JP2013125079A - Exposure device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an exposure device achieving space saving in a horizontal direction at low costs, capable of using even an exposure mask having no flexibility, and capable of reducing a risk in which the exposure mask contacts an exposure object.SOLUTION: The exposure device comprises: a roller that conveys the exposure object and supports an exposure portion of the exposure object; and a downstream side receiving part that receives the exposure object conveyed from the roller. The downstream side receiving part is arranged so that the exposure object conveyed from the roller to the downstream side receiving part is extended in a direction separated from the exposure mask toward a roller side when viewed from a shaft direction of the roller, and at least a portion of a mask holding part is arranged in a space formed between the exposure mask and the exposure object, extending from the roller to the downstream side receiving part, to hold the exposure mask from an exposure object side.

Description

  The present invention relates to an exposure apparatus, and more particularly to an exposure apparatus that continuously exposes a long exposure material by moving it in the longitudinal direction.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, an exposure apparatus that exposes the surface of a material to be exposed through a mask having a predetermined mask pattern while moving the long material to be exposed in the longitudinal direction is known. Such an exposure apparatus is used, for example, for the manufacture of a color filter for a liquid crystal display device, the alignment treatment of a photoalignment film, and the like. For example, a roller or the like is used for moving the elongated object to be exposed (for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

  Patent Document 1 describes a method in which a strip-shaped workpiece, which is a material to be exposed, is drawn out from a rolled state, exposed, and wound around a roll again. In the exposure apparatus described in Patent Document 1, a guide roller and a drive roller are provided between a take-up reel on which an unexposed strip-shaped workpiece is wound and a take-up reel that winds the exposed strip-shaped workpiece. Etc. are provided, and the belt-like workpiece pulled out from the unwinding reel is conveyed in a predetermined direction. The conveyed belt-like workpiece is exposed in a state of being attracted to a workpiece stage extending in a plate shape in the horizontal direction. The mask for forming the exposure pattern is held by suction on the lower side of the mask stage so as to face the surface of the strip-shaped work sucked on the work stage.

  Patent Document 2 describes an exposure apparatus for performing continuous contact exposure printing processing on a long printed material. The exposure apparatus includes an exposure roll that is at least partially transparent, a supply roll provided on the front side of the exposure roll, and a drawing roll provided on the rear side of the exposure roll. The substrate to be printed is sent out from the supply roll to the exposure roll, exposed in a state of being wound around the exposure roll, and then sent out to the drawing roll.

  The exposure roll has a hollow base roll, a mask attached to the outer periphery of the base roll, and a light source provided inside the base roll. The light irradiated from the light source in the base roll passes through the base roll, passes through the mask on the outer periphery, and is irradiated to the outside. The mask of the exposure roll is sequentially rotated and is continuously in contact with the printing medium, thereby continuously exposing the long printing medium with a predetermined pattern.

JP 2000-347425 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-288080

  However, in the exposure apparatus described in Patent Document 1, it is necessary to install a work stage, which increases the size of the entire apparatus. Since the work stage formed in a plate shape is disposed in the horizontal direction between the take-up reel and the take-up reel, a separate space must be secured in the exposure apparatus, particularly in the horizontal direction. In addition, since the mask described in Patent Document 1 is sucked and held on the lower side of the mask stage, when the suction force of the mask stage is reduced, the mask falls on the exposure surface of the exposed material and is covered. The exposure material may be damaged.

  The exposure apparatus described in Patent Document 2 performs exposure using an exposure roll without using a work stage as described in Patent Document 1. However, since it is necessary to install a light source inside the roll, the exposure roll becomes complicated and expensive. Moreover, since the mask for exposure is wound around the outer periphery of the exposure roll, it must be flexible. Therefore, a non-flexible exposure mask such as a glass photomask having a thickness of about 5 mm that is generally available cannot be used.

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to realize horizontal space saving easily and at low cost, and even an inflexible exposure mask can be used, and the exposure mask contacts the material to be exposed. An exposure apparatus capable of reducing the risk is provided.

  The present invention relates to an exposure apparatus. In order to achieve the above object, an exposure apparatus according to the present invention transports a material to be exposed and exposes the material to be exposed in an exposure apparatus that continuously conveys a long material to be exposed in the longitudinal direction. A roller for supporting the exposed portion of the sheet, a downstream receiving portion for receiving the exposed material sent from the roller, a light source for irradiating the exposed material conveyed by the roller from the outside of the roller, and a light source An exposure mask having a light-blocking region that blocks exposure light from the light source and a light-transmitting region that transmits exposure light; and a mask holding unit that holds the exposure mask between the light source and the material to be exposed. The downstream receiving portion is arranged so that the material to be exposed fed from the roller to the downstream receiving portion extends in the direction away from the exposure mask toward the roller as viewed from the axial direction of the roller, and extends from the roller to the downstream receiving portion. Exposure And the space formed between the exposure mask, and placing at least a portion of the mask holder, an exposure mask is configured to hold the object to be exposed material side.

  “Material to be exposed” refers to an object to be exposed. “Material to be exposed” includes a substrate and a substrate having a surface to be exposed, and as an example of “material to be exposed”, a flexible sheet-like substrate laminated with a photoresist film and an alignment material film are applied. And the like.

  The “roller” is a member that is used by being rotated, and an example of the “roller” is a back roll that conveys the exposed material and supports the exposed portion of the exposed material. The “roller” includes a free roller that rotates without using power.

  The “downstream receiving portion” is a member that receives the exposed material sent from the roller. As an example of the “downstream receiving portion”, the exposed material sent from the roller is received and guided in a predetermined direction. And a take-up reel that winds up the exposed material sent from the roller.

  For example, the mask holding unit includes an upstream end holding unit and a downstream end holding unit that hold the end of the exposure mask, and the upstream end holding unit extends in the axial direction of the roller and is exposed to material. The end of the exposure mask positioned upstream with respect to the transport direction of the film is held, and the downstream end holding section extends in the axial direction of the roller and is positioned downstream with respect to the transport direction of the exposed material. Holding the end of the exposure mask, at least a part of the downstream end holding portion is located in the space formed between the exposure material extending from the roller to the downstream receiving portion and the exposure mask, An exposure mask is held from the exposed material side.

  As an example, the exposure mask is configured by juxtaposing a plurality of masks having different thicknesses, and the upstream end holding portion and the downstream end holding portion of the mask holding portion are for exposure facing the material to be exposed. A plurality of masks arranged side by side are held so that the surfaces of the masks are flush with each other.

  “Parallel” refers to placing them side by side. “Same surface” means that there are no steps between a plurality of surfaces and they are in the same plane.

  In addition, an upstream delivery unit that sends the exposed material toward the roller, another light source that irradiates the exposed material conveyed by the roller with exposure light from the outside of the roller, and exposure light from the other light source Another exposure mask having a light shielding area to be blocked and a light transmissive area to transmit exposure light, and another mask holding portion for holding another exposure mask between the other light source and the material to be exposed. In addition, the upstream delivery section is arranged so that the material to be exposed fed to the roller from the upstream delivery section extends toward the roller from the direction away from the other exposure mask toward the roller when viewed from the axial direction of the roller. Arrange and place at least a part of the other mask holding part in the space formed between the exposed material extending from the upstream delivery part to the roller and the other exposure mask, and attach the other exposure mask. Hold from the exposed material side Configuration may be.

