KR101254796B1

KR101254796B1 - Exposure apparatus and controll method the same

Info

Publication number: KR101254796B1
Application number: KR1020050133674A
Authority: KR
Inventors: 정희욱; 차상환; 신현장
Original assignee: 엘지전자 주식회사; 엘지디스플레이 주식회사
Priority date: 2005-12-29
Filing date: 2005-12-29
Publication date: 2013-04-15
Also published as: KR20070070799A

Abstract

An exposure apparatus according to the present invention comprises a mask stage on which a mask is loaded / unloaded and seated; A substrate stage on which a substrate is loaded and seated in an area where the mask stage is not located; It characterized in that it comprises a moving unit for moving the substrate stage to the area where the mask stage is located.

In addition, the exposure apparatus control method according to the invention comprises the steps of loading a mask on the mask stage; Loading a substrate onto the substrate stage in an area outside the mask stage region; Moving the substrate stage to the mask stage area by a moving part provided at the substrate stage; Exposing the substrate loaded on the substrate stage.

Therefore, by using the exposure apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to secure a space when loading / unloading the substrate and the mask to prevent breakage of the substrate and the mask, and to minimize the misalignment of the substrate generated by vibration by providing a moving part. This makes it possible to reliably transfer the mask pattern to the substrate.

Description

Exposure apparatus and control method {Exposure apparatus and controll method the same}

1 is a side view showing a conventional exposure apparatus.

2 is a perspective view of a conventional exposure apparatus.

3A and 3B show a conventional stage part.

4 is a schematic plan view of an exposure apparatus according to the present invention;

5 is a perspective view of a stage unit according to the present invention;

6 is a side view of the stage unit according to the present invention;

7A to 7D show a control process of the exposure apparatus according to the present invention.

Description of the Related Art

1: exposure apparatus 3: chamber

5: stage portion 10: mask stage

20: substrate stage 23: moving part

25: Chuck 50: Mask

60 substrate 80 light source

110: first robot 120: second robot

The present invention relates to an exposure apparatus for exposing a substrate, and more particularly, a substrate stage on which a substrate is loaded / unloaded to be seated and a mask stage on which the mask is loaded / unloaded to be seated are provided in an area where they do not correspond to each other. The present invention relates to an exposure apparatus having a space for loading / unloading a mask and a substrate and having a safety against collision, and a control method thereof.

In general, photolithography is performed to form a fine pattern in manufacturing a liquid crystal display device (LCD), a plasma display panel (PDP), a printed circuit board (PCB), a filter, and a component using a thin film technology. Law is being used. In such photolithography, an exposure apparatus is essentially used to transfer a reticle or mask pattern to a photosensitive film formed on a substrate (eg, a glass substrate or a semiconductor substrate).

1 is a side view of a conventional exposure apparatus, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a conventional exposure apparatus.

A proximity type exposure apparatus includes a chamber, and a stage portion 505 is provided in the chamber.

Outside the chamber, a first robot capable of providing the substrate 560 and the mask 550 to the stage part 505 is provided.

As shown in the drawing, the stage 505 includes a substrate stage 520 on which the substrate 560 is loaded / unloaded and a mask stage 510 on which the mask 550 is loaded / unloaded. It is provided.

Here, the substrate stage 520 loads the substrate 560, and uses the second robot 620 to load the substrate 560.

However, since the exposure apparatus is a proximity exposure apparatus that transfers the pattern engraved in the mask 550 provided on the mask stage 510 to the substrate 560, the mask pattern of the mask stage 510 and the substrate stage 520 is not distorted. Exposure should be carried out with proximity to effective proximity.

This is because when the mask stage 510 and the substrate stage 520 are separated from each other, the mask pattern may be distorted when the mask pattern is transferred onto the substrate 560. Is placed at a distance as close as possible to perform exposure.

As described above, the substrate stage 520 and the mask stage 510 are provided to correspond to each other. For this reason, there is not enough space between the substrate stage 520 and the mask stage 510.

