JP5473880B2 - Exposure apparatus, exposure method, and manufacturing method of display panel substrate - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an exposure apparatus that exposes a light beam to a substrate coated with a photoresist, scans the substrate with the light beam, and draws a pattern on the substrate in the manufacture of a display panel substrate such as a liquid crystal display device. The present invention relates to a method and a manufacturing method of a display panel substrate using them, and more particularly, an exposure apparatus that uses a plurality of light beam irradiation apparatuses to scan a substrate with a plurality of light beams, an exposure method, and a display using the same. The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a panel substrate.

  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. Conventionally, 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 was a proximity method to transfer.

  In recent years, an exposure apparatus has been developed that irradiates a substrate coated with a photoresist with a light beam, scans the substrate with the light beam, and draws a pattern on the substrate. Since the substrate is scanned by the light beam and the pattern is directly drawn on the substrate, an expensive mask is not required. Further, by changing the drawing data and the scanning program, various types of display panel substrates can be supported. Examples of such an exposure apparatus include those described in Patent Document 1, Patent Document 2, and Patent Document 3.

JP 2010-44318 A JP 2010-60990 A JP 2010-102084 A

  When a pattern is drawn on a substrate with a light beam, a spatial light modulator such as a DMD (Digital Micromirror Device) is used to modulate the light beam. The DMD is configured by arranging a plurality of minute mirrors that reflect a light beam in two orthogonal directions, and the drive circuit changes the angle of each mirror based on the drawing data, whereby the light beam supplied from the light source Modulate. The light beam modulated by the spatial light modulator is irradiated onto the substrate from the irradiation optical system including the projection lens of the light beam irradiation apparatus.

  In the manufacture of a display panel substrate such as a liquid crystal display device, since the exposure area is wide, scanning the entire substrate with one light beam using a single light beam irradiation device takes time to scan the entire substrate, Increases takt time. In order to shorten the tact time, it is necessary to use a plurality of light beam irradiation apparatuses and perform scanning of the substrate in parallel with the plurality of light beams.

  The operating angle of the DMD mirror varies depending on the tolerance of each DMD. If the operating angle of the mirror of the DMD is different, the optical path of the light beam that passes through the irradiation optical system such as the projection lens in the light beam irradiation device is shifted, and the intensity distribution of the diffracted light of the light beam changes. When a plurality of light beam irradiation devices are used to scan a substrate with a plurality of light beams, if there is a variation in the intensity distribution of the diffracted light of the light beam emitted from each light beam irradiation device to the substrate, the resolution performance will be reduced. There is a problem that the pattern is not uniformly drawn and the drawing quality is deteriorated.

  An object of the present invention is to diffract a light beam by scanning a substrate with a plurality of light beams from a plurality of light beam irradiation apparatuses and drawing a pattern on the substrate due to variations in the operating angle of a mirror of a spatial light modulator. It is to improve the drawing quality by correcting variations in the light intensity distribution. Another object of the present invention is to manufacture a high-quality display panel substrate.

  An exposure apparatus according to the present invention is based on a chuck that supports a substrate coated with a photoresist, a spatial light modulator that modulates a light beam by changing the angles of a plurality of mirrors arranged in two directions, and drawing data. A drive circuit for driving a spatial light modulator, and a plurality of light beam irradiation apparatuses having an irradiation optical system for irradiating a light beam modulated by the spatial light modulator, and a chuck and a plurality of light beam irradiation apparatuses A moving means for moving the chuck relative to the chuck and the plurality of light beam irradiation devices, and scanning the substrate with the plurality of light beams from the plurality of light beam irradiation devices, An exposure apparatus for drawing a pattern, in which each light beam irradiation apparatus includes a correction mirror provided in the optical path of the light beam before the irradiation optical system, and an adjusting means for adjusting the angle of the correction mirror. The angle of the correction mirror of each light beam irradiation device is adjusted by the adjusting means of each light beam irradiation device according to the variation in the operating angle of the mirror of the spatial light modulator of each light beam irradiation device, The optical path of the light beam incident on the irradiation optical system of the light beam irradiation apparatus is corrected.

  Further, the exposure method of the present invention supports a substrate coated with a photoresist with a chuck, and changes the angle of the chuck and a plurality of mirrors arranged in two directions to modulate a light beam, A plurality of light beam irradiation devices having a driving circuit for driving the spatial light modulator based on the drawing data and an irradiation optical system for irradiating the light beam modulated by the spatial light modulator are relatively moved. An exposure method in which a substrate is scanned with a plurality of light beams from a plurality of light beam irradiation apparatuses and a pattern is drawn on the substrate, wherein the light beam is irradiated in an optical path before the irradiation optical system of each light beam irradiation apparatus. A correction mirror is provided, each light beam irradiation device is provided with an adjusting means for adjusting the angle of the correction mirror, and each light beam is irradiated in accordance with the variation in the operating angle of the mirror of the spatial light modulator of each light beam irradiation device. Irradiation Adjust the angle of the correction mirror of each light beam irradiation device by adjusting means location, and corrects the optical path of the light beam incident to the illumination optical system of the light beam irradiation device.

