JP6783471B2 - Mask manufacturing method, alignment method and mask manufacturing equipment - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a mask manufacturing method, an alignment method, and a mask manufacturing apparatus.

Organic EL (organic electroluminescence) display devices are attracting attention as thin display devices. The organic EL display device has features such as high contrast and excellent visibility because it emits light by itself. Such an organic EL display device is formed by a vacuum vapor deposition method using a mask having a pattern opening corresponding to a pattern such as a light emitting layer. In recent years, organic EL display devices have been made larger, and inevitably masks are also made larger. Therefore, it has become common to form a mask by joining an ultra-thin mask sheet to a mask frame having high rigidity. However, the ultra-thin mask sheet tends to bend as the size increases, and it is difficult to control the position accuracy of the pattern opening.

In Patent Document 1, tension is applied in the directions of four sides of one mask sheet, the position of the mask opening is accurately positioned by adjusting the tension of these four sides, and the mask sheet is used as a mask frame by spot welding. A mask manufacturing apparatus and a mask manufacturing method to be joined are disclosed.

In addition, in order to increase the size of the mask, a plurality of mask sheets are prepared, and these multiple mask sheets are arranged in parallel in the width direction and joined to a rigid mask frame to form a mask (called a mask assembly). A mask manufacturing apparatus and a mask manufacturing method for manufacturing the above are disclosed (see, for example, Patent Document 2).

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2006-249542 Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-217850

However, in Patent Document 1, since tension is applied in the four side directions of the mask sheet, the dimensions of each mask pattern opening formed in the mask sheet and the positional deviation between the mask pattern openings are highly accurate. It is difficult to manage. In addition, since the mask sheet is joined to the mask frame and then the excess portion on the outer periphery of the mask sheet is cut and removed, it is difficult to cope with a large-sized mask such as joining a plurality of mask sheets to the mask frame. is there.

Further, in the mask manufacturing apparatus described in Patent Document 2, since the mask sheet is mainly applied with tension in the longitudinal direction to be joined to the mask frame, it is difficult to suppress the relative misalignment of a plurality of mask sheets. is there.

Therefore, the present invention has been made to solve such a problem, and suppresses relative misalignment of mask sheets in a mask formed by joining a plurality of mask sheets to a mask frame. It is an object of the present invention to provide a mask manufacturing method, an alignment method, and a mask manufacturing apparatus capable of manufacturing a large-sized mask.

[1] In the mask manufacturing method of the present invention, a plurality of mask sheets having a mask pattern forming region including a mask pattern opening and formed of a magnetic metal, and the mask at a position corresponding to the mask pattern forming region. A mask manufacturing method in which mask frames that are the same as or wider than the pattern forming region and have the same number of mask openings as or less than the number of mask sheets are overlapped and joined, and the mask frames are conveyed. A mask frame transport / holding step of holding the mask in a predetermined position, a mask sheet transport / suction step of transporting one of the plurality of mask sheets to a predetermined position above the mask frame and sucking the mask by the mask sheet holding portion, and the mask. A deviation amount detection step of detecting the deviation amount of the alignment reference of the mask sheet with respect to the alignment marker of the glass master that can be raised and lowered while the sheet is attracted, and the position of the mask sheet with respect to the alignment marker based on the deviation amount. The alignment step to determine, the joining step of joining the mask sheet to the mask frame with the mask sheet adsorbed, and the amount of deviation of the alignment marker after joining with respect to the alignment reference of the mask sheet after joining are detected. When the steps from the mask sheet adsorption step to the joining step are repeated for the number of mask sheets and n is a natural number of 2 or more, the nth alignment step is from the first to n. -The alignment marker of the mask sheet to be joined at the nth time based on any of the deviation amounts of the alignment markers after joining with respect to the alignment reference of the mask sheets joined by the first time. It is characterized by determining the position with respect to and joining.

According to the mask manufacturing method of the present invention, first, the position of the mask sheet is determined based on the deviation amount of the alignment reference of the mask sheet with respect to the alignment marker of the glass master, the mask sheet is joined to the mask frame, and the mask sheet after joining is further joined. Detects the amount of deviation of the alignment marker after joining with respect to the alignment standard of. The position of the mask sheet to be joined next with respect to the alignment marker is determined based on the amount of displacement after joining. For example, the position of the mask sheet to be joined for the second time is determined and joined based on the amount of deviation of the alignment marker after joining with respect to the mask sheet to be joined for the first time. In the third and subsequent joinings, the position where the third mask sheet is joined with respect to the alignment marker is determined and joined based on the amount of deviation of the alignment marker with respect to the mask sheet after the third and subsequent joinings. By doing so, it is possible to eliminate the displacement of the mask sheet due to the joining process, the displacement of the alignment marker due to the elevation of the glass master, and the displacement of the mask sheet due to the elevation of the mask sheet holding portion. This makes it possible to manufacture a large-sized mask in which the relative misalignment of a plurality of mask sheets to be arranged and joined is suppressed. The amount of deviation described below includes the position and posture (angle) in the plane direction. Further, determining the position of the mask sheet is to correct the amount of deviation of the mask sheet with respect to the alignment marker.

[2] In the mask manufacturing method of the present invention, in the nth alignment step, all the deviation amounts of the alignment markers after joining with respect to the alignment reference of the mask sheets bonded from the first to the n-1th. It is preferable to determine the position of the mask sheet to be joined at the nth time with respect to the alignment marker based on the above.

For example, when joining the mask sheet to the mask frame for the third time, the mask sheet for the third alignment marker is based on all the deviation amounts of the alignment markers with respect to the mask sheet after the first and second joining. If the positions are determined and joined, it becomes possible to manufacture a large-sized mask in which the relative misalignment of the three mask sheets is suppressed. By correcting the amount of misalignment in the same manner for the fourth and subsequent joints, it is possible to suppress the relative misalignment of all mask sheets.

[3] According to the mask manufacturing method of the present invention, in the nth alignment step, the amount of deviation of the alignment marker after joining with respect to the alignment reference of the mask sheet bonded from the first to the n-1th. It is preferable to determine the position of the mask sheet to be joined at the nth time with respect to the alignment marker based on the amount of displacement after joining at least one of them.

For example, when joining the mask sheet for the third time, the position of the mask sheet with respect to the third alignment marker is determined and joined based on either the deviation amount of the alignment marker with respect to the mask sheet after the first and second joining. To do. When joining the mask sheets for the fourth time, if the position of the mask sheets for the fourth time is determined based on the amount of displacement after any of the first, second, and third joinings, a plurality of mask sheets can be joined. It is possible to manufacture a large-sized mask with a small relative misalignment.

[4] According to the mask manufacturing method of the present invention, in the nth alignment step, after joining at least two or more of the alignment markers with respect to the alignment reference of the mask sheet bonded from the first to the n-1th. It is preferable to determine the position of the mask sheet to be joined at the nth time with respect to the alignment marker based on the deviation amount corresponding to the average deviation amount of.

For example, when joining the third mask sheet, the position of the mask sheet with respect to the third alignment marker is determined and joined based on the average deviation amount of the alignment marker with respect to the mask sheet after the first and second joining. .. When joining the mask sheet for the 4th time, the position of the 4th time is determined based on the average deviation amount after the 1st and 2nd times, the 2nd and 3rd times, or the 1st to 3rd times. By doing so, it is possible to manufacture a large-sized mask in which the relative misalignment of the four mask sheets is suppressed.

[5] In the mask manufacturing method of the present invention, in the post-bonding displacement detection step, after the mask sheet is bonded to the mask frame, the alignment marker is displaced from the alignment reference of the mask sheet after bonding. It is preferable to detect the amount.

By doing so, it is possible to detect the amount of displacement excluding the displacement of the mask sheet due to the joining process and the displacement of the alignment marker due to the raising and lowering of the glass master, and it is possible to detect the displacement amount of the plurality of mask sheets arranged. It is possible to manufacture a large-sized mask that suppresses relative misalignment.

