KR20160055734A - Exposure device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides an exposure device used for forming patterns. The exposure device comprises: a stage; a light module spaced apart from the stage and irradiating light to the stage; and a driving section for transferring the stage or light module along a first direction, wherein the light module comprises a light source section extended along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and a light alignment member disposed between the light source section and the stage; the light alignment member includes a plurality of sub-members disposed in the second direction and extended toward the stage; and the sub-members have the same opening area.

Description

EXPOSURE DEVICE [0002]

The embodiment relates to an exposure apparatus used in pattern formation.

BACKGROUND ART [0002] A touch panel is an input device for converting a physical contact of a user's finger or the like into an electrical signal, and can be widely applied to various display devices.

The touch panel can be classified into a resistance film type, a capacitive type, an ultrasonic type, and an infrared type according to the operation principle. Recently, a capacitance type having a fast response speed is widely adopted.

Generally, a touch panel forms a sensing pattern on a transparent electrode. The pattern formation can form a sensing pattern in the active region using an exposure process. In the case where the sensing pattern is formed of a metal mesh, it is necessary to perform a fine patterning process of several micrometers. At this time, if the light irradiated to the mask is parallel light, a fine pattern of several micrometers can be realized.

The conventional exposure apparatus discloses a configuration for changing the angle of light irradiated from a light source using a plurality of lenses. However, the conventional exposure apparatus has a problem that it is difficult to form a fine pattern because the light can not be converted into substantially parallel light and is tilted at a predetermined angle to be irradiated to the mask. Further, when the exposure area is wide, there is a problem that a sufficient light irradiation area is not obtained.

The embodiment provides an exposure apparatus capable of irradiating a large area with uniform light.

Further, there is provided an exposure apparatus capable of irradiating parallel light.

An exposure apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention includes: a stage; An optical module disposed apart from the stage, the optical module irradiating the stage with light; And a driving unit for moving the stage or the optical module in a first direction, wherein the optical module includes: a light source unit extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; And a photo aligning member disposed between the light source and the stage, wherein the photo aligning member includes a plurality of sub-members disposed in the second direction, and the sub-member extends toward the stage.

In the exposure apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention, the light source unit may include: a light source extending in the second direction; And a reflector disposed on the opposite side of the light aligning member with respect to the light source.

In an exposure apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention, a first lens disposed between the light source portion and the photo alignment member; A heat insulating plate disposed between the first lens and the photo aligning member; And a second lens disposed between the photo alignment member and the stage.

 In the exposure apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention, the plurality of sub-members include a tube body having a polygonal shape.

In the exposure apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention, the plurality of sub members include a light absorbing layer disposed on the inner wall of the tube body.

In the exposure apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention, the cross section of the tube body may be triangular.

In the exposure apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention, the cross section of the tube body has an isosceles triangle shape including two sides having the same length as one base, and the internal angle formed by the two sides is greater than 5 degrees and 60 Deg.].

In the exposure apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, a virtual line connecting vertexes of one corner of the triangle and sides facing the vertex may be parallel to the first direction.

In the exposure apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention, the cross section of the tube body may be a parallelogram shape.

In the exposure apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention, the ratio (W: L) of the width (W) to the length (L) of the sub member may be 1: 4 to 1:20.

According to the embodiment, since parallel light is irradiated on the mask, it becomes possible to form a pattern of several μm.

In addition, a large area exposure process becomes possible.

In addition, since a low-cost ultraviolet lamp can be used, manufacturing cost is reduced.

1 is a conceptual diagram of an exposure apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention,
Fig. 2 is a modification of Fig. 1,
3 is a conceptual diagram of an optical module of an exposure apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention,
4 is a conceptual view for explaining a process of forming an electrode pattern by an exposure apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention,
5 is a cross-sectional view of a photo-alignment member according to an embodiment of the present invention,
FIG. 6 is a conceptual view for explaining a sub-member of a photo-alignment member according to an embodiment of the present invention,
7 is a cross-sectional view of a photo-alignment member according to another embodiment of the present invention,
8 is a conceptual view for explaining a sub-member of a photo-alignment member according to another embodiment of the present invention,
9 is a conceptual view for explaining the effect of the optical alignment member according to an embodiment of the present invention,
10 is a conceptual view for explaining the effect of the photo-alignment member according to another embodiment of the present invention,
Figs. 11 to 13 are conceptual diagrams for explaining problems occurring in the various types of photo-alignment members,
14 is a view for explaining a method of forming an electrode pattern using the exposure apparatus according to the present invention,
15 is an SEM photograph of a metal mesh pattern formed using the exposure apparatus according to the present invention.

