JP7412872B2 - Double-sided exposure device - Google Patents

Description

The invention of the present application relates to a double-sided exposure apparatus such as a roll-to-roll type used for manufacturing flexible printed circuit boards and the like.

Exposure apparatuses that expose objects by irradiating them with light in a predetermined pattern are used for various purposes as a core elemental technology of photolithography. There are various types of exposure apparatuses, one of which is known as a double-sided exposure apparatus that exposes both sides of a long, strip-shaped substrate.

For example, in the case of an apparatus that exposes a soft substrate such as a flexible printed circuit board, a configuration is adopted in which the exposure is performed while conveying the substrate roll-to-roll. A pair of exposure units are arranged on both sides (usually above and below) of the substrate transport line. The apparatus includes a mask, and the exposure unit irradiates light in a predetermined pattern from both sides through each mask to perform exposure.
The conveyance of the substrate after being pulled out from the roll is intermittent, and when the substrate stops after being conveyed, both sides of the portion located between the pair of exposure units are irradiated with light in a predetermined pattern, and both sides are exposed simultaneously. .

Since such a double-sided exposure device is also a type of exposure device, alignment accuracy poses a problem. In the case of an apparatus that exposes a long strip-shaped substrate, such as a roll-to-roll type apparatus, the final product is obtained by cutting the substrate at an appropriate position in the length direction after photolithography is completed. Since the cutting position can be appropriately selected, longitudinal alignment in the exposure apparatus has not been a problem so far. On the other hand, the pair of masks must maintain their mutual positional relationship with high precision. That is, if the precision of the positional relationship between the pair of masks is poor, the pattern on one side of the substrate will be misaligned with the pattern on the other side of the substrate in the final product, which is likely to lead to product defects. For this reason, as in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, a pair of masks are aligned with each other to prevent the formed patterns from shifting.

Although the conventional situation is as described above, recently, it is not enough to simply align a pair of masks with each other, and it has become necessary to perform positioning with a sufficiently high precision with respect to a substrate. One of the reasons behind this is that as products become more sophisticated, they increasingly have complex structures such as multilayer wiring.

For example, when building a complex structure such as multilayer wiring on a flexible printed circuit board, a pattern is already formed on a strip-shaped board, and in many cases, a resist is further coated on top of the pattern and then exposed. . A large number of existing patterns are formed at intervals along the length of a strip-shaped substrate, and the portions where individual patterns are formed ultimately become individual products. In this case, in further exposure, it is necessary to expose the already formed pattern with the necessary positional accuracy, and alignment with respect to the substrate is required.

Additionally, depending on the product, another flexible rectangular substrate is laminated on top of the part where the pattern has already been formed, and the other substrate (hereinafter referred to as the upper layer substrate) is exposed to light to form the pattern. It may be done. In this case as well, since a large number of upper layer substrates are laminated at intervals along the length of a strip-shaped substrate, it is necessary to perform exposure while each upper layer substrate is aligned.

If alignment with respect to the substrate is also required in this way, it is necessary to align a pair of masks with each other and then align the pair of masks with respect to the substrate while maintaining this state. For this reason, Patent Document 2 adopts a configuration in which alignment marks on both sides of the mask are photographed with a camera through alignment marks provided on a substrate.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2000-155430 JP2006-278648A

As mentioned above, Patent Document 2 proposes a configuration for achieving alignment with a substrate in addition to alignment between a pair of masks when alignment with respect to a substrate is required.
However, according to the inventor's research, it is actually difficult to perform each alignment with the required accuracy using only the configurations disclosed in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2. This point will be explained below.

First, in Patent Document 1, although alignment between a pair of masks is explained, alignment between a pair of masks and a member to be exposed is not explained. Patent Document 1 describes that the alignment mark M is formed on the exposed member, but the alignment mark is explained to be formed by exposure of the resist layer, and does not exist during exposure. It is understood that this is not the case.
Furthermore, Patent Document 2 describes that the alignment marks AM ₁₁ , AM _12A , and AM _12B are adjusted so as to be located on the optical axes of the imaging devices 13A and 13B, but what is the specific configuration and how? It does not explain how to adjust it.

According to the inventor's research, in a configuration in which a long strip-shaped substrate as described above is exposed while being intermittently fed, the accuracy of the stop position of the substrate during intermittent feeding affects the alignment. While there is a limit to the accuracy of the stop position in intermittent feed, higher precision is required for alignment as products become more sophisticated and complex.

The invention of this application has been made in consideration of the above points, and is applicable when the accuracy of the stop position during intermittent feeding of the substrate is low in a double-sided exposure apparatus that requires alignment of a pair of masks as well as alignment with the substrate. However, the purpose is to make it possible to perform alignment with high precision.

In order to solve the above problem, the invention according to claim 1 of this application includes a conveying system that pulls out and intermittently feeds a flexible substrate wound on a roll;
a pair of first and second masks arranged to sandwich the sent substrate;
After the transport system has stopped the substrate and alignment has been performed, it is equipped with an exposure unit that irradiates the substrate with light through each mask to expose both sides of the substrate,
The substrate has an alignment opening provided in a predetermined positional relationship with respect to the area to be exposed,
The first mask has a first mask mark that is a mark for alignment,
The second mask has a second mask mark that is a mark for alignment,
A camera is provided that can photograph the first mask mark, the second mask mark, and the alignment aperture of the substrate.
Alignment means is provided for positioning the first and second masks with respect to the area to be exposed on the substrate based on photographic data from a camera that photographs the first mask mark, the second mask mark, and the alignment aperture,
When an alignment aperture is photographed with a chip in the photographic data from the camera, the aperture chip is eliminated by causing the board or camera to move in a direction that eliminates the chip and a distance that eliminates the chip. means are provided,
If the alignment aperture is missing in the photographic data from the camera, and after the aperture chipping removal means moves the direction and distance to eliminate the chipping, the chipping will be resolved in the photographic data from the camera. If at least one of the image of the first mask mark and the image of the second mask mark is not completely included in the aligned opening and is chipped, the chip is oriented in such a way that the chip is eliminated. Mark chipping elimination means is provided for causing the first mask and the second mask or the substrate to move a distance such that the chipping is eliminated;
Mark chipping determination means is provided for determining whether or not an image of the first mask mark and an image of the second mask mark are completely contained within the alignment aperture in photographic data of the alignment aperture in which chipping has been eliminated. When the mark missing determination means determines that at least one of the image of the first mask mark and the image of the second mask mark does not completely enter the alignment opening, Whether the first mask and the second mask are caused to move the distance necessary for the image of the mask mark that has not completely entered the alignment aperture to enter the alignment aperture and move away from the periphery of the alignment aperture. Or, it has a configuration that it is a means for causing the substrate to perform the process .
In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention according to claim 2 provides an aperture chipping determining means for determining whether or not the alignment aperture is chipped in photographic data from the camera, in the configuration according to claim 1. is provided,
The aperture missing determination means is configured to determine whether or not an image of the alignment aperture exists within a region located a predetermined distance inside from the boundary of the field of view of the camera.
Moreover, in order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the invention according to claim 3 is the configuration according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the aperture chipping eliminating means includes a camera moving mechanism for moving the camera,
The camera moving mechanism is a mechanism that can move the camera in a direction along the substrate and perpendicular to the direction of feeding by the transport system,
The opening chipping eliminating means moves the camera in the direction by a camera moving mechanism for chipping that can be eliminated by moving the camera in a direction along the substrate and perpendicular to the direction of feeding by the transport system. It has a structure that it is a means to solve the problem.
Further, in order to solve the above problem, the invention according to claim 4 provides the configuration according to claim 3, wherein the camera moving mechanism is a mechanism capable of moving the camera in the direction of feeding by the conveyance system. ,
The opening chipping elimination means is configured to eliminate chipping that is eliminated by moving the camera in the direction of feed by the conveyance system by moving the camera in that direction using the camera moving mechanism.
Further, in order to solve the above problem, the invention according to claim 5 provides the structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the mark chipping elimination means includes a mask moving mechanism that moves the first and second masks. contains,
The mask moving mechanism is a mechanism that can move the first and second masks together,
The mark chipping elimination means is configured to eliminate chipping by moving the first and second masks together by a mask moving mechanism.