Therefore, in order to load the substrate 560, a space for operating the second robot 620 is required. That is, in order to load / unload the substrate 560 and the mask 550 on the stage unit 505, a space sufficient to operate the second robot 620 should be secured.

However, when the gap (Gap) between the substrate stage 520 and the mask stage 510 is small, the substrate 560 and the mask 550 are loaded / unloaded into the stage unit 505. The mask 550 may be damaged by hitting the stage 505.

In addition, the second robot 620 may be attached to the mask / substrate stages 510 and 520 to damage the stage 505.

3A and 3B show a conventional stage unit.

As shown in FIG. 3A, the substrate stage 520 of the stage unit 505 includes a chuck 525 for placing the substrate 560 and a support needle 527 penetrating through the chuck 525. Equipped.

The chuck 525 fixes the substrate 560 by attaching the substrate 560 to the surface of the chuck 525 using static electricity or the like. In addition, a moving part 523 is provided below the chuck 525 to move the substrate stage 520 from side to side to align the substrate 560 with the mask 550.

And the chuck 525 is provided with a support needle 527. When the supporting needle 527 loads the substrate 560, the supporting needle 527 supports the substrate 560.

Here, when the substrate 560 and the mask 550 are aligned, the substrate 560 and the mask 550 are brought close to each other to perform exposure.

However, the substrate stage 520 and the mask stage 510 are spaced apart by a predetermined distance a to secure a space for loading / unloading the substrate 560 and the mask 550.

As shown in FIG. 3B, the moving part 523 raises the chuck 525 of the substrate stage 520 loaded with the substrate 560 so that the substrate 560 is loaded with the substrate 560 and the mask 550. Provide a distance b as close as possible.

Here, the distance b is an effective separation distance at which the pattern of the mask 550 can be accurately transferred to the substrate 560 without being distorted to the substrate 560 when the pattern of the mask 550 is transferred to the substrate 560. to be.

As such, the chuck 525 moves upward in order to bring the substrate 560 and the mask 550 closer to the effective separation distance b, which is not distorted.

However, the vibration due to the upward motion is transmitted to the substrate stage 520, the substrate 560 is shaken. The upward movement in the Z-axis direction causes greater vibration than the movement in the XY-axis direction. Thus, the vibration has a large influence on the substrate stage 520.

Therefore, the vibration of the chuck 525 moved in the Z-axis direction is generated and the substrate 560 loaded on the chuck 525 is affected by the vibration to be out of the loaded position. Thus, a misalignment occurs between the substrate 560 and the mask 550 due to vibration.

When the exposure is performed in a state in which the mask 550 and the substrate 560 are misaligned as described above, a defect may occur because the mask pattern is not accurately transferred to the substrate 560.

The present invention can prevent the breakage of the substrate by changing the shape of the stage to ensure the movement space of the robot for loading / unloading the substrate, and to minimize the occurrence of vibration caused by the upward movement to prevent misalignment of the substrate and the mask An object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and a control method thereof.

In order to achieve the above object, the exposure apparatus of the present invention comprises a mask stage in which the mask is loaded / unloaded seated; A substrate stage on which a substrate is loaded and seated in an area where the mask stage is not located; And a moving part for moving the substrate stage to an area where the mask stage is located.

The second stage is characterized by having a chuck and a support needle for supporting the substrate.

As a means for achieving the above object, the exposure apparatus control method of the present invention comprises the steps of loading a mask on the mask stage; Loading a substrate onto the substrate stage in an area outside the mask stage region; Moving the substrate stage to the mask stage area by a moving part provided at the substrate stage; Exposing the substrate loaded on the substrate stage.

Moving the substrate stage to an area outside the mask stage area; And unloading the exposed substrate of the substrate stage.

Here, the moving unit is characterized in that for moving the substrate stage to the mask stage in the X-axis, Y-axis.

And aligning the mask stage with the substrate stage in moving the substrate stage to the mask stage region.

