JP2021067717A - Exposure device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an exposure device capable of reducing the cost for a photomask and highly accurately transferring a mask pattern to a large-sized substrate.SOLUTION: There is provided an exposure device 1 which divides a region to be exposed 14 into a first region to be exposed 14A and a second region to be exposed 14B and transfers mask patterns 17A, 17B to a substrate 10 by a first photomask 11A corresponding to the first region to be exposed 14A and a second photomask 11B corresponding to the second region to be exposed 14B. The exposure device 1 comprises: an alignment mechanism 28 which has a first stage 25 and a second stage 26 which are connected in series and performs relative alignment between the substrate 10 and the photomasks 11A, 11B; and exposure light irradiation mechanisms 30A, 30B which switchingly irradiate the first photomask 11A and the second photomask 11B with light emitted from a light source 45 as exposure light 50.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

The present invention relates to an exposure apparatus.

When forming a circuit pattern on a substrate or the like by a photolithography process, an exposure apparatus is used in which the photosensitive material on the substrate is exposed through a photomask and the mask pattern is transferred to the substrate. In recent years, as the size of the substrate has increased, the size of the photomask has also increased. However, the cost of the photomask depends on the plane size, and there is a problem that the cost increases as the photomask becomes larger. Further, in the batch exposure process using a large-format photomask, there is also a problem that it is difficult to secure the accuracy of the outer peripheral portion with respect to the central portion of the substrate. Therefore, there is an exposure apparatus in which an exposure target area of a substrate is divided, a photomask corresponding to the divided exposure target area is used, and a predetermined mask pattern is transferred to a large-format substrate by repeating an exposure process.

In such an exposure apparatus, the exposure target area of the substrate is divided into a first exposure target area and a second exposure target area, and a first photomask and a second photomask corresponding to the divided exposure target areas are prepared. Then, on the same stage, after exposing the first exposure target area using the first photomask, the second exposure target area is exposed using the second photomask, and the mask pattern is transferred to a large-format substrate. (See, for example, Patent Document 1).

Further, a substrate and a first photomask are arranged as an exposure apparatus for transferring a mask pattern to a large-sized substrate using a first photomask and a second photomask corresponding to the divided exposure target areas. There is an exposure apparatus having a first stage, a second stage in which a substrate and a photomask are arranged, and an optical path switching means for switching an optical path from a light source (see, for example, Patent Document 2). In such an exposure apparatus, the mask pattern of the first exposure target region is transferred in the first stage, then the optical path is switched by the optical path switching means, and the mask pattern of the second exposure target region is transferred in the second stage. The optical path switching means alternately switches the light emitted from the light source between the optical path toward the first stage and the optical path toward the second stage.

In the first example as a specific example of the exposure apparatus described in Patent Document 2, a substrate transfer robot that transfers or removes a substrate to each stage of the first stage and the second stage, and a photomask are attached to each stage. An exposure apparatus in which a mask transfer robot for transfer is arranged in parallel is disclosed.

Further, in the second example of the specific example, as the substrate transporting means, independent endless conveyors are provided between the first stage, the second stage, and the first stage and the second stage, and the substrate is exposed at each stage. An exposure apparatus that conveys in time is disclosed.

JP-A-2007-178770 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-228169

In the exposure apparatus described in Patent Document 1, after transferring the mask pattern to the first exposure target area using the first photomask on the same stage, the mask pattern is switched to the second photomask and the mask pattern is transferred to the second exposure target area. Is to be transcribed. Therefore, there is a problem that the exposure process is repeated twice and the tact time becomes long. In addition, there is an exposure target area in which the adjacent first exposure target area and the second exposure target area overlap and double exposure is performed. In this area, the exposure amount is adjusted with a light-shielding plate. However, the use of a light-shielding plate may limit the configuration of the transfer pattern. Further, since the light-shielding plate is arranged between the photomask and the substrate, there is a problem that the gap between the photomask and the substrate becomes large and the accuracy of the transfer pattern is lowered.

Further, in the first example of the exposure apparatus described in Patent Document 2, it is possible to execute the exposure process in each of the first stage and the second stage. However, since the substrate transfer robot and the mask transfer robot are arranged in parallel, there is a problem that the exposure apparatus becomes large.

Further, in the second example of the exposure apparatus described in Patent Document 2, the mask conveying means are arranged in parallel, but since the endless conveyor is used as the substrate conveying means, the apparatus is used more than in the first example. It is possible to reduce the size. However, since the substrate stops on the endless conveyor in each stage region, the substrate cannot be brought into direct contact with the stage. For this reason, it is difficult to maintain the alignment between the substrate and the photomask and the alignment of the substrate at the time of pattern transfer with high accuracy. Further, since the light source is arranged on the upper side and the reflection mirror for switching the optical path is arranged on the lower side of the special conveyor as the means for transporting the substrate, the light emitted from the light source passes through the special conveyor and the optical path. It will be reflected by the reflection mirror for switching. The light reflected by the reflection mirror for optical path switching passes through the special conveyor again. Therefore, there is a risk that the light transmittance will decrease due to deterioration of the special conveyor, scratches, or adhesion of dust.

Further, in the second example, when the substrate is transported between the first stage and the second stage, the light is blocked and the irradiation of the exposure light is stopped, which complicates the control of the intermittent transport of the substrate. At the same time, there is a problem that productivity is lowered.

Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve at least one of such problems, reduces the cost of the photomask, transfers the mask pattern to a large-format substrate with high accuracy, and divides the exposure. It is an attempt to realize an exposure apparatus capable of increasing productivity even if it is a method.

[1] In the exposure apparatus of the present invention, one of a plurality of exposure target regions arranged in series in the feed direction of a long substrate having a photosensitive layer is arbitrarily shaped into a first exposure target region and a second exposure target region. An exposure in which the mask pattern is transferred to the substrate using the first photomask corresponding to the first exposure target area and the second photomask corresponding to the second exposure target area. A first stage of the apparatus, which is arranged on the upstream side of the substrate in the feed direction and supports the exposed area of the substrate, and is arranged on the downstream side of the first stage to support the exposed area. The second stage, the substrate feeding mechanism that sends the exposure target area from the first stage to the second stage, and the "relative between the first exposure target area and the first photomask" in the first stage. "Alignment mechanism that aligns the relative positions" and "Alignment mechanism that aligns the relative positions between the second exposure target area and the second photomask" in the second stage, and the light emitted from the light source is exposed to light. The first photomask on the first stage is irradiated with an exposure light irradiation mechanism for irradiating the second photomask on the second stage.

In the following description, dividing the exposure target area and exposing using a photomask corresponding to the divided exposure target area is referred to as a divided exposure or a divided exposure method with respect to a batch exposure.

[2] In the exposure apparatus of the present invention, the exposure target area is divided by the virtual dividing line in the width direction of the substrate, and the first photomask is formed in the range of the first exposure target area. The second photomask is formed of a mask pattern formed in the range of the second exposure target area and a light-shielding region formed in the second exposure target area. It is preferably composed of a light-shielding region.

[3] In the exposure apparatus of the present invention, the exposure target area is divided by the virtual dividing line in the length direction of the substrate, and the first photomask is a plane covering the first exposure target area. The second photomask has a size and has a plane size covering the second exposure target area.
Is preferable.

[4] In the exposure apparatus of the present invention, the alignment mechanism is arranged for each of the first stage and the second stage, and one of the alignment mechanisms is "the first exposure target region and the first exposure target region". It has a "position detection device that detects the position of one photomask" and a "photomask moving mechanism that aligns the position of the first photomask with the first exposure target area" based on the detection result, and the other alignment mechanism. Is a "position detection device that detects the positions of the second exposure target region and the second photomask" and "a photomask that aligns the position of the second photomask with the second exposure target light region" based on the detection result. It is preferable to have a "moving mechanism". In the following description, the exposure process includes a series of processes of irradiating the exposure light from the alignment of the substrate and the photomask to transfer the mask pattern to the substrate.

[5] The exposure apparatus of the present invention preferably further has a substrate intermediate support mechanism disposed between the first stage and the second stage.

[6] In the exposure apparatus of the present invention, the exposure light irradiation mechanism is a reflection mirror that reflects the light source and the light emitted from the light source and irradiates the first photomask or the second photomask as exposure light. It is preferable that the exposure light irradiation mechanism is arranged above each of the first stage and the second stage.

[7] In the exposure apparatus of the present invention, the exposure light irradiation mechanism is arranged above an intermediate position between the first stage and the second stage, and the light emitted from the light source is used as the first photomask. It is preferable to further have an optical path switching means for switching and irradiating the second photomask.

[8] In the exposure apparatus of the present invention, when the configuration of the mechanism including the first stage, the second stage, the substrate feed mechanism, the alignment mechanism and the intermediate substrate support mechanism is defined as the first exposure line, the above It has the same configuration as the first exposure line, further includes a second exposure line arranged parallel to the first exposure line, and the exposure light irradiation mechanism is the first stage of the first exposure line. And above the intermediate position of the first stage of the second exposure line and above the intermediate position of the second stage of the first exposure line and the second stage of the second exposure line. The exposure light irradiation mechanism includes "a light path switching means for switching and irradiating the first photomask of the first exposure line or the first photomask of the second exposure line". The exposure light irradiation mechanism may have "a light path switching means for switching and irradiating the second photomask of the first exposure line or the second photomask of the second exposure line". preferable. The term "parallel" here includes cases where the parallel is not mathematically exact.

[9] In the exposure apparatus of the present invention, the exposure apparatus according to any one of the above [1] to [4], the first stage, the second stage, the substrate feed mechanism, the alignment mechanism, and the like. When the configuration of the mechanism including the intermediate substrate support mechanism is the first exposure line, the second exposure line which has the same configuration as the first exposure line and is arranged parallel to the first exposure line is further added. The exposure light irradiation mechanism is arranged above the central portion of the first exposure line and the second exposure line in the plane direction, and the first photomask and the second photomask of the first exposure line are provided. It is preferable to have an optical path switching means for switching and irradiating each of the first photomask and the second photomask of the second exposure line.

[10] In the exposure apparatus of the present invention, the substrate has the photosensitive layers on both the front and back surfaces, and the first photomask, the second photomask, and the alignment arranged on the surface side of the substrate. A front surface side exposure light irradiation mechanism having the same configuration as the mechanism and the exposure light irradiation mechanism, and the first photomask, the second photomask, the alignment mechanism, and the exposure light irradiation mechanism arranged on the back surface side of the substrate. The back surface side exposure light irradiation mechanism having the same configuration as the above is arranged so as to face each other with the first stage and the second stage interposed therebetween, and the first stage and the second stage are on the back surface of the substrate. It is preferable that a through hole capable of irradiating the exposure light is provided.

According to the exposure apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the cost of the photomask, transfer the mask pattern to a large-format substrate with high accuracy, and increase the productivity even in the split exposure method.

It is a top view which shows a part of the substrate 10 when the exposure target area 14 is divided in the width direction of the substrate 10, and shows an example of a transfer pattern 12. It is a top view which shows the 1st photomask 11A. It is a top view which shows the 2nd photomask 11B. It is a top view which shows a part of the substrate 10 when the exposure target area 22 is divided in the length direction of the substrate 10, and shows an example of a transfer pattern 21. It is a top view which shows the 1st photomask 20A. It is a top view which shows the 2nd photomask 20B. It is a front view which shows the schematic structure of the exposure apparatus 1. It is a top view which shows the schematic structure of the exposure apparatus 1. It is a process flow chart which shows the main process of the exposure method when the exposure apparatus 1 is used. It is a top view which shows the schematic structure of the exposure apparatus 2. It is a process flow chart which shows the main process of the exposure method when the exposure apparatus 2 is used. It is a top view which shows the schematic structure of the exposure apparatus 3. It is explanatory drawing which schematically explains the structure and operation of the exposure light irradiation mechanism 55A on the 1st stage 25 side seen from the left side (thick arrow direction) of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which schematically explains the structure and operation of the exposure light irradiation mechanism 55B on the 2nd stage 26 side seen from the left side (thick arrow direction) of FIG. It is a process flow chart which shows the main process of the exposure method when the exposure apparatus 3 is used. It is a top view which shows the schematic structure of the exposure apparatus 4. It is explanatory drawing which shows typically the structure and operation of the exposure light irradiation mechanism 62, and shows the state which irradiates the exposure light 50 to the 1st exposure line 60 side. It is explanatory drawing which shows typically the structure and operation of the exposure light irradiation mechanism 62, and shows the state which irradiates the exposure light 50 to the 2nd exposure line 61 side. It is a process flow chart which shows the main process of the exposure method when the exposure apparatus 4 is used. It is a front view which shows the schematic structure of the exposure apparatus 5. It is a process flow chart which shows the main process of the exposure method when the exposure apparatus 5 is used.

