WO2015040664A1 - Photo-alignment irradiation device and method for adjusting aperture of photo-alignment irradiation device - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] To measure the integrated amount of light emitted through an aperture in a photo-alignment irradiation device equipped with a partially-shielding member for adjusting the blocked amount of light emitted through the aperture to determine the amount of light blocked by the partially-shielding member. [Solution] A photo-alignment irradiation device according to the present invention is characterized by performing alignment processing during which a substrate is irradiated with polarized light emitted through the aperture while a scanning unit moves a polarized light irradiation unit and a stage relative to each other, and measurement processing during which a photosensor receives the polarized light emitted through the aperture at each position of the partially-shielding member while the scanning unit moves the stage and the polarized light irradiation unit relative to each other, and the integrated amount of light is measured by temporally integrating illuminance measured by the photosensor.

Description

Photo-alignment irradiation apparatus and aperture adjustment method for photo-alignment irradiation apparatus

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention is used in the field of manufacturing a liquid crystal display panel. In particular, an alignment film is imparted with orientation so that liquid crystal molecules are aligned in a desired angle and direction on a substrate used in a liquid crystal display device. It is related with the photo-alignment irradiation apparatus for this.

As the use of the liquid crystal display field in recent years expands and demand increases, improvements in the viewing angle, contrast ratio, video performance display, and the like, which have been disadvantages of conventional liquid crystal display devices, are strongly demanded. Especially for alignment films that give orientation to liquid crystal molecules on a liquid crystal display substrate, there are various improvements such as uniform alignment direction, pretilt angle, and formation of multiple regions within a single pixel (multi-domain). It is being advanced.

Conventionally, advantages of imparting alignment characteristics to a polymer layer (alignment film) formed on a liquid crystal display substrate and techniques therefor have been widely known. There is a method called a cloth rubbing method as a method for imparting such orientation characteristics. In this method, the substrate is moved while the roller around which the cloth is wound is rotated, and the polymer layer on the surface is strongly unidirectional. The process of rubbing.

However, in this cloth rubbing method, various disadvantages such as generation of static electricity, scratches on the alignment film surface, and generation of dust have been pointed out. In particular, in recent years, in a situation where the liquid crystal display device has become high definition, even a slight scratch may affect the observed image quality. In order to avoid this problem of the cloth rubbing method, there is known an optical rubbing method in which alignment films are imparted with alignment characteristics by irradiating polarized light in the ultraviolet region.

The alignment film applied to the substrate surface is irradiated with polarized light to perform alignment processing. In the photo alignment irradiation device, polarized light is generated by a wire grid polarizer for a light source that irradiates a rod-shaped lamp. There is a type to do. In this irradiation device, the light emitted from the rod-shaped lamp can have a relatively uniform illuminance along the long axis, but there is a problem that the illuminance varies due to variations in the performance of the wire grid polarizer itself. In addition, there is one in which light shielding means arranged side by side along one direction can be adjusted in a direction intersecting with the arranged one direction (Patent Document 1).

On the other hand, there is an ultraviolet lamp that irradiates substantially parallel light from the emission part of the light source toward the substrate irradiation surface, and there is a type in which a plurality are arranged at least along the major axis direction of the irradiation region. Theoretically, there is no restriction on the length of the lamp in the long direction, the irradiation light is substantially parallel light, so that high-quality light can be emitted, and the wavelength band is very little dependent. Since polarized irradiation light is generated by a star-type polarizer, there is an advantage that polarized light in a wide wavelength band can be used.

Furthermore, because of the advantage of being able to emit substantially parallel light, it is possible to increase the distance between the lamp portion of the irradiation light source and the substrate irradiation surface, and there is no direct light from the lamp, and almost 100% is visible on the substrate irradiation surface. Since light passing through a filter that cuts light and infrared rays is irradiated, it is possible to avoid an excessive temperature rise on the substrate surface.

In this way, in the ultraviolet lamp that irradiates substantially parallel light from the light emitting part toward the substrate irradiation surface, a type in which a plurality of lamps are arranged at least along the long axis direction of the irradiation region has good light quality and heat characteristics. On the other hand, ultraviolet lamps that irradiate substantially parallel light have slight variations in illuminance among individuals, and by arranging a plurality of these along at least the long axis direction of the irradiation region, the ultraviolet lamps are aligned along the long axis direction of the irradiation region. Illuminance variation occurs.

A plurality of lamp groups arranged along the long axis direction are further arranged in the short axis direction while being slightly shifted in the long axis direction, and the substantially rectangular irradiation areas of the respective rows are overlapped to follow the long axis direction. It is possible to alleviate the uneven illuminance. Further, there is also a technique in which variation is suppressed by arranging multiple rows in a direction orthogonal to the substrate transport direction without overlapping the substantially rectangular irradiation regions of each row (Patent Document 2).

However, the arrangement of a plurality of lamp groups arranged along the long axis direction and the arrangement of a very large number of rows and the overlapping of the substantially rectangular irradiation areas in each row means that the incident angle to the Brewster type polarizer varies. As the extinction ratio of the polarized light obtained from this direction decreases, the meaning of “quality light”, which is the advantage of the Brewster type, is impaired, and the light receiving area of the Brewster type polarizer is reduced. This is not practical because it needs to be large and the size of the polarizer in the width direction becomes very large.

In order to solve this problem, it is possible to arrange the lamp of the irradiation light source at a very far distance from the substrate or the Brewster type polarizer, and make the incident angle to the Brewster type polarizer acute. In this case, the height of the apparatus becomes very high, which is not practical.

In addition, even if the irradiation lamps are individually checked after checking the illuminance, and the irradiation is performed with the initial illuminance being uniform, the illuminance attenuation over time of each irradiation lamp varies slightly, and the initial irradiation Since it does not attenuate in conjunction with the lamp illuminance, there is a concern that variations due to changes in time will occur.

Japanese Patent No. 5177266 Japanese Patent No. 5077465

On the other hand, in the alignment treatment to the photo-alignment material, it was found from the experimental results that the illuminance itself does not depend on the variation in the appropriate illuminance range, and the integration represented by the product of the illuminance and the irradiation time. Since the factor due to the amount of light is large, it has been found that even if the illuminance varies within an appropriate illuminance range, a stable alignment process can be realized by keeping the integrated light amount constant.

The present invention adjusts the position of the partial shielding member so that the amount of polarized light irradiated from the opening is suitable for the alignment process in the photo-alignment irradiation apparatus provided with the partial shielding member capable of adjusting the shielding amount of the opening. There is a purpose of measuring the integrated light quantity at each position of the partial shielding member required.

