JP2013174790A - Direct plotting exposure device having work pressurization/fixing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make it unnecessary to install any work absorption/fixing device by holding a work by a clamper, and preventing the floating of a work by a roller, and performing exposure while holding the work in a flat state.SOLUTION: A direct plotting exposure device for emitting the rays of light from an optical engine while moving a work placed on a mobile table to expose the work includes: a clamper disposed at the downstream side of the upper face of the mobile table for holding one edge of the downstream side of the work; and a roller disposed at the upstream side of the optical engine for pressurizing the work at the upstream side of the optical engine. The direct plotting exposure device is characterized to perform exposure while holding the work placed on the mobile table in a flat state.

Description

  The present invention relates to a direct drawing exposure apparatus having a workpiece pressing and fixing device.

  In order to expose a pattern on a substrate such as a printed circuit board, a TFT substrate of a liquid crystal display, a color filter substrate, or a plasma display, conventionally, a mask serving as a pattern original is manufactured, and this mask is exposed to the above substrate by a mask exposure device. Was.

  However, as the dimensions of the substrates become larger and larger in recent years, the time required for designing and manufacturing these substrates is becoming shorter and shorter. For this reason, a direct drawing exposure apparatus that does not require a mask, generates a two-dimensional pattern using a two-dimensional spatial modulator such as liquid crystal or DMD (Digital Mirror Device), and exposes it on a substrate with a projection lens is practical. It became.

  FIG. 11 is an overall configuration diagram of a conventional direct drawing exposure apparatus using a DMD.

  The light output from the light source 21 is converted into parallel light 21 a by the collimator lens 22 and enters the DMD 23. The DMD control device 24 individually controls on / off of each micromirror of the DMD 23 (rotation control). When the micromirror is on, the parallel light 21a is reflected by the micromirror, is collected by the microlens 25 provided for each micromirror, and enters the work 26. When the micromirror is off, the parallel light 21a is separated from the work 26. Incident. The microlens 25 converges the parallel light 21a reflected by the micromirror in the direction of each side, and makes each side a spot having a size of several μm on the work 26.

  An optical engine 5 including optical components such as the DMD 23, the DMD control device 24, and the micro lens 25 is provided in the exposure machine, and the work 26 placed on the moving table 30 on the base 29 is below the optical engine 5. It is exposed by passing through. The movable table 30 has an X table 31 movable in the X direction on the base 29, a Y table 32 movable in the Y direction on the X table 31, and is rotatable on the Y table 32. The θ table 33 is supported, and the work 26 is placed on the θ table 33. The workpiece 26 is first positioned by the X table 31, adjusted in angle by using an θ table 33 by an alignment device (not shown), and then exposed by driving the Y table 32 and passing under the optical engine 5. Hereinafter, the side toward which the workpiece 26 is directed by the moving table 32 during exposure is referred to as “downstream side”, and the opposite side is referred to as “upstream side”.

  Conventionally, in order to fix the workpiece 26 to the moving table 30, the suction table 34 fixed on the θ table 33 has been used. (See Patent Document 1)

  As shown in FIG. 12, the surface of the suction table 34 is provided with a number of suction holes 11 communicating with the internal cavity, and the cavity is connected to a vacuum source 35. By making the vacuum source 35 have a negative pressure, the workpiece 26 can be sucked. The workpiece 26 placed on the suction table 34 is fixed to the moving table 30 by such a negative pressure suction mechanism.

  At the lower part of the suction table 34, there is a partition 13 for each area. Only the suction area where the work 26 is placed is opened using the cylinder opening / closing shutter 14, and the suction hole 11 and the vacuum source 35 are communicated with each other. 26 is made adsorbable, and for areas that are not adsorbed, the partition 13 is closed to prevent air leakage from the adsorbing holes 11 and increase the adsorbing power. By such a suction area switching mechanism, it is possible to cope with workpieces 26 of different sizes.

  Further, in order to remove dust and dirt attached to the surface of the work 26, the work 26 is put into the suction table 34 by using a clean roller installed outside the exposure apparatus, for example, installed in the transfer device. Cleaning is done before doing.

  The negative pressure suction mechanism that sucks the work 26 with the vacuum source 35 set to a negative pressure increases the size of the entire apparatus.

  In addition, the suction area switching mechanism using the partition 13 and the opening / closing shutter 14 has to switch the suction area according to the work size, and due to the diversification of the work size according to customer specifications, it is necessary to design and manufacture each time. The equipment production cost was increased.

  Since the surface of the workpiece was cleaned before being put into the suction table 34, dust, dirt, etc. adhering to the subsequent transport path caused exposure failure.

JP 2007-219011 (paragraph 0024)

  When the workpiece suction and fixing device including the negative pressure suction mechanism and the suction area switching mechanism, which is the conventional technology, is used, there is a problem in that the size of the device increases and the production cost increases. Further, if the work surface is cleaned before being carried into the exposure apparatus, there is a problem in that an exposure failure occurs due to dust or dirt adhering thereto thereafter. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to solve the above problems.

