KR20070079003A - Photomask substrate container unit, photomask substrate conveying method, photomask product manufacturing method, and photomask exposure/transfer method - Google Patents

Abstract

A photomask substrate container unit, a photomask substrate conveying method, a photomask product manufacturing method, and a photomask exposure/transfer method are provided to facilitate conveying/storing of a photomask substrate by reducing a height of the photomask substrate container unit in comparison with a longitudinal-type photomask substrate conveying unit. A holding member supports a photomask substrate(K) such that it inclines at a predetermined tilt angle. A housing(10) receives the photomask substrate therein. The tilt angle of the photomask substrate ranges from 45 degrees to 80 degrees from a horizontal axis. The holding member is disposed inside the housing to support the photomask substrate in the housing. The holding member includes a disposing member(20) that temporarily receives the photomask substrate thereon and an end surface presser that presses an end surface of the mask substrate. The holding member further includes a main surface presser(40) for pressing a main surface of the photomask substrate.

Description

PHOTOMASK SUBSTRATE CONDINING UNIT, PHOTOMASK SUBSTRATE CONVEYING METHOD, PHOTOMASK PRODUCT MANUFACTURING METHOD, AND PHOTOMASK EXPOSURE / TRANSFER METHOD}

1 is a perspective view of a conventional photomask case.

FIG. 2 is a sectional view seen from the side of the photomask case shown in FIG. 1. FIG.

3 is an inner front view of the photomask case shown in FIG. 1.

4 is a schematic perspective view of a photomask substrate accommodating unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view seen from the photomask substrate receiving unit side shown in FIG. 4.

6 is an inner front view of the photomask substrate accommodating unit shown in FIG. 4.

7 is an explanatory diagram for calculating the weight of the photomask substrate accommodating unit according to the present invention.

8 is a graph showing the weight of the photomask substrate receiving unit according to the present invention.

9 is a schematic perspective view of a photomask substrate accommodating unit according to another embodiment of the present invention.

10 is a cross-sectional view of the photomask substrate accommodating unit taken along the line A-A of FIG.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to photomask substrate receiving units for conveying and / or storing photomask substrates, in particular for use in manufacturing liquid crystal display panels (LCDPs), plasma display panels (PDPs), and the like. A photomask substrate accommodating unit suitable for transporting and / or storing a large size photomask substrate.

The present invention also relates to a photomask substrate transfer method, a photomask product manufacturing method, and a photomask exposure / transfer method, each using such a photomask substrate receiving unit.

Recently, in the manufacture of display panels such as LCDP and PDP, increasing the number of panels for each of the panel mother substrates as a technique for reducing the manufacturing cost, and thus the size of the panel mother substrate Tends to increase. Accordingly, in the manufacture of display panels such as LCDP and PDP, the size of the photomask substrate used for pattern transfer also tends to increase. When delivering the photomask substrate of such a large size to the orderer, the photomask substrates are arranged one by one, that is, in a one-to-one correspondence, and are transported by a cargo truck or the like.

As a conventional photomask case in which a large size photomask substrate is accommodated therein, a longitudinal type and a lateral type are known. For example, Patent Document 1 (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2005-115033) discloses a horizontal photomask case (photomask substrate container). The lateral photomask case is advantageous in that the placement, transportation, and withdrawal of the photomask substrate can be performed with the case horizontally placed, but occupies a large floor area, so that transportation costs and There is a problem of increasing storage costs.

1 is a perspective view of a conventional vertical photomask case with casters, FIG. 2 is a sectional view seen from the side of the photomask case shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is an internal front view of the photomask case shown in FIG. .

The photomask case 100 shown in these figures has a housing 101 for accommodating the photomask substrate K therein and a holding member for holding the photomask substrate K inside the housing 101 (described later). It includes).

The housing 101 includes an outer box 103 through which the photomask substrate K is taken in and out through a reception opening 102, and a cover for opening and closing the accommodation opening 102. (lid, 104) and a plurality of casters 105 provided on the outer bottom of the outer box 103. A plurality of joining portions 108 are provided between the outer box 103 and the cover 104 to join them together.

As the holding member, four holding portions 106 for holding four corners of the rectangular photomask substrate K are formed in the outer box 103, and the photomask substrate K on the four sides thereof. A plurality of end-surface pressers 107 are installed to press the end surfaces. In FIG. 3, it is noted that the illustration of the relationship between the holding portion 106 and the outer box 103 and the cross-sectional presser 107 and the outer box 103 is omitted.