Therefore, the photo-alignment irradiation apparatus according to the present invention employs the following configuration.
A stage, a polarized light irradiation unit, a scanning unit, a plurality of partial shielding members, a photosensor, and a control unit;
The stage is capable of placing a substrate on which an alignment film is formed,
The polarized light irradiation section is provided with an opening for emitting polarized light on the side facing the stage,
The scanning unit is capable of relatively moving the polarized light irradiation unit and the stage,
Each of the partial shielding members is configured to be movable so as to change a shielding amount for shielding a part of the opening,
The optical sensor can measure the illuminance of incident light,
The control unit can perform an alignment process and a measurement process,
The alignment treatment irradiates the substrate with polarized light emitted from the opening while relatively moving the polarized light irradiation unit and the stage in the scanning unit,
In the measurement process, at each partial shielding member position, the scanning unit receives the polarized light emitted from the opening while moving the stage and the polarized light irradiation unit relatively, An integrated light amount obtained by integrating the illuminance measured by the optical sensor over time is measured.

Furthermore, in the photo-alignment irradiation apparatus according to the present invention,
The said control part determines the shielding amount based on the integrated light quantity measured for every said partial shielding member, and performs the adjustment process which adjusts the position of the said partial shielding member based on the determined shielding amount.

Furthermore, in the photo-alignment irradiation apparatus according to the present invention,
The adjustment process adjusts the position by moving the partial shielding member in the direction of shielding the opening from the position of the partial shielding member in the measurement process.

Furthermore, in the photo-alignment irradiation apparatus according to the present invention,
In the adjustment process, the shielding amount of each partial shielding amount is determined so that the shielding amount of the partial shielding member for which the lower limit value of the integrated light quantity is measured becomes the minimum shielding amount.

Furthermore, the photo-alignment irradiation apparatus according to the present invention is
Having a protrusion that moves with the movement by the scanning unit;
The partial shielding member is movable in the relative movement direction of the polarized light irradiation unit by the scanning unit and the stage,
In the adjustment process, the position of the partial shielding member is adjusted by moving the scanning unit in a state where the projection is in contact with the partial shielding member.

Furthermore, in the photo-alignment irradiation apparatus according to the present invention,
The protruding portion can be changed to a protruding state and a stored state on the partial shielding member side,
In the adjustment process, the projection is moved to a position facing the opening in the retracted state, and the scanning is performed by the scanning unit in a state where the protrusion is in contact with the opening-side end of the partial shielding member. The position of the partial shielding member is adjusted by relatively moving the polarized light irradiation unit and the stage.

Furthermore, in the photo-alignment irradiation apparatus according to the present invention,
The protrusion is disposed on a movable portion that is possible in the direction in which the partial shielding members are arranged.

Furthermore, in the photo-alignment irradiation apparatus according to the present invention,
The optical sensor is disposed in the moving portion where the protrusion is disposed.

Furthermore, in the photo-alignment irradiation apparatus according to the present invention,
The partial shielding member has an overlapping portion between the adjacent partial shielding members.

The photo-alignment irradiation apparatus according to the present invention is
A stage, a polarized light irradiation unit, a scanning unit, a plurality of partial shielding members, a protrusion, and a control unit;
The stage is capable of placing a substrate on which an alignment film is formed,
The polarized light irradiation unit is provided with an opening for emitting polarized light on the side facing the stage,
The scanning unit is capable of relatively moving the polarized light irradiation unit and the stage,
Each of the partial shielding members is movable in the relative movement direction of the polarized light irradiation unit by the scanning unit and the stage so as to change a shielding amount for shielding a part of the opening.
The protrusion moves as the scanning unit moves,
The control unit can perform an alignment process and an adjustment process,
The alignment treatment irradiates the substrate placed on the stage with polarized light emitted from the opening while moving the polarized light irradiation unit and the stage relatively in the scanning unit,
In the adjustment process, the partial shielding member is moved by moving the scanning unit in a state where the projection is in contact with the partial shielding member.

Moreover, the opening amount adjustment method of the photo-alignment irradiation apparatus according to the present invention is:
An aperture adjustment method for a photo-alignment irradiation apparatus comprising a stage, a polarized light irradiation unit, a scanning unit, a plurality of partial shielding members, and an optical sensor,
The stage is capable of placing a substrate on which an alignment film is formed,
The polarized light irradiation section is provided with an opening for emitting polarized light on the side facing the stage,
The scanning unit is capable of relatively moving the polarized light irradiation unit and the stage,
Each of the partial shielding members is configured to be movable so as to change a shielding amount for shielding a part of the opening,
The optical sensor can measure the illuminance of incident light,
While irradiating the substrate with polarized light emitted from the opening while relatively moving the polarized light irradiation unit and the stage in the scanning unit,
At each partial shielding member position, the scanning unit receives the polarized light emitted from the opening while moving the stage and the polarized light irradiation unit relative to each other, and the optical sensor measures the light. Measure the integrated light intensity by integrating the measured illuminance over time,
The position of the corresponding partial shielding member is adjusted by the shielding amount determined based on the integrated light quantity measured at each partial shielding member position.

Furthermore, in the opening amount adjustment method of the photo-alignment irradiation apparatus according to the present invention,
The shielding amount of each of the partial shielding amounts is determined so that the shielding amount of the partial shielding member for which the lower limit value of the integrated light quantity is measured is the minimum shielding amount.

According to the photo-alignment irradiation apparatus of the present invention, at each partial shielding member position, the optical sensor receives the polarized light emitted from the opening while relatively moving the stage and the polarized light irradiation unit in the scanning unit, By measuring the integrated light amount obtained by temporally integrating the illuminance measured by the optical sensor, it is possible to measure the integrated light amount required for adjusting the position of each partial shielding member. Then, by adjusting the position of each partial shielding member based on the measured integrated light quantity, it is possible to make the integrated light quantity uniform and perform stable orientation processing.

In addition, according to the photo-alignment irradiation apparatus of the present invention, the position of each partial shielding member is adjusted using the protrusions that use the movement of the scanning unit that allows the polarized light irradiation unit and the stage to move relative to each other. Thereby, the structure which moves a partial shielding member is not required, but it becomes possible to aim at simplification of a photo-alignment irradiation apparatus. In addition, since a scanning unit having excellent movement accuracy is often used, it is possible to improve the position adjustment accuracy of the partial shielding member by using such a scanning unit.

The top view of the photo-alignment irradiation apparatus concerning the embodiment of the present invention Top view of photo-alignment irradiation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention (during irradiation) Side sectional view of a photo-alignment irradiation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention Front sectional view of a photo-alignment irradiation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention The figure which shows the structure of the 2nd opening part which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the structure around the partial shielding member which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The block diagram which shows the control structure of the photo-alignment irradiation apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The flowchart which shows the light quantity adjustment process which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The flowchart which shows the initialization process which concerns on embodiment of this invention Side sectional view which shows the 2nd opening opening process by the adjustment part which concerns on embodiment of this invention The figure which shows the 2nd opening opening process by the adjustment part which concerns on embodiment of this invention. Side sectional view which shows the measurement process by the optical sensor which concerns on embodiment of this invention The figure which shows the measurement process by the optical sensor which concerns on embodiment of this invention. Side sectional view which shows the 2nd opening closing process by the adjustment part which concerns on embodiment of this invention The figure which shows the 2nd opening closing process by the adjustment part which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the data structure of the partial shielding member related information which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The figure explaining the relationship between the integrated light quantity and shielding amount which concerns on embodiment of this invention The flowchart which shows the light quantity adjustment process which concerns on other embodiment of this invention. The flowchart which shows the partial shielding member reproduction process which concerns on other embodiment of this invention.