Hereinafter, the exposure apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. The drawings described below are schematic views that do not strictly reflect the actual structure, dimensions, vertical and horizontal scales, and the like. Further, the mask pattern described below is the shape of a hole provided in the photomask through which the exposure light is passed, and the pattern transfer is to irradiate the exposure light through the photomask to apply the mask pattern to the substrate. The transfer pattern is a pattern formed on a substrate by this transfer process.

[Structure of substrate 10, first photomask 11A and second photomask 11B]
First, a configuration example of the substrate 10, the first photomask 11A, and the second photomask 11B, which are the objects to be exposed, will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3. The example shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 is an example in which the exposure target region 14 is divided into two in the width direction of the substrate 10.

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a part of the substrate 10 when the exposure target region 14 is divided in the width direction of the substrate 10, and represents an example of the transfer pattern 12. The mask pattern 12 shown in FIG. 1 is actually arranged at a high density and may be composed of a curved line, but is shown in FIG. 1 for simplification. Further, in the following description, the feed direction (length direction) of the substrate 10 is defined as the X direction, the width direction is defined as the Y direction, and the direction perpendicular to the XY plane is described as the Z direction or the vertical direction. The substrate 10 is a photosensitive substrate having a photosensitive layer formed on its surface, and is a long substrate wound in a roll shape.

A plurality of through holes 13 are formed on the substrate 10 illustrated in FIG. 1, and the transfer pattern 12 connects the lands of the two through holes 13. However, one transfer pattern 12 may connect a plurality of through holes 13. The formation range of the transfer pattern 12 will be described as an exposure target region 14. The exposure target region 14 conveniently represents the range of exposure light irradiation when forming the transfer pattern 12, and is arranged in series in the feed direction of the substrate 10, although it is not visible. One exposure target area 14 corresponds to one cycle of the exposure process. The exposure target area 14 is divided into a first exposure target area 14A and a second exposure target area 15B by a virtual dividing line 15 in the width direction of the substrate 10. The virtual dividing line is a line that cannot be actually seen, and will be simply referred to as a dividing line in the following description. In FIG. 1, the transfer pattern in the first exposure target region 14A is referred to as a transfer pattern 12A, and the transfer pattern in the second exposure target region 14B is referred to as a transfer pattern 12B. The transfer pattern 12 is formed by synthesizing the transfer pattern 12A and the transfer pattern 12B. Recognition marks 16 are arranged at the four outer corners of the exposure target area 14 of the substrate 10. The recognition mark 16 is a so-called alignment mark used for alignment with the photomasks 11A and 11B.

In the conventional technique, the mask pattern 12 is pattern-transferred to the substrate 10 by one photomask 11 over the entire exposure target area 14, but when the plane size of the substrate 10 (exposure target area 14) becomes large, the photomask 11 becomes large. In the outer peripheral portion, the dimensional error tends to be larger than that in the central portion, and the position shift of the transfer pattern 12 with respect to the through hole 13 is likely to occur. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the exposure target area 14 is divided into the first exposure target area 14A and the second exposure target area 14B by the dividing line 15 in the width direction (Y direction) of the substrate 10. The photomask corresponding to the first exposure target area 14A is the first photomask 11A (see FIG. 2), and the photomask corresponding to the second exposure target area 14B is the second photomask 11B (see FIG. 3). The mask pattern is transferred to the substrate 10 using a photomask. The dividing line 15 has an arbitrary shape capable of dividing the first exposure region 14A and the second exposure region 14B without dividing the transfer pattern.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the first photomask 11A. The first photomask 11A is formed with a mask pattern 17A arranged in the first exposure target region 14A. The mask pattern 17A is a hole through which the exposure light passes, and the transfer pattern 12A is formed on the substrate 10 by the exposure process.

Recognition marks 18 are provided at the four corners of the first photomask 11A. The recognition mark 18 is arranged at the same position as the recognition mark 16 provided on the substrate 10, and the recognition mark 16 on the substrate 10 side can be visually recognized from above the photomask 11A, and is recognized as the recognition mark 16. The position deviation from the mark 18 can be detected by the CCD camera 36 (see FIG. 7), which is a position detection device, and the substrate 10 and the photomask 11A can be relatively aligned. Although the recognition mark 18 shown in FIG. 2 is circular, the shape is not limited as long as the recognition mark 16 can be detected by the CCD camera 36, such as being a triangle, a quadrangle, or another polygon. On the other hand, the recognition mark 16 on the substrate 10 side is not limited to a circle but may be a cross character or the like. The recognition marks 16 and 18 are arranged outside the exposure target area 14. The area displayed by hatching in the figure is the light-shielding area 19, and the area of the second exposure target area 14B is the light-shielding area 19.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the second photomask 11B. The second photomask 11B is formed with a mask pattern 17B arranged in the second exposure target region 14B. The mask pattern 17B is a hole through which the exposure light passes, and the transfer pattern 12B is formed on the substrate 10 by the exposure process. Recognition marks 18 are arranged at the four corners of the second photomask 11B. The recognition mark 18 is arranged at the same position as the recognition mark 16 provided on the substrate 10. That is, the first photomask 11A and the second photomask 11B are provided with recognition marks 18 having the same position and the same shape. Therefore, in the exposure process using two photomasks 11A and 11B, it is possible to suppress the misalignment of the transfer patterns 12A and 12B with respect to the through holes 13. The area displayed by hatching in the figure is the light-shielding area 19, and the range of the first exposure target area 14A is the light-shielding area 19. The first photomask 11A shown in FIG. 2 and the second photomask 11B shown in FIG. 3 are examples of hard masks in which a chromium light-shielding film is formed on a glass substrate.

[Structure of substrate 10, first photomask 20A and second photomask 20B]
Subsequently, a configuration example of the substrate 10, the first photomask 20A, and the second photomask 20B, which are the objects to be exposed, will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6. The examples shown in FIGS. 4 to 6 are examples in which the exposure target area 22 is divided into two in the length direction (feed direction) of the substrate 10.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a part of the substrate 10 when the exposure target region 22 is divided in the length direction of the substrate 10, and shows an example of the transfer pattern 21. The mask pattern 21 shown in FIG. 4 is actually arranged at a high density and may be composed of a curved line, but is shown in FIG. 4 for simplification. The transfer pattern 21 shown in FIG. 4 represents an example of being extended in the length direction. The substrate 10 is a photosensitive substrate having a photosensitive layer formed on its surface, and is a long substrate wound in a roll shape.

A plurality of through holes 13 are formed on the substrate 10 illustrated in FIG. 4, and the transfer pattern 21 connects the lands of the two through holes 13. However, one transfer pattern 21 may connect a plurality of through holes 13. The formation range of the transfer pattern 21 will be described as an exposure target region 22. The exposure target region 22 conveniently represents the range of exposure light irradiation when forming the transfer pattern 21. One exposure target area 22 corresponds to one cycle of the exposure process. The exposure target area 22 is divided into a first exposure target area 22A and a second exposure target area 22B by a dividing line 23 in the length direction (feeding direction) of the substrate 10. The dividing line 23 may be a straight line or an arbitrary curve, and the exposure target area 22 may not be divided into two equal parts.

In FIG. 4, the transfer pattern in the first exposure target region 22A is referred to as a transfer pattern 21A, and the transfer pattern in the second exposure target region 22B is referred to as a transfer pattern 21B. The transfer pattern 22 is formed by synthesizing the transfer pattern 22A and the transfer pattern 22B. The photomask corresponding to the first exposure target area 22A is the first photomask 20A (see FIG. 5), and the photomask corresponding to the second exposure target area 22B is the second photomask 20B (see FIG. 6). The mask pattern is transferred to the substrate 10 using a photomask. In FIG. 4, the first photomask 20A is represented by a dotted line, and the second photomask 20B is represented by a alternate long and short dash line. Recognition marks 16A are arranged at the four outer corners of the exposure target area 20A of the substrate 10. The recognition mark 16A is used for alignment with the first photomask 20A. Recognition marks 16A are also arranged at the four outer corners of the exposure target area 20B of the substrate 10 and are used for alignment with the second photomask 20B.

In the example shown in FIG. 4, the recognition marks 16A are provided at six places, but the two recognition marks 16A at the boundary between the first exposure target area 22A and the second exposure area 22A are the first photo. Commonly used for mask 20A and second photomask 20B. However, the recognition marks 16A corresponding to the first photomask 20A may be arranged at four places, and the recognition marks 16A corresponding to the second photomask 20B may be provided at four places, respectively.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing the first photomask 20A. The first photomask 20A is formed with a mask pattern 24A arranged in the first exposure target area 22A. The mask pattern 24A is a hole through which the exposure light passes, and the transfer pattern 21A is formed on the substrate 10 by the exposure process.

Recognition marks 18A are provided at the four corners of the first photomask 20A. The recognition mark 18A is arranged at the same position as the recognition mark 16A provided on the substrate 10, and the recognition mark 16A on the substrate 10 side can be visually recognized from above the first photomask 20A, and the recognition mark 16A can be visually recognized. The displacement between the substrate 10 and the recognition mark 18A can be detected by the CCD camera 36 (see FIG. 7), which is a position detection device, and the substrate 10 and the first photomask 20A can be relatively aligned. .. Although the recognition mark 18A shown in FIG. 5 is circular, the shape is not limited as long as the recognition mark 16A can be detected by the CCD camera 36, such as being a triangle, a quadrangle, or another polygon. The recognition marks 16A and 18A are arranged outside the first exposure target area 22A. The area displayed by hatching in the figure is the light-shielding area 19.

FIG. 6 is a plan view showing the second photomask 20B. The first photomask 20B is formed with a mask pattern 24B arranged in the second exposure target area 22B. The mask pattern 24B is a hole through which exposure light passes, and a transfer pattern 21B is formed on the substrate 10 by an exposure process. The position of the joint portion between the mask pattern 24A and the mask pattern 24B is adjusted with high accuracy. However, the joint portions of the two may be intersected within, for example, several μm.

Recognition marks 18A are provided at the four corners of the second photomask 20B. The recognition mark 18A is arranged at the same position as the recognition mark 16A provided on the substrate 10, and the recognition mark 16A on the substrate 10 side can be visually recognized from above the second photomask 20B, and the recognition mark 16A can be visually recognized. The displacement between the substrate 10 and the recognition mark 18A can be detected by the CCD camera 36 (see FIG. 7), which is a position detection device, and the substrate 10 and the second photomask 20B can be aligned. The recognition marks 16A and 18A are arranged outside the second exposure target area 22B. The area displayed by hatching in the figure is the light-shielding area 19.

Subsequently, a specific embodiment of the exposure apparatus will be described. In each of the first to fifth embodiments described below, the exposure apparatus applied to the substrate 10, the first photomask 11A, and the second photomask 11B described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3 is a typical example. explain. Each embodiment can also be applied to the substrate 10, the first photomask 20A, and the second photomask 20B described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6. For example, the first photomask 11A is read as the first photomask 20A, the second photomask 11B is read as the second photomask 20B, the transfer pattern 12 is read as the transfer pattern 21, and the exposure target area 14 is read as the exposure target area 22. Since it can be explained by replacing the reference numerals of the constituent elements and the constituent members, the description of the exposure apparatus using the substrate 10 and the first photomask 11A and the second photomask 11B, which are the objects to be exposed described in FIGS. 4 to 6, will be described. Omit.

