JP5456620B2 - Proximity exposure apparatus, exposure light irradiation method for proximity exposure apparatus, and method for manufacturing display panel substrate - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a proximity exposure apparatus that exposes a substrate using a proximity method in manufacturing a display panel substrate such as a liquid crystal display device, an exposure light irradiation method for the proximity exposure apparatus, and a display using the same. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a panel substrate. It relates to the manufacturing method.

  Manufacturing of TFT (Thin Film Transistor) substrates, color filter substrates, plasma display panel substrates, organic EL (Electroluminescence) display panel substrates, and the like of liquid crystal display devices used as display panels is performed using photolithography using an exposure apparatus. This is performed by forming a pattern on the substrate by a technique. As an exposure apparatus, a projection method in which a mask pattern is projected onto a substrate using a lens or a mirror, and a minute gap (proximity gap) is provided between the mask and the substrate to transfer the mask pattern to the substrate. There is a proximity method. The proximity method is inferior in pattern resolution performance to the projection method, but the configuration of the irradiation optical system is simple, the processing capability is high, and it is suitable for mass production.

  The proximity exposure apparatus includes a chuck that supports a substrate, a mask holder that holds a mask, and an exposure light irradiation device that irradiates exposure light. In the proximity method, the mask pattern is transferred to the substrate on a one-to-one basis, and the same size exposure is performed. Therefore, the exposure light irradiation device of the proximity exposure device is provided with an optical component for converting the exposure light into a parallel light beam. ing. Conventionally, collimation lens groups and concave mirrors are known as optical components for creating a parallel light beam. As the exposure area increases with the increase in screen size of the display panel, these optical components also increase in size, but the collimation lens group becomes expensive when it is particularly large, so the proximity that mainly exposes large substrates is used. In the exposure apparatus, a concave mirror is often used. Patent Document 1 describes an exposure apparatus using a concave mirror in an irradiation optical system.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 7-321025

  A concave mirror used in an exposure light irradiation apparatus of a proximity exposure apparatus is configured by depositing a reflective film made of aluminum or the like on the surface of a glass material made of soda glass or the like. A mask holder for holding a chuck and a mask for supporting a substrate of a proximity exposure apparatus is installed horizontally in order to stably support and hold a large substrate and a mask. On the other hand, the concave mirror in the exposure light irradiation device efficiently arranges a light source such as a lamp, a lens group such as a fly-eye lens that equalizes the illuminance of exposure light, and other optical components in a limited space. In addition, it is often installed in an upright or diagonal state rather than horizontally. Conventionally, the concave mirror has been installed by fixing the edge of the concave mirror to a horizontally placed frame and then raising the concave mirror together with the frame from a horizontal state to an inclined or vertical state. However, when the concave mirror is enlarged with the increase in the screen size of the display panel, when the concave mirror is raised from the horizontal state to the oblique or vertical state together with the frame, the concave mirror is deformed and excessively applied to the place fixed to the frame. There was a problem that stress was applied and the concave mirror was broken and damaged from the place fixed to the frame.

  Further, when the substrate is exposed, the concave mirror is distorted by thermal expansion due to the heat of the exposure light. As the size of the concave mirror increases, the amount of exposure light increases and distortion due to thermal expansion of the concave mirror increases. With the conventional method of fixing the concave mirror to the frame, excessive distortion occurs at the location where the concave mirror is fixed to the frame due to distortion due to thermal expansion. As a result, there is a possibility that the concave mirror breaks and breaks from the position where the concave mirror is fixed to the frame. If the concave mirror is damaged during the exposure process, the exposure process is interrupted, and the productivity of the display panel substrate is significantly reduced.

  An object of the present invention is to prevent the concave mirror from being damaged when the concave mirror is installed. Another object of the present invention is to prevent the concave mirror from being damaged by distortion due to thermal expansion during exposure. Furthermore, the subject of this invention is improving the productivity of the panel substrate for a display.