  The “upstream delivery section” is a member that feeds the exposed material toward the roller. As an example of the “upstream delivery section”, a guide that guides the exposure material sent from a predetermined direction toward the roller. Examples thereof include a roller and an unwinding reel from which a material to be exposed is drawn toward the roller.

  For example, the other mask holding unit includes another upstream end holding unit and another downstream end holding unit that holds the end of another exposure mask, and the other upstream end holding unit includes: The other end of the exposure mask extends in the axial direction of the roller and is located upstream of the conveying direction of the exposed material, and the other downstream end holding portion extends in the axial direction of the roller. Holds the edge of another exposure mask positioned downstream with respect to the conveyance direction of the exposed material, and at least a part of the other upstream edge holding portion extends from the upstream delivery portion to the roller. Located in a space formed between the material and another exposure mask, the other exposure mask is held from the exposed material side.

  As an example, the other exposure mask is configured by juxtaposing a plurality of masks having different thicknesses, and the other upstream side edge holding part and the other downstream side edge holding part of the other mask holding part are: A plurality of masks arranged side by side are held so that the surfaces of other exposure masks facing the object to be exposed are flush with each other.

  For example, the mask pattern of the exposure mask is different from the mask pattern of the other exposure mask, and the exposure mask is exposed after exposing the exposed material conveyed in the longitudinal direction through the other exposure mask. Further, a polarizing film for a three-dimensional liquid crystal display device may be formed by further exposing through the film.

  In another exposure apparatus according to the present invention, in an exposure apparatus that continuously exposes a long exposure material by conveying it in the longitudinal direction, the exposure material is transferred and supports an exposed portion of the exposure material. A roller, an upstream delivery unit that feeds the exposed material toward the roller, a light source that irradiates exposure light from the outside of the roller to the exposed material conveyed by the roller, and a light shield that blocks exposure light from the light source An exposure mask having a region and a light-transmitting region that transmits the exposure light, and a mask holding unit that holds the exposure mask between the light source and the material to be exposed, are sent to the roller from the upstream sending unit. The material to be exposed extends from the upstream sending portion to the roller so that the material to be exposed extends toward the roller from the direction away from the exposure mask toward the roller when viewed from the axial direction of the roller. And exposure The space formed between the mask, by arranging at least a portion of the mask holder, an exposure mask is configured to hold the object to be exposed material side.

  The mask holding unit includes an upstream end holding unit and a downstream end holding unit that hold the end of the exposure mask, and the upstream end holding unit extends in the axial direction of the roller and conveys the exposed material. The end portion of the exposure mask positioned upstream with respect to the direction is held, and the downstream end holding portion extends in the axial direction of the roller and is positioned downstream with respect to the conveying direction of the exposed material. The end of the mask is held, and at least a part of the upstream end holding part is located in a space formed between the exposure material extending from the upstream delivery part to the roller and the exposure mask, and is used for exposure. You may comprise so that a mask may be hold | maintained from the to-be-exposed material side.

  An exposure apparatus according to the present invention includes a roller that conveys a material to be exposed and supports an exposed portion of the material to be exposed. Therefore, it is not necessary to provide a separate work stage or the like to support the exposure surface. Therefore, space saving in the horizontal direction in the exposure apparatus can be easily realized at low cost. In addition, since the exposure mask is disposed between the light source that irradiates the exposure material with exposure light from the outside of the roller and the exposure material, flexibility is not required for the exposure mask.

  Further, in the exposure apparatus according to the present invention, the downstream receiving portion is arranged so that the material to be exposed fed from the roller to the downstream receiving portion extends in a direction away from the exposure mask to the roller side when viewed from the axial direction of the roller. Arrange the at least part of the mask holding part in the space formed between the exposure material and the exposure mask that extends from the roller to the downstream receiving part, and hold the exposure mask from the exposure material side It is configured to do.

  Therefore, in the apparatus according to the present invention, at least a part of the mask holding part is formed in the space formed between the end part of the exposure mask and the exposed material in a state where the exposure mask and the exposure surface are close to each other. The exposure mask can be held from the exposed material side. Therefore, even when the holding force of the mask holding portion with respect to the exposure mask is weakened for some reason, the risk of the exposure mask falling or falling to the exposed material side and coming into contact with the exposed material can be reduced. it can.

  As described above, according to the exposure apparatus of the present invention, space saving in the horizontal direction can be easily realized at low cost, and even an inflexible exposure mask can be used. The risk that the exposure mask contacts the exposed material can be reduced.

  In the exposure apparatus according to the present invention, the mask holding portion includes an upstream end holding portion and a downstream end holding portion, and at least a part of the downstream end holding portion extends from the roller to the downstream receiving portion. When the exposure mask is configured to be held from the exposed material side in a space formed between the material and the exposure mask, at least a part of the downstream end holding portion is the exposure mask. Is held from the exposed material side, so even if the holding force of the downstream end holding portion against the exposure mask weakens for some reason, the exposure mask falls or falls to the exposed material side. Thus, the risk of contact with the exposed material can be reduced.

  As for the upstream end holding portion in this configuration example, at least a part of the upstream end holding portion is disposed between the exposed material conveyed along the peripheral surface of the roller and the end of the exposure mask. Therefore, the exposure mask can be held from the exposed material side by at least a part of the upstream end holding portion.

  The exposure mask is formed by juxtaposing a plurality of masks having different thicknesses, and the upstream end holding portion and the downstream end holding portion of the mask holding portion face the exposed material. When the plurality of masks arranged side by side are held so that they are flush with each other, a plurality of masks having different thicknesses can be held without changing the distance from each mask to the exposure surface. Therefore, even when a plurality of masks having different thicknesses are used as the exposure mask, uniform exposure can be performed. In addition, since a large exposure mask is extremely expensive, an exposure mask can be easily and inexpensively formed by arranging a plurality of inexpensive and small masks in parallel.

  Shuts off exposure light from other light sources, an upstream delivery section that feeds the exposed material toward the roller, another light source that irradiates the exposed material conveyed by the roller with exposure light from the outside of the roller, and Another exposure mask having a light-shielding region and a light-transmitting region that transmits exposure light, and another mask holding unit that holds another exposure mask between the other light source and the material to be exposed are further provided. In such a case, since a plurality of exposures are performed on one roller, it is not necessary to use an expensive roller for each exposure, and the manufacturing cost required for exposure of the exposed material can be reduced. Space saving of the exposure apparatus can also be achieved.

  Further, the upstream delivery section is arranged so that the material to be exposed fed to the roller from the upstream delivery section extends toward the roller from the direction away from the other exposure mask to the roller side when viewed from the axial direction of the roller. Then, place at least a part of the other mask holding part in the space formed between the exposed material extending from the upstream delivery part to the roller and the other exposure mask to cover the other exposure mask. If it is configured to be held from the exposure material side, in a state where the other exposure mask and the exposure surface are brought close to each other, in the space formed between the end portion of the other exposure mask and the exposed material, At least a part of another mask holding portion can be arranged to hold another exposure mask from the exposed material side. Therefore, even if the holding force of the other mask holding portion with respect to the other exposure mask is weakened for some reason, the other exposure mask falls or falls to the exposed material side and contacts the exposed material. Risk can be reduced.