[First Embodiment]
FIG. 7 is a front view showing a schematic configuration of the exposure apparatus 1, and FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of the exposure apparatus 1. Note that FIG. 8 omits the illustration of the exposure light irradiation mechanism 30. The exposure apparatus 1 corresponds to the first photomask 11A and the second exposure target area 14B corresponding to the first exposure target area 14A obtained by dividing the exposure light target area 14 arranged in series on the long photosensitive substrate 10 into two. This is an apparatus for transferring the mask patterns 17A and 17B to the substrate 10 using the second photomask 11B to form the transfer pattern 12.

The exposure apparatus 1 has a first stage 25 arranged on the upstream side in the feeding direction of the substrate 10 (from the left side to the right side in the drawing) and a second stage 26 arranged on the downstream side. The first stage 25 and the second stage 26 are configured to attract and hold the lower surface of the exposure target region 14 of the substrate 10, respectively. Although not shown, the first stage 25 and the second stage 26 have suction holes for vacuum-sucking the substrate 10. The first stage 25 is a place where the mask pattern 17A is transferred to the first exposure target area 14A, and the second stage 26 is a place where the mask pattern 17B is transferred to the second exposure target area 14B.

The exposure apparatus 1 includes a substrate feeding mechanism 27 that sends the substrate 10 from the first stage 25 to the second stage 26, a position between the substrate 10 (first exposure target area 14A) and the first photomask 11A, and the substrate 10 (the substrate 10). It has an alignment mechanism 28 that determines a position between the second exposure target region 14B) and the second photomask 11B. The first photomask 11A and the second photomask 11B are fixed to the photomask moving mechanism 34 by a mask frame (not shown). The exposure apparatus 1 irradiates the exposure light irradiation mechanism 30A for irradiating the first photomask 11A on the first stage 25 with the exposure light 50 and the exposure light 50 for irradiating the second photomask 11B on the second stage 26 with the exposure light 50. It has a mechanism 30B. The exposure light irradiation mechanisms 30A and 30B have the same configuration.

The substrate feed mechanism 27 has a substrate feed roll 31 arranged on the upstream side of the first stage 25 in the substrate feed direction, and a substrate take-up roll 32 arranged on the downstream side of the second stage 26 in the substrate feed direction. ing. Further, the substrate feed mechanism 27 has a substrate intermediate support mechanism 33 between the first stage 25 and the second stage 26. The substrate intermediate support mechanism 33 is composed of a dancer roller 42 and an intermediate roller 43, and suppresses slackening of the substrate 10 when the substrate is fed. Although not shown, the substrate intermediate support mechanism 33 may be provided with a substrate support stage instead of the dancer roller 42. The substrate support stage is provided with a vacuum suction hole to suck and hold the substrate 10 during a process other than feeding the substrate. The substrate feeding roll 31 and the substrate winding roll 32 are controlled so as to feed the substrate 10 at the same timing and stop at the same timing. A nip roller is arranged in front of the substrate winding roll 32 in the substrate feeding direction. You may.

The alignment mechanism 28 is arranged on both the first stage 25 and the second stage 26. The alignment mechanism 28 includes a CCD camera 36, which is a position detecting device, and a photomask moving mechanism 34. Since the alignment mechanism 28 has the same configuration in the first stage 25 and the second stage 26, the first stage 25 side will be described as a representative. The CCD camera 36 is arranged at a position capable of detecting the recognition marks 16 provided at four places on the substrate 10 and the recognition marks 18 provided at four places on the first photomask 11A. There is. In the first stage 25, the CCD camera 36 simultaneously detects the positions of the recognition marks 16 and 18, and identifies the positions of the substrate 10, that is, the first exposure target area 14A and the first photomask 11A. In the second stage 26, the CCD camera 36 simultaneously detects the positions of the recognition marks 16 and 18 to identify the positions of the substrate 10, that is, the second exposure target area 14B and the second photomask 11B.

The photomask moving mechanism 34 includes an X-axis moving mechanism 38, a Y-axis moving mechanism 39, a Z-axis moving mechanism 40, and a θ-axis rotating mechanism 41. In the first stage 25, the photomask moving mechanism 34 attaches the first photomask 11A (recognition mark 18) to the substrate 10 (recognition mark 16) based on the amount of displacement of the positions of the recognition marks 16 and 18 detected by the CCD camera 36. Align with the position of. The photomask moving mechanism 34 is aligned in the plane direction by the X-axis moving mechanism 38 and the Y-axis moving mechanism 39, and the θ-axis rotating mechanism 41 is centered on the Z-axis with respect to the X-axis or Y-axis of the first photomask 11A. Correct the amount of tilt deviation. The Z-axis moving mechanism 40 moves the first photomask 11A up and down to adjust the gap between the photomask 11A and the substrate 10 to an optimum value (for example, several μm) during the exposure process. When feeding the substrate, the Z-axis drive mechanism 40 raises the first photomask 11A to a height at which the substrate 10 does not contact.

The alignment operation in the second stage can be described in the same manner as in the first stage 25 by replacing the first photomask 11A with the second photomask 11B in the above description, and thus the description thereof will be omitted. ..

In FIGS. 7 and 8, the alignment mechanism 28 on the first stage 25 side and the alignment mechanism 28 on the second stage 26 side are arranged so as to face each other in the same direction, but in directions facing each other. It may be arranged. By arranging the alignment mechanisms 28 so as to face each other in the same direction, when the first stage 25 and the alignment mechanism 28 are included in the unit, the second stage 26 and the unit including the alignment mechanism can have the same configuration. It will be possible.

In the first stage 25, the exposure light irradiation mechanism 30A has a light source 45 and reflection mirrors 47 and 48 that reflect the light emitted from the light source 45 and irradiate the first photo mask 11A with the exposure light 50. As the optical system of the exposure light irradiation mechanism 30A, lenses that convert the exposure light 50 into parallel light are arranged, but illustration and description thereof will be omitted. The exposure light irradiation mechanism 30A composed of the light source 45 and the reflection mirrors 47 and 48 is an example, and is not limited to this configuration. The second stage 26 side is also provided with the exposure light irradiation mechanism 30B having the same configuration as the first stage 25 side. In the second stage 26, the light emitted from the light source 45 is reflected by the reflection mirrors 47 and 48 and is irradiated to the second photomask 11B as the exposure light 50.

Subsequently, the exposure method when the exposure apparatus 1 is used will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8 along the process flow chart shown in FIG.

FIG. 9 is a process flow chart showing the main steps of the exposure method when the exposure apparatus 1 is used. Prior to the start of operation of the exposure apparatus 1, the substrate 10 is set at positions where the recognition marks 16 and 18 can be detected by the CCD cameras 36 on the first stage 25 and the second stage 26. At the start of operation of the exposure apparatus 1, it is assumed that the mask pattern 12 has not been transferred to both the first exposure target area 14A and the second exposure target area 14B. First, in the first stage 25, the position of the first photomask 11A is aligned with the substrate 10 (step S1). In this step, the CCD camera 36 detects the displacement of the recognition marks 16 and 18, and drives the photomask moving mechanism 34 to position the first photomask 11A at an appropriate position with respect to the substrate 10 (first exposure target area 14A). To match.

Next, the exposure light 50 is irradiated from the exposure light irradiation mechanism 30A, the first mask pattern 12A is transferred to the first exposure target region 14A (step S2), and the substrate 10 is fed by the substrate feeding mechanism 27 for one pitch (step S3). ). On the substrate 10, the exposure target region 14 to which the first mask pattern 12A is transferred is attracted and held at a predetermined position on the second stage. An exposure target region 14 on which the mask pattern 12 is not transferred is arranged on the first stage 25. Next, in the second stage 26, the second photomask 11B is aligned with the substrate 10 (second exposure target region 14B) at an appropriate position (step S4). This alignment operation is performed in the same operation as step S1 in the first stage 25.

After aligning the position of the second photomask 14B with the substrate 10, the exposure light 50 is irradiated, and the second mask pattern 17B is transferred to the second exposure target region 14B in the second stage 26 (step S5). After transferring the second mask pattern 17B to the second exposure target region 14B in the second stage 26, the substrate 10 is fed by one pitch (step S6), and steps S1 to S6 are repeated until a predetermined number of times is reached. After that, since the first exposure target region 14A to which the mask pattern 17A is transferred is always arranged in the second stage 26, the positions of the substrate 10 and the second photomask 11A are aligned (step S4), and the second stage The step of transferring the second mask pattern 17B to the exposure target region 14B (step S5) can be performed in parallel with steps S1 and S2 in the first stage 25.

In the exposure apparatus 1, the alignment mechanism 28 and the exposure light irradiation apparatus 30 are independently arranged in the first stage 25 and the second stage 26, respectively. As a result, the alignment of the first photomask (step S1) and the alignment with the second photomask (step S4) can be performed at the same time while the exposure apparatus 1 is continuously operated. Further, while the first mask pattern 17A is transferred to the substrate 10 in the first stage 25 (step S2), the alignment with the second photomask can be performed in the second stage 26 (step S4). Yes, it is possible to align the first photomask in the first stage 25 (step S1) while the second mask pattern 17B is being transferred to the substrate 10 in the second stage 26 (step S5). ..

In the exposure devices 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 described above, one of the plurality of exposure target regions 14, 22 arranged in series in the feed direction of the substrate 10 having the photosensitive layer is set as the first exposure target regions 14A, 22A. The first photomasks 11A and 20A and the second exposure target areas corresponding to the first exposure target areas 14A and 22A are divided into the second exposure target areas 14B and 22B by virtual dividing lines 15 and 23 having arbitrary shapes. This is an apparatus for transferring the mask patterns 17A, 17B, 24A, 24B to the substrate 10 by using the second photomasks 11B, 20A corresponding to 14B, 22B. The exposure apparatus 1 is arranged on the upstream side in the feed direction of the substrate 10 and is arranged on the first stage 25 supporting the exposure target areas 14 and 22 of the substrate 10 and on the downstream side of the first stage 25, and is arranged on the downstream side of the first stage 25 and is exposed. , 22 and a substrate feeding mechanism 27 for feeding the exposure target areas 14 and 22 from the first stage 25 to the second stage 26. Further, the exposure apparatus 1 has an alignment mechanism 28 for aligning the relative positions between the first exposure target areas 14A and 22A and the first photomask 11A in the first stage 25, and the second exposure target areas 14B and 22B and the second exposure device 1. The first photomasks 11A and 20A on the first stage 25 are irradiated with the light emitted from the light source 45 as the exposure light 50 and the alignment mechanism 28 that aligns each of the relative positions between the two photomasks 11B. It also includes exposure light irradiation mechanisms 30A, 30B, 35, 55A, 55B, 62 that irradiate the second photomasks 11B, 20B on the second stage 26.

The exposure devices 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 shorten the length (distance) from the center of the mask patterns 17A and 17B by dividing the exposure target area 14 in the width direction of the substrate 10 by the dividing line 15. It is possible to transfer to the substrate 10 with high accuracy. Further, by dividing the exposure target region 22 in the length direction of the substrate 10 along the dividing line 23, a mask pattern having the same length in the substrate feed direction of the first photomask 20A and the second photomask 20B is transferred to the substrate 10. It is about half that of a photomask that supports batch exposure. This makes it possible to significantly reduce the costs of the first photomask 20A and the second photomask 20B.