Now, the arrangement, transportation, and withdrawal of the photomask substrate K using the photomask case 100 described above will be described.

Typically, the photomask substrate K is placed into the photomask case 100 in a clean room of a factory. This operation opens the cover 104 with the photomask case 100 lying horizontally, placing the photomask substrate K into the outer box 103 through the receiving opening 102, and then holding unit 106. By pressing the cross section by the cross section presser 107 while maintaining its four corners.

After the cover 104 is closed, the photomask case 100 having the photomask substrate K disposed therein is lifted in a vertical posture in a horizontal posture and transported to the outside of the clean room. In this case, the photomask case 100 can be easily moved using the caster 105.

The photomask case 100 having the photomask substrate K disposed therein is appropriately selected for a transportation method such as overland transportation, air transportation, marine transportation, etc. do. In this case, by placing the photomask case 100 in a vertical position, it is possible to reduce the work area and reduce the transportation cost.

Typically, the delivered photomask substrate K is drawn out in the clean room of the factory. This operation is performed after the cover 104 is opened while the photomask case 100 is placed horizontally, and the pressure is released by the single-sided presser 107.

However, when carrying a large size photomask substrate K using a vertical photomask case, since the height of the photomask case is large, the front sight may be disturbed by the photomask case. The transfer of the photomask case becomes difficult, and also there is a limitation in the conveying method.

In addition, the vertical photomask case has a problem that it is easy to fall down because the aspect ratio increases as the size of the photomask substrate increases.

In addition, since the vertical photomask case mainly supports the photomask substrate in its cross section, a load is concentrated on a support portion that supports the lower end surface of the photomask substrate, so that the lower end surface of the photomask substrate There is a possibility of breakage.

In addition, since the vertical photomask case cannot pull in and take out the photomask substrate with the case in a vertical position, in operation, the photomask case is lowered from the vertical position to the horizontal position during the placement and withdrawal of the photomask substrate. It is necessary to lift the photomask case from a horizontal position to a vertical position. If such work is performed by a single worker, it may inadvertently cause the photomask case to fall off during the work, requiring several workers.

The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and an object of the present invention is that even when a large size photomask substrate is disposed therein, it is easy to transport and prevents falling during transport, and also a photomask due to load concentration It is to provide a photomask substrate receiving unit that can prevent damage to the substrate.

In the present specification, the photomask substrate includes a photomask glass substrate, a photomask blank, a photomask, and the like.

In order to achieve the above object, the photomask substrate accommodating unit according to the present invention is for transporting and / or storing the photomask substrate, and a housing for accommodating the photomask substrate therein, and inclined at a predetermined inclination angle. And a holding member for holding the photomask substrate in a posture. According to this structure, the photomask substrate accommodating unit can reduce the height of the photomask substrate accommodating unit as compared with the vertical photomask substrate accommodating unit configured to hold the photomask substrate vertically. Therefore, not only the transfer / storage of the photomask substrate accommodating unit can be facilitated, but the disadvantage that the conveying method is limited can be avoided. In addition, since the aspect ratio of the photomask substrate receiving unit is reduced, it can be prevented from falling during transportation. In addition, since the end surface and the back surface of the photomask substrate are supported, breakage of the photomask substrate can be prevented by dispersing the support load of the photomask substrate.

In the photomask substrate accommodating unit according to the present invention, the inclination angle of the photomask substrate is preferably set at an angle of 45 ° to 80 ° with respect to the horizontal axis. According to this structure, the height of the photomask substrate accommodating unit, its aspect ratio, and its occupied workshop area (base area) can be set in a good balance.

In the photomask substrate accommodating unit according to the present invention, the holding member is installed in the housing and preferably holds the photomask substrate in the housing. According to this structure, since the photomask substrate accommodating unit does not need to be put down or lifted up when the photomask substrate is drawn in and taken out, taking in and out of the photomask substrate can be simplified.

In the photomask substrate accommodating unit according to the present invention, the holding member includes a placing member for temporarily receiving a photomask substrate thereon and a cross section press for pressing a cross section of the photomask substrate placed on the placing member. It is preferable to include. According to this structure, since the photomask substrate is provisionally arranged, it is easy to receive the photomask substrate with respect to the photomask substrate receiving unit. Further, by pressing the end face of the photomask substrate with the cross-section presser, it is possible to suppress vibration of the photomask substrate along its main surface and to prevent generation of dust caused by friction.