  The other mask holding unit includes another upstream end holding unit and another downstream end holding unit that holds the end of another exposure mask, and at least a part of the other upstream end holding unit. Is located in the space formed between the exposed material extending from the upstream delivery section to the roller and the other exposure mask, and configured to hold the other exposure mask from the exposed material side Since at least a part of the other upstream side edge holding part holds the other exposure mask from the exposed material side, the other upstream side edge holding part has another exposure mask for some reason. Even when the holding force with respect to is weakened, it is possible to reduce the risk of other exposure masks falling or falling on the exposed material side and coming into contact with the exposed material.

  In addition, about the other downstream edge part holding | maintenance part in this structure, at least one part of another downstream side edge part holding | maintenance part of the to-be-exposed material conveyed along the peripheral surface of a roller, and another exposure mask Since it can arrange | position in the space formed between edge parts, it is possible to hold | maintain another exposure mask from the to-be-exposed material side by at least one part of another downstream edge part holding | maintenance part. .

  The other exposure mask is configured by juxtaposing a plurality of masks having different thicknesses, and the other upstream side edge holding part and the other downstream side edge holding part of the other mask holding part are exposed materials. When it is configured to hold a plurality of juxtaposed masks so that the surfaces of the other exposure masks facing each other are flush with each other, the thickness can be changed without changing the distance from each mask to the exposure surface. A plurality of masks having different values can be held. Accordingly, even when a plurality of masks having different thicknesses are used as other exposure masks, uniform exposure can be performed. Further, since a large exposure mask is extremely expensive, another exposure mask can be formed easily and inexpensively by arranging a plurality of inexpensive and small masks in parallel to form another exposure mask. it can.

  The mask pattern of the exposure mask is different from the mask pattern of the other exposure mask. After exposing the exposed material conveyed in the longitudinal direction through the other exposure mask, the exposure mask passes through the exposure mask. When a polarizing film for a three-dimensional liquid crystal display device is formed by further exposure, a plurality of exposures are performed on one roller, so an expensive roller is used for each exposure. Therefore, the manufacturing cost of a polarizing film for a three-dimensional liquid crystal display device such as an FPR (Film Patterned Retarder) polarizing film can be reduced.

  In another exposure apparatus according to the present invention, the exposure apparatus includes an upstream sending section that feeds the exposed material toward the roller, and the exposed material sent from the upstream sending section to the roller is an exposure mask as viewed from the axial direction of the roller. An upstream delivery portion is disposed so as to extend toward the roller from the direction away from the roller side, and the mask is formed in a space formed between the exposure material extending from the upstream delivery portion to the roller and the exposure mask. When the exposure mask is configured to hold the exposure mask from the exposed material side by disposing at least a part of the holding portion, the end portion of the exposure mask with the exposure mask and the exposure surface in close proximity to each other The mask for exposure can be held from the exposed material side by arranging at least a part of the mask holding portion in the space formed between the exposed material and the exposed material. Therefore, even when the holding force of the mask holding portion with respect to the exposure mask is weakened for some reason, the risk of the exposure mask falling or falling to the exposed material side and coming into contact with the exposed material can be reduced. it can.

  The mask holding portion includes an upstream end holding portion and a downstream end holding portion for holding the end of the exposure mask, and at least a part of the upstream end holding portion extends from the upstream sending portion to the roller. When the exposure mask is configured to be held from the exposed material side and is located in a space formed between the exposed material and the exposure mask, at least a part of the upstream end holding portion is Since the exposure mask is held from the exposed material side, even if the holding force of the upstream end holding portion against the exposure mask is weakened for some reason, the exposure mask falls to the exposed material side. Alternatively, the risk of falling and coming into contact with the exposed material can be reduced. In this configuration example, for the downstream end holding portion, at least a part of the downstream end holding portion is formed between the exposed material conveyed along the peripheral surface of the roller and the end portion of the exposure mask. Since it can arrange | position in the space formed in between, the exposure mask can be hold | maintained from the to-be-exposed material side by at least one part of a downstream edge part holding | maintenance part.

1 is a side view of an exposure apparatus according to a first embodiment. (A) It is the figure which looked at the exposure mask shown in FIG. 1 from the to-be-exposed material side. (B) It is the CC sectional view taken on the line. 1 is a side view of an exposure apparatus according to a first embodiment. (A) It is a top view of the mask holding | maintenance part shown in FIG. (B) It is the DD sectional view taken on the line in (a). It is a side view of the exposure apparatus which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is the figure which showed typically the exposure surface of the to-be-exposed material shown in FIG. It is a perspective view of the exposure apparatus which concerns on other embodiment. (A) It is the figure which looked at the exposure mask shown in FIG. 7 from the to-be-exposed material side. (B) It is a figure which shows typically the structure of the inner side holding part shown in FIG. (C) It is a figure which shows typically the structure of the outer side holding | maintenance part shown in FIG. It is a perspective view of the exposure apparatus which concerns on other embodiment. (A) It is a figure which shows typically the structure of the inner side holding part shown in FIG. (C) It is a figure which shows typically the structure of the outer side holding | maintenance part shown in FIG. It is a perspective view of the exposure apparatus which concerns on other embodiment. It is a side view of the exposure apparatus which concerns on other embodiment. It is a side view of the exposure apparatus which concerns on the other structural example. It is a top view of the mask holding | maintenance part shown in FIG.

[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 according to the first embodiment exposes a material to be exposed through an exposure mask having a predetermined mask pattern while conveying a long material to be exposed. The exposure apparatus 1 includes a back roll 3 around which the material to be exposed 2 is wound, a light source unit 5 that irradiates the exposure material 2 wound around the back roll 3 with exposure light 4, a light source unit 5, and the material 2 to be exposed. In between, the exposure mask 6 which is arrange | positioned adjacent to the exposure surface 2a of the to-be-exposed material 2, and masks the exposure light 4 from the light source part 5 with a predetermined pattern, and the mask holding part which hold | maintains the exposure mask 6 8 and a guide roller 9 for guiding the material to be exposed 2 in a predetermined direction.

  The exposed material 2 is a long film supplied in a roll state, and has a photoresist layer on the surface on the exposed side. For example, this film has a width of 1500 mm and a thickness of 100 μm, and the film length of one roll is 2 km as an example. The exposed material 2 is unwound from an unillustrated unwinding reel and wound around the peripheral surface of the back roll 3.