Further, the exposure devices 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 have an alignment mechanism 28 in each of the first stage 25 and the second stage 26, and further, exposure light on the first stage 25 and the second stage 26. It has exposure light irradiation mechanisms 30A, 30B, 35, 55A, 55B, 62 capable of irradiating 50. As a result, while the pattern is transferred in the first stage 25, the second stage 26 performs relative alignment between the second photomasks 11B and 20B0A and the substrate 10, and also in the second stage. While the pattern is being transferred at 26, in the first stage 25, the alignment between the first photomasks 11A and 20B and the substrate 10 can be performed. Therefore, even in the split exposure method in which the exposure is performed in two steps and the pattern is transferred, the exposure device is equivalent to the conventional batch exposure method in which the pattern is transferred in one time using a large format photomask. It is possible to suppress the tact time (or cycle time). Productivity can be increased by considering the tact time and the improvement in yield accompanying the high accuracy of the transfer pattern.

Therefore, according to the exposure apparatus 1 having such a configuration, the cost of the photomask is reduced, and the mask patterns 17A, 17B, 4A, and 24B are transferred to the large-format substrate 10 with high accuracy, and the split exposure method is used. However, it is possible to increase productivity.

In the example of the exposure target object described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, the exposure target region 14 is divided by a virtual dividing line 15 in the width direction of the substrate 10. The first photomask 11A is composed of a mask pattern 17A formed in the range of the first exposure target area 14A and a light-shielding region 19 formed in the second exposure target area 14B. It is composed of a mask pattern 17B formed in the range of the second exposure target region 14B and a light-shielding region 19 formed in the first exposure target region 14A.

When a single large-format photomask is used for batch exposure to a substrate, the displacement of the transfer pattern tends to be larger on the outer peripheral side of the substrate than in the central portion as the format becomes larger. In the substrate feed direction, it is possible to align with the substrate feed amount (feed pitch) to some extent, but it is difficult to correct the positional deviation in the width direction. Therefore, by dividing the exposure target region 14 in the width direction of the substrate 10 and exposing the mask patterns 17A and 17B, the length (distance) from the center of the mask patterns 17A and 17B is shortened so that the mask patterns 17A and 17B are transferred to the substrate 10 with high accuracy. Is possible.

In the examples described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6, the exposure target area 22 is divided by a virtual dividing line 23 in the length direction of the substrate 10, and the first photomask 20A covers the first exposure target area 22A. The second photomask 20B has a plane size and has a plane size that covers the second exposure target region 22B.

In general, the cost of a photomask increases as the plane size (area) increases. By dividing the exposure target area 22 into the first photomask 20A and the second photomask 20B in the length direction (feeding direction) of the substrate 10, the areas of the first photomask 20A and the second photomask 20B are exposed. The area is about half that of the photomask that collectively exposes the area 22. By doing so, the cost of the first photomask 20A and the second photomask 20B can be significantly reduced as compared with the photomask for batch exposure.

The alignment mechanism 28 is arranged in each of the first stage 25 and the second stage 26. On the other hand, the alignment mechanism 28 includes a CCD camera 36 which is a position detection device for detecting the positions of the first exposure target areas 14A and 22A and the first photomasks 11A and 20A on the first stage 25, and the substrate 10 based on the detection result. It has a photomask moving mechanism 34 that aligns the relative positions of the first photomask 11A. The other alignment mechanism 28 is a CCD camera 36 which is a position detecting device for detecting the positions of the second exposure target areas 14B and 22B and the second photomask 11B on the second stage 26, and the substrate 10 based on the detection result. It has a photomask moving mechanism 34 that aligns the relative positions of the two photomasks 11B and 20B.

With such a configuration, in the second stage 26, the positions of the second photomasks 11B and 20B are aligned with the substrate on which the mask patterns 17A and 24A are transferred and the second photomasks 11B and 20B are exposed. Therefore, it is possible to form the transfer patterns 12 and 21 without any misalignment.

Further, the exposure apparatus 1 has a substrate intermediate support mechanism 33 arranged between the first stage 25 and the second stage 26. The first stage 25, the substrate intermediate support mechanism 33, and the second stage 26 are arranged in series. The substrate intermediate support mechanism 33 serves as a buffer for feeding the substrate between the first stage 25 and the second stage 26. Since the substrate 10 is long, there is a possibility that misalignment may occur in a pre-process of the exposure process or the like. However, by providing a buffer for the substrate feed, the substrate 10 is independently aligned with the first photomasks 11A and 20A in the first stage 25, and the substrate 10 is independently aligned in the second stage. It is possible to perform relative alignment between the second photomasks 11B and 20B.

Further, the exposure light irradiation mechanism 30 has a light source 45 and reflection mirrors 47 and 48 that reflect the light emitted from the light source 45 and irradiate it as the exposure light 50, and the exposure light irradiation mechanism 30 includes the first stage 25 and the first stage 25. It is arranged above each of the two stages 26.

With such a configuration, it is possible to independently irradiate the exposure light 50 in the first stage 25 and the exposure light 50 in the second stage 26. As a result, in each of the first stage 25 and the second stage 26, it is possible to control each operation of alignment, pattern transfer, and substrate feed so as to have the shortest tact time.

Although the exposure apparatus 1 has been described by giving an example of dividing the exposure target areas 14 and 22 into two in the width direction or the length direction of the substrate 10, it is also possible to divide the exposure target areas 14 and 22 into three or four. For example, in the case of dividing into three, it is possible by connecting the third stage in addition to the first stage 25 and the second stage 26. An alignment mechanism, an exposure light irradiation mechanism, and a third photomask are arranged in the third stage, and a substrate intermediate support mechanism is arranged between the second stage 26 and the third stage.

Further, in the exposure apparatus 1, it can be applied to batch exposure in which the exposure target area 14 is not divided. For example, in the first stage 25 and the second stage 26, if the alignment step and the pattern transfer step are performed at the same time and the substrate 10 is fed by two pitches, the tact time is about the tact time of the first embodiment. It is possible to halve it.

[Second Embodiment]
Subsequently, the configuration of the exposure apparatus 2 according to the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the exposure device 2, the above-mentioned exposure device 1 has exposure light irradiation mechanisms 30A and 30B corresponding to the first stage 25 and the second stage 26, respectively, whereas the exposure light irradiation mechanism 35 sets an optical path. The difference is that the exposure light 50 is irradiated by switching between the 1st stage 25 side and the 2nd stage 26 side. An example in which the first photomask 11A and the second photomask 11B are used as the photomasks will be described as a typical example.

FIG. 10 is a front view showing a schematic configuration of the exposure apparatus 2. Since the exposure apparatus 2 has the same configuration as the exposure apparatus 1 except for the exposure light irradiation mechanism 35, the configuration and operation of the exposure light irradiation mechanism 35 will be mainly described. In FIG. 10, the common parts with the exposure apparatus 1 are designated by the same reference numerals as those in FIG. The exposure device 2 has a first stage 25, a second stage 26, a substrate feed mechanism 27, and an alignment mechanism 28 on the main body side. The light source 45 of the exposure light irradiation mechanism 35 is arranged at an intermediate position on a straight line connecting the first stage 25 and the second stage 26, and above the intermediate position in the Y direction.

The exposure light irradiation mechanism 35 switches the optical path between the direction of irradiating the first photo mask 11A and the direction of irradiating the second photo mask 11B with the light emitted from the light source 45 and the light source 45 as the exposure light 50. It has means 46 and reflection mirrors 47 and 48. The optical path switching means 46 includes a reflection mirror 49, a switching mechanism for switching the tilt angle of the reflection mirror 49 with respect to the surfaces of the first stage 11A and the second stage 11B, and a rotation mechanism for rotating the reflection mirror 49 around the Z axis (both not shown in the figure). Omitted) and.

When the first photomask 11A is irradiated with the exposure light 50, the reflection mirror 49 is controlled by the optical path switching means 46 to the posture represented by the reflection mirror 49A (dotted line in the figure). The light emitted from the light source 45 is switched to the optical path 29A by the reflection mirror 49A, and is irradiated to the first photo mask 11A as exposure light 50 by the reflection mirror 47. When the second photomask 11B is irradiated with the exposure light 50, the reflection mirror 49 is controlled by the optical path switching means 46 to the posture represented by the reflection mirror 49B (solid line in the figure). The light emitted from the light source 45 is switched to the optical path 29B by the reflection mirror 49B, and is irradiated to the second photo mask 11B as the exposure light 50 by the reflection mirror 48. The exposure light 50 is irradiated perpendicularly to the surfaces of the first photomask 11A and the second photomask 11B. As the optical system of the exposure light irradiation mechanism 35, lenses that convert the exposure light 50 into parallel light are arranged, but illustration and description thereof will be omitted.

When irradiating the first exposure target region 14A with the exposure light 50, or when irradiating the second exposure target region 14B with the exposure light 50, the irradiation range can be controlled by the optical path switching means 46. .. For example, by switching the tilt angle of the reflection mirror 49, the first reflection mirror 47, and the second reflection mirror 48 with respect to the surface of the first stage 11A or the second stage 11B, respectively, the first exposure target area 14A or the second exposure target area It is possible to focus on 14B. Alternatively, the light source 45 having directivity may be selected.

Subsequently, the exposure method when the exposure apparatus 2 is used will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3 and 10 while following the process flow chart shown in FIG. An example in which the first photomask 11A and the second photomask 11B described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3 are used will be described as typical examples.

FIG. 11 is a process flow chart showing the main steps of the exposure method when the exposure apparatus 2 is used. Prior to the start of operation of the exposure apparatus 2, the substrate 10 is set at a position where the CCD camera 36 on the first stage 25 and the second stage 26 can detect the recognition mark 16. At the start of operation of the exposure apparatus 2, it is assumed that the mask pattern 12 has not been transferred to both the first exposure target area 14A and the second exposure target area 14B. First, in the first stage 25, the substrate 10 (the first photomask 11A is aligned at an appropriate position with respect to the first exposure target area 14A (step S1). In this step, the recognition marks 16 and 18 are formed by the CCD camera 36. The misalignment is detected, and the photomask moving mechanism 34 is driven to align the first photomask 11A with the substrate 10.

Next, the optical path switching means 46 switches to the optical path 29A so as to irradiate the first photomask 11A with the exposure light 50 (step S2), and the mask pattern 17A is transferred to the first exposure target region 14A (step S3). After pattern transfer, the substrate 10 is fed by the substrate feeding mechanism 27 for one pitch (step S4). As a result, the exposed area 14 to which the mask pattern 12A is transferred is attracted and held at a predetermined position on the second stage. An exposure target region 14 on which the mask pattern 12A is not transferred is arranged on the first stage 25. Next, the position of the second photomask 11B is aligned with the substrate 10 (second exposure target area 14B) at an appropriate position (step S5). This alignment operation is performed in the same operation as step S1 in the first stage 25. The step of switching the optical path (step S2) can be performed at the same timing as in the first stage 25.

After aligning the position of the second photomask 14B with the substrate 10, the optical path switching means 46 switches to the optical path 29B so as to irradiate the second photomask 11B with the exposure light 50 (step S6), and the second stage 26 is performed. The mask pattern 17B is transferred to the exposure target region 14B (step S7). After pattern transfer, the substrate 10 is fed by the substrate feed mechanism 27 by one pitch (step S8), and the steps from step S1 to step S8 are repeated until a predetermined number is reached. The step of switching the optical path (step S6) can be performed in parallel from the feed step (step S4) of the substrate 10 to the end of the alignment step (step S5).

In the exposure apparatus 2, the alignment mechanism 28 is independently arranged in the first stage 25 and the second stage 26, respectively. As a result, it is possible to simultaneously perform the alignment of the first photomask 11A (step S1) and the alignment of the second photomask 11B (step S5) while the exposure apparatus 2 is continuously operated. .. Further, while the mask pattern 17A is transferred to the substrate 10 (first exposure target region 14A) in the first stage 25 (step S3), the substrate 10 (second exposure target region 14B) second in the second stage 26. Alignment with the photomask 11B (step 5) is possible, and while the mask pattern 17B is transferred to the substrate 10 (second exposure target area 14B) in the second stage 26 (step S7). In addition, it is possible to align the substrate 10 (first exposure target region 14A) and the first photomask 11A (step S1) in the first stage 25.