In the photomask substrate receiving unit according to the present invention, the holding member may further include a main surface presser for pressing the main surface of the photomask substrate. According to this structure, by pressing the main surface of the photomask substrate with the main surface presser, vibration can be suppressed in the direction perpendicular to the main surface of the photomask substrate, and generation of dust caused by friction can be prevented.

In the photomask substrate receiving unit according to the present invention, the housing includes an outer box and a cover to form the receiving opening. The receiving opening through which the photomask substrate is drawn in and drawn out therethrough may be formed to extend on the top, front and both sides of the outer box. Here, when viewed from one side, the receiving opening is formed to be inclined with respect to the outer box, the inclination angle is preferably substantially the same as the inclination angle of the photomask substrate held by the holding member. According to this structure, the photomask substrate does not interfere with the receiving opening during the insertion and withdrawal of the photomask substrate, so that the drawing and withdrawal operations can be performed smoothly even by the robot.

In the photomask substrate accommodating unit according to the present invention, the holding member may be installed outside the housing and maintains the housing in which the photomask substrate is accommodated therein in an inclined position. In this case, a jig for fixing the photomask substrate is attached to the inside of the housing, and the housing in which the photomask substrate is disposed therein is fixed such as to a placing platform with the housing itself inclined. Can be. According to this structure, for example, a conventional photomask case can be used as it is.

By using the photomask substrate accommodating unit according to the present invention, the invention of the photomask substrate transfer method, the photomask product manufacturing method, or the photomask exposure method can be achieved. That is, the photomask substrate transfer method is a method of transferring the photomask substrate while maintaining the photomask substrate in the photomask substrate accommodating unit described above in an inclined posture at a predetermined inclination angle.

The photomask product manufacturing method includes at least a photomask substrate manufacturing step, a substrate forming step, and an inspection step, wherein the method holds the photomask substrate in the photomask substrate receiving unit described above in an inclined posture at a predetermined inclination angle, The transfer and / or storage of the photomask substrate is performed between the above steps while maintaining the inclination angle.

The photomask exposure method is a method of exposing light to a photomask and transferring a pattern formed thereon to an object, wherein the photomask substrate is disposed in the photomask substrate accommodating unit described above at an inclined angle at a predetermined inclination angle. Transferring the photomask substrate accommodating unit to the exposure apparatus with the photomask substrate disposed therein at an inclined posture at the predetermined inclination angle; and extracting the photomask substrate from the photomask substrate accommodating unit to the photo in the exposure apparatus. Setting a mask substrate.

As described above, according to the present invention, the photomask substrate accommodating unit can reduce the height of the photomask substrate accommodating unit as compared with the vertical photomask substrate accommodating unit configured to hold the photomask substrate vertically. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the visible area from being disturbed during the transfer of the photomask substrate accommodating unit, to facilitate the conveyance of the photomask substrate accommodating unit, and to avoid the disadvantage that the conveying method is limited. In addition, since the aspect ratio of the photomask substrate receiving unit is reduced, it can be prevented from falling during transportation and / or storage.

In addition, since the end surfaces and the back surface of the photomask substrate are supported, damage to the photomask substrate can be prevented by dispersing the support load of the photomask substrate. In addition, since the photomask substrate accommodating unit does not need to be put down or lifted up when the photomask substrate is drawn in and taken out, it is possible to simplify the drawing in and out of the photomask substrate. In other words, the photomask substrate can be disposed in the photomask substrate receiving unit in a posture inclined at a predetermined inclination angle, and can transport and / or store the photomask substrate while maintaining this posture in placement.

In addition, these steps can be set in several steps in the manufacture of the photomask product. Furthermore, when setting the photomask product in the exposure apparatus for performing the exposure, the photomask substrate can be placed and transported in the photomask substrate receiving unit in an inclined pose at a predetermined inclination angle, and then the photomask substrate receiving The photomask substrate can be drawn out from the inside thereof and set in the exposure apparatus for exposure while the unit is held in the posture during transportation.