  The back roll 3 conveys the exposed material 2 and supports the exposed portion of the exposed material 2. The back roll 3 is a free roller that rotates without power. As an example, the back roll 3 is a water-cooled roll whose inside is water-cooled, and prevents the material to be exposed 2 wound around the back roll 3 from being heated to high temperature due to irradiation of the exposure light 4. The exposed material 2 is supported in a state where there is no relative speed difference on the peripheral surface of the back roll 3. Therefore, wrinkles can be prevented from occurring on the exposed material 2 on the peripheral surface of the back roll 3. The diameter of the back roll 3 is about 600 mm as an example. In the present embodiment, in the positional relationship shown in FIG. 1, the back roll 3 is configured to rotate clockwise, and conveys the exposed material 2 in the conveyance direction A. The exposed material 2 is conveyed at a constant speed of 2 to 10 m / min, for example.

  In the positional relationship shown in FIG. 1, the guide roller 9 is configured to rotate counterclockwise. The guide roller 9 rotates the object to be exposed 2 conveyed from the back roll 3 from the exposure surface 2 a side in the conveyance direction B. The exposed material 2 is guided in a predetermined direction.

  The light source unit 5 includes, for example, a light source such as an ultrahigh pressure mercury lamp or a xenon flash lamp, and an exposure wavelength range is 280 nm to 400 nm as an example. The light source unit 5 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 4 irradiated from the light source unit 5 uniform. The photo integrator may be a fly-eye lens, a rod lens, a light pipe, or the like. The exposure light 4 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 exposure surface 2a of the exposed material 2, and the exposure light 4 from the light source unit 5 is irradiated in the irradiation direction X. For example, the irradiation area of the exposure light 4 on the exposed material 2 is 1500 mm in the width direction and 30 mm in the length direction of the exposed material 2.

  The exposure mask 6 is a glass photomask formed in a plate shape, and includes a light-shielding region that shields the exposure light 4 from the light source unit 5 and a light-transmitting region that transmits the exposure light 4 from the light source unit 5. A predetermined mask pattern. By exposing the exposure light 4 transmitted through the exposure mask 6 to the exposure surface 2a of the exposure target material 2, the exposure target material 2 is exposed to a predetermined pattern.

  In the present embodiment, the exposure mask 6 is composed of a plurality of photomasks, and the mask holding unit 8 is configured to hold the plurality of photomasks together. FIG. 2A shows a view of the exposure mask 6 and the mask holding portion 8 as seen from the exposed material 2 side. The exposure mask 6 is configured to function as a single photomask by juxtaposing the first photomask 6a and the second photomask 6b. In the first photomask 6a and the second photomask 6b, the length of the short side extending in the longitudinal direction of the exposed material 2 is, for example, about 400 mm, and the width direction of the exposed material 2, that is, the back roll. 3, the length of the long side of the first photomask 6a is approximately 500 mm, and the length of the long side of the second photomask 6b is 3 mm. About 800 mm.

  The first photomask 6 a has a first mask pattern 11, and the second photomask 6 b has a second mask pattern 12. Each of the first mask pattern 11 and the second mask pattern 12 has a light shielding region that blocks the exposure light 4 and a light transmission region that transmits the exposure light 4. The light shielding region 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 the exposure light 4, and as an example, is a thin film of chromium (Cr). The portion where the opaque thin film is not laminated becomes a light transmitting region because the glass substrate transmits the exposure light 4. The first mask pattern 11 and the second mask pattern 12 are mask patterns in which light shielding regions and light transmission regions extending in a straight line are alternately arranged.

  In the present embodiment, the width of the light shielding region in the second mask pattern 12 is narrower than the light shielding region in the first mask pattern 11, and the width of the light transmitting region in the second mask pattern 12 is the first mask pattern. 11 is formed so as to be wider than the width of the translucent region. The first mask pattern 11 and the second mask pattern 12 are drawn on the surface of the first photomask 6a and the second photomask 6b facing the exposed material 2, respectively. The first photomask 6a and the second photomask 6b can be individually attached to and detached from the mask holding unit 8.

  The mask holding unit 8 holds the exposure mask 6 at a position close to the exposure surface 2a, for example, a position about 200 μm from the exposure surface 2a. The exposure mask 6 is held such that the surface of the exposure mask 6 on which the mask pattern is formed extends in a direction perpendicular to the irradiation direction X of the exposure light 4. The mask holding unit 8 includes a downstream end holding unit 14 that holds one end of the exposure mask 6 extending in the rotation axis direction of the back roll 3 and an upstream end holding unit 15 that holds the other end. It has. The downstream end holding portion 14 holds the end portion closer to the guide roller 9, and the upstream end holding portion 15 holds the end portion far from the guide roller 9.

  FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line CC of FIG. A first recess 20 is formed inside the downstream end holding portion 14 of the mask holding portion 8, and a second recess 21 is formed inside the upstream end holding portion 15. The first concave portion 20 and the second concave portion 21 are fitted with the end portions of the exposure mask 6, so that the downstream end portion holding portion 14 and the upstream end portion holding portion 15 are respectively The end of the exposure mask 6 is held. The mask holding part 8 is made of aluminum as an example.

  Next, the positional relationship between the exposed material 2 and the mask holding unit 8 will be described with reference to FIG. Assuming that the tangent line perpendicular to the irradiation direction X of the exposure light 4 and close to the light source unit 5 among the tangent lines of the back roll 3 as viewed from the axial direction of the back roll 3 is a virtual reference line l, the back roller 3 to the guide roller The position of the guide roller 9 relative to the back roll 3 is determined so that the material 2 to be exposed fed to 9 extends toward the back roll 3 toward the direction away from the exposure mask 6. When the exposed material 2 covers the peripheral surface of the back roll 3 at the contact point of the tangent line, the contact point becomes a contact point with the outer surface of the exposed material 2.

  A part 14 a of the downstream end holding portion 14 in the mask holding portion 8 is formed of an exposed material 2 extending between the back roll 3 and the guide roller 9 and the virtual reference line 1 when viewed from the axial direction of the back roll 3. It is located in the space formed between. A part 15 a of the upstream end holding portion 15 in the mask holding portion 8 is between the imaginary reference line 1 and the exposed material 2 extending along the peripheral surface of the back roll 3 when viewed from the axial direction of the back roll 3. It is located in the space formed.

  The material to be exposed 2 drawn out from an unillustrated unwinding reel is continuously exposed with exposure light 4 continuously irradiated from the light source unit 5 while being conveyed at a constant speed. The exposed material 2 to be exposed is sent from the back roll 3 to the guide roller 9, and the guide roller 9 conveys the material 2 to be exposed in a predetermined direction. The conveyed material 2 to be exposed is taken up by a take-up reel (not shown).

  In the first embodiment, the exposure mask 6 in which the exposed material 2 supported by the back roll 3 is disposed close to the exposure surface 2a using the back roll 3 without providing a separate work stage or the like. Through the exposure. Therefore, the space saving in the horizontal direction in the exposure apparatus 1 can be easily realized at low cost. Further, since the exposure mask 6 is disposed between the light source unit 5 and the exposed material 2 outside the back roll 3, even an inflexible exposure mask 6 can be used. is there.

  In addition, the material to be exposed 2 is exposed through the exposure mask 6 disposed close to the exposure surface 2a in a state where the material 2 is supported by the back roll 3 and the wrinkles are stretched. In addition, high-precision exposure can be performed because vibration is prevented.