In the exposure apparatus 2 described above, the exposure light irradiation mechanism 35 is arranged above the intermediate position between the first stage 25 and the second stage 26, and emits light emitted from the light source 45 to the first photomask 11A or the first photomask 11A. 2 The optical path switching means 46 for switching to and irradiating the photomask 11B is provided.

The exposure apparatus 2 has the same configuration as the exposure apparatus 1 except that the exposure apparatus 1 described above is equipped with two sets of exposure light irradiation mechanisms 30 and one set of exposure light irradiation mechanisms 35. Is. The exposure light irradiation mechanism 35 irradiates the first photomask 11A with the exposure light 50 in the first stage 25, and then irradiates the second photomask 11B with the exposure light 50 in the second stage 26 by the optical path switching means 46. Switch the optical path. After irradiating the exposure light 50 in the second stage 26, the optical path is switched so that the first photomask 11A is irradiated with the exposure light 50 in the first stage by the optical path switching means 46. The exposure device 2 is a set of the exposure light irradiation mechanism 35, and can transfer the mask patterns 17A and 17B to the substrate. The exposure device 1 is configured to include the exposure light irradiation mechanisms 30A and 30B. Can be simplified.

Further, the alignment of the first photomask 11A (step S1) and the alignment of the second photomask 11B (step S5) can be performed at the same time. Further, while the first mask pattern 17A is transferred to the substrate 10 in the first stage 25 (step S3), the alignment with the second photomask can be performed in the second stage 26 (step 5). Yes, it is possible to align the first photomask 11A (step S1) in the first stage 25 while the second mask pattern 17B is being transferred to the substrate 10 in the second stage 26 (step S7). is there. Therefore, according to the exposure apparatus 2, although there is an operation of switching the optical path, the tact time is not longer than that of the exposure apparatus 1.

In the example of the exposure target object described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3, the exposure target region 14 is divided in the width direction of the substrate 10 and exposed, thereby shortening the lengths of the mask patterns 17A and 17B, thereby achieving high accuracy. Can be transferred to the substrate 10 with. Further, in the example of the exposed object described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6, the plane size (area) of the first photomask 20A and the second photomask 20B is relative to the photomask that collectively exposes the exposure target area 22. It will be about half. By doing so, the cost of the first photomask 20A and the second photomask 20B can be significantly reduced as compared with the photomask for batch exposure.

According to the exposure apparatus 2 described above, the cost of the first photomasks 20A and 20B can be reduced, and the mask patterns 17A and 17B or the mask patterns 24A and 24B can be transferred to the large format substrate 10 with high accuracy. This makes it possible to increase productivity even with the split exposure method.

[Third Embodiment]
Subsequently, the configuration of the exposure apparatus 3 according to the third embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 12 to 14. The exposure apparatus 3 is an apparatus in which the above-mentioned exposure apparatus 1 is arranged in two rows in parallel, and the mask patterns 17A and 17B or the mask patterns 24A and 4B are transferred to the substrate 10 by the exposure light irradiation mechanisms 55A and 55B (see FIG. 9). Is. One of the two rows of exposure lines is the first exposure line 60, and the other is the second exposure line 61. In the following description, an example of using the photomasks 11A and 11B will be described as a representative example.

FIG. 12 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of the exposure apparatus 3, and FIG. 13 shows the configuration and operation of the exposure light irradiation mechanism 55A on the first stage 25 side as viewed from the left side (thick arrow direction) of FIG. It is explanatory drawing which explains typically. FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram schematically explaining the configuration and operation of the exposure light irradiation mechanism 55B on the second stage 26 side as viewed from the left side (thick arrow direction) of FIG. Since the first exposure line 60 and the second exposure line 61 have the same configuration as the exposure apparatus 1 except for the exposure light irradiation mechanisms 30A and 30B, detailed description thereof will be omitted. 7 and 8 will be described with the same reference numerals. The exposure apparatus 3 includes a first exposure line 60, a second exposure line 61, and exposure light irradiation mechanisms 55A and 55B.

The first exposure line 60 includes a substrate sending roll 31, a first stage 25, a substrate intermediate support mechanism 33, a second stage 26, and a substrate winding roll 32 from the upstream side to the downstream side in the feeding direction (X-axis direction) of the substrate 10. Are arranged in series in the order of. An alignment mechanism 28 is arranged in each of the first stage 25 and the second stage 26. The alignment mechanism 28 includes a photomask moving mechanism 34 and a CCD camera 36 which is a position detecting device. The second exposure line 61 has the same configuration as the first exposure line 60. Therefore, in both the first exposure line 60 and the second exposure line 61, the first photomask 11A is arranged in the first stage 25, and the second photomask 11B is arranged in the second stage 26.

In addition, in order to distinguish the explanation of the operation of the first exposure line 60 and the second exposure line 61 in the following description, in the first exposure line 60, the first photomask 11A arranged in the first stage 25 is first. The second photomask 11B arranged on the photomask 11Aa and the second stage 26 is referred to as a second photomask 11Ba. Further, in the second exposure line 61, the first photomask 11A arranged in the first stage 25 is referred to as a first photomask 11Ab, and the photomask 11B arranged in the second stage 26 is referred to as a second photomask 11Bb.

An exposure light irradiation mechanism 55A is arranged at an intermediate position between the first stage 25 of the first exposure line 60 and the first stage 25 of the second exposure line 61. Further, an exposure light irradiation mechanism 55B is arranged at an intermediate position between the second stage 26 of the first exposure line 60 and the second stage 26 of the second exposure line 61. The configurations of the exposure light irradiation mechanism 55A and the exposure light irradiation mechanism 55B are the same. The exposure light irradiation mechanism 55A on the first stage 25 side switches the tilt angle of the reflection mirror 49 by the light path switching means 46, reflects the light emitted from the light source 45 by the first reflection mirror 47, and reflects it on the first photo mask 11Aa. It is irradiated, reflected by the second reflection mirror 48, and irradiated to the first photo mask 11Ab. On the other hand, in the exposure light irradiation mechanism 55B on the second stage 26 side as well as on the first stage 25 side, the tilt angle of the reflection mirror 49 is switched by the light path switching means 46 for the light emitted from the light source 45, and the first reflection mirror It is reflected by 47 and irradiates the second photomask 11Ba, and is reflected by the second reflection mirror 48 and irradiates the second photomask 11Bb. The operation of the exposure light irradiation mechanism 55A will be described in detail with reference to FIG. 13, and the operation of the exposure light irradiation mechanism 55B will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

On the first stage 25 side, as shown in FIG. 13, the exposure light irradiation mechanism 55A irradiates the first photo mask 11Aa on the first exposure line 60 side with the light emitted from the light source 45 and the light source 45 as the exposure light 50. It has an optical path switching means 46, a first reflection mirror 47, and a second reflection mirror 48 that switch and irradiate an optical path in a direction and a direction in which the first photo mask 11Ab on the second exposure line 61 side is irradiated.

When the exposure light 50 is irradiated to the first photomask 11Aa on the first exposure line 60 side, the reflection mirror 49 is switched to the posture represented by the reflection mirror 49A by the optical path switching means 46. The light path emitted from the light source 45 is switched to the optical path 29A by the reflection mirror 49A, reflected by the first reflection mirror 47, and irradiated to the first photo mask 11Aa as the exposure light 50. When the exposure light 50 is irradiated to the first photomask 11Ab on the second exposure line 61 side, the reflection mirror 49 is switched to the posture represented by the reflection mirror 49B by the optical path switching means 46. The light emitted from the light source 45 is switched to the optical path 29B by the reflection mirror 49B, reflected by the reflection mirror 48, and irradiated to the first photo mask 11Ab as the exposure light 50. The exposure light 50 is irradiated perpendicularly to the surfaces of the first photomasks 11Aa and 11Ab.

On the second stage 26 side, as shown in FIG. 14, the exposure light irradiation mechanism 55B irradiates the second photo mask 11Ba on the first exposure line 60 side with the light emitted from the light source 45 and the light source 45 as the exposure light 50. It has an optical path switching means 46, a first reflection mirror 47, and a second reflection mirror 48 that switch and irradiate an optical path in a direction and a direction in which the second photo mask 11Bb on the second exposure line 61 side is irradiated.

When the exposure light 50 is irradiated to the second photomask 11Ba on the first exposure line 60 side, the reflection mirror 49 is switched to the posture represented by the reflection mirror 49A by the optical path switching means 46. The light path emitted from the light source 45 is switched to the optical path 29A by the reflection mirror 49A, reflected by the first reflection mirror 47, and irradiated to the second photomask 11Ba as exposure light 50. When the exposure light 50 is irradiated to the second photomask 11Bb on the second exposure line 61 side, the reflection mirror 49 is switched to the posture represented by the reflection mirror 49B by the optical path switching means 46. The light emitted from the light source 45 is switched to the optical path 29B by the reflection mirror 49B, reflected by the reflection mirror 48, and irradiated to the second photo mask 11Bb as the exposure light 50. The exposure light 50 is irradiated perpendicularly to the surfaces of the second photomasks 11Ba and 11Bb. As the optical system of the exposure light irradiation mechanisms 55A and 55B, lenses that convert the exposure light 50 into parallel light are arranged, but illustration and description thereof will be omitted.

Subsequently, the exposure method when the exposure apparatus 3 is used will be described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 11 while following the process flow chart shown in FIG. An example of using the first photomask 11A and the second photomask 11B described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3 will be described.

FIG. 15 is a process flow chart showing the main steps of the exposure method when the exposure apparatus 3 is used. Prior to the start of operation of the exposure apparatus 3, the substrate 10 is set in the first exposure line 60 and the second exposure line 61 at positions where the CCD cameras 36 on the first stage 25 and the second stage 26 can detect the recognition mark 16. To do. At the start of operation of the exposure apparatus 3, it is assumed that the mask pattern 12 is not transferred to the exposure target region 14 on both the first exposure line 60 and the second exposure line 61.

In FIG. 15, the process flow shown on the left side is for the first exposure line 60, and the process flow shown on the right side is for the second exposure line 61. First, in the first stage 25 of the first exposure line 60, the position of the first photomask 11Aa is aligned with the substrate 10 (first exposure target area 14A) (step S1), and in parallel, the first of the second exposure line 61. In the stage 25, the position of the first photomask 11Ab is aligned with the substrate 10 (first exposure target area 14A) (step S2). Next, the optical path is switched to the optical path 29A by the optical path switching means 46 so that the exposure light 50 irradiates the first photomask 11Aa (step S3). If the initial setting of the exposure light irradiation mechanism 55A is to irradiate the first photomask 11Aa with the exposure light 50, step S3 is omitted. Subsequently, in the first stage 25 of the first exposure line 60, the mask pattern 17A is transferred to the first exposure target region 14A (step S4), and the exposure light 50 is transferred to the first photomask 11Ab on the second exposure line 61 side. The optical path is switched to the optical path 29B by the optical path switching means 46 so as to irradiate (step S5).

In the first exposure line 60, after the mask pattern 17A is transferred to the first exposure target region 14A in the first stage 25, the substrate 10 is fed by one pitch (step S6). As a result, the exposure target region 14 to which the mask pattern 17A is transferred is arranged at a predetermined position in the second stage 26. In the first stage 25, an exposure target region 14 in which the mask patterns 17A and 17B are not transferred is arranged.

In the second exposure line 61, after the optical path is switched, the mask pattern 17A is transferred to the first exposure target region 14A in the first stage 25 (step S7). In the first exposure line 60, after the substrate 10 is fed, the position of the second photomask 11Ba is aligned with the substrate 10 (second exposure target region 14B) in the second stage 26 (step S8). In the second exposure line 61, the substrate 10 on which the mask pattern 17A is transferred is fed by one pitch in the first stage 25 (step S9). As a result, the exposure target region 14 to which the mask pattern 17A is transferred is arranged at a predetermined position in the second stage 26. In the first stage 25, an exposure target region 14 in which the mask patterns 17A and 17B are not transferred is arranged.