As described below, according to the invention recited in claim 1 of this application, alignment is performed using photographic data photographed without any chipping of the alignment aperture. Therefore, alignment accuracy becomes high. Furthermore, alignment is performed using photographic data taken without missing the pair of mask marks. Therefore, alignment accuracy becomes high.
According to the invention as claimed in claim 2, in addition to the above-mentioned effects, the aperture missing determination means determines whether or not there is an image of the alignment aperture in a region set as a region inside by a predetermined distance from the boundary of the field of view of the camera. Since the presence or absence of a chip is determined, a state in which the image of the alignment aperture touches the boundary line of the field of view and is captured within the field of view is also determined to be a chip, allowing for more accurate alignment. .
According to the third aspect of the invention, in addition to the above-mentioned effects, when a chip is detected in a direction along the substrate and perpendicular to the direction of feeding by the conveyance system, the camera is moved in the direction. This eliminates the problem, so it becomes unnecessary to move the substrate in that direction. Therefore, complication of the structure of the transport system can be avoided.
Further, according to the invention as set forth in claim 4, in addition to the above-mentioned effects, the chipping in the direction of feed caused by the conveyance system is also eliminated by moving the camera, so that the image of the alignment aperture can be imaged without any control of the conveyance system. chipping can be eliminated, and control operations for eliminating chipping can be simplified.
Further, according to the invention as set forth in claim 5 , in addition to the above-mentioned effects, since the chipping is eliminated by moving the first and second masks together, the control operation for eliminating the chipping of the mask mark becomes simple. .

FIG. 1 is a schematic front cross-sectional view of a double-sided exposure apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view showing alignment marks necessary for alignment. 2 is a flowchart schematically illustrating an excerpt of the alignment-related portion of the main sequence program. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view illustrating how an alignment aperture in a substrate is found by an aperture search program. FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view illustrating defect determination of an alignment aperture using an aperture defect determination program. FIG. 7 is a schematic plan view showing how to eliminate the chipping of the alignment aperture using the aperture chipping elimination program. FIG. 7 is a schematic plan view showing a hidden mark determination and temporary alignment program 76 using a hidden mark determination program. FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view showing an example in which it is determined that there is a chipped mask mark by a mark chipping determination program and an example in which the chipped mask mark is resolved. FIG. 3 is a schematic plan view showing how to eliminate missing marks using a mark missing removal program. FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view showing the alignment performed by the alignment program.

Next, a mode for carrying out the present invention (hereinafter referred to as an embodiment) will be described.
FIG. 1 is a schematic front sectional view of a double-sided exposure apparatus according to an embodiment. The apparatus of the embodiment is an apparatus that exposes a strip-shaped substrate W made of a soft material such as polyimide. As shown in FIG. 1, the double-sided exposure apparatus includes a transport system 1 and an exposure unit 2.
The transport system 1 is a mechanism that pulls out a flexible substrate W wound around a roll and sends it out intermittently. "Flexible" means having flexibility to the extent that it can be wound into a roll, and an example is a substrate for a flexible printed circuit board.

In this embodiment, the transport system 1 is a mechanism that pulls out the substrate W horizontally and transports it in a horizontal position. Specifically, the conveyance system 1 includes a delivery side core roller 11 around which an unexposed substrate W is wound, a delivery side pinch roller 12 that pulls out the substrate W from the delivery side core roller 11, and a delivery side pinch roller 12 around which an unexposed substrate W is wound. A winding-side core roller 13 that pulls out the exposed substrate W and winds it around the winding-side core roller 13 is provided. Note that the direction in which the substrate W is fed by the transport system 1 is the X direction, and the horizontal direction perpendicular to this is the Y direction. The Y direction is the width direction of the substrate W. The direction perpendicular to the XY plane is defined as the Z direction.

An exposure work position is set between the feed-side pinch roller 12 and the take-up side pinch roller 14. The exposure work position is a position where both sides of the substrate W are exposed simultaneously by the exposure unit 2.
As shown in FIG. 1, a pair of masks 3 and 4 are placed with a substrate W in between at an exposure work position. Hereinafter, the upper mask 3 will be referred to as a first mask, and the lower mask 4 will be referred to as a second mask. Each mask 3, 4 is in a horizontal position.

Two exposure units 2 are also provided corresponding to the masks 3 and 4. The exposure unit 2 that exposes through the first mask 3 is provided above the first mask 3 and performs exposure by irradiating light downward. The exposure unit 2 that exposes through the second mask 4 is provided below the second mask 4 and performs exposure by irradiating light upward.
The two exposure units 2 are vertically symmetrically arranged and structurally similar. That is, each exposure unit 2 includes a light source 21, an optical system 22 that irradiates the masks 3 and 4 with light from the light source 21, and the like. As will be described later, the apparatus of this embodiment is an apparatus that performs contact exposure, and each exposure unit 2 is a unit that irradiates each mask 3, 4 with parallel light. Therefore, optical system 22 includes a collimator lens.

The transport system 1 includes buffer areas 101 and 102 on the upstream and downstream sides of the exposure work position. The conveyance system 1 includes a first drive roller 15 disposed upstream of the exposure work position and a second drive roller 16 disposed downstream of the exposure work position. Each drive roller 15, 16 is a pinch roller.
As shown in FIG. 1, a feed-out buffer area 101 is located between the feed-out pinch roller 12 and the first drive roller 15. Moreover, the space between the second drive roller 16 and the take-up side pinch roller 14 is a take-up side buffer area 102 .