  The proximity exposure apparatus of the present invention includes a chuck that supports a substrate, a mask holder that holds a mask, and an exposure light irradiation device that includes a light source and a concave mirror that converts light generated from the light source into parallel light bundles, and a mask. In a proximity exposure apparatus in which a minute gap is provided between the substrate and the mask is irradiated with exposure light of a parallel light beam from the exposure light irradiation apparatus, and the mask pattern is transferred to the substrate, the exposure light irradiation apparatus is a concave mirror. A concave mirror support device having a support base for supporting the back surface of the concave mirror and a plurality of support mechanisms attached to the support base for supporting the edge of the surface of the concave mirror, the support base having a round hole whose diameter is smaller than the size of the concave mirror. A support member that supports the back surface of the concave mirror by contacting the back surface of the concave mirror at the edge of the round hole, and a plurality of support mechanisms that support the edge of the surface of the concave mirror, and a moving member that moves the support member , And a biasing means for biasing the movable member to the support base direction, and supports the edge of the surface of the concave mirror support member by the biasing means against the edge of the surface of the concave mirror.

  Further, the exposure light irradiation method of the proximity exposure apparatus of the present invention includes a chuck that supports a substrate, a mask holder that holds a mask, and a light source and a concave mirror that converts light generated from the light source into parallel light flux. Proximity exposure equipment exposure that includes a device, provides a minute gap between the mask and the substrate, irradiates the mask with exposure light of a parallel beam from the exposure light irradiation device, and transfers the mask pattern to the substrate In the light irradiation method, the exposure light irradiation device is provided with a concave mirror support device having a support base that supports the back surface of the concave mirror and a plurality of support mechanisms that are attached to the support base and support the edge of the surface of the concave mirror, The support base is provided with a round hole whose diameter is smaller than the size of the concave mirror, the edge of the round hole is brought into contact with the back surface of the concave mirror to support the back surface of the concave mirror, and the surface of the concave mirror is supported by multiple support mechanisms. A holding member, a moving member that moves the support member, and an urging means that urges the moving member toward the support base. The urging means presses the support member against the edge of the surface of the concave mirror to It supports the edge.

  The exposure light irradiation device is provided with a concave mirror support device having a support base that supports the back surface of the concave mirror and a plurality of support mechanisms that are attached to the support base and support the edges of the surface of the concave mirror. The support base is provided with a round hole whose diameter is smaller than the size of the concave mirror, and the edge of the round hole is brought into contact with the back surface of the concave mirror to support the back surface of the concave mirror, so the curved back surface of the concave mirror is stably supported by the edge of the round hole Is done. The plurality of support mechanisms are provided with a support member that supports the edge of the surface of the concave mirror, a moving member that moves the support member, and an urging unit that urges the moving member toward the support base. Since the support member is pressed against the edge of the surface of the concave mirror to support the edge of the surface of the concave mirror, deformation of the concave mirror occurs when the concave mirror is raised from the horizontal state to the oblique or vertical state together with the support base. However, since the moving member that moves the support member moves in the direction opposite to the direction of the support base against the biasing force of the biasing means, excessive stress is applied to the location where the support member supports the edge of the surface of the concave mirror. As a result, the concave mirror is prevented from being damaged. In addition, during exposure, even if the concave mirror is distorted by thermal expansion due to the heat of exposure light, the moving member that moves the support member moves in the direction opposite to the direction of the support base against the urging force of the urging means. Since no excessive stress is applied to the portion supporting the edge of the surface of the concave mirror, breakage of the concave mirror is prevented.

  Further, in the proximity exposure apparatus of the present invention, the support member has an inclined surface along the curvature of the surface of the concave mirror at a position where the support member contacts the concave mirror. Moreover, the exposure light irradiation method of the proximity exposure apparatus of this invention provides the inclined surface along the curve of the surface of a concave mirror in the location which contacts the concave mirror of a support member. The area where the support member comes into contact with the surface of the concave mirror is increased, the stress applied to the portion where the support member supports the edge of the surface of the concave mirror is dispersed, and breakage of the concave mirror is further effectively prevented.