[6] In the mask manufacturing method of the present invention, the mask frame has the mask openings provided corresponding to the arrangement joining of the plurality of mask sheets, and one mask sheet is used as the mask. After joining to the mask opening to be joined of the frame, the mask sheet holding portion is lowered until the joined mask sheet is in a non-adhesive state, and the mask is reached to the mask opening to be joined next. It is preferable to move the sheet holding portion.

In this way, with respect to the mask frame having a plurality of mask openings provided corresponding to the arrangement of the plurality of mask sheets, one mask sheet holding portion attracts and shifts the plurality of mask sheets. It is possible to perform quantity correction (alignment).

[7] In the mask manufacturing method of the present invention, the alignment reference is composed of at least two or more alignment holes penetrating the mask sheet, and the light transmitted through the alignment holes and the glass master is imaged by an alignment camera. It is preferable to detect the amount of deviation of the alignment hole with respect to the alignment marker and the amount of deviation of the alignment marker with respect to the alignment hole after joining by image processing.

By doing so, the contrast between the light passing through the alignment hole and the alignment marker which becomes a shadow becomes large, the deviation between the alignment hole 7 and the alignment marker can be clearly imaged, and the deviation amount can be detected with high accuracy by image processing. It becomes possible to do.

[8] In the mask manufacturing method of the present invention, when the height position of the glass master is set to the first position in the mask frame transport / holding step and the mask sheet transport / suction step, the shift amount detection step and the shift amount detection step and In the alignment step, the glass master is placed at a second position closer to the mask sheet than the first position, and in the joining step, the glass master is farther from the mask sheet than the second position. It is preferable to place it in the third position.

The glass master can be raised and lowered to the first position, the second position, and the third position in the height direction with respect to the attracted mask sheet, and the mask frame transport / holding step, the mask sheet transport / suction step, The glass master is lowered or raised to a height position suitable for carrying out each step of the displacement detection step, the alignment step, and the joining step, or a height position that does not interfere with the execution of each step. It is possible.

[9] The alignment method of the present invention comprises a plurality of mask sheets having a mask pattern forming region including a mask pattern opening and formed of a magnetic metal, and the mask pattern at a position corresponding to the mask pattern forming region. Misalignment between the mask sheet and the alignment marker of the glass master for superimposing and joining mask frames that are the same as or wider than the forming region and have the same or less number of mask openings as the number of mask sheets. An alignment method for correcting the amount, wherein the alignment step of determining the position of the mask sheet with respect to the alignment marker based on the deviation amount of the alignment reference of the mask sheet with respect to the alignment marker, and the alignment of the mask sheet after joining. The alignment step of determining the position of the mask sheet with respect to the alignment marker based on the amount of deviation of the alignment marker after joining with respect to the reference, and when n is a natural number of 2 or more, the nth alignment step is performed. The alignment of the mask sheet to be joined at the nth time based on at least one deviation amount of the alignment marker with respect to the alignment reference of the mask sheet joined from the first time to the n-1th time after joining. It is characterized by determining the position with respect to the marker.

According to the alignment method of the present invention, first, the position of the mask sheet is determined based on the amount of deviation of the mask sheet from the alignment marker of the glass master. In the mask sheet to be joined next, the amount of deviation of the alignment marker after joining with respect to the alignment reference of the mask sheet after joining is detected, and the position of the mask sheet with respect to the alignment marker is determined based on the amount of deviation after joining. To correct. For example, the position of the mask sheet to be joined the second time with respect to the alignment marker is determined based on the amount of deviation after the alignment marker is joined to the mask sheet joined the first time, and the amount of deviation is corrected. In the third and subsequent joinings, the position of the mask sheet to be joined the third time with respect to the alignment marker is determined and the deviation amount is corrected based on the amount of deviation of the alignment marker after joining any of the mask sheets before the third time. To do. By doing so, the misalignment of the mask sheet due to the joining process and the misalignment of the alignment marker due to the raising and lowering of the glass master are eliminated, and the relative misalignment of the plurality of mask sheets to be aligned and joined is suppressed. It becomes possible.

[10] The mask manufacturing apparatus of the present invention has a plurality of mask sheets having a mask pattern forming region including a mask pattern opening and formed of a magnetic metal, and the mask at a position corresponding to the mask pattern forming region. A mask manufacturing apparatus for superimposing and joining mask frames that are the same as or wider than the pattern forming region and have the same or smaller number of mask openings as the number of mask sheets, and the mask is viewed in a plan view. Arrangement of the mask sheet holding portion, which is arranged below the inside of the arrangement position of the opening and has a magnet chuck and can be switched between an attraction state in which the mask sheet is magnetically attracted and a non-adsorption state. An elevating plate-shaped transparent glass master arranged above the position and provided with a plurality of alignment markers, an alignment camera for detecting the amount of deviation between the alignment marker and a plurality of alignment criteria provided on the mask sheet, and an alignment camera. It is characterized by having an alignment stage for moving the mask sheet holding portion between the mask openings and a joining device for joining the outer peripheral edge portion of the mask pattern forming region to the outer peripheral edge portion of the mask opening.

According to the mask manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, in the first joining of a plurality of mask sheets, the mask sheet is attracted and held at a predetermined position by the mask sheet holding portion, and the mask sheet is held against the alignment marker of the glass master. After detecting the amount of deviation of the mask sheet with the alignment camera, the amount of deviation of the mask sheet with respect to the alignment marker is corrected based on this amount of deviation, and the mask sheet is joined to the mask frame by the joining device. After joining, the mask sheet holding portion releases the suction of the mask sheet and moves to the position of the next mask opening to be joined by the alignment stage, and holds the mask sheet for the second time by suction. Then, after the alignment camera detects the amount of deviation of the alignment marker with respect to the mask sheet after joining with the alignment camera, the amount of deviation of the mask sheet with respect to the alignment marker is corrected based on this amount of deviation, and the mask sheet is used as a mask frame by the joining device. Join. In the third and subsequent mask sheet bonding, the displacement amount after joining the mask sheet to the next alignment marker is corrected based on the displacement amount of the alignment marker with respect to the mask sheet after the first and second mask sheet bonding, and the joining device is used. Joins the mask sheet to the mask frame. In this way, the relative displacement of the plurality of mask sheets to be arranged and joined is based on the amount of displacement excluding the displacement of the mask sheet due to the joining process and the displacement of the alignment marker due to the raising and lowering of the glass master. It is possible to manufacture a large-sized mask with suppressed misalignment.

[11] In the mask manufacturing apparatus of the present invention, a mask frame transport / holding step of transporting the mask frame and holding it at a predetermined position, and a predetermined position of one of a plurality of the mask sheets above the mask frame. Detects the amount of deviation of the alignment reference of the mask sheet with respect to the alignment marker of the glass master in the mask sheet transport / adsorption step of transporting the mask sheet to the mask sheet and adsorbing the mask sheet by the mask sheet holding portion and the state in which the mask sheet is adsorbed. A deviation amount detection step, an alignment step of determining the position of the mask sheet with respect to the alignment marker based on the deviation amount, and a joining step of joining the mask sheet to the mask frame while the mask sheet is adsorbed. Based on the post-bonding displacement detection step of the alignment marker with respect to the alignment reference of the mask sheet after bonding and the post-bonding displacement amount, the position of the mask sheet with respect to the alignment marker to be the next bonding target position is determined. It is preferable to have a control unit capable of carrying out the alignment step of determining and the joining step of joining the mask sheet to the mask frame after the alignment step after joining.

The mask manufacturing apparatus has a control unit (not shown). The control unit controls the drive of the entire mask manufacturing apparatus such as the mask sheet holding unit, the glass master, the alignment camera, and the joining apparatus. That is, the control unit transports / holds the mask frame, transports / sucks the mask sheet, detects the amount of deviation between the mask sheet and the alignment marker, aligns (corrects the amount of deviation), joins the mask sheet and the mask frame, and so on. Highly accurate control of drive timing and operation of each element related to manufacturing. As a result, it becomes possible to manufacture a large-sized mask 1 in which the relative misalignment of a plurality of mask sheets to be arranged and joined is suppressed.