The first drive roller 15 and the second drive roller 16 are elements that perform intermittent feeding of the substrate W through the exposure work position. That is, the first drive roller 15 and the second drive roller 16 are rollers that operate synchronously, and are configured to feed the substrate W at a predetermined stroke. This stroke is the distance that the substrate W is sent during one intermittent feeding, and is hereinafter referred to as a feeding stroke.

On the other hand, the delivery-side core roller 11 and the delivery-side pinch roller 12 are driven synchronously according to the amount of slack of the substrate W in the delivery-side buffer area 101. A sensor (not shown) is arranged in the sending buffer area 101, and when the amount of slack decreases, the feeding side core roller 11 and the feeding side pinch roller 12 operate in synchronization, and the amount of slack reaches the set maximum value. The substrate W is sent out until the end.
The winding side buffer area 102 is also similar, and a sensor (not shown) is arranged therein. According to the signal from the sensor, when the amount of slack increases to the limit, the take-up side pinch roller 14 and the take-up side core roller 13 operate synchronously to wind the substrate W so that the amount of slack decreases to the set minimum value. take.

In the intermittent feeding of the transport system 1 described above, both surfaces of the substrate W are exposed by each exposure unit 2 while the substrate W is stopped after being fed in the feeding stroke, but prior to this, alignment is performed by the alignment means. It looks like this. The alignment means is means for aligning the first and second masks 3 and 4 with respect to the region of the substrate W to be exposed.

In this embodiment, alignment is ultimately performed by aligning the pair of masks 3 and 4 with respect to the area on the substrate W to be exposed. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 1, the pair of masks 3 and 4 are equipped with a mask moving mechanism 5, and the mask moving mechanism 5 is included in the alignment means. The mask moving mechanism 5 is a mechanism that moves each mask 3, 4 in the XY direction to change the position. The mask moving mechanism 5 is a mechanism that can move the first mask 3 and the second mask 4 independently, and also can move the two masks 3 and 4 together. This kind of mechanism can be easily manufactured, but for example, a mechanism for moving the first mask 3 in the XY directions is fixed to the first base plate, and a mechanism for moving the second mask 4 in the XY directions is fixed to the second base plate. This is realized by providing a mechanism that is fixed to the base plate and further moves the first and second base plates together in the X and Y directions.
Note that each of the masks 3 and 4 is provided with a Z-direction moving mechanism (not shown). The Z-direction moving mechanism is a mechanism for moving each mask 3, 4 toward the substrate W and bringing it into close contact with the substrate W for contact exposure.

As shown in FIG. 1, the apparatus includes a main controller 6 that controls various parts including the transport system 1, the mask moving mechanism 5, and the like. The main controller 6 is equipped with a main sequence program 7 that controls each part of the device to operate according to a predetermined procedure. That is, the main sequence program 7 is stored in the storage unit 60 of the main controller 6, and can be executed by a processor (not shown) of the main controller 6. In addition, the main controller 6 includes a display 61 that displays errors and the like.

For alignment, a mark is required. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view showing alignment marks required for alignment. As shown in FIG. 2, alignment marks 31 and 41 are formed on each mask 3 and 4. As shown in FIG. Hereinafter, the alignment mark 31 provided on the first mask 3 will be referred to as a first mask mark, and the alignment mark 41 provided on the second mask 4 will be referred to as a second mask mark. As shown in FIG. 2, in this embodiment, the first mask mark 31 is circumferential, and the second mask mark 41 is a circular point smaller than the first mask mark 31.

As shown in FIG. 2, alignment marks Wm are also formed on the substrate W for alignment. The alignment mark Wm of the substrate W is an opening. Hereinafter, this will be referred to as an alignment aperture. In this embodiment, the alignment opening Wm is circular.
As described above, alignment is an operation of aligning a pair of masks with each other and aligning the pair of masks with respect to a substrate. For this purpose, it is convenient to perform alignment based on a state in which a pair of mask marks and an alignment mark on the substrate overlap, and assuming that this state is an ideal state (accuracy standard). As shown in FIG. 2, the "overlapping state" typically means that the centers of the marks 31, 41, and Wm are located on one straight line (on one straight line perpendicular to the substrate W), but other In some cases, the condition may be used as a criterion for accuracy.

In this embodiment, the alignment opening Wm is larger than the first mask mark 31 and larger than the second mask mark 41 in order to perform alignment easily and with high precision. That is, in the aligned state, when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the substrate W, the two mask marks 31 and 41 are visible within the alignment opening Wm.
As shown in FIG. 1, the apparatus includes a camera 8 that photographs each alignment mark 31, 41, Wm. The camera 8 is connected to the main controller 6, and the photographic data of the camera 8 is sent to the main controller 6.

As shown in FIG. 2, in this embodiment, four first mask marks 31 and four second mask marks 41 are provided. Along with these, four cameras 8 are also provided. The first mask mark 31 and the second mask mark 41 are provided at positions corresponding to the corners of the rectangle, and the camera 8 is similarly provided at positions corresponding to the corners of the rectangle.
Each camera 8 is arranged so that its optical axis (optical axis of the built-in lens) A is vertical, and is attached in a posture for photographing downward. A camera movement mechanism 81 for changing the position of the camera 8 in the X and Y directions is provided on the pedestal on which each camera 8 is installed.

The first mask mark 31 and the second mask mark 41 are provided at positions corresponding to corners of rectangles having the same size and shape. This position is known as design information, and the four cameras 8 are arranged so that they have the same positional relationship in the horizontal direction. However, it is not essential that the optical axis A of the four cameras 8 be coaxial with the center of each mask mark 31, 41, and it is sufficient that each mask mark 31, 41 is within the field of view of each camera 8. .

The alignment opening Wm of the substrate W is a mark indicating the position of a region to be exposed (hereinafter referred to as a target exposure region), and is provided in a predetermined positional relationship with respect to the target exposure region. The target exposure area is an area to which the patterns of the masks 3 and 4 are to be transferred, and is indicated by a broken line in FIG. 2. The alignment opening Wm is formed outside the target exposure region R, and is formed at a position corresponding to a corner of a rectangle having the same dimensions and shape as the first and second mask marks 41.

Note that the target exposure area R corresponds to a portion of the substrate W used when producing one product. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 2, a large number of target exposure regions R are set at intervals along the length of the strip-shaped substrate W. The alignment opening Wm is also provided in the same positional relationship with respect to each target exposure region R in terms of design. Note that the pitch of each target exposure area R corresponds to the feed stroke (indicated by Lf in FIG. 2) by the transport system 1 described above.