  The method for producing a display panel substrate of the present invention exposes the substrate using any one of the above-described proximity exposure apparatuses, or uses the exposure light irradiation method of any one of the above-described proximity exposure apparatuses. Exposure is performed. By using the above-described proximity exposure apparatus or the exposure light irradiation method of the proximity exposure apparatus, it is possible to prevent the concave mirror from being damaged due to distortion due to thermal expansion at the time of exposure. Productivity of panel boards for use is improved.

  According to the proximity exposure apparatus and the exposure light irradiation method of the proximity exposure apparatus of the present invention, the support base of the concave mirror support device is provided with a round hole whose diameter is smaller than the size of the concave mirror, and the edge of the round hole is in contact with the back surface of the concave mirror Thus, by supporting the back surface of the concave mirror, the curved back surface of the concave mirror can be stably supported by the edge of the round hole. And a plurality of support mechanisms attached to the support table, a support member that supports the edge of the surface of the concave mirror, a moving member that moves the support member, and a biasing means that biases the moving member in the direction of the support table And pressing the support member against the edge of the surface of the concave mirror by the urging means to support the edge of the surface of the concave mirror, so that the concave mirror can be prevented from being damaged during the installation of the concave mirror. Can be prevented from being damaged by distortion due to thermal expansion.

  Furthermore, according to the proximity exposure apparatus and the exposure light irradiation method of the proximity exposure apparatus of the present invention, by providing an inclined surface along the curvature of the surface of the concave mirror at a location where the support member comes into contact with the concave mirror, Breakage can be more effectively prevented.

  According to the method for manufacturing a display panel substrate of the present invention, it is possible to prevent the concave mirror from being damaged due to distortion due to thermal expansion during exposure, so that the productivity of the display panel substrate can be improved.

It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the proximity exposure apparatus by one embodiment of this invention. It is the figure which looked at arrangement | positioning of a 1st plane mirror, a concave mirror, and a 2nd plane mirror from upper direction. 3A is a perspective view of the concave mirror, and FIG. 3B is a side view of the concave mirror. 4A is a top view of the concave mirror support device, and FIG. 4B is a side view thereof. FIG. 5A is a top view of a support base on which a concave mirror is mounted, and FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. 6A is a front view of the support mechanism, and FIG. 6B is a side view thereof. FIG. 7A is a top view of the concave mirror support device to which the concave mirror is attached, and FIG. 7B is a side view thereof. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the manufacturing process of the TFT substrate of a liquid crystal display device. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the manufacturing process of the color filter board | substrate of a liquid crystal display device.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a proximity exposure apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The proximity exposure apparatus includes a base 3, an X guide 4, an X stage 5, a Y guide 6, a Y stage 7, a θ stage 8, a chuck support 9, a chuck 10, a mask holder 20, and an exposure light irradiation device 30. It is configured. In addition to these, the proximity exposure apparatus includes a substrate transfer robot that loads the substrate 1 into the chuck 10 and unloads the substrate 1 from the chuck 10, a temperature control unit that performs temperature management in the apparatus, and the like.

  Note that the XY directions in the embodiments described below are examples, and the X direction and the Y direction may be interchanged.

  In FIG. 1, the chuck 10 is at an exposure position where the substrate 1 is exposed. A mask holder 20 for holding the mask 2 is installed above the exposure position. The mask holder 20 is provided with an opening through which exposure light passes. The mask holder 20 holds the peripheral portion of the mask 2 by vacuum suction using suction grooves (not shown) provided around the opening. An exposure light irradiation device 30 is disposed above the mask 2 held by the mask holder 20. At the time of exposure, exposure light from the exposure light irradiation device 30 passes through the mask 2 and is irradiated onto the substrate 1, whereby the pattern of the mask 2 is transferred to the surface of the substrate 1 and a pattern is formed on the substrate 1. .

