JP2810911B2 - Exposure equipment - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an exposure apparatus for exposing a pair of original film patterns to both sides of a substrate.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Usually, when manufacturing a printed circuit board,
First, the resin substrate on which copper foil is formed on both front and back surfaces is exposed to ultraviolet light through the original film on which the desired pattern is formed, and then etched, and the copper exposed to the ultraviolet light is exposed to the substrate. By peeling from
A printed circuit board having a copper foil pattern in a state where the original film is reversed in black and white is completed. Alternatively, copper in portions other than the exposed portion is peeled off from the substrate during etching, and a printed board having a copper foil pattern as in the original film is completed.

In performing the exposure step of the above manufacturing method, if dust (dust, dust, etc.) is present in the exposed portion, the dust adheres to the substrate or the original film, and the desired pattern cannot be exposed. There is a possibility that a portion having poor conduction may occur in the wiring pattern of the manufactured printed circuit board, resulting in deterioration of quality. Therefore, conventionally, an operator manually cleans the upper and lower frames and the original film when exchanging the original film or periodically after a long continuous operation.

[0004]

As described above, since the operation of the exposure apparatus is conventionally stopped and the upper and lower frames and the original film are manually cleaned, the work is troublesome and it is necessary to completely remove dust. Takes a long working time. In particular, in an exposure apparatus having a large size or a complicated configuration for exposing a large substrate, it is not easy to manually clean the upper and lower frames and the original film inside the machine, and the cleaning cannot be performed sufficiently. There is a risk. Further, since it is necessary to clean each time the original film is exchanged, the working efficiency is deteriorated, especially in the case of mass production of various kinds.

An object of the present invention is to provide an exposure apparatus capable of automatically cleaning an original film without manual operation.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an exposure unit capable of simultaneously exposing both sides of a substrate with a pair of original films disposed on and under the substrate; In an exposure apparatus including a substrate input unit provided adjacent to the substrate to which an unexposed substrate is supplied, and a transport unit capable of transporting the substrate between the exposure unit and the substrate input unit, the exposure unit includes a lower original plate. A lower frame that holds the film, an upper frame that is provided opposite to the lower frame and holds the upper original film, and a pair of substrates that can be exposed through both original films on both surfaces of the substrate disposed between the two frames; A light source for exposure and frame alignment means capable of adjusting the relative positional relationship between the two frames are provided, and the transport means is provided with a clean roller unit capable of moving back and forth between the two frames and cleaning the two original films. I have.

The clean roller unit has an adhesive portion on its outer periphery to which dust can adhere, and is held rotatably.
It has a pair of clean rollers and a drive mechanism for moving one clean roller upward and the other clean roller downward.

[0008] Further, there is provided an adhesive tape roll capable of removing dust adhering to the adhesive portion in contact with the clean roller.

[0009]

An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an exposure apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. This exposure apparatus, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2,
An exposure unit 4 for simultaneously exposing the patterns on the two films 1 and 2 to both surfaces of the substrate 3 with a pair of original films 1 and 2 disposed on both surfaces of the substrate 3, and an exposure unit 4 disposed adjacent to the exposure unit 4 And a transport unit 6 for transporting the substrate 3 between the exposure unit 4 and the substrate input unit 5.
And a clean roller unit 40 attached to the transfer means 6.

The exposure section 4 is provided with a base 7, a lower frame 8 arranged on the base 7 for holding the lower original film 1, and an upper original film provided above and facing the lower frame 8. An upper frame 9 for holding the upper frame 9, a first alignment means (frame alignment means) 10 for adjusting the position of the lower frame 8 with respect to the upper frame 9 and aligning the two films 1, 2, and A movable Z-axis cylinder 11 and a pair of exposure light sources 12 and 13 are provided.

