TWI758593B - Exposure device - Google Patents

Abstract

Double-side exposure of long substrates by exposure apparatus of roll-to-roll transfer system with reduced installation space Light.

In the exposure apparatus 10 of the roll-to-roll conveyance system, the supply roll is arranged on one side of the exposure stage 15 A long substrate reversing mechanism 50 is arranged on the opposite side of the shaft 22 and the retracting reel 32 . Then, the long substrate reversing mechanism 50 reverses the inside and outside while returning the long substrate W fed from the supply reel 22 in the opposite direction. The exposure section 40 includes the exposure stage 15, the supply reel 22, and the take-up reel 32. When the substrate feeding/retracting section 20 is integrally moved and relatively moved, the outside exposure target portion W1 and the inside exposure target portion W2 of the long substrate W are Both parts are exposed at the same time.

Description

Exposure device

The present invention relates to an exposure apparatus that transports a long substrate (workpiece) such as a flexible printed circuit board by a roll to roll transport system (Roll to Roll carrier, hereinafter referred to as a R to R transport system).

In an exposure apparatus including a R to R conveyance system, a supply reel (unwinding reel) and a take-up reel (reel reel) are arranged upstream and downstream of the exposure stage, respectively, and long substrates such as printed wiring boards are placed on the After the supply reel and the take-up reel are wound, they are conveyed from upstream to downstream and exposed simultaneously.

Specifically, while moving the exposure stage that adsorbs and supports the inner surface of the long substrate in the transport direction of the long substrate, the pattern light corresponding to the position of the projection area (exposure target area) is emitted by the exposure head provided above the long substrate. projection. When the exposure stage moves to the exposure end position, the exposure stage descends and returns to the original exposure position. By repeating the same exposure operation, the entire long substrate is patterned (for example, refer to Patent Documents 1 and 2).

In addition, in the exposure apparatus including the R to R conveyance system, both surfaces of the long substrate can be exposed. That is, two sets of exposure heads and exposure stages are prepared and installed in different places. Then, the inner and outer surfaces of the long substrates are reversed between the combinations, and the outer surfaces of the substrates are exposed in one combination, and the inner surfaces of the substrates are exposed in the other combination (refer to Patent Document 3).

[Prior Art Literature]

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2015-222370

[Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2009-276522

[Patent Document 3] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2017-215535

In the configuration in which two sets of exposure heads and exposure stages are arranged for exposure to both sides of the substrate, this portion of the entire apparatus becomes large because the substrate conveyance length becomes longer. It is extremely difficult to secure a large space for an exposure apparatus installed in a printed wiring board manufacturing line, because of the physically limited space for the entire manufacturing line, and this reduces the production efficiency of the entire line.

Therefore, there is a need to provide an exposure apparatus of an R to R transport system that can expose both sides of a long substrate while reducing the installation space.

The exposure apparatus of the present invention includes an exposure stage that holds a long substrate, a supply reel that feeds the long substrate, and a retracting reel that retracts the long substrate. For example, the exposure stage system may be configured to be able to move back and forth along the conveyance direction of the long substrate, and to move relative to the exposure section.

In the present invention, the exposure apparatus is arranged on the opposite side of the supply reel with respect to the exposure stage, and the conveying direction of the long substrate is switched to the opposite direction, and the long substrate reversing mechanism for reversing the inside and outside of the long substrate is included. . The retraction reel is arranged on the same side as the supply reel with respect to the exposure stage, and retracts the long substrates whose inside and outside are reversed.

When exposing a long substrate, on the exposure stage, the portion where the outer surface of the long substrate is the exposure target surface and the portion where the inner surface of the long substrate is the exposure target surface are aligned. Therefore, when the exposure part on the exposure stage is movable relative to the exposure stage, the outer part of the long substrate is exposed as the exposure target surface and the inner part is exposed as the exposure target surface.

The long substrate inversion mechanism may be constituted by a plurality of reels, and may include, for example, a conveyance length adjustment reel capable of adjusting the conveyance length of the substrates from the long substrate supply reel to the take-up reel.

Also, the long substrate inversion mechanism system may include a supply reel positioned relative to the exposure stage, A first conveyance direction change reel that changes the conveyance direction of the long substrate to a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction at the opposite side, and a first conveyance direction change reel located at the opposite side of the exposure stage from the take-up reel, where the long substrate is changed The conveyance direction of the board|substrate is changed from the direction perpendicular|vertical to the conveyance direction to the form of the 2nd conveyance direction change roll which changes the conveyance direction.