  According to the variation of the operating angle of the mirror of the spatial light modulator of each light beam irradiation device, the angle of the correction mirror of each light beam irradiation device is adjusted by the adjusting means of each light beam irradiation device, and each light beam is adjusted. Since the optical path of the light beam incident on the irradiation optical system of the irradiation apparatus is corrected, the optical path of the light beam transmitted through the irradiation optical system such as the projection lens is the same in each light beam irradiation apparatus. Therefore, the variation in the intensity distribution of the diffracted light beam due to the variation in the operating angle of the mirror of the spatial light modulator is corrected, and the drawing quality is improved.

  Furthermore, in the exposure apparatus of the present invention, the adjusting means has a support plate that supports the correction mirror and an adjustment screw that adjusts the angle of the support plate, and diffracts the light beam emitted from each light beam irradiation device. The angle of the support plate is adjusted by the adjusting screw according to the light intensity distribution.

  In the exposure method of the present invention, as the adjusting means, a support plate for supporting the correction mirror and an adjusting screw for adjusting the angle of the support plate are provided, and the diffracted light of the light beam emitted from each light beam irradiation device. The angle of the support plate is adjusted by an adjusting screw in accordance with the intensity distribution of.

  Since the angle of the support plate is adjusted by the adjusting screw according to the intensity distribution of the diffracted light of the light beam emitted from each light beam irradiation device, the spatial light modulator of each light beam irradiation device can be configured with a simple configuration. The angle of the correction mirror of each light beam irradiation device is adjusted according to the variation in the mirror operation angle.

  Alternatively, in the exposure apparatus of the present invention, the adjusting unit includes a piezo element that adjusts the angle of the correction mirror and a piezo element driving circuit that drives the piezo element, and the light beam emitted from each light beam irradiation apparatus. Means for detecting the intensity distribution of the diffracted light and controlling the piezo element driving circuit in accordance with the detection result.

  In the exposure method of the present invention, a piezo element for adjusting the angle of the correction mirror and a piezo element drive circuit for driving the piezo element are provided as adjusting means, and the light beam emitted from each light beam irradiation apparatus is provided. The intensity distribution of the diffracted light is detected, and the piezo element driving circuit is controlled according to the detection result.

  Since the intensity distribution of the diffracted light of the light beam emitted from each light beam irradiation device is detected and the piezo element drive circuit is controlled according to the detection result, the spatial light modulator mirror of each light beam irradiation device is controlled. The angle of the correction mirror of each light beam irradiation device is automatically adjusted according to the variation in the operating angle.

  The method for producing a display panel substrate according to the present invention involves exposing the substrate using any one of the above exposure apparatuses or exposure methods. By using the above exposure apparatus or exposure method, variations in the intensity distribution of the diffracted light beam due to variations in the operating angle of the mirror of the spatial light modulator are corrected, and the drawing quality is improved. A panel substrate is manufactured.

  According to the exposure apparatus and the exposure method of the present invention, the correction mirror is provided in the optical path of the light beam before the irradiation optical system of each light beam irradiation apparatus, and the angle of the correction mirror is adjusted in each light beam irradiation apparatus. An adjusting means is provided, and the angle of the correction mirror of each light beam irradiation device is adjusted by the adjusting means of each light beam irradiation device according to the variation in the operating angle of the mirror of the spatial light modulator of each light beam irradiation device. Therefore, by correcting the optical path of the light beam incident on the irradiation optical system of each light beam irradiation device, the variation in the intensity distribution of the diffracted light beam due to the variation in the operating angle of the mirror of the spatial light modulator is corrected. The drawing quality can be improved.

  Further, according to the exposure apparatus and the exposure method of the present invention, as the adjusting means, the support plate for supporting the correction mirror and the adjusting screw for adjusting the angle of the support plate are provided, and the light beams are irradiated from the respective light beam irradiation apparatuses. By adjusting the angle of the support plate with the adjusting screw according to the intensity distribution of the diffracted light of the light beam, it is possible to respond to variations in the operating angle of the mirror of the spatial light modulator of each light beam irradiation device with a simple configuration. Thus, the angle of the correction mirror of each light beam irradiation device can be adjusted.

  Alternatively, according to the exposure apparatus and the exposure method of the present invention, as the adjusting means, a piezo element for adjusting the angle of the correction mirror and a piezo element driving circuit for driving the piezo element are provided, and irradiation is performed from each light beam irradiation apparatus. By detecting the intensity distribution of the diffracted light of the emitted light beam and controlling the piezo element drive circuit according to the detection result, it responds to variations in the operating angle of the mirror of the spatial light modulator of each light beam irradiation device Thus, the angle of the correction mirror of each light beam irradiation device can be automatically adjusted.