An XYθ table 16 is fixedly disposed on the base 7, and a lower frame 8 is mounted on the upper surface thereof. Table 16 includes motors 16a, 16
b, 16c (see FIG. 2) to move the lower frame 8 to X, Y,
The position can be adjusted in the θ direction. A transparent plate 14 made of glass is held in the lower frame 8.
Are arranged so as to face the opening 7 a of the base 7. 3 and 4, a transparent electrode 15 made of ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) is formed on the upper surface of the transparent plate 14, and the transparent electrode 15 is partially provided with a cutout 15a. A lead-out portion 15b which is connected to one electrode of an external power supply (not shown) is provided. The lower original film 1 is disposed on the transparent electrode 15.
The electrode plate 22 is provided at a position facing “a”. Electrode plate 2
2 partially overlaps a connection plate 22a provided on the lower original film 1, and this connection plate 22a is connected to the other electrode of an external power supply (not shown). Therefore, the electrode plate 2
2 and the transparent electrode 15 generate a potential difference and generate static electricity. The transparent electrode 15 and the electrode plate 22 function as suction holding means for holding the substrate 3 on the upper surface of the transparent plate 14 via the lower original film 1 by the generated static electricity.

A transparent plate 9a made of acrylic resin is held in the upper frame 9, and the upper original film 2 is adhered to the transparent plate 9a (see FIG. 1). At one end (the left side in the drawing) of the upper frame 9, an adhesive tape roll 58 for removing dust on the outer periphery of the clean rollers 56 and 57 described later is attached via an attachment member 59, and can be rotated by a motor (not shown). ing.

The first alignment means 10 comprises an XYθ table 16, a pair of CCD cameras 17, and an alignment light source 18. CCD camera 17
Is movably arranged in the base 7 between an alignment position shown in FIG. 1 and a retracted position retracted left and right from this position. By operating the XYθ table 16 based on an image signal obtained by receiving the illumination light from the alignment light source 18 with the CCD camera 17, the alignment mark of the lower original film 1 is changed to the alignment mark of the upper original film 2. , The position of the lower frame 8 with respect to the upper frame 9 can be adjusted.

The exposure light source 12 is arranged above the upper frame 9, and the exposure light source 13 is arranged below the lower frame 8.

The substrate input section 5 is provided with a substrate outer shape alignment means 20 for performing rough positioning when the unexposed substrate 3 is input. The substrate outer shape alignment means 20 transports the substrate 3 to a transport means 6 described later.
The XY.theta. Table 31 provided in the transfer means 6 makes it possible to accurately hold the exposure unit 30 so that accurate alignment can be performed in the exposure unit. In the present embodiment, a reference position (a reference position corresponding to the lower original film 1, a position at which the substrate is accurately positioned relative to the lower original film 1 when the substrate is translated by a certain amount from this position) Is adjusted so that the error is about ± 1 mm.

The board outer shape positioning means 20 comprises a pin 23 in the X direction arranged on the base 7, a pin 24 for shifting the width in the Y direction, and a roller conveyor 25. The reference position of the tip (the right side in FIGS. 1 and 2) is determined in accordance with the dimensions of the substrate 3 which is known in advance, and the pin 23 is positioned at that position. Then, when the substrate 3 is loaded, the substrate 3 is advanced by rotating the roller conveyor 25, and the substrate 3 is stopped when it comes into contact with the pin 23 for positioning in the X direction. Next, the width shifting pins 24 in the Y direction are simultaneously moved toward the substrate 3,
When one of both ends (upper end or lower end in FIG. 2) of the substrate 3 comes into contact with the width shifting pin 24, the substrate is pushed by the width shifting pin 24, and the other end of the substrate 3 is shifted toward the width. It stops when it comes into contact with the pin 24. That is, both ends (upper and lower ends in FIG. 2) of the substrate are
Stop at the position where it contacts with No. 4, and perform positioning in the Y direction.

Next, the transfer means 6 for transferring a substrate will be described with reference to FIGS. A timing belt 39 is wound around a pulley 28 and another pulley 29 that are driven to rotate by a motor (not shown). The slider 36 is fixed to a part of the timing belt 39. The slider 36 is provided with a guide portion 36a, and the guide portion 36a can slide on the rail 38. The pulleys 28 and 29 and the rail 38 are fixedly supported by the main body frame. The slider 36 has a cylinder 37
Is fixed, and a small X
Table 31 is attached. The XYθ table 31 is provided with a suction plate 30 having a number of suction holes (not shown) for sucking the upper surface of the substrate 3. Further, an EL (electroluminescence) element 26 is fixed to the lower surface of the suction plate 30 so as not to block the substrate suction.