In this case, the conveying length adjustment reel system, between the substrate conveying distance from the first conveying direction changing reel to the second conveying direction changing reel, winds the long substrate, and can follow the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction. The way the direction moves the position is also possible. Furthermore, the first conveyance direction changing reel may be constituted by two reels that are arranged vertically, one of which may be directly opposed to the second conveyance direction changing reel, and the other may be directly opposed to the conveyance length adjustment reel.

For example, the supply reel and the take-up reel system may be movable back and forth along the conveyance direction together with the exposure stage. In addition, the long substrate reversing mechanism and the exposure stage may be able to move back and forth in the conveyance direction together.

In the exposure apparatus system according to another embodiment of the present invention, in the exposure apparatus including the R to R conveyance system, by the long substrate inversion mechanism, the conveyance direction of the long substrate fed from the supply reel is on the opposite side of the exposure stage When the exposure stage is moved relative to the exposure section by reversing the inside and the outside while being reversed toward the exposure stage side, the exposure section makes the outer part of the exposure target surface and the inner surface the exposure target surface. Part of the two-part exposure.

According to the present invention, exposure of both sides of a long substrate can be performed by the exposure apparatus of the R to R conveyance system in which the installation space is reduced.

10: Exposure device

10B: Pedestal

15: Exposure stage

20: Substrate supply/retraction part

20B: Side

20S: Support Desk

22: Supply Reel

32: Collapsing Scrolls

34: Support reel

40: Exposure Department

40A, 40B, 40C, 40D, 40E, 40F: Exposure head

41: Light source

42: Lighting Optical System

43: DMD, Digital Micromirror Device

44: Imaging Optical System

50: Long substrate reversing mechanism

60: Carrier/Conveyor System Moving Mechanism

62A, 62B: Rails

70: Mobile Control Department

80: Sensor

100: Controller

110: Light source control unit

120: Exposure Control Department

130: Conveyance Control Department

152, 154, 156, 158: reels

M: conveying direction

SM: Scanning direction

W: long substrate

W1: External exposure target portion

W2: Inside exposure object part

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the exposure apparatus in the present embodiment as viewed from above.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the exposure apparatus viewed from the side.

FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of an exposure apparatus.

FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram of a long substrate reversing mechanism.

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

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the exposure apparatus in the present embodiment as viewed from above. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the exposure apparatus viewed from the side. FIG. 3 is a schematic block diagram of an exposure apparatus.

The exposure apparatus 10 is an exposure apparatus including a R to R conveyance system that performs exposure operation while conveying a long substrate W wound up in a roll, and includes a substrate supply/retraction unit 20 and an exposure unit 40 . Here, the long substrate W is a plate-shaped substrate in which a copper thin film layer is formed on a long flexible plate, and a photosensitive material such as photoresist is applied (or adhered), and is wound to form a roll.

The exposure stage (table) 15 is capable of moving up and down between a suction position and a lower position away from the suction position while suctioning the long substrate W and keeping it flat, and is moved up and down by a lift mechanism (not shown). The exposure stage 15 is supported by the support table 20S of the substrate feeding/receiving section 20 .

The exposure part 40 is arrange|positioned at the predetermined distance above the long board|substrate W, and is fixed to the base 10B (base) of the exposure apparatus 10 by the frame which is not shown in figure. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the exposure unit 40 is composed of six exposure heads 40A to 40F here, and projects light emitted from a light source 41 such as a semiconductor laser as pattern light on the long substrate W superior.

The exposure heads 40A to 40F each include an illumination optical system 42, a DMD (Digital Micro-mirror Device) 43 in which a plurality of micromirrors are arranged in a matrix, and an imaging optical system 44 (refer to FIGS. 2 and 3 ). picture). Here, the exposure heads 40A to 40F are arranged in a zigzag shape along a direction perpendicular to the moving direction of the exposure stage 15, and the respective exposure areas are defined. The light source 41 is driven by the light source control unit 110 .

The DMD 43 system of each exposure head locates the position of the micromirror based on the drawing data (grid data) corresponding to the exposure area position sent from the exposure control section 120, whereby the pattern light corresponding to the exposure area position is projected onto the long substrate W above. The controller 100 (refer to FIG. 3 ) controls the overall exposure operation of the exposure apparatus 10 . In addition, a mask may be used instead of the exposure portion.