  In the first embodiment, the exposed material 2 fed from the back roll 3 to the guide roller 9 is configured to extend toward the back roll 3 in a direction away from the exposure mask 6. Therefore, even if at least a part of the mask holding portion 8 protrudes from the exposure mask 6 to the exposed material 2 side, the protruding portion does not collide with the exposed material 2 and the exposure mask 6 is exposed to the exposure surface 2a. The exposure mask 6 can be held from the exposed material 2 side in a state as close as possible. In order to further clarify this advantage, another configuration example will be examined.

  FIG. 13 shows an exposure apparatus 100 having another configuration. The exposure apparatus 100 transports the exposed material 102 in the transport direction A by the back roll 103, and the exposed material 102 is transported in the transport direction B from the back roll 103. Here, the conveyance direction B is a direction perpendicular to the irradiation direction X of the exposure light 104 from the light source unit 105 and the axial direction of the back roll 103. Therefore, the exposed material 102 conveyed from the back roll 103 extends in a direction perpendicular to the irradiation direction X of the exposure light 104 from the light source unit 105 and parallel to the facing surface of the exposure mask 106.

  In order to prevent the exposure light 104 transmitted through the exposure mask 106 from diffusing toward the exposure surface 102a, the exposure mask 106 is desirably disposed as close as possible to the exposure surface 102a (for example, 200 μm). However, since the exposed material 102 delivered from the back roll 103 extends in parallel with the facing surface of the exposure mask 106, exposure is performed when the exposure mask 106 is disposed close to the exposed surface 102a of the exposed material 102. A space for providing a holding mechanism for holding the mask 106 from the exposed material 102 side cannot be secured. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 13, a mask holding unit 108 that holds the exposure mask 106 only from the light source unit 105 side is arranged. The mask holding unit 108 holds the end portion of the exposure mask 106 by suction from the light source unit 105 side. However, when configured in this way, for example, when the suction force of the mask holding portion 108 is reduced for some reason, such as the air of the air suction mechanism being cut off, the exposure mask 106 is moved to the exposed material 102 side, There is a possibility that the exposed material 102 may be damaged.

  On the other hand, in the first embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the exposed material 2 fed from the back roll 3 to the guide roller 9 is exposed to the back roll 3 side when viewed from the axial direction of the back roll 3. A guide roller 9 is disposed so as to extend in a direction away from the mask 6 for use. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1, a space can be formed between the virtual reference line l and the exposed material 2. By forming this space, a holding mechanism for holding the exposure mask 6 from the exposed material 2 side can be arranged in the space between the virtual reference line 1 and the exposed material 2. In the exposure apparatus 1, as described above, the part 14 a of the mask holding unit 8 is arranged in the space between the virtual reference line 1 and the exposed material 2, and the exposure mask 6 is held from the exposed material 2 side. ing. Therefore, the risk that the exposure mask 6 contacts the exposed material 2 can be reduced.

  In the exposure apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment, the exposure mask 6 is configured by juxtaposing the first photomask 6a and the second photomask 6b. Since a large exposure mask is extremely expensive, the exposure mask 6 can be formed simply and inexpensively by configuring the exposure mask 6 by juxtaposing a plurality of inexpensive and small masks.

[Second Embodiment]
FIG. 3 shows a side view of an exposure apparatus according to the second embodiment. The exposed material 2, the back roll 3, the light source unit 5, and the guide roller 9 in the exposure apparatus 30 are the same as those according to the first embodiment.
In the exposure apparatus 30 according to the second embodiment, the thickness of the plurality of photomasks constituting the exposure mask 36 is different, and the mask holding unit 38 can hold the plurality of photomasks having different thicknesses together. This is different from the exposure apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment.

  The mask holding unit 38 includes a downstream end holding unit 34 that holds one end of an exposure mask 36 that extends in the rotation axis direction of the back roll 3, and an upstream end holding unit 35 that holds the other end. It has. The downstream end holding portion 34 holds the end portion closer to the guide roller 9, and the upstream end holding portion 35 holds the end portion far from the guide roller 9.

  FIG. 4A shows the mask holding portion 38 shown in FIG. 3 as viewed from the plane direction. The exposure mask 36 is composed of a first photomask 36a formed thin and a second photomask 36b formed thicker than the first photomask 36a. As shown in FIG. 4A, the downstream end holding portion 34 includes a plurality of spring members 37 so that the first photomask 36a and the second photomask 36b having different thicknesses can be held together. It is configured. In the positional relationship shown in FIG. 4A, the first photomask 36a, the second photomask 36b, and the plurality of spring members 37 are actually hidden by the downstream end holding portion 34. These components are indicated by virtual lines. FIG. 4B shows a cross-sectional view taken along the line DD of FIG.

  The downstream end holding portion 34 includes a recess 34 a for fitting and holding the exposure mask 36. A spring member 37 is attached to a wall surface closer to the light source unit 5 among the wall surfaces constituting the recess 34a. The spring member 37 presses the exposure mask 36 fitted in the recess 34a against the exposed material 2 side in the recess 34a. Therefore, the first photomask 36a and the second photomask 36b are held by the mask holding unit 38 in a state where the surface on the side facing the exposed material 2 is flush. Note that the upstream end holding portion 35 has the same configuration as the downstream end holding portion 34.

  In the exposure apparatus 30 according to the second embodiment, even when the exposure mask 36 includes a plurality of photomasks having different thicknesses, the surface on the side facing the exposed material 2 is flush. In this state, a plurality of photomasks juxtaposed can be held. Therefore, in addition to the advantages described in the first embodiment, the exposure apparatus 30 according to the second embodiment has a plurality of photomasks having different thicknesses without changing the distance from each photomask to the exposure surface 2a. It has the advantage that the mask can be held. In order to further clarify this advantage, another configuration example will be examined.

In the exposure apparatus shown in FIG. 13, the first photomask 106a and the second photomask 106b having different thicknesses are used as the exposure mask 106, and the exposure mask 106 and the mask holding portion 108 are connected to each other as shown in FIG. The figure seen from the plane direction is shown in FIG. As described above, in the exposure apparatus shown in FIG. 13, since there is no space for holding the exposure mask 106 from the exposed material 102 side, the mask holding unit 108 holds the exposure mask 106 by suction from the light source unit 105 side. doing. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 14, the first photomask 106a and the second photomask 106b have a surface that is adsorbed by the mask holding portion 108 and is a surface that faces the exposure surface 102a. There will be a difference in level. Therefore, since the first photomask 106a and the distance _{g 1} to the exposure surface 102a distances _{g 2} from the second photomask 106b to the exposure surface 102a different, can not be uniform exposure.

  In contrast, in the exposure apparatus 30 according to the second embodiment, as described above, a plurality of photomasks having different thicknesses can be held without changing the distance from each photomask to the exposure surface. It is possible to eliminate the adverse effect that uniform exposure cannot be performed.