Figure 4 is a schematic perspective view showing a photomask substrate receiving unit according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view seen from the photomask substrate receiving unit side shown in Figure 4, Figure 6 is a photomask shown in Figure 4 It is an inside front view of a board | substrate accommodation unit. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram for calculating the weight of the photomask substrate accommodating unit shown in FIG. 4, and FIG. 8 is a graph showing the weight of the photomask substrate accommodating unit shown in FIG. 4.

As shown in these figures, the photomask substrate accommodating unit 1 is a rectangular parallelepiped for conveying a rectangular photomask substrate K, a housing 10 for accommodating the photomask substrate K therein, and A holding member (to be described later) for holding the photomask substrate K in the housing 10 is included.

The photomask substrate accommodating unit 1 is advantageous when the accommodated photomask substrate K is large in size such that the length of the short side of the main surface thereof exceeds 800 mm. For example, the photomask substrate accommodating unit 1 may accommodate a photomask substrate of a large size having a size of 1220 mm in height (short side), 1400 mm in length (long side), and 13 mm in width (thickness). The effect of the present invention is more remarkable as the size of the photomask substrate K increases.

As already described, the photomask substrate K may be a glass substrate for a photomask, a photomask blank, or a photomask.

The housing 10 includes an outer box 11, a cover 12, and a caster 13.

The outer box 11 is configured to accommodate the photomask substrate K therein, and a receiving opening 14 through which the photomask substrate K is drawn in and drawn out is formed. The receiving opening 14 may be formed on any one of the top, front, and side surfaces of the outer box 11, but is preferably formed to be inclined from each side of the outer box 11, so that the outer box 11 may be formed. It extends on top, front and side surfaces. According to this structure, the receiving opening 14 is wide open for facilitating the withdrawal and withdrawal of the photomask substrate K. FIG.

In addition, in this case, the photomask substrate K is maintained in an inclined posture inside the outer box 11 so that the photomask substrate K can be easily touched and pulled out. Therefore, the inclination angle of the accommodation opening 14 when viewed from the side of the outer box 10 can be set to be the same as the holding angle of the photomask substrate K.

If the inclination angle of the receiving opening 14 is within ± 10 degrees, particularly within ± 5 degrees with respect to the holding angle of the photomask substrate K, it does not interfere with the pulling in and out of the photomask substrate. Therefore, in the present invention, the inclination angle of the receiving opening 14 with respect to the outer box 11 substantially equal to the holding angle (inclination angle) of the photomask substrate K is such that the inclination angle of the receiving opening 14 is the photomask substrate K. ) Is within the range of ± 10 degrees with respect to the holding angle.

The cover 12 opens and closes the accommodation opening 14. The outer box 11 and the cover 12 are preferably provided with sockets and cock joint portions 15 so as to fit together. In addition, a joint 16 such as a buckles is installed between the outer box 11 and the cover 12. After the photomask substrate K is disposed on the outer box 11, the cover 12 is fixed to the outer box 11 through the bonding operation of the bonding portion 16.

The caster 13 is installed on the outer bottom of the outer box 11 to facilitate the transfer (movement) of the photomask substrate accommodating unit 1.

The holding member holds the photomask substrate K in an inclined posture when viewed from its side. The inclination angle of the photomask substrate K is preferably 45 degrees to 80 degrees with respect to the horizontal axis. According to this structure, since the height of the photomask substrate accommodating unit 1 can be reduced as compared with the vertical photomask case adapted to hold the photomask substrate K vertically, the photomask substrate accommodating unit 1 Not only can the movement be facilitated, but it is also possible to avoid the disadvantage that the conveying method is limited. In addition, since the aspect ratio of the photomask substrate accommodating unit 1 can be reduced, it can be prevented from falling during transport or storage. In addition, since the photomask substrate accommodating unit 1 does not need to be put down or lifted up when the photomask substrate K is drawn in and taken out, the drawing in and out of the photomask substrate K can be simplified.

In the illustrated embodiment, the photomask substrate K is set to the photomask substrate receiving unit 1 so as to be inclined one-dimensionally, that is, only when viewed from the side of the photomask substrate K. Therefore, the long side of the photomask substrate K is horizontal. However, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment, but can be applied even when the photomask substrate K is inclined two-dimensionally or three-dimensionally, that is, when viewed from the front and / or the top. have. In this case, the inclination angle as seen from the front and / or the top is preferably set within 30 degrees.