  The chuck 10 is moved to the load / unload position away from the exposure position by the X stage 5 and the Y stage 7. At the load / unload position, the substrate 1 is carried into the chuck 10 and the substrate 1 is carried out of the chuck 10 by a substrate transfer robot (not shown). The loading of the substrate 1 onto the chuck 10 and the unloading of the substrate 1 from the chuck 10 are performed using a plurality of push-up pins provided on the chuck 10. The push-up pin is housed inside the chuck 10 and is lifted from the inside of the chuck 10 to receive the substrate 1 from the substrate transfer robot and unload the substrate 1 from the chuck 10 when loading the substrate 1 onto the chuck 10. In doing so, the substrate 1 is delivered to the substrate transfer robot. The chuck 10 supports the back surface of the substrate 1 by vacuum suction.

  The chuck 10 is mounted on the θ stage 8 via the chuck support 9, and a Y stage 7 and an X stage 5 are provided below the θ stage 8. The X stage 5 is mounted on an X guide 4 provided on the base 3 and moves along the X guide 4 in the X direction (the horizontal direction in FIG. 1). The Y stage 7 is mounted on a Y guide 6 provided on the X stage 5 and moves along the Y guide 6 in the Y direction (the depth direction in FIG. 1). The θ stage 8 is mounted on the Y stage 7 and rotates in the θ direction. The chuck support 9 is mounted on the θ stage 8 and supports the chuck 10 at a plurality of locations.

  The chuck 10 is moved between the load / unload position and the exposure position by the movement of the X stage 5 in the X direction and the movement of the Y stage 7 in the Y direction. At the load / unload position, the substrate 1 mounted on the chuck 10 is pre-aligned by moving the X stage 5 in the X direction, moving the Y stage 7 in the Y direction, and rotating the θ stage 8 in the θ direction. Is done. At the exposure position, the X stage 5 is moved in the X direction and the Y stage 7 is moved in the Y direction, whereby the substrate 1 mounted on the chuck 10 is stepped in the XY direction. Then, the substrate 1 is aligned by the movement of the X stage 5 in the X direction, the movement of the Y stage 7 in the Y direction, and the rotation of the θ stage 8 in the θ direction. Further, the gap between the mask 2 and the substrate 1 is adjusted by moving and tilting the mask holder 20 in the Z direction (the vertical direction in FIG. 1) by a Z-tilt mechanism (not shown).

  In the present embodiment, the gap between the mask 2 and the substrate 1 is adjusted by moving and tilting the mask holder 20 in the Z direction. However, the chuck support base 9 is provided with a Z-tilt mechanism, The gap between the mask 2 and the substrate 1 may be adjusted by moving and tilting the chuck 10 in the Z direction.

  The exposure light irradiation device 30 includes a lamp 31, a condensing mirror 32, a first plane mirror 33, a lens group 34, a shutter 35, a concave mirror 37, a second plane mirror 38, an illuminance sensor 39, a light source control device 40, a power source 41, and will be described later. The concave mirror support device 50 is included. As the lamp 31, a discharge type lamp in which high-pressure gas is enclosed in a bulb, such as a mercury lamp, a halogen lamp, a xenon lamp, or the like is used. A condensing mirror 32 that condenses the light generated from the lamp 31 is provided around the lamp 31. The light generated from the lamp 31 is collected by the condenser mirror 32 and irradiated to the first plane mirror 33.

