therefore, the exposure apparatus according to the present invention does not require a complicated and expensive exposure mechanism.

  As described above, according to the exposure apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the cost of a mask used for exposure without requiring a complicated and expensive exposure mechanism for exposing a large exposure material. Can do.

  In the exposure apparatus according to the present invention, a mask holding unit that holds a plurality of juxtaposed and connected photomasks vertically, and a material to be exposed in a vertical direction so that a surface of the material to be exposed faces the plurality of photomasks. In the case of including a transport unit for transporting, it is possible to save space in the horizontal direction of the exposure apparatus.

  A mask holding unit that holds a plurality of juxtaposed and connected photomasks vertically includes an upper end holding unit that holds upper ends of the plurality of photomasks and a lower end holding unit that holds the lower ends of the plurality of photomasks. When the lower end holding part is configured to have a lower end placing part on which the lower ends of the plurality of photomasks are placed, a plurality of juxtaposed and connected by the upper end holding part and the lower end holding part. The upper end and the lower end of the photomask can be held, respectively. Moreover, the photomask formed with the glass substrate has thickness of about 5-10 mm as an example. Even if the holding force for the photomask of the upper end holding part and the lower end holding part is lowered for some reason, the photomask is held vertically, so the weight of the glass is applied to the lower end of the photomask, The photomask can stand vertically on the lower end placement portion of the lower end holding portion. Therefore, the photomask can be held or replaced more safely.

  The mask holding unit is configured to include an adsorption unit for adsorbing and holding a plurality of photomasks, and the adsorption unit only removes a part of the photomasks from the plurality of photomasks when the plural photomasks are attached or detached. When controllable so as to be sucked and held, other photomasks can be attached and detached while a part of the photomask is sucked and held by the mask holding portion. For some photomasks, if you want to replace only other photomasks without replacing them, the position of the part of the photomask that has been held by suction will not be displaced, so you can replace other photomasks. Can be done smoothly.

  In a plurality of photomasks, when the mask pattern of at least one photomask is different from the mask patterns of other photomasks, the plurality of patterns can be exposed on the material to be exposed. Further, in a plurality of juxtaposed and connected photomasks, a photomask having various patterns can be formed as a whole by replacing a photomask having a certain pattern with a photomask having another pattern.

1 is a side view of an exposure apparatus according to a first embodiment. (A) It is a top view of the photomask and substrate surface which are shown in FIG. (B) It is an enlarged view of the mask pattern shown to (a) figure. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the mask head and adsorption | suction mechanism which are shown in FIG. It is a side view of the exposure apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is the side view which looked at the photomask and mask head shown in FIG. 4 from the light source part side.

[First Embodiment]
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 shows a side view of an exposure apparatus according to the first embodiment. The exposure apparatus 1 exposes a material to be exposed through a photomask having a predetermined mask pattern while conveying a large material to be exposed. The exposure apparatus 1 includes a light source unit 3 that irradiates a large glass substrate 2 that is a material to be exposed that is horizontally disposed from above, and a transport unit 6 that transports the glass substrate 2 to a desired position.

  The light source unit 3 includes a light source made of, for example, an ultra-high pressure mercury lamp or a xenon flash lamp, and the exposure wavelength region is 280 nm to 400 nm as an example. The light source unit 3 includes a photo integrator and a condenser lens (not shown). The photo integrator makes the luminance distribution in the cross section of the exposure light emitted from the light source unit 3 uniform. The photo integrator may be a fly-eye lens, a rod lens, a light pipe, or the like. The exposure light having a uniform luminance distribution enters the condenser lens and becomes parallel light having a uniform luminance distribution. The optical axis of the parallel light is set in a direction perpendicular to the substrate surface 2a.

  The conveyance unit 6 is configured to air-carry and convey the material to be exposed so as not to damage the back surface of the material to be exposed. The transport unit 6 is provided with a plurality of unit stages having a large number of ejection ports for ejecting gas and a number of suction ports for sucking the gas. The glass substrate 2 is placed on the unit stage so that the back surface of the glass substrate 2 faces the jet port and the suction port. The transport unit 6 transports the glass substrate 2 using a transport roller or the like in a state where the glass substrate 2 is floated from the unit unit by a predetermined amount due to the balance between gas ejection and suction. The glass substrate in the X-axis direction x parallel to the transport direction A and the Y-axis direction (Y-axis direction y in FIG. 2) perpendicular to the X-axis and perpendicular to the X-axis in FIG. 2 can be moved.