With such a configuration, the slider 36 can be moved in the horizontal direction in FIG. 1 by rotating the pulley 28, and the XYθ table 31 can be moved up and down with respect to the slider 36 by the operation of the cylinder 37. , X
The suction plate 30 is moved to X, Y, θ by the operation of the Yθ table 31.
The position can be adjusted in the direction.

The EL element 26, the XYθ table 31, and a pair of CCD cameras 17 constitute second alignment means (substrate positioning means) 19 for positioning the substrate 3 with respect to the lower frame 8.

The suction plate 30 of the conveying means 6 has a mounting plate 4
The clean roller unit 40 is attached via the first and second rollers 42. The configuration of the clean roller unit 40 will be described below. That is, the guide plate 43 and the pinion 44 rotatably attached to the guide plate 43
A forward / reverse motor (not shown) for driving the pinion 44 to rotate, and a guide plate 43 meshed with the pinion 44.
And a pair of racks 46 and 47 that slide up and down along the line. The racks 46 and 47 are connected to the connecting shaft 4.
8 and 49 are connected, and the holding members 5 are connected to the connecting shafts 48 and 49.
0 and 51 are fitted, and spring members 52 and 53 are disposed between the holding members 50 and 51 and the racks 46 and 47 on the outer periphery of the connecting shafts 48 and 49. Holding member 5
Reference numerals 0 and 51 are held by the frictional force with the connecting shafts 48 and 49, the resistance of the spring members 52 and 53, and the action of the stoppers 48a and 49a. Further, supporting shafts 54 and 55 slidable up and down along the guide plate 43 include holding members 5.
Clean rollers 56 and 57 are rotatably held on the support shafts 54 and 55, respectively. The outer periphery of the clean rollers 56 and 57 is an adhesive portion to which dust can adhere. The pinion 44 and the racks 46 and 47 constitute a drive mechanism for the clean rollers 56 and 57. With such a configuration, the clean roller unit 40 moves right and left with the movement of the slider 36, and when the pinion 44 rotates by driving a motor (not shown), the connection shaft 48 and the holding member 50 are integrated with the rack 46. , The support shaft 54 and the clean roller 56 rise. At the same time, the connection shaft 49, the holding member 51, the support shaft 55, and the clean roller 57 are lowered integrally with the rack 47. When the motor rotates in the reverse direction from this state, the clean roller 56 moves down, and the clean roller 57 moves up and returns to the initial position.

The general configuration of the substrate 3 to be exposed by the exposure apparatus having the above configuration will be described. The substrate 3 has a copper foil formed entirely on both sides of a substrate body (see FIGS. 1 and 2) made of an epoxy resin or the like, and a thin resin dry film covering the copper foil is adhered. Further, a protective film 34 made of polyester or the like is stuck on both sides. The protective film 34 does not cover the entire substrate 3 but is attached at intervals of about 5 mm from each side of the outer periphery of the substrate 3. In the drawings, the substrate body, the copper foil and the dry film are integrally shown, but this dry film acts as a photoresist having photosensitivity.

Next, the operation of the embodiment having the above configuration will be described. First, before attaching the upper and lower frames 8 and 9 to the exposure apparatus, the lower original film 1 is attached on the transparent plate 14 of the lower frame 8 and the upper original film 2 is attached on the transparent plate 9a of the upper frame 9 with an adhesive tape or the like. wear. Next, the electrode plate 22 is attached on the lower original film 1. The sticking position is set so as to enter into the inside of one outer edge of the substrate 3 by about 2 to 3 mm. That is, as described above, 5
This is because the electrode plate 22 is in contact with the dry film surface of about mm.

Next, the lower frame 8 is mounted and fixed on the XYθ table 16, and the upper frame 9 is mounted on the upper frame holding means 27. At this time, the clean roller unit 40, the suction plate 30, the slider 3
6. The height of the upper frame 9 is adjusted by the Z-axis cylinder 11 so as to secure a space through which the cylinder 37 can pass.

