JPH10104748A - Device and method for exposure - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an exposure device with high exposure accuracy and production efficiency. SOLUTION: The exposure device is provided with a positional information acquiring means 56 for acquiring positional information of a photosensitive substrate 10, an aligning means 75 for aligning an original 40 with the substrate, based on the information acquired by the positional information acquiring means, a close contact means for closely sticking the original and substrate aligned with each other by the aligning means and an exposure means 50 for exposing the substrate closely stuck to the original by the close contact means.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an exposure apparatus and an exposure method for performing exposure by positioning an original on a photosensitive substrate, bringing the original into close contact with the substrate, and performing exposure.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing a first example of a conventional exposure apparatus. In the conventional exposure apparatus, the substrate 10 to be exposed is first transported onto a carrier table 15 by a transport carrier (not shown). The transferred substrate 10 is roughly positioned by a pusher and a stopper (not shown). When the rough positioning of the substrate 10 is completed, the carrier table 15 vacuum-adsorbs the substrate 10 through a plurality of through holes provided on the upper surface.

Next, the CCD camera 25 detects a mark provided on the substrate 10. Further, based on the detection result, the matching table 20 is stored in the carrier table 15.
Is moved, the X-axis, Y-axis and θ
Performs precise positioning (alignment) around the axis. Note that the X axis, Y
The axes refer to two axes constituting a plane parallel to the exposure surface of the substrate 10, and the θ axis refers to an axis perpendicular to the exposure surface.

The aligned substrate is suction-held by a carrier (not shown), transported to the exposure unit 30 and placed at a predetermined position. In the exposure unit 30, the transparent holding frame 35 holding the original film 40 is driven down by the drive mechanism 45 to bring the substrate 10 and the original film 40 into close contact with each other. When the adhesion of the original film 40 to the substrate 10 is completed, the light source 50 emits light for a predetermined time, and the substrate 10 is exposed.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing a second example of a conventional exposure apparatus. The second conventional example is the same as the first conventional example up to the point where the substrate 10 is transported by a transport carrier (not shown) to the carrier table 15 and roughly positioned there. Next, the substrate 10 is exposed to the exposure unit 30 together with the carrier table 15 without performing an alignment operation.
Transported to

When the substrate 10 is carried into the exposure unit 30, a CCD camera 55 installed in the exposure unit 30 detects the position of the substrate 10. The alignment table 22 installed in the exposure unit 30 moves and positions the substrate 10 based on the detection result (alignment operation). When the alignment work is completed, the first
As in the prior art, the original film 40 is brought into close contact with the substrate 10 and exposure is performed.

[0007]

FIG. 6 is a time chart showing a working process of the exposure apparatus described above as a first conventional example. FIG. 7 is a time chart showing operation steps in the exposure apparatus of the second conventional example. First
In the conventional example, the alignment of the substrate position is performed while another substrate is being exposed at a portion different from the exposure portion. Therefore, the exposure unit can be used efficiently, and so-called tact is fast.

However, in the first conventional example, the substrate 10
The alignment between the original film 40 and the original film 40 is performed only by confirming the position of the substrate 10, and the position of the original film 40 is not confirmed. Therefore, if the mounting position of the original film 40 shifts while the substrate 10 is being exposed one after another, or if the original film 40 changes shape over time, the original film 40 and the substrate 1
An overlay error occurs between 0 and 0. For this, the first
In the conventional example, there is a problem that a defective product may be produced.

On the other hand, in the second conventional example, the position of the original film 40 is aligned with the position of the original film 40 while confirming the position of the original film 40 at the position where exposure is performed. Therefore, even if there is a displacement of the original film 40, it is possible to detect and deal with the displacement, so that highly accurate exposure can be performed.

However, as shown in the time chart of FIG. 6, in the second conventional example, it is inevitable that the alignment is performed in the exposure section, so that one substrate occupies the exposure section in the first conventional example. It is longer than the example. For this, the second
In the conventional example, there is a problem that the tact becomes long and the production efficiency is poor.

