TWI843305B - Exposure method and exposure device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention can perform supplementary exposure without reducing position accuracy even when there is an exposure head that cannot expose due to abnormality. An exposure method of the present invention comprises the following steps: a step of irradiating a first exposure pattern from a first exposure head toward a first exposure area; a step of irradiating a second exposure pattern from the first exposure head toward a second exposure area; a step of irradiating a third exposure pattern from the second exposure head toward a third exposure area; and a step of irradiating a fourth exposure pattern from the second exposure head toward a fourth exposure area.

Description

Exposure method and exposure device

The technology disclosed in this specification is related to a substrate exposure. The substrate to be processed includes, for example, semiconductor wafers, glass substrates for liquid crystal display devices, substrates for flat panel displays (FPD) such as organic EL (electroluminescence) display devices, optical disk substrates, magnetic disk substrates, optical magneto-disk substrates, glass substrates for masks, ceramic substrates, field emission display (FED) substrates, or solar cell substrates.

In the past, an exposure device is known (for example, refer to Patent Document 1), which uses a plurality of exposure heads to expose an exposure area on a substrate.

In this exposure device, a plurality of exposure heads expose the exposure areas they are responsible for. Furthermore, when any exposure head cannot expose the exposure area it is responsible for due to an abnormality, other exposure heads can perform additional exposure to compensate. [Prior technical literature] [Patent literature]

Patent document 1: Japanese Patent Publication No. 2008-116646

(Invent the problem you want to solve)

In the prior art, when there is an exposure area that cannot be exposed, additional exposure is required to compensate for it, but the additional exposure is to make the exposure head perform an action different from the normal exposure action. Therefore, the action control becomes complicated and may cause the exposure position accuracy to decrease.

The technology disclosed in this manual was developed in view of the above-described problems. Even when there is an exposure head that cannot be exposed due to abnormalities, etc., the technology can supplement exposure without reducing position accuracy. (Technical means to solve the problem)

The first aspect of the exposure method disclosed in this specification is an exposure method using an exposure device having a first exposure head and a second exposure head; wherein the exposure device is used to expose a substrate provided with a plurality of exposure areas, the first exposure head can irradiate light to a first exposure pattern corresponding to the first exposure area in the plurality of exposure areas, and a second exposure pattern corresponding to the second exposure area in the plurality of exposure areas, and the second exposure head can irradiate light to a third exposure pattern corresponding to the third exposure area in the plurality of exposure areas, and a fourth exposure pattern corresponding to the fourth exposure area in the plurality of exposure areas; and the exposure method has the following steps: exposing the plurality of exposure areas to the first exposure head and the second exposure head. The step of moving the first exposure area to the ground; when the first exposure area is located at the exposure position of the first exposure head, the step of irradiating the first exposure pattern from the first exposure head toward the first exposure area; when the second exposure area is located at the aforementioned exposure position of the first exposure head, the step of irradiating the second exposure pattern from the first exposure head toward the second exposure area; when the third exposure area is located at the aforementioned exposure position of the second exposure head, the step of irradiating the third exposure pattern from the second exposure head toward the third exposure area; and when the fourth exposure area is located at the aforementioned exposure position of the second exposure head, the step of irradiating the fourth exposure pattern from the second exposure head toward the fourth exposure area.

The second aspect of the exposure method of the technology disclosed in this specification is related to the first aspect of the exposure method, wherein any one of the light irradiated from the aforementioned first exposure head to the aforementioned first exposure area, the light irradiated from the aforementioned first exposure head to the aforementioned second exposure area, the light irradiated from the aforementioned second exposure head to the aforementioned third exposure area, and the light irradiated from the aforementioned second exposure head to the aforementioned fourth exposure area, is not exposed in the corresponding aforementioned exposure area.

The third aspect of the exposure method of the technology disclosed in this specification is related to the first or second aspect of the exposure method, wherein any one of the light irradiated from the first exposure head to the first exposure area, the light irradiated from the first exposure head to the second exposure area, the light irradiated from the second exposure head to the third exposure area, and the light irradiated from the second exposure head to the fourth exposure area is blocked.

The fourth aspect of the exposure method of the technology disclosed in this specification is related to the exposure method of any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the first exposure head and the second exposure head are arranged in a first direction, a plurality of exposure areas are respectively arranged in the first direction, and the step of moving the plurality of exposure areas relative to each other is the step of moving the plurality of exposure areas along the first direction.

The fifth aspect of the exposure method of the technology disclosed in this specification is related to the exposure method of any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein the first exposure area and the second exposure area are adjacently arranged, and the third exposure area and the fourth exposure area are adjacently arranged.

The exposure method of the sixth aspect of the technology disclosed in this specification is related to the exposure method of any one of the first to fifth aspects, wherein the aforementioned first exposure area and the aforementioned third exposure area are the same aforementioned exposure areas.

The seventh aspect of the exposure method of the technology disclosed in this specification is related to the fourth aspect of the exposure method, wherein the first exposure head and the second exposure head are adjacently arranged in the first direction, the second exposure area and the third exposure area are the same area, and are adjacently arranged in the first direction in the order of the first exposure area, the second exposure area, and the fourth exposure area, and any one of the light irradiated from the first exposure head to the second exposure area and the light irradiated from the second exposure head to the third exposure area is blocked.

The eighth aspect of the technology disclosed in this specification is an exposure device, which comprises: a first exposure head and a second exposure head, which are used to expose a substrate; a plurality of exposure areas are set on the substrate, the first exposure head can irradiate light to a first exposure pattern corresponding to a first exposure area among the plurality of exposure areas, and a second exposure pattern corresponding to a second exposure area among the plurality of exposure areas, and the second exposure head can irradiate light to a third exposure pattern corresponding to a third exposure area among the plurality of exposure areas, and a fourth exposure pattern corresponding to a fourth exposure area among the plurality of exposure areas; and the exposure device comprises: a moving part, which makes the plurality of exposure areas move relative to the first exposure head and the second exposure head; and a control part, which is used to control the first exposure head and the second exposure head. The control unit is configured to perform an exposure operation of the second exposure head; the control unit is configured to, when the first exposure area is located at the exposure position of the first exposure head, irradiate the first exposure pattern from the first exposure head toward the first exposure area, and then, when the second exposure area is located at the exposure position before the first exposure head, irradiate the second exposure pattern from the first exposure head toward the second exposure area; and the control unit is configured to, when the third exposure area is located at the exposure position before the second exposure head, irradiate the third exposure pattern from the second exposure head toward the third exposure area, and then, when the fourth exposure area is located at the exposure position before the second exposure head, irradiate the fourth exposure pattern from the second exposure head toward the fourth exposure area.

The ninth aspect of the exposure device disclosed in the present specification is related to the eighth aspect, and is further provided with: a light shielding portion, which can selectively shield the light irradiated by the first exposure head and the second exposure head according to the control of the control portion; and a sensor, which is configured to detect the state of the first exposure head and the second exposure head; and the moving portion is configured to move the plurality of exposure areas in a first direction relative to the first exposure head and the second exposure head, the first exposure head and the second exposure head are adjacently arranged in the first direction, the second exposure area and the third exposure area are the same area, and in the order of the first exposure area, the second exposure area and the fourth exposure area, the plurality of exposure areas are moved in the first direction. The control unit is configured to detect the presence or absence of abnormalities of the first exposure head and the second exposure head based on the information from the sensor. The control unit is configured to block one of the light irradiated from the first exposure head to the second exposure area and the light irradiated from the second exposure head to the third exposure area by the light shielding unit when the abnormality of the first exposure head and the second exposure head is not detected, and when the abnormality of the first exposure head is detected, at least the light shielding unit is not used to block the light irradiated from the second exposure head to the third exposure area, and when the abnormality of the second exposure head is detected, at least the light shielding unit is not used to block the light irradiated from the first exposure head to the second exposure area. (Compared to the effect of the prior art)

According to at least the first and eighth aspects of the technology disclosed in this specification, by using a plurality of exposure heads to perform a plurality of light irradiations respectively, it is possible to use a plurality of exposure heads to complete various exposure operations. Thus, even if any one of the plurality of exposure heads cannot perform exposure due to an abnormality, the exposure can be supplemented without reducing the exposure position accuracy by irradiating with a plurality of light by other exposure heads that are set in advance.