It is an assembly exploded view which shows an example of the structure of the mask manufacturing apparatus 20 which concerns on embodiment, and the mask 1 manufactured by the mask manufacturing method. It is a figure which shows an example of the structure of the mask manufacturing apparatus 20 and the mask 1 manufactured by the mask manufacturing method which concerns on embodiment. It is a top view which shows the schematic structure of the mask manufacturing apparatus 20 which concerns on embodiment. It is sectional drawing which shows a part of the mask assembly part 21 which comprises the mask manufacturing apparatus 20 which concerns on embodiment. It is a top view which shows the arrangement structure of the alignment marker 63 provided in the glass master 26 which comprises the mask manufacturing apparatus 20 which concerns on embodiment. It is a process flow chart which shows the main process of the mask manufacturing method which concerns on embodiment (the first time). It is a process flow chart which shows the main process of the mask manufacturing method which concerns on embodiment (the second and subsequent times). It is explanatory drawing which shows the main process of the mask manufacturing method which concerns on embodiment.

Hereinafter, the mask manufacturing method, the alignment method, and the mask manufacturing apparatus 20 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 8. In each figure used in the following description, the scale of each member is appropriately changed in order to make each member a recognizable size.

[Structure of mask 1]
First, the configuration of the mask 1 manufactured by the mask manufacturing apparatus 20 (see FIG. 3) and the mask manufacturing method (see FIGS. 6 and 7) described later will be described.

FIG. 1 is an assembled exploded view showing an example of the configuration of the mask manufacturing apparatus 20 and the mask manufacturing method according to the embodiment. In the configuration example shown in FIG. 1, the mask 1 is composed of eight mask sheets 2 and one mask frame 3. The mask sheet 2 is a magnetic material having a frame portion (outer peripheral edge portion 2a) other than the mask pattern forming region 6 thicker than the mask pattern forming region 6 and having an extremely small coefficient of thermal expansion (for example, Fe-). It is made of 36% Ni). The mask pattern forming region 6 is a sheet-like member having a thickness of 20 μm to several hundred μm. The mask pattern forming region 6 has a plurality of mask pattern openings 4 formed in the central portion.

The mask pattern opening 4 is, for example, a hole for vacuum-depositing a pattern of a light emitting layer in an organic EL display device, and although not shown, a huge number of holes are formed. Although FIG. 1 shows an example in which 18 mask pattern openings 4 are arranged, the number, arrangement, shape, and the like of the mask pattern openings 4 can be freely set. Alignment holes 7 are provided at two diagonal corners of the mask sheet 2. The alignment holes 7 may be provided at diagonal positions different from those shown in the drawings. Further, the alignment holes 7 are not limited to two locations, but may be provided at three or four locations. The alignment hole 7 is an alignment reference for determining the position when the mask sheet 2 is joined to the mask frame 3, and the alignment hole 7 and the mask pattern opening 4 are managed so as to have an accurate positional relationship. ..

The mask frame 3 is a plate member made of a metal material having the same or similar coefficient of thermal expansion as the mask sheet 2. The mask openings 8 are provided corresponding to the positions and numbers in which the mask sheets 2 are arranged. However, there is also a mask configuration in which a plurality of mask sheets 2 are arranged in one mask opening 8. The mask opening 8 has the same or larger area as the mask pattern forming region 6 of the mask sheet 2. The size of the mask opening 8 may be smaller than the mask pattern forming region 6 as long as the passage of steam is not hindered during vacuum deposition. The peripheral region of the mask opening 8 is represented as the outer peripheral edge portion 3a.

The mask frame 3 is provided with a light guide hole 9 at the same plane position as the alignment hole 7 of the mask sheet 2. The diameter of the light guide hole 9 is set to be larger than the diameter of the alignment hole 7. Further, the mask frame 3 is provided with welding backup holes 11 on the outside of each light guide hole 9. The functions of the light guide hole 9 and the welding backup hole 11 will be described later with reference to FIG. Both the light guide hole 9 and the welding backup hole 11 are provided on the outer peripheral edge portion 3a. The light guide hole 9 and the welding backup hole 11 may be continuous elongated holes.

Each of the eight mask sheets 2 is arranged on the upper surface of the mask opening 8 of the mask frame 3, and the mask sheets 2 are superposed on the mask frame 3 and joined. The mask sheet 2 is positioned and joined with reference to the alignment marker 63 (see FIG. 5). At this time, the mask pattern forming region 6 is arranged in the mask opening 8. In other words, all of the mask pattern openings 4 are arranged in the mask openings 8. The mask frame 3 is a reinforcing member of the mask sheet 2.

2A and 2B are views showing an example of the configuration of the mask 1, FIG. 2A is a plan view, and FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view cut along an AA cutting line. As shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the mask 1 is a structure in which eight mask sheets 2 and one mask frame 3 are superposed and joined together. In FIG. 2A, the mask pattern forming region 6 is represented by hatching.

The mask 1 illustrated in FIG. 2 is a configuration example of the mask 1 corresponding to a substrate having a size of about 1.6 m × 1.1 m called a 6G half (6th generation half), and eight mask sheets 2 Are illustrated by arranging 4 sheets vertically and 2 sheets horizontally to correspond to a large format. However, the number of mask sheets 2 may be one, two, four, or more than eight.

Since the light guide hole 9 is provided to guide the light emitted from a backlight (not shown) such as an LED light to the alignment hole 7, the diameter of the light guide hole 9 is the diameter of the alignment hole 7. Larger than the diameter. The positions represented by the alternate long and short dash lines in FIG. 2A and the triangular marks in FIG. 2B represent the welding locus and the welding position by laser welding, which is a means for joining the mask sheet 2 and the mask frame 3. The welding backup hole 11 is arranged near the joining (welding) start position.

[Structure of mask manufacturing apparatus 20]
FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a schematic configuration of the mask manufacturing apparatus 20 according to the embodiment. In the following description of the drawings, the left-right direction shown in FIG. 3 is referred to as the X-axis, the direction parallel to the paper surface and orthogonal to the X-axis is referred to as the Y-axis, and the vertical direction with respect to the XY plane is referred to as the Z-axis. The mask manufacturing apparatus 20 includes a mask assembly section 21 which is a region for joining the mask sheet 2 and the mask frame 3 in a substantially central portion of the XY plane, and a mask sheet transfer section 22 which conveys the mask sheet 2 to the mask assembly section 21. have. The mask assembly unit 21 and the mask sheet transfer unit 22 are housed in a thermal chamber 24 provided with an air conditioner 23, and the internal temperature is controlled within a predetermined temperature range (for example, a range of ± 0.1 ° C. with respect to a set temperature). To.

The mask assembly unit 21 is a mask sheet holding unit 25 arranged on the lower side of the conveyed / held mask frame 3 and a glass master 26 arranged above the arrangement position of the mask frame 3 (arrangement position of the mask sheet 2). It also has an alignment camera 27 as a deviation amount detecting device and two welding robots 28A and 28B as joining devices. The number of welding robots is not limited to two, and may be two or more. The configurations of the mask sheet holding portion 25 and the glass master 26 will be described later with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. The alignment camera 27 can move in the Y-axis direction along the Y-axis guide rail 29 arranged on the X (−) side of the glass master 26. Further, a pair of X-axis guide rails 30, 30 are arranged on both sides of the glass master 26 facing each other, and the Y-axis guide rails 29 can move along the X-axis guide rails 30, 30. There is. That is, the alignment camera 27 can freely move in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, and can move to the positions of the alignment holes 7 of each of the eight mask sheets 2. The alignment camera 27 is, for example, a CCD camera.