  According to the display panel substrate manufacturing method of the present invention, it is possible to improve the drawing quality by correcting the variation in the intensity distribution of the diffracted light of the light beam caused by the variation in the operating angle of the mirror of the spatial light modulator. Therefore, a high-quality display panel substrate can be manufactured.

1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an exposure apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a side view of an exposure apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a front view of an exposure apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the light beam irradiation apparatus of the exposure apparatus by one embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the mirror part of DMD. It is a figure explaining operation | movement of a laser length measurement system. It is a figure which shows schematic structure of a drawing control part. It is a figure explaining the exposure method by one embodiment of this invention. FIG. 9A is a side view of the mirror holder, and FIG. 9B is a rear view of the mirror holder. It is a figure explaining operation | movement of the mirror for a correction | amendment. It is a figure which shows an example of the operation state of the mirror of DMD at the time of adjusting the angle of the mirror for a correction | amendment. It is a figure which shows the example of the diffraction image image | photographed with the CCD camera. It is a figure explaining the exposure method by other embodiment of this invention. It is a figure explaining the scanning of the board | substrate by a light beam. It is a figure explaining the scanning of the board | substrate by a light beam. It is a figure explaining the scanning of the board | substrate by a light beam. It is a figure explaining the scanning of the board | substrate by a light beam. 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 view showing the schematic arrangement of an exposure apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a side view of the exposure apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a front view of the exposure apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. The 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 10, a gate 11, a light beam irradiation device 20, linear scales 31, 33, encoders 32, 34, A laser length measurement system, a laser length measurement system control device 40, a stage drive circuit 60, and a main control device 70 are included. 2 and 3, the laser light source 41 of the laser measurement system, the laser measurement system control device 40, the stage drive circuit 60, and the main control device 70 are omitted. In addition to these, the 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.

  1 and 2, the chuck 10 is in a delivery position for delivering the substrate 1. At the delivery position, the substrate 1 is carried into the chuck 10 by a substrate carrying robot (not shown), and the substrate 1 is carried out of the chuck 10 by a substrate carrying robot (not shown). The chuck 10 supports the back surface of the substrate 1 by vacuum suction. A photoresist is applied to the surface of the substrate 1.

  A gate 11 is provided across the base 3 above the exposure position where the substrate 1 is exposed. A plurality of light beam irradiation devices 20 are mounted on the gate 11. Although the present embodiment shows an example of an exposure apparatus using eight light beam irradiation apparatuses 20, the number of light beam irradiation apparatuses is not limited to this, and the present invention irradiates two or more light beam irradiations. The present invention is applied to an exposure apparatus using the apparatus.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of a light beam irradiation apparatus of an exposure apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The light beam irradiation device 20 includes an optical fiber 22, a condenser lens 23a, a fly-eye lens 23b, a mirror 24, a DMD (Digital Micromirror Device) 25, a projection lens 26, a DMD driving circuit 27, a first prism 51, a second prism 52, and a correction. The mirror 53 for a mirror and the mirror holder 54 are comprised. The optical fiber 22 introduces an ultraviolet light beam generated from the laser light source unit 21 into the light beam irradiation device 20. The light beam emitted from the optical fiber 22 is condensed by the condenser lens 23a and enters the fly-eye lens 23b. A rod lens or the like may be used instead of the fly-eye lens 23b.

  The light beam emitted from the fly-eye lens 23 b enters the first prism 51 via the mirror 24, is reflected by the slope of the first prism 51, and is irradiated from the first prism 51 to the correction mirror 53. . The correction mirror 53 is supported by the mirror holder 54 at the same angle as the angle of the mirror in the on state of the DMD 25. The angle is adjusted. The light beam reflected by the correction mirror 53 enters the first prism 51 again, passes through the first prism 51 and the second prism 52, and is irradiated to the DMD 25.

  The DMD 25 is a spatial light modulator configured by arranging a plurality of minute mirrors that reflect a light beam in two orthogonal directions, and modulates the light beam by changing the angle of each mirror. The DMD drive circuit 27 changes the angle of each mirror of the DMD 25 based on the drawing data supplied from the main controller 70. The light beam modulated by the DMD 25 enters the second prism 52 again, is reflected by the slope of the second prism 52, and enters the irradiation optical system 20b including the projection lens 26 from the second prism 52. The light beam incident on the irradiation optical system 20b is irradiated onto the substrate 1 from the irradiation optical system 20b.