The present invention is capable of various modifications and various embodiments, and specific embodiments are illustrated and described in the drawings. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not intended to be limited to the particular embodiments, but includes all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention.

The terms including ordinal, such as second, first, etc., may be used to describe various elements, but the elements are not limited to these terms. The terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. For example, without departing from the scope of the present invention, the second component may be referred to as a first component, and similarly, the first component may also be referred to as a second component. The term "and / or" includes any combination of a plurality of related listed items or any of a plurality of related listed items.

It is to be understood that when an element is referred to as being "connected" or "connected" to another element, it may be directly connected or connected to the other element, . On the other hand, when an element is referred to as being "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another element, it should be understood that there are no other elements in between.

The terminology used in this application is used only to describe a specific embodiment and is not intended to limit the invention. The singular expressions include plural expressions unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. In the present application, the terms "comprises" or "having" and the like are used to specify that there is a feature, a number, a step, an operation, an element, a component or a combination thereof described in the specification, But do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, or combinations thereof.

Unless defined otherwise, all terms used herein, including technical or scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. Terms such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries are to be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the contextual meaning of the related art and are to be interpreted as either ideal or overly formal in the sense of the present application Do not.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein like or corresponding elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram of an exposure apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a modification of FIG.

1, an exposure apparatus according to the present invention includes a stage 200, an optical module 100 disposed apart from the stage 200 to irradiate light, and a stage 200 or an optical module 100, Direction (D, X-axis direction).

The stage 200 may have a size such that the large-area substrate S can be arranged. The optical module 100 is disposed at the top of the stage 200 and slides in the first direction D to irradiate the large area substrate S with light. The driving unit 300 moves the optical module 100 or the stage 200 in the first direction D using a motor or the like.

Although a plurality of light sources may be disposed at the upper end of the stage in order to irradiate light to a large area, in this case, the energy density of each light source differs and it is difficult to irradiate uniform light. Further, parallel light can not be irradiated, and the productivity is lowered.

The exposure apparatus of the present invention can increase the area of the stage 200 because the optical module 100 disposed at the upper end of the stage 200 relatively moves in the first direction D. [ Therefore, it is advantageous to form a large-area electrode pattern. Referring to FIG. 2, the stage 200 may be vertically arranged in the exposure apparatus.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual diagram of an optical module of an exposure apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a process of forming a pattern by an exposure apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

3 and 4, the optical module includes a light source 110 that emits light toward the stage 200, a first lens 120 that converts the irradiated light, a heat shield plate 130, The alignment member 140, and the second lens 150 may be arranged in order.

The light source unit 110 includes a light source 111 extending in a second direction (Y axis direction) and a reflection plate 112 reflecting the light emitted from the light source 111 toward the light alignment member 140.

The light source 111 may be a tube type ultraviolet lamp extending in a second direction (Y-axis direction) perpendicular to the moving direction (X-axis direction) of the optical module 100. The light source 111 emits ultraviolet light capable of patterning the electrode using the mask pattern M.

The reflection plate 112 is formed in a semi-cylindrical shape and reflects upward light to the first lens 120 side of the light emitted from the light source 111. The reflection plate 112 may have an appropriate curvature so that the reflected light is incident on the first lens 120 side.

The first lens 120 is extended in the second direction (Y-axis direction) to convert the light emitted from the light source unit 110 into parallel light. The heat insulating plate 130 shields the heat generated by the ultraviolet rays from being transmitted to the mask M side.

The plurality of sub-members 141 having a predetermined shape are arranged in one direction in the optical alignment member 140. [ Each of the sub-members 141 is continuously arranged in the second direction (Y-axis direction), extends toward the stage 200 (in the Z-axis direction) and has a predetermined length.

The plurality of sub members 141 include a tube body 142 having a polygonal shape and a light absorbing layer 143 disposed on the inner wall of the tube body 142. The light absorbing layer 143 may include a substance that absorbs ultraviolet light (e.g., black carbon). Here, the polygonal shape is defined as a cross-sectional surface (a surface cut at right angles to the length) having a polygonal shape. The tube body 142 may have a cylindrical shape if necessary.