As described above, the substrate supply/retraction unit 20 includes the supply reel 22 , the retraction reel 32 , and the support reel 34 while supporting the exposure stage 15 via the support table 20S. Moreover, the side part 20B along the longitudinal direction of the support stand 20S includes a drive mechanism (not shown) that rotates the respective axes of the supply reel 22 and the take-up reel 32 . The supply reel 22 and the take-up reel 32 are provided on the same side with respect to the exposure stage 15 .

The drive mechanism is composed of, for example, a stepping motor or the like, and rotates the supply reel 22 and the take-up reel 32 in synchronization with each other so that the long substrate W is intermittently conveyed by a predetermined length. The support reel 34 is a free reel that supports the long substrate W and rotates as an axis when the long substrate W is conveyed. In addition, the support reel 34 is a configuration in which two free reels are arranged in series, and the free reels supporting the forward path and the return path of the long substrate, which will be described later, can be rotated independently of each other.

A supply reel 22 supported by a cantilever on a side portion 20B of the substrate supply/retraction unit 20 is held and fixed in a state in which the unexposed portion of the long substrate W is rolled up in a roll shape, and can be rotated by the shaft. Long substrate W feed. Similarly, the retraction reel 32 supported by the cantilever holds and fixes the exposed portion of the long substrate W in a rolled-up state, and can retract the long substrate W by rotating the shaft. The folding process of the long board|substrate W etc. are controlled by the conveyance control part 130 (refer FIG. 3).

The long substrate W system is on the opposite side of the supply reel 22 with respect to the exposure stage 15, and the long substrate reversing mechanism 50 changes the conveyance direction to the opposite direction (return) and reverses the inside and outside. As a result, the outer surface of the long substrate W is fed from the supply reel 22 as the exposure target surface (ie, the surface facing the exposure section 40 ), and the inner surface is retracted by the take-up reel 32 while the inner surface is the exposure target surface. In the exposure stage 15, the part of the outer surface of the long substrate W as the exposure target surface and the part of the inner surface as the exposure target surface are juxtaposed, and the exposure part The 40 series exposed both parts at the same time.

The stage/transport system moving mechanism 60 includes a pair of guide rails 62A and 62B provided on the base 10B of the exposure apparatus 10, and an actuator (not shown) constituted by a ball screw, and is provided on the base 10B. The movement control unit 70 (refer to FIG. 3 ) controls the driving of the actuator.

The board|substrate feeding/receiving part 20 and the exposure stage 15 are movable in the X direction (and -X direction) with respect to the base 10B of the exposure apparatus 10. Here, the direction along the conveyance direction M, which is the longitudinal direction of the long substrate W, is equivalent to the moving direction of the exposure stage 15 during exposure, that is, the direction opposite to the scanning direction SM as the X direction. Also, let the direction perpendicular to it be the Y direction, and let the direction perpendicular to the X and Y directions be the Z direction. In addition, the conveyance direction M represents the moving direction of the long substrate W in the section between the supply reel 22, the take-up reel 32 and the exposure stage 15, and represents both the X and -X directions.

A sensor 80 that detects the exposure position of the long substrate W is provided on the support roll 34 side of the exposure stage 15 . The sensor 80 detects a portion (hereinafter, referred to as an outer exposure target portion) W1 of the outer side of the long substrate W as an exposure target surface, and a portion (hereinafter, referred to as an inner side exposure target portion) W2 of the inner side as an exposure target surface. Exposure position of the two parts. The conveyance control unit 130 controls the substrate supply/retraction unit 20 and the long substrate inversion mechanism 50 so that the exposure positions of the outer exposure target portion W1 and the inner exposure target portion W2 of the long substrate W are aligned.

The configuration of the long substrate inversion mechanism 50 will be described below using FIGS. 1 and 4 . FIG. 4 is a schematic configuration diagram of the long substrate inversion mechanism 50 .

The long substrate inversion mechanism 50 is composed of four reels 152 , 154 , 156 and 158 . The reels 152 and 154 (hereinafter, referred to as the first conveyance direction changing reels) are reels for changing the conveyance direction of the long substrate W by 90 degrees, and are located at positions directly opposite to the supply reels 22 across the exposure stage 15, It is installed at an inclination of 45 degrees with respect to the conveyance direction M (scanning direction SM) (refer to FIG. 1 ). The long substrate W is wound by the first conveyance direction changing reels 152 and 154 so that the inner exposure target portion W2 faces upward (the exposure portion side).