  2 and 3, the chuck 10 is mounted on the θ stage 8, 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 in the X direction along the X guide 4. The Y stage 7 is mounted on a Y guide 6 provided on the X stage 5 and moves in the Y direction along the Y guide 6. The θ stage 8 is mounted on the Y stage 7 and rotates in the θ direction. The X stage 5, Y stage 7, and θ stage 8 are provided with drive mechanisms (not shown) such as ball screws and motors, linear motors, etc., and each drive mechanism is driven by a stage drive circuit 60 of FIG. The

  By rotation of the θ stage 8 in the θ direction, the substrate 1 mounted on the chuck 10 is rotated so that two orthogonal sides are directed in the X direction and the Y direction. As the X stage 5 moves in the X direction, the chuck 10 is moved between the delivery position and the exposure position. At the exposure position, the movement of the X stage 5 in the X direction causes the light beam irradiated from the irradiation optical system 20b of each light beam irradiation apparatus 20 to scan the substrate 1 in the X direction. In addition, as the Y stage 7 moves in the Y direction, the scanning region of the substrate 1 by the light beam irradiated from the irradiation optical system 20b of each light beam irradiation apparatus 20 is moved in the Y direction. In FIG. 1, the main controller 70 controls the stage drive circuit 60 to rotate the θ stage 8 in the θ direction, move the X stage 5 in the X direction, and move the Y stage 7 in the Y direction. .

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a DMD mirror unit. The DMD 25 of the light beam irradiation device 20 has a predetermined angle θ with respect to the Z direction perpendicular to the scanning direction (X direction (the depth direction of FIG. 5)) of the substrate 1 by the light beam from the light beam irradiation device 20. It is tilted. When the DMD 25 is arranged to be inclined with respect to the Z direction, any one of the plurality of mirrors 25a arranged in two orthogonal directions covers a portion corresponding to the gap between the adjacent mirrors 25a. It can be done without gaps.

  In the present embodiment, the substrate 10 is scanned by the light beam from the light beam irradiation device 20 by moving the chuck 10 in the X direction by the X stage 5, but the light beam irradiation device 20 is moved. By doing so, the substrate 1 may be scanned by the light beam from the light beam irradiation device 20. In the present embodiment, the scanning region of the substrate 1 by the light beam from the light beam irradiation device 20 is changed by moving the chuck 10 in the Y direction by the Y stage 7, but the light beam irradiation device 20. , The scanning region of the substrate 1 by the light beam from the light beam irradiation device 20 may be changed.

  1 and 2, the base 3 is provided with a linear scale 31 extending in the X direction. The linear scale 31 is provided with a scale for detecting the amount of movement of the X stage 5 in the X direction. The X stage 5 is provided with a linear scale 33 extending in the Y direction. The linear scale 33 is provided with a scale for detecting the amount of movement of the Y stage 7 in the Y direction.

  1 and 3, an encoder 32 is attached to one side surface of the X stage 5 so as to face the linear scale 31. The encoder 32 detects the scale of the linear scale 31 and outputs a pulse signal to the main controller 70. 1 and 2, an encoder 34 is attached to one side surface of the Y stage 7 so as to face the linear scale 33. The encoder 34 detects the scale of the linear scale 33 and outputs a pulse signal to the main controller 70. Main controller 70 counts the pulse signal of encoder 32, detects the amount of movement of X stage 5 in the X direction, counts the pulse signal of encoder 34, and moves the amount of Y stage 7 in the Y direction. Is detected.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the laser length measurement system. In FIG. 6, the gate 11 and the light beam irradiation device 20 shown in FIG. 1 are omitted. The laser length measurement system is a known laser interference type length measurement system, and includes a laser light source 41, laser interferometers 42 and 44, and bar mirrors 43 and 45. The bar mirror 43 is attached to one side surface of the chuck 10 that extends in the Y direction. The bar mirror 45 is attached to one side surface of the chuck 10 extending in the X direction.

  The laser interferometer 42 irradiates the laser beam from the laser light source 41 onto the bar mirror 43, receives the laser beam reflected by the bar mirror 43, and the laser beam reflected from the laser beam source 41 and the laser beam reflected by the bar mirror 43. Measure interference. This measurement is performed at two locations in the Y direction. The laser length measurement system control device 40 detects the position and rotation of the chuck 10 in the X direction from the measurement result of the laser interferometer 42 under the control of the main control device 70.

  On the other hand, the laser interferometer 44 irradiates the laser beam from the laser light source 41 to the bar mirror 45, receives the laser beam reflected by the bar mirror 45, and the laser beam reflected from the laser source 41 and the bar mirror 45. Measure interference with light. The laser length measurement system control device 40 detects the position of the chuck 10 in the Y direction from the measurement result of the laser interferometer 44 under the control of the main control device 70.

  In FIG. 4, the main controller 70 has a drawing controller that supplies drawing data to the DMD drive circuit 27 of the light beam irradiation device 20. FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of the drawing control unit. The drawing control unit 71 includes a memory 72, a bandwidth setting unit 73, a center point coordinate determination unit 74, and a coordinate determination unit 75. The memory 72 stores drawing data to be supplied to the DMD driving circuit 27 of each light beam irradiation apparatus 20 using the XY coordinates as addresses. In addition, the memory 72 stores drawing data for adjusting the angle of the correction mirror 53 described later.