In addition, the objectives, features, aspects and advantages of the technology disclosed in this specification will be further understood through the detailed description and drawings shown below.

In the following embodiments, although detailed features are shown for the purpose of technical description, they are merely illustrative and not all of them are necessary features for the embodiments to be implemented.

Furthermore, the drawings are schematically shown, and for the convenience of explanation, the components are appropriately omitted or simplified in the drawings. In addition, the size and position of the components are shown in different drawings, but they are not necessarily correct descriptions and can be changed appropriately. In addition, in order to facilitate the understanding of the content of the implementation form, hatching may also be added in drawings such as top views that are not cross-sectional views.

In addition, in the following description, the same constituent elements are given the same symbols and their names and functions are the same. Therefore, in order to avoid duplication, the detailed description of the contents may be omitted.

Furthermore, in the descriptions of this specification, unless otherwise specified, the description of a certain constituent element as “having”, “including”, or “having” does not constitute an exclusive expression that excludes the existence of other constituent elements.

In addition, in the description recorded in this specification, even if there are cases where ordinal numbers such as "first" or "second" are used, such terms are only used for the convenience of users in order to easily understand the content of the implementation form, and the content of the implementation form of the present invention is not limited to the order that can be generated by such ordinal numbers.

In the descriptions described in this specification, the expressions "positive direction of a certain axis" or "negative direction of a certain axis" etc. are expressed as the direction of the arrow along the certain axis in the diagram being the positive direction and the direction opposite to the arrow of the certain axis in the diagram being the negative direction.

In addition, in the descriptions recorded in this manual, even if there are cases where terms are used that refer to specific positions or directions such as "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "side", "bottom", "front" or "back", these terms are used for convenience in order to easily understand the content of the implementation form, and they have nothing to do with the position or direction of the actual implementation of the implementation form.

<Implementation> The following describes the exposure device and exposure method of this implementation.

<About the structure of the exposure device> Figure 1 is a side view showing the structure of the exposure device 1 of the present embodiment. In addition, Figure 2 is a top view showing the structure of the exposure device 1 of the present embodiment. The exposure device 1 is, for example, a device for drawing a predetermined pattern on the upper surface of a glass substrate (hereinafter also referred to as a "substrate") for a color filter in the step of manufacturing a color filter of a liquid crystal display device.

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , the exposure device 1 includes: a stage 10 for holding a substrate 9; a stage driving unit 20 connected to the stage 10; a head unit 30 having a plurality of exposure heads (exposure head 32a, exposure head 32b, exposure head 32c, exposure head 32d, and exposure head 32e) arranged along the X-axis direction; and a control unit 50 for controlling the operation of each driving unit of the device. In addition, the exposure device 1 is further provided with an irradiation light photographing unit 40 for photographing the light (irradiation light) irradiated from each exposure head.

The stage 10 has a flat plate shape and is a holding portion for arranging and holding the substrate 9 in a horizontal position on its upper surface. A plurality of suction holes (not shown here) are formed on the upper surface of the stage 10. Therefore, when the substrate 9 is arranged on the stage 10, the substrate 9 is fixed to the upper surface of the stage 10 by the suction force of the suction holes. Furthermore, a layer of photosensitive material such as a color photoresist is formed on the surface of the substrate 9 held on the stage 10.

The stage drive unit 20 is a mechanism for moving the stage 10 in the main scanning direction (Y-axis direction), the sub-scanning direction (X-axis direction), and the rotation direction (rotation direction around the Z-axis). The stage drive unit 20 includes: a rotation mechanism 21 that rotates the stage 10; a support plate 22 that rotatably supports the stage 10; a sub-scanning mechanism 23 that moves the support plate 22 in the sub-scanning direction; a base plate 24 that supports the support plate 22 via the sub-scanning mechanism 23; and a main scanning mechanism 25 that moves the base plate 24 in the main scanning direction.

The rotating mechanism 21 includes: a mover mounted on the end of the negative Y-axis direction of the stage 10; and a linear motor 21a, which is composed of a stator laid on the upper surface of the support plate 22. In addition, a rotating shaft 21b is provided between the lower surface of the central part of the stage 10 and the support plate 22. Therefore, if the linear motor 21a is driven, the mover moves along the stator in the X-axis direction, and the stage 10 rotates within a predetermined angle range with the rotating shaft 21b on the support plate 22 as the center.

The sub-scanning mechanism 23 has a linear motor 23a, which is composed of a mover mounted on the lower surface of the support plate 22 and a stator laid on the upper surface of the base plate 24. In addition, a pair of guide rails 23b extending in the sub-scanning direction are provided between the support plate 22 and the base plate 24. Therefore, if the linear motor 23a is driven, the support plate 22 moves along the guide rails 23b on the base plate 24 in the sub-scanning direction.

The main scanning mechanism 25 has a linear motor 25a, which is composed of a mover mounted on the lower surface of the base plate 24 and a stator mounted on the base 60 of the exposure device 1. In addition, a pair of guide rails 25b extending in the main scanning direction are provided between the base plate 24 and the base 60. Therefore, when the linear motor 25a is driven, the base plate 24 moves in the main scanning direction along the guide rails 25b on the base 60.

The head 30 is a mechanism for irradiating the upper surface of the substrate 9 held on the stage 10 with pulsed light of a predetermined pattern. The head 30 comprises: a bracket 31, which is mounted on the base 60 in a manner spanning the stage 10 and the stage drive unit 20; and five exposure heads (exposure head 32a, exposure head 32b, exposure head 32c, exposure head 32d, and exposure head 32e), which are installed on the bracket 31 at equal intervals along the sub-scanning direction. A laser oscillator 34 is connected to each exposure head via an illumination optical system 33. In addition, a laser drive unit 35 is connected to the laser oscillator 34.

Therefore, when the laser driver 35 is operated, the laser oscillator 34 oscillates to generate pulse light, and the oscillated pulse light is introduced into each exposure head via the illumination optical system 33.

An output portion 36, an aperture unit 37, and a projection optical system 38 are disposed inside each exposure head. The output portion 36 is used to output the pulse light introduced from the illumination optical system 33 downward, the aperture unit 37 is used to partially shield the pulse light, and the projection optical system 38 is used to image the pulse light on the upper surface of the substrate 9. A glass plate, namely, an aperture AP, formed with a predetermined light-shielding pattern is fixedly disposed in the aperture unit 37. The pulse light emitted from the output portion 36 is partially shielded when passing through the aperture AP disposed in the aperture unit 37, and becomes a light beam of a predetermined pattern and is incident on the projection optical system 38. In addition, by irradiating the pulse light passing through the projection optical system 38 on the upper surface of the substrate 9, a predetermined pattern is drawn on the photosensitive material on the substrate 9.

In addition, as shown schematically in FIG. 1 , each exposure head is provided with an aperture driver 39, which is used to adjust the position of the aperture AP provided in the aperture unit 37. The aperture driver 39 can select the pattern projected on the substrate 9 or adjust the projection position of the pattern by adjusting the horizontal position (including the inclination in the horizontal plane) of the aperture AP. In addition, the aperture driver 39 can also prohibit the irradiation of the pulse light by using the light shielding part of the aperture AP to shield the entire irradiation area of the pulse light. The aperture driver 39 can be composed of, for example, a plurality of linear motors.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the exposure area on the substrate 9 and the plurality of exposure heads during normal operation. As shown in FIG. 3 , the plurality of exposure heads are arranged at equal intervals (e.g., 200 mm intervals) along the sub-scanning direction (X-axis direction). When performing exposure processing (drawing processing), the stage 10 is moved in the main scanning direction while pulse light is irradiated from each exposure head. In this way, a plurality of patterns are drawn in the main scanning direction with a predetermined exposure width W (e.g., 50 mm width) on the upper surface of the substrate 9.