Hereinafter, an exposure apparatus and a control method of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, and those skilled in the art can implement many other embodiments using the teachings of the present invention and the present invention is illustrated. It is for the purpose of illustration only and is not limited to the following embodiments.

4 is a schematic plan view of an exposure apparatus according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 4, the exposure apparatus 1 includes a chamber 3 having a light source, a stage part 5 provided in the chamber 3, a substrate 60 and a mask inside the chamber 3. A first robot 110 capable of loading / unloading 50 is provided.

The first robot 110 moves the substrate 60 and the mask 50 provided outside the chamber 3 for the exposure process into the chamber 3. The mask / substrate 50, 60 moved into the chamber 3 is temporarily loaded on the substrate / mask loading stage 60a for the second robot 120 to move to the stage part 5.

The chamber 3 includes a light source that provides light when exposing, and the chamber 3 includes a stage unit having a plurality of stages to which the mask / substrate 50 and 60 can be loaded / unloaded. (5) is provided.

5 is a perspective view of the stage unit according to the present invention, Figure 6 is a side view of the stage unit according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 5, the stage part 5 includes a mask stage 10 on which a mask 50 is loaded / unloaded and a substrate stage 20 on which a substrate 60 is loaded / unloaded. Equipped with.

Here, when loading / unloading the substrate 60 and the mask 50 into the stage 5, the substrate 60 and the mask 50 are loaded / unloaded using the second robot 120.

A mask 50 having a pattern engraved thereon is mounted on the mask stage 10, and a light source 80 for transferring the mask pattern onto the substrate 60 is provided on the mask stage 10.

The substrate stage 20 is provided in an area away from the mask stage 10 so that the substrate 60 can be easily mounted and detached.

As such, when the mask stage 10 and the substrate stage 20 are not placed at the corresponding positions, the space for the second robot 120 to move when the mask / substrate 50 and 60 is loaded / unloaded is secured. Loading / unloading of the mask / substrate 50, 60 is facilitated.

In addition, it is possible to prevent the second robot 120 from hitting the mask / substrate stages 10 and 20 to damage the substrate 60 or the mask 50.

The substrate stage 20 is provided with a chuck 25 and a moving part 23 capable of supporting the substrate 60. The chuck 25 may further include a support needle (not shown) for supporting the substrate 60.

As shown in FIG. 6, the mask stage 10 in which the mask 50 is loaded / unloaded is provided in a region B. FIG. Since a space is provided below the region B, the loading and unloading of the mask 50 can be facilitated.

The substrate stage 20 is provided in an area A away from the area B in which the mask stage 10 is provided. In this case, in the substrate 60, the second robot 120 loads / unloads the substrate 60 in the region A which is out of the region B of the mask stage 10.

As such, the substrate stage 20 may be disposed in the region B so that a space of the region C may be secured when the substrate 60 is loaded / unloaded on the substrate stage 20.

The space of the C region may prevent the second robot 120 from colliding with the substrate stage 20 when loading / unloading the substrate 60, and the substrate 60 may be a mask / substrate stage. It can be prevented from colliding with (10, 20).

Accordingly, it is possible to secure a space for loading / unloading the substrate 60 to prevent the substrate 60 from being damaged and to provide a separate device on the substrate stage 20. Is also secured.

The substrate stage 20 includes a chuck 25 for supporting / fixing the substrate 60 and a moving part 23 for moving the substrate stage 20.

The chuck 25 is preferably an electrostatic chuck that can support / fix the substrate 60, and the chuck 25 may further include a support needle that can support the substrate 60.

The moving part 23 moves the substrate stage 20 to a predetermined area. The substrate stage 20 is provided in an area A outside the area B of the mask stage 10 to secure loading / unloading of the substrate 60.

Thus, the moving part 23 is provided on the substrate stage 20 to move the second stage 20 from the A region to the B region of the mask stage 10 provided with the mask 50.