A reel 156 (hereinafter, referred to as a conveyance length adjustment reel) is located on the first conveyance side. The long substrate W that is changed in the direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction M is wound to the position where the change reel 154 has the same height and is arranged at a position inclined by 90 degrees with respect to the conveyance direction M. Thereby, the outer side exposure target portion W1 of the long substrate W faces upward again.

The reel 158 (hereinafter, referred to as the second conveyance direction changing reel) is a reel arranged at a position inclined by 45 degrees with respect to the conveyance direction M, and is located directly opposite to the take-up reel 32 across the exposure stage 15 . Location. The long board|substrate W is wound by the 2nd conveyance direction changing roll 158, and is fed to the exposure stage 15 along the conveyance direction M. As shown in FIG. In addition, the inner side exposure target portion W2 of the long substrate W faces upward.

The conveying length adjustment reel 156 is capable of moving its position in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction M on the side portion 20B of the substrate supplying/closing unit 20, and adjusts the length of the long substrate W via the long substrate reversing mechanism 50. . After the sensor 80 installed on the exposure stage 15 detects the exposure positions of the outer exposure target portion W1 and the inner exposure target portion W2 of the long substrate W, respectively, the conveyance control unit 130 adjusts the conveyance length adjustment based on the detected exposure positions. The position of the reel 156 .

Hereinafter, the exposure operation will be described. Before exposure starts, the exposure stage 15 is in a stationary state because the outer exposure target portion W1 and the inner exposure target portion W2 of the long substrate W are adsorbed and held, and the supply reel 22 and the take-up reel 32 are not driven. As exposure starts, the exposure stage 15 is moved along the X direction at a predetermined speed.

The substrate feeding/receiving section 20 moves integrally with the exposure stage 15 . Therefore, when the exposure stage 15 moves, the long substrate W is stationary with respect to the exposure stage 15 . As the exposure stage 15 relatively moves in the X direction with respect to the exposure section 40 , pattern light corresponding to the position of the exposure area of each exposure head is projected from the exposure section 40 .

When the exposure stage 15 and the substrate supply/retraction unit 20 reach the exposure completion position, the exposure stage 15 releases the suction support of the long substrate W and descends. Then, the supply reel 22 and the take-up reel 32 are rotated synchronously, and the long substrate W is taken up by the take-up reel 32 only by a predetermined length. At this time, the positions of the outer exposure target portion W1 and the inner exposure target portion W2 of the long substrate W are detected, and the The degree adjustment reel 156 adjusts the exposure position.

When the retraction on the retraction reel 32 side is completed and the exposure position is adjusted, the exposure stage 15 and the substrate supply/retraction section 20 move and return to the exposure start position. During this period, the supply reel 22 and the take-up reel 32 are in a stationary state because they are not driven. By repeating the above-mentioned exposure operation, a pattern is formed on both surfaces of the long substrate W as a whole.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, in the exposure apparatus 10 of the R to R transport system, the supply reel 22 and the take-up reel 32 are arranged on one side of the exposure stage 15, and the long substrate inversion mechanism 50 is arranged on the opposite side. on the other side. Then, the long substrate reversing mechanism 50 reverses the inside and the outside while returning the long substrate W fed from the supply reel 22 in the opposite direction. When the exposure unit 40 moves the substrate supply/retraction unit 20 including the exposure stage 15, the supply reel 22, and the take-up reel 32 integrally and moves relatively, the outer exposure target portion W1 and the inner side of the long substrate W are exposed. The two parts of the object part W2 are exposed at the same time.

By arranging the supply reel 22 and the take-up reel 32 on one side of the exposure stage 15, the exposure apparatus 10 can be formed compactly and the footprint can be reduced. In addition, since the exposure unit 40 simultaneously exposes the outer surface of the long substrate and the inner surface of the long substrate which are arranged in two rows, exposure can be performed without lowering the production efficiency.

In the present embodiment, the long substrate inversion mechanism can be realized with a simple configuration via the long substrate inversion mechanism 50 composed of four reels. In addition, since it is not necessary to provide a reel or the like between the long substrate inversion mechanism 50 and the exposure stage 15, the distance between the long substrate inversion mechanism 50 and the exposure stage 15 is smaller than that of the supply reel 22 and the take-up reel. The distance interval between 32 and the exposure stage 15 is shorter. Thereby, the exposure apparatus 10 can be made closer in the conveyance direction M. As shown in FIG. In addition, the long substrate W can be prevented from being bent during the exposure operation by integrating the substrate feeding/receiving unit 20 with the exposure stage 15 and moving in the conveyance direction M.