  Further, the exposure apparatus 1 includes a photomask 7 and a mask head (mask holding unit) 8 that holds the photomask 7. The photomask 7 has a predetermined mask pattern composed of a light-blocking region that blocks exposure light from the light source unit 3 and a light-transmitting region that transmits exposure light from the light source unit 3. The surface 2a of the glass substrate 2 is covered with a photoresist layer. By irradiating the surface 2a of the glass substrate 2 with the exposure light transmitted through the photomask 7, the surface 2a of the glass substrate 2 is exposed to a predetermined pattern.

  The mask head 8 is disposed between the glass substrate 2 and the light source unit 3 so as to have a predetermined distance from the substrate surface 2a. The photomask 7 is held by the mask head 8 so as to be positioned in a horizontal plane perpendicular to the optical axis of the parallel light emitted from the light source unit 3. The mask head 8 is driven by a mask head drive unit (not shown) having a servo motor, a linear motor, etc., in the X axis direction x parallel to the transport direction A and in the direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. It is movable in the Y-axis direction y (see FIG. 2) that intersects vertically.

  The exposure apparatus 1 also includes a control unit 10 that controls each component of the apparatus. The control unit 10 includes a light source control unit 11 that controls turning on and off of the light source in the light source unit 3, and an X-axis direction x parallel to the transport direction A and a Y-axis direction y perpendicular to the X-axis direction x. A mask head control unit 12 that controls the movement of the mask head 8, an air suction control unit 13 that controls air suction for adsorbing the photomask 7 to the mask head 8, and an X-axis direction x parallel to the transport direction A A transport control unit 14 that controls the movement of the glass substrate 2 in the Y-axis direction y that intersects perpendicularly to the X-axis direction x is provided.

  A plan view of the photomask 7 and a plan view of the substrate surface 2a are shown side by side in FIG. The photomask 7 is divided into a photomask 7 a having a mask pattern 15 and a photomask 7 b having a mask pattern 16. The photomask 7a and the photomask 7b are formed of a glass substrate made of quartz glass or the like, and the thicknesses of the photomask 7a and the photomask 7b are the same.

  The photomask 7a and the photomask 7b are juxtaposed along the Y-axis direction y that intersects perpendicularly to the transport direction A. The photomask 7a and the photomask 7b are plate-like members each having a rectangular main surface on which the mask pattern 15 and the mask pattern 16 are formed. The rectangular main surfaces of the photomask 7a and the photomask 7b each have a short side extending in the X-axis direction x and a long side extending in the Y-axis direction y. The lengths of the short sides extending in the X-axis direction x of the photomask 7a and the photomask 7b are the same.

  Adjacent end portions of the photomask 7a and the photomask 7b arranged side by side are in contact with each other to form a connecting portion 17. Since the lengths of adjacent end portions, that is, the short sides of the photomask 7a and the photomask 7b are the same, the main surfaces of the photomask 7a and the photomask 7b connected by the connecting portion 17 are connected. Constitute one rectangle. The width of the photomask 7 formed by juxtaposing and connecting the photomask 7 a and the photomask 7 b is formed to be the same as the width w of the glass substrate 2. Here, the width of the photomask 7 is the length of the long side of the photomask 7 extending in the Y-axis direction y, and the length of the long side of the photomask 7b is added to the length of the long side of the photomask 7a. Length.

  An enlarged view of the mask pattern 15 of the photomask 7a and the mask pattern 16 of the photomask 7b is shown in FIG. The mask pattern 15 includes a light shielding region 15a that blocks exposure light and a light transmitting region 15b that transmits exposure light. The light shielding region 15a is formed by laminating a light shielding film on one surface of the glass substrate. The light shielding film is an opaque thin film that shields exposure light, and as an example, is a thin film of chromium (Cr). The portion where the opaque thin film is not laminated becomes the light transmitting region 15b because the glass substrate transmits the exposure light. The mask pattern 15 is a mask pattern in which light shielding regions 15a and light transmitting regions 15b extending in a straight line are alternately arranged along the Y-axis direction y.