The welding robots 28A and 28B each have a robot hand 32 to which a laser beam emitting head 31 for emitting a laser beam is attached. The laser beam emitting heads 31 and 31 can freely move in the XY plane and the Z-axis direction within the movable range of the robot hand 32. Further, the welding robot 28A can reciprocate along the X-axis guide rail 33A, and the welding robot 28B can reciprocate along the X-axis guide rail 33B. The welding robots 28A and 28B capture the joining range of the eight mask sheets 2. The two welding robots 28A and 28B can move in synchronization with each other or move independently to perform welding (welding) work. Although not shown, the welding robots 28A and 28B have a common laser light oscillation source, and the laser light is branched by a light guide tube so that the laser light can be emitted from the two laser light emitting heads 31 and 31. ..

A mask frame supply unit 35 that supplies the mask frame 3 to the mask assembly unit 21 is arranged outside the mask assembly unit 21 in the X (-) direction, and the mask frame 3 is located on the mask frame base 59 (FIG. 4). (See) and magnetically attracted in place. The mask frame supply unit 35 is also a position where the mask 1 is removed.

A mask sheet transport unit 22 is arranged in the X (+) direction of the mask assembly unit 21. The mask sheet transport unit 22 includes a mask sheet stocker 40, a mask sheet loading robot 41, and a pre-alignment unit 42. In FIG. 3, each device constituting the mask sheet transport unit 22 is shown by simplifying only the arrangement. The mask sheets 2 stocked in the mask sheet stocker 40 are conveyed one by one to the pre-alignment unit 42 by the mask sheet loading robot 41. In the pre-alignment unit 42, when the mask sheet 2 is conveyed to the mask assembly section 21, the position is adjusted so that a predetermined alignment marker 63 (see FIG. 5) is at least in a predetermined alignment hole 7, and the pickup tool 90 (see FIG. 5) is used. (See FIG. 8A), the mask sheets 2 are conveyed one by one to the mask assembly section 21.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of the mask assembly unit 21 constituting the mask manufacturing apparatus 20. Note that FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram schematically showing the constituent members in a simplified manner. As shown in FIG. 4, the mask sheet holding portion 25 is movable by a coarse movement stage 51 arranged on the gantry 50 and a fine movement stage 52 arranged on the coarse movement stage 51. The coarse movement stage 51 moves the mask sheet holding portion 25 together with the fine movement stage 52 in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, and the mask sheet holding portion is formed in each of the eight mask openings 8 (see FIGS. 1 and 2A). It has a function of moving 25. The fine movement stage 52 finely moves the mask sheet holding portion 25 in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, and adjusts the posture (angle θ) with respect to the X-axis or the Y-axis. Further, it is moved up and down in the Z-axis direction to finely adjust the position of the mask sheet holding portion 25 in the mask opening 8, in other words, the position, posture and height of the mask sheet 2 magnetically attracted to the mask sheet holding portion 25. It has a function.

Although the illustration of the plane shape is omitted, the mask sheet holding portion 25 is a tubular structure having a quadrangular plane shape, penetrates the mask opening 8 on four sides in a plan view, and magnetically penetrates the mask sheet 2. It has a magnet chuck 53 that attracts. A back plate 54 is arranged at the bottom of the mask sheet holding portion 25, and a Z-axis stage 55 is arranged in a space surrounded by magnet chucks 53 provided on four sides. A magnet (permanent magnet) 56 and a backup plate 57 are attached to the upper end of the Z-axis stage 55 on the mask sheet 2 side in this order from the bottom. The backup plate 57 supports the lower surface of the mask sheet 2, and the magnet 56 has a function of adsorbing the mask sheet 2 to suppress upward warpage of the mask sheet 2 and flatten it. The Z-axis stage 55 raises and lowers the backup plate 57 with respect to the mask sheet 2, so that the mask sheet 2 is flat, that is, the height of the backup plate 57 is the same as the upper end surface of the magnet chuck 53. To adjust.

The mask sheet 2 is conveyed above the mask opening 8 of the mask frame 3 and is attracted by the magnet chuck 53. The mask sheet holding portion 25 lowers the magnet chuck 53 downward from the intersection with the mask opening 8 to a position where the mask sheet 2 is in a non-adhesive state, and then the roughing stage 51 to the adjacent mask opening 8. (In FIG. 4, the solid arrow indicates the moving direction, and the alternate long and short dash line indicates the mask sheet holding portion 25 after the movement). The mask sheet 2 is provided with an alignment hole 7, and the mask frame 3 is provided with a light guide hole 9 at the same plane position as the alignment hole 7. Light emitted from a backlight (not shown) is the light guide hole 9. The light is emitted to the upper side of the mask sheet 2 through the alignment hole 7.

Above the mask sheet 2 (Z-axis (+) direction), a plate-shaped transparent glass master 26 provided with a plurality of alignment markers 63 is arranged. The glass master 26 is closely fixed to the lower surface side of the glass frame 60, and the reinforcing glass 61 is closely fixed to the upper surface side of the glass frame 60. Since the glass master 26 has a size corresponding to 6G or 6G half size, it is easy to bend. Therefore, the reinforcing glass 61 is provided, and the space 65 between the glass master 26 and the reinforcing glass 61 is made a negative pressure to reinforce the glass master 26 and suppress the occurrence of bending. An alignment marker 63, which is a reference marker, is formed on the lower surface of the glass master 26. The alignment marker 63 is provided at a position corresponding to the alignment hole 7. The arrangement of the alignment marker 63 will be described later with reference to FIG. The glass frame 60 (glass master 26) is supported by four guide posts 62 and can be raised and lowered in the Z-axis direction. After the mask sheet 2 is conveyed and adsorbed on the mask frame 3, it is attached to the mask sheet 2. It descends to a position where it does not touch (represented by a two-dot chain line in FIG. The glass master 26 is raised to a height position that does not interfere with other steps except during the deviation amount detection step and the alignment step described later.

When the height position (indicated by a solid line in the figure) of the glass master 26 when the mask frame 3 is conveyed and held and when the mask sheet 2 is conveyed and attracted is set as the first position, the amount of deviation detected, which will be described later, is detected. In the step and the alignment step, the glass master 26 is set to a second position (represented by a two-point chain line in the figure) closer to the mask sheet 2 than the first position, and in the joining step described later, the glass master 26 is set to the second position. It is possible to move up and down so that it is at a third position farther from the mask sheet 2 than the position of. The first position and the third position may be the same.

When the glass master 26 is lowered to the immediate upper part of the mask sheet 2, the alignment camera 27 moves on the alignment marker 63 (glass master 26) along the X-axis guide rails 30 and 30 or the Y-axis guide rail 29. , The amount of deviation of the alignment hole 7 with respect to the alignment marker 63 is detected. The alignment camera 27 detects the amount of deviation of the alignment hole 7 of one mask sheet 2 with respect to the alignment marker 63, and corrects the amount of deviation of the mask sheet 2 with respect to the alignment marker 63 based on the reference deviation amount obtained by averaging the amount of deviation. To do.

FIG. 5 is a plan view showing an arrangement configuration of an alignment marker 63 provided on the glass master 26 constituting the mask manufacturing apparatus 20. The glass master 26 has an outer shape that covers all of the eight mask sheets 2 that are aligned and joined, and an alignment marker 63 is provided at an arrangement position of an alignment hole 7 of each of the mask sheets 2. The alignment marker 63 is a reference marker that determines the position of the mask sheet 2. In the example shown in FIG. 5, the alignment markers 63 are provided at two diagonal positions of the mask sheet 2, but may be provided at three or four places, and the alignment holes 7 may be provided. It is provided according to the number.

The mask manufacturing apparatus 20 has a control unit (not shown). It has a function of controlling the drive of the entire mask manufacturing apparatus 20 such as the mask sheet holding portion 25, the glass master 26, the alignment camera 27, and the welding robots 28A and 28B. That is, the control unit conveys and holds the mask frame 3, conveys and adsorbs the mask sheet 2, detects the amount of deviation between the mask sea 2 and the alignment marker 63, corrects the amount of deviation (alignment), and causes the mask sheet 2 and the mask frame 3 to move. The drive timing and operation of each element of the mask manufacturing apparatus 20 such as joining are controlled with high accuracy.

