KR20000061800A - A manufacturing method of photo-resist's pattern using of laser - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A formative method of photoresist pattern using laser is provided, which is forming the photoresist pattern by irradiating laser beam to glass board coated photoresist directly. So it is decreased processing number and inferiority factor according to movement of processing and can correspond to large screen and high precision. CONSTITUTION: The formative method of photoresist pattern using laser comprises; (1) the first step : photoresist is coated after coating transparent electrode materials on the glass board; (2) the second step : the glass board of the first step lines up to the loading part of table, and then makes loading part of the table move as constant velocity for formation of photoresist pattern; (3) the third step : photoresist pattern having constant gab is formed as the photoresist being removed partially by irradiating laser beam with constant wavelength at the loading part of the table; and (4) the fifth step : the shape of photoresist pattern is tested and the formation of pattern is completed, if the photoresist pattern forms throughout the third step.

Description

Pattern forming method of photoresist using a laser {A manufacturing method of photo-resist's pattern using of laser}

The present invention relates to a pattern formation method of a photoresist using a laser, and in particular, the photoresist is easily removed in one step by locally removing the photoresist using a laser on a glass on which the display electrode material and the photoresist are sequentially applied. A pattern forming method of a photoresist using a laser for forming a pattern.

As the modern society is called the information society, the importance of visual information has increased and the diversification of its kind has been made remarkably according to the development and dissemination of information processing system.

As the most important man-machine interface of the image information, the display means is becoming an important era.

The display means can be directly applied to LCD, TV or AV monitors, computer displays, etc., which can be contributed to various video display devices in society, such as a flat-vision panel and a plasma display panel. It is thin and light, and is being developed in various ways to realize a large screen.

In particular, the PDP injects a discharge gas between a thin surface substrate and a rear substrate on which a plurality of transparent electrodes are formed, and discharges the surface of the rear substrate by ultraviolet rays generated when a discharge is applied by applying a voltage between the transparent electrodes. Allow the applied phosphor to emit light.

Each of the light emitting elements consisting of the plurality of transparent electrodes and the phosphor is formed of a cell separated by a barrier-rib, each of which is independently driven, and has a matrix structure that forms a thin and wide plane as a whole.

Due to the matrix structure, the weight is light, the flattening of the screen and the implementation of a large screen are facilitated, and the advantages of eliminating color bleeding and focus deterioration can be overcome. The field of use is expanding as a display means.

1 is a view illustrating a structure of a conventional PDP according to the related art, FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional structural view of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a plan view showing an arrangement of a surface substrate and a rear substrate, which are some components of FIG. 1. In addition, Figure 4 is a view showing a process for forming a pattern of a photoresist using a laser according to the prior art.

First, referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, a structure of a general PDP is provided. A transparent electrode 2 is formed to be arranged in parallel with each other on a lower surface thereof, and a dielectric layer 3 having a uniform thickness and a protection on the transparent electrode 2 are formed. A surface substrate 1 on which layers 4 are sequentially formed; Address electrodes 6 are formed on the upper surface to be parallel to each other, and partition walls 7 are formed so that the address electrodes 6 are separated into a plurality of discharge cells. R), green (G), and blue (B) phosphors 8 are coated separately, and are coupled to the surface substrate 1 so that the transparent electrode 2 and the address electrode 6 are orthogonal to each other. It consists of the board | substrate 5.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, when the surface substrate 1 and the rear substrate 5 are sealed to each other, first, a voltage is applied between the transparent electrode 2 and the address electrode 6. Discharge occurs on the surfaces of the dielectric layers and the protective layers 3 and 4 to generate ultraviolet rays. The ultraviolet light excites and emits the phosphor 8 coated on the back substrate 5, and color display is performed by the phosphor 8 coated separately.

At this time, a penning gas such as neon or helium gas is used for the discharge phenomenon. Sealing material at both edges of the protective layer 4 and the partition wall 7 after vacuum evacuation is performed to control the pressure of the penning gas and the like when the surface substrate 1 and the rear substrate 5 are coupled to each other. (S) is applied and bonded to each other.