When one drawing in the main scanning direction is completed, the exposure device 1 moves the stage 10 in the sub-scanning direction by the exposure width W, and then moves the stage 10 in the main scanning direction again while irradiating pulse light from each exposure head. In this way, the exposure device 1 forms a pattern for a color filter on the substrate 9 by repeatedly drawing in the main scanning direction for a predetermined number of times (for example, 4 times) while shifting the substrate 9 in the sub-scanning direction by the exposure width W of the exposure head.

Thus, the exposure area on the substrate 9 is divided into five long strips of exposure area Aa, exposure area Ab, exposure area Ac, exposure area Ad, and exposure area Ae corresponding to the exposure heads (exposure head 32a, exposure head 32b, exposure head 32c, exposure head 32d, and exposure head 32e), and arranged in the X-axis direction. Furthermore, the number of exposure heads and the number of exposure areas do not have to be completely consistent, and the number of one of them may be greater.

Each exposure head can expose a plurality of exposure areas. For example, exposure head 32a can expose exposure area Aa and exposure area Ab; exposure head 32b can expose exposure area Aa, exposure area Ab, and exposure area Ac; exposure head 32c can expose exposure area Ab, exposure area Ac, and exposure area Ad; exposure head 32d can expose exposure area Ac, exposure area Ad, and exposure area Ae; exposure head 32e can expose exposure area Ad and exposure area Ae. Furthermore, the exposure areas available for exposure are not limited to the above-mentioned exposure areas corresponding to the positions of each exposure head and the exposure areas adjacent thereto. In the situation shown in Figure 3, the exposure areas at the positions corresponding to the exposure heads in the above description (i.e., exposure area Aa relative to exposure head 32a, exposure area Ab relative to exposure head 32b, exposure area Ac relative to exposure head 32c, exposure area Ad relative to exposure head 32d, and exposure area Ae relative to exposure head 32e) are exposed.

Fig. 4 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of a plurality of exposure heads. As shown in Fig. 4, exposure head 32a, exposure head 32b, exposure head 32c, exposure head 32d, and exposure head 32e are configured by a plurality of essential components such as aperture AP, aperture drive unit 39, and projection optical system 38. Furthermore, by making the plurality of essential components operate normally, normal pulse light is irradiated on substrate 9.

Returning to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the irradiation light photographing section 40 is a mechanism for photographing the pulse light irradiated from each exposure head. The irradiation light photographing section 40 has a CCD camera 41, a guide rail 42, and a camera driving mechanism 43 composed of a linear motor, etc. The CCD camera 41 is arranged with the photographing direction facing upward. In addition, if the camera driving mechanism 43 is operated, the CCD camera 41 moves in the sub-scanning direction along the guide rail 42 installed on the side of the Y-axis direction of the base plate 24.

When using the CCD camera 41, first, the main scanning mechanism 25 is operated to position the base plate 24 in a manner such that the CCD camera 41 is located below the head 30 (the state of FIG. 1 and FIG. 2). Then, the camera driving mechanism 43 is operated to move the CCD camera 41 in the sub-scanning direction while the CCD camera 41 photographs the pulse light emitted from each exposure head. The image data obtained by the photography is transmitted from the CCD camera 41 to the control unit 50. The transmitted image data is used, for example, to determine whether the corresponding exposure head is abnormal.

The control unit 50 is a processing unit for controlling the operation of each driving unit in the exposure device 1. FIG5 is a diagram schematically showing the connection structure between each driving unit of the exposure device 1 and the control unit 50.

As shown in FIG5 , the control unit 50 is electrically connected to the rotating mechanism 21, the auxiliary scanning mechanism 23, the main scanning mechanism 25, the laser driver 35, the illumination optical system 33, the projection optical system 38, the aperture driver 39, the CCD camera 41, and the camera driver 43 to control the operation of these components. The control unit 50 is composed of a computer having a CPU or a memory, for example, and performs the aforementioned control by causing the computer to operate according to a program installed in the computer.

<Functions of the exposure device> FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the structure of the exposure device 1 with the control unit 50 as the center, according to each function. As shown in FIG. 6, the control unit 50 is a processing unit realized by the operation of the CPU or the memory, and is provided with a stage position adjustment unit 53, an irradiation control unit (irradiation control unit 54a, irradiation control unit 54b, irradiation control unit 54c, irradiation control unit 54d and irradiation control unit 54e), and a control switching determination unit 55.

The stage position adjustment unit 53 is a processing unit for adjusting the position of the stage 10. The stage position adjustment unit 53 moves the stage 10 by transmitting a control signal to the stage driving unit 20 so that each exposure head is located above a responsible exposure area.

The irradiation control unit (irradiation control unit 54a, irradiation control unit 54b, irradiation control unit 54c, irradiation control unit 54d, and irradiation control unit 54e) is a processing unit for controlling the irradiation operation of the pulse light on a plurality of exposure areas to be exposed.

In addition, the control switching determination unit 55 is used to distribute the irradiation control signal Sa, the irradiation control signal Sb, the irradiation control signal Sc, the irradiation control signal Sd, and the irradiation control signal Se outputted from the irradiation control unit 54a, the irradiation control unit 54b, the irradiation control unit 54c, the irradiation control unit 54d, and the irradiation control unit 54e, respectively, to the processing units of the exposure head 32a, the exposure head 32b, the exposure head 32c, the exposure head 32d, and the exposure head 32e, respectively. The control switching determination unit 55 distributes at least two signals (signals indicating exposure patterns) among the irradiation control signal Sa, the irradiation control signal Sb, the irradiation control signal Sc, the irradiation control signal Sd, and the irradiation control signal Se to the exposure heads, respectively. In this way, each exposure head can expose a plurality of exposure areas by a plurality of exposure operations.

<About the action of the exposure device> Next, the action of the exposure device 1 is described. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the action flow of the exposure device 1. In addition, FIG. 8, FIG. 9 and FIG. 10 are top views showing the action state of the exposure device 1. Furthermore, the series of actions described below are realized by the control unit 50 controlling the action of the rotating mechanism 21, the sub-scanning mechanism 23, the main scanning mechanism 25, the laser drive unit 35, the illumination optical system 33, the projection optical system 38, the aperture drive unit 39, the CCD camera 41 and the camera drive unit 43.

When the substrate 9 is placed on the stage 10, the exposure device 1 uses the exposure head 32a, the exposure head 32b, the exposure head 32c, the exposure head 32d, and the exposure head 32e to irradiate the plurality of exposure areas (exposure area Aa, exposure area Ab, exposure area Ac, exposure area Ad, exposure area Ae) that each exposure head is responsible for (step ST1). That is, while controlling the stage drive unit 20 to move the substrate 9 in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction, the exposure start position of the responsible exposure area is located below each exposure head. Then, pulse light corresponding to the exposure pattern is irradiated from the plurality of exposure heads (in this embodiment, all the exposure heads).