1 and 2 are top views showing a configuration of a photo-alignment irradiation apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. The photo-alignment irradiation apparatus 1 of the present embodiment includes a polarized light irradiation unit 2, a stage 11, and a scanning unit as main components. The polarized light irradiation unit 2 irradiates the alignment film formed on the surface of the substrate S with ultraviolet rays through the second opening 21B formed on the stage 11 side, thereby imparting alignment characteristics to the alignment film. It is. As shown in FIG. 1, in the present embodiment, the surface of the stage 11 (the surface of the substrate S) is the XY plane, and the axis orthogonal to the XY plane is the Z axis. The moving direction of the stage 11 is set in the Y direction.

On the stage 11, a substrate S to be exposed is installed. In the present embodiment, the substrate S is installed so that the scanning direction is the vertical direction or the horizontal direction when used as a liquid crystal display device. On the surface of the substrate S to be exposed, an alignment film made of a film-like polymer made of a photoreactive polymer such as polyimide is formed. When this alignment film is irradiated with polarized ultraviolet rays to modify the polymer film, and liquid crystal molecules are applied onto the polymer film in the subsequent steps (not shown), the liquid crystal molecules are affected by the polymer film in a specific direction. Align (orient). Originally, a polymer film to which this alignment characteristic is imparted is referred to as an alignment film. Generally, a polymer film before imparting the alignment characteristic is also referred to as an alignment film, and in this specification, before the alignment characteristic is imparted. These polymer films are also referred to as alignment films.

The scanning unit is a member that relatively moves the polarized light irradiation unit 2 that irradiates ultraviolet rays and the stage 11. In the present embodiment, the polarized light irradiation unit 2 is fixed with respect to the base 19, and the scanning unit moves the stage 11 with respect to the base 19 in the Y-axis direction. As shown in FIG. 3, the stage 11 is fixed on LM blocks 15a to 15d that move on the two LM rails 14a and 14b. In the present embodiment, a ball screw 16 is used as a scanning unit that moves the stage 11. The ball screw 16 is provided through a receiving portion provided below the stage 11. The ball screw 16 is supported at one end by a bearing 18 and at the other end by a ball screw driving unit 17, and the stage 11 is moved in the Y-axis direction by rotation control of the ball screw driving unit 17.

The scanning unit of this embodiment is configured to move the stage 11 by fixing the polarization beam irradiation unit 2 in order to move the polarization beam irradiation unit 2 and the stage 11 relatively. Alternatively, the polarized light irradiation unit 2 and the stage 11 may both be moved. Further, although the ball screw 16 is employed in the scanning unit, various forms may be employed as means for moving the stage 11 or the polarized light irradiation unit 2. For example, it is conceivable to employ a linear motor. The linear motor is preferably employed as the scanning unit in the present invention because it generates little vibration during driving and has high positioning accuracy.

From the state shown in FIG. 1, the alignment process for the substrate S placed on the stage 11 is executed by moving the stage 11 while irradiating the polarized light irradiation unit 2 with ultraviolet rays. The stage 11 is moved by rotating the ball screw 16 by the ball screw driving unit 17. FIG. 2 shows a state in which the substrate S passes through a position facing the second opening 21B (corresponding to the “opening” in the present invention). Ultraviolet rays are emitted from the second opening 21B and applied to the surface of the substrate S passing under the first opening 21B. By performing the alignment process of irradiating the substrate S with ultraviolet rays in this way, alignment characteristics can be imparted to the alignment film formed on the surface of the substrate S.

3 and 4 are side cross-sectional views of the photo-alignment irradiation apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention, and in particular, are diagrams for explaining the internal configuration of the polarized light irradiation unit 2. 3 shows a cross section in the YZ plane, and FIG. 4 shows a cross section in the ZX plane. The polarized light irradiation unit 2 has two chambers divided upward and downward at the first opening 21A portion in the irradiation unit housing 21, and a light source unit 22 is disposed in the upper chamber. In the present embodiment, a plurality (n) of light source units 22 are arranged in the X-axis direction. Each light source unit 22 includes an ultraviolet lamp 22a, a reflecting mirror 22b, and a filter 22c. The ultraviolet lamp 22a of the present embodiment belongs to the type of point light source, and the ultraviolet light emitted from the ultraviolet lamp 22a is adjusted by the reflecting mirror 22b to become parallel light or partial parallel light, and then filtered. 22c is incident.

Thus, in this embodiment, although the ultraviolet lamp 22a as a point light source is used for the light source part 22, various forms, such as the form which arrange | positioned the linear line light source in the X-axis direction, are employ | adopted for the light source part 22. Is possible. In the present embodiment, a plurality of light source units 22 are arranged in the X-axis direction, but a plurality of sets of light source units 22 arranged in the X-axis direction may be arranged in the Y-axis direction. At that time, by shifting the arrangement of the light source units 22 in the X-axis direction between the sets, it is possible to suppress the irradiation unevenness of the ultraviolet rays generated between the adjacent light source units 22.

The filter 22c has a function of adjusting the ultraviolet rays irradiated from the ultraviolet lamp 22a to characteristics suitable for orientation. In the present embodiment, a function of transmitting a predetermined wavelength and a lens function are provided, but the function of these filters 22c can be appropriately selected as necessary.

The ultraviolet rays irradiated from the light source unit 22 in the upper chamber enter the lower chamber of the irradiation unit casing 21 after passing through the first opening 21A. A polarizing unit 24 is disposed in this lower chamber. The polarization unit 24 is a means for extracting ultraviolet light polarized in a predetermined direction from incident ultraviolet light (non-polarized light), and in this embodiment, a Brewster polarizer is used. Therefore, it is arranged with a predetermined angle with respect to the ultraviolet rays incident from the light source unit 22. The ultraviolet rays incident on the polarizing unit 24 are divided into ultraviolet rays that reflect the polarizing unit 24 and ultraviolet rays that pass through the polarizing unit 24 for each polarization direction. In the present embodiment, the ultraviolet rays that have passed through the polarizing portion 24 are used for the alignment treatment. The ultraviolet light polarized by the polarizing unit 24 in this way is emitted from the second opening 21 </ b> B provided below the irradiation unit housing 21 to the stage 11 side. FIG. 3 shows a state in which the substrate S placed on the stage 11 is in a position facing the second opening 21B just as in FIG.