Here, the original films 1 and 2 are cleaned. A motor (not shown) is driven to move the slider 36 to the right in the drawing in a state where the substrate is not sucked by the suction plate 30 of the transfer means 6. Then, when the clean roller unit 40 reaches between the frames 8 and 9, a sensor (not shown) (not shown) is operated to drive another motor (not shown). As a result, as described above, the clean roller 56 rises and abuts on the upper original film 2, and the clean roller 57 descends and abuts on the lower original film 1 (see FIG. 5). The holding members 50 and 51 are spring members 5
2 and 53, the clean rollers 56 and 57 are pressed against the original films 1 and 2. By moving the slider 36 further rightward in this state, the clean rollers 56 and 57
While rotating in a state of being pressed against, dust on the whole of the original films 1 and 2 is removed by attaching to the adhesive portion on the outer periphery.

When the sensor (a limit switch or the like) (not shown) detects that the slider 36 has moved by a predetermined distance, it is determined that the cleaning of the original films 1 and 2 has been completed. 56 is lowered and the clean roller 57 is raised to separate from the original films 1 and 2. Then, the slider 36 is moved to the left, and positioned to the left of the upper frame 9 (see FIG. 6). In this state, the Z-axis cylinder 11 of the upper frame 9
To move the upper frame 9 down,
Of the clean roller unit 4 by operating the cylinder 37
0, and the clean rollers 56 and 57 are simultaneously brought into contact with the adhesive tape roll 58 (see FIG. 7). Therefore,
By driving a motor (not shown) to rotate the adhesive tape roll 58, the dust adhered to the outer circumference of the clean rollers 56 and 57 is transferred and removed. When dust removal is completed in this way, the upper frame 9 is raised and the slider 36 is lowered.

When the cleaning of the original films 1 and 2 and the cleaning of the clean rollers 56 and 57 are completed as described above, the upper frame 9 and the lower frame 8 are
Is aligned. That is, the alignment light source 18 is turned on while the CCD camera 17 is positioned at the alignment position shown in FIG.
By driving the XYθ table 16 based on an image signal obtained by receiving illumination light from the CCD camera 17 so that the alignment mark of the lower original film 1 matches the alignment mark of the upper original film 2, The position of the lower frame 8 with respect to the frame 9 is adjusted.

Thereafter, electricity is supplied to the transparent electrode 15 and the electrode plate 22 to generate static electricity. The lower original film 1 is attracted and held on the transparent plate 14 of the lower frame 8 by the static electricity.

On the other hand, the unexposed substrate 3 supplied to the substrate input section 5 is roughly positioned by the substrate outer shape positioning means 20. As described above, the substrate 3 is moved forward until it comes into contact with the pin 23 for positioning in the X direction, and the width adjusting pins 24 are moved so as to contact both ends of the substrate 3 for positioning in the Y direction. .

When the rough positioning of the substrate 3 is completed, the substrate 3 is vacuum-sucked by the suction plate 30, and in this state, a motor (not shown) is driven to move the slider 36 in parallel by a predetermined amount to move the two original films 1 and 2. Position between two. Then, the XYθ table 31 is lowered by operating the cylinder 37, and the clearance between the substrate 3 and the lower original film 1 is reduced to 1 mm or less. In this state, the substrate 3 and the lower original film 1 are aligned using the second alignment means 19. That is, the EL element 26 emits light, the mark on the substrate 3 and the mark on the lower original film 1 are recognized by the CCD camera 17, and the position of the substrate 3 is adjusted by the XYθ table 31 so that they match.