The alignment means is constituted by each piece of hardware provided in the apparatus as described above and software including a main sequence program 7 installed in the main controller 6. The double-sided exposure apparatus of the embodiment includes an aperture chipping determination unit that determines whether or not the alignment opening Wm of the substrate W is photographed with chipping in the photographic data from the camera 8, and an opening that eliminates the chipping of the alignment opening Wm. Equipped with a means to eliminate defects. The double-sided exposure apparatus of the embodiment also includes a mark missing determination means for determining whether images of the mask marks 31 and 41 photographed through the alignment aperture Wm are missing in the photographic data from the camera 8, and a mark missing determination means for determining whether images of the mask marks 31 and 41 photographed through the alignment opening Wm are missing. The mark chipping elimination means is also provided. Each means will be explained in detail below.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart schematically showing an excerpt of the alignment-related portion of the main sequence program 7. The alignment is an operation performed after the intermittent feeding of the substrate W by the transport system 1 is completed. For alignment purposes, the main sequence program 7 includes, roughly as shown in FIG. Opening chipping determination step S2 for determining whether or not each mask mark 31, 41 is not hidden by the substrate W when all the alignment openings Wm are visually recognized without any chipping. a mark hidden determination step S3 in which each mask mark 31, 41 is determined not to be hidden, a mark missing determination step S4 in which it is determined whether or not the mask mark 31, 41 is photographed with a chipped part; , 41 has a main alignment step S5 in which main alignment is performed when it is determined that there is no chipping.

The main controller 6 includes subprograms that are called and executed from the main sequence program 7, such as an opening presence/absence determination program 71, an opening search program 72, an opening chipping determination program 73, an opening chipping elimination program 74, and a hidden mark determination program. 75, a temporary alignment program 76, a mark missing determination program 77, a mark missing removal program 78, and a main alignment program 79 are implemented. The opening chipping determination program 73 constitutes an opening chipping determining means, and the opening chipping eliminating program 74 constitutes an opening chipping eliminating means. Further, the missing mark determination program 77 constitutes missing mark determining means, and the missing mark eliminating program 78 constitutes missing mark eliminating means.

The opening presence/absence determination step S1 is a step of executing the opening presence/absence determination program 71 and obtaining its return value. The aperture search program 72 is a program that is executed when it is determined that at least one alignment aperture Wm is not in the field of view of the camera 8.
The aperture chipping determination step S2 is a step of executing the aperture chipping determination program 73 and obtaining its return value. The aperture chipping elimination program 74 is a program that is executed when it is determined that at least one alignment aperture Wm has a chip.

The hidden mark determination step S3 is a step of executing the hidden mark determination program 75 and obtaining its return value. The temporary alignment program 76 is a program that is executed when it is determined that the mask mark is hidden by the substrate W in the image data from at least one camera 8.
The mark determination step S4 is a step of executing the mark missing determination program 77 and obtaining its return value.
This alignment program 79 is a program that is executed when it is determined that all the mask marks 31 and 41 are not hidden by the substrate W and alignment is possible.

Next, the configuration of each step and each subprogram will be sequentially explained. First, the opening presence/absence determination step S1 and the opening presence/absence determination program 71 will be explained.
As shown in FIG. 3, the main sequence program 7 executes an opening presence/absence determination program 71 after completion of intermittent feeding. As a return value of the aperture presence/absence determination program 71, a normal value is returned if all the alignment apertures Wm have been imaged, and an abnormal value is returned otherwise.

The aperture presence/absence determination program 71 is programmed to process image data from each camera 8 and determine whether an image of the alignment aperture Wm is included by pattern matching. In this embodiment, the alignment opening Wm is circular, and its diameter is known as design information. Therefore, the aperture presence/absence determination program 71 searches for one that can be determined to be the alignment aperture Wm among the bright and dark boundaries that can be considered circular. For at least one piece of image data, if there is no visible alignment aperture Wm, an abnormal value is returned, otherwise a normal value is returned.

As shown in FIG. 3, the main sequence program 7 is programmed to execute an opening search program 72 when the return value of the opening presence/absence determination program 71 is an abnormal value. FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view showing an example of how the aperture search program 72 searches for the alignment aperture Wm.

The aperture search program 72 is a program that outputs a control signal to the transport system 1 to move the substrate W and bring the alignment aperture Wm into the field of view of the camera 8 when the alignment aperture Wm is not photographed. In FIG. 4, the field of view V of one camera 8 and one alignment opening Wm to be found are shown. The alignment opening Wm is provided in a predetermined positional relationship with respect to the target exposure region R.
The movement of the substrate W to bring the alignment opening Wm into the field of view of the camera 8 is movement in the X direction. The stroke of this movement is slightly shorter than the length of the field of view in the X direction. Hereinafter, this stroke will be referred to as a search stroke.

In this embodiment, the aperture search program 72 first moves (returns) the substrate W in the opposite direction to the direction of intermittent feeding, and if the alignment opening Wm is still not found, moves it to the side opposite to the direction of intermittent feeding. It is designed to move (feed). For example, it is set to move the search stroke up to twice before and after. In this example, the range in which the alignment opening Wm is searched is the range of five search strokes Ls. The example shown in FIG. 4 is an example in which the search is performed in the order of (1) → (2) → (3) → (4) → (5), in which the search is first performed using two search strokes, and then This is an example in which the alignment aperture Wm enters the field of view V as a result of subsequently performing four search strokes.

As shown in FIG. 3, the main sequence program 7 obtains the return value from the aperture search program 72, and if the return value is an abnormal value, it means that the alignment aperture Wm was not found, so it performs error processing. is programmed to do so and then abort the program. The error processing includes an operation of displaying on the display 61 of the main controller 6 that the alignment aperture Wm could not be photographed.

Next, the aperture chipping determination program 73 will be explained.
As shown in FIG. 3, when the return value of the aperture search program 72 is a normal value or when a normal value is returned in the first execution of the aperture presence/absence determination program 71, the main sequence program 7 executes the aperture chipping determination program 73. Execute. FIG. 5 is a schematic plan view showing how the alignment aperture is determined to be defective by the aperture defect determination program 73. As shown in FIG.

When the intermittent feeding of the substrate W by the transport system 1 is completed or when the aperture search program 72 is successfully completed, each alignment aperture Wm may be completely within the field of view of the camera 8, but a portion thereof may be completely within the field of view of the camera 8. It may not be in your field of vision and may be missing. The aperture chipping determination program 73 processes the image data from each camera 8 and determines whether or not the alignment aperture Wm is photographed without chipping in all the image data. The aperture chipping determination program 73 returns a normal value to the main sequence program 7 if the image is taken without any chipping, and returns an abnormal value if it is determined that there is a chipping in the image data from one or more cameras 8. is programmed.