In this way, the surface substrate 1 and the back substrate 5 are arranged such that the transparent electrode 2 and the address electrode 6 are orthogonal to each other, as shown in FIG. 3, and the terminals for signal connection ( When a high voltage is applied through P), plasma is formed in a cell where the transparent electrode 2 and the address electrode 6 intersect to form an active region A in which the plasma emits light by striking the phosphor 8. do.

Next, referring to FIG. 4, a pattern formation method of a photoresist using a laser according to the related art is as follows.

In the first step, the transparent electrode material 12 is coated on the glass substrate 11 to a thickness of about 0.1 to 0.3 μm, and in the second step, a photoresist is applied on the transparent electrode material 12 of the first step. (Hereinafter referred to as PR) 13 is coated with a thickness of about 0.8 to 3.0 μm.

Thereafter, in the third step, after loading the mask 14 having a predetermined gap on the PR 13 of the second step, light is selectively exposed to the PR 13 by irradiating light L. Among the PR 13, the chemical composition of the exposed portion exposed to light and the blocking portion blocked from light are changed.

Then, in the fourth step, the development process is performed such that unnecessary parts of the PR 13 having different compositions in the third step are removed and only the desired parts remain. In the developing process, when the developing solution 15 is supplied to the PR 13 through the first nozzle N1, any one part of the PR 13 having a different composition is removed and the remaining part remains. That is, the exposed portion 13a of the PR 13 exposed to light remains, and the blocking portion blocked by the light is removed by the developer 15.

In the fifth step, when the development process of the fourth step is completed, the transparent electrode material 12 is removed except for the protective transparent electrode material 12a positioned directly below the exposed portion 13a of the PR 13. When the etching solution 16 is sprayed through the second nozzle N2, the exposed portion 13a serves as a protective film so that the protective transparent electrode material 12a does not melt and the remaining transparent electrode material 12 does not melt. You lose.

In this way, in the sixth step, after the etching process of the fifth step is completed, the exposed portion 13a of the PR 13 is removed to obtain a transparent electrode pattern 12b of a desired shape.

However, in the conventional case, as described above, the pattern formation of the PR 13 in the transparent electrode manufacturing process through the photolithography process is performed by coating, soft baking, exposure, development, hard baking of the PR 13. (hard baking), etching and peeling process must be carried out sequentially, the process is complicated, and misalignment of the equipment used in the exposure process is likely to occur, as well as such complex process is a factor that reduces the production capacity of the manufacturing process There is a problem that it works.

In addition, the difficulty in operation due to the high definition or the large area is increased, and a large area mask has to be manufactured and maintained, and alignment errors are further increased during exposure, and equipment or a vacuum chuck due to vertical exposure is required. There is also a problem in that vertical movement of the glass substrate conveyed horizontally is necessary.

In addition, since a large amount of equipment must be invested in various processes, the equipment investment cost is excessively consumed, and a large number of equipments occupy a relatively large space, thereby reducing the efficiency and increasing maintenance costs in terms of space utilization. Furthermore, the overall manufacturing cost is increased due to the consumables such as the chemicals (chemical liquid, pure water) such as the developing solution 15 and the etching solution 16 and the mask 14 used in the process of manufacturing the transparent electrode 2. As a result, there is a problem of weakening the price competitiveness of the PDP.

In addition, since a large number of processes must be managed, product defects may occur due to negligence or carelessness of management, and it is also difficult to secure stable quality due to frequent movement between processes.

First of all, in terms of environment, waste treatment due to wastewater and waste liquid discharged from the process is required separately, thereby increasing the manufacturing cost of the PDP.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems of the prior art, the object of which is to irradiate a laser beam directly on a glass substrate coated with a photoresist to form a photoresist pattern, thereby reducing the number of processes as well as It is to provide a method of forming a pattern of a photoresist using a laser, which can significantly reduce the defect factor due to the movement between processes because of the reduction of the charge space of the equipment required for pattern formation and material and production cost.