The photomask substrate accommodating unit 1 of this embodiment has an arrangement member 20, a cross section presser 30 and a main surface presser 40 as a holding member.

The arrangement member 20 enables the temporary placement of the photomask substrate K. For example, in the present embodiment, the arrangement member 20 is installed at four positions inside the housing 10 to support four corners of the photomask substrate K through the gap G1, thereby providing the photomask substrate K To allow temporary placement. In particular, the lower two mounting members 20 respectively support the first support surface 21 for supporting the end surface of the photomask substrate K and the back surface of the photomask substrate K. The second support surface 22 is formed.

Returning to FIG. 2, in the conventional photomask case 100 which is adapted to hold the photomask substrate K vertically, the load of the photomask substrate K is substantially at the vertical support ground 106-2. The photomask substrate K is mainly supported by the supporting surface 106-1 of the lower holding portion 106 while only functioning to prevent the photomask substrate K from falling.

On the other hand, in the photomask substrate accommodating unit 1 of the present invention configured to hold the photomask substrate K in an inclined posture, the load of the photomask substrate K is first and first of the lower arrangement member 20. Since it is suitably dispersed in the two support surfaces 21 and 22, it is possible to prevent the damage of the photomask substrate K caused by load concentration.

The cross-sectional presser 30 functions to press the end surface of the photomask substrate K on its four sides, thereby suppressing vibration of the photomask substrate K along its main surface and causing dust caused by friction. To prevent the occurrence of. In the present embodiment, the photomask substrate receiving unit 1 includes two upper end-surface pressers 30 for pressing the upper end surface of the photomask substrate K, and the photomask substrate K. The two lower end face presses 30 for pressing the lower end face of the photoresist, the two left end face presses 30 for pressing the left end face of the photomask substrate K, and the right side of the photomask substrate K. Two right end face presses 30 for pressurizing the end face. Using these end face presses 30, the vibration of an upper side, a lower side, a left side, and a right side is suppressed along the main surface of the photomask substrate K. As shown in FIG.

Each cross section presser 30 has a threaded hole and a support plate 31 attached to the outer box 11, a screw shaft 32 screwed to the support plate 31; , An elastic member 33 installed at the tip of the screw shaft 32 and a double nut 34 for fixing the screw shaft 32 at an arbitrary position. That is, in the state where the elastic member 33 is in contact with the end face of the photomask substrate K, by turning the screw shaft 32 and tightening the double nut 34 to adjust the position of the elastic member 33, The cross section of the photomask substrate K is pressed. On the other hand, since the lower end face presser 30 needs to be flush with the first support surface 21 of the lower arrangement member 20, the position of the elastic member 33 can be fixed.

In this embodiment, the end face presser 30 presses only the edge of the photomask substrate K. As shown in FIG. However, the single-sided presser 30 may be configured to press the front and rear surfaces of the photomask substrate K as well. For example, a recess is formed in the front end of each elastic member 33, and an end of the photomask substrate K is fitted into the recess. According to this structure, it is possible to simultaneously suppress vibration in the direction perpendicular to the main surface of the photomask substrate K. As shown in FIG.

The main surface presser 40 functions to press the main surface of the photomask substrate K to suppress vibration in a direction perpendicular to the main surface of the photomask substrate K, thereby preventing the generation of dust caused by friction. prevent. In this embodiment, the photomask substrate accommodating unit 1 includes four main surface pressers 40 provided inside the lid, and according to the closing operation of the lid 12, the photomask substrate accommodating unit 1 When four corners are given, they are pressed by the presser 40.

Each major surface presser 40 includes a pipe 41 protruding on the inner side of the lid 12, an elastic member 42 movably received at the tip of the pipe 41, and an elastic member 42 in the protruding direction thereof. ), A spring 43 disposed on the pipe 41. By making the elastic member 42 elastically contact with the main surface of the photomask substrate K, vibration is suppressed in the direction perpendicular to the main surface of the photomask substrate K. FIG.

Since the photomask substrate accommodating unit 1 configured as described above receives the photomask substrate K in an inclined posture, the surface area and the weight increase. However, the weight (substantially proportional to the surface area) of the photomask substrate accommodating unit 1 can be suppressed up to about two times as compared to the vertical or horizontal photomask case.