In the first exposure line 60, the optical path is switched to the optical path 29A by the optical path switching means 46 so as to irradiate the second photomask 11Ba with the exposure light 50 (step S10), and the second exposure target region 14B is masked in the second stage 26. Pattern 17B is transferred (step S11).

In the second exposure line 61, after the substrate 10 is fed, the position of the second photomask 11Bb is aligned with the substrate 10 in the second stage 26 (step S12), and the exposure light 50 is applied to the second photomask 11Bb. The optical path is switched by the optical path switching means 46 (step S13), and the mask pattern 17B is transferred to the second exposure target region 14B in the second stage 26 (step S14).

In the first exposure line 60, after the transfer of the mask pattern 17A by the second photomask 11Ba is completed, the substrate 10 is fed by one pitch (step S15). Also in the second exposure line 61, after the transfer of the mask pattern 17A by the second photomask 11Bb is completed, the substrate 10 is fed by one pitch (step S16). Steps 1 to 16 described above are repeated until a predetermined number is reached.

The exposure apparatus 3 includes a first exposure line 60, a second exposure line 61, and exposure light irradiation mechanisms 55A and 55B. The first exposure line 60 and the second exposure line 61 each have a first stage 25 and a second stage 26 connected in series, and the first stage 25 and the second stage 26 are driven independently. It has an alignment mechanism 28 capable of In the process flow shown in FIG. 15, an example in which the first exposure line 60 and the second exposure line 61 are driven in synchronization is shown, but the first exposure target area 14A or the second exposure target area 14B is predetermined. Before transferring the mask pattern, the optical path of the exposure light irradiation mechanism 55A or the exposure light irradiation mechanism 55B is switched so that the exposure light 50 is irradiated to each of the first photo masks 11Aa and 11Ab and the second photomasks 11Ba and 11Bb to be exposed. The optical path is switched by the means 46. As a result, the timing of aligning the substrate 10 with the photomasks 11Aa, 11Ab, 11Ba, 11Bb and feeding the substrate 10 can be freely set. Therefore, it is also possible to drive the first exposure line 60 or the second exposure line 61 independently.

Further, the step of switching the optical path by the exposure light irradiation mechanisms 55A and 55B can be performed, for example, during the alignment step between the substrate 10 and each photomask or the feeding step of the substrate 10. As a result, even if there are four target locations for irradiating the exposure light 50 and the exposure light irradiation mechanisms 55A and 55B are configured in two sets, the tact time is the same as in the case where the exposure line is one line. It becomes possible to suppress it.

The exposure device 3 described above has a first exposure when the configuration of the mechanism including the first stage 25, the second stage 26, the substrate feed mechanism 27, the alignment mechanism 28, and the intermediate substrate support mechanism 33 is the first exposure line 60. It has the same configuration as the line 60, and further has a second exposure line 61 arranged parallel to the first exposure line 60. The exposure light irradiation mechanism 35 is above the intermediate position between the first stage 25 of the first exposure line 60 and the first stage 25 of the second exposure line 61, and the second stage 26 and the second exposure line 61 of the first exposure line 60. It is arranged above the intermediate position of the second stage 26 of the above. One exposure light irradiation mechanism 35A has an optical path switching means 46 for switching and irradiating the first photo mask 11Aa of the first exposure line 60 or the first photo mask 11Ab of the second exposure line 61 with the exposure light 50, and the other. The exposure light irradiation mechanism 35B of the above has an optical path switching means 46 for switching and irradiating the second photo mask 11Ba of the first exposure line 60 or the second photo mask 11Bb of the second exposure line 61 with the exposure light 50.

The exposure device 3 has a configuration in which the exposure light irradiation mechanism 30 is removed from the exposure device 1, and one of the two exposure lines is the first exposure line 60 and the other is the second exposure line 61 in the Y direction. Two sets of exposure light irradiation mechanisms 35A and 35B are arranged in parallel. Further, the exposure light irradiation mechanism 35 has the same configuration as the exposure device 2, although the arrangement position and the attitude control are different. The exposure apparatus 3 configured in this way divides the exposure target area 14 into two in each of the first exposure line 60 and the second exposure line 61, and the first photo corresponding to one of the divided first exposure target areas 14A. Exposure is performed using the masks 11Aa and 11Ab and the second photomasks 11Ba and 11Bb corresponding to the other second exposure target region 14B to form a transfer pattern on the large-format substrate 10. From this, by shortening the pattern length (distance) of the first photomask 11A and the second photomask 11B, the mask patterns 17A and 17B can be transferred to the substrate 10 with high accuracy.

In the example of the exposure target object described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6, the area of the exposure target region 22 is about half that of the photomask for batch exposure. By doing so, the cost of the first photomask 20A and the second photomask 20B can be significantly reduced as compared with the photomask for batch exposure.

Further, in the exposure apparatus 3, in each of the first exposure line 60 and the second exposure line 61, before the step of transferring the mask pattern 17A to the first exposure target region 14A on the first stage 25 and on the second stage 26. Before the step of transferring the mask pattern 17B to the second exposure target region 14B, the optical path of the light emitted from the light source 45 is switched and irradiated as the exposure light 50. This optical path switching operation may be performed during the step of aligning the positions of the first photomasks 11Aa and 11Ab with the substrate 10, the step of aligning the positions of the second photomasks 11Ba and 11Bb with the substrate 10, or the process of feeding the substrate. It is possible. From this, each of the first exposure line 60 and the second exposure line 61 can transfer the mask patterns 17A and 17B to the substrate 10 with the same tact time as the above-mentioned exposure apparatus 1, and the productivity is exposed. It is about twice as much as the device 1.

From the above, according to the exposure apparatus 3, the cost of the first photomask 20A and the second photomask 20B is reduced, and the mask patterns 17A and 17B and the mask patterns 24A and 24B are made high on the large format substrate 10. It is possible to transfer with high accuracy and increase productivity even with the split exposure method.

[Fourth Embodiment]
Subsequently, the configuration of the exposure apparatus 4 according to the fourth embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 16 to 18. The exposure device 3 described above is equipped with exposure light irradiation mechanisms 55A and 55B, and transfers the mask patterns 17A and 17B or the mask patterns 24A and 24B to the substrate 10 by switching the optical paths in two directions by the optical path switching means 46. On the other hand, the exposure apparatus 4 switches the optical path in four directions of each stage of the first exposure line 60 and the second exposure line 61 by one set of exposure light irradiation mechanism 62 (see FIG. 16) to obtain a mask pattern. This is an apparatus for transferring 17A, 17B or mask patterns 24A, 24B to the substrate 10. In the following description, an example of using the photomasks 11A and 11B will be described as a representative example.

FIG. 16 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of the exposure apparatus 4. The exposure apparatus 4 includes a first exposure line 60, a second exposure line 61, and an exposure light irradiation mechanism 62. Since the first exposure line 60 and the second exposure line 51 have the same configuration as the exposure apparatus 3 except for the exposure light irradiation mechanism 62, detailed description thereof is omitted, and the common parts are designated by the same reference numerals as those in FIG. .. The first exposure line 60 is in series in the order of the substrate sending roll 31, the first stage 25, the substrate intermediate support mechanism 33, the second stage 26, and the substrate winding roll 32 from the upstream side to the downstream side in the feeding direction of the substrate 10. Is connected to. An alignment mechanism 28 is arranged in each of the first stage 25 and the second stage 26. The alignment mechanism 28 includes a photomask moving mechanism 34 and a CCD camera 36 which is a position detection device. The second exposure line 61 has the same configuration as the first exposure line 60.

In addition, in order to distinguish the explanation of the operation of the first exposure line 60 and the second exposure line 61 in the following description, in the first exposure line 60, the first photomask 11A arranged in the first stage 25 is first. The second photomask 11B arranged on the photomask 11Aa and the second stage 26 is referred to as a second photomask 11Ba. Further, in the second exposure line 61, the first photomask 11A arranged in the first stage 25 is referred to as a first photomask 11Ab, and the photomask 11B arranged in the second stage 26 is referred to as a second photomask 11Bb.

The exposure light irradiation mechanism 62 includes a light source 45, an optical path switching means 63, and various reflection mirrors 64 to 68. The light source 45 is located at an intermediate position between the first exposure line 60 and the second exposure line 61, which are parallel to each other in a plan view, and is at an intermediate position between the first photomask 11Aa and the second photomask 11Bb. It is arranged at an intermediate position between the 1 photomask 11Ab and the 2nd photomask 11Bb. The first exposure line 60 side has a third reflection mirror 64 arranged on the first photo mask 11Aa and a fourth reflection mirror 65 arranged on the second photo mask 11Ba, and is on the second exposure line 61 side. Has a fifth reflection mirror 66 arranged on the first photo mask 11Ab and a fourth reflection mirror 67 arranged on the second photo mask 11Bb.

The optical path switching means 63 switches the reflection mirror 68 so as to face the first stage 25 side or the second stage 26 side of the first exposure line 60, and further switches the reflection mirror 68 to the first stage 25 side of the second exposure line 61. Alternatively, the stage is switched so as to face the second stage 26 side. That is, the optical path switching means 63 switches the reflection mirror 68 so as to optically face the third reflection mirror 64, the fourth reflection mirror 65, the fifth reflection mirror 66, and the sixth reflection mirror 67.

FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the configuration and operation of the exposure light irradiation mechanism 62, and shows a state in which the exposure light 50 is irradiated to the first exposure line 60 side. Note that FIG. 17 is a view seen from the direction of the arrow of the thick solid line shown in FIG. 16, showing a state in which the exposure light 50 is applied to the first photomask 11Aa or the second photomask 11Ba in the first exposure line 60. There is. When the exposure light 50 is irradiated to the first photo mask 11Aa on the first exposure line 60 side, the reflection mirror 68 is optically facing the third reflection mirror 64 represented by the reflection mirror 68A by the optical path switching means 63. Switch. The light emitted from the light source 45 is switched to the optical path 69A by the reflection mirror 68A, reflected by the third reflection mirror 64, and is irradiated to the first photo mask 11Aa as the exposure light 50.

When the second photo mask 11Ba is irradiated with the exposure light 50, the reflection mirror 68 is rotated around the Z axis by a rotation mechanism (not shown) so as to optically face the fourth reflection mirror 65 represented by the reflection mirror 68B. Switch. The light emitted from the light source 45 is switched to the optical path 69B by the reflection mirror 68B, reflected by the fourth reflection mirror 65, and irradiated to the second photo mask 11Ba as the exposure light 50.

FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the configuration and operation of the exposure light irradiation mechanism 62, and shows a state in which the exposure light 50 is irradiated to the second exposure line 61 side. Note that FIG. 18 is a view seen from the direction of the arrow of the thick dotted line shown in FIG. 16, showing a state in which the exposure light 50 is applied to the first photomask 11Ab or the second photomask 11Bb in the second exposure line 61. There is. When the exposure light 50 is irradiated to the first photo mask 11Ab on the second exposure line 61 side, the reflection mirror 68 is rotated by the optical path switching means 63 from the posture of the reflection mirror 68A to rotate the optical axis of the optical path 69A (see FIG. 16). As an axis, it rotates in the direction represented by the reflection mirror 68C that optically faces the fifth reflection mirror 66. The optical path of the light emitted from the light source 45 is switched to the optical path 69C by the reflection mirror 68C, reflected by the fifth reflection mirror 66, and irradiated to the first photo mask 11Ab as the exposure light 50.