  The bandwidth setting unit 73 sets the Y-direction bandwidth of the light beam irradiated from the irradiation optical system 20 b of the light beam irradiation apparatus 20 by determining the range of the Y coordinate of the drawing data read from the memory 72.

  The laser length measurement system control device 40 detects the position of the chuck 10 in the X and Y directions before the exposure of the substrate 1 at the exposure position is started. The center point coordinate determination unit 74 determines the XY coordinates of the center point of the chuck 10 before starting the exposure of the substrate 1 from the position in the XY direction of the chuck 10 detected by the laser length measurement system control device 40. In FIG. 1, when scanning the substrate 1 with the light beam from the light beam irradiation device 20, the main control device 70 controls the stage drive circuit 60 to move the chuck 10 in the X direction by the X stage 5. When moving the scanning area of the substrate 1, the main controller 70 controls the stage drive circuit 60 to move the chuck 10 in the Y direction by the Y stage 7. In FIG. 7, the center point coordinate determination unit 74 counts the pulse signals from the encoders 32 and 34, detects the amount of movement of the X stage 5 in the X direction and the amount of movement of the Y stage 7 in the Y direction, The XY coordinates of the center point of the chuck 10 are determined.

  The coordinate determination unit 75 determines the XY coordinates of the drawing data supplied to the DMD drive circuit 27 of each light beam irradiation device 20 based on the XY coordinates of the center point of the chuck 10 determined by the center point coordinate determination unit 74. The memory 72 inputs the XY coordinates determined by the coordinate determination unit 75 as an address, and outputs the drawing data stored at the input XY coordinate address to the DMD drive circuit 27 of each light beam irradiation apparatus 20.

  Hereinafter, an exposure method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. In FIG. 5, each mirror 25a of the DMD 25 is square, and the angle of each mirror 25a is changed by rotating around one of the diagonal lines. Even if the operating angle of the mirror 25a of the DMD 25 is, for example, ± 12 degrees, there is variation due to tolerance for each DMD. When the operating angle of the mirror 25a of the DMD 25 is different, the optical path of the light beam transmitted through the irradiation optical system 20b including the projection lens 26 in the light beam irradiation apparatus 20 is shifted in FIG. 4, and the intensity distribution of the diffracted light of the light beam is changed. Change. When a plurality of light beam irradiation devices 20 are used to scan the substrate 1 with a plurality of light beams, the intensity distribution of the diffracted light of the light beams emitted from the light beam irradiation devices 20 to the substrate 1 varies. The pattern is not drawn uniformly, and the drawing quality is degraded.

  FIG. 8 is a view for explaining an exposure method according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, from the observation result of the intensity distribution of the diffracted light of the light beam emitted from each light beam irradiation device 20, according to the variation in the operating angle of the mirror 25a of the DMD 25 of each light beam irradiation device 20, By adjusting the angle of the correction mirror 53 of the light beam irradiation device 20, the optical path of the light beam incident on the irradiation optical system 20 b of each light beam irradiation device 20 is corrected.

  When adjusting the angle of the correction mirror 53, an aperture stop 23c is provided between the fly-eye lens 23b and the mirror 24 as shown in FIG. This is because by reducing the incident numerical aperture NAi, the illumination σ (= incident numerical aperture NAi / outgoing numerical aperture NAo) is reduced, and a diffracted image of the light beam is clearly obtained. The aperture stop 23c allows only light on the optical axis to pass through the light beam transmitted through the fly-eye lens 23b. In order to observe the pupil diffraction image, a translucent plate 23d such as ground glass is installed at the pupil position of the projection lens 26 of the irradiation optical system 20b. Then, the CCD camera 55 is installed so as to focus on the pupil position of the projection lens 26.

  FIG. 9A is a side view of the mirror holder, and FIG. 9B is a rear view of the mirror holder. The mirror holder 54 includes a support plate 54a, a main body 54b, a tension coil spring 54c, and an adjustment screw 54d. As shown in FIG. 9A, the back surface of the correction mirror 53 is attached to the support plate 54a and supported by the support plate 54a. The support plate 54a is urged toward the main body 54b by two tension coil springs 54c. As shown in FIG. 9B, three adjustment screws 54d are screwed into the main body 54b, and as shown in FIG. 9A, the tips of the adjustment screws 54d come into contact with the support plate 54a. The space between the support plate 54a and the main body 54b is maintained. Among the three adjustment screws 54d, by turning one of the two adjustment screws 54d arranged symmetrically with respect to the axis shown by the alternate long and short dash line in FIG. 9B, the screwing amount of the adjustment screw 54d is changed. The support plate 54a is tilted in the direction orthogonal to the axis indicated by the one-dot chain line, and the angle of the correction mirror 53 is adjusted.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the correction mirror. 10A is a view of the mirror 25a, the first prism 51, the second prism 52, and the correction mirror 53 of the DMD 25 as seen from the side, FIG. 10B is a view of them as seen from the rear, and FIG. c) is a top view of them. 8 and 10, only one mirror 25a of the DMD 25 is enlarged and shown for easy understanding.