Specifically, as shown in FIG8 , since the exposure area is not located at the exposure position corresponding to the exposure head 32a, the exposure head 32a irradiates light with a dummy pattern or other pattern that does not contribute to exposure; the exposure head 32b exposes the exposure area Aa located at the exposure position with an exposure pattern according to the exposure control signal Sa; the exposure head 32c exposes the exposure area Ab located at the exposure position according to the exposure pattern of the exposure control signal Sb; the exposure head 32d exposes the exposure area Ac located at the exposure position according to the exposure pattern of the exposure control signal Sc; the exposure head 32e exposes the exposure area Ad located at the exposure position according to the exposure pattern of the exposure control signal Sd. At this time, since the exposure area Ae is not located at the exposure position of any exposure head, the exposure area Ae is not exposed. Furthermore, the exposure position refers to a position where the light irradiated from the exposure head reaches and can be properly exposed, for example, it corresponds to the position directly below each exposure head. Furthermore, irradiating light with a pattern that does not contribute to exposure means irradiating light in a state where an exposure pattern is not formed on the exposure area. The state where an exposure pattern is not formed on the exposure area is, for example, a state where the entire irradiation area of the pulse light is blocked by the light shielding portion of the aperture AP. In addition, when the illumination optical system 33 is configured to have a spatial light modulator (DMD or GLV, etc.), the state where an exposure pattern is not formed on the exposure area can also be a state where the spatial light modulator is controlled so that the spatial light modulator does not reflect the pulse light toward the exposure area.

Next, while moving the portion of an exposure area along the sub-scanning direction (negative X-axis direction), the exposure area at the exposure position of each exposure head is irradiated with light for the second time with the corresponding exposure pattern (step ST2). Here, in a manner that each of the plurality of predetermined exposure actions can expose a different exposure area, an irradiation control signal (a signal indicating an exposure pattern) corresponding to a different exposure area is input to each exposure head. Therefore, the exposure area at the exposure position of each exposure head in step ST2 is different from the exposure area in step ST1, and the light of the corresponding exposure pattern can be appropriately irradiated from each exposure head.

Specifically, as shown in Figure 9, the exposure head 32a exposes the exposure area Aa located at the exposure position according to the exposure pattern of the illumination control signal Sa; the exposure head 32b exposes the exposure area Ab located at the exposure position according to the exposure pattern of the illumination control signal Sb; the exposure head 32c exposes the exposure area Ac located at the exposure position according to the exposure pattern of the illumination control signal Sc; the exposure head 32d exposes the exposure area Ad located at the exposure position according to the exposure pattern of the illumination control signal Sd; and the exposure head 32e exposes the exposure area Ae located at the exposure position according to the exposure pattern of the illumination control signal Se.

Furthermore, while moving the portion of one exposure area in the sub-scanning direction (negative X-axis direction), the exposure area at the exposure position of each exposure head is irradiated with light for the third time with the corresponding exposure pattern (step ST3). As described above, each of the plurality of predetermined exposure operations can expose a different exposure area, and the irradiation control signal (signal indicating the exposure pattern) corresponding to the different exposure area is input to each exposure head, so that each exposure head can appropriately irradiate the light of the corresponding exposure pattern.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 10 , the exposure head 32a exposes the exposure area Ab located at the exposure position according to the exposure pattern of the exposure control signal Sb; the exposure head 32b exposes the exposure area Ac located at the exposure position according to the exposure pattern of the exposure control signal Sc; the exposure head 32c exposes the exposure area Ad located at the exposure position according to the exposure pattern of the exposure control signal Sd; the exposure head 32d exposes the exposure area Ae located at the exposure position according to the exposure pattern of the exposure control signal Se; since the exposure area is not located at the exposure position corresponding to the exposure head 32e, the exposure head 32e irradiates light with a pattern that does not contribute to exposure, such as a virtual pattern. At this time, since the exposure area Aa is not located at the exposure position of any exposure head, the exposure area Aa is not exposed.

In this way, the exposure area Aa and the exposure area Ae can be exposed twice, and the exposure area Ab, the exposure area Ac, and the exposure area Ad can be exposed three times.

Since the illumination control signal representing the exposure pattern is input to each exposure head in such a manner that exposure can be applied to a plurality of exposure areas, the above-described corresponding relationship may not be required as long as the light corresponding to the exposure pattern corresponding to the exposure area at the exposure position is irradiated. That is, regardless of whether an illumination control signal (signal representing the exposure pattern) corresponding to a plurality of exposure areas adjacent to each other is input to one exposure head, an illumination control signal corresponding to a plurality of exposure areas not adjacent to each other may be input to one exposure head. However, when an illumination control signal corresponding to a plurality of exposure areas adjacent to each other is input to one exposure head, the relative movement between the exposure head used to expose the plurality of exposure areas and the corresponding exposure areas can be minimized. Therefore, since the movement amount of the exposure head can be reduced, the time required for exposure can be reduced, and in addition, high position accuracy of exposure can be maintained.

In addition, the positional relationship between the exposure head and the exposure area can be changed by relatively moving the head 30 and the substrate 9. That is, it can be a situation where the head 30 moves or a situation where both sides move.

In addition, the number of times of irradiation with light from each exposure head is not limited to three times, and may be a plurality of times.

By irradiating light multiple times as described above, exposure including double exposure and triple exposure can be realized. In addition, if the irradiation of light from at least a part of the exposure head is blocked, various exposures different from the above can be realized. In other words, even if any one of the multiple exposure heads cannot expose due to abnormality, the exposure can be supplemented by multiple irradiations from other exposure heads by simply changing the action of the light shielding part of the aperture AP from the normal action shown in Figures 8 to 16. Therefore, compared with the situation where an additional exposure action is performed to supplement the exposure, it is possible to maintain high position accuracy while increasing the degree of freedom of the exposure action.

Next, a description will be given of a modified example of the operation of the exposure device 1. Fig. 11, Fig. 12, and Fig. 13 are plan views showing the operation of the exposure device 1.

When the substrate 9 is set on the stage 10, the exposure device 1 uses the exposure head 32a, the exposure head 32b, the exposure head 32c, the exposure head 32d and the exposure head 32e to irradiate the exposure areas (exposure area Aa, exposure area Ab, exposure area Ac, exposure area Ad, exposure area Ae) respectively responsible for light.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 11 , the exposure head 32a irradiates light with a pattern that does not contribute to exposure, such as a virtual pattern; the exposure head 32b irradiates light toward the exposure area Aa according to the irradiation control signal Sa; the exposure head 32c irradiates light toward the exposure area Ab according to the irradiation control signal Sb; the exposure head 32d irradiates light toward the exposure area Ac according to the irradiation control signal Sc; and the exposure head 32e irradiates light toward the exposure area Ad according to the irradiation control signal Sd. At this time, since the exposure area Ae is not located at the exposure position of any exposure head, light is not irradiated toward the exposure area Ae.

In each exposure head, the aperture driving unit 39 is driven to block the entire irradiation area of the pulse light with the light shielding unit of the aperture AP. In other words, the irradiation of light is blocked from each exposure head. As a result, in the operation shown in FIG. 11 , each exposure area is not exposed. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 11 , exposure may not be performed by using the light shielding unit, or exposure may not be performed by irradiating light with a pattern that does not contribute to exposure, such as a virtual pattern, without blocking light with the light shielding unit.

Next, while moving a portion of the exposure area in the sub-scanning direction (negative X-axis direction), the exposure area at the exposure position of each exposure head is irradiated with light for the second time with a corresponding exposure pattern.

Specifically, as shown in Figure 12, the exposure head 32a exposes the exposure area Aa according to the illumination control signal Sa; the exposure head 32b exposes the exposure area Ab according to the illumination control signal Sb; the exposure head 32c exposes the exposure area Ac according to the illumination control signal Sc; the exposure head 32d exposes the exposure area Ad according to the illumination control signal Sd; and the exposure head 32e exposes the exposure area Ae according to the illumination control signal Se.

Then, while moving a portion of the exposure area in the sub-scanning direction (negative X-axis direction), the exposure area located at the exposure position of each exposure head is irradiated with light for the third time with the corresponding exposure pattern.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 13 , the exposure head 32a irradiates light toward the exposure area Ab according to the irradiation control signal Sb; the exposure head 32b irradiates light toward the exposure area Ac according to the irradiation control signal Sc; the exposure head 32c irradiates light toward the exposure area Ad according to the irradiation control signal Sd; the exposure head 32d irradiates light toward the exposure area Ae according to the irradiation control signal Se; and the exposure head 32e irradiates light with a pattern that does not contribute to exposure, such as a virtual pattern. At this time, since the exposure area Aa is not located at the exposure position of any exposure head, light is not irradiated toward the exposure area Aa.