  In order to solve the above problems, in the present invention, the workpiece 26 is held on the moving table 30 by the clamper 1 provided on the downstream side of the upper surface of the moving table 30, and optically by the roller 2 provided on the upstream side of the optical engine 5. By using a workpiece pressing and fixing device that presses the workpiece 26 on the upstream side of the engine 5 and prevents the workpiece from lifting, exposure is performed while the exposure area of the workpiece 26 fixed to the moving table 30 is kept flat. .

  In addition to flattening the exposure area by the clamper 1 and the roller 2, the auxiliary roller 3 provided on the downstream side of the optical engine 5 exposes the workpiece 26 while pressing the work 26 on the downstream side of the optical engine 5. To do.

  The roller 2 is a clean roller 4, and exposure is performed while removing dust, dirt, and the like adhering to the work 26 immediately before exposure.

  This eliminates the need for the conventional workpiece suction and fixing device and makes it possible to handle a variety of workpiece sizes, reducing the design cost and the parts cost and manufacturing cost used for size switching that corresponded to each customer. Production cost can be reduced. In addition, by eliminating the need for a suction air generation source (such as the vacuum source 35), the apparatus can be reduced in size, and the installation space of the apparatus can be reduced. Further, it is possible to eliminate the operation stop due to the suction failure caused by the warp of the workpiece 26.

  Furthermore, the flatness of the exposure area can be increased by pressing the work 26 on the downstream side of the optical engine 5 by the auxiliary roller 3 to prevent the work 26 from sagging.

  By using the roller 2 as the clean roller 4, for example, a clean roller installed outside the exposure apparatus, for example, installed inside the transport apparatus, can be installed inside the exposure apparatus, so that the installation space of the apparatus can be reduced. Further, since the surface of the work 26 can be cleaned immediately before exposure, the degree of cleanliness is increased, and dust adhering between the input-side alignment conveyor 6 and the suction table 34, which has been caused by the conventional work suction and fixing device. It is possible to reduce exposure defects caused by contamination and dirt.

It is a top view of the apparatus example 1 which has the workpiece | work press fixing device which concerns on this invention. It is a front view of the apparatus example 1 which has the workpiece | work press fixing device which concerns on this invention. It is explanatory drawing when the press is started with the roller in the apparatus example 1. FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram when exposure is performed without using an auxiliary roller in the apparatus example 1; It is explanatory drawing when exposing using the auxiliary roller in the apparatus example 1. It is a top view of the apparatus example 2 which has the workpiece | work press fixing device which concerns on this invention. It is a front view of the apparatus example 2 which has a workpiece | work press fixing device which concerns on this invention. It is explanatory drawing when a press is started with the clean roller in the apparatus example 2. It is explanatory drawing when it exposes without using an auxiliary roller in the example 2 of an apparatus. It is explanatory drawing when exposing using the auxiliary roller in the apparatus example 2. It is a whole block diagram of the conventional direct drawing exposure apparatus using DMD. It is explanatory drawing of the conventional workpiece | work adsorption | suction fixing device.

  Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail based on illustrated embodiments.

(Device Example 1)
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the workpiece 26 that has flowed from the previous process (upstream side) on the loading side alignment conveyor 6 is placed on the moving table 30 by the loading handling device 7, and is placed on the upper surface of the moving table 30. One end on the downstream side of the workpiece 26 is held by the clamper 1 provided on the downstream side.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the roller 2 provided on the upstream side of the optical engine 5 is lowered immediately before exposure with respect to the workpiece 26 moving toward the downstream side on the moving table 30, and the workpiece 26 shown in FIG. As shown in the drawing, the workpiece 26 is driven while pressing the upper surface of the moving table 30 on the upstream side of the optical engine 5 to perform exposure while keeping the exposure area flat.

  The clamper 1 is shaped so as to have a curvature matching the radius of the roller 2 so that pressing with the roller 2 can be started from one end of the work 26 held by the clamper 1 on the downstream side. If the radius of the roller 2 is equal to or less than the radius of curvature of the clamper 1, it is possible to start pressing with the roller 2 from one end on the downstream side of the work 26.

  As shown in FIG. 5, when the clamper 1 and the roller 2 begin to separate, the auxiliary roller 3 provided on the downstream side of the optical engine 5 is lowered to prevent the workpiece 26 from sagging, and the downstream side of the optical engine 5. The workpiece 26 is driven while being pressed on the side and exposed. Since the work 26 is pressed on both the upstream side and the downstream side of the optical engine 5, exposure can be performed while always keeping the exposure area flat.

  The position where the auxiliary roller 3 is lowered and the work 26 is started to be pressed is preferably from one end on the downstream side of the work 26 held by the clamper 1 in order to ensure a higher degree of flatness in the exposure area. When the radius of the auxiliary roller 3 is set to be equal to or smaller than the radius of curvature of the clamper 1, the auxiliary roller 3 can also start pressing from one end on the downstream side of the work 26 held by the clamper 1.