That is, as shown in FIG. 7, when the height of the photomask substrate K is H1, the length thereof is W1, and the inclination angle is θ, the minimum height of the photomask substrate receiving unit 1 is H1 · sinθ, the minimum thereof. The length is W1 and its minimum depth is H1 cos θ. Therefore, the area S1 of each of the front and rear surfaces of each photomask substrate accommodating unit 1, the area S2 of each of the left and right side surfaces thereof, the area S3 of the top and bottom surfaces thereof, and the photomask substrate accommodating unit ( The surface area S of 1) is calculated in the following manner.

S1 = H1, W1, sinθ

S2 = H1 ² · sinθ · cosθ

S3 = H1 W1 cosθ

S = 2 (S1 + S2 + S3)

Thus, if the inclination angle [theta] is changed in the range of 0 degrees to 90 degrees, the surface area (weight) changes as shown in Fig. 8, but the surface area (weight) can be suppressed to 2 times or less even at the maximum 45 degrees. It is understood that there is.

Here, in view of the appropriate aspect ratio, stability, and ease of pulling in and taking out of the photomask substrate K, the inclination angle θ is preferably set within a range of 45 to 80 degrees, which suppresses the increase in weight. In view of the above, the inclination angle θ is preferably set within a range of 60 to 80 degrees.

Now, the arrangement, transportation and withdrawal of the photomask substrate K using the photomask substrate accommodating unit 1 described above will be described.

The photomask substrate K is normally arranged in the photomask substrate accommodating unit 1 in a clean room of a factory. When arranging the photomask substrate K in the photomask substrate accommodating unit 1, the lid 12 is opened first, and then the photomask substrate K is disposed within the photomask substrate accommodating unit 1. 20) is temporarily placed on. In this case, the photomask substrate K is inclined when viewed from the side. Thereafter, the end face of the photomask substrate K is pressed by the end face presser 30, and then the lid 12 is closed. When the cover 12 is closed, the elastic member 42 of the main surface presser 40 provided on the inner side of the cover 12 is in elastic contact with the main surface of the photomask substrate K.

The photomask substrate accommodating unit 1 in which the photomask substrate K is disposed therein is transported out of the clean room. In this case, the photomask substrate accommodating unit 1 can be easily carried (moved) using the caster 13.

The photomask substrate accommodating unit 1 in which the photomask substrate K is disposed is appropriately selected for a transportation method such as land transportation, air transportation, sea transportation, or the like to be delivered to a delivery destination. In this case, since the height of the photomask substrate accommodating unit 1 can be reduced compared to the vertical photomask case which is configured to hold the photomask substrate K vertically, transfer of the photomask substrate accommodating unit 1 Not only can this be facilitated, but the disadvantage of limited conveying methods can be avoided. In addition, since the aspect ratio of the photomask substrate receiving unit 1 is reduced, it can be prevented from falling during transport or storage.

At the delivery destination, the delivered photomask substrate K is usually drawn out in the clean room of the factory. This operation is performed after opening the lid 12 and releasing the pressurization by the cross-sectional presser 30.

As described above, according to this embodiment configured as described above, the photomask substrate accommodating unit 1 for transporting / storing the photomask substrate K has a housing 10 for accommodating the photomask substrate K therein. And a holding member for holding the photomask substrate K in the housing 10. Since the holding member is configured to hold the photomask substrate K in an inclined posture when viewed from the side, the photomask substrate receiving unit 1 is a vertical photomask case adapted to hold the photomask substrate K vertically. Compared with the height can be reduced. Therefore, not only can the conveyance of the photomask substrate accommodating unit 1 be facilitated, but it is also possible to avoid the disadvantage that the conveying method is limited. In addition, since the aspect ratio of the photomask substrate receiving unit 1 is reduced, it can be prevented from falling during transportation. In addition, since the end face and the back surface of the photomask substrate K can be supported, the damage of the photomask substrate K can be prevented by dispersing the support load of the photomask substrate K. FIG. In addition, since it is not necessary to put down or lift the photomask substrate accommodating unit 1 at the time of drawing in and out of the photomask substrate K, it is possible to simplify the drawing in and out of the photomask substrate K. FIG.

When the inclination angle of the photomask substrate K is set to 45 degrees to 80 degrees with respect to the horizontal axis, the height of the photomask substrate accommodating unit 1, its aspect ratio, and its occupied workshop area (base area) are balanced. Can be set.