When the exposure light 50 is irradiated to the second photo mask 11Bb, the reflection mirror 68 is moved by the optical path switching means 63 from the posture of the reflection mirror 68B to the sixth reflection mirror 67 with the optical axis of the optical path 69A (see FIG. 16) as the rotation axis. It rotates in the direction represented by the reflection mirror 68D that optically faces the light. The light emitted from the light source 45 has its optical path switched to the optical path 69D by the fourth reflection mirror 68C, is reflected by the fourth reflection mirror 66, and is irradiated to the second photo mask 11Bb as the exposure light 50.

Subsequently, the exposure method using the exposure apparatus 4 will be described with reference to FIGS. 16 to 18 along with the process flow chart shown in FIG. An example of using the first photomask 11A and the second photomask 11B described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 3 will be described.

FIG. 19 is a process flow chart showing the main steps of the exposure method when the exposure apparatus 4 is used. Prior to the start of operation of the exposure apparatus 4, the position where the CCD cameras 36 on the first stage 25 and the second stage 26 can detect the recognition marks 16 and 18 on the first exposure line 60 and the second exposure line 61 on the substrate 10. Set to. At the start of operation of the exposure apparatus 3, it is assumed that the first exposure target area 14A and the second exposure target area 14B mask patterns 17A and 17B are not transferred to the first exposure line 60 and the second exposure line 61.

In FIG. 19, the process flow shown on the left side is for the first exposure line 60, and the process flow shown on the right side is for the second exposure line 61. First, in the first stage 25 of the first exposure line 60, the position of the first photomask 11Aa is aligned with the substrate 10 (first exposure target area 14A) (step S1), and in parallel, the first of the second exposure line 61. In the stage 25, the position of the first photomask 11Ab is aligned with the substrate 10 (first exposure target area 14A) (step S2). Next, the optical path is switched to the optical path 69A by the optical path switching means 63 so that the exposure light 50 irradiates the first photomask 11Aa (step S3). If the initial setting of the exposure light irradiation mechanism 62 is to irradiate the first photomask 11Aa with the exposure light 50, step S3 is omitted. Subsequently, in the first stage 25 of the first exposure line 60, the mask pattern 17A is transferred to the first exposure target region 14A (step S4), and the exposure light 50 is applied to the first photomask 11Ab of the second exposure line 61. The optical path is switched to the optical path 69B by the optical path switching means 63 (step S5).

In the first exposure line 60, after the mask pattern 17A is transferred to the first exposure target region 14A in the first stage 25, the substrate 10 is fed by one pitch (step S6). As a result, the exposure target region 14 to which the mask pattern 17A is transferred is arranged at a predetermined position in the second stage 26. In the first stage 25, an exposure target region 14 in which the mask patterns 17A and 17B are not transferred is arranged.

In the second exposure line 61, after the optical path is switched, the mask pattern 17A is transferred to the first exposure target region 14A in the first stage 25 (step S7). In the first exposure line 60, after the substrate 10 is fed, the position of the second photomask 11Ba is aligned with the substrate 10 (second exposure coping region 14B) in the second stage 26 (step S8). In the second exposure line 61, the substrate 10 on which the mask pattern 17A is transferred is fed by one pitch in the first stage 25 (step S9). As a result, the exposure target region 14 to which the mask pattern 17A is transferred is arranged at a predetermined position in the second stage 26. In the first stage 25, an exposure target region 14 in which the mask patterns 17A and 17B are not transferred is arranged.

In the first exposure line 60, the optical path is switched to the optical path 69C by the optical path switching means 63 so as to irradiate the second photomask 11Ba with the exposure light 50 (step S10), and the second exposure target region 14B is masked in the second stage 26. Pattern 17B is transferred (step S11).

In the second exposure line 61, after the substrate 10 is fed, the position of the second photomask 11Bb is aligned with the substrate 10 (second exposure target region 14B) in the second stage 26 (step S12), and the exposure light 50 is set. 2 The optical path is switched to the optical path 69D by the optical path switching means 63 so as to irradiate the photomask 11Bb (step S13), and the mask pattern 17B is transferred to the second exposure target region 14B in the second stage 26 (step S14).

In the first exposure line 60, after the transfer of the mask pattern 17A by the second photomask 11Ba is completed, the substrate 10 is fed by one pitch (step S15). Also in the second exposure line 61, after the transfer of the mask pattern 17A by the second photomask 11Bb is completed, the substrate 10 is fed by one pitch (step S16). Steps 1 to 16 described above are repeated until a predetermined number is reached.

In the process flow shown in FIG. 19, an example in which the first exposure line 60 and the second exposure line 61 are driven in synchronization is shown. However, before transferring the predetermined mask pattern to the first exposure target region 14A or the second exposure target region 14B, the exposure light 50 is applied to the first photomasks 11Aa and 11Ab and the second photomasks 11Ba and 11Bb to be exposed, respectively. The optical path is switched by the optical path switching means 63 so as to irradiate. As a result, the timing of aligning the substrate 10 with the photomasks 11Aa, 11Ab, 11Ba, 11Bb and feeding the substrate 10 can be freely set. Therefore, it is also possible to drive the first exposure line 60 or the second exposure line 61 independently.

Further, the step of switching the optical path by the exposure light irradiation mechanism 62 can be performed, for example, during the alignment step of the substrate 10 and each photomask or the feeding step of the substrate 10. As a result, even if there are four target locations for irradiating the exposure light 50 and the exposure light irradiation mechanism 62 is configured as one set, when the exposure line is one line (exposure device 1 or exposure device 2). On the other hand, the tact time can be suppressed to the same level.

The exposure device 4 described above has a first exposure line when the configuration of the mechanism including the first stage 25, the second stage, the substrate feed mechanism 27, the alignment mechanism 28, and the intermediate substrate support mechanism 33 is the first exposure line 60. It has the same configuration as the 60, and has a second exposure line 61 arranged parallel to the first exposure line 60. The exposure light irradiation mechanism 62 is arranged above the central portion of the first exposure line 60 and the second exposure line 61 in the plane direction, and the first photomask 11Aa, the second photomask 11Ba, and the second photomask 11Ba of the first exposure line 60 are arranged. It has an optical path switching means 63 for switching and irradiating the exposure light 50 with respect to each of the first photomask 11Ab and the second photomask 11Bb of the exposure line 61.

The exposure apparatus 4 divides the exposure target area 14 into two in each of the first exposure line 60 and the second exposure line 61, and the first photomasks 11Aa and 11Ab corresponding to one of the divided first exposure target areas 14A. The second photomasks 11Ba and 11Bb corresponding to the other second exposure target area 14B are used for exposure, and the mask patterns 17A and 17B are transferred to the large format substrate 10. Therefore, by shortening the pattern lengths of the first photomasks 11Aa and 11Ab and the second photomasks 11Ba and 11Bb, the mask patterns 17A and 17B can be transferred to the substrate 10 with high accuracy.

In the example of the exposed object described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6, the areas of the first photomask 20A and the second photomask 20B are about half the area of the photomask that collectively exposes the exposure target area 22. By doing so, the cost of the first photomask 20A and the second photomask 20B can be significantly reduced as compared with the photomask for batch exposure.

Further, the exposure apparatus 4 transfers the mask patterns 17A and 17B to the substrate 10 by switching the optical paths in four directions of each stage of the first exposure line 60 and the second exposure line 61 by one set of exposure light irradiation mechanism 62. .. The exposure light irradiation mechanism 62 uses the light path switching means 63 to cover the first photomask 11Aa and the second photomask 11Ba on the first exposure line 60 side, and the first photomask 11Ab and the second photomask 11Bb on the second exposure line 61 side. The optical path of the light emitted from the light source 45 is switched and irradiated as the exposure light 50. This optical path switching operation is a step of aligning the positions of the first photomasks 11Aa and 11Ab with the substrate 10 (first exposure target area 14A), and the positions of the second photomasks 11Ba and 11Bb with respect to the substrate 10 (second exposure target area 14B). It can be performed in the middle of the process of matching the above or the process of feeding the substrate. From this, even if the exposure light irradiation mechanism is configured as one set, each of the first exposure line 60 and the second exposure line 61 has a mask pattern 17A on the substrate 10 with a tact time equivalent to that of the exposure apparatus 1 described above. It is possible to transfer 17B.

From the above, according to the exposure apparatus 4, the cost of the first photomasks 20A and 20B is reduced, and the mask patterns 17A and 17B or the mask patterns 24A and 24B are transferred to the large format substrate 10 with high accuracy. Even with the split exposure method, it is possible to increase productivity.

[Fifth Embodiment]
Subsequently, the configuration of the exposure apparatus 5 according to the fifth embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. Whereas the exposure devices 1 to 4 described above are devices that transfer the mask patterns 17A and 17B or the mask patterns 24A and 24B to a surface (surface) in one direction of the substrate 10, the exposure device 5 is a substrate. It is a device that transfers a mask pattern to both the front and back surfaces of 10. Such an exposure apparatus 5 is called a double-sided exposure apparatus. The technical idea of the exposure apparatus 5 can be applied to both the front and back surfaces of the substrate 10 in each of the exposure apparatus 1 to the exposure apparatus 4 described above, but here, it is an example applied to the exposure apparatus 1 and is a photomask. An example of using 11A and 11B will be described as a typical example.

FIG. 20 is a front view showing a schematic configuration of the exposure apparatus 5. The exposure apparatus 5 is an apparatus that irradiates a long substrate 10 having photosensitive layers formed on both the front and back surfaces with exposure light 50 from the front surface and the back surface to transfer a mask pattern to both the front and back surfaces. In the exposure apparatus 5, it is possible to transfer different mask patterns to the back surface side with respect to the front surface side of the substrate 10, but here, the same mask pattern will be transferred to both the front and back surfaces as an example. In this example, the mask pattern 17A is transferred to one of the first exposure target areas 14A divided into two on both the front and back surfaces of the substrate 10 using the photomask 11A, and the photomask is transferred to the other second exposure target area 14B. It is assumed that the mask pattern 17B is transferred using 11B.

The exposure apparatus 5 has a first stage 25 arranged on the upstream side in the feeding direction of the substrate 10 (from the left side to the right side in the drawing) and a second stage 26 arranged on the downstream side, and the first stage 25 and the second stage A through hole 73 through which the exposure light 50 emitted from the back surface side of the 26 can be transmitted is provided, and a suction hole (not shown) for vacuum-adsorbing the substrate 10 is provided around the through hole 73.

The exposure apparatus 5 has a common substrate feed mechanism 27 on both the front and back sides. On the upper side of the substrate 10, an alignment mechanism 28, 1st, which determines a position between the substrate 10 and the first photomask 11A having the same configuration as the exposure apparatus 1 and a position between the substrate 10 and the second photomask 11B. It has an exposure light irradiation mechanism 30A that irradiates the first photomask 11A on the stage 25 with the exposure light 50 and an exposure light irradiation mechanism 30B that irradiates the second photomask 11B on the second stage 26 with the exposure light 50. .. The configuration on the front surface side is called a surface side exposure line.

On the back surface side of the substrate 10, an alignment mechanism 28 and exposure light irradiation mechanisms 30A and 30B arranged so as to face the front surface side exposure mechanism line with the substrate 10 interposed therebetween are arranged. The configuration on the back side is called the back side exposure line. The alignment mechanism 28 and the exposure light irradiation mechanisms 30A and 30B are configured to be independently driveable.

The front surface side exposure mechanism line and the back surface side exposure mechanism line have a common first stage 25, a second stage 26, an alignment mechanism 28, and exposure light irradiation mechanisms 30A and 30B, respectively. Since the configurations and operations of the substrate feed mechanism 27, the first stage 25, the second stage 26, the alignment mechanism 28, and the exposure light irradiation mechanisms 30A and 30B are the same as those of the exposure device 1, detailed description thereof will be omitted. In the exposure devices 1 to 4, the through holes 73 may be provided in the first stage 25 and the second stage 26.

Next, the exposure method when the exposure apparatus 5 is used will be described with reference to FIG. 21 along with the process flow chart shown in FIG.