The mask manufacturing apparatus 20 described above is arranged below the inside of the arrangement position of the mask opening 8 in a plan view, has a magnet chuck 53, and has a suction state in which the mask sheet 2 is magnetically attracted and a non-adsorption state. A mask sheet holding portion 25 that can be switched to, a plate-shaped transparent glass master 26 that is arranged above the arrangement position of the mask sheet 2 and is provided with a plurality of alignment markers 63, and an alignment marker 63 and a mask sheet. An alignment camera 27 that detects the amount of deviation from the plurality of alignment holes 7 provided in 2, an alignment stage (coarse movement stage 51 and fine movement stage 52) that moves the mask sheet holding portion 25 between the mask openings 8, and a mask. It has welding robots 28A and 28B for joining the outer peripheral edge portion 2a of the pattern forming region 6 to the outer peripheral edge portion 3a of the mask opening 8. In the first mask sheet 2 out of the plurality of mask sheets 2, the mask sheet 2 is conveyed and attracted to a predetermined position by the mask sheet holding portion 25, and the amount of deviation of the mask sheet 2 with respect to the alignment marker 63 of the glass master 26 is determined. After detection by the alignment camera 27, the deviation amount of the mask sheet 2 with respect to the alignment marker 63 is corrected by the mask sheet holding portion 25 based on this deviation amount, and the mask sheet 2 is moved to the mask frame 3 by the welding robots 28A and 28B which are joining devices. Join to.

After joining, the mask sheet holding portion 25 descends to a position where the suction of the mask sheet 2 is released, moves to the next joining target position by the alignment stage (coarse movement stage 51), and sucks the second mask sheet 2. To do. Then, after the alignment camera 27 detects the amount of deviation of the alignment marker 63 with respect to the mask sheet 2 after joining with the alignment camera 27, the amount of deviation of the mask sheet 2 with respect to the alignment marker 63 is corrected based on the amount of deviation after joining, and the welding robot The mask sheet 2 is joined to the mask frame 3 by 28A and 28B.

Also in the joining of the third and subsequent mask sheets 2, the misalignment of the mask sheet 2 with respect to the alignment marker 63 after joining is corrected and joined based on the amount of deviation after joining. According to the mask manufacturing apparatus 20, a plurality of masks are arranged and joined based on the amount of displacement excluding the displacement of the mask sheet 2 due to the joining process and the displacement of the alignment marker 63 due to the raising and lowering of the glass master 26. It is possible to manufacture a large-sized mask 1 in which the relative misalignment of the sheet 2 is suppressed.

The mask manufacturing apparatus 20 has a control unit (not shown). The control unit controls the drive of the entire mask manufacturing apparatus 20 such as the mask sheet holding unit 25, the glass master 26, the alignment camera 27, and the welding robots 28A and 28B. That is, the control unit conveys / holds the mask frame 3, conveys / sucks the mask sheet 2, detects the amount of deviation between the mask sea 2 and the alignment marker 63, aligns (corrects the amount of deviation), and causes the mask sheet 2 and the mask frame 3. The drive timing and operation of the devices and mechanisms constituting the mask manufacturing apparatus 20 such as joining of the masks are controlled with high accuracy. As a result, it becomes possible to manufacture a large-sized mask 1 in which the relative misalignment of the plurality of arranged mask sheets 2 is suppressed.

[Mask manufacturing method]
6 and 7 are process flow charts showing the main steps of the mask manufacturing method. 8A and 8B are explanatory views showing the main steps of the mask manufacturing method, FIG. 8A is an explanatory view showing the mask sheet transport / suction step, and FIGS. 8B and 8C are deviation amount detection steps. The explanatory view showing the alignment process and FIG. 8D is an explanatory view showing the joining process. FIG. 6 is a process flow chart for joining the first (first sheet) of the plurality of mask sheets 2, and FIG. 7 is a process flow chart showing the second (second) and subsequent joinings. ..

First, the process flow of joining the first (first sheet) mask sheet 2 to the mask frame 3 will be described with reference to FIG. 8 along with the process flow diagram shown in FIG. At the start of driving the mask manufacturing apparatus 20 for the first time (first sheet), the mask sheet holding portion 25 is arranged at the position of the mask opening 8 to be joined of the mask frame 3, and the glass master 27 Is located at the first position. When the mask sheet holding portion 25 is arranged at any other position, the mask sheet holding portion 25 is moved to the joining target location by the coarse movement stage 51. At this time, the magnet chuck 53 is lowered to a height position where it can be moved to the mask opening 8 to be joined. As shown in FIG. 8A, when the mask sheet holding portion 25 is in the mask opening 8 to be joined, the mask frame 3 is conveyed onto the mask frame base 59 and held at a predetermined position (step S1). Next, one mask sheet 2 is vacuum-sucked in the pre-alignment unit 42 by the pickup tool 90, conveyed to a predetermined mask opening 8 of the mask frame 3, the mask sheet holding portion 25 is raised by the fine movement stage 52, and a magnet is used. The mask sheet 2 is magnetically attracted by the chuck 53 (step S2). Note that FIG. 8A is an explanatory diagram showing the transport of the mask sheet 2 and the adsorption of the mask sheet 2 in combination.

Next, as shown in FIG. 8B, the glass master 26 is lowered to the immediate upper side (second position) of the mask sheet 2 (step S3). With the mask sheet 2 attracted by the mask sheet holding portion 25, the alignment camera 27 detects the amount of deviation of the alignment hole 7 which is the alignment reference of the mask sheet 2 with respect to the alignment marker 63 provided on the glass master 26 (step). S4), based on this deviation amount, the deviation amount of the mask sheet 2 with respect to the alignment marker 63 is corrected and the position is determined (alignment step: step S5). In this alignment step, the backup plate 57 supports the mask sheet 2 so that it is flat, and the magnet 56 magnetically attracts the mask sheet 2. In the deviation amount detection step (step S4) and the alignment step (step S5), the alignment holes 7 at two diagonal positions are used as the alignment reference for each mask sheet 2. In the deviation amount detection step (step S4), as shown in FIG. 8C, the alignment camera 27 passes or shields the light incident from the light guide hole 9, passing through the alignment hole 7, and emitting light from the glass master 26. (Shadow) is imaged, and the amount of deviation of the alignment hole 7 of the mask sheet 2 with respect to the alignment marker 63 of the glass master 26 is detected by image processing.

After the alignment step (step S5), the glass master 26 is raised to the position (first position) shown in FIG. 8 (a) or an intermediate position (third position) between the first position and the second position (3rd position). Step S6). Subsequently, the mask sheet 2 is joined (welded) to the mask frame 3 by the welding robots 28A and 28B (step S7). At this time, as shown in FIG. 8D, in a state where the mask sheet 2 is attracted by the magnet chuck 53 of the mask sheet holding portion 25, the mask frame 3 is attracted by the magnetic attraction unit 77 near the welded portion of the mask sheet 2. Adsorb so as to be in close contact with. After the joining step (step S7) is completed, the mask sheet 2 is joined from the second time (second sheet) onward. The second (second) and subsequent joining of the mask sheet 2 will be described with reference to the process flow chart shown in FIG. 7.

When starting the second (second) joining, first, the mask sheet holding portion 25 is lowered by the Z-axis stage 55 until the mask sheet 2 joined for the first time becomes a non-adsorbed state, and the mask sheet is held. The portion 25 is moved by the coarse motion stage 51 to the mask opening 8 to be joined with the mask sheet for the second time (second sheet) (step S10). Then, as shown in FIG. 8A, the mask sheet 2 is conveyed, and the mask sheet 2 is adsorbed by the mask sheet holding portion 25. Step S11 is carried out by the same operation as step S2 described above. After adsorbing the mask sheet, the glass master 26 is lowered to the immediate upper side (second position) of the mask sheet 2 (step S12). Step S12 is performed by the same operation as step S3 described above.