In addition, the arrangement member 20 for temporarily accommodating the photomask substrate K and the end face presser 30 for pressurizing the end face of the photomask substrate K disposed on the arrangement member 20 are provided. When provided as the holding member, the photomask substrate K can be temporarily arranged, so that the photomask substrate K can be easily accommodated with respect to the photomask substrate receiving unit 1. Further, by pressing the end face of the photomask substrate K by the end face presser 30, the photomask substrate K can be prevented from vibrating along the main surface, and generation of dust caused by friction can be prevented. have.

Moreover, when the main surface presser 40 for pressurizing the main surface of the photomask substrate K is provided as a holding member, the main surface presser 40 will pressurize the main surface of the photomask substrate K, and a photomask substrate By suppressing the vibration in the direction perpendicular to the main surface of K, generation of dust caused by friction can be prevented.

Now, a photomask substrate receiving unit according to another embodiment of the present invention will be described.

9 is a schematic perspective view of a photomask substrate accommodating unit according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 10 is a sectional view seen from the side of the photomask substrate accommodating unit shown in FIG.

In the present embodiment, the housing 101 includes an outer box 103 through which the photomask substrate K is drawn in and drawn out through the receiving opening 102, and a cover 104 for opening and closing the receiving opening 102. do. For example, the housing can be realized by the conventional housing 101 shown in FIGS. 1-3, except that the caster 105 has been removed.

Inside the housing 101, four holding portions 106 for holding four corners of the photomask substrate K as holding members, and the four-sided pressers 30 described in the above-described embodiment, A cross section presser (not shown) for pressing the end face of the photomask substrate K on the side surface is provided. These holding portions 106 and the cross section presses are arranged to hold the photomask substrate K perpendicular to the housing 101.

The housing 101 is disposed on the placement platform 110 in an inclined position.

The placement platform 110 is provided between two cross members 111, two support posts 112 uprightly disposed at the rear portion of the cross member 111, and a front portion of the cross member 111. A leg support member 113, a holding piece 112a projecting forward from an upper portion of the support post 112, and a back-surface support member bridged between the holding piece 112a. , 114, and a plurality of casters 115 provided at the bottom of the cross member 111 and the support member 113.

The support member 113 has a first support surface 113a for supporting the lower end face of the housing 101 and a second support surface 113b for supporting the rear surface of the housing 101 at the lower portion thereof. The back support member 114 has a support surface for supporting the back surface of the housing 101 at the top thereof.

According to this structure, when the housing 101 is fixed or disposed on the placement platform 110, the lower end surface of the housing 101 and the lower side of the rear surface of the housing 101 are supported by the support member 113. In addition, the lower left and right sides of the housing 101 are supported by the front portion of the cross member 111, and the upper portion of the rear surface of the housing 101 is supported by the rear support member 114. In addition, the upper left and right surfaces of the housing 101 are supported by the holding pieces 112a. As a result, the entire housing 101 is reliably supported by the placement platform 110.

Each support surface of the support member 113 and the back support member 114 is formed such that the inclination angle of the housing 101 is 45 degrees to 80 degrees with respect to the horizontal axis when supporting the housing 101. According to this structure, since the height of the photomask substrate accommodating unit can be reduced in comparison with the vertical photomask case, the photomask substrate accommodating unit exhibits the same effect as the above-described embodiment such as the transfer ease of the photomask substrate accommodating unit.

In this embodiment, the cross members 111 are arranged so that the gap therebetween increases toward the rear side. Accordingly, the support posts 112, which are arranged upright at the rear part of the cross member 11, also face the rear side, and the distance therebetween increases. According to this structure, as shown in Fig. 9, when arranging the two deployment platforms, the lower side of the rear deployment platform indicated by the thick line is to be arranged in the lower space on the rear side of the deployment platform indicated by the double dashed line. Can be. Thus, the plurality of deployment platforms 110 can be closely arranged in an overlapping manner without providing a long gap therebetween in the forward and backward directions, thus saving space during transport or storage.

The photomask substrate K is disposed in or withdrawn from the housing 101 with the housing 101 disposed on the placement platform 110 in a posture tilted at a predetermined angle. However, depending on the state at the time of arrangement or withdrawal of the photomask substrate K, it is also possible to arrange or withdraw the housing 101 in a state where the housing 101 is detached from the placement platform 110.