Further, the polarized light irradiation unit 2 of the present embodiment is provided with a shielding member 23 capable of shielding the first opening 21A between the upper chamber and the lower chamber of the irradiation unit housing 21. In FIG. 3, the first opening 21A is open, but the first opening 21 can be shielded by sliding the shielding member 23 in the direction of the arrow. When ultraviolet irradiation by the polarized light irradiation unit 2 is unnecessary, the first opening 21 </ b> A can be shielded by the shielding member 23. When the ultraviolet lamp used for the light source unit 22 is turned off and then turned on again, several tens of minutes are required to stabilize the illuminance. In this embodiment, when ultraviolet irradiation is temporarily unnecessary, the first opening 21A is interrupted by shielding the first opening 21A with the shielding member 23, and the first opening 21A is opened when ultraviolet irradiation is necessary. By opening it, it becomes possible to quickly recover the ultraviolet irradiation. Further, in normal payment, it is possible to protect the components of the apparatus from ultraviolet rays by not irradiating the ultraviolet rays during unnecessary time.

In such a photo-alignment irradiation apparatus 1, when aligning the alignment film on the substrate S with the irradiated light (ultraviolet rays), it is preferable to align as uniformly as possible. In order to achieve uniform orientation, it is necessary to irradiate the irradiated light uniformly with no unevenness in the integrated light amount. When a plurality of light source units 22 are used as in the present embodiment, the integrated light amount unevenness in the irradiation region of each light source unit 22 and the integrated light amount unevenness due to the change in the illuminance temporal characteristics between the ultraviolet lamps 22a. Alternatively, the alignment characteristics of the substrate S to be irradiated with ultraviolet light will be uneven due to unevenness of the integrated light quantity in a band (sensitive band) where the degree of contribution in the alignment process is large. The photo-alignment irradiation apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is provided with a plurality of partial shielding members 25 in order to adjust the opening amount of the second opening 21B of the irradiation unit casing 21 in order to suppress such illuminance unevenness. .

The partial shielding member 25 is provided on the right side of the second opening 21B of the irradiation unit casing 21 as shown in FIG. 3, and the opening amount of the second opening 21B can be adjusted by moving left and right. In other words, the partial shielding member 25 can adjust the shielding amount on the second opening 21B side. As can be seen from the cross-sectional view in the ZX plane of FIG. 4, m (25 # 1 to 25 # m) of the partial shielding members 25 are arranged in the X-axis direction, and each partial shielding member 25 is independent. Thus, it can move in the Y-axis direction. By adjusting the positions of the partial shielding members 25 # 1 to 25 # m arranged in the X-axis direction, the amount of ultraviolet light applied to the substrate S from the second opening 21B is adjusted in the X-axis direction. It becomes possible.

FIG. 5 schematically shows the arrangement of the second opening 21B and the partial shielding members 25 # 1 to 25 # m. FIG. 5 shows the opening relationship for the partial shielding member 25 # 2 located second from the left. At the position of the partial shielding member 25 # 2, since the distance in the Y-axis direction of the second opening 21B is L and the width of the partial shielding member 25 # 2 is W, an opening having an area of L × W is formed in the second opening 21B. To do. Since the position of each partial shielding member 25 # 1 to 25 # m can be adjusted in the Y-axis direction, the distance L in the Y-axis direction at the second opening 21B can be adjusted. By adjusting the positions of such partial shielding members 25 # 1 to 25 # m, it is possible to adjust the illuminance in the X-axis direction with respect to the ultraviolet rays irradiated from the second opening 21B.

FIG. 6 shows a configuration around the partial shielding member 25 according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6A shows a cross-sectional view in the YZ plane. A rail 252 is fixed below the irradiation unit housing 21. On the rail 252, a movable portion 253 that is slidable in the Y-axis direction is provided, and the partial shielding member 25 is fixed to the movable portion 253 via a spacer 251. The partial shielding member 25 is a plate-like member made of a material such as metal or resin. The partial shielding member 25 is fixed to the movable portion 253 with two bolts (a fixing bolt 254 and a stopper bolt 255). Of these two bolts, the stopper bolt 255 has a function of fixing the movable portion 253 to the rail. The position of the partial shielding member 25 is adjusted by loosening the stopper bolt 255 and sliding the movable portion 253 on the rail. After the position adjustment, the partial shielding member 25 can be firmly fixed by tightening the stopper bolt 255.

FIG. 6B shows a state where the arrangement of the partial shielding member 25 is viewed from the negative direction of the Y axis, that is, from the second opening 21B. As described with reference to FIG. 6A, each partial shielding member 25 is fixed to the movable portion 253 via the spacer 251. In the present embodiment, with respect to the partial shielding members 25 adjacent to each other in the X-axis direction, the heights in the Z-axis direction of the spacers 251 used for fixing are made different so that the positions in the Z-axis direction between the adjacent partial shielding members 25 are changed. It is different. An overlapping region is formed between adjacent partial shielding members 25 so that light does not leak between the partial shielding members 25 when light is shielded by the plurality of partial shielding members 25.

The position adjustment of the partial shielding member 25 may be performed manually, but in the present embodiment, an automatic adjustment mechanism by the adjustment unit 3 is used. The adjustment unit 3 is arranged on the side surface of the stage 11 as shown in FIGS. 1 to 4 and is movable in the Y-axis direction as the stage 11 moves. FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional configuration of the adjustment unit 3. The adjustment unit 3 of the present embodiment includes a moving unit 31 that enables movement in the X-axis direction. The moving unit 31 is provided with an optical sensor 32 and an opening adjusting unit 33. By moving the moving part 31 in the X-axis direction, the adjusting part 3 can be moved to the position of the partial shielding member 25 to be measured or adjusted. As described above, in the present embodiment, the optical sensor 32 installed in one adjusting unit 3 and the opening adjusting unit 33 can be used for the plurality of partial shielding members 25. That is, the optical sensor 32 and the opening adjustment unit 33 are installed on one member, but the optical sensor 32 and the opening adjustment unit 33 may be installed on another member. A plurality of optical sensors 32 may be provided. It is possible to simultaneously measure the integrated light quantity at the positions of the plurality of partial shielding members 25. In addition, since the optical sensor 32 and the moving means of the opening adjustment unit 33 are also used, the configuration is simplified. The optical sensor 32 is a sensor that measures the illuminance of incident light, and the illuminance measurement in the photo-alignment irradiation apparatus 1 of the present embodiment is performed by moving the stage 11 in the Y-axis direction and moving the optical sensor 32 to the second. This is done by moving to a position below the opening 21B.

Incidentally, it is known that there is a light band (sensitive band) that greatly contributes to the alignment of the alignment film. The optical sensor 32 is preferably provided with an optical filter corresponding to the sensitive band in consideration of the sensitive band of the alignment film. By providing an optical filter in the optical sensor 32, it is possible to measure the illuminance of ultraviolet rays in the sensitive band of the alignment film. In addition, by removing unnecessary light illuminance, such as illumination light placed in a band other than the ultraviolet sensitive band or in the installation environment of the photo-alignment irradiation device 1, the illuminance measurement of ultraviolet light in the sensitive band is more accurate. Can be high. Depending on the type of alignment film used, the sensitive bands may exist in different bands. In that case, an optical filter suitable for the optical sensor 32, that is, a filter suitable for the sensitive band to be used is used. Therefore, it is preferable that the optical filter of the optical sensor 32 is replaceable or variable to correspond to a plurality of sensitive bands.