  As shown in FIG. 10A, the light beam incident on the first prism 51 is reflected by the slope of the first prism 51 and is irradiated from the first prism 51 onto the correction mirror 53. The light beam reflected by the correction mirror 53 enters the first prism 51 again, passes through the first prism 51 and the second prism 52, and is irradiated onto the mirror 25a of the DMD 25. When the mirror 25a of the DMD 25 is in the on state, the light beam reflected by the mirror 25a is incident on the second prism 52 again, reflected by the slope of the second prism 52, and emitted downward from the second prism 52. The The correction mirror 53 is tilted by the mirror holder 54 in a direction perpendicular to the axis shown by the one-dot chain line in FIGS. 10A, 10 </ b> B, and 10 </ b> C, and parallel to the ON state mirror 25 a of the DMD 25. The angle is adjusted so that The optical path of the light beam incident on the irradiation optical system 20b of the light beam irradiation apparatus 20 is corrected by adjusting the angle of the correction mirror 53 according to the variation in the operating angle of the mirror 25a of the DMD 25.

  The angle of the correction mirror 53 of each light beam irradiation device 20 is adjusted by the mirror holder 54 of each light beam irradiation device 20 according to the variation in the operating angle of the mirror 25a of the DMD 25 of each light beam irradiation device 20, Since the optical path of the light beam incident on the irradiation optical system 20b of the light beam irradiation apparatus 20 is corrected, the optical path of the light beam transmitted through the irradiation optical system 20b including the projection lens 26 is the same in each light beam irradiation apparatus 20. Become. Therefore, the variation in the intensity distribution of the diffracted light beam due to the variation in the operating angle of the mirror 25a of the DMD 25 is corrected, and the drawing quality is improved.

  In FIG. 7, when adjusting the angle of the correction mirror 53, the drawing control unit 71 of the main control device 70 applies drawing data for adjusting the angle of the correction mirror 53 stored in the memory 72 to each light beam irradiation. This is supplied to the DMD drive circuit 27 of the apparatus 20. FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operating state of the DMD mirror when the angle of the correction mirror is adjusted. The drawing data for adjusting the angle of the correction mirror 53 is for turning on the mirrors separated from each other by a predetermined interval among the plurality of mirrors 25a of the DMD 25. In FIG. Shown in black. When the wavelength of the light beam is λ and the pitch of each mirror 25a of the DMD 25 is d, the pitch of the diffraction pattern of the light beam is λ / d when the adjacent mirror 25a is turned on, but as shown in FIG. When every n mirrors 25a are turned on, the pitch of the diffraction pattern of the light beam is λ / nd.

  FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of a diffraction image taken by a CCD camera. FIG. 12A shows a diffraction image when the angle of the correction mirror 53 is 12 degrees before adjustment, and the operation angle of the mirror 25a is smaller than 12 degrees. FIG. 12B shows the operation angle of the mirror 25a. FIG. 12C shows a diffraction image when the operating angle of the mirror 25a is larger than 12 degrees. 12A, 12B, and 12C, the gray round portion is the pupil of the projection lens 26, and the white portion inside is a diffraction image. The diffraction image of the light beam reflected by the on-state mirror 25 a shown in FIG. 11 has a short pitch and is observed at the pupil position of the projection lens 26 in an overlapping manner.

  In the case of FIG. 12B, the center of the overlapped diffraction image coincides with the center of the pupil, but in the case of FIG. 12A and FIG. 12C, the center of the overlapped diffraction image is from the center of the pupil. It is off. In the present embodiment, while observing the diffraction images taken by the CCD camera 55, the adjustment screw 54d of the mirror holder 54 is turned so that the center of the overlapped diffraction images coincides with the center of the pupil, thereby supporting the support plate 54a. And the angle of the correction mirror 53 is adjusted.

  Since the angle of the support plate 54a is adjusted by the adjusting screw 54d according to the intensity distribution of the diffracted light of the light beam emitted from each light beam irradiation device 20, the DMD 25 of each light beam irradiation device 20 has a simple configuration. The angle of the correction mirror 53 of each light beam irradiation device 20 is adjusted according to the variation in the operation angle of the mirror 25a.

  FIG. 13 is a view for explaining an exposure method according to another embodiment of the present invention. In the present embodiment, two piezo elements 56 that adjust the angle of the correction mirror 53 and a piezo element drive circuit 57 that drives each piezo element 56 are provided instead of the mirror holder 54 of FIG. . Further, an image processing device 58 for controlling the piezo element driving circuit 57 is provided.