  If the size of the roller 2 is φ40 mm, the material of the auxiliary roller 3 is polypropylene (thermoplastic resin), and the pressing force of the auxiliary roller 3 is 100 N, the size of the auxiliary roller 3 is preferably equal to the size of the roller 2. If the size of the roller 2 is set to about 70% or more (about φ28 mm) to the size of the roller 2 (φ40 mm), the auxiliary roller 3 starts pressing from the downstream end of the workpiece 26 held by the clamper 1. It becomes possible.

(Device example 2)
As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the roller 2 is a clean roller 4 composed of an adhesive roller 44 and a roll tape 45, and is provided upstream of the optical engine 5 immediately before exposure as shown in FIGS. The clean roller 4 is lowered, and the work 26 is driven while pressing the upper surface of the moving table 30 on the upstream side of the optical engine 5 to remove dust and dirt adhering to the surface of the work 26 immediately before exposure, and exposure is performed. Exposure while keeping the area flat.

  The adhesive roller 44 is driven by the work 26, causes dust and dirt attached to the work 26 to adhere to the adhesive roller 44, and transfers dust and dirt attached to the adhesive roller 44 to the roll tape 45. The dust and dirt transferred to the roll tape 45 do not return to the adhesive roller 44 again. When the dirt on the tape surface of the roll tape 45 becomes severe, the tape surface of the roll tape 45 is peeled off by one turn. The tape surface can be renewed. With such a configuration, dust and dirt attached to the surface of the workpiece 26 can be removed.

  By adopting such a configuration, it is possible to eliminate the need for a clean roller installed outside the exposure apparatus, for example, installed in the transport apparatus.

  Similar to Example 1 of the apparatus, the clamper 1 is matched with the radius of the clean roller 4 (adhesive roller 44) so that the pressing with the clean roller 4 can be started from one end on the downstream side of the workpiece 26 held by the clamper 1. Use a shape with curvature. If the radius of the clean roller 4 (adhesive roller 44) is equal to or smaller than the radius of curvature of the clamper 1, it is possible to start pressing with the clean roller 4 (adhesive roller 44) from one end on the downstream side of the workpiece 26.

  As shown in FIG. 10, when the clamper 1 and the clean roller 4 begin to separate, the auxiliary roller 3 provided on the downstream side of the optical engine 5 is lowered to prevent the workpiece 26 from sagging, and the optical engine 5 The exposure is performed by following the work 26 while pressing it on the downstream side. Since both the upstream side and the downstream side of the optical engine 5 are pressed, exposure can be performed while always keeping the exposure area flat.

  The position where the auxiliary roller 3 is lowered and the work 26 is started to be pressed is preferably from one end on the downstream side of the work 26 held by the clamper 1 in order to ensure a higher degree of flatness in the exposure area. When the radius of the auxiliary roller 3 is set to be equal to or smaller than the radius of curvature of the clamper 1, the auxiliary roller 3 can also start pressing from one end on the downstream side of the work 26 held by the clamper 1.

  Assuming that the size of the clean roller 4 (adhesive roller 44) is 40 mm, the material of the auxiliary roller 3 is polypropylene (thermoplastic resin), and the pressing force of the auxiliary roller 3 is 100 N, the size of the auxiliary roller 3 is the clean roller 4. It is desirable that the size is the same as the size of the (adhesive roller 44), but if it is set to about 70% or more (φ28 mm) to the size of the clean roller 4 (adhesive roller 44) to the size (φ40 mm) of the clean roller 4 (adhesive roller 44). The pressing can be started from the downstream end of the work 26 held by the clamper 1 by the auxiliary roller 3.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Clamper 2 Roller 3 Auxiliary roller 4 Clean roller 5 Optical engine 6 Loading side alignment conveyor 7 Loading handling device 11 Suction hole 13 Partition 14 Opening / closing shutter 21 Light source 22 Collimator lens 23 DMD
24 DMD control device 25 Micro lens 26 Work 29 Base 30 Moving table 31 X table 32 Y table 33 θ table 34 Suction table 35 Vacuum source 44 Adhesive roller 45 Roll tape

Claims (5)

In a direct drawing exposure apparatus that exposes the work by irradiating light from an optical engine while moving the work placed on a moving table,
A clamper provided on the downstream side of the upper surface of the moving table, and holding one end on the downstream side of the workpiece;
A roller provided on the upstream side of the optical engine, and pressing the workpiece on the upstream side of the optical engine;
With
The direct drawing exposure apparatus characterized in that the clamper and the roller expose the workpiece placed on the moving table while maintaining a flat state. The clamper has a shape having a curvature matched to the radius of the roller so that pressing with the roller can be started from one end on the downstream side of the workpiece, and the radius of the roller is equal to or less than the radius of curvature of the clamper. The direct drawing exposure apparatus according to claim 1. The direct drawing exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an auxiliary roller is provided on the downstream side of the optical engine, and exposure is performed while pressing the workpiece on the downstream side of the optical engine. The direct drawing exposure apparatus according to claim 2, wherein a radius of the auxiliary roller is equal to or less than a radius of curvature of the clamper. The roller is a clean roller having a cleaning function, and deposits on the workpiece placed on the moving table are removed immediately before exposure, and exposure is performed while maintaining a flat state. Item 5. The direct drawing exposure apparatus according to Item 4.

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