  Similarly to the mask pattern 15, the mask pattern 16 also includes a light shielding region 16 a that blocks exposure light and a light transmission region 16 b that transmits exposure light, and the light shielding region 16 a and the light transmission linearly extending in the X-axis direction x. This is a mask pattern in which the regions 16b are alternately arranged along the Y-axis direction y. The width of the light shielding region 16a in the mask pattern 16 is narrower than that of the light shielding region 15a in the mask pattern 15, and the width of the light transmitting region 16b is wider than the width of the light transmitting region 15b.

  Although not explicitly shown in FIG. 2 (a) for the sake of brevity, all the end portions of the main surfaces of the photomasks 7a and 7b where the mask pattern 15 and the mask pattern 16 are not formed are covered with a light shielding film. ing. Therefore, the exposure light irradiated to the substrate surface 2a through the photomask 7 is only the exposure light irradiated through the light transmitting regions 15b and 16b.

  When the glass substrate 2 is transported in the transport direction A and exposed through the photomask 7, the substrate surface 2a is exposed by the pattern 18 exposed by the mask pattern 15 of the photomask 7a and the mask pattern 16 of the photomask 7b. The patterned pattern 19 is formed.

  The photomasks 7a and 7b can be individually attached to and detached from the mask head 8. FIG. 3 shows a plan view of the mask head 8 as seen from the glass substrate 2 side in FIG. The mask head 8 has end holding portions 20 and 21 that hold the end portions of the photomask 7a and the photomask 7b. The end holding unit 20 holds both ends of the photomask 7a and the photomask 7b extending along the Y-axis direction y perpendicular to the transport direction A, and the end holding unit 21 is in the Y-axis direction. Both the other end portions of the photomask 7a and the photomask 7b extending along y are held.

  The end holding parts 20 and 21 include projecting parts 20a and 21a (see FIG. 1) that project toward the light source part 3, and mask suction parts 20b and 21b that suck the end parts of the photomask 7a and the photomask 7b. Yes. The mask suction portions 20b and 21b have a plurality of suction ports 23a and 23b, respectively. The suction port 23a is a plurality of suction ports formed at a position in contact with the end portion of the photomask 7a, and the suction port 23b is a plurality of suction ports formed at a position in contact with the end portion of the photomask 7b. In the first embodiment, the suction ports 23 a and 23 b are formed on the lower surface side of the mask head 8 in the mask suction portions 20 b and 21 b, that is, on the surface facing the glass substrate 2.

  In FIG. 3, in order to clarify the positional relationship between the photomask 7a and the photomask 7b with respect to the mask head 8, the photomask 7a and the photomask 7b are virtually illustrated by two-dot chain lines. Actually, when the photomask 7a and the photomask 7b are attracted to the mask head 8, the plurality of suction ports 23a and 23b are hidden by the end portions of the photomask 7a and the photomask 7b in the positional relationship of FIG. Become.

  The plurality of suction ports 23a are connected to the first suction mechanism, and the plurality of suction ports 23b are connected to the second suction mechanism. The first suction mechanism has an air regulator 25 and a suction pump 26. The second suction mechanism has an air regulator 27 and a suction pump 28. When the suction pump 26 is driven by the air suction control unit 13, the suction pump 26 sucks air from the plurality of suction ports 23 a through the air regulator 25. Similarly, when the suction pump 28 is driven by the air suction control unit 13, the suction pump 28 sucks air from the plurality of suction ports 23 b via the air regulator 27.

  The mask head 8 suctions and holds the end portions of the photomask 7a and the photomask 7b juxtaposed so as to cover the plurality of suction ports 23a and 23b by sucking air from the plurality of suction ports 23a and 23b. . The air suction control unit 13 is operable to drive both the suction pumps 26 and 28, and is operable to drive only one of the suction pumps 26 and 28.

  Next, the operation of the exposure apparatus 1 will be described. A plurality of photomasks 7a and 7b are juxtaposed on the mask head 8 before the exposure process. At this time, the adjacent end portions of the photomasks 7 a and 7 b are in contact with each other to form the connecting portion 17. The juxtaposed and connected photomasks 7a and 7b function as a single photomask 7 as a whole. The air suction control unit 13 drives the suction pumps 26 and 28 to suck air from the plurality of suction ports 23a and 23b, and holds the photomasks 7a and 7b by suction.

  When the photomasks 7 a and 7 b are held by the mask head 8, the glass substrate 2 that is the material to be exposed is pneumatically conveyed by the conveyance unit 6. The position of the glass substrate 2 in the X-axis direction x and the Y-axis direction y is controlled by the transport control unit 14. The position of the mask head 8 holding the photomask 7 in the X-axis direction x and the Y-axis direction y is controlled by the mask head controller 12.