Subsequently, with the mask sheet 2 attracted by the mask sheet holding portion 25, the glass master 26 with respect to the mask sheet 2 (alignment hole 7) after joining all or a part of the first to n-1 sheets by the alignment camera 27. The amount of deviation of the alignment marker 63 after joining is detected (step S13), and the position of the nth (nth) mask sheet 2 with respect to the alignment marker 63 is determined based on the amount of deviation after joining. (Alignment: step S14). In the deviation amount detection step (step S13) and the alignment step (step S14), the alignment holes 7 at two diagonal positions are used as the alignment reference for each mask sheet 2.

In the deviation amount detection step (step S13), as shown in FIG. 8C, the alignment camera 27 passes or shields the light incident from the light guide hole 9, passing through the alignment hole 7, and emitting light from the glass master 26. The amount of deviation of the alignment marker 63 with respect to the alignment hole 7 of the mask sheet 2 after the first (first) bonding is detected by image processing. The operations in the deviation amount detection step (step S13) and the alignment step (step S14) are carried out in the same manner as in steps S4 and S5 described above as shown in FIGS. 8 (b) and 8 (c).

After the alignment step (step S14) is completed, the glass master 26 is raised to the third position (step S15), and the nth (nth) mask sheet 2 is joined (welded) (step S16). The joining step (step S16) is carried out in the same manner as in step S7 described above (see FIG. 8D).

For joining the mask sheet 2 to the mask frame 3 from the third time (third sheet) onward, the steps from step S10 to step S16 are repeated for the number of mask sheets 2 to determine whether the required number of sheets have been joined ( In step S17), if it is determined (NO) that the required number of sheets (for example, 8 sheets) has not been reached, the steps from step S10 to step S16 are repeated until the required number of sheets is reached. When it is determined that the required number of sheets has been reached (YES), the mask sheet holding portion 25 is lowered to the non-adsorption position of the mask sheet 2 by the Z-axis stage 55, and the assembled mask 1 is removed (step S18). ..

There are several methods for joining the mask sheet 2 and the alignment marker 63 in the above mask manufacturing method, and specific examples will be described.

(Example 1)
In the first embodiment, when n is a natural number of 2 or more, in the nth (nth) alignment step, the alignment marker 63 for the alignment hole 7 of the mask sheet 2 joined from the first to the n-1th. This is a method of determining the position of the mask sheet 2 to be joined at the nth time (correcting the deviation amount) based on all the deviation amounts after joining, and joining the mask sheet 2 to the mask frame 3. For example, the mask sheet 2 to be joined to the second (second sheet) based on the amount of deviation of the alignment marker 63 after joining with respect to the mask sheet 2 joined to the first (first sheet). Position with respect to the alignment marker 63 (correcting the amount of deviation) and joining. In the third (third) and subsequent joinings, the alignment marker 63 of the third (third) mask sheet 2 is based on the amount of deviation of the alignment marker 63 with respect to the first and second mask sheets 2 after joining. The position with respect to the mask frame 3 is determined and joined to the mask frame 3. In the 8th time (8th sheet), the deviation amount of the 8th time is corrected and joined based on the deviation amount after all the joining from the 1st time to the 7th time.

(Example 2)
In the second embodiment, in the nth (nth) alignment step, at least one of the deviation amounts of the alignment marker 63 after joining with respect to the mask sheet 2 joined from the first to the n-1th is after joining. This is a method of determining the position of the mask sheet 2 to be joined to the alignment marker 63 for the nth time based on the amount of deviation, and joining the mask sheet 2 to the mask frame 3. For example, when joining the mask sheet 2 for the fourth time, any one of the deviation amounts of the alignment marker 63 after joining with respect to the mask sheet 2 after joining from the first (first sheet) to the third (third sheet). The position of the mask sheet 2 with respect to the alignment marker 63 for the fourth time is determined based on the above, and the mask sheet 2 is joined to the mask frame 3.

(Example 3)
Example 3 should be joined in the nth alignment step based on the average deviation amount after joining at least two or more with respect to the alignment marker 63 of the mask sheet 2 joined from the first to the n-1th. This is a method of determining the position of the mask sheet 2 with respect to the alignment marker 63 and joining the mask sheet 2 to the mask frame 3. For example, when joining the third (third) mask sheet 2, the third mask sheet 2 is based on the average deviation amount of the alignment marker 63 after joining with respect to the mask sheet 2 after the first and second joining. The position of the mask sheet 2 with respect to the alignment marker 63 is determined, and the mask sheet 2 is joined to the mask frame 3. When joining the mask sheet 2 for the fourth time, the alignment marker 63 for the fourth mask sheet 2 is based on the average deviation amount of the alignment marker 63 for the mask sheet 2 for the first, second, and third times after joining. The position is determined (the amount of deviation is corrected), and the mask sheet 2 is joined to the mask frame 3. For example, when joining the mask sheet 2 to the fifth (fifth sheet), the average deviation amount after the first and second joining may be used as the reference deviation amount, and the average deviation after the second and third joining may be used. The amount may be the reference deviation amount, or the average deviation amount after the first, second and third joining may be the reference deviation amount. That is, it is possible to set the average deviation amount after at least two or more joinings from the first time to the n-1th time as the reference deviation amount.

In the mask manufacturing method described above, a plurality of mask sheets 2 having a mask pattern forming region 6 are overlapped and joined to one mask frame 3 having a mask opening 8 corresponding to the mask pattern forming region 6 to form a large size. It manufactures a mask 1 of a size. In this mask manufacturing method, in the first mask joining, the position of the mask sheet 2 is determined based on the amount of deviation of the alignment hole 7 which is the alignment reference of the mask sheet 2 with respect to the alignment marker 63 of the glass master 26, and the mask sheet 2 is formed. Join to the mask frame 3. In the second and subsequent mask bonding, the amount of displacement of the alignment marker 63 with respect to the alignment hole 7 of the mask sheet 2 after bonding after bonding is detected, and the mask sheet 2 to be bonded next is based on the amount of displacement after bonding. The position with respect to the alignment marker 63 is determined, and the mask sheet 2 is joined to the mask frame 3. In this way, the position shift of the mask sheet 2 due to the joining process, the position shift of the alignment marker 63 due to the raising and lowering of the glass master 26, and the positioning shift of the mask sheet 2 due to the raising and lowering of the mask sheet holding portion 25 It is possible to eliminate the above, and it is possible to manufacture a large-sized mask 1 in which the relative misalignment of the plurality of mask sheets 2 to be arranged and joined is suppressed.

Further, in the mask manufacturing method, in the nth alignment step, the nth alignment is based on all the deviation amounts of the alignment markers 63 with respect to the alignment holes 7 of the mask sheet 2 bonded from the first to the n-1th. The position of the mask sheet 2 to be joined to the alignment marker 63 is determined, and the mask sheet 2 is joined to the mask frame 3. In this way, it is possible to manufacture a large-sized mask 1 in which the relative misalignment of the plurality of mask sheets 2 (8 in the present embodiment) is suppressed.

Further, in the mask manufacturing method, in the nth alignment step, at least one of the amount of deviation of the alignment marker 63 after joining with respect to the alignment hole 7 of the mask sheet 2 joined from the first to the n-1th is after joining. Based on the amount of deviation, the position of the mask sheet 2 to be joined at the nth time with respect to the alignment marker 63 is determined, and the mask sheet 2 is joined to the mask frame 3. In this way, it is possible to manufacture a large-sized mask 1 in which the relative misalignment of the plurality of mask sheets 2 is small.