The substrate 3 is moved by the second alignment means 19.
After the alignment of the lower original film 1 with the lower original film 1, the substrate 3 is further lowered and brought into close contact with the lower original film 1. As described above, since a potential difference is generated between the transparent electrode 15 and the electrode plate 22, static electricity is generated. Specifically, the electrode plate 22 is in contact with the dry film surface of the substrate 3, and since this dry film is extremely thin and has relatively weak insulation, the electrode plate 22 is electrically connected to the copper foil. Then, static electricity is generated in a path from the copper foil conducted to the electrode plate to the transparent electrode 15 via the protective film 34 and the lower original film 1. The substrate 3 and the lower original film 1 are attracted and held by the transparent electrode 15, that is, the lower frame 8 by the static electricity. Therefore, there is no possibility that the substrate 3 is displaced.

Then, a motor (not shown) is driven to return the suction plate 30 to the substrate loading section 5, and thereafter the Z-axis cylinder 1
By lowering the upper frame 9 by 1, the upper original film 2 is brought into close contact with the upper surface of the substrate 3. The lower original film 1 is brought into close contact with the lower surface of the substrate 3, and the upper original film 2 is brought into close contact with the upper surface of the substrate 3.
From the alignment position shown in FIG.

In this state, the upper and lower exposure light sources 12, 13
Is turned on to expose the patterns of the original films 1 and 2 on both surfaces of the substrate 3 simultaneously.

Thereafter, the substrate 3 is removed from the exposure apparatus,
After heating and drying, the protective film 34 is peeled off and immersed in an etching solution to remove the dry film and the copper foil in the exposed area. Note that, depending on the type of the dry film, the dry film and the copper foil other than the exposed portion may be removed. Thus, a copper foil pattern is formed. Then, after completely peeling off the dry film, electrical components are mounted on the copper foil pattern,
Except for parts used as terminals, a protective film (not shown) is coated to complete the printed circuit board. In the case of manufacturing a multilayer substrate, a plurality of substrates from which a dry film has been peeled off after forming a copper foil pattern are stacked and fixed, and then protective films are attached to both upper and lower surfaces.

Although not described in detail, when the substrate 3 is conveyed to the exposure unit 4, the next substrate 3 to be exposed is
, And a large number of substrates are exposed one after another.

According to the present invention, the transport means 6 for transporting the substrate 3 from the substrate input section 5 to the exposure section 4 is provided with the clean roller unit 40, and the cleaning of the original films 1 and 2 is automatically performed by the movement of the slider 36. Can be performed, so that it is not necessary to perform manual cleaning as in the related art, so that cleaning can be performed very efficiently and the operation time can be shortened. In addition, since a pair of clean rollers 56 and 57 can be moved up and down by a drive mechanism including a pinion 44 and racks 46 and 47, normally both clean rollers 56 and 57 are
57 are compactly arranged so as not to be in the way when transferring the substrate, and only when cleaning the
The apparatus can be prevented from being increased in size by expanding the 6,57 so as to be able to contact the original films 1,2. The operation is further simplified by automatically operating the drive mechanism in conjunction with the sensor.

Since the clean rollers 56 and 57 can be cleaned by providing the adhesive tape roll 58 which can be in contact with the clean rollers 56 and 57, the original films 1 and 2 are always cleaned by the clean clean rollers 56 and 57. Can be cleaned.

In the above embodiment, the cleaning is performed when the original films 1 and 2 are replaced. However, when exposing a large number of substrates, the cleaning of the original films 1 and 2 is periodically performed at a predetermined timing. It can be programmed to do so. In this case, the original film can be cleaned without stopping the automatic operation of the exposure apparatus. Further, in the exposure apparatus according to the present invention, the upper frame 9 and the lower frame 8 can be cleaned by operating the clean roller unit 40 in a state where the original film is not stuck.

Conventionally, when the substrate 3 is placed on the lower original film 1, the substrate 3 is easily slipped on the lower original film 1 due to the influence of air interposed in the gap between the two, and the position is shifted. In this embodiment, since the force for attracting the substrate 3 by the static electricity acts, the substrate 3 does not slip and no displacement occurs. In particular, an electric field is applied to the electrode plate 22 in contact with the dry film surface of the substrate 3 and the transparent electrode 15 located below the substrate 3 via the lower original film 1, and transmits through the copper foil of the substrate 3 and the lower original film 1. Since the configuration is such that static electricity is generated in the path, a sufficient electrostatic attraction force can be exerted on the substrate 3 and the lower original film 1. As described above, since the static electricity is used, an extremely thin substrate (for example, a substrate having a thickness of about 0.4 mm) which is difficult to mechanically hold can be easily held. Furthermore, since the substrate 3 can be easily attracted and detached by turning on and off the current supply to the transparent electrode 15 and the electrode plate 22, it is easy to transport the substrate after exposure.