  When the alignment between the glass substrate 2 and the photomask 7 is completed, the glass substrate 2 is scanned and exposed while being transported in the transport direction A. The light source unit 3 is operated by the light source control unit 11, and exposure light is irradiated to the substrate surface 2 a coated with the photoresist film through the photomask 7 for a predetermined time. Patterns 18 and 19 corresponding to the mask patterns 15 and 16 of the photomasks 7a and 7b are formed on the glass surface 2a subjected to the scan exposure. The glass substrate 2a subjected to the exposure process is used for manufacturing a color filter for a liquid crystal display device, for example.

  In the exposure apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, a large photomask 7 can be formed by connecting a plurality of small photomasks 7a and 7b, and the number of small photomasks to be connected can be increased. Thus, a larger photomask can be formed. Therefore, according to the exposure apparatus 1, the cost required for the photomask can be reduced by using a plurality of small photomasks that can be manufactured at a low cost in parallel rather than forming a large photomask with a single substrate. be able to.

  The small plurality of photomasks 7a and 7b are connected by the mask head 8 connecting and holding the plurality of photomasks 7a and 7b. Therefore, it is only necessary to prepare a plurality of small photomasks 7a and 7b to be held by the mask head 8, and a complicated connecting step is not required for connecting the photomasks 7a and 7b. Further, the mask head 8 does not hold the plurality of photomasks 7a and 7b separately and move the plurality of photomasks 7a and 7b separately. Therefore, the exposure apparatus 1 does not require a complicated and expensive exposure mechanism.

  As described above, according to the exposure apparatus 1, it is possible to suppress the cost of a photomask used for exposure without exposing a complicated and expensive exposure mechanism in order to expose a large exposure material.

  After the exposure processing is completed, when exposing another material to be exposed with another exposure pattern, both or one of the photomasks 7a and 7b can be exchanged. When only the photomask 7a is replaced with another photomask, the air suction control unit 13 maintains the drive of the suction pump 28 and drives the suction pump 26 while the photomask 7b is sucked and held on the mask head 8. Is stopped, and the suction of the photomask 7a is released. Thereby, it is possible to replace only the photomask 7a while the photomask 7b is sucked and held on the mask head 8. Accordingly, since the position of the photomask 7b held by suction does not shift, the replacement work of the photomask 7a can be performed smoothly. In addition, by exchanging the plurality of photomasks 7a and 7b constituting the photomask 7 in this way, the photomask 7 having various patterns can be easily formed.

[Second Embodiment]
FIG. 4 shows a side view of an exposure apparatus according to the second embodiment. Similar to the exposure apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, the exposure apparatus 30 exposes a material to be exposed through a photomask having a predetermined mask pattern while conveying a large material to be exposed. The difference from the exposure apparatus 1 is that the exposure apparatus 30 performs exposure while conveying a sheet-like base material 32 such as a photosensitive resin film in the vertical direction.

  The conveyance rollers 36a, 36b, and 36c constitute a conveyance unit and convey the sheet-like base material 32. The end of the sheet-like base material 32 is omitted from the illustration. The sheet-like base material 32 drawn out from a storage roll (not shown) is sent to the transport roller 36a and is transported along the transport direction B parallel to the vertical direction v by the transport rollers 36a and 36b. The sheet-like substrate 32 is exposed while being conveyed along the conveyance direction B. The exposed sheet-like base material 32 is taken up by a take-up roll (not shown) via conveying rollers 36b and 36c.

  The conveyance control unit 14 controls the conveyance of the exposed material as in the first embodiment. The conveyance control unit 14 controls the positions and rotations of the conveyance rollers 36a, 36b, and 36c, and the position of the sheet-like substrate 32 in the vertical direction v and the direction perpendicular to the paper surface in FIG. On the other hand, the position of the sheet-like base material 32 in the Y-axis direction (Y-axis direction y in FIG. 5) that intersects perpendicularly is adjusted.