Among the light incident on the sub member 141, light L3 having an angle larger than a predetermined angle with the light path L1 is absorbed by the light absorbing layer 143, and light having an angle smaller than a predetermined angle with the light path L1 (L2) passes through the sub-member (141). Therefore, even if a relatively inexpensive ultraviolet lamp having a large amount of scattered light is used, only the light substantially parallel to the optical path can be irradiated onto the mask M.

Here, the optical path L1 can be defined as a shortest straight line between the light source 111 and the mask M, and the predetermined angle can be adjusted according to the area and length of the sub member 141. [ That is, as the area of the sub member 141 is narrowed or the length becomes longer, the predetermined angle becomes smaller, and the parallelism of the emitted light increases.

The length L of the sub-member 141 may be 400 to 800 mm, and the width W may be 40 to 100 mm. The scattered light emitted from the light source unit 110 can be effectively removed when the length L and the width W of the sub member 141 satisfy the above conditions. For example, the ratio (W: L) of the width W to the length L of the sub member 141 may be 1: 4 to 1:20.

The second lens 150 performs a function of converting light emitted from the sub member 141 into parallel light. The second lens 150 may extend in the second direction (Y-axis direction), and the cross-section may have a Fresnel lens shape.

The first lens 120 and the second lens 150 function to convert light in a direction orthogonal to each other into parallel light. For example, when the first lens 120 converts light inclined in the X-axis into parallel light, the second lens 150 can convert light inclined in the Y-axis into parallel light. Accordingly, when the light aligning member 140 is disposed between the first lens 120 and the second lens 150, the parallel light conversion efficiency is significantly increased.

The parallel light emitted from the optical module 100 is selectively irradiated to the electrode substrate S by the mask M. [ Therefore, an electrode pattern is formed by an exposure difference between the irradiated area and the non-irradiated area.

FIG. 5 is a sectional view of a photo-aligning member according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 6 is a conceptual view for explaining a sub-member of a photo aligning member according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a conceptual view for explaining a sub-member of a photo-alignment member according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 5, the light aligning member 140 is divided into a plurality of triangular-columnar sub-members 141. The light aligning member 140 includes a triangular prism sub-member 141 having a first plate 144a and a second plate 144b spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance and a serrated irregular plate 145 disposed therebetween, .

The tube body of the sub member 141 may be defined by the uneven plate 145 and the first plate 144a or the uneven plate 145 and the second plate 144b. Although not shown, a light absorbing layer is disposed on the inner surface of the sub member 141.

The triangular shape of the sub member 141 may be an equilateral triangle or an isosceles triangle. The opening areas of the respective sub-members 141 may be formed to be the same. Therefore, when the optical module 100 slides in the first direction D, it is possible to irradiate the stage 200 with uniform light.

At this time, in the triangular shape, the vertex P1 arranged in the first direction D and the imaginary line V1 vertically connecting the sides facing the vertex P1 are parallel to the first direction D As shown in FIG.

6, the sub-member 141 may have an isosceles triangle shape. The isosceles triangle includes two side faces F2 and F3 having the same length as one base side F1 and the first angle? 1 which is an interior angle formed by the two side faces F2 and F3 is greater than 5 and greater than 60 Deg.].

The second angle? 2, which is an internal angle formed by one side F2 and the base F1, may be greater than 60 degrees and less than 90 degrees. The width W on the triangle may be 40 to 100 mm. For example, the width of the isosceles triangle may be 70 mm.

Referring to FIG. 7, the light aligning member 140 may be divided into a plurality of parallelogram shaped sub-members 146. The first and second plates 147a and 147b are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined distance and a plurality of sub-plates 148 are disposed between the first and second plates 147a and 147b at predetermined angles, The sub member 146 can be formed.

The parallelogram shape has two horizontal surfaces (F5) and two inclined surfaces (F4). For example, the angle 3 between one horizontal plane F5 and the slope F4 may be 45 and the angle 4 between the other horizontal plane F4 and the slope F4 may be 135 degrees. have.

FIG. 9 is a conceptual view for explaining an effect of the photo aligning member according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 10 is a conceptual view for explaining the effect of the photo aligning member according to another embodiment of the present invention, 13 is a conceptual diagram for explaining a problem occurring in a photo-alignment member having various shapes.

9, the triangular-shaped sub-member 141 shields light at the outer frame portion (thickness of the concave-convex plate). Therefore, when the thickness of the uneven plate 145 is minimized, the light shielding ratio can be minimized. However, since it is necessary to have a minimum thickness for maintaining a predetermined strength, it is necessary to shield a certain part of light. Therefore, even if a certain part of light is shielded, it is important to irradiate uniform light.