In each exposure head, the aperture driving unit 39 is driven to block the entire irradiation area of the pulse light with the light shielding unit of the aperture AP. In other words, the irradiation of light is blocked from each exposure head. As a result, in the operation shown in FIG. 13 , each exposure area is not exposed. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 13 , exposure may be avoided by using the light shielding unit, or exposure may be avoided by irradiating light with a pattern that does not contribute to exposure, such as a virtual pattern, without blocking light with the light shielding unit.

According to this structure, the entire exposure area can be exposed once.

Next, another modification of the operation of the exposure device 1 will be described. FIG14, FIG15 and FIG16 are plan views showing the operation of the exposure device 1 ...

When the substrate 9 is set on the stage 10, the exposure device 1 uses the exposure head 32a, the exposure head 32b, the exposure head 32c, the exposure head 32d and the exposure head 32e to irradiate the exposure areas (exposure area Aa, exposure area Ab, exposure area Ac, exposure area Ad, exposure area Ae) respectively responsible for light.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 14 , the exposure head 32a irradiates light with a pattern that does not contribute to exposure, such as a virtual pattern; the exposure head 32b irradiates light toward the exposure area Aa according to the irradiation control signal Sa; the exposure head 32c irradiates light toward the exposure area Ab according to the irradiation control signal Sb; the exposure head 32d irradiates light toward the exposure area Ac according to the irradiation control signal Sc; and the exposure head 32e irradiates light toward the exposure area Ad according to the irradiation control signal Sd. At this time, since the exposure area Ae is not located at the exposure position of any exposure head, light is not irradiated toward the exposure area Ae.

In the exposure head 32a and the exposure head 32c, the aperture driving unit 39 is driven to block the entire irradiation area of the pulse light with the light shielding unit of the aperture AP. In other words, the irradiation of light from the exposure head 32a and the exposure head 32c is blocked. As a result, in the operation shown in FIG. 14, the exposure area Ab is not exposed. Furthermore, by blocking the irradiation of light from the exposure head 32a, it is possible to suppress excess light from going outside the substrate 9.

Next, while moving a portion of the exposure area in the sub-scanning direction (negative X-axis direction), the exposure area at the exposure position of each exposure head is irradiated with light for the second time with a corresponding exposure pattern.

Specifically, as shown in Figure 15, the exposure head 32a irradiates light toward the exposure area Aa according to the illumination control signal Sa; the exposure head 32b irradiates light toward the exposure area Ab according to the illumination control signal Sb; the exposure head 32c irradiates light toward the exposure area Ac according to the illumination control signal Sc; the exposure head 32d irradiates light toward the exposure area Ad according to the illumination control signal Sd; and the exposure head 32e irradiates light toward the exposure area Ae according to the illumination control signal Se.

In the exposure head 32c, the aperture driving unit 39 is driven to block the entire irradiation area of the pulse light with the light shielding unit of the aperture AP. In other words, the irradiation of the self-exposure head 32c is blocked. As a result, in the operation shown in FIG. 15, the exposure area Ac is not exposed.

Then, while moving a portion of the exposure area in the sub-scanning direction (negative X-axis direction), the exposure area located at the exposure position of each exposure head is irradiated with light for the third time with the corresponding exposure pattern.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 16 , the exposure head 32a irradiates light toward the exposure area Ab according to the irradiation control signal Sb; the exposure head 32b irradiates light toward the exposure area Ac according to the irradiation control signal Sc; the exposure head 32c irradiates light toward the exposure area Ad according to the irradiation control signal Sd; the exposure head 32d irradiates light toward the exposure area Ae according to the irradiation control signal Se; and the exposure head 32e irradiates light with a pattern that does not contribute to exposure, such as a virtual pattern. At this time, since the exposure area Aa is not located at the exposure position of any exposure head, light is not irradiated toward the exposure area Aa.

In the exposure head 32c and the exposure head 32e, the entire irradiation area of the pulse light is shielded by the light shielding part of the aperture AP by driving the aperture driving part 39. In other words, the irradiation of light from the exposure head 32c and the exposure head 32e is shielded. As a result, in the operation shown in FIG. 16, the exposure area Ad is not exposed. Furthermore, by shielding the irradiation of light from the exposure head 32e, it is possible to suppress excess light from going outside the substrate 9.

According to this structure, the entire exposure area can be exposed twice. In addition, since the exposure positions of the arranged different exposure heads are sequentially located in one exposure area for double exposure, it is not necessary to return the exposure head to the exposure start position required when the same exposure head is used for double exposure, that is, to drive the action in the positive X-axis direction. In this way, the movement amount of the exposure head can be reduced, the time required for exposure can be reduced, and the high position accuracy of exposure can be maintained.

Next, another variation of the operation of the exposure device 1 is described. In this variation, it is assumed that the exposure head 32a cannot irradiate light due to an abnormality. For determining the abnormality of the exposure head 32a, for example, the control unit 50 obtains information such as the position, line width or light amount of the pulse light irradiated from each exposure head from the image data photographed by the CCD camera 41 (sensor). And, by comparing such information with the information of the ideal irradiation pattern, it can be determined whether the appropriate pulse light is irradiated from the exposure head. Furthermore, Figures 17, 18 and 19 are top views showing the operation status of the exposure device 1.

When the substrate 9 is set on the stage 10, the exposure device 1 uses the exposure head 32b, the exposure head 32c, the exposure head 32d and the exposure head 32e to irradiate the exposure areas (exposure area Aa, exposure area Ab, exposure area Ac, exposure area Ad, exposure area Ae) respectively responsible for light.

Specifically, as shown in FIG17 , the exposure head 32b irradiates light toward the exposure area Aa according to the irradiation control signal Sa; the exposure head 32c irradiates light toward the exposure area Ab according to the irradiation control signal Sb; the exposure head 32d irradiates light toward the exposure area Ac according to the irradiation control signal Sc; and the exposure head 32e irradiates light toward the exposure area Ad according to the irradiation control signal Sd. At this time, since the exposure area Ae is not located at the exposure position of any exposure head, light is not irradiated toward the exposure area Ae.

Furthermore, if the exposure head 32a cannot emit light due to an abnormality, the exposure head 32a is driven by the aperture driver 39, and the entire irradiation area of the pulse light is blocked by the light shielding portion of the aperture AP. That is, the irradiation of light from the exposure head 32a is blocked.

Next, while moving a portion of the exposure area in the sub-scanning direction (negative X-axis direction), the exposure area at the exposure position of each exposure head is irradiated with light for the second time with a corresponding exposure pattern.

Specifically, as shown in Figure 18, the exposure head 32b irradiates light toward the exposure area Ab according to the illumination control signal Sb; the exposure head 32c irradiates light toward the exposure area Ac according to the illumination control signal Sc; the exposure head 32d irradiates light toward the exposure area Ad according to the illumination control signal Sd; and the exposure head 32e irradiates light toward the exposure area Ae according to the illumination control signal Se.

Here, in the exposure head 32a, the exposure head 32b, the exposure head 32c, and the exposure head 32d, the light shielding portion of the aperture AP can shield the entire irradiation area of the pulse light due to the driving of the aperture driving portion 39. In other words, the irradiation of the self-exposure head 32a, the exposure head 32b, the exposure head 32c, and the exposure head 32d is shielded. As a result, in the operation shown in FIG. 18, the exposure area Aa, the exposure area Ab, the exposure area Ac, and the exposure area Ad are not exposed.

Then, while moving a portion of the exposure area in the sub-scanning direction (negative X-axis direction), the exposure area located at the exposure position of each exposure head is irradiated with light for the third time with the corresponding exposure pattern.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 19 , the exposure head 32b irradiates light toward the exposure area Ac according to the irradiation control signal Sc; the exposure head 32c irradiates light toward the exposure area Ad according to the irradiation control signal Sd; the exposure head 32d irradiates light toward the exposure area Ae according to the irradiation control signal Se, and the exposure head 32e irradiates light with a pattern that does not contribute to exposure, such as a virtual pattern. At this time, since the exposure area Aa is not located at the exposure position of any exposure head, light is not irradiated toward the exposure area Aa.