The opening adjusting portion 33 is a means that can open and close the partial shielding member 25, that is, moves in the Y-axis direction. The opening adjusting portion 33 includes a protrusion 33a that can be expanded and contracted in the Z-axis direction. The opening amount of the second opening 21 </ b> B is changed by pressing the protruding portion 33 a against the end portion of the partial shielding member 25. The opening adjustment unit 33 according to the present embodiment is configured to use the movement of the stage 11 by the scanning unit, and there is no need to separately provide a member for moving the opening adjustment unit 33. Therefore, the configuration can be simplified and the cost can be reduced. Further, since the movement by the scanning unit with high movement accuracy is used, the partial shielding member 25 can be moved with high precision.

In FIG. 6A, the movement of the opening adjusting portion 33 relative to the partial shielding member 25 is indicated by a broken line. When the shielding amount of the second opening 21B is increased, the stage 11 is moved in the negative Y-axis direction with the projection 33a being in contact with the partial shielding member 25 at the position (c). The partial shielding member 25 can be moved in a direction to shield the opening 21B. In the present embodiment, it is also possible to reduce the amount of shielding by the partial shielding member 25, that is, to open the second opening 21B by moving the protrusion 33a to the position (a). When moving from the position (c) to the position (a), the protrusion 33a interferes with the configuration of the stopper bolt 255 and the like and the partial shielding member 25 itself. When moving, the position of the partial shielding member 25 can be adjusted at both the positions (a) and (c) by lowering (accommodating) the projection 33a as shown in (b). At the position (a), the partial shielding member 25 is moved in the direction of opening the second opening 21B by moving the stage 11 in the positive Y-axis direction with the projection 33a in contact with the partial shielding member 25. Can be moved.

As described above, in the present embodiment, by allowing the protrusion 33a to expand and contract in the Z-axis direction, the protrusion 33a can be brought into contact with both ends of the partial shielding member 25 as shown in FIGS. The shielding member 25 is movable in both the positive and negative directions of the Y axis. The configuration is not limited to such a configuration, and the opening adjustment portion 33 may be configured to use a protrusion 33a whose position is fixed in the Z-axis direction. In that case, it is possible to adjust the position of the partial shielding member 25 in the direction of closing the second opening 21B at the position (c), and the position adjustment in the reverse direction is performed manually.

FIG. 7 shows a control configuration of the photo-alignment irradiation apparatus 1 according to the embodiment of the present invention. As a control structure, it has the control part 41 which controls the photo-alignment irradiation apparatus 1 in an integrated manner. The control unit 41 can be configured using a so-called computer, and includes a storage unit such as a CPU, a RAM, a ROM, and a hard disk. The storage unit stores programs for executing various processes and information (data). Connected to the control unit 41 are a display unit 42 for displaying various information to the user and an input unit 43 for inputting various information and instructions from the user. The display unit 42 and the input unit 43 may be configured as a touch panel screen. As a control target of the control unit 41, it is possible to perform rotation control of the ball screw 16 by the ball screw driving unit 17, rotation control of the stage 11 by the rotation unit 12, and lighting control of the ultraviolet lamp 22a. Further, as the control related to the adjustment unit 3, the movement unit 31 can move the adjustment unit 3 in the X-axis direction, and the light sensor 32 can measure the amount of incident light, and the elevation control of the projection 33a of the opening adjustment unit 33 can be performed. It is.

Based on such a control configuration of the photo-alignment irradiation apparatus 1, an alignment process for the alignment film of the substrate S and a light amount adjustment process for adjusting the amount of ultraviolet light applied to the alignment film are executed. By performing this light amount adjustment process before the alignment process, it is possible to make the amount of ultraviolet light uniform in the alignment process.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the light amount adjustment processing according to the embodiment of the present invention. In the control configuration of FIG. 7, the light amount adjustment process is started based on a user instruction from the input unit 43. Since the partial shielding member 25 according to the present embodiment employs a fixing mechanism using the stopper bolt 255 as described with reference to FIG. 6, before starting the light amount adjustment process, each of the partial shielding members 25 is manually loosened. The partial shielding members 25 # 1 to 25 # m are set in a movable state. The fixing mechanism of the partial shielding members 25 # 1 to 25 # m may be an automatic mechanism by the control unit 41. In that case, a fixing mechanism may be provided for each of the partial shielding members 25 # 1 to 25 # m, or a fixing mechanism that fixes the positions of the plurality of partial shielding members 25 # 1 to 25 # m together may be used. The light amount adjustment process is not limited to a user instruction, and may be started at a start time designated in advance from the input unit 43, such as a scheduled process. By setting the start time before the start of work or the like, it is possible to start the alignment process with the light amount adjusted at the start of work.

Along with the start of the light amount adjustment process, various conditions such as a reference integrated light amount, a substrate name subject to the light amount adjustment process, and a measurement band are input (S101). Here, the reference integrated light amount is a reference for making the integrated light amounts coincide between the partial shielding members 25 or keeping them within a predetermined error range. As the reference, the absolute amount of the integrated light amount is designated, or the integrated light amount measured for each position of the partial shielding member 25 is adjusted to which integrated light amount (for example, the minimum integrated light amount is adjusted or each integrated light amount is adjusted). It is conceivable to specify that the amount of light is within ± α%.

After the various conditions are input, the control unit 41 executes an initialization process (S200) for the optical alignment irradiation device. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the initialization process according to the embodiment of the present invention. In this initialization process, the ultraviolet lamp 22a is turned on and waits until the illuminance of the irradiated ultraviolet light is stabilized, and the shielding amount by each of the partial shielding members 25 # 1 to 25 # m is 0, that is, the second opening 21B is opened. In this process, the partial shielding members 25 # 1 to 25 # m are moved so as to be fully opened. In the present embodiment, the second opening 21B is fully opened, the integrated light quantity at the position corresponding to each partial shielding member 25 is measured, and each partial shielding member 25 is closed based on the measurement result. It is possible to make the light quantity uniform while the light quantity from the two openings 21B is large.

In the initialization process, all the ultraviolet lamps 22 # 1 to 22 # n are first turned on (S201). Next, a process of moving the m partial shielding members 25 # 1 to 25 # m to the initial position is executed. 10 and 11 show the state of the second opening opening process for moving the partial shielding member 25 in the direction to open the second opening 21B. FIG. 11 shows a state in which the second opening opening process is being executed for the partial shielding member 25 # 2 located second from the left. FIGS. 10A and 11A are in an initial state, and the protrusion 33a of the opening adjustment portion 33 is in a retracted state. With the projection 33a stored, the stage 11 is moved by the scanning unit, thereby moving the opening adjustment unit 33 to a position facing the second opening 21B (S202). At this time, it is preferable to move the partial shielding member 25 to the inner side of the position where the partial shielding member 25 can project to the second opening 21B side so as not to interfere (collision) with the partial shielding member 25. After moving the stage by the scanning unit, the control unit 41 causes the projection 33a to protrude from the opening adjustment unit 33 (S203). FIGS. 10B and 11B show a state in which the protrusion 33a protrudes in the second opening 21B.