  FIG. 2 is a view of the arrangement of the first plane mirror, the concave mirror, and the second plane mirror as viewed from above. The light reflected by the first plane mirror 33 is incident on a lens group 34 composed of a fly-eye lens or a lot lens, and is transmitted through the lens group 34 to make the illuminance distribution uniform. The shutter 35 is opened when the substrate 1 is exposed, and is closed when the substrate 1 is not exposed. When the shutter 35 is open, the light transmitted through the lens group 34 is reflected by the concave mirror 37 and becomes a parallel light beam. A concave mirror support device 50 to be described later supports the concave mirror 37 in a state in which the concave mirror 37 is not vertically horizontal but substantially vertically as shown in FIG. In FIG. 1, the light that has been reflected by the concave mirror 37 to become a parallel light beam is reflected by the second plane mirror 38 and irradiated onto the mask 2. The pattern of the mask 2 is transferred to the substrate 1 by the exposure light applied to the mask 2, and the substrate 1 is exposed. When the shutter 35 is closed, the light irradiated from the first plane mirror 33 to the lens group 34 is blocked by the shutter 35 and the substrate 1 is not exposed.

  An illuminance sensor 39 is disposed in the vicinity of the back side of the second plane mirror 38. The second plane mirror 38 is provided with a small opening that allows a part of the exposure light to pass therethrough. The illuminance sensor 39 receives the light that has passed through the opening of the second plane mirror 38 and measures the illuminance of the exposure light. The measurement result of the illuminance sensor 39 is input to the light source control device 40. The light source control device 40 controls the power supplied from the power source 41 to the lamp 31 based on the measurement result of the illuminance sensor 39 to adjust the illuminance of the exposure light.

  In FIG. 1, the concave mirror 37 is installed with the reflecting surface substantially vertical, but the configuration of the exposure light irradiation device 30 is not limited to the example shown in FIG. 1, and the concave mirror 37 has a reflecting surface. In some cases, the projector is installed in a state in which it is obliquely upward or in a state in which the reflection surface is obliquely downward.

  The exposure light irradiation method of the proximity exposure apparatus according to this embodiment will be described below. 3A is a perspective view of the concave mirror, and FIG. 3B is a side view of the concave mirror. The concave mirror 37 is configured by vapor-depositing a reflective film made of aluminum or the like on the surface of a glass material made of soda glass or the like. The concave mirror 37 has a shape in which a part of the spherical surface is cut into the same quadrangle as the exposure region through which the exposure light of the mask 2 is transmitted as seen from the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. In FIG. 3B, the surface of the concave mirror 37 at the center of the concave mirror 37 is indicated by a broken line.

  4A is a top view of the concave mirror support device, and FIG. 4B is a side view thereof. 4A and 4B show a state in which the concave mirror support device is placed horizontally. The concave mirror support device 50 includes a support base 51 and four support mechanisms 60. As shown in FIG. 4A, the support base 51 is formed with a round hole 52, a support portion 53, and a plurality of openings 54. The round hole 52 is a circle whose diameter is smaller than the size of the concave mirror 37. The support portion 53 is formed at the edge of the round hole 52 and is several millimeters higher than the other upper surface of the support base 51 as shown in FIG. The plurality of openings 54 are formed to reduce the weight of the support base 51. As shown in FIG. 4A, the four support mechanisms 60 are attached to the upper surface of the support base 51 symmetrically with respect to the center of the round hole 52.

  In this embodiment, when the concave mirror 37 is attached to the concave mirror support device 50, first, the concave mirror 37 is placed on the support base 51 with the concave mirror support device 50 placed horizontally as shown in FIGS. 4 (a) and 4 (b). To be installed. FIG. 5A is a top view of a support base on which a concave mirror is mounted, and FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in FIG. In FIG. 5, the support mechanism 60 is omitted. When the concave mirror 37 is mounted on the support base 51 as shown in FIG. 5A, the support base 51 has a support portion 53 formed at the edge of the round hole 52 as shown in FIG. The back surface of the concave mirror 37 is supported by contacting the back surface. A round hole 52 having a diameter smaller than the size of the concave mirror 37 is provided in the support base 51, and the support portion 53 formed at the edge of the round hole 52 is brought into contact with the back surface of the concave mirror 37 to support the back surface of the concave mirror 37. The curved back surface is stably supported by a support portion 53 formed at the edge of the round hole 52.