By setting the conveyance length adjustment reel 156, it is possible to appropriately correct the external exposure target The deviation of the exposure positions of the portion W1 and the inner exposure target portion W2. In particular, since the conveyance length adjustment reel 156 is displaced in the direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction M, the exposure apparatus 10 can be kept compact.

In addition, the long substrate inversion mechanism 50 is not configured to move integrally with the substrate supply/retraction unit 20 , and the long substrate inversion mechanism 50 may be provided on the base 10B of the exposure apparatus 10 . In this case, a dancer reel or the like is provided between the exposure stage 15 and the long substrate inversion mechanism 50 . In addition, the substrate supply/retraction unit 20 is also fixed to the base 10B, and only the exposure stage 15 may be moved. In this case, an elastic adjustment reel or the like is provided between the supply reel 22 , the take-up reel 32 and the exposure stage 15 .

In this embodiment, although the exposure stage 15 moves along the conveyance direction M during exposure, the exposure unit 40 may move along the conveyance direction M instead. Alternatively, the exposure operation may be performed by moving the exposure unit 40 in a direction perpendicular to the conveyance direction M.

10: Exposure device

10B: Pedestal

15: Exposure stage

20: Substrate supply/retraction part

20B: Side

20S: Support Desk

22: Supply Reel

32: Collapsing Scrolls

34: Support reel

40: Exposure Department

40A, 40B, 40C, 40D, 40E, 40F: Exposure head

50: Long substrate reversing mechanism

62A, 62B: Rails

152, 154, 156, 158: reels

M: conveying direction

SM: Scanning direction

W: long substrate

W1: External exposure target portion

W2: Inside exposure target part

Claims (9)

An exposure apparatus comprising: an exposure stage for holding a long substrate; a supply reel for feeding the long substrate; The conveying direction is reversed and the inside-outside is reversed, and the long substrates before and after the inside-outside reversal are arranged side by side; and the take-up reel is arranged on the same side as the supply reel with respect to the exposure stage. The aforementioned long substrate is folded. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the long substrate reversing mechanism includes a conveyance length adjustment reel capable of adjusting the substrate conveyance length from the supply reel of the long substrate to the take-up reel. The exposure apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the long substrate reversing mechanism comprises: a first conveyance direction changing reel located at a position opposite to the supply reel with respect to the exposure stage, and The conveying direction of the long substrate is changed to a direction perpendicular to the conveying direction; and a second conveying direction changing reel is located on the opposite side of the take-up reel with respect to the exposure stage, and transfers the long substrate to the opposite side. The conveying direction is changed from the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction to the conveying direction. The exposure apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the conveying length adjustment reel transfers the long substrate between the substrate conveyance distance from the first conveying direction changing reel to the second conveying direction changing reel. It is wound and can be moved in the direction perpendicular to the conveying direction. The exposure apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the first conveying direction changing reel is composed of two reels that are juxtaposed up and down, and one of the reels is changed to the second conveying direction. The reel is directly opposite, and the other reel is directly opposite to the aforementioned conveying length adjustment reel. The exposure apparatus described in claim 1, wherein the exposure stage can move back and forth along the substrate conveyance direction, and the supply reel and the take-up reel can move back and forth along the conveyance direction together with the exposure stage. The exposure apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the long substrate reversing mechanism can move back and forth along the conveying direction together with the exposure stage. The exposure apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising: an exposure portion disposed on the exposure stage, wherein the exposure portion moves relatively with respect to the exposure stage when , two parts of the outer side of the long substrate as the exposure target surface and the inner side as the exposure target surface are exposed. An exposure method, in an exposure apparatus including a roll-to-roll conveyance system, comprising: a conveyance direction of a long substrate fed from a supply reel by a long substrate inversion mechanism, on the opposite side of an exposure stage toward an exposure stage When the stage side is reversely changed, the inside and the outside are reversed; when the exposure stage is relatively moved relative to the exposure section, the outer surface is the part of the exposure target surface and the inner surface is the part of the exposure target surface by the exposure section. Two-part exposure.

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