In addition, another object of the present invention is to eliminate the need for the mask used in the exposure process, not only the manufacture or maintenance of the mask is necessary, but also the problem of misalignment or vertical exposure of the exposure equipment can be solved, and at the same time the large screen or fixed The present invention provides a method of forming a pattern of a photoresist using a laser capable of developing a pattern forming technique of a photoresist capable of coping with thinning.

1 is a view showing the structure of a conventional PDP according to the prior art;

2 is a cross-sectional structural view of FIG.

3 is a plan view showing an arrangement of a surface substrate and a rear substrate, which are some components of FIG. 1;

4 is a view showing a process for forming a pattern of a photoresist using a laser according to the prior art;

5 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a pattern forming apparatus for a photoresist using a laser according to the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a view illustrating a beam generator and a laser head which are some components of FIG. 5;

7 is a view showing a PR pattern forming process according to FIG.

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing a glass on which a PR pattern is formed by FIG. 5;

9 is a flowchart illustrating a method of forming a pattern of photoresist using a laser according to the present invention.

<Explanation of symbols about main part of drawing>

40 glass 41 display electrode material

42: photoresist 42 ': PR pattern

50: dustproof table 51: table

51a: loading portion 52: beam generation portion

52a: wavelength conversion unit 52b: mirror

52c: objective 53: laser head

53a: XY Robot 53b: Fixture

A: Laser head moving direction

According to a first aspect of the method for forming a pattern of a photoresist using a laser according to the present invention for solving the above problems, a first process of coating a photoresist after the transparent electrode material is applied on a glass substrate, and the first The second process of aligning the glass substrate of the process in the loading portion of the table and moving the loading portion of the table at a constant speed to form a photoresist pattern, and by irradiating a laser beam of a constant wavelength on the loading portion of the table A third process of locally removing the photoresist to form a photoresist pattern at a predetermined interval, and a fourth process of inspecting the shape of the surface of the photoresist pattern when the photoresist pattern is formed through the third process and completing pattern formation It is made, including.

In addition, according to the second aspect of the present invention, in the second process, the table moves the loading unit at high speed in a direction opposite to the moving direction of the laser beam along one axis, and at the other axis, at the interval of the photoresist pattern. The loading unit is moved by a corresponding pitch.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

5 is a perspective view showing the configuration of a pattern forming apparatus of a photoresist using a laser according to the present invention, Figure 6 is a view showing a beam generating unit and a laser head which is a part of Figure 5, Figure 7 The PR pattern formation process by 5 is shown. 8 is a plan view illustrating a glass on which a PR pattern is formed by FIG. 5, and FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a pattern forming method of a photoresist using a laser according to the present invention.

First, referring to FIGS. 5 and 8, a pattern forming apparatus of a photoresist using a laser is as follows.

A dustproof table 50 for preventing vibrations that may be generated when the system is driven; The glass 40 is placed on the dust-proof table 50 and coated with a display electrode material (ITO or Cr / Cu / Cr) 41 and a photoresist (PR) 42 in this order. A table 51 provided with a loading section 51a and formed to be movable to form a PR pattern 42 '; A beam generator 52 for generating and outputting a laser beam of a constant wavelength so as to locally remove the PR 42 on the glass 40; A wavelength converting unit 52a for converting the wavelength of the laser beam output from the beam generating unit 52 into an appropriate wavelength for forming the PR pattern 42 ';

A mirror (52b) and an objective lens (52c) for separating the laser beam into multiple strands in order to change the direction of movement of the laser beam output through the wavelength converter (52a) or to improve throughput; A laser head (53) for irradiating a laser beam passing through the mirror (52b) and the objective lens (52c) onto the glass (40); An XY robot (53a) for fixing and moving the laser head (53); A holder 52b to which the laser head 53 and the XY robot 53a are fixed; A vacuum inhaler (54) which prevents particles that may be generated when the PR pattern (42 ') is formed from being attached to the objective lens (52c) and reduces pattern defects caused by dirt; An interferometer (not shown) is provided that adjusts the home position from the left or right edge of the glass 40, ie the starting point of the PR pattern 42 'is always constant.