  Subsequently, the edge of the surface of the concave mirror 37 is supported by each support mechanism 60, and the concave mirror 37 is attached to the concave mirror support device 50. 6A is a front view of the support mechanism, and FIG. 6B is a side view thereof. The support mechanism 60 includes a block 61, a slide bush 62, a moving member 63, a set screw 64, an upper stopper 65, a lower stopper 66, a support member 67, a spring stopper 68, and a tension coil spring 69.

  In FIG. 6A, a block 61 is attached to the upper surface of the support base 51, and two slide bushes 62 are attached to the upper surface of the block 61. The upper end of the moving part of each slide bush 62 is attached to the moving member 63 by a set screw 64, and the moving member 63 can be moved up and down by the slide bush 62. In addition, one upper stopper 65 and two lower stoppers 66 are attached to the upper surface of the block 61. The upper stopper 65 is composed of, for example, a hexagonal bolt, and the cylindrical portion of the bolt shaft portion is inserted into a through hole provided in the moving member 63, and the lower surface of the bolt head is in contact with the upper surface of the moving member 63. The upper movement range of the moving member 63 is limited. The lower stopper 66 is made of, for example, a hexagonal bolt, and the upper surface of the head of the bolt contacts the lower surface of the moving member 63 to limit the downward movement range of the moving member 63.

  A support member 67 that supports the edge of the surface of the concave mirror 37 is attached to the side surface of the moving member 63 on the near side of the drawing. Spring stoppers 68 are respectively attached to the left and right side surfaces of the block 61 and the left and right side surfaces of the moving member 63. Between the spring stoppers 68 of the block 61 and the spring stoppers 68 of the moving member 63, tension coil springs 69 are respectively provided. It is attached. The tension coil spring 69 urges the moving member 63 toward the support base 51.

  FIG. 6B shows a state in which the support member 67 supports the edge of the surface of the concave mirror 37, and the support mechanism 60 presses the support member 67 against the edge of the surface of the concave mirror 37 by the tension coil spring 69. The edge of the surface of the concave mirror 37 is supported. Here, the tension coil spring 69 has a tension that prevents the concave mirror 37 from being damaged by the force of the support member 67 pushing the edge of the concave mirror 37. Accordingly, when the concave mirror 37 is deformed or the concave mirror 37 is distorted by thermal expansion, the moving member 63 that moves the support member 67 moves in the direction opposite to the direction of the support base 51 against the tension of the tension coil spring 69. In addition, excessive stress is not applied to the place where the support member 67 supports the edge of the surface of the concave mirror 37.

  As shown in FIG. 6B, an inclined surface 67 a that follows the curvature of the surface of the concave mirror 37 is provided at a position where the concave mirror 37 of the support member 67 comes into contact. The inclined surface 67 a increases the area where the support member 67 contacts the surface of the concave mirror 37, and the stress applied to the portion where the support member 67 supports the edge of the surface of the concave mirror 37 is dispersed.

  FIG. 7A is a top view of the concave mirror support device to which the concave mirror is attached, and FIG. 7B is a side view thereof. As shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, after attaching the concave mirror 37 to the concave mirror support device 50, one side of the support base 51 is lifted, and the concave mirror 37 is tilted or vertically with the support base 51 from the horizontal state. Raise to a standing state and install concave mirror 37.