In addition, the present invention may be implemented as a photomask substrate transfer method. That is, the method of holding the photomask substrate in the photomask substrate accommodating unit described above at an inclined angle at a predetermined inclination angle, and transferring the photomask substrate while maintaining the inclination angle can be realized. According to this conveying method, since the height of the photomask substrate accommodating unit can be reduced, not only the conveyance of the photomask substrate accommodating unit is easy, but also the option of the conveying method is increased. Further, since the aspect ratio of the photomask substrate accommodating unit is reduced, it can be prevented from falling during transfer.

In addition, the present invention can be implemented as a method of manufacturing a photomask product. That is, a photomask product manufacturing method comprising at least a photomask substrate manufacturing step, a substrate forming step, and an inspection step, wherein the method holds the substrate in the above-described photomask substrate receiving unit in a posture tilted at a predetermined inclination angle. It is possible to realize a method of manufacturing a photomask product, which carries out the transfer and / or storage of the photomask substrate between the steps while maintaining the inclination angle.

In addition, the present invention can be implemented as a photomask exposure / transcription (or exposure) method. That is, disposing the substrate in the above-described photomask substrate receiving unit at a predetermined inclination angle, the exposure / transfer (or exposure) apparatus with the photomask substrate disposed therein at the inclined angle at the predetermined inclination angle A photomask exposure / transfer method comprising the steps of transferring a photomask substrate accommodating unit into a furnace and removing the photomask substrate from the photomask substrate accommodating unit and setting the photomask substrate in the exposure / transfer apparatus. The photomask exposure / transfer method of exposing / transferring a pattern onto the photomask substrate can be realized through the steps.

The present invention is applicable to a photomask substrate receiving unit for transferring and / or storing a photomask substrate, and is particularly suitable for carrying a large size photomask substrate for use in manufacturing LCDP, PDP and the like.

Claims (11)

A photomask substrate accommodating unit for transferring and / or storing a photomask substrate, wherein the photomask substrate accommodating unit comprises: A holding member for holding the photomask substrate in an inclined posture at a predetermined inclination angle; And And a housing for receiving the photomask substrate therein. The photomask substrate accommodating unit of claim 1, wherein the inclination angle of the photomask substrate is 45 degrees to 80 degrees with respect to a horizontal axis. The method of claim 2, The retaining member is installed in the housing to hold the photomask substrate in the housing. The method of claim 3, The holding member includes a placement member for temporarily receiving the photomask substrate thereon, and a cross section presser for pressing a cross section of the photomask substrate disposed on the placement member. . The method of claim 4, wherein The holding member further comprises a main surface presser for pressing the main surface of the photomask substrate. The method of claim 3, The housing includes an outer box and a cover to form a receiving opening, and the opening for receiving and withdrawing the photomask substrate is formed to extend on the top, front and both sides of the outer box. Substrate receiving unit. The method of claim 6, The accommodating opening is formed to be inclined with respect to the outer box when viewed from one side and the inclination angle is substantially the same as the inclination angle of the photomask substrate held by the holding member. The method of claim 2, The holding member is installed outside the housing, the photomask substrate receiving unit, characterized in that for holding the housing in which the photomask substrate is accommodated therein. A photo for holding the photomask substrate in a posture inclined at the predetermined inclination angle to the photomask substrate accommodating unit according to any one of claims 1 to 8, and transferring the photomask substrate while maintaining the inclination angle. Mask substrate transfer method. A photomask product manufacturing method comprising at least a photomask substrate manufacturing step, a substrate forming step, and an inspection step, The method comprises maintaining the photomask substrate in a posture inclined at the predetermined inclination angle in the photomask substrate receiving unit according to any one of claims 1 to 8, and maintaining the inclination angle between the steps. A photomask product manufacturing method for performing the transfer and / or storage of the photomask substrate. A photomask exposure method of exposing light to a photomask and transferring a pattern formed thereon to an object, Arranging the photomask substrate in a posture inclined at the predetermined inclination angle in the photomask substrate receiving unit according to any one of claims 1 to 8, Transferring the photomask substrate receiving unit to an exposure apparatus while the photomask substrate is disposed therein in an inclined posture at the predetermined inclination angle, And extracting the photomask substrate from the photomask substrate receiving unit and setting the photomask substrate in the exposure apparatus.

Images