In this case, the substrate stage 20 must be aligned with the XY axis in order to align with the mask stage 10. Therefore, in order to prevent misalignment, an alignment key is further provided on the substrate 60 and the substrate stage 20, and CCTV and the like are installed to enable accurate alignment.

The mask stage 10 and the substrate stage 20 are exposed to the effective separation distance L to expose the substrate 60. However, the effective separation distance L may be difficult to maintain while the substrate stage 20 moves horizontally in the XY axis. Thus, the effective stage (L) can be adjusted by moving the substrate stage 20 to the minimum.

Since the device itself is a vibration source, such as the exposure apparatus 1 and the vibration source, the misalignment damage caused by vibration should be minimized in consideration of the movement characteristics of the exposure apparatus itself. Therefore, the misalignment of the substrate 60 and the mask 50 can be minimized by minimizing the movement in the Z-axis direction in which the vibration generation rate is high.

As such, the substrate stage 20 does not make the upward movement in the Z-axis direction or minimizes the upward movement distance. Accordingly, the vibration generated by rising in the Z-axis direction can be minimized, thereby minimizing misalignment of the substrate 60 due to the vibration of the substrate stage 20.

7A to 7D are views illustrating a control process of the exposure apparatus according to the present invention.

As shown in FIG. 7A, an exposure apparatus 1 having a stage part 5 capable of loading / unloading the mask 50 and the substrate 60 is provided.

The stage unit 5 includes a mask stage 10 on which the mask 50 is loaded / unloaded and a substrate stage 60 on which the substrate 60 is loaded / unloaded.

As shown in FIG. 7B, the mask stage 10 is loaded with a mask 50 on which a pattern is drawn. Here, the mask 50 is loaded in the region B provided with the mask stage 10 by using the second robot 120.

At this time, since a space is provided below the mask stage 10, the movement space of the second robot 120 for loading the mask 50 may be secured to facilitate loading of the mask 50.

The substrate stage 20 is loaded with a substrate 60. The substrate stage 20 is provided in an area A away from the area B in which the mask stage 10 is provided. A space of the C area is provided above the A area.

Thus, the space of the C region is provided with the C space when the substrate 60 is loaded / unloaded to prevent the substrate 60 from colliding with the substrate stage 20.

As shown in FIG. 7C, the substrate stage 20 is moved to a region B provided with the mask stage 10. Here, the region B is a region where the mask 50 having the pattern is formed, and the substrate 60 provided on the substrate stage 20 can be exposed to light.

The substrate stage 20 moved to the B region is provided with a moving part 23 and moved in the XY axis direction so as to be aligned with the mask stage 10. Here, the mask stage 10 and the substrate stage 20 may be provided with an alignment key on any one stage 10, 20 to align the two stages 10, 20.

Here, since the moving part 23 is a horizontal / vertical XY axis movement, less vibration occurs than the upward movement of the Z axis. Therefore, the substrate 60 can minimize the misalignment caused by the vibration.

In addition, the mask 50 of the mask stage 10 and the substrate 60 of the substrate stage 20 should minimize the separation distance to minimize the phenomenon in which the mask 50 pattern is distorted on the substrate 60.

The separation distance may move away from the effective separation distance L while the moving part 23 moves on the XY axis. Thus, the moving unit 23 further includes a Z-axis moving unit that performs an upward movement to be aligned at the effective separation distance L. Since the Z-axis moving part is an upward movement, vibration is largely generated, and thus misalignment of the substrate may occur.

However, since the T-axis movement stroke of the substrate stage 20 is minimized to tune to the up / down movement of the chuck 25, misalignment of the substrate 60 due to vibration can be minimized.

As such, since the stroke of the up / down movement is minimized to align the two stages 10 and 20, misalignment of the substrate 60 due to vibration can be minimized. In addition, even if the misalignment of the substrate 60 is performed under a microscope or the like, the process time for alignment may be shortened as the vibration is minimized.

As shown in FIG. 7D, the pattern of the mask 50 of the mask stage 10 is transferred to the substrate 60 of the substrate stage 20 by the light source 80 of the exposure apparatus 1.