An object of the present invention is to provide an exposure apparatus having high exposure accuracy and high production efficiency.

[0012]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a position information acquiring unit for acquiring position information of a photosensitive substrate, and the position information acquiring unit acquires the position information. Based on the information, alignment means for aligning the position of the original with the substrate, adhesion means for bringing the original and the substrate aligned in position by the alignment means into close contact with the substrate, and close contact with the original by the adhesion means And an exposing means for exposing the substrate.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a position information acquiring means for acquiring position information of a photosensitive substrate at a first position, and a position information acquiring means for acquiring information on the substrate based on the information acquired by the position information acquiring means. Aligning means for adjusting the position of the original, contacting means for bringing the original and the substrate aligned in position by the aligning means into close contact with each other, and placing the substrate in close contact with the original by the contacting means in a second position. An exposing unit for exposing, wherein the aligning unit aligns the position of the original with the substrate before the substrate is carried into the second position.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the exposure apparatus according to the first or second aspect, the position of the original and the substrate is detected when the original is brought into close contact with the substrate by the contact means. And, having a checking means for checking whether or not the alignment, the matching means, if the checking means could not check the alignment, before exposure, based on the detection result of the checking means, The position of the original is aligned with the substrate.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the position information of the photosensitive substrate is acquired at the first position, and the position of the original is aligned with the substrate based on the acquired information.
An exposure method in which the original and the substrate whose positions are aligned are brought into close contact with each other, and the substrate brought into close contact with the original is exposed at a second position, wherein the substrate is brought into the second position. The position of the original is aligned with the substrate.

[0016]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below in more detail with reference to the drawings. In the following description, portions having the same functions and functions as those already described in the conventional example are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted as appropriate.

(First Embodiment) FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an exposure apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The exposure apparatus of the present embodiment mainly includes a rough positioning unit 100, an exposure unit 200, and a control unit 300.

The coarse positioning section 100 is a section for positioning the substrate 10 sent from the previous process at an approximate position in advance. The coarse positioning section 100 has a plurality of pins 8 on the upper surface.
5 is provided. Coarse positioning unit 10
The substrate 10 carried into the “0” is placed on the table 84 and pressed against the pins 85 to be positioned at a corner.

The substrate 10 positioned as described above
Is transferred from the table 84 to the carrier table 15 by a transport mechanism (not shown). Carrier table 15
Has a plurality of through-holes on its upper surface as described above, and vacuum-adsorbs the substrate 20 through the through-holes. Since the details of the structure of the carrier table 15 have already been disclosed by the present applicant in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 6-148755, the details are omitted here.

Above the carrier table 15, the CC
A D camera 56 is provided. The CCD camera 56
This is for acquiring an image of at least a part of the substrate 10 arranged on the carrier table 15. Substrate 10
Means a part of the substrate including a mark provided at a predetermined position on the substrate 10 (hereinafter, referred to as an “alignment mark”).

The rail 90 is a means for transporting the substrate 10. The substrate 10 is transported along the rail 90 from the coarse positioning section 100 to the exposure section 200. Exposure unit 2
Reference numeral 00 mainly includes a transparent holding frame 35, a support mechanism 75, an exposure lamp 50, and a CCD camera 80. The transparent holding frame 35 is an acrylic frame for holding the original film 40 and bringing the original film 40 into close contact with the loaded substrate 10 as described above. The exposure lamp 50 is a light source for exposing the substrate 10 to light.

The support mechanism 75 is a mechanism for supporting the transparent holding frame 35 and positioning the same. Support mechanism 7
5 has four motors Mx, My, Mθ and Mz. The motors Mx and My move and position the transparent holding frame 35 in a plane parallel to the exposure surface of the substrate 10. The motor Mθ is for rotating the transparent holding frame 35 in the plane. Further, the motor Mz
Moves the original film 40 to the substrate 1 by moving the transparent holding frame 35 up and down in a direction perpendicular to the above-mentioned exposure surface.
It is for making it adhere to 0. CCD camera 80
Is for acquiring an image of the substrate 10 carried into the exposure unit and an image of the original film 40 adhered thereto.
It is arranged above the transparent holding frame 35.