  The image processing device 58 processes the image signal of the CCD camera 55 to detect the intensity distribution of the diffracted light, and the center of the overlapped diffraction images as shown in FIGS. Detect position. The image processing device 58 processes the image signal of the CCD camera 55 and calculates the position of the center of the pupil from the contour of the pupil. Then, the image processing device 58 controls the piezo element driving circuit 57 so that the center of the overlapped diffraction image coincides with the center of the pupil, and adjusts the angle of the correction mirror 53 by the piezo element 56.

  Since the intensity distribution of the diffracted light of the light beam emitted from each light beam irradiation device 20 is detected and the piezo element drive circuit 57 is controlled according to the detection result, the operation of the mirror 25a of the DMD 25 of each light beam irradiation device The angle of the correction mirror 53 of each light beam irradiation device 20 is automatically adjusted according to the variation in angle.

  14 to 17 are diagrams for explaining scanning of the substrate by the light beam. 14 to 17 show an example in which the entire substrate 1 is scanned by performing four scans in the X direction of the substrate 1 with the eight light beams from the eight light beam irradiation apparatuses 20. 14-17, the head part 20a containing the irradiation optical system 20b of each light beam irradiation apparatus 20 is shown with the broken line. The light beam emitted from the head unit 20a of each light beam irradiation device 20 has a bandwidth W in the Y direction, and the substrate 1 is scanned in the direction indicated by the arrow by the movement of the X stage 5 in the X direction.

  FIG. 14 shows the first scan, and the pattern is drawn in the scan area shown in gray in FIG. 14 by the first scan in the X direction. When the first scanning is completed, the substrate 1 is moved in the Y direction by the same distance as the bandwidth W by the movement of the Y stage 7 in the Y direction. FIG. 15 shows the second scan, and the pattern is drawn in the scan area shown in gray in FIG. 15 by the second scan in the X direction. When the second scan is completed, the substrate 1 is moved in the Y direction by the same distance as the bandwidth W by the movement of the Y stage 7 in the Y direction. FIG. 16 shows the third scan, and the pattern is drawn in the scan area shown in gray in FIG. 16 by the third scan in the X direction. When the third scan is completed, the substrate 1 is moved in the Y direction by the same distance as the bandwidth W by the movement of the Y stage 7 in the Y direction. FIG. 17 shows the fourth scan. With the fourth scan in the X direction, a pattern is drawn in the scan area shown in gray in FIG. 17, and the scan of the entire substrate 1 is completed.

  14 to 17 show an example in which the substrate 1 is scanned four times by scanning the substrate 1 in the X direction. However, the number of scans is not limited to this, and the substrate 1 is scanned in the X direction. May be performed 3 times or less or 5 times or more to scan the entire substrate 1.

  According to the embodiment described above, the correction mirror 53 is provided in the optical path of the light beam before the irradiation optical system 20b of each light beam irradiation device 20, and the angle of the correction mirror 53 is set in each light beam irradiation device 20. The adjusting device of each light beam irradiating device 20 is adjusted by the adjusting device of each light beam irradiating device 20 according to variations in the operating angle of the mirror 25a of the DMD 25 of each light beam irradiating device 20. By adjusting the angle and correcting the optical path of the light beam incident on the irradiation optical system 20b of each light beam irradiation device 20, variation in the intensity distribution of the diffracted light of the light beam due to variation in the operating angle of the mirror 25a of the DMD 25 Can be corrected to improve the drawing quality.

  Furthermore, according to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 8 to 9, the mirror holder 54 having the support plate 54 a that supports the correction mirror 53 and the adjustment screw 54 d that adjusts the angle of the support plate 54 a as the adjustment device. By adjusting the angle of the support plate 54a with the adjusting screw 54d according to the intensity distribution of the diffracted light of the light beam emitted from each light beam irradiation device 20, each light beam irradiation device can be configured with a simple configuration. The angle of the correction mirror 53 of each light beam irradiation device 20 can be adjusted according to the variation in the operating angle of the mirror 25a of the 20 DMDs 25.

  Alternatively, according to the embodiment shown in FIG. 13, as the adjusting device, the piezo element 56 for adjusting the angle of the correction mirror 53 and the piezo element driving circuit 57 for driving the piezo element 56 are provided, and each light beam is provided. By detecting the intensity distribution of the diffracted light of the light beam emitted from the irradiation device 20 and controlling the piezo element driving circuit 57 according to the detection result, the operating angle of the mirror 25a of the DMD 25 of each light beam irradiation device 20 The angle of the correction mirror 53 of each light beam irradiating device 20 can be automatically adjusted according to the variation of the above.

  By exposing the substrate using the exposure apparatus or exposure method of the present invention, the variation in the intensity distribution of the diffracted light beam due to the variation in the operating angle of the mirror of the spatial light modulator is corrected, thereby improving the drawing quality. Therefore, a high-quality display panel substrate can be manufactured.