[Third Embodiment]
FIG. 5 shows a side view of an exposure apparatus 40 according to the third embodiment. The exposure apparatus 40 forms a polarizing film for a three-dimensional liquid crystal display device by exposing the exposed material 42 twice on the upstream side and the downstream side. The exposure apparatus 40 includes a back roll 43 around which the material to be exposed 42 is wound, a first light source unit 45a that irradiates the exposure material 44a on the upstream side of the material 42 that is wound around the back roll 43, and a first light source unit 45a. Between the light source part 45a and the to-be-exposed material 42, it arrange | positions adjacent to the 1st exposure surface 42a of the to-be-exposed material 42, and masks the exposure light 44a from the 1st light source part 45a with a predetermined pattern. A first exposure mask 46a, a first mask holding portion 48a for holding the first exposure mask 46a, and a first guide roller 49a for guiding the exposed material 42 to the back roll 43 from a predetermined direction. I have.

  In addition, the exposure apparatus 40 includes a second light source unit 45b that irradiates exposure light onto a downstream exposure target material 42 wound around the back roll 43, a second light source unit 45b, and the exposure target material 42. A second exposure mask 46b which is disposed in the vicinity of the second exposure surface 42b of the exposed material 42 and masks the exposure light 44b from the second light source unit 45b in a predetermined pattern; A second mask holding portion 48b for holding the exposure mask 46b, and a second guide roller 49b for guiding the exposed material 42 from the back roll 43 in a predetermined direction.

  The exposed material 42 is a long film supplied in a roll state, and is, for example, a COP (cycloolefin polymer) or TAC (triacetyl cellulose) film. A light distribution material film is applied to the surface of the film to be exposed. This light distribution material film is composed of an exposure material whose amount of curing changes when irradiated with exposure light. For example, this film has a width of 1500 mm and a thickness of 100 μm, and the film length of one roll is 2 km as an example. The back roll 43 has the same configuration as the back roll 3 in the first embodiment, and conveys the exposed material 42 in the transport direction A at a constant speed of, for example, 2 to 10 m / min.

  The exposure light 44a from the first light source unit 45a is polarized in the clockwise direction (CW (clock wise) circularly polarized light (hereinafter referred to as “CW circularly polarized light”), and is emitted from the second light source unit 45b. The exposure light 44 b is circularly polarized light (hereinafter referred to as “CCW circularly polarized light”) that is polarized in the counterclockwise direction (CCW (counter clockwise)).

  The first exposure mask 46a and the second exposure mask 46b are arranged close to the distance of about 200 μm from the first exposure surface 42a and the second exposure surface 42b, respectively. Each of the first mask holding part 48a and the second mask holding part 48b has the same configuration as the mask holding part 8 according to the first embodiment.

Next, the positional relationship between the exposed material 42 and the first mask holding part 48a and the second mask holding part 48b will be described. As seen from the axial direction of the back roll 43, the first tangent of the back roll 43 perpendicular to the irradiation direction X1 of the exposure light 44a from the first light source unit 45a and closer to the first light source unit 45a is first. When virtual reference line l ₁ of the exposed material 42 fed to the back roller 43 from the first guide roller 49a is, the first exposure toward the back roll 43 side than the first virtual reference line l ₁ The position of the first guide roller 49a with respect to the back roll 43 is determined so as to extend in a direction away from the mask 46a.

Further, of the tangent lines of the back roll 43 as viewed from the axial direction of the back roll 43, the tangent line orthogonal to the irradiation direction X2 of the exposure light 44b from the second light source section 45b and closer to the second light source section 45b is selected. When the second virtual reference line l _2, from the back roller 43 of the second guide be exposed material 42 fed to the roller 49b is a second toward the back roll 43 side of the second virtual reference line l ₂ The position of the second guide roller 49b with respect to the back roll 43 is determined so as to extend in a direction away from the exposure mask 46b.

  When the exposed material 42 covers the peripheral surface of the back roll 43 at the tangential contact point, the contact point is a contact point with the outer surface of the exposed material 42. Since the positions of the first guide roller 49a and the second guide roller 49b are determined as described above, the width w between the first guide roller 49a and the second guide roller 49b is equal to that of the back roll 43. The exposed material 42 is wound around the circumferential surface of the back roll 43 by a semicircle or more when viewed from the axial direction of the back roll 43.

A part 50b of the downstream end holding portion in the second mask holding portion 48b is located in the space between the _second virtual reference line ₁₂ and the exposed material 42, as in the first embodiment. ing. As described above, the second mask holding portion 48b has a configuration protruding to the exposed material 42 side, and at least a part of the second exposure mask 46b uses the second exposure mask 46b as the exposed material. 42 from the side. Further, a part 50a of the upstream end holding portion in the first mask holding portion 48a is located between the first virtual reference line ₁₁ and the exposed material 42, similarly to the second mask holding portion 48b. Located in the space, at least a part of the first mask holding portion 48a holds the first exposure mask 46a from the exposed material 42 side.

  FIG. 6 shows the exposure surfaces of the first exposure mask 46a and the second exposure mask 46b and the exposed material 42. As shown in FIG. The first exposure mask 46 a is a glass photomask in which a plurality of rectangular translucent portions 51 extending in the longitudinal direction of the exposed material 42 are arranged along the width direction of the exposed material 42. The second exposure mask 46b is a glass photomask having a single translucent portion 52 that transmits the exposure light 44b in substantially the entire width direction of the material 42 to be exposed.

  First, the exposed material 42 is exposed to the CW circularly polarized exposure light 44a from the first light source unit 45a through the first exposure mask 46a. The exposure light 44 a passes through the light transmitting portion 51 and is applied to the alignment material film applied to the surface of the exposed material 42. The light distribution material film is an irreversible material film. The portion irradiated with the exposure light is cured 100%, and the alignment direction of the alignment material film in this portion is fixed. As a result, a strip-shaped first polarizing portion 54 is formed on the surface of the exposed material 42.

  After being exposed through the first exposure mask 46a, the exposed material 42 is irradiated with CCW circularly polarized exposure light 44b from the second light source unit 45b through the second exposure mask 46b. The The exposure light 44b exposes almost the entire area in the width direction of the exposed material 42 from the translucent portion 52 of the second exposure mask 46b. However, since the polarization direction of the first polarization unit 54 is fixed by irradiation with CW circularly polarized light, the polarization direction does not change even when irradiated with CCW circularly polarized light. Only the portion that is not exposed by the exposure light 44a from the first light source unit 45a becomes the second polarization unit 55 corresponding to CCW circularly polarized light in response to the irradiation of the second exposure light 44b. Thereby, the 1st polarizing part 54 and the 2nd polarizing part 55 are located alternately, and the 1st polarizing part 54 and the 2nd polarizing part 55 manufacture the polarizing film equivalent to one line of a scanning line. be able to.

  In addition to the advantages described in the first embodiment, the exposure apparatus 40 according to the third embodiment performs two exposures on one back roll 43, so an expensive back roll for each exposure. 43 does not need to be used, the manufacturing cost of the polarizing film can be reduced, and the space of the exposure apparatus 40 can be saved. In the present embodiment, the first polarizing portion 54 is formed by irradiating the entire exposure surface with the CCW circularly polarized exposure light 44b after the first polarizing portion 54 is formed by the CW circularly polarized exposure light 44a. Since the second polarizing portion 55 is formed between them, there is an advantage that the alignment between the first exposure mask 46a and the second exposure mask 46b becomes unnecessary.