FIG. 21 is a process flow chart showing the main steps of the exposure method when the exposure apparatus 5 is used. Prior to the start of operation of the exposure apparatus 5, the substrate 10 is set at positions where the recognition marks 16 and 18 can be detected by the CCD camera 36, which is a position detection apparatus on the first stage 25 and the second stage 26. Recognition marks 16 are provided at the same positions on both the front and back surfaces of the substrate 10. At the start of operation of the exposure apparatus 3, it is assumed that the mask patterns 17A and 17B are not transferred to both the front surface side and the back surface side of the substrate 10.

In FIG. 20, the process flow shown on the left side is for the front surface side exposure machine line, and the process flow shown on the right side is for the back surface side exposure line. First, in the front surface side exposure line and the back surface side exposure line, the position of the first photomask 11A is aligned with the substrate 10 (first exposure target area 14A) in the first stage 25 (step S1), and exposure is performed from the exposure light irradiation mechanism 30A. The mask pattern 17A is transferred to the first exposure target region 14A by irradiating with light 50 (step S2), and the substrate 10 is fed by the substrate feed mechanism 27 for one pitch (step S3). As a result, the exposed area 14 to which the mask pattern 17A is transferred is sent to a predetermined position in the second stage 26. In the first stage 25, the exposure target region 14 to which the mask patterns 17A and 17B are not transferred is arranged.

Next, the position of the second photomask 11B is aligned with the substrate 10 (second exposure target area 14B) (step S4), the exposure light 50 is irradiated from the exposure light irradiation mechanism 30B, and the second exposure target area 14B is covered with the second mask pattern. Transfer 17B (step S5). After transferring the second mask pattern 17B to the second exposure target region 14B in the second stage 26, the substrate 10 is fed by one pitch (step S6). Then, steps S1 to S6 are repeated until a predetermined number is reached.

In this example, the substrate feeding step (step S3 and step S6) is a common step of the front surface side exposure line and the back surface side exposure line, and if the timing of this substrate feeding step is avoided, other positions The operation timings of the matching step (steps S1 and S4) and the mask pattern transfer step (steps S2 and S5) do not necessarily have to match on the front side exposure line and the back side exposure line.

The exposure apparatus 5 is applied to the configuration and operation of the exposure apparatus 1 described above, but can be applied to the configuration and operation of the exposure apparatus 2 to the exposure apparatus 4. When applied to the exposure apparatus 2, the exposure light irradiation mechanisms 35A and 35B for irradiating the first photomask 11A or the second photomask 11B by switching the optical path are the front side exposure line and the back side exposure line. It will be possible if you equip it with. In the exposure apparatus 3, the exposure light irradiation mechanism 55A that irradiates the first photomasks 11Aa and 11Ab or the second photomasks 11Ba and 11Bb with the exposure light 50 by switching the optical path in both the first exposure line 60 and the second exposure line 61. , 55B can be installed on the front side exposure line and the back side exposure line. In the exposure apparatus 4, an exposure light irradiation mechanism 62 for irradiating the first photomasks 11Aa and 11Ab or the second photomasks 11Ba and 11Bb by switching the optical path is provided on the front surface side exposure line and the back surface side exposure line. It will be possible.

In the exposure apparatus 5 described above, the substrate 10 has the photosensitive layers on both the front and back surfaces, and the first photomask 11A, the second photomask 11B, the alignment mechanism 28, and the exposure are arranged on the surface side of the substrate 10. The light irradiation mechanisms 30A and 30B, the first photomask 11A and the second photomask 11B, the alignment mechanism 28 and the exposure light irradiation mechanisms 30A and 30B arranged on the back surface side of the substrate 10 are the first stage 25 and the second. The first stage 25 and the second stage 26 are provided with through holes 73 capable of irradiating the back surface of the substrate 10 with the exposure light 50.

The exposure apparatus 5 is an apparatus for irradiating a long substrate 10 having photosensitive layers formed on both front and back surfaces with exposure light 50 from both front and back surfaces to transfer mask patterns 17A and 17B to both front and back surfaces. The exposure apparatus 5 divides the exposure target area into two in each of the front surface side exposure line and the back surface side exposure line, and the first photomask 11A corresponding to one of the divided first exposure target areas 14A and the other second exposure. Exposure is performed using the second photomask 11B corresponding to the target region 14B, and a transfer pattern is formed on the large-format substrate 10. Therefore, by shortening the pattern lengths of the first photomask 11A and the second photomask 11B, the mask patterns 17A and 17B can be transferred to the substrate 10 with high accuracy.

In the example of the exposed object described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 6, the areas of the first photomask 20A and the second photomask 20B are about half the area of the photomask that collectively exposes the exposure target area 22. By doing so, the cost of the first photomask 20A and the second photomask 20B can be significantly reduced as compared with the photomask for batch exposure.

Further, since the exposure apparatus 5 has the same configuration of the front surface side exposure line and the back surface side exposure line, the operation of aligning the positions of the first photomask 11A and the second photomask 11B with the substrate 10 on both the front and back surfaces of the substrate 10. , The operation of transferring the mask pattern 17A, the operation of transferring the mask pattern 17B, and the operation of feeding the substrate can be performed in synchronization. Further, even if the mask pattern is transferred to both the front and back surfaces of the substrate 10, the tact time can be suppressed to the same as when the mask pattern is transferred to one side.

From the above, according to the exposure apparatus 5, the cost of the first photomasks 20A and 20B is reduced, and the mask patterns 17A and 17B or the mask patterns 24A and 24B are transferred to the large format substrate 10 with high accuracy. It is possible to increase the productivity even if the split exposure method is used because the front and back sides are exposed.

1,2,3,4,5 ... Exposure device, 10 ... Substrate, 11 ... Photomask, 11A, 11Aa, 11Ab, 20A ... First photomask, 11B, 11Ba, 11Bb, 20B ... Second photomask, 12, 12A. 12B. 21,21A, 21B ... Transfer pattern, 14, 22 ... Exposure target area, 14A, 22A ... First exposure target area, 14B, 22B ... Second exposure target area, 15, 23 ... Dividing line, 16, 16A, 18, 18A ... recognition mark, 17A, 17B, 24A, 24B ... mask pattern, 19 ... shading area, 25 ... first stage, 26 ... second stage, 27 ... substrate feed mechanism, 28 ... alignment mechanism, 29A, 29B, 69A, 69B, 69C, 69D ... Optical path, 30A, 30B, 35, 55A, 55B, 62 ... Exposure light irradiation mechanism, 33 ... Substrate intermediate support mechanism, 34 ... Photomask movement mechanism, 36 ... CCD camera (position detection device), 45 ... light source, 46,63 ... light path switching means, 47 ... first reflection mirror, 48 ... second reflection mirror, 49,68 ... reflection mirror, 64 ... third reflection mirror, 65 ... fourth reflection mirror, 66 ... fifth Reflective mirror, 67 ... 6th reflection mirror, 50 ... Exposure light, 60 ... 1st exposure line, 61 ... 2nd exposure line, 73 ... Through hole

Claims (10)

One of a plurality of exposure target areas arranged in series in the feed direction of a long substrate having a photosensitive layer is divided into a first exposure target area and a second exposure target area by a virtual dividing line having an arbitrary shape. An exposure apparatus that transfers a mask pattern to the substrate using a first photomask corresponding to the first exposure target area and a second photomask corresponding to the second exposure target area.
A first stage arranged on the upstream side in the feed direction of the substrate and supporting the exposure target region of the substrate, and
A second stage, which is arranged on the downstream side of the first stage and supports the exposure target area,
A substrate feeding mechanism that sends the exposure target area from the first stage to the second stage,
In the first stage, "an alignment mechanism that aligns the relative positions between the first exposure target area and the first photomask" and "in the second stage, the second exposure target area and the second photomask". Alignment mechanism that aligns the relative position between
An exposure light irradiation mechanism that irradiates the first photomask on the first stage and irradiates the second photomask on the second stage with the light emitted from the light source as exposure light.
Is equipped with
An exposure apparatus characterized in that. In the exposure apparatus according to claim 1,
The exposed area is divided by the virtual dividing line in the width direction of the substrate.
The first photomask is composed of a mask pattern formed in the range of the first exposure target area and a light-shielding region formed in the second exposure target area.
The second photomask is composed of a mask pattern formed in the range of the second exposure target region and a light-shielding region formed in the first exposure target region.
An exposure apparatus characterized in that. In the exposure apparatus according to claim 1,
The exposed area is divided by the virtual dividing line in the length direction of the substrate.
The first photomask has a plane size that covers the first exposure target area.
The second photomask has a plane size that covers the second exposure target area.
An exposure apparatus characterized in that. In the exposure apparatus according to claim 1,
The alignment mechanism is arranged for each of the first stage and the second stage.
On the other hand, the alignment mechanism includes "a position detection device that detects the positions of the first exposure target area and the first photomask" and "the first photomask in the first exposure target area" based on the detection result. It has a photomask movement mechanism that aligns the position.
On the other hand, the alignment mechanism includes "a position detection device that detects the positions of the second exposure target region and the second photomask" and "the second photomask in the second exposure target light region" based on the detection result. It has a photomask movement mechanism that aligns the position.
An exposure apparatus characterized in that. In the exposure apparatus according to claim 1,
It further has a substrate intermediate support mechanism disposed between the first stage and the second stage.
An exposure apparatus characterized in that. In the exposure apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5.
The exposure light irradiation mechanism includes the light source and a reflection mirror that reflects the light emitted from the light source and irradiates the first photomask or the second photomask as exposure light.
The exposure light irradiation mechanism is arranged above each of the first stage and the second stage.
An exposure apparatus characterized in that. In the exposure apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5.
The exposure light irradiation mechanism is arranged above an intermediate position between the first stage and the second stage, and emits light emitted from the light source to the first photomask or the second photomask. Further has an optical path switching means for switching and irradiating.
An exposure apparatus characterized in that. In the exposure apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5.
When the configuration of the mechanism including the first stage, the second stage, the substrate feed mechanism, the alignment mechanism, and the intermediate substrate support mechanism is defined as the first exposure line,
It has the same configuration as the first exposure line, and further has a second exposure line arranged parallel to the first exposure line.
The exposure light irradiation mechanism is above the intermediate position between the first stage of the first exposure line and the first stage of the second exposure line, and the second stage and the second exposure line of the first exposure line. Arranged above the middle position of the second stage of
On the other hand, the exposure light irradiation mechanism includes "an optical path switching means for switching and irradiating the first photomask of the first exposure line or the first photomask of the second exposure line".
On the other hand, the exposure light irradiation mechanism has "optical path switching means for switching and irradiating the second photomask of the first exposure line or the second photomask of the second exposure line". Yes,
An exposure apparatus characterized in that. In the exposure apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5.
When the configuration of the mechanism including the first stage, the second stage, the substrate feed mechanism, the alignment mechanism, and the intermediate substrate support mechanism is defined as the first exposure line,
It has the same configuration as the first exposure line, and further has a second exposure line arranged parallel to the first exposure line.
The exposure light irradiation mechanism is arranged above the central portion in the plane direction of the first exposure line and the second exposure line, and the first photomask and the second photomask of the first exposure line and the above. It has an optical path switching means for switching and irradiating the exposure light to each of the first photomask and the second photomask of the second exposure line.
An exposure apparatus characterized in that. In the exposure apparatus according to claim 1,
The substrate has the photosensitive layers on both the front and back surfaces.
The first photomask, the second photomask, the alignment mechanism and the exposure light irradiation mechanism arranged on the front surface side of the substrate, and the first photomask arranged on the back surface side of the substrate, said. The second photomask, the alignment mechanism, and the exposure light irradiation mechanism are arranged so as to face each other with the first stage and the second stage interposed therebetween.
The first stage and the second stage are provided with through holes capable of irradiating the exposure light on the back surface of the substrate.
An exposure apparatus characterized in that.

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