Further, in the mask manufacturing method, in the nth alignment step, it corresponds to the average deviation amount after joining at least two or more alignment markers 63 with respect to the alignment hole 7 of the mask sheet 2 joined from the first to the n-1th. Based on the amount of deviation, the position of the mask sheet 2 to be joined at the nth time with respect to the alignment marker 63 is determined, and the mask sheet 2 is joined to the mask frame 3. By correcting the deviation amount based on the average deviation amount after joining in this way, it is possible to manufacture a large-sized mask 1 in which the relative positional deviation of the eight mask sheets 2 is suppressed.

Further, in the post-bonding displacement detection step in the mask manufacturing method, after the mask sheet 2 is bonded to the mask frame 3, the post-bonding displacement amount of the alignment marker 63 with respect to the alignment hole 7 of the mask sheet 2 after bonding is detected. Use the reference deviation amount. If the position of the mask sheet 2 to be joined next with respect to the alignment marker 63 is determined based on this reference deviation amount and the mask sheet 2 is joined to the mask frame 3, the position shift of the mask sheet 2 due to the joining process and the glass master 26 It is possible to manufacture a large-sized mask 1 that can detect the amount of misalignment of the alignment marker 63 due to ascending / descending and suppresses the relative misalignment of a plurality of mask sheets to be arranged and joined. It will be possible.

Further, the mask frame 3 has a mask opening 8 provided corresponding to an arrangement of a plurality of mask sheets 2, and the mask opening 8 to which one mask sheet 2 is to be joined to the mask frame 3 is provided. The mask sheet holding portion 25 is lowered until the joined mask sheet 2 is in a non-adsorbed state, and the mask sheet holding portion 25 is moved to the mask opening 8 to be joined next.

With such a configuration, even if the mask frame 3 has the mask openings 8 provided corresponding to the arrangement of the plurality of mask sheets 2, the number of the mask sheet holding portions 25 is not increased. It is possible to cope with the adsorption of a plurality of mask sheets 2, the detection of the deviation amount, and the correction (alignment) of the deviation amount.

Further, the alignment reference is composed of at least two or more alignment holes 7 penetrating the mask sheet 2, and the light transmitted through the alignment holes 7 and the glass master 26 is imaged by the alignment camera 27, and the alignment with respect to the alignment marker 63 is performed by image processing. The amount of deviation of the hole 7 and the amount of deviation of the alignment marker 63 after joining with respect to the alignment hole 7 after joining are detected. In this way, the light passing through the alignment hole 7 and the alignment marker 63 which becomes a shadow are detected. The contrast becomes large, the deviation between the alignment hole 7 and the alignment marker 63 can be clearly imaged, and the amount of deviation can be detected with high accuracy by image processing. Further, since the alignment camera 27 can be moved, the amount of deviation between the plurality of mask sheets 2 and the alignment marker 63 can be detected by one alignment camera 27.

Further, when the height position of the glass master 26 is set to the first position in the mask frame transport / holding step (step S1) and the mask sheet transport / suction step (step S2, step S11), the deviation amount detection step (step S4). , Step S13) and the alignment step (step S5, step S14), the glass master 26 is arranged at a second position closer to the mask sheet 2 than the first position, and in the joining step (step S7, step S16), The glass master 26 is arranged at a third position farther from the mask sheet 2 than the second position.

The glass master 26 can be raised and lowered to the first position, the second position, and the third position in the height direction with respect to the conveyed mask sheet 2, and the mask frame transfer / holding step and the mask sheet transfer / adsorption. The glass master is lowered or raised to a height position suitable for carrying out each step of the process, displacement detection step, alignment step, and joining step, or a height position that does not interfere with the execution of each step. It is possible to do it.

[Alignment method]
The mask 1 is formed by superimposing and joining a plurality of mask sheets 2 having a mask pattern forming region 6 and a mask frame 3 having a mask opening 8 corresponding to the mask pattern forming region 6. At this time, it is required to minimize the relative misalignment of the plurality of mask sheets 2. The alignment method according to the embodiment is a method in which the amount of misalignment between the alignment marker 63 of the glass master 26 and the mask sheet 2 is corrected, and the plurality of mask sheets 2 minimize the relative misalignment with each other. This alignment method can be described in the same manner as the alignment (correction of the amount of deviation) in Examples 1, 2, and 3 described in the mask manufacturing method. That is, in the first alignment method, when n is a natural number of 2 or more, the nth (nth) mask sheet 2 is joined to the mask frame 3 from the first to the n-1th. The position of the mask sheet 2 to be joined with respect to the alignment marker 63 for the nth time is determined (corrects the deviation amount) based on all the deviation amounts after joining of the alignment marker 63 with respect to the mask sheet 2. The method.

The second alignment method is that in the nth alignment step, at least one of the deviation amounts of the alignment marker 63 with respect to the alignment hole 7 of the mask sheet 2 joined from the first to the n-1th is after joining. This is a method of determining the position of the mask sheet 2 to be joined at the nth time with respect to the alignment marker 63 (correcting the deviation amount) based on the deviation amount.

The third alignment method corresponds to at least two or more average deviations of the alignment markers 63 with respect to the alignment holes 7 of the mask sheet 2 joined from the first to the n-1th in the nth alignment step. This is a method of determining the position of the mask sheet 2 to be joined at the nth time with respect to the alignment marker 63 (correcting the deviation amount) based on the deviation amount.

The alignment method described above includes an alignment step of determining the position of the mask sheet 2 with respect to the alignment marker 63 based on the amount of deviation of the alignment hole 7 which is an alignment reference of the two mask sheets with respect to the alignment marker 63, and the mask sheet 2 after joining. The alignment step of determining the position of the mask sheet 2 with respect to the alignment marker 63 based on the amount of deviation of the alignment marker 63 with respect to the alignment hole 7 after joining, and the nth alignment when n is a natural number of 2 or more. In the step, the mask sheet 2 to be joined from the first time to the n-1th time should be joined at the nth time based on at least one of the deviation amount after joining of the alignment marker 63 with respect to the alignment hole 7. The position of the mask sheet 2 with respect to the alignment marker 63 is determined (the amount of deviation is corrected).

According to the above alignment method, in the first time, the position of the mask sheet 2 is determined based on the amount of deviation of the mask sheet 2 with respect to the alignment marker 63 of the glass master 26. In the mask sheet 2 to be joined after the second time, the amount of deviation of the alignment marker 63 with respect to the alignment hole 7 of the mask sheet 2 after joining is detected, and the alignment of the mask sheet 2 is based on the amount of deviation after joining. Determine the position with respect to the marker 63. By doing so, the misalignment of the mask sheet due to the joining process and the misalignment of the alignment marker 63 due to the raising and lowering of the glass master 26 are eliminated, and the relative positions of the plurality of mask sheets 2 to be array-joined are eliminated. It is possible to suppress the deviation.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and modifications, improvements, and the like within the range in which the object of the present invention can be achieved are included in the present invention. For example, in the above-described embodiment, in the nth alignment step (step S14), at least the amount of deviation of the alignment marker 63 after joining with respect to the alignment hole 7 of the mask sheet 2 joined from the first to the n-1th. Based on the amount of deviation after joining No. 1, the position of the mask sheet 2 to be joined at the nth time with respect to the alignment marker 63 is determined and joined. However, if there is no misalignment of the alignment marker 63 due to the raising and lowering of the glass master 26, the amount of misalignment of the mask sheet 2 for the nth time with respect to the alignment marker 63 is detected even in the mask sheet 2 to be joined for the nth time. The amount of deviation may be corrected and the mask sheet 2 may be joined to the mask frame 3.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, the mask sheet 2 is irradiated with a backlight (not shown) from the lower side, the light transmitted through the alignment hole 7 and the glass master 26 is imaged by the alignment camera, and the mask sheet 2 after joining is imaged. The amount of deviation from the alignment marker 63 is detected. However, if the backlight has high straightness such as laser light and parallel light is used and the position is fixed without raising and lowering the glass master 26, the alignment marker 63 is used as a reference marker and a mask for the alignment marker 63. The deviation amount of the sheet 2 may be detected, the deviation amount may be corrected, and the mask sheet 2 may be joined to the mask frame 3.