[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. For example, in the first to third embodiments, the guide rollers 9, 49 a, and 49 b are arranged on the downstream side or the upstream side with respect to the back rolls 3 and 43, but the present invention is not limited to this. Exposure masks 6, 36 are provided between the exposure materials 2, 42 extending to the back rolls 3, 43 or the exposure materials 2, 42 extending from the back rolls 3, 43, and the exposure masks 6, 36, 46a, 46b. , 46a and 46b need only be secured to hold the exposed material 2 and 42 from the side. Therefore, in place of the guide roller 49a arranged on the upstream side, an unwinding reel from which the exposed material 42 is drawn out may be arranged, or in place of the guide rollers 9 and 49b arranged on the downstream side, the exposed material 2 , 42 may be disposed. An air turn bar may be arranged in place of the guide rollers 9, 49a, 49b.

  In the first to third embodiments, the back rolls 3 and 43 are free rollers that do not require power, but are not limited thereto. The back rolls 3 and 43 may be configured as rollers that rotate using power. In the second embodiment, the spring member 37 that applies force to each of the plurality of masks from the light source unit 5 side is used as a mechanism for holding the plurality of masks having different thicknesses, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, an air cylinder may be used in place of the spring member 37.

  As an example, in the first to third embodiments, the exposure masks 6, 36, 46a, and 46b are vertically arranged in the vertical direction, but the present invention is not limited to this. The exposure mask may be arranged horizontally in the horizontal direction, or may be arranged obliquely with respect to the horizontal direction or the vertical direction. As an example, FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of an exposure apparatus in which an exposure mask is horizontally placed in the horizontal direction. The exposure apparatus 60 is obtained by rotating the exposure apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1 by 90 degrees, and the position of the guide roller 9 with respect to the back roll 3 is the same as that in the first embodiment. Similarly to the exposure mask 36 in the second embodiment, the exposure apparatus 60 includes a first photomask 36a and a second photomask 36b having different thicknesses, and the first and second photomasks 36b are used. A mask holding portion 68 having a configuration different from that of the mask holding portions 8 and 38 in the embodiment is provided.

  The mask holding portion 68 includes an inner holding portion 68b that protrudes toward the exposed material 2 side, and an outer holding portion 68a that sandwiches the exposure mask 36 disposed on the inner holding portion 68b from the outside. FIG. 8A shows a view of the exposure mask 36 and the mask holding portion 68 from the exposed material 2 side, and FIG. 8B shows the surface of the inner holding portion 68b near the light source. 8 (c) shows the surface of the outer holding portion 68a on the side close to the material 2 to be exposed. As shown in FIGS. 8A and 8B, the inner holding portion 68b holds each end portion extending in the axial direction of the back roll 3 in the first photomask 36a and the second photomask 36b. A pair of end holding portions 61 are provided. The end portions of the first photomask 36a and the second photomask 36b are juxtaposed on the mask placement portion 62 of the inner holding portion 68b.

  As shown in FIG. 8C, the outer holding portion 68 a includes a plurality of spring members 64 at the mask contact portion 63. The outer holding portion 68a has a spring member 64 on the first photomask 36a and the second photomask 36b, which are juxtaposed on the inner holding portion 68b and have different thicknesses. It is placed so as to be in contact with the mask 36b. Thus, the first photomask 36a and the second photomask 36b are sandwiched between the outer holding portion 68a and the inner holding portion 68b, and the first photomask 36a and the second photomask 36a are inserted from the outer holding portion 68a side. The difference in thickness between the first photomask 36a and the second photomask 36b can be filled by the spring member 64 that applies a force to the mask 36b. Therefore, the exposure mask 36 can be held more stably.

  FIG. 9 shows a perspective view of the exposure apparatus when the width of the mask holding part is larger than the width of the back roll. The exposure apparatus 70 has the same configuration as the exposure apparatus 60 shown in FIG. 7 except for the size of the exposure mask and the mask holding unit. The mask holding portion 78 includes an inner holding portion 78b that protrudes toward the exposed material 2 side, and an outer holding portion 78a that sandwiches the exposure mask 36 disposed on the inner holding portion 78b from the outside. FIG. 10A shows the surface of the inner holding portion 78b near the light source, and FIG. 10B shows the surface of the outer holding portion 78a closer to the exposed material 2.

  As shown in FIG. 10A, the inner holding portion 78 b includes the pair of width direction end holding portions 74 that hold the end portions of the exposure mask extending in the axial direction of the back roll 3, and the exposed material 2. A pair of length direction end holding portions 75 for holding the end portions of the exposure mask extending in the longitudinal direction. The exposure mask is placed on the mask placement portion 72 of the inner holding portion 78b. A pair of length direction edge part holding | maintenance part 75 protrudes in the axial direction of the back roll 3 in the outer side rather than the width | variety of the back roll 3 (FIG. 9). The outer holding portion 78a shown in FIG. 10B has the same configuration as the outer holding portion 68a shown in FIG. 8C, and is placed on the exposure mask 36.

  In the exposure apparatuses 60 and 70 shown in FIGS. 7 and 9, since the exposure mask 36 is arranged in the horizontal direction, the exposure mask 36 is held only by the inner holding portions 68b and 78b of the mask holding portions 68 and 78. can do. For example, a suction mechanism may be provided on the mask mounting portions 62 and 72 of the inner holding portions 68b and 78b so that the exposure mask 36 placed on the upper surfaces of the inner holding portions 68b and 78b is sucked and held. . In this case, since the exposure mask 36 is placed on the upper surfaces of the inner holding portions 68b and 78b, even if the suction force of the inner holding portions 68b and 78b is reduced, the exposure mask 36 is exposed to the exposed material 2 side. The risk of the mask 36 falling is low.

  In addition, when the plurality of photomasks constituting the exposure mask have the same thickness, a suction mechanism is provided instead of the spring member 64 in the mask contact portion 63 of the outer holding portions 68a and 78a, and the inner holding portions 68b, The exposure mask placed on the upper surface of 78b may be configured to be sucked and held by the outer holding portions 68a and 78a. In this case, since the exposure mask is held by the inner holding portions 68b and 78b even when the adsorption force of the outer holding portions 68a and 78a is reduced, there is a risk that the exposure mask will fall on the exposed material 2 side. Is low.

  The materials of all the above-described exposure masks are not limited. As shown in the first to third embodiments, it may be a glass photomask or a metal metal mask. Moreover, all the mask holding | maintenance parts mentioned above are supported in a predetermined position by arbitrary support methods. For example, at the end of the inner holding portion 68b of the mask holding portion 68 shown in FIG. 7, as shown in FIG. 11, a pair of end holding portions 61 are connected and a gripped portion 67 protruding upward is provided. It may be configured. In this case, the gripped portion 67 can be gripped by an arbitrary gripping mechanism, and the inner holding portion 68b can be supported at a predetermined position.