The aperture chipping determination program 73 determines whether or not the image of the alignment aperture Wm is chipped by determining whether or not the image of the alignment aperture Wm exists within an area that is a predetermined distance inside from the boundary of the field of view V of the camera 8. It is supposed to be done. That is, in the aperture chipping determination program 73, an area (hereinafter referred to as a prohibited area) P that is a predetermined distance inside from the boundary of the field of view V of the camera 8 is set. The prohibited area P is indicated by hatching in FIG.

When the aperture missing determination program 73 processes the image data from the camera 8, it determines whether or not there is no image of the alignment aperture Wm in the prohibited area P. Specifically, since the designed diameter of the alignment opening Wm is known, it is determined whether there is an image of an arc having a diameter close to that diameter. If so, it is determined that there is a chip in the alignment opening Wm. To explain with reference to FIG. 5, in the case of (A), it is determined that there is no chipping, and in the cases of (B) and (C), it is determined that there is a chipping. In case (C), it may be determined that there is no chipping, but if the image of the alignment aperture Wm is captured within the field of view V in contact with the boundary of the field of view V, it is also determined that there is a chipping, and that state In order to take the margin from , it is assumed that case (C) is also missing.

The width of the prohibited area P (indicated by d in FIG. 5) depends on how much of the above-mentioned margin is taken, that is, as long as the alignment aperture Wm is located inside from the edge of the boundary of the field of view V, there is no chipping. It depends. As an example, it may be set to 0% to 50% of the size (diameter in this embodiment) of the alignment opening Wm.
Note that in the case of FIG. 5C, it may be determined that there is no chipping. In this case, if any point in the image of the alignment aperture Wm exists within the visual field V without being on the boundary of the visual field V, it is considered that there is no chipping even if it exists in the prohibited area P. An aperture chipping determination program 73 is programmed.

Next, the opening chipping elimination program 74 will be explained.
As shown in FIG. 3, when an abnormal value is returned from the opening chipping determination program 73 (when it is determined that there is a chipping), the main sequence program 7 calls and executes the opening chipping elimination program 74. FIG. 6 is a schematic plan view showing how the chipping of the alignment opening Wm is eliminated by the opening chipping elimination program 74.

The aperture chipping elimination program 74 processes the image data from each camera 8 and calculates the amount of movement (direction and distance) of the substrate W or camera 8 necessary to eliminate the chipping. Then, the aperture chipping elimination program 74 is programmed to send the calculated movement amount to the transport system 1 and/or the camera moving mechanism 81 to move the substrate W and/or the camera 8.
At this time, regarding the movement in the X direction, the substrate W may be moved or the camera 8 may be moved, but in this embodiment, the substrate W is moved. In other words, the opening chipping elimination program 74 is programmed to send the amount of movement (direction and distance) in the X direction to the transport system 1 and the distance to be moved in the Y direction to the camera moving mechanism 81 to eliminate the chipping. There is.

More specifically, if the chipping can be eliminated by moving only in the X direction, the opening chipping removal program 74 moves the substrate W by a distance d1 in the X direction (alignment (movement of the opening Wm) is performed by the transport system 1. If the chipping can be resolved by moving only in the Y direction, the aperture chipping removal program 74 moves the camera 8 by a distance d2 in the Y direction (movement of the field of view V) as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 6(2). This is performed by the moving mechanism 81. When movement in the X direction and movement in the Y direction is required, the transport system 1 moves the substrate W by a distance d3 in the X direction and by a distance d4 in the Y direction, as shown by the arrow in FIG. 6(3). The camera 8 is moved by a camera movement mechanism 81. In the case of FIG. 6(3), it is more preferable to have the camera moving mechanism 81 move in the X direction and move in the Y direction because it is easier.
Note that since the amount of chipping usually differs in each image data, the image data in which the chipping of the alignment aperture Wm is the largest is identified among the image data from the four cameras 8, and the chipping is eliminated in that image data. The amount of movement to eliminate the problem is sent to the transport system 1 and/or the camera movement mechanism 81.

As shown in FIG. 3, the main sequence program 7 is programmed to execute a mark hidden determination program 75 after executing an aperture chipping elimination program 74. FIG. 7 is a schematic plan view showing the hidden mark determination program 75 and the temporary alignment program 76. As shown in FIG.
When the normal value is returned by the aperture chipping determination program 73 or when the aperture chipping elimination program 74 is completed, although the alignment aperture Wm is photographed with no chipping in each camera 8, a pair of mask marks 31 and 41 may not be located within each alignment opening Wm and may be hidden by the substrate W. FIG. 7(1) shows an example of a situation where such a pair of mask marks 31 and 41 are hidden.

The mark hidden determination program 75 is a program that processes image data from each camera 8 and determines whether images of the pair of mask marks 31 and 41 exist within each alignment opening Wm. In this embodiment, the first mask mark 31 has a smaller circumference than the alignment opening Wm, and the second mask mark 41 has a smaller circular point than the second mask mark 41, so pattern matching allows them to be aligned with each alignment opening Wm. Determine whether it exists within. The hidden mark determination program 75 is programmed to return a normal value to the main sequence program 7 if it exists, and to return an abnormal value if it does not exist.

As shown in FIG. 3, the main sequence program 7 executes the temporary alignment program 76 when an abnormal value is returned from the hidden mark determination program 75. The temporary alignment program 76 is a program that performs temporary alignment according to the positions of the pair of mask marks 31 and 41 during the previous exposure (exposure of the next target exposure area R).

As will be described later, the main sequence program 7 has a step of storing the center positions (positions in XY coordinates) of the pair of mask marks 31 and 41 in the storage unit 60 when the main alignment is completed. The temporary alignment program 76 is a program that reads this information from the storage unit 60 and uses it. Specifically, the temporary alignment program 76 reads this center position from the storage unit 60 and calculates the deviation from the center of the alignment opening Wm. Then, the amount of movement (amount of integral movement) of the pair of masks 3 and 4 is calculated so that the centers of the pair of mask marks 31 and 41 coincide with the center of the alignment opening Wm by correcting this deviation. Again, the amount of movement is the direction and distance of movement. Then, the temporary alignment program 76 sends the calculated movement amount to the mask moving mechanism 5, and moves the pair of masks 3 and 4 together. That is, the temporary alignment program 76 assumes that the pair of masks 3 and 4 continues to be located at the position that was finally positioned during alignment during the previous exposure, and eliminates mark hiding using that position as a reference. The pair of masks 3 and 4 are made to move for this purpose. In this way, as shown in FIG. 7(2), the mark hiding is eliminated. As will be described later, the pair of masks 3 and 4 are moved in the Z direction by a Z direction moving mechanism (not shown) to come into close contact with the substrate W, and after exposure is completed, they are moved in the opposite direction in the Z direction and separated from the substrate W. During this movement in the Z direction, each of the masks 3 and 4 may be slightly displaced in the XY directions, but it may be assumed that substantially the same position in the XY directions is maintained.