  The plurality of support mechanisms 60 include a support member 67 that supports the edge of the surface of the concave mirror 37, a moving member 63 that moves the support member 67, and a tension coil spring 69 that biases the moving member 63 toward the support base 51. Since the support member 67 is pressed against the edge of the surface of the concave mirror 37 by the tension coil spring 69 to support the edge of the surface of the concave mirror 37, the concave mirror 37 is changed from the horizontal state to the state of being inclined or vertically with the support base 51. When waking up, even if the concave mirror 37 is deformed, the moving member 63 that moves the support member 67 moves in the direction opposite to the direction of the support base 51 against the tension of the tension coil spring 69, so that the support member 67 becomes a concave mirror. Since excessive stress is not applied to the portion that supports the edge of the surface of the surface 37, the concave mirror 37 is prevented from being damaged. Further, during exposure, even if the concave mirror 37 is distorted due to thermal expansion due to the heat of exposure light, the moving member 63 that moves the support member 67 moves in the direction opposite to the direction of the support base 51 against the tension of the tension coil spring 69. Since the excessive stress is not applied to the portion where the support member 67 supports the edge of the surface of the concave mirror 37, the concave mirror 37 is prevented from being damaged.

  According to the embodiment described above, the support base 51 of the concave mirror support device 50 is provided with the round hole 52 having a diameter smaller than the size of the concave mirror 37, and the support portion 53 formed at the edge of the round hole 52 is provided on the back surface of the concave mirror 37. By making contact and supporting the back surface of the concave mirror 37, the curved back surface of the concave mirror 37 can be stably supported by the support portion 53 formed at the edge of the round hole 52. A plurality of support mechanisms 60 attached to the support base 51 are provided with a support member 67 that supports the edge of the surface of the concave mirror 37, a moving member 63 that moves the support member 67, and the moving member 63 in the direction of the support base 51. A tension coil spring 69 is provided to bias the concave mirror 37, and the support member 67 is pressed against the edge of the surface of the concave mirror 37 by the tension coil spring 69 to support the edge of the surface of the concave mirror 37. In addition, it is possible to prevent the concave mirror 37 from being damaged due to thermal expansion during exposure.

  Furthermore, by providing the inclined surface 67a along the curvature of the surface of the concave mirror 37 at a position where the support member 67 contacts the concave mirror 37, the concave mirror 37 can be more effectively prevented from being damaged.

  The substrate is exposed using the proximity exposure apparatus of the present invention, or the substrate is exposed using the exposure light irradiation method of the proximity exposure apparatus of the present invention, so that the concave mirror is deformed by thermal expansion during exposure. Since breakage can be prevented, the productivity of the display panel substrate can be improved.

  For example, FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the manufacturing process of the TFT substrate of the liquid crystal display device. In the thin film formation step (step 101), a thin film such as a conductor film or an insulator film, which becomes a transparent electrode for driving liquid crystal, is formed on the substrate by sputtering, plasma chemical vapor deposition (CVD), or the like. In the resist coating process (step 102), a photosensitive resin material (photoresist) is applied by a roll coating method or the like to form a photoresist film on the thin film formed in the thin film forming process (step 101). In the exposure step (step 103), the mask pattern is transferred to the photoresist film using a proximity exposure apparatus, a projection exposure apparatus, or the like. In the development step (step 104), a developer is supplied onto the photoresist film by a shower development method or the like to remove unnecessary portions of the photoresist film. In the etching process (step 105), a portion of the thin film formed in the thin film formation process (step 101) that is not masked by the photoresist film is removed by wet etching. In the stripping step (step 106), the photoresist film that has finished the role of the mask in the etching step (step 105) is stripped with a stripping solution. Before or after each of these steps, a substrate cleaning / drying step is performed as necessary. These steps are repeated several times to form a TFT array on the substrate.

  FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing an example of the manufacturing process of the color filter substrate of the liquid crystal display device. In the black matrix forming step (step 201), a black matrix is formed on the substrate by processing such as resist coating, exposure, development, etching, and peeling. In the colored pattern forming step (step 202), a colored pattern is formed on the substrate by a dyeing method, a pigment dispersion method, or the like. This process is repeated for the R, G, and B coloring patterns. In the protective film forming step (step 203), a protective film is formed on the colored pattern, and in the transparent electrode film forming step (step 204), a transparent electrode film is formed on the protective film. Before, during or after each of these steps, a substrate cleaning / drying step is performed as necessary.