1 ... Mask, 2 ... Mask sheet, 2a ... Outer peripheral edge of mask sheet, 6 ... Mask pattern forming region, 7 ... Alignment hole (alignment reference), 8 ... Mask opening, 20 ... Mask manufacturing equipment, 25 ... Mask sheet Holding part, 26 ... Glass master, 27 ... Alignment camera, 28A, 28B ... Welding robot (joining device), 31 ... Laser light emitting head, 32 ... Robot hand, 33A, 33B ... X-axis guide rail (guide rail), 51 ... Coarse movement stage (alignment stage), 52 ... Fine movement stage (alignment stage), 63 ... Alignment marker

Claims (11)

A plurality of mask sheets having a mask pattern forming region including a mask pattern opening and formed of a magnetic metal, and the same or wider than the mask pattern forming region at a position corresponding to the mask pattern forming region, and said A mask manufacturing method in which mask frames having the same number of mask openings or less than the number of mask sheets are overlapped and joined.
The mask frame transport / holding step of transporting the mask frame and holding it in a predetermined position,
A mask sheet transport / suction step of transporting one of the plurality of mask sheets to a predetermined position above the mask frame and sucking the mask sheet by the mask sheet holding portion.
A deviation amount detection step for detecting the deviation amount of the alignment reference of the mask sheet with respect to the alignment marker of the glass master that can be raised and lowered while the mask sheet is adsorbed.
An alignment step of determining the position of the mask sheet with respect to the alignment marker based on the deviation amount, and
A joining step of joining the mask sheet to the mask frame while adsorbing the mask sheet,
A step of detecting the amount of deviation of the alignment marker after joining with respect to the alignment reference of the mask sheet after joining, and
An alignment step of determining the position of the mask sheet with respect to the alignment marker based on the amount of displacement after joining.
After the alignment step after the joining, a joining step of joining the mask sheet to the mask frame while adsorbing the mask sheet,
Including
The process from the mask sheet transport / adsorption step to the joining step is repeated for the number of mask sheets.
When n is a natural number of 2 or more,
In the nth alignment step, based on at least one post-bonding displacement amount of the alignment marker with respect to the alignment reference of the mask sheet bonded from the first to the n-1th alignment step. The position of the mask sheet to be joined at the nth time with respect to the alignment marker is determined and joined.
A mask manufacturing method characterized by that. In the mask manufacturing method according to claim 1,
In the nth alignment step, the mask to be joined at the nth time is based on all the deviation amounts of the alignment markers after joining with respect to the alignment reference of the mask sheets joined from the first time to the n-1th time. Positioning the sheet with respect to the alignment marker,
A mask manufacturing method characterized by that. In the mask manufacturing method according to claim 1,
In the nth alignment step, n based on at least one post-bonding displacement amount of the alignment marker with respect to the alignment reference of the mask sheet bonded from the first to the n-1th alignment step. Determine the position of the mask sheet to be joined at the second time with respect to the alignment marker.
A mask manufacturing method characterized by that. In the mask manufacturing method according to claim 1,
In the nth alignment step, based on the deviation amount corresponding to at least two or more average deviation amounts of the alignment markers after the joining with respect to the alignment reference of the mask sheet bonded from the first to the n-1th time. The position of the mask sheet to be joined at the nth time with respect to the alignment marker is determined.
A mask manufacturing method characterized by that. In the mask manufacturing method according to any one of claims 1 to 4.
In the post-bonding displacement detection step, after the mask sheet is bonded to the mask frame, the displacement amount of the alignment marker with respect to the alignment reference of the mask sheet after bonding is detected.
A mask manufacturing method characterized by that. In the mask manufacturing method according to any one of claims 1 to 5.
The mask frame has the mask openings provided corresponding to the joining arrangement of the plurality of mask sheets.
After joining one mask sheet to the mask opening to be joined of the mask frame, the mask sheet holding portion is lowered until the joined mask sheet is in a non-adhesive state, and the next joining target is The mask sheet holding portion is moved to the mask opening.
A mask manufacturing method characterized by that. In the mask manufacturing method according to any one of claims 1 to 6 .
The alignment reference is composed of at least two or more alignment holes penetrating the mask sheet.
The light transmitted through the alignment hole and the glass master is imaged by an alignment camera, and the amount of deviation of the alignment hole with respect to the alignment marker and the amount of deviation of the alignment marker with respect to the alignment hole after joining are detected by image processing. To carry out,
A mask manufacturing method characterized by that. In the mask manufacturing method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.
When the height position of the glass master is set to the first position in the mask frame transport / holding step and the mask sheet transport / suction step.
In the displacement detection step and the alignment step, the glass master is placed at a second position closer to the mask sheet than the first position.
In the joining step, the glass master is placed at a third position farther from the mask sheet than the second position.
A mask manufacturing method characterized by that. A plurality of mask sheets having a mask pattern forming region including a mask pattern opening and formed of a magnetic metal, and the same or wider than the mask pattern forming region at a position corresponding to the mask pattern forming region, and said It is an alignment method for correcting the amount of deviation between the alignment marker of the glass master and the mask sheet for superimposing and joining the mask frames having the same number of mask openings or less than the number of mask sheets.
An alignment step of determining the position of the mask sheet with respect to the alignment marker based on the amount of deviation of the alignment reference of the mask sheet with respect to the alignment marker.
It has an alignment step of determining the position of the mask sheet with respect to the alignment marker based on the amount of deviation of the alignment marker after joining with respect to the alignment reference of the mask sheet after joining.
When n is a natural number of 2 or more,
In the nth alignment step, based on at least one post-junction misalignment amount of the alignment markers with respect to the alignment reference of the mask sheet joined from the first to the n-1th alignment step. An alignment method characterized in that the position of the mask sheet to be joined at the nth time with respect to the alignment marker is determined. A plurality of mask sheets having a mask pattern forming region including a mask pattern opening and formed of a magnetic metal, and the same or wider than the mask pattern forming region at a position corresponding to the mask pattern forming region, and said A mask manufacturing device that superimposes and joins mask frames having the same number of mask openings or less than the number of mask sheets.
A mask sheet holding portion that is arranged below the inside of the arrangement position of the mask opening in a plan view and has a magnet chuck and can be switched between an adsorption state in which the mask sheet is magnetically attracted and a non-adsorption state. ,
A plate-shaped transparent glass master that can be raised and lowered and is provided above the position where the mask sheet is placed and is provided with a plurality of alignment markers.
An alignment camera that detects the amount of deviation of the plurality of alignment markers from the plurality of alignment criteria provided on the mask sheet, and
An alignment stage that moves the mask sheet holding portion between the mask openings, and
A joining device that joins the outer peripheral edge of the mask pattern forming region to the outer peripheral edge of the mask opening.
A mask manufacturing apparatus characterized by having. In the mask manufacturing apparatus according to claim 10,
The mask frame transport / holding step of transporting the mask frame and holding it in a predetermined position,
A mask sheet transport / suction step of transporting one of the plurality of mask sheets to a predetermined position above the mask frame and sucking the mask sheet by the mask sheet holding portion.
A shift amount detection step of detecting a shift amount of the alignment reference of the mask sheet with respect to the alignment marker of the glass master while the mask sheet is adsorbed.
An alignment step of determining the position of the mask sheet with respect to the alignment marker based on the deviation amount, and
A joining step of joining the mask sheet to the mask frame while adsorbing the mask sheet,
A step of detecting the amount of deviation of the alignment marker after joining with respect to the alignment reference of the mask sheet after joining, and
An alignment step of determining the position of the mask sheet with respect to the alignment marker based on the amount of displacement after joining.
After the alignment step after the joining, the joining step of joining the mask sheet to the mask frame and
Has a control unit that can carry out
A mask manufacturing device characterized in that.

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