Next, the mark missing determination program 77 will be explained.
As shown in FIG. 3, when the main sequence program 7 executes the temporary alignment program 76, it executes the hidden mark determination program 75 again to determine whether or not there is a hidden mark. After confirming that the normal value is returned, the main sequence program 7 executes the mark missing determination program 77. FIG. 8 is a schematic plan view showing an example in which it is determined that there is a missing mask mark by the mark missing determination program 77, and an example in which the missing mask mark is resolved.

The mark missing determination program 77 is a program that determines whether each mask mark 31, 41 is completely included in the alignment opening Wm. Similarly, this is a program that uses pattern matching to determine whether or not images of each mask mark 31, 41 are acquired within the alignment opening Wm. As shown in FIG. 8(1), if it is determined that the pair of mask marks 31 and 41 are missing in the image data from at least one camera 8, the mark missing determination program 77 returns an abnormal value and indicates that the pair of mask marks 31 and 41 is missing. Otherwise, a normal value is returned.

Next, the missing mark elimination program 78 will be explained. FIG. 9 is a schematic plan view showing how to eliminate missing marks using the missing mark eliminating program.
The missing mark elimination program 78 calculates the amount of movement (direction and distance) required to eliminate the missing mark for the photographed data for which the missing mark determination program 77 determines that there is a missing mark. Since the amount of chipping differs for each image data, the mark chipping removal program 78 calculates the amount of movement for eliminating chipping for each image data, and calculates the average thereof. Since the amount of movement is distance and direction, find the average distance and average direction. Then, the calculated average amount of movement is sent to the mask moving mechanism 5.

To explain in more detail how to eliminate missing marks for certain image data with reference to FIG. 9, in this embodiment, since the first mask mark 31 is larger, the missing mark eliminating program 78 first removes the missing marks from the first mask mark 31. An arc that is determined to be part of the image of the mark 31 is identified, and the center C of the arc is determined. Then, the shortest amount of movement (distance and direction) required for the determined center C to move away from the edge of the alignment opening Wm by a distance equal to or greater than the radius (the radius of the arc of the first mask mark 31) is determined. Normally, some margin Md is added so that the image (arc) does not touch the edge of the alignment opening Wm, so if the radius of the arc of the first mask mark 31 is r (value obtained by data processing or designed value), the amount of movement necessary for the center C of the arc of the first mask mark 31 to move away from the periphery of the alignment opening Wm by a distance of r+Md is calculated. Such calculations are performed for each image data to calculate the average amount of movement. Then, a control signal is output to the mask moving mechanism 5 so that the pair of masks 3 and 4 move by the calculated average movement amount. As a result, each camera 8 photographs the mask marks 31', 41' with no chipping, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 8(2).

When the mark missing removal program 78 is executed, the main sequence program 7 executes the mark missing determination program 77 again to determine whether there is any missing mask mark, and after confirming that the normal value has returned, executes the main sequence program 78. Execute 79. FIG. 10 is a schematic plan view showing the main alignment performed by the main alignment program 79.

The main alignment program 79 processes photographic data from each camera 8 in a state where the main alignment is enabled. This alignment program 79 first determines the center of the first mask mark 31 and the center of the second mask mark 41 in a coordinate system whose origin is a point on the optical axis A. Then, it is determined whether the center of the first mask mark 31 and the center of the second mask mark 41 match with the required precision, and if they do not match, one or both masks are moved so that they match. A signal is sent to the moving mechanism 5. Normally, the two have been matched with the necessary accuracy during the previous exposure, and that state is maintained.
After confirming that the center of the first mask mark 31 and the center of the second mask mark 41 match with the required precision, the alignment program 79 finds the midpoint between these centers. Then, this alignment program 79 determines the center of the alignment opening Wm of the substrate W, determines the deviation from the midpoint between the centers of the pair of mask marks 31 and 41, and uses each of the masks 3 and 4 to eliminate the deviation. Calculate the direction and distance of movement.

This alignment program 79 performs the data processing described above on the photographic data from each camera 8, and calculates the direction and distance of movement of each mask 3, 4 in order to eliminate misalignment. Then, the average of the movement direction and distance obtained from each photographic data is determined, and this is used as a movement command for each mask 3 and 4 for final main alignment, which is then returned to the main sequence program 7. Since the direction and distance of movement are understood as each vector (indicated by an arrow in FIG. 10), the direction of each vector is combined, and the length is averaged.
The main sequence program 7 sends a movement command, which is a return value, to the mask moving mechanism 5, and moves the pair of masks 3 and 4 together so that their centers are aligned on a straight line with the required accuracy. This completes the main alignment. Although not shown in FIG. 3, the main sequence program 7 calculates the coordinates of the center of each mask mark 31, 41 at the time of completion of the main alignment for alignment during the next exposure of the target exposure area R. The information is stored in the storage unit 60.

By finally executing the alignment program 79 in this way, the pair of masks 3 and 4 are aligned with each other and the pair of masks 3 and 4 are aligned with the substrate W. The main sequence program 7 is programmed to perform each determination step as described above and perform alignment while executing each subprogram as necessary.

Next, the overall operation of the double-sided exposure apparatus according to the embodiment having the above configuration will be schematically explained. The following description is also a description of an embodiment of the invention of a double-sided exposure method. Incidentally, the invention of the double-sided exposure method can be said to be the invention of the method of manufacturing a substrate that is exposed on both sides.
The pair of masks 3 and 4 are located at a standby position away from the substrate W in the Z direction. This position is the position where the XY plane exists where each mask 3, 4 is aligned.
The main controller 6 on which the main sequence program 7 is being executed sends a control signal to the transport system 1 to send the substrate W by the amount of the feed stroke Lf. As a result, the first drive roller 15 and the second drive roller 16 operate synchronously, and the substrate W is sent forward in the X direction (to the winding side) by the feed stroke Lf.

When the feed completion signal is returned from the transport system 1 to the main controller 6, the main sequence program 7 performs the series of alignment operations described above. That is, if the presence or absence of the alignment aperture Wm within the field of view of each camera 8 has not been determined, the aperture search program 72 is executed, and then the aperture missing is determined. Then, if any of the alignment openings Wm is missing, the opening missing removal program 74 is executed, and then it is determined whether or not the mark is hidden. If there is a hidden mark in any of the photographic data, a temporary alignment program 76 is executed. Furthermore, if the mask marks 31 and 41 are missing in the photograph, a mark missing removal program 78 is executed. Then, the main sequence program 7 executes the main alignment program 79. This completes the alignment.