The control section 300 mainly comprises a computer 60 and a control device 70 for controlling the operation of the support mechanism 75. The computer 60 includes a CCD camera 56
And 80 for controlling the positioning of the support mechanism 75 based on the image data acquired. The computer 60 has memories 62 and 64 for storing image data obtained by the CCD cameras 56 and 80, respectively, and analyzes the position of the substrate 10 or the original film 40 based on the data stored in these memories. (66) The amount of movement of the transparent holding frame 35 to be moved is obtained (68). Here, the moving amount of the transparent holding frame 35 is
This means the amount of movement of the transparent holding frame 35 required for aligning the position of the substrate 10 and the original film 40 in the exposure section. Further, the computer 60 outputs a predetermined signal to the control device 70 based on the obtained movement amount. As a result, the control device 70 drives and controls each motor of the support mechanism 75, and moves and positions the transparent holding frame 35.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of the exposure apparatus according to this embodiment. FIG. 3 is a time chart of the work process. In the exposure apparatus of this embodiment, the substrate 10 is first carried into the rough positioning section 100, where it is positioned at an approximate position, and then held by the carrier table 15 (S202). When the substrate 10 is held by the carrier table 15, the CCD
The substrate 56 is photographed by the camera 56, and the obtained image is transmitted to the computer 60. Computer 60
Stores the image data in the memory 62 (S20).
4).

When the image of the substrate 10 is stored, the substrate 10 is transported on the rail 90 to the exposure unit 200 (S206). On the other hand, while the substrate 10 is being conveyed, the computer 60 analyzes the image data stored in the memory 62 and specifies the position of the alignment mark (S2).
08). Next, the computer 60 determines the transparent holding frame necessary for aligning the position of the original film 40 from the position of the specified alignment mark and the data on the initial position of the original film 40 stored in the memory 64. 35
Is obtained (S210). Computer 6
0 outputs a signal to the control device 70 in accordance with the obtained movement amount, moves the transparent holding frame 35 about the X axis, the Y axis, and the θ axis to perform positioning (S212). S208 to S2
The operations up to 12 are performed in parallel with the operation of S206. That is, in the present embodiment, the substrate 10 is
The alignment of the original film 40 is performed while the original film 40 is being transported (see FIG. 3).

When the substrate 10 is carried into the exposure unit 200,
The motor Mz of the support mechanism 75 is driven, and the transparent holding frame 35
Descends to the substrate 10. As a result, the transparent holding frame 35
The original film 40 held on the bottom surface of the substrate comes into close contact with the substrate 10 (S214). In this state, the CCD camera 80 acquires images of the original film 40 and the substrate 10. The acquired image is immediately analyzed by the computer 60 (S216), and it is determined whether the position of the substrate 10 and the position of the original film 40 are matched within a predetermined allowable range (S218).

As a result of the determination at S218, the original film 40
If the position shift of the transparent holding frame 35 is not within the allowable range, the transparent holding frame 35 is again positioned (S2).
20). Specifically, by lifting the transparent holding frame 35 above the substrate 10, the original film 40 is once separated from the substrate 10. Further, the computer 60
Original film 40 and substrate 10 obtained in 216
The movement amount by which the transparent holding frame 35 is to be moved is determined from the position information, and a predetermined output signal is transmitted to the control device 70 based on the result. As a result, the transparent holding frame 35 is again positioned. After that, the transparent holding frame 35 descends again to the upper surface of the substrate 10 and the original film 40 and the substrate 10
Is adhered to.

When the processing of S220 is completed, or
If it is determined in step 218 that the alignment between the original film 40 and the substrate 10 is within an allowable range, the substrate 1
The exposure of 0 is performed (S222). The exposure is performed by causing the exposure lamp 50 to emit light for a predetermined time. When the exposure is completed, the substrate 10 is carried out of the exposure apparatus,
A series of operations in the exposure apparatus of the present embodiment ends (S224).