Here, when the table 51 is described in detail, when the glass 40 is correctly placed on the reference line displayed on the loading unit 51a, one axis moves at high speed to form a desired PR pattern 42 '. The other axis moves the loading part 51a on which the glass 40 is fixed by a predetermined pitch. In addition, the table 51 uses an air bearing for ultra-precision high speed stroke, and the temperature below the table 51 is controlled by water cooling. The table 51 is to use a stone tablet to increase the horizontal degree.

Above all, according to the PDP pattern law, the line width of the PR pattern 42 'should be maintained at about ± 4 μm. Therefore, if the processing speed of the table 51 is increased, it is difficult to maintain the accuracy. Since the throughput becomes poor, the processing speed of the table 51 is suitably 500 mm / s to 2000 mm / s.

On the other hand, in the present invention, since the PR component is generally an organic polymer material and has an absorption band in the visible and ultraviolet regions, it is possible to use material decomposition by photochemical reactions rather than thermal processing by laser. At this time, the laser wavelength generated by the beam generation unit 52 is in the ultraviolet region 270nm ~ 190nm. At this time, when the laser wavelength is 270 nm or more, the photochemical reaction and the thermal processing are simultaneously performed in the PR, and the thermal processing is greatly influenced by the energy difference, making the pattern control due to PR bumps and redeposition on the pattern processing site more difficult. do. However, when the laser wavelength is 190 nm or less, the size of the light energy itself is also affected, which affects the lower display electrode material 41. The display electrode material 41 has a change in its composition, that is, its characteristics are applied. This will affect the devices that are being used.

In addition, when the laser beams generated by the beam generation unit 52 and the wavelength conversion unit 52a are transferred to the laser head 53 to form a pattern, the PR pattern 42 'forming speed is increased by the laser beam and the material. Depending on the interaction, but most affected by the laser pulse frequency, the laser beam is 500 mm / s to 2000 mm / s for large area processing such as PDP 40 inch top glass size (650 × 1000 mm). It should be processed at speed. In order to form the PR pattern 42 'with a clean working surface, the pulse frequency should be 10 Hz to 100 Hz.

The pulse frequency and the processing speed described above are complementary, and as the pulse frequency increases, the processing speed may be slightly lowered, and when the pulse frequency is lowered, the processing speed should be increased. In particular, since the pulse frequency and the processing speed are related to the throughput, when the processing speed is 2000 mm / s or more, the pattern degree decreases and the defects increase. When the processing speed is 500 mm / s or less, the pattern degree may be improved. But you won't be able to match your throughput. In addition, as the pulse frequency of the laser beam increases, the quality and stability of the laser beam deteriorate, resulting in a decrease in the degree of the pattern.

Therefore, the laser beam that can be applied to the present invention can be provided with a laser beam of high energy such as UV laser, Excimer laser, but the current commercially available maximum pulse frequency is about several hundreds kHz, and it is expensive and the maintenance cost is high. While using YAG or Nd: YLF, as shown in FIG. 6, the wavelength conversion portion 52a is mounted on the output portion of the beam generation portion 52 to use the UV wavelength. Such a laser beam is suitable for microfabrication, and the pulse frequency is large, so it is more suitable for a job requiring a high processing speed.

At this time, the PR beam is not completely PR processed below a certain threshold value, and since the lower film is damaged above the threshold value, the energy range of the laser beam is 120mj / cm 2 to 230mj / cm 2. Patterning using a laser is important to be controlled so as not to damage the lower display electrode material 41. In order to improve the roughness of the processed surface of the PR pattern 42 ′ and to minimize the loss of energy, a multi-mode beam having a top-hat shape rather than a Gaussian laser beam is used. Will be used.

The operation of the pattern forming apparatus of the photoresist using the laser according to the present invention configured as described above is as follows.

First, the glass 40 coated with the display electrode material 41 and the PR 42 sequentially is placed on the loading part 51a, and the table 51 on which the laser head 53 and the glass 40 are fixed is placed. To irradiate the laser beam generated by the beam generation unit 52 and the wavelength conversion unit 52a on the glass 40 through the mirror 52b and the objective lens 52c while moving in the opposite directions along the X axis. do.