According to the present invention, when the optical module 100 is slid in the first direction D, the area A1 shielded by the uneven plate 145 is always constant. Therefore, the first area a1 + a2 to which the light is irradiated is the same as the neighboring second area a3, so that the stage 200 can be irradiated with uniform light.

10, since the area A2 shielded by the sub-plate 148 is always constant, the first area a4 to which the light is irradiated is smaller than the second area a5). Therefore, uniform light can be irradiated. At this time, the imaginary lines connecting the vertexes P2 and P3 of the neighboring sub-members 146 may be parallel to the first direction D in which the optical module 100 moves.

However, when the outer frame portion 149a of the sub member 141 is disposed in parallel with the first direction D as shown in Fig. 11, there is a problem that the area corresponding to the outer frame portion 149a is always shielded. When the slopes of the outer frames 149b and 149c are not equal to each other as shown in FIG. 12 or the outer frame 149d is circular as shown in FIG. 13, the amount of light irradiated along the traveling direction of the optical module 100 becomes uneven there is a problem. This problem causes an uneven pattern.

FIG. 14 is a view for explaining a method of forming an electrode pattern using the exposure apparatus according to the present invention, and FIG. 15 is an SEM photograph of a metal mesh electrode formed using the exposure apparatus according to the present invention.

Hereinafter, a method of forming an electrode pattern using an exposure apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

First, a metal layer 20 is formed on a substrate 10 and a photoresist layer 30 is formed thereon as shown in FIG. 14 (a). The substrate 10 may be a high-strength glass material such as tempered glass, or may be a flexible film material.

Then, the pattern 31 is developed on the photoresist layer by irradiating ultraviolet light L on the mask M as shown in Figs. 14 (b) and 14 (c). As described above, the ultraviolet light L can be slid from one side to the other. A pattern is formed in the mask M in advance to selectively transmit light. Therefore, the photoresist pattern 31 is selectively cured.

Thereafter, the metal pattern 21 is formed by etching as shown in Figs. 14 (d) and 14 (e). The metal pattern 21 may be a mesh pattern. The etching method is not limited to a dry method or a wet method. Thereafter, the photoresist pattern 31 is removed.

14 (f) to 14 (h), the wiring layer 40 is formed at the edge of the metal pattern 21. Then, as shown in Fig. A transparent insulating layer 50 and / or a protective layer is formed thereon and cut into a cell unit (C).

Referring to FIG. 15, even when the metal mesh of the metal pattern is as thin as 4 占 퐉, a uniform pattern is formed. This is because highly uniform parallel light is irradiated by the exposure apparatus of the present invention. In addition, it was confirmed that the area of the metal pattern layer can be made as large as 21.5 inches.

100: optical module
110: light source
120: first lens
140: photo-
141: Sub-member

Claims (11)

stage;
An optical module disposed apart from the stage, the optical module irradiating the stage with light; And
And a driving unit for moving the stage or the optical module in a first direction,
The optical module includes:
A light source unit extending in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; And
And a light aligning member disposed between the light source and the stage,
Wherein the photo-alignment member includes a plurality of sub-members disposed in the second direction and extending toward the stage,
Wherein the plurality of sub-members have the same opening area.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the plurality of sub-members include a tube body having a polygonal shape.
3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the plurality of sub-members include a light absorbing layer disposed on an inner wall of the tube body.
3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the tube body has a triangular cross section.
3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the cross section of the tube body has an isosceles triangle shape including two sides having the same length as one base,
Wherein an internal angle formed by the two sides is larger than 5 DEG and smaller than 60 DEG.
5. The method of claim 4,
Wherein an imaginary line vertically connecting one vertex of the triangle and a side facing the vertex is parallel to the first direction.
3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the tube body has a parallelogram shape in section.
The method according to claim 1,
Wherein a ratio (W: L) of a width (W) to a length (L) of the sub member is 1: 4 to 1:20.
The method according to claim 1,
The light source unit includes:
A light source extending in the second direction; And
And a reflecting plate disposed on the opposite side of the light aligning member with respect to the light source.
The method according to claim 1,
A first lens disposed between the light source and the light alignment member; And
And a second lens disposed between the photo alignment member and the stage.
11. The method of claim 10,
And a heat insulating plate disposed between the first lens and the photo aligning member.

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