The process of moving each of the partial shielding members 25 # 1 to 25 # m to the initial position is thus performed by moving the protrusion 33a to the inner side of the second opening 21B, so that the partial shielding member 25 # is moved to the left side of the partial shielding member 25 in FIG. This is done by bringing the protrusion 33a into contact. After setting i = 1 (S204), the moving unit 31 moves the adjusting unit 3 to the position of the i-th partial shielding member 25 # 1 in the X-axis direction (S205). Then, the stage 11 is moved by the scanning unit to be moved to the initial position of the partial shielding member 25 # 1 (in this embodiment, the position where the second opening 21B is fully opened). FIGS. 10C and 11C show a state where the partial shielding member 25 is moved by the movement of the protrusion 33a. By executing S205 and S206 for each partial shielding member 25, all the partial shielding members 25 # 1 to 25 # m are moved to the initial positions, and the second opening 21B is fully opened.

When the movement of the last (m-th) partial shielding member 25 # m is completed (S207: Yes),
It waits for the illuminance of the ultraviolet lamps 22 # 1 to 22 # n to stabilize (S209). The stability of the illuminance can be determined when a predetermined time has elapsed from the start of lighting of the ultraviolet lamps 22 # 1 to 22 # n (S201). Or you may determine stability of illumination intensity using the detection value of the optical sensor 32 located in the location facing 2nd opening 21B like FIG. 10 (B) and FIG. 11 (B).

When it is determined that the illuminance is stable for the ultraviolet lamps 22 # 1 to 22 # n (S209: Yes), the projection 33a is stored, the stage 11 is moved by the scanning unit, and the opening projection 33 is moved to FIG. ) To the initial position in FIG. 11A, and the initialization process (S200) ends.

As shown in FIG. 8, in the light amount adjustment process, after the initialization process (S200) is completed, the measurement process (S102 to S106) and the second opening adjustment process (S108 to S114) are executed. The measurement process of this embodiment is a process of measuring the integrated light amount corresponding to the position of each partial shielding member 25 for each position. In the measurement process, the illuminance at one or a plurality of locations corresponding to each position of each partial shielding member 25 may be measured by the optical sensor 32. In the present embodiment, the integrated light amount at a certain location is scanned while scanning with ultraviolet rays. By measuring the amount of light, it is possible to measure the amount of light received by a certain location on the substrate S in the alignment process, and the light amount measurement conforms to the actual alignment process.

12 and 13 show the state of the measurement process for measuring the integrated light amount using the optical sensor 32. FIG. In FIG. 13, the position of the adjusting unit 3 indicated by reference signs A, B, and C corresponds to FIGS. FIG. 13 shows a state where the measurement process is being executed for the partial shielding member 25 # 2 located second from the left. After setting i = 1 (S102), the moving unit 31 moves the adjusting unit 3 to the position of the i-th partial shielding member 25 # 1 in the X-axis direction (S103). At this time, it is preferable to position the measurement position of the optical sensor 32 so as to be the center position of the width of the partial shielding member 25 in the X-axis direction.

Then, while the illuminance is measured by the optical sensor 32, the stage 11 is moved by the scanning unit, and as shown in FIG. 13, the ultraviolet irradiation region irradiated from the second opening 21 </ b> B as A → B → C. By moving the optical sensor 32 over the entire area, the integrated light quantity (unit: mW / cm ² ) of the ultraviolet light emitted from the second opening 21B, that is, the integrated illuminance value (unit: mJ / cm ² ) of the optical sensor 32 is measured. Is done. The measured integrated light quantity is stored as the partial shielding member related information in the storage unit in the control unit 41 (S105).

FIG. 16 shows the data structure of the partial shielding member related information. The partial shielding member-related information includes a board name, a measurement band, an execution date and time, and actual data as metadata. The metadata is data input from the input unit 43 as input of various conditions during the light amount adjustment process. The execution date and time can also be automatically input by the time measuring unit. The actual data includes the partial shielding member number (corresponding to the subscripts (1 to m) of the partial shielding member 25), the integrated light amount, and the shielding amount. In the measurement process, the integrated light amount measured for each partial shielding member 25 is stored in association with the corresponding partial shielding member number (S105). The shielding amount is a value determined based on the measured integrated light amount, and is an amount by which the partial shielding member 25 protrudes toward the second opening 21B.

When the measurement process is completed for all the partial shielding members (S106: Yes), the shielding amounts of the partial shielding members 25 # 1 to 25 # m are calculated (determined) based on the accumulated light quantity stored as the partial shielding member related information. (S107). FIG. 17 is a diagram showing the relationship between the integrated light amount and the shielding amount according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 17A shows the integrated light amount and the shielding amount before execution of the light amount adjustment process for each partial shielding member 25. It is shown. FIG. 17B shows the integrated light amount and shielding amount after the light amount adjustment processing for each partial shielding member 25. In the figure, the solid line indicates the integrated light amount, and the broken line indicates the shielding amount. As described in the initialization process, before the initialization, the shielding amounts of 25 # 1 to 25 # m of all the partial shielding members are 0 (minimum value). The integrated light quantity shown in FIG. 17 (A) is a result measured by the measurement process, and variation is observed for each of the partial shielding members 25 # 1 to 25 # m.

The calculation of the shielding amount for each of the partial shielding members 25 # 1 to 25 # m is based on the measured integrated light amount. In the present embodiment, the shielding amount of the partial shielding member 25 at the lower limit location of the integrated light quantity is set to 0, and the shielding amount of the other partial shielding member 25 is determined so as to coincide with the lower limit value. In the example of FIG. 17, the lower limit value of the integrated light quantity is measured at the position where the partial shielding member number is 11. Therefore, the shielding amount at this position is set to 0, and the shielding amount at other positions is determined. The shielding amount can be calculated from the integrated light amount, and can simply be calculated by multiplying the integrated light amount by a predetermined coefficient. In order to improve accuracy, a predetermined relational expression based on an experimental result or the like may be used for calculating the shielding amount. The calculated shielding amount for each partial shielding member 25 is stored in the actual data of the partial shielding member related information.

In FIG. 17B, the predicted value of the integrated integrated light quantity is indicated by a solid line (in this embodiment, no measurement is performed), but each partial shielding member 25 is set to the second amount corresponding to the shielding amount. By moving to the opening 21B side, ideally, uniformity is achieved between the partial shielding members 25 # 1 to 25 # m as shown by the solid line. In the present embodiment, the second opening 21B is set in the fully opened state (the shielding amount of the partial shielding members 25 # 1 to 25 # m is the minimum) in the initialization process, and the second opening 21B is measured in the fully opened state. The integrated light quantity is made uniform with reference to the lower limit value of the integrated light quantity, that is, the shielding amount of the partial shielding member 25 for which the lower limit value is measured is set to the minimum value, whereby the partial shielding members 25 # 1 to 25 # m The amount of UV irradiation from the second opening 21 </ b> B is earned by suppressing the amount of shielding as much as possible.