Thereafter, the main sequence program 7 sends a control signal to a Z-direction moving mechanism (not shown) to move the pair of masks 3, 4 in the Z-direction to bring each mask 3, 4 into close contact with the substrate W. In this state, the main sequence program 7 acquires the photographic data from each camera 8 and checks whether the aligned state is maintained (do the centers of each mark 31, 41, Wm match with the required accuracy)? to decide. If maintained, the main sequence program 7 sends a control signal to each exposure unit 2 to cause it to perform exposure.

After a predetermined time of exposure for the required amount of exposure, each exposure unit 2 stops irradiating light. Thereafter, the main sequence program 7 sends a control signal to a Z-direction moving mechanism (not shown) to separate the pair of masks 3 and 4 from the substrate W and return them to the initial standby position.
When it is confirmed that each of the masks 3 and 4 has returned to the standby position, the main sequence program 7 sends a control signal to the transport system 1 to transport the substrate W forward in the X direction by the transport stroke Lf. After that, the same operation as above is repeated, in which alignment is performed and exposure is performed between intermittent feeding of the substrate W with the feeding stroke Lf.

When the operation is repeated, when the amount of slack of the substrate W in the sending buffer area 101 decreases, the feeding side core roller 11 and the feeding side pinch roller 12 operate synchronously to send the substrate W to the feeding side buffer area 101. Further, when the amount of slack in the substrate W in the winding-side buffer area 102 increases, the winding-side core roller 13 and the winding-side pinch roller 14 operate in synchronization, and the substrate W is wound around the winding-side core roller 13. .

According to the double-sided exposure apparatus of the embodiment having such a configuration and operation, since the aperture chipping eliminating means is provided, alignment is performed using photographic data photographed with no chipping of the alignment aperture Wm. Therefore, alignment accuracy becomes high. That is, during the main alignment, the center coordinates of the alignment aperture Wm are determined, but at this time, more accurate results can be obtained by obtaining a complete image of the alignment aperture Wm and determining the center coordinates. .
In addition, since the aperture chipping determining means determines whether or not there is a chipping based on whether or not there is an image of the alignment aperture Wm in the prohibited area P, which is set as an area within a predetermined distance from the boundary of the field of view of the camera 8, the alignment A state in which the image of the aperture Wm overlaps the boundary line of the field of view is also determined to be a chip, and alignment can be performed with higher precision.

Further, according to the double-sided exposure apparatus of the embodiment, since the mark chipping eliminating means is provided, alignment is performed using photographic data obtained by photographing the pair of mask marks 31 and 41 without chipping. Therefore, the accuracy of alignment becomes even higher. That is, although the center coordinates of the pair of mask marks 31 and 41 are also determined during the main alignment, more accurate results can be obtained by obtaining a complete image.

As described above, the mask moving mechanism 5 moves the first and second masks 3 and 4 together to eliminate chipping. This point is based on the premise that the alignment between the first and second masks 3 and 4 has been completed in advance, or that the deviation is only slight. In the above example, the alignment between the first and second masks 3 and 4 has been completed in the previous alignment, and even if there is a shift during movement in the Z direction, it is slight. Therefore, it is possible to eliminate the chipping of the mask marks 31, 41 by moving the first and second masks 3, 4 together, which simplifies the control operation.
In the above embodiment, the mark missing is eliminated by calculating the movement amount for the image data from each camera and outputting the average to the mask moving mechanism 5. However, the image data with the largest mark missing is It is also possible to specify the image data, calculate the amount of movement to eliminate the missing mark for the image data, and output it to the mask moving mechanism 5.
Regarding the elimination of aperture chipping, the image data with the largest aperture chipping was identified and the movement amount for eliminating the aperture chipping for that image data was calculated and output to the mask moving mechanism 5. The amount of movement may be calculated and output to the transport system 1 or the mask movement mechanism 5.

In addition, when eliminating the chipping of the alignment opening Wm, it was explained that the chipping in the width direction (Y direction) of the substrate W is eliminated by moving the camera 8, but it is also possible to eliminate the chipping by moving the substrate W. is also possible. Specifically, the first drive roller 15 and the second drive roller 16 are moved together in the width direction of the substrate W. However, if the transport system 1 is configured to allow such movement, the structure tends to be complicated and large-scale. In the width direction of the substrate W, moving the camera 8 is structurally simpler and easier to adjust the position with high precision.
Further, although the transport system 1 is used to eliminate the chipping of the alignment opening Wm in the feeding direction (X direction) of the substrate W, the camera 8 may be moved by the camera moving mechanism 81. In this case, since the camera movement mechanism 81 only needs to be controlled in both the X and Y directions, the control operation for eliminating chipping becomes simple.

Conversely, in the above embodiment, the camera movement mechanism 8 may not be necessary. If the substrate W is fed without meandering, there is no particular deviation in the position of the alignment opening Wm in the Y direction, and the alignment opening Wm is not chipped in the Y direction, it can be moved in the Y direction when eliminating the chipped opening. There is no need to do this, and the problem of openings can be eliminated by simply moving the substrate W in the X direction using the transport system 1. The same applies to missing marks; if the pair of mask marks 31 and 41 are not missing in the Y direction, mark missing can be eliminated by simply moving the substrate W in the X direction using the transport system 1. In these cases, the camera moving mechanism 81 is not necessary.

Furthermore, in this alignment as well, the necessary accuracy may be secured simply by moving the substrate W in the X direction, and in this case, the mask moving mechanism 5 is not necessary. That is, the alignment means is mechanically constituted by only the transport system 1.
However, if there is a mask moving mechanism, it can easily cope with the meandering of the substrate W and the case where the alignment opening Wm is formed shifted in the Y direction, and is preferable in this respect. Furthermore, if the mask moving mechanism is capable of moving the pair of masks 3 and 4 also in the X direction, the mask moving mechanism can be used instead of the transport system 1 during the main alignment in the X direction. The transport system 1 is a mechanism for intermittent feeding of the substrate W, and if it is intended to also perform regular alignment in the X direction, it tends to become structurally complicated. By performing the main alignment in the X direction using the mask moving mechanism, the structure of the transport system 1 can be prevented from becoming complicated.