In each exposure head, the light shielding portion of the aperture AP can shield the entire irradiation area of the pulse light by driving the aperture driving portion 39. In other words, the irradiation of light from each exposure head is shielded. As a result, in the operation shown in FIG. 19 , the entire exposure area is not exposed.

According to this structure, even if the exposure head 32a cannot perform exposure due to abnormality, the entire exposure area can be exposed once by simply changing the movement of the light shielding part of the aperture AP from the normal operation shown in Figures 8 to 16.

Next, another modification of the operation of the exposure device 1 will be described. In this modification, it is assumed that the exposure head 32a, the exposure head 32c, and the exposure head 32e cannot irradiate light due to an abnormality or the like. FIG. 20, FIG. 21, and FIG. 22 are top views showing the operation of the exposure device 1.

When the substrate 9 is placed on the stage 10, the exposure device 1 uses the exposure head 32b and the exposure head 32d to irradiate the exposure areas (exposure area Aa, exposure area Ab, exposure area Ac, exposure area Ad, exposure area Ae) for which they are responsible with light.

Specifically, as shown in Fig. 20, the exposure head 32b irradiates light toward the exposure area Aa according to the irradiation control signal Sa, and the exposure head 32d irradiates light toward the exposure area Ac according to the irradiation control signal Sc. At this time, since the exposure area Ae is not located at the exposure position of any exposure head, light is not irradiated toward the exposure area Ae.

Furthermore, assuming that the exposure heads 32a, 32c, and 32e cannot emit light due to an abnormality, in this case, the entire irradiation area of the pulse light is shielded by the light shielding portion of the aperture AP in the exposure heads 32a, 32c, and 32e by driving the aperture driving unit 39. In other words, the irradiation of light from the exposure heads 32a, 32c, and 32e is shielded. As a result, in the operation shown in FIG. 20, the exposure area Ab and the exposure area Ad are not exposed.

Next, while moving a portion of the exposure area in the sub-scanning direction (negative X-axis direction), the exposure area at the exposure position of each exposure head is irradiated with light for the second time with a corresponding exposure pattern.

Specifically, as shown in FIG. 21, the exposure head 32b irradiates light toward the exposure area Ab according to the irradiation control signal Sb; and the exposure head 32d irradiates light toward the exposure area Ad according to the irradiation control signal Sd.

The exposure heads 32a, 32c and 32e are driven by the aperture driving unit 39, and the entire irradiation area of the pulse light is shielded by the light shielding portion of the aperture AP. In other words, the irradiation of the self-exposure heads 32a, 32c and 32e is shielded. As a result, in the operation shown in FIG. 21, the exposure area Aa, the exposure area Ac and the exposure area Ae are not exposed.

Then, while moving a portion of the exposure area in the sub-scanning direction (negative X-axis direction), the exposure area at the exposure position of each exposure head is irradiated with light for the third time with the corresponding exposure pattern.

Specifically, as shown in Fig. 22, the exposure head 32b irradiates light toward the exposure area Ac according to the irradiation control signal Sc, and the exposure head 32d irradiates light toward the exposure area Ae according to the irradiation control signal Se. At this time, since the exposure area Aa is not located at the exposure position of any exposure head, light is not irradiated toward the exposure area Aa.

Here, the exposure heads 32a, 32b, 32c, and 32e are driven by the aperture driving unit 39, and the entire irradiation area of the pulse light is shielded by the light shielding portion of the aperture AP. That is, the irradiation of light from the exposure heads 32a, 32b, 32c, and 32e is shielded. As a result, in the operation shown in FIG. 22, the exposure area Ab, the exposure area Ac, and the exposure area Ad are not exposed.

According to this structure, even if the exposure head 32a, the exposure head 32c and the exposure head 32e cannot irradiate light due to an abnormality, the entire exposure area can be exposed once by simply changing the movement of the light shielding part of the aperture AP from the normal operation shown in Figures 8 to 16.

<About the effects produced by the above described implementation form> Next, the effects produced by the above described implementation form are exemplified. Furthermore, in the following description, the effects are described according to the specific configuration shown in the above described implementation form, but they can also be replaced with other specific configurations shown in this manual within the scope of producing the same effects. That is, for the convenience of explanation, only one of the corresponding specific configurations is described as a representative, but the specific configuration described as a representative can also be replaced with other corresponding specific configurations.

According to the above described embodiment, in the exposure method, the first exposure head can irradiate light to the first exposure pattern corresponding to the first exposure area in the plurality of exposure areas, and the second exposure pattern corresponding to the second exposure area in the plurality of exposure areas. The first exposure head corresponds to one of the exposure head 32a, the exposure head 32b, the exposure head 32c, the exposure head 32d, and the exposure head 32e, for example. In addition, the first exposure area and the second exposure area correspond to different two of the exposure area Aa, the exposure area Ab, the exposure area Ac, the exposure area Ad, and the exposure area Ae, for example. In addition, the first exposure pattern and the second exposure pattern correspond to different two of the exposure pattern according to the irradiation control signal Sa, the exposure pattern according to the irradiation control signal Sb, the exposure pattern according to the irradiation control signal Sc, the exposure pattern according to the irradiation control signal Sd, and the exposure pattern according to the irradiation control signal Se, for example. The second exposure head can irradiate light to a third exposure pattern corresponding to the third exposure area among the plurality of exposure areas, and a fourth exposure pattern corresponding to the fourth exposure area among the plurality of exposure areas. Here, the second exposure head corresponds to, for example, one of the exposure head 32a, the exposure head 32b, the exposure head 32c, the exposure head 32d, and the exposure head 32e that is different from the first exposure head. In addition, the third exposure area and the fourth exposure area correspond to, for example, two different ones of the exposure area Aa, the exposure area Ab, the exposure area Ac, the exposure area Ad, and the exposure area Ae, respectively. In addition, the third exposure pattern and the fourth exposure pattern correspond to, for example, two different ones of the exposure pattern according to the irradiation control signal Sa, the exposure pattern according to the irradiation control signal Sb, the exposure pattern according to the irradiation control signal Sc, the exposure pattern according to the irradiation control signal Sd, and the exposure pattern according to the irradiation control signal Se, respectively. In addition, the plurality of exposure area pairs are relatively moved by the exposure head 32a and the exposure head 32b. When the exposure area Aa is located at the exposure position of the exposure head 32a, light is irradiated from the exposure head 32a toward the exposure area Aa according to the exposure pattern of the irradiation control signal Sa, and when the exposure area Ab is located at the exposure position of the exposure head 32a, light is irradiated from the exposure head 32a toward the exposure area Ab according to the exposure pattern of the irradiation control signal Sb. When the exposure area Ac is located at the exposure position of the exposure head 32b, light is irradiated from the exposure head 32b toward the exposure area Ac according to the exposure pattern of the irradiation control signal Sc, and when the exposure area Ad is located at the exposure position of the exposure head 32b, light is irradiated from the exposure head 32b toward the exposure area Ad according to the exposure pattern of the irradiation control signal Sd.

According to this configuration, by using a plurality of exposure heads to perform a plurality of light irradiations, various exposure operations can be realized using the plurality of exposure heads. Thus, even when any of the plurality of exposure heads cannot perform exposure due to an abnormality, by simply changing the operation of the light shielding portion of the aperture AP from the normal operation shown in FIG. 8 to FIG. 16 , supplementary exposure can be performed by irradiating a plurality of light irradiations set in advance by other exposure heads, thereby maintaining high exposure position accuracy while increasing the degree of freedom of exposure operation.