In the present embodiment, the adjusted integrated light amount is made uniform, but when the adjusted integrated light amount allows an error (for example, 0 to + α%), the lower limit value of the measured integrated light amount is set. By setting the maximum error (+ α%), the shielding amount of the partial shielding members 25 # 1 to 25 # m can be further reduced. In this case, with respect to the partial shielding member 25 for which the accumulated light amount with the allowable error (0 to + α%) is measured, the shielding amount is set to 0, and the partial shielding member with the accumulated light amount greater than the allowable error (+ α% or more) is measured. For 25, the shielding amount according to the integrated light quantity is calculated.

In the second opening adjustment process in S108 to S109, the position of each partial shielding member 25 # 1 to 25 # m is adjusted based on the shielding amount for each partial shielding member 25 # 1 to 25 # m calculated in S107. 14 and 15 show the state of the second opening adjustment (closing) process. FIG. 15 shows a state in which the second opening closing process is executed for the partial shielding member 25 # 2 located second from the left. As shown in FIG. 10A, the protrusion 33a of the opening adjustment portion 33 is changed to a state of protruding in the positive Z-axis direction (S109). Then, the protrusion 33a is moved to the position of the partial shielding member 25 to be moved by the movement of the adjustment unit 3 in the X axis direction by the moving unit 31 (S110). Then, using the i-th shielding amount calculated and stored in S107, the position of the partial shielding member 25 is adjusted by moving the stage 11 in the scanning unit (S111). Thus, in this embodiment, it is not necessary to provide a moving means for the partial shielding member 25 by using the scanning unit that moves the stage for adjusting the position of the partial shielding member 25. In addition, by using a scanning unit with excellent movement accuracy, the accuracy of position adjustment of the partial shielding member 25 can be improved.

After the position adjustment of each of the partial shielding members 25 # 1 to 25 # m is completed (S112: Yes), the protruding portion 33a is set in the retracted state shown in FIG. 14 (A) (S114), At the same time, the light amount adjustment process is completed. Since the partial shielding member 25 of the present embodiment employs a fixing mechanism using the stopper bolt 255 as described with reference to FIG. 6, each partial shielding member 25 is manually tightened with the stopper bolt 255 after the light amount adjustment processing. Fix position so that # 1-25 # m does not move. Although it is conceivable that the fixing mechanism is an automatic mechanism by the control unit 41, in this case, after the second opening adjustment process is completed, each of the partial shielding members 25 # 1 to 25 # 25 is based on a command from the control unit 41 to the fixing mechanism. #m is fixed in position.

As described above, by performing the light amount adjustment process including the measurement process and the second opening adjustment process before performing the alignment process, the unevenness of the integrated light quantity can be reduced with respect to ultraviolet rays (polarized light) generated in the X-axis direction in the alignment process. It becomes possible to suppress. In the light amount adjustment process (second opening adjustment process) of the present embodiment, the position of the partial shielding member 25 is adjusted to the second opening 21B side, thereby adjusting the position only in the direction of shielding the second opening 21B. However, the position of the second opening 21B may be adjusted in the opening direction by using the second opening opening process (FIGS. 10 and 11) described in the initialization process. In the light amount adjustment process described with reference to FIG. 8, the measurement process is performed on all the partial shielding members 25 and then the second opening adjustment process is performed. For each partial shielding member 25, the measurement process and the second opening are performed. Adjustment processing may be performed in pairs.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing a light amount adjustment process according to another embodiment. In the present embodiment, a reference integrated light amount (absolute amount) is designated in inputting various conditions in S151. The initialization process (S200) is the same as that described with reference to FIG. 9, and is a process of stabilizing the ultraviolet lamp 22 and fully opening the second opening 21B. In the light amount adjustment process of the present embodiment, the measurement process and the second opening adjustment process are executed in pairs for each of the partial shielding members 25 # 1 to 25 # m. After setting i = 1 (S152), the adjustment unit 3 is moved to the 1 (i) th partial shielding member 25 # 1 by the movement of the moving unit 31 (S153). Then, while moving the stage 11 by the scanning unit (S154), the ultraviolet light emitted from the second opening 21B is received by the optical sensor 32, whereby the integrated light amount is measured, and the partial shielding member related information in FIG. Store as actual data (S155).

In the second opening adjustment process, based on the integrated light amount measured in S155 and the reference integrated light amount installed in S151 so that the integrated light amount at the position of the partial shielding member 25 at the current position becomes the reference integrated light amount set in S151. The shielding amount is calculated (S156). The calculated shielding amount is stored as actual data in the partial shielding member related information in FIG. In the present embodiment, since the measurement process is performed for each of the partial shielding members 25 # 1 to 25 # m, the projection 33a interferes with the configuration of the partial shielding member 25 and the like when the projection 33a is projected. . Therefore, during the measurement process, the protrusion 33a is set in the retracted state and protruded when the second opening adjustment process is performed (S156).

The position of the partial shielding member 25 is adjusted by moving the stage 11 by the scanning unit based on the shielding amount calculated in S156 with the protruding portion 33a protruding (S158). Then, the projection 33a is stored in preparation for the next measurement process (S159). As described above, by executing the processing of S153 to S159 for each of the partial shielding members 25 # 1 to 25 # m, the measurement processing and the second opening adjustment processing at the positions of the partial shielding members 25 # 1 to 25 # m are completed. (S160). After completion, the position of each of the partial shielding members 25 # 1 to 25 # m is fixed by the fixing mechanism.

In the light amount adjustment process of the present embodiment, a set of the measurement process and the second opening adjustment process is executed for each position of each partial shielding member 25, so that the number of tacts (number of steps) in the photo-alignment irradiation apparatus is reduced. Is possible.

The partial shielding member related information created by the light amount adjustment processing of FIGS. 8 and 18 and stored in the storage unit in the control unit 41 may be used for the partial shielding member reproduction processing for reproducing the position of the partial shielding member 25. Good. In an optical alignment processing apparatus, alignment processing may be performed on different types of substrates S. Usually, the alignment process is performed for a certain number of lots, but the alignment process is performed on a different type of substrate S (substrate name B) following a certain type of substrate S (substrate name A). The partial shielding member 25 information may be adjusted without performing measurement processing by using the partial shielding member related information of the different types of substrates S (substrate name B) stored previously.

When the partial shielding member reproduction process is started, the user is allowed to specify a board name (S301). The control unit 41 reads out the partial shielding member related information corresponding to the designated board name from the storage unit. However, if the partial shielding member related information does not exist in the storage unit (S302: No), or the read partial shielding member related information exists. When it is too old, that is, when a predetermined period or more has elapsed since the previous measurement (S303: No), a warning is given to the user by, for example, displaying a warning on the display unit 42 (S311). In this case, the user can select whether or not to execute the light amount adjustment process. When the execution of the light amount adjustment process is selected (S312: Yes), the light amount adjustment process described with reference to FIG. 8 or FIG. Is executed. On the other hand, when the execution of the light amount adjustment process is not selected (S312: No), the partial shielding member reproduction process is terminated.