As described above, in the present embodiment, the operation of aligning the substrate and the original film, which has been conventionally performed by positioning the substrate to be exposed, is performed by positioning the original film. I have. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the alignment operation can be performed regardless of whether the substrate is being transferred. Therefore, in the present embodiment, two steps that are essentially essential in the exposure apparatus, namely, loading the substrate into the exposure unit,
The alignment of the substrate and the original film is performed in parallel, thereby improving the efficiency of the apparatus.

In this embodiment, the exposure unit 200
A CD camera 80 is provided, and it is checked whether the alignment between the substrate and the original film has been adjusted immediately before exposure. Therefore, if the position of the substrate has shifted during the transfer from the coarse positioning unit to the exposure unit, or if the position of the original film has changed in the transparent holding frame during repeated exposure, This fact is reliably detected before exposure, and the positioning of the transparent holding frame is performed again. For this reason, in the present embodiment, the occurrence of defective products due to inappropriate exposure is effectively prevented. In addition, since the positioning of the transparent holding frame is performed again only when necessary, the reduction in the working efficiency of the apparatus can be kept within a range where there is substantially no problem.

Since the above-described positional shift of the substrate and the original film is relatively rare, if at all, it is not necessary to confirm the position of the substrate and the original film by the CCD camera 80 every exposure. Not necessarily. For example, confirmation may be performed at regular intervals, such as confirmation once every 10 exposures or confirmation once every hour.

[0032]

As described above in detail, according to the first to fourth aspects of the present invention, it is possible to adjust the position of the original during the transfer of the substrate.
It is possible to match the positions of the substrate and the original without lowering the production efficiency of the apparatus. Further, according to the third aspect of the present invention, it is confirmed whether or not the position of the original plate and the substrate are aligned before the exposure, and the position of the original plate is surely aligned with the substrate. This can be effectively prevented.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an exposure apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the operation of the exposure apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a time chart of a work process in the exposure apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing a first example of a conventional exposure apparatus.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing a second example of a conventional exposure apparatus.

6 is a time chart of a work process in the exposure apparatus shown in FIG.

7 is a time chart of a work process in the exposure apparatus shown in FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

Reference Signs List 10 substrate 15 carrier table 70 control device 35 transparent holding frame 75 support mechanism 40 original film 80 CCD
Camera 50 Exposure lamp 90 Rail 56 CCD camera 100 Rough positioning unit 60 Computer 200 Exposure unit 62, 64 Memory 300 Control unit

Claims (4)

[Claims] A position information acquisition unit that acquires position information of a photosensitive substrate; an alignment unit that aligns a position of an original with respect to the substrate based on the information acquired by the position information acquisition unit; An exposure apparatus, comprising: a contact unit for bringing the original plate, the position of which is adjusted by the aligning unit, into close contact with the substrate; 2. A position information acquisition unit for acquiring position information of a photosensitive substrate at a first position, and a position of an original is aligned with the substrate based on the information acquired by the position information acquisition unit. A contacting means for contacting the original and the substrate, the positions of which are aligned by the aligning means, and a second contacting means for bringing the substrate into close contact with the original by the contacting means.
And an exposure unit that performs exposure at a position of the original, wherein the aligning unit aligns the position of the original with the substrate before the substrate is carried into the second position. 3. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the position of the original and the substrate are detected and aligned in a state where the original is brought into close contact with the substrate by the contact means. Checking means for checking whether or not the alignment means, if the checking means could not check the alignment, before exposure, based on the detection result of the checking means, for the substrate, An exposure apparatus for aligning the position of an original. 4. Acquiring positional information of a photosensitive substrate at a first position, aligning a position of an original with respect to the substrate based on the acquired information, An exposure method for bringing a substrate into close contact with the original and exposing the substrate in close contact with the original at a second position, wherein the position of the original relative to the substrate before the substrate is carried into the second position. An exposure method characterized by matching.