Furthermore, when other configurations exemplified in this specification are appropriately added to the aforementioned configurations, that is, when other configurations of this specification that are not mentioned in the aforementioned configurations are appropriately added, the same effects can be produced.

Furthermore, according to the above described embodiment, any of the lights irradiated from the exposure head 32a to different exposure areas and any of the lights irradiated from the exposure head 32b to different exposure areas do not perform exposure in the corresponding exposure area. According to this configuration, by setting any of the lights irradiated multiple times by the multiple exposure heads to a configuration in which no exposure is performed (for example, a virtual pattern, etc.), it is possible to use multiple exposure heads to realize various exposure operations (for example, a case in which all exposure areas are normally exposed (single exposure) or a case in which all exposure areas are double exposed, etc.). Furthermore, by changing the pattern of the light irradiated from the exposure head without turning off the power of the exposure head and without exposing, the time until the state in which exposure can be performed again (for example, a state in which the intensity of the irradiated light is stable) can be saved.

Furthermore, according to the above described implementation form, any one of the lights irradiated to different exposure areas by the exposure head 32a and the lights irradiated to different exposure areas by the exposure head 32b is blocked. According to this configuration, by blocking any one of the lights irradiated multiple times by the multiple exposure heads, various exposure actions (for example, a case where all exposure areas are normally exposed (single exposure) or a case where all exposure areas are double exposed) can be realized using the multiple exposure heads. That is, even in a state where any one of the multiple exposure heads cannot expose due to an abnormality, etc., various exposure actions can be realized. Furthermore, by shielding the light emitted from the exposure head without turning off the power of the exposure head, the time required to reach a state where exposure can be performed again (for example, a state where the intensity of the irradiated light is stable) can be saved.

In addition, according to the embodiment described above, the exposure head 32a and the exposure head 32b are arranged in a first direction. The first direction corresponds to the X-axis direction, for example. A plurality of exposure areas are arranged in the X-axis direction. Furthermore, the step of moving the plurality of exposure areas relative to each other is a step of moving the plurality of exposure areas along the X-axis direction. According to this configuration, by disposing a plurality of exposure heads along the direction in which the exposure areas are arranged and moving the exposure heads along the direction in which the exposure areas are arranged, the exposure position of one exposure head can be efficiently positioned in a plurality of exposure areas. Therefore, since the movement direction of the exposure head can be limited to one direction to reduce the movement amount, the time required for exposure can be reduced, and the high position accuracy of exposure can be maintained.

In addition, according to the above described embodiment, the exposure area Aa and the exposure area Ab are disposed adjacent to each other. In addition, the exposure area Ac and the exposure area Ad are disposed adjacent to each other. According to this configuration, the relative movement between the exposure head for exposing a plurality of exposure areas and the corresponding exposure areas can be minimized. Therefore, since the movement amount of the exposure head can be reduced, the time required for exposure can be reduced, and in addition, the high position accuracy of exposure can be maintained.

Furthermore, according to the above-described embodiment, the first exposure area and the third exposure area are the same exposure area. According to this configuration, it is possible to perform double exposure on one exposure area using different exposure heads. Therefore, for example, if the exposure positions of the two arranged exposure heads are sequentially located in one exposure area for double exposure, it is not necessary to perform a driving operation for returning the exposure head to the exposure start position, i.e., a driving operation on the opposite side of the driving operation in the sub-scanning direction for exposure (driving operation in the negative X-axis direction), wherein the exposure start position is a necessary position when the same exposure head is used for double exposure. In this way, since the amount of movement of the exposure head can be reduced, the time required for exposure can be reduced, and high position accuracy of exposure can be maintained.

In addition, according to the above described embodiment, the exposure device includes: an exposure head 32a and an exposure head 32b, which expose the substrate 9; a moving part, which moves a plurality of exposure areas relative to the exposure head 32a and the exposure head 32b; and a control part 50, which is used to control the exposure action of the exposure head 32a and the exposure head 32b. The moving part corresponds to the stage driving part 20, etc., for example. A plurality of exposure areas are provided on the substrate 9. In addition, the exposure head 32a can irradiate light according to an exposure pattern of an irradiation control signal Sa corresponding to an exposure area Aa among the plurality of exposure areas, and according to an exposure pattern of an irradiation control signal Sb corresponding to an exposure area Ab among the plurality of exposure areas. In addition, the exposure head 32b may irradiate light according to an exposure pattern of an irradiation control signal Sc corresponding to an exposure area Ac among the plurality of exposure areas, and according to an exposure pattern of an irradiation control signal Sd corresponding to an exposure area Ad among the plurality of exposure areas. Furthermore, the control unit 50 irradiates light from the exposure head 32a toward the exposure area Aa according to the exposure pattern of the irradiation control signal Sa when the exposure area Aa is located at the exposure position of the exposure head 32a, and irradiates light from the exposure head 32a toward the exposure area Ab according to the exposure pattern of the irradiation control signal Sb when the exposure area Ab is located at the exposure position of the exposure head 32a. In addition, the control unit 50 causes light to be irradiated from the exposure head 32b toward the exposure area Ac according to the exposure pattern of the exposure control signal Sc when the exposure area Ac is located at the exposure position of the exposure head 32b, and causes light to be irradiated from the exposure head 32b toward the exposure area Ad according to the exposure pattern of the exposure control signal Sd when the exposure area Ad is located at the exposure position of the exposure head 32b.

According to this configuration, by using a plurality of exposure heads to perform a plurality of light irradiations, it is possible to use a plurality of exposure heads to realize various exposure operations. Thus, even if any of the plurality of exposure heads cannot perform exposure due to an abnormality, the operation of the light shielding portion of the aperture AP can be simply changed from the normal operation shown in FIG. 8 to FIG. 16, and the exposure can be supplemented by the irradiation of a plurality of light irradiations set in advance by other exposure heads. Therefore, it is possible to maintain high positional accuracy of exposure while increasing the degree of freedom of exposure operation.

Furthermore, even when other structures illustrated in this specification are appropriately added to the aforementioned structures, that is, when other structures of this specification that are not mentioned in the aforementioned structures are appropriately added, the same effect can be produced.

<Variations of the above-described implementation forms> In the above-described implementation forms, the size, shape, relative arrangement relationship or implementation conditions of each component are sometimes described, but they are only examples in all aspects and are not intended to be limiting.

1: Exposure device 9: Substrate 10: Stage 20: Stage drive unit 21: Rotation mechanism 21a: Linear motor 21b: Rotation axis 22: Support plate 23: Sub-scanning mechanism 23a: Linear motor 23b: Guide rail unit 24: Base plate 25: Main scanning mechanism 25a: Linear motor 25b: Guide rail unit 30: Head unit 31: Bracket 32a: Exposure head 32b: Exposure head 32c: Exposure head 32d: Exposure head 32e: Exposure head 33: Illumination optical system 34: Laser oscillator 35: Laser drive unit 36: Output unit 37: Aperture unit 38: Projection optical system 39: Aperture drive unit 40: Exposure light photography unit 41: CCD camera 42: Guide rail 43: Camera drive mechanism 50: Control unit 53: Stage position adjustment unit 54a: Exposure control unit 54b: Exposure control unit 54c: Exposure control unit 54d: Exposure control unit 54e: Exposure control unit 55: Control switching judgment unit 60: Base AP: Aperture Aa: Exposure area Ab: Exposure area Ac: Exposure area Ad: Exposure area Ae: Exposure area Sa: Exposure control signal Sb: Exposure control signal Sc: Exposure control signal Sd: Exposure control signal Se: Exposure control signal

FIG. 1 is a side view showing the structure of the exposure device of the present embodiment. FIG. 2 is a top view showing the structure of the exposure device of the present embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the relationship between the exposure area on the substrate and a plurality of exposure heads during normal operation. FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing the structure of a plurality of exposure heads. FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing the connection structure between each drive unit and the control unit of the exposure device. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the structure of the exposure device centered on the control unit according to each function. FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing an example of the operation flow of the exposure device. FIG. 8 is a top view showing the operation state of the exposure device. FIG. 9 is a top view showing the operation state of the exposure device. FIG. 10 is a top view showing the operation state of the exposure device. FIG. 11 is a top view showing the operation of the exposure device. FIG. 12 is a top view showing the operation of the exposure device. FIG. 13 is a top view showing the operation of the exposure device. FIG. 14 is a top view showing the operation of the exposure device. FIG. 15 is a top view showing the operation of the exposure device. FIG. 16 is a top view showing the operation of the exposure device. FIG. 17 is a top view showing the operation of the exposure device. FIG. 18 is a top view showing the operation of the exposure device. FIG. 19 is a top view showing the operation of the exposure device. FIG. 20 is a top view showing the operation of the exposure device. FIG. 21 is a top view showing the operation of the exposure device. Figure 22 is a top view showing the operation of the exposure device.