  The light source unit 3 and the photomask 7 have the same configuration as that of the first embodiment, and the mask head 38 is different except that the positions where the plurality of suction ports 23a and 23b are formed are different as will be described later. The configuration is the same as that of the mask head 8 in the first embodiment. However, in the second embodiment, the arrangement of the light source unit 3, the photomask 7 and the mask head 38 is different from that in the first embodiment. In the second embodiment, the mask head 38 is installed so as to hold the photomask 7 vertically so that the surface 32 a of the sheet-like substrate 32 conveyed in the conveyance direction B and the photomask 7 face each other. Yes. The light source unit 3 is installed so that the optical axis of the irradiation light is perpendicular to the surface of the photomask 7 held vertically.

  As in the first embodiment, the light source control unit 11 controls the light source unit 3, the mask head control unit 12 controls the movement of the mask head 38, and the air suction control unit 13 uses the suction port 23 a of the mask head 38. , 23b to control the suction and holding of the photomasks 7a, 7b. In the second embodiment, since the mask head 38 is installed so as to hold the photomask 7 vertically, the mask head control unit 12 operates in the vertical direction v and the Y-axis direction y (see FIG. 5). The position of the mask head 38 is controlled.

  A side view of the photomask 7 and the mask head 38 viewed from the light source unit 3 side is shown in FIG. Unlike the first embodiment, the photomasks 7a and 7b are attached to the mask head 38 from the light source unit 3 side. The end holding unit 20 holds the upper ends of the photomasks 7a and 7b extending along the Y-axis direction y, and the end holding unit 21 holds the lower ends of the photomasks 7a and 7b extending along the Y-axis direction y. doing. In the second embodiment, the protruding portion 21a of the end holding portion 21 constitutes a lower end placing portion, and the lower ends of the photomasks 7a and 7b are placed on the protruding portion 21a extending along the Y-axis direction y. It is.

  FIG. 5B shows a side view of the mask head 38 viewed from the light source unit 3 side. In FIG. 5B, in order to clarify the positional relationship between the photomask 7a and the photomask 7b with respect to the mask head 38, the photomask 7a and the photomask 7b are virtually illustrated by two-dot chain lines. Actually, when the photomask 7a and the photomask 7b are adsorbed to the mask head 38, the mask adsorbing portions 20b and 21b and the plurality of suction ports 23a and 23b in the positional relationship of FIG. It is hidden behind the end of the photomask 7b. In the second embodiment, the suction ports 23a and 23b are formed on the surfaces of the mask suction portions 20b and 21b facing the light source portion 3.

  According to the exposure apparatus 30 according to the second embodiment, by arranging the photomask 7 vertically in the vertical direction, in addition to the advantages described in the first embodiment, space saving in the horizontal direction can be achieved. Can do. Moreover, the photomasks 7a and 7b formed by the glass substrate have a thickness of about 5 to 10 mm as an example. Even if the holding force with respect to the photomasks 7a and 7b of the end holding part 20 and the end holding part 21 is reduced for some reason, the photomasks 7a and 7b are held vertically, so that the glass Is applied to the lower ends of the photomasks 7 a and 7 b, and the photomasks 7 a and 7 b can stand upright on the protruding portion 21 a of the end holding portion 21. Therefore, the photomasks 7a and 7b can be held or replaced more safely.

[Other Embodiments]
Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications and changes can be made based on the technical idea of the present invention. As an example, attachment of a plurality of photomasks to the mask head is not limited to adsorption. You may comprise so that a mask head may hold | maintain a photomask by pinching | interposing the edge part of a some photomask. In the first and second embodiments, the suction of the photomask 7 is by air suction, but is not limited to this. For example, instead of the plurality of suction ports 23a and 23b of the mask heads 8 and 38, a plurality of electromagnets are installed in the end holding portions 20 and 21 of the mask heads 8 and 38, and the correspondence at the end portions of the photomasks 7a and 7b. You may affix a some metal piece to a location. In this case, the photomasks 7a and 7b can be attracted and held on the mask heads 8 and 38 by the magnetic force. Further, by driving only some of the electromagnets, the attractive force can be individually controlled.

  In the first and second embodiments, the photomask 7 is composed of two photomasks 7a and 7b, but the present invention is not limited to this. Further, one photomask 7 may be configured by juxtaposing and connecting a larger number of photomasks. In this case, the mask heads 8 and 38 hold the photomask 7 configured as one photomask by linking and holding all of the plurality of photomasks constituting the photomask 7.