Further, there is no danger of misalignment even when the original films 1 and 2 and the substrate 3 are suctioned in a vacuum during exposure in order to enhance the adhesion between them.

FIG. 8 shows a second embodiment of the present invention. The description of the parts common to the first embodiment is omitted.

In the second embodiment, a transparent electrode 15 made of ITO is formed on a transparent plate 14, and a protective film 35 is formed on the transparent electrode 15 by sputtering SiO2. The protective film 35 made of SiO2 is a transparent electrode 1
5 covers the entire surface of the transparent plate 14 provided with the same.

According to this embodiment, even if a high voltage (500 to 2000 V) is applied to the transparent electrode 15 to electrostatically attract the substrate 3 through the lower original film 1, the substrate 3 is used while being blocked by the protective film 35. The high voltage is not transmitted to the worker and the work can be performed safely.

The protective film 35 is capable of transmitting light from the exposure light source 13 and generates static electricity on the lower original film 1 so that the substrate 3 can be attracted when a voltage is applied to the transparent electrode 15. And has an insulating action to the extent that it does not affect the human body.
A transparent resin film on which O is deposited can be used.

[0044]

As described above, since the clean roller unit is attached to the transport means provided for transporting the substrate from the substrate input section to the exposure section, the original film can be automatically cleaned. Thus, it is not necessary to perform manual cleaning, and cleaning can be performed very efficiently and easily.

Further, when the pair of clean rollers can be moved up and down by the driving mechanism, the two clean rollers are spread only at the time of cleaning so as to be able to contact the original film.
Normally, both clean rollers can be compactly combined so that they do not hinder the transfer of the substrate.

Further, if an adhesive tape roll capable of contacting the clean roller is provided, the original film can be cleaned with the clean roller which is always clean.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing one embodiment of an exposure apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a main part of the exposure apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged sectional view showing a lower frame and a substrate of the exposure apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a partially cutaway plan view of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a cleaning state of an original film of the exposure apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory view showing a state after cleaning the original film of the exposure apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 7 is an explanatory view showing a cleaning state of a clean roller of the exposure apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 8 is an enlarged sectional view showing a lower frame and a substrate according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Lower original film 2 Upper original film 3 Substrate 4 Exposure part 5 Substrate loading part 6 Conveying means 8 Lower frame 9 Upper frame 10 First alignment means (frame alignment means) 12, 13 Exposure light source 40 Clean roller unit 44 Pinion (Drive means) 46, 47 Rack (Drive means) 56, 57 Clean roller 58 Adhesive tape roll

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. An exposure section capable of simultaneously exposing both surfaces of a substrate with a pair of original films disposed above and below the substrate,
A substrate input unit provided adjacent to the exposure unit and supplied with an unexposed substrate, and a transport unit capable of transporting the substrate between the exposure unit and the substrate input unit; The lower frame that holds the lower original film, the upper frame that is provided to face the lower frame and holds the upper original film, and the two original films on both sides of the substrate that is disposed between the two frames. A pair of exposure light sources that can be exposed through
A frame positioning means capable of adjusting the relative positional relationship between the two frames is provided, and the transport means is provided with a clean roller unit capable of moving back and forth between the two frames and cleaning the two original films. An exposure apparatus comprising: 2. The clean roller unit according to claim 1, wherein said clean roller unit has a pair of clean rollers rotatably held and having an adhesive portion to which dust can adhere, and one of said clean rollers moving upward and said other of said clean rollers moving upward. 2. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a drive mechanism for moving the clean roller downward. 3. The exposure apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising an adhesive tape roll capable of removing dust adhered to the adhesive portion by contacting the clean roller.