9: substrate 10: stage 30: head 32a: exposure head 32b: exposure head 32c: exposure head 32d: exposure head 32e: exposure head Aa: exposure area Ab: exposure area Ac: exposure area Ad: exposure area Ae: exposure area

Claims (6)

An exposure method is an exposure method using an exposure device having a first exposure head and a second exposure head; wherein the exposure device is used to expose a substrate having a plurality of exposure areas, the first exposure head can irradiate light with a first exposure pattern corresponding to a first exposure area of the plurality of exposure areas and with a second exposure pattern corresponding to a second exposure area of the plurality of exposure areas, and the second exposure head can irradiate light with a third exposure pattern corresponding to a third exposure area of the plurality of exposure areas and with a third exposure pattern corresponding to a third exposure area of the plurality of exposure areas. The method comprises the steps of: irradiating a fourth exposure pattern corresponding to a fourth exposure area in the light area with light; the exposure method comprises the steps of: moving the plurality of exposure areas relative to the first exposure head and the second exposure head; irradiating the first exposure area with light from the first exposure head toward the first exposure area when the first exposure area is located at the exposure position of the first exposure head; irradiating the second exposure area with light from the first exposure head toward the first exposure area when the second exposure area is located at the exposure position of the first exposure head; The first exposure head and the second exposure head are adjacently arranged in a first direction, and the plurality of exposure heads are adjacently arranged in a first direction. The areas are arranged in the first direction, and the step of moving the plurality of exposure areas relatively is a step of moving the plurality of exposure areas along the first direction. The second exposure area and the third exposure area are the same area, and are arranged adjacent to each other in the first direction in the order of the first exposure area, the second exposure area, and the fourth exposure area, and any one of the light irradiated from the first exposure head to the second exposure area and the light irradiated from the second exposure head to the third exposure area is blocked. As in the exposure method of claim 1, any one of the light irradiated from the first exposure head to the first exposure area, the light irradiated from the first exposure head to the second exposure area, the light irradiated from the second exposure head to the third exposure area, and the light irradiated from the second exposure head to the fourth exposure area is not exposed in the corresponding aforementioned exposure area. The exposure method of claim 1 or 2, wherein any one of the light irradiated from the first exposure head to the first exposure area, the light irradiated from the first exposure head to the second exposure area, the light irradiated from the second exposure head to the third exposure area, and the light irradiated from the second exposure head to the fourth exposure area is blocked. The exposure method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the first exposure area and the second exposure area are adjacently arranged, and the third exposure area and the fourth exposure area are adjacently arranged. An exposure device, which comprises: a first exposure head and a second exposure head, which are used to expose a substrate; a plurality of exposure areas are arranged on the substrate, the first exposure head can irradiate light to a first exposure pattern corresponding to a first exposure area among the plurality of exposure areas, and a second exposure pattern corresponding to a second exposure area among the plurality of exposure areas, and the second exposure head can irradiate light to a third exposure pattern corresponding to a third exposure area among the plurality of exposure areas, and a fourth exposure pattern corresponding to a fourth exposure area among the plurality of exposure areas; the exposure device comprises: a moving part, which moves the plurality of exposure areas in a first direction relative to the first exposure head and the second exposure head. ; a control unit for controlling the exposure actions of the first exposure head and the second exposure head; a light shielding unit, which can selectively shield the light irradiated by the first exposure head and the second exposure head according to the control of the control unit; and a sensor, which is configured to detect the states of the first exposure head and the second exposure head; and the control unit, when the first exposure area is located at the exposure position of the first exposure head, causes the light to irradiate the first exposure pattern from the first exposure head toward the first exposure area, and then, when the second exposure area is located at the aforementioned exposure position of the first exposure head, causes the light to irradiate the second exposure pattern from the first exposure head toward the second exposure area, and the first exposure head The control unit, when the third exposure area is located at the exposure position before the second exposure head, causes light to irradiate the third exposure pattern from the second exposure head toward the third exposure area, and then, when the fourth exposure area is located at the exposure position before the second exposure head, causes light to irradiate the fourth exposure pattern from the second exposure head toward the fourth exposure area, the first exposure head and the second exposure head are adjacently arranged in the first direction, the second exposure area and the third exposure area are the same area, and are adjacently arranged in the first direction in the order of the first exposure area, the second exposure area, and the fourth exposure area, and the control unit is configured as follows: Based on the information from the sensor, the presence or absence of abnormality of the first exposure head and the second exposure head is detected. The control unit is configured to, when abnormality of the first exposure head and the second exposure head is not detected, shield one of the light irradiated from the first exposure head to the second exposure area and the light irradiated from the second exposure head to the third exposure area by the light shielding unit, and, when abnormality of the first exposure head is detected, at least shielding the light irradiated from the second exposure head to the third exposure area by the light shielding unit is not executed, and when abnormality of the second exposure head is detected, at least shielding the light irradiated from the first exposure head to the second exposure area by the light shielding unit is not executed. An exposure method is an exposure method using an exposure device having a first exposure head and a second exposure head; wherein the exposure device is used to expose a substrate having a plurality of exposure areas, the first exposure head can irradiate light with a first exposure pattern corresponding to a first exposure area among the plurality of exposure areas, and with a second exposure pattern corresponding to a second exposure area among the plurality of exposure areas, and the second exposure head can irradiate light with a third exposure pattern corresponding to a third exposure area among the plurality of exposure areas, and The method comprises the steps of: irradiating light with a fourth exposure pattern corresponding to a fourth exposure area among the plurality of exposure areas; the exposure method comprises the steps of: moving the plurality of exposure areas relative to the first exposure head and the second exposure head; irradiating light with the first exposure pattern from the first exposure head toward the first exposure area when the first exposure area is located at the exposure position of the first exposure head; irradiating light with the first exposure pattern from the first exposure head toward the first exposure area when the second exposure area is located at the exposure position of the first exposure head; The step of irradiating light from the first exposure head toward the second exposure area with the second exposure pattern; the step of irradiating light from the second exposure head toward the third exposure area with the third exposure pattern when the third exposure area is located at the exposure position of the second exposure head; and the step of irradiating light from the second exposure head toward the fourth exposure area with the fourth exposure pattern when the fourth exposure area is located at the exposure position of the second exposure head; the step of irradiating light from the second exposure head toward the fourth exposure area with the fourth exposure pattern when the first exposure head and the second exposure head are located at the exposure position of the second exposure head. The heads are adjacently arranged in a first direction, a plurality of the aforementioned exposure areas are arranged in the aforementioned first direction respectively, and the step of moving the plurality of the aforementioned exposure areas relatively is a step of moving the plurality of the aforementioned exposure areas along the aforementioned first direction, the aforementioned second exposure area and the aforementioned third exposure area are the same area, and are adjacently arranged in the aforementioned first direction in the order of the aforementioned first exposure area, the aforementioned second exposure area, and the aforementioned fourth exposure area, and the aforementioned second exposure pattern and the aforementioned third exposure pattern are the same exposure pattern.