  In the first and second embodiments, the plurality of suction ports are divided into groups of suction ports 23a and 23b corresponding to the photomasks 7a and 7b, but the present invention is not limited to this. Depending on the number of photomasks arranged side by side, the plurality of suction ports may be divided into finer groups. In this case, a regulator and a suction pump corresponding to each group of the plurality of suction ports may be provided to control the suction force from the suction ports of each group separately, or each suction mechanism may be configured by another suction mechanism. You may control the adsorption | suction power of a group separately. Further, the plurality of suction ports may be configured such that the suction force from each suction port can be individually controlled.

  In the first and second embodiments, the plurality of photomasks 7a and 7b are juxtaposed in the direction perpendicular to the conveying directions A and B of the exposed materials 2 and 32, but the present invention is not limited to this. A plurality of photomasks 7 a and 7 b may be juxtaposed in a direction parallel to the conveying directions A and B of the exposed materials 2 and 32. In this case, the mask heads 8 and 38 are configured such that the end holding portions 20 and 21 of the mask heads 8 and 38 hold the end portions of the photomask 7 extending parallel to the transport directions A and B.

  In the first embodiment, a photomask dropping prevention mechanism may be provided in case the suction force of the mask head 8 on the photomask 7 is reduced. For example, the photomask dropping prevention mechanism is a plate-like member disposed on the lower side of the photomask 7 so as to face the end holding portions 20 and 21 of the mask head 8 with the photomask 7 interposed therebetween. This photomask drop prevention mechanism can be configured to operate only during the suction of the photomask 7, and when the photomask 7 is not sucked by the mask head 8, the plate-like member is a drop prevention mechanism storage portion. You may comprise so that it may be accommodated in.

  In the second embodiment, the mask head 8 in the first embodiment may be used in place of the mask head 38 in the second embodiment. That is, the mask head 8 in the first embodiment may be installed in the vertical direction, and the photomasks 7a and 7b may be adsorbed to the mask head 8 from the sheet-like substrate 32 side.

  The exposure apparatuses 1 and 30 in the first and second embodiments can be applied to various exposure methods. Depending on the exposure method, the position of the mask heads 8 and 38 during exposure with respect to the exposed materials 2 and 32 may be fixed, or the exposed material in the transport direction of the exposed exposed materials 2 and 32. It may be configured to move a predetermined distance in synchronization with the conveyance of 2,32. The exposure apparatuses 1 and 30 in the first and second embodiments can also be applied to photo-alignment processing and 3D film exposure.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,30 Exposure apparatus 2 Glass substrate 2a Glass substrate surface 3 Light source part 6 Conveyance part 7, 7a, 7b Photomask 8, 38 Mask head (mask holding part)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 15,16 Mask pattern 15a, 16a Light-shielding area | region 15b, 16b Translucent area | region 17 Connection part 20,21 End part holding part 23a, 23b Suction port 36a, 36b, 36c Conveyance roller

Claims (5)

A light source that illuminates the surface of the exposed material;
A transport unit for transporting the exposed material;
A plurality of photomasks formed on a glass substrate with a light-shielding region that blocks irradiation light from the light source and a light-transmitting region that transmits the irradiation light;
A mask holding unit for holding the plurality of photomasks between the light source and the conveyed material to be exposed;
The mask holding portion is configured to connect and hold the plurality of photomasks juxtaposed on the same plane so that respective end portions of adjacent photomasks are in contact with each other.
An exposure apparatus characterized in that the plurality of photomasks constitute a single photomask as a whole by being juxtaposed and connected, and can be individually attached to and detached from the mask holder. The mask holding unit holds the plurality of photomasks juxtaposed and connected vertically,
The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the transport unit transports the material to be exposed in a vertical direction so that a surface of the material to be exposed faces the plurality of photomasks.   The mask holding portion includes an upper end holding portion that holds upper ends of the plurality of photomasks that are juxtaposed and connected, and a lower end holding portion that holds the lower ends of the plurality of photomasks. 3. An exposure apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising a lower-end placement portion on which a lower end of the photomask is placed. The mask holding unit includes a suction unit for sucking and holding the plurality of photomasks,
2. The suction unit is controllable so as to suck and hold only a part of the plurality of photomasks when the plurality of photomasks are attached and detached. The exposure apparatus according to any one of?   The light-shielding region and the light-transmitting region formed on the plurality of photomasks form a mask pattern, and the mask pattern of at least one photomask is different from the mask patterns of other photomasks. The exposure apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein:

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