  For example, FIG. 18 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 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), a pattern is formed on the photoresist film using an exposure apparatus. 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. 19 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. 18, in the exposure process (step 103), in the color filter substrate manufacturing process shown in FIG. 19, in the black matrix forming process (step 201) and the colored pattern forming process (step 202). In this exposure process, the exposure apparatus or the exposure method of the present invention can be applied.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Substrate 3 Base 4 X guide 5 X stage 6 Y guide 7 Y stage 8 θ stage 10 Chuck 11 Gate 20 Light beam irradiation apparatus 20a Head part 20b Irradiation optical system 21 Laser light source unit 22 Optical fiber 23a Condenser lens 23b Fly eye lens 23c Aperture Aperture 23d Translucent plate 24 Mirror 25 DMD (Digital Micromirror Device)
25a Mirror 26 Projection Lens 27 DMD Drive Circuit 31, 33 Linear Scale 32, 34 Encoder 40 Laser Measuring System Control Device 41 Laser Light Source 42, 44 Laser Interferometer 43, 45 Bar Mirror 51 First Prism 52 Second Prism 53 Correction Mirror 54 mirror holder 54a support plate 54b main body 54c tension coil spring 54d adjusting screw 55 CCD camera 56 piezo element 57 piezo element drive circuit 58 image processing device 60 stage drive circuit 70 main control device 71 drawing control unit 72 memory 73 bandwidth setting unit 74 center Point coordinate determination unit 75 Coordinate determination unit

Claims (8)

A chuck for supporting a substrate coated with a photoresist;
It is modulated by a spatial light modulator that modulates the light beam by changing the angle of a plurality of mirrors arranged in two directions, a drive circuit that drives the spatial light modulator based on drawing data, and a spatial light modulator. A plurality of light beam irradiation apparatuses having an irradiation optical system for irradiating the light beam;
Moving means for relatively moving the chuck and the plurality of light beam irradiation devices;
An exposure apparatus that draws a pattern on a substrate by relatively moving the chuck and the plurality of light beam irradiation apparatuses by the moving unit, scanning the substrate with the plurality of light beams from the plurality of light beam irradiation apparatuses. Because
Each light beam irradiation device has a correction mirror provided in the optical path of the light beam before the irradiation optical system, and an adjusting means for adjusting the angle of the correction mirror,
The angle of the correction mirror of each light beam irradiation device is adjusted by the adjusting means of each light beam irradiation device according to the variation in the operating angle of the mirror of the spatial light modulator of each light beam irradiation device. An exposure apparatus characterized in that an optical path of a light beam incident on an irradiation optical system of the irradiation apparatus is corrected. The adjustment means includes a support plate that supports the correction mirror, and an adjustment screw that adjusts the angle of the support plate,
2. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an angle of the support plate is adjusted by the adjusting screw according to an intensity distribution of diffracted light of the light beam emitted from each light beam irradiation apparatus. The adjusting means includes a piezo element for adjusting the angle of the correction mirror, and a piezo element driving circuit for driving the piezo element,
The apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising means for detecting an intensity distribution of diffracted light of the light beam emitted from each light beam irradiation device and controlling the piezo element driving circuit according to a detection result. Exposure device. Support the substrate coated with photoresist with a chuck,
A spatial light modulator that modulates a light beam by changing the angles of a chuck and a plurality of mirrors arranged in two directions, a drive circuit that drives the spatial light modulator based on drawing data, and a spatial light modulator A plurality of light beam irradiation apparatuses having an irradiation optical system for irradiating a light beam modulated by
An exposure method of drawing a pattern on a substrate by scanning the substrate with a plurality of light beams from a plurality of light beam irradiation apparatuses,
Provide a correction mirror in the optical path of the light beam before the irradiation optical system of each light beam irradiation device,
Each light beam irradiation device is provided with an adjusting means for adjusting the angle of the correction mirror,
According to the variation of the operating angle of the mirror of the spatial light modulator of each light beam irradiation device, the angle of the correction mirror of each light beam irradiation device is adjusted by the adjusting means of each light beam irradiation device, and each light beam is adjusted. An exposure method comprising correcting an optical path of a light beam incident on an irradiation optical system of an irradiation apparatus. As adjustment means, a support plate for supporting the correction mirror and an adjustment screw for adjusting the angle of the support plate are provided.
5. The exposure method according to claim 4, wherein the angle of the support plate is adjusted by an adjusting screw in accordance with the intensity distribution of the diffracted light of the light beam emitted from each light beam irradiation device. As adjustment means, a piezo element for adjusting the angle of the correction mirror, and a piezo element drive circuit for driving the piezo element are provided,
Detect the intensity distribution of the diffracted light of the light beam emitted from each light beam irradiation device,
5. The exposure method according to claim 4, wherein the piezo element driving circuit is controlled in accordance with the detection result.   A method for manufacturing a display panel substrate, wherein the substrate is exposed using the exposure apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3.   A method for manufacturing a display panel substrate, wherein the substrate is exposed using the exposure method according to any one of claims 4 to 6.

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