  In the TFT substrate manufacturing process shown in FIG. 8, in the exposure process (step 103), in the color filter substrate manufacturing process shown in FIG. 9, in the black matrix forming process (step 201) and the colored pattern forming process (step 202). In this exposure processing, the proximity exposure apparatus or the exposure light irradiation method of the proximity exposure apparatus of the present invention can be applied.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Substrate 2 Mask 3 Base 4 X guide 5 X stage 6 Y guide 7 Y stage 8 θ stage 9 Chuck support 10 Chuck 20 Mask holder 30 Exposure light irradiation device 31 Lamp 32 Condensing mirror 33 First plane mirror 34 Lens group 35 Shutter 37 Concave mirror 38 Second flat mirror 39 Illuminance sensor 40 Light source control device 41 Power supply 50 Concave mirror support device 51 Support base 52 Round hole 53 Support portion 54 Opening 60 Support mechanism 61 Block 62 Slide bush 63 Moving member 64 Set screw 65 Upper stopper 66 Lower stopper 67 Support member 68 Spring stopper 69 Tensile coil spring

Claims (6)

A chuck that supports the substrate, a mask holder that holds the mask, and an exposure light irradiation device that includes a light source and a concave mirror that converts the light generated from the light source into a parallel beam bundle, and a minute gap between the mask and the substrate. In a proximity exposure apparatus that irradiates a mask with exposure light of a parallel light beam from the exposure light irradiation apparatus and transfers the pattern of the mask to the substrate,
The exposure light irradiation device includes a concave mirror support device having a support base that supports the back surface of the concave mirror, and a plurality of support mechanisms that are attached to the support base and support edges of the surface of the concave mirror,
The support base has a round hole whose diameter is smaller than the size of the concave mirror, and contacts the back surface of the concave mirror at the edge of the round hole to support the back surface of the concave mirror;
The plurality of support mechanisms include a support member that supports an edge of the surface of the concave mirror, a moving member that moves the support member, and an urging unit that urges the moving member toward the support base. The proximity exposure apparatus, wherein the biasing means presses the support member against the edge of the surface of the concave mirror to support the edge of the surface of the concave mirror.   The proximity exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the support member has an inclined surface along a curvature of a surface of the concave mirror at a position where the support member comes into contact with the concave mirror. A chuck that supports the substrate, a mask holder that holds the mask, and an exposure light irradiation device that has a concave mirror that converts the light generated from the light source into parallel light bundles, and a minute gap is formed between the mask and the substrate. An exposure light irradiation method of a proximity exposure apparatus that irradiates a mask with exposure light of a parallel light beam from an exposure light irradiation apparatus and transfers a mask pattern to a substrate,
The exposure light irradiation device is provided with a concave mirror support device having a support base that supports the back surface of the concave mirror and a plurality of support mechanisms that are attached to the support base and support the edge of the surface of the concave mirror,
The support base is provided with a round hole whose diameter is smaller than the size of the concave mirror, the edge of the round hole is brought into contact with the back surface of the concave mirror, and the back surface of the concave mirror is supported.
A plurality of support mechanisms are provided with a support member that supports the edge of the surface of the concave mirror, a moving member that moves the support member, and an urging means that urges the moving member toward the support base, and is supported by the urging means. An exposure light irradiation method for a proximity exposure apparatus, wherein a member is pressed against an edge of a surface of a concave mirror to support the edge of the surface of the concave mirror.   4. The exposure light irradiation method of a proximity exposure apparatus according to claim 3, wherein an inclined surface along the curvature of the surface of the concave mirror is provided at a location where the support member contacts the concave mirror.   A method for manufacturing a display panel substrate, comprising: exposing a substrate using the proximity exposure apparatus according to claim 1.   5. A method of manufacturing a display panel substrate, wherein the substrate is exposed using the exposure light irradiation method of the proximity exposure apparatus according to claim 3 or 4.

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