Furthermore, in the apparatus of the embodiment, during alignment after completion of intermittent feeding, it is determined whether the alignment opening Wm of the substrate W is within the field of view of the camera 8, and if it is not, the substrate W is moved and aligned. Since the alignment aperture Wm is placed within the field of view of the camera 8, alignment errors (alignment failure) due to the inability to photograph the alignment aperture Wm are prevented. Therefore, even if the precision of the formation position of the alignment opening Wm is low or the precision of the intermittent feeding of the substrate W is low, alignment will not become impossible, and the problem of decreased productivity due to abnormal stoppage of the equipment can be prevented. be done. At this time, the camera 8 may be moved so that the alignment aperture Wm comes into view, but it is often necessary to move the pair of masks 31 and 41 together, and the moving distance becomes long. It is preferable to move W.
Further, the configuration in which temporary alignment is first performed when the mask marks 31 and 41 are hidden by the substrate W saves the effort of searching for the mask marks 31 and 41, and has the effect of shortening the overall time required for alignment.

In the embodiment described above, the transport system 1 transports the substrate W in a roll-to-roll manner, but a configuration in which only the delivery side is a roll type may be adopted. That is, the double-sided exposure apparatus of the present invention may be employed in a process in which the exposed substrate W is cut at a predetermined position and subjected to subsequent processing.
Note that in the transport system 1, the direction in which the substrate W is transported may be in the vertical direction. In this case, both sides of the substrate W in the vertical position are exposed through a mask, and the exposure units 2 are arranged on the left and right sides.

Further, in the above embodiment, the alignment opening Wm is circular, but this is just an example, and it may be other shapes such as a square or a triangle. Moreover, it does not have to form a perfect circumferential edge like a shape cut out from the side edge of the substrate W.
Furthermore, "aperture" means an opening in the sense of allowing light to pass through. This assumes that the substrate W has a light-shielding property, and a typical example is when a resist is applied. Since it is an opening in the sense that it allows light to pass through, it may be closed with a light-transmitting member instead of being a through hole. In other words, it means that the layer that blocks light is open there.
The first mask mark 31 and the second mask mark 41 may also have a shape other than a circumferential shape or a circle. For example, one may be circular and the other cross-shaped. Note that alignment may be performed with the first mask mark 31 inside the second mask mark 41.

Furthermore, since the mask mark on the side closer to the camera 8 than the substrate W is not blocked by the substrate W, the mask mark may be larger than the alignment opening Wm. However, if the contrast between the substrate W and the mask is small, there is a problem in that it becomes difficult to process the image data. In a configuration in which alignment is performed with a pair of mask marks located within the alignment opening, the contrast between the substrate W and the mask marks does not pose a problem, and is suitable in this respect.

Although the apparatus of the above embodiment performs exposure using a contact method, the alignment configuration described above is equally effective even when exposure using a proximity method or a projection method is used, so those methods are adopted. It is possible that it may be done.
Note that in the case of the proximity method or the projection exposure method, it is not necessary to bring the pair of masks into close contact with the substrate, so a mechanism for moving the masks in the Z direction may not be provided.
Further, although the main controller 6 is an example of a control unit, other configurations are also possible. For example, a control unit may be provided separately from the main controller 6, or a part of the main controller 6 may correspond to the control unit.

1 Transport system 2 Exposure unit 21 Light source 22 Optical system 3 First mask 31 First mask mark 4 Second mask 41 Second mask mark 5 Mask moving mechanism 6 Main controller 61 Storage unit 7 Main sequence program 71 Opening presence/absence determination program 72 Opening search program 73 Opening chipping determination program 74 Opening chipping elimination program 75 Hidden mark determination program 76 Temporary alignment program 77 Mark chipping determination program 78 Mark chipping elimination program 79 Main alignment program 8 Camera 81 Camera movement mechanism W Substrate Wm Alignment opening V field of view

Claims (5)

A conveyance system that pulls out and intermittently feeds flexible substrates wound around rolls,
a pair of first and second masks arranged to sandwich the sent substrate;
After the transport system has stopped the substrate and alignment has been performed, it is equipped with an exposure unit that irradiates the substrate with light through each mask to expose both sides of the substrate,
The substrate has an alignment opening provided in a predetermined positional relationship with respect to the area to be exposed,
The first mask has a first mask mark that is a mark for alignment,
The second mask has a second mask mark that is a mark for alignment,
A camera is provided that can photograph the first mask mark, the second mask mark, and the alignment aperture of the substrate.
Alignment means is provided for positioning the first and second masks with respect to the area to be exposed on the substrate based on photographic data from a camera that photographs the first mask mark, the second mask mark, and the alignment aperture,
When an alignment aperture is photographed with a chip in the photographic data from the camera, the aperture chip is eliminated by causing the board or camera to move in a direction that eliminates the chip and a distance that eliminates the chip. means are provided,
If the alignment aperture is missing in the photographic data from the camera, and after the aperture chipping removal means moves the direction and distance to eliminate the chipping, the chipping will be resolved in the photographic data from the camera. If at least one of the image of the first mask mark and the image of the second mask mark is not completely included in the aligned opening and is chipped, the chip is oriented in such a way that the chip is eliminated. Mark chipping elimination means is provided for causing the first mask and the second mask or the substrate to move a distance such that the chipping is eliminated;
Mark chipping determination means is provided for determining whether or not an image of the first mask mark and an image of the second mask mark are completely contained within the alignment aperture in photographic data of the alignment aperture in which chipping has been eliminated. When the mark missing determination means determines that at least one of the image of the first mask mark and the image of the second mask mark does not completely enter the alignment opening, Whether the first mask and the second mask are caused to move the distance necessary for the image of the mask mark that has not completely entered the alignment aperture to enter the alignment aperture and move away from the periphery of the alignment aperture. Or a double-sided exposure device characterized by being a means for exposing a substrate . An aperture missing determination means is provided for determining whether or not the alignment aperture is missing in photographic data from the camera;
2. The aperture deficiency determining means is a means for determining whether or not an image of the alignment aperture exists within a region within a predetermined distance from a boundary of the field of view of the camera. Double-sided exposure device. The aperture chipping elimination means includes a camera moving mechanism that moves the camera,
The camera moving mechanism is a mechanism that can move the camera in a direction along the substrate and perpendicular to the direction of feeding by the transport system,
The aperture chipping eliminating means is configured to move the camera in the direction using a camera moving mechanism for chipping that can be eliminated by moving the chip in a direction along the substrate and perpendicular to the direction of feeding by the transport system. 3. The double-sided exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the double-sided exposure apparatus is a means for eliminating the problem. The camera moving mechanism is a mechanism that can move the camera in the direction of feeding by the transport system,
The opening chipping elimination means is a means for eliminating chipping that is eliminated by moving the camera in the feeding direction by the conveyance system by moving the camera in that direction using the camera moving mechanism. Item 3. Double-sided exposure device according to item 3. The mark chipping elimination means includes a mask moving mechanism that moves the first and second masks,
The mask moving mechanism is a mechanism that can move the first and second masks together,
5. The double-sided exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the mark chipping eliminating means is a means for eliminating chipping by moving the first and second masks together by a mask moving mechanism. .

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