Then, as shown in FIG. 8, PR patterns 42 ′ are formed along the X axis on the glass 40 at predetermined intervals, and the table 51 is disposed at intervals between the PR patterns 42 ′ on the Y axis. The pitch is moved by the corresponding pitch. Therefore, in the present invention, the spacing between the PR patterns 42 'is about 10 to 80 mu m and about 550 to 700 mu m, and the line width is 10 to 350 mu m, but the operator can adjust the desired spacing and line width.

At this time, 250-350 micrometer line | wire width of the said PR pattern 42 'becomes possible by repeatedly forming 40-80 micrometers and 550-700 micrometers of PR pattern 42' spacing. As such, the spacing of the PR patterns 42 'is determined by the spot size of the laser beam (10 to 80 mu m), and the spacing of the PR patterns 42' is 40 to 80 mu m and the 550 to In order to repeatedly form 700 μm, the magnification of the objective lens 52 c capable of condensing the laser beam output from the laser head 53 is different, and the objective lens 52 c is fixed to the laser of 10 to 180 μm. In the case of making a single 40 μm line width with a beam spot size and a next line width of 550 to 700 μm, the laser beam spot size of 10 to 180 μm is repeatedly scanned several times.

Therefore, the present invention can form the pattern of the display electrode without the exposure and development process by a single laser etching process, relatively simple configuration, large area can be applied as well as easy to maintain in a short time Can be. In addition, the problems related to the processing of a lens that can be applied to a large area and a laser source capable of high-speed response can be solved using a multi-beam use, a mixed movement method of the laser head 53 and the table 51.

Next, referring to FIG. 9, the pattern formation method of the photoresist using the laser according to the present invention will be described. In the first step, the PR 42 is coated after the display electrode material 41 is coated on the glass 40. In the second step, the loading part of the table 51 to align the glass 40 of the first step S1 with the loading part 51a of the table 51 and form the PR pattern 42 '. This moves 51a at a constant speed (see S1 and S2).

Thereafter, in the third step, the PR 42 is locally removed by irradiating a laser beam of a predetermined wavelength through the laser head 53 from the upper portion of the loading unit 51a of the table 51 to form a PR pattern at a predetermined interval. (42 ') (see S3).

At this time, in order to form the PR pattern 42 ', the loading part 51a and the laser head 53 of the table 51 move in opposite directions along the X axis, and the table 51 is a PR pattern. The Y axis is moved by the pitch corresponding to the interval between 42 '.

In the fourth step, when the PR pattern 42 'is formed through the third step S3, the machining surface of the PR pattern 42' is inspected, and the formation of the PR pattern 42 'is completed. (See S4)

In the method of forming a photoresist pattern using a laser according to the present invention configured as described above, by directly irradiating a laser beam on a glass substrate coated with a photoresist, a photoresist pattern is formed, thereby reducing the number of processes and the pattern of the photoresist. By reducing the footprint of the equipment required for formation, there is a significant reduction in the defects caused by the movement between processes, and the material and production costs can be reduced.

In addition, the present invention eliminates the need for a mask used during the exposure process, thereby eliminating the need for manufacturing or maintaining the mask, and eliminating problems caused by misalignment or vertical exposure of the exposure equipment, and at the same time coping with large screens or high resolution. There is an effect that a possible patterning technique of photoresist can be developed.

Claims (2)

The first step of coating the photoresist after the transparent electrode material is applied on the glass substrate, and the loading portion of the table at a constant speed to align the glass substrate of the first process to the loading portion of the table and form a photoresist pattern A second process of moving and a third process of locally removing the photoresist to form a photoresist pattern at a predetermined interval by irradiating a laser beam of a predetermined wavelength on the loading portion of the table, and through the third process And a fourth process of inspecting the shape of the surface of the photoresist pattern and completing the pattern formation when the photoresist pattern is formed. The method of claim 1, In the second process, the loading unit moves the loading unit at high speed in a direction opposite to the movement direction of the laser beam along one axis, and the loading unit by a predetermined pitch corresponding to the interval of the photoresist pattern as the other axis. The pattern formation method of the photoresist using a laser characterized by moving.