Then, the stage 20 loaded with the substrate 60b on which the pattern has been transferred is moved from the B region to the A region in the XY direction by using the moving unit 23.

The substrate 60b to which the pattern is transferred is unloaded from the substrate stage 20. Here, since the space of the C region is provided in the upper portion of the substrate stage 20, the phenomenon that the substrate 60b on which the pattern is transferred is hit by the surroundings and is damaged even when unloading can be minimized.

In this manner, the mask stage 10 and the substrate stage 20 are loaded / unloaded in different areas on the stage 5, which is the core of the exposure apparatus 1, and the moving part 23 is mounted on the substrate stage 20. ), It is possible to secure a space for loading / unloading. Accordingly, damage to the substrate 60 and the mask 50 can be minimized.

In addition, since the moving part 23 moves in horizontal and vertical / directions, vibration is less generated than that of the chuck 25 which performs the up / down movement, thereby minimizing the problem that the substrate 60 is misaligned by the vibration. .

Therefore, by using the exposure apparatus 1 of the present invention, it is possible to secure a space when loading and unloading the substrate 60 and the mask 50 to prevent breakage of the substrate 60 and the mask 50. By providing the moving part 23, misalignment of the substrate 60 generated by vibration can be minimized, so that the mask 50 pattern can be reliably transferred to the substrate 60.

As described above, by using the exposure apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to secure a space when loading / unloading the substrate and the mask to prevent breakage of the substrate and the mask, and to misalign the substrate caused by vibration by providing a moving part. It is possible to minimize the to be able to reliably transfer the mask pattern to the substrate.

Those skilled in the art through the above description will be capable of various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

Claims

A chamber in which an exposure process is performed;

A first robot provided outside the chamber for loading and unloading a substrate and a mask into the chamber;

A mask stage on which the mask is loaded / unloaded and seated;

A substrate stage on which a substrate is loaded and seated in a region deviating from a lower region of the mask stage so as not to overlap with the mask stage;

A moving unit for moving the substrate stage to the mask stage lower region so as to face the mask stage;

The mask is loaded onto the mask stage by a second robot before the substrate stage is moved to the mask stage area, and the mask is loaded on the substrate stage by the second robot before the substrate stage is moved to the mask stage area. The substrate is loaded,

And the mask and the substrate are sequentially loaded by the second robot onto each of the mask stage disposed on the left side and the substrate stage disposed on the right side.

The method of claim 1,

And said substrate stage comprises a chuck and a support needle for supporting said substrate.

The method of claim 1,

And a light source on the mask stage, the light source for patterning the substrate.

The method of claim 1,

And the moving unit moves on the X and Y axes to correspond to the mask stage.

5. The method of claim 4,

And the substrate stage provided on the moving part is provided with an alignment key in the mask stage and the substrate stage so as to correspond to the mask stage.

Loading and unloading the substrate and the mask into a stage portion provided with the substrate stage and the mask stage by a first robot provided outside the chamber;

Loading the mask onto the mask stage located on the left side using a second robot before the substrate stage is moved to the lower region of the mask stage;

Loading the substrate onto the substrate stage located on the right side using the second robot before the substrate stage is moved to the lower region of the mask stage;

Moving the substrate stage to the mask stage area by a moving portion provided below the substrate stage;

Exposing the substrate loaded on the substrate stage.

The method according to claim 6,

Exposing the substrate loaded on the substrate stage,

Moving the substrate stage out of the mask stage region;

And unloading the exposed substrate of the substrate stage.

The method according to claim 6,

And the substrate stage includes a chuck and a support needle to support the substrate.

The method according to claim 6,

And aligning the mask stage with the substrate stage in the step of moving the substrate stage to the mask stage region.

The method according to claim 6,

And a light source on the mask stage to pattern the substrate.

The method according to claim 6,

And the moving unit moves on the X and Y axes so that the substrate stage corresponds to the mask stage.