  In the first and second embodiments, the exposed material 2 is exposed only on the downstream side in the transport direction of the exposed material 2, and in the third embodiment, the upstream side and the downstream side in the transport direction of the exposed material 42. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 12, the exposed material 2 may be exposed only on the upstream side in the conveying direction of the exposed material 2.

In the exposure apparatus 80 shown in FIG. 12, the back roll 3 and the material to be exposed 2 correspond to the same constituent elements in the first embodiment, and the light source unit 85, the exposure light 84, and the exposure mask 86 are the first embodiment. The light source unit 5, the exposure light 4, and the exposure mask 6 have the same configuration. The irradiation direction X 1 of the exposure light, the mask holding unit 88, the guide roller 89, the exposure surface 2a, and the virtual reference line 1 are respectively the irradiation direction X ₁ of the exposure light 44a, the mask holding unit 48a, and the first reference line 1 in the third embodiment. guide roller 49a, the exposed surface 42a, which corresponds to the virtual reference line _{l 1.}

1, 30, 40, 60, 70, 80, 100 Exposure apparatus 2, 42, 102 Material to be exposed 3, 43, 103 Back roll 4, 84, 104 Exposure light 44a First exposure light 44b Second exposure light 5 , 85, 105 Light source unit 45a First light source unit 45b Second light source unit 6, 36, 86, 106 Exposure mask 46a First exposure mask 46b Second exposure mask 6a, 36a First photomask 6b, 36b Second photomask 8, 38, 68, 78, 88, 108 Mask holding part 48a First mask holding part 48b Second mask holding part 14, 34 Downstream end holding part 15, 35 Upstream side End holding part

Claims (10)

In an exposure apparatus that continuously exposes a long object to be exposed in the longitudinal direction,
A roller for transporting the exposed material and supporting an exposed portion of the exposed material;
A downstream receiving portion for receiving the material to be exposed sent from the roller;
A light source that emits exposure light from the outside of the roller to the material to be exposed conveyed by the roller;
An exposure mask having a light-blocking region that blocks the exposure light from the light source and a light-transmitting region that transmits the exposure light;
A mask holding part for holding the exposure mask between the light source and the material to be exposed;
The downstream receiving portion is disposed so that the material to be exposed fed from the roller to the downstream receiving portion extends in a direction away from the exposure mask to the roller side when viewed from the axial direction of the roller,
At least a part of the mask holding portion is disposed in a space formed between the exposure material extending from the roller to the downstream receiving portion and the exposure mask, and the exposure mask is placed on the exposure mask. An exposure apparatus characterized by being held from the material side. The mask holding portion includes an upstream end holding portion and a downstream end holding portion for holding an end portion of the exposure mask,
The upstream side end holding portion holds an end portion of the exposure mask extending in the axial direction of the roller and positioned on the upstream side with respect to the conveying direction of the exposed material,
The downstream side end holding portion holds an end portion of the exposure mask that extends in the axial direction of the roller and is located on the downstream side with respect to the conveyance direction of the exposed material,
At least a part of the downstream end holding portion is located in the space formed between the exposure material extending from the roller to the downstream receiving portion and the exposure mask, and the exposure mask. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: is held from the exposed material side.   The exposure mask is configured by juxtaposing a plurality of masks having different thicknesses, and the upstream end holding portion and the downstream end holding portion of the mask holding portion face the exposed material. 3. The exposure apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of juxtaposed masks are held so that the surfaces of the exposure masks are flush with each other. An upstream delivery section for delivering the exposed material toward the roller;
Another light source that irradiates exposure light from outside the roller to the exposed material conveyed by the roller;
Another exposure mask having a light shielding region that blocks the exposure light from the other light source and a light transmitting region that transmits the exposure light;
Further comprising: another mask holding unit that holds the other exposure mask between the other light source and the material to be exposed;
The material to be exposed fed from the upstream delivery section to the roller extends upstream from the direction away from the other exposure mask toward the roller when viewed from the axial direction of the roller. Place the side sending part,
The other exposure is performed by disposing at least a part of the other mask holding portion in a space formed between the exposed material extending from the upstream delivery portion to the roller and the other exposure mask. 4. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a mask for holding is held from the exposed material side. The other mask holding portion includes another upstream end holding portion and another downstream end holding portion for holding an end portion of the other exposure mask,
The other upstream side end holding part holds an end part of the other exposure mask that extends in the axial direction of the roller and is located on the upstream side with respect to the conveying direction of the exposed material,
The other downstream side end holding part holds an end part of the other exposure mask that extends in the axial direction of the roller and is located on the downstream side with respect to the conveying direction of the exposed material,
At least a part of the other upstream end holding portion is located in the space formed between the exposed material extending from the upstream delivery portion to the roller and the other exposure mask, 5. The exposure apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the other exposure mask is held from the exposed material side.   The other exposure mask is configured by juxtaposing a plurality of masks having different thicknesses, and the other upstream end holding portion and the other downstream end holding portion of the other mask holding portion are 6. An exposure apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of masks arranged side by side are held so that surfaces of the other exposure masks facing the exposed material are flush with each other. The mask pattern of the exposure mask is different from the mask pattern of the other exposure mask,
The exposed material conveyed in the longitudinal direction is exposed through the other exposure mask, and then exposed through the exposure mask to form a polarizing film for a three-dimensional liquid crystal display device. The exposure apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the exposure apparatus is a light source. In an exposure apparatus that continuously exposes a long object to be exposed in the longitudinal direction,
A roller for transporting the exposed material and supporting an exposed portion of the exposed material;
An upstream delivery section for delivering the exposed material toward the roller;
A light source that emits exposure light from the outside of the roller to the material to be exposed conveyed by the roller;
An exposure mask having a light-blocking region that blocks the exposure light from the light source and a light-transmitting region that transmits the exposure light;
A mask holding part for holding the exposure mask between the light source and the material to be exposed;
The upstream material is fed so that the material to be exposed fed to the roller from the upstream feeding part extends toward the roller from the direction away from the exposure mask toward the roller when viewed from the axial direction of the roller. Place the part,
At least a part of the mask holding part is disposed in a space formed between the exposure material extending from the upstream delivery part to the roller and the exposure mask, and the exposure mask is exposed to the exposure object. An exposure apparatus characterized by being held from the material side. The mask holding portion includes an upstream end holding portion and a downstream end holding portion for holding an end portion of the exposure mask,
The upstream side end holding portion holds an end portion of the exposure mask extending in the axial direction of the roller and positioned on the upstream side with respect to the conveying direction of the exposed material,
The downstream side end holding portion holds an end portion of the exposure mask that extends in the axial direction of the roller and is located on the downstream side with respect to the conveyance direction of the exposed material,
At least a part of the upstream end holding portion is located in the space formed between the exposure material extending from the upstream delivery portion to the roller and the exposure mask, and the exposure mask The exposure apparatus according to claim 8, wherein: is held from the exposed material side.   The exposure mask is configured by juxtaposing a plurality of masks having different thicknesses, and the upstream end holding portion and the downstream end holding portion of the mask holding portion face the exposed material. 10. The exposure apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the plurality of juxtaposed masks are held so that the surfaces of the exposure masks are flush with each other.

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