During partial shielding member reproduction processing S305 to S310, the positions of partial shielding members 25 # 1 to 25 # m in the light amount adjustment processing performed previously are reproduced based on the read partial shielding member related information. Therefore, after setting i = 1 (S304), the protruding portion 33a is protruded (S305), and the moving unit 31 moves the adjusting unit 3 to the position of the i-th partial shielding member 25 # 1 in the X-axis direction. (S306). Then, the position of the partial shielding member 25 is adjusted by moving the stage 11 using a shielding amount corresponding to the partial shielding member 25. By executing the processes of S306 and S307 for all the partial shielding members 25 # 1 to 25 # m, the adjustment positions of the partial shielding members 25 # 1 to 25 # m based on the partial shielding member related information are completed. . After the completion (S308: Yes), the partial shielding member reproduction process is completed by setting the protrusion 33a to the retracted state (S309). After the completion, the partial shielding members 25 # 1 to 25 # m are fixed by the fixing mechanism, and the alignment process is executed.

Note that the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and embodiments configured by appropriately combining the configurations of the respective embodiments also fall within the scope of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Light orientation irradiation apparatus, 2 ... Polarized light irradiation part, 11 ... Stage, 12 ... Rotation part, 13 ... Movable stand, 14a, 14b ... LM rail, 15c, 15d ... LM block, 16 ... Ball screw, 17 ... Ball screw drive , 18 ... bearing, 19 ... base, 21 ... irradiation unit housing, 21A ... first opening, 21B ... second opening, 22 ... light source part, 22a ... ultraviolet lamp, 22b ... reflector, 22c ... filter, 23 ... shielding member, 24 ... changing part, 25 ... partial shielding member, 251 ... spacer, 252 ... rail, 253 ... moving part, 254 ... fixed bolt, 255 ... stopper bolt, 3 ... adjusting part, 31 ... moving part, 32 ... Optical sensor 33 ... Opening adjustment portion 33a ... Projection portion S ... Substrate S '... Substrate installation position

Claims (12)

1. A stage, a polarized light irradiation unit, a scanning unit, a plurality of partial shielding members, a photosensor, and a control unit;
   The stage is capable of placing a substrate on which an alignment film is formed,
   The polarized light irradiation section is provided with an opening for emitting polarized light on the side facing the stage,
   The scanning unit is capable of relatively moving the polarized light irradiation unit and the stage,
   Each of the partial shielding members is configured to be movable so as to change a shielding amount for shielding a part of the opening,
   The optical sensor can measure the illuminance of incident light,
   The control unit can perform an alignment process and a measurement process,
   The alignment treatment irradiates the substrate with polarized light emitted from the opening while relatively moving the polarized light irradiation unit and the stage in the scanning unit,
   In the measurement process, at each partial shielding member position, the scanning unit receives the polarized light emitted from the opening while moving the stage and the polarized light irradiation unit relative to each other. A photo-alignment irradiation device that measures the integrated light intensity by integrating the illuminance measured by the optical sensor over time.
2. The said control part determines the shielding amount based on the integrated light quantity measured for every said partial shielding member, and performs the adjustment process which adjusts the position of the said partial shielding member based on the determined shielding amount. Photo-alignment irradiation device.
3. The photo-alignment irradiation apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the adjustment process performs position adjustment by moving the partial shielding member in a direction in which the opening is shielded from the position of the partial shielding member in the measurement process.
4. The photo-alignment according to claim 2, wherein the adjustment processing determines a shielding amount of each partial shielding amount so that a shielding amount of the partial shielding member for which a lower limit value of an integrated light amount is measured becomes a minimum shielding amount. Irradiation device.
5. Having a protrusion that moves with the movement by the scanning unit;
   The partial shielding member is movable in the relative movement direction of the polarized light irradiation unit by the scanning unit and the stage,
   The photo-alignment irradiation apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the adjustment process adjusts the position of the partial shielding member by moving the scanning unit in a state where the protrusion is in contact with the partial shielding member.
6. The protruding portion can be changed to a protruding state and a stored state on the partial shielding member side,
   In the adjustment process, the projection is moved to a position facing the opening in the retracted state, and the scanning is performed by the scanning unit in a state where the protrusion is in contact with the opening-side end of the partial shielding member. The photo-alignment irradiation apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the position of the partial shielding member is adjusted by relatively moving the polarized light irradiation unit and the stage.
7. The photo-alignment irradiation apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the protrusion is disposed on a movable portion that is possible in a direction in which the partial shielding members are arranged.
8. The photo-alignment irradiation apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the optical sensor is disposed in the moving unit in which the protrusion is disposed.
9. The photo-alignment irradiation apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the partial shielding member has an overlapping portion between adjacent partial shielding members.
10. A stage, a polarized light irradiation unit, a scanning unit, a plurality of partial shielding members, a protrusion, and a control unit;
    The stage is capable of placing a substrate on which an alignment film is formed,
    The polarized light irradiation unit is provided with an opening for emitting polarized light on the side facing the stage,
    The scanning unit is capable of relatively moving the polarized light irradiation unit and the stage,
    Each of the partial shielding members is movable in the relative movement direction of the polarized light irradiation unit by the scanning unit and the stage so as to change a shielding amount for shielding a part of the opening.
    The protrusion moves as the scanning unit moves,
    The control unit can perform an alignment process and an adjustment process,
    The alignment treatment irradiates the substrate placed on the stage with polarized light emitted from the opening while moving the polarized light irradiation unit and the stage relatively in the scanning unit,
    The alignment process is an optical alignment irradiation apparatus that moves the partial shielding member by moving the scanning unit in a state in which the protrusion is in contact with the partial shielding member.
11. An aperture adjustment method for a photo-alignment irradiation apparatus comprising a stage, a polarized light irradiation unit, a scanning unit, a plurality of partial shielding members, and an optical sensor,
    The stage is capable of placing a substrate on which an alignment film is formed,
    The polarized light irradiation section is provided with an opening for emitting polarized light on the side facing the stage,
    The scanning unit is capable of relatively moving the polarized light irradiation unit and the stage,
    Each of the partial shielding members is configured to be movable so as to change a shielding amount for shielding a part of the opening,
    The optical sensor can measure the illuminance of incident light,
    While irradiating the substrate with polarized light emitted from the opening while relatively moving the polarized light irradiation unit and the stage in the scanning unit,
    At each of the partial shielding member positions, the scanning unit relatively moves the stage and the polarized light irradiation unit, and the polarized light emitted from the opening is received by the optical sensor and measured by the optical sensor. Measure the integrated light intensity by integrating the illuminance over time,
    A method of adjusting an opening amount of a light alignment irradiation device, wherein the position of the corresponding partial shielding member is adjusted by a shielding amount determined based on an integrated light amount measured at each partial shielding member position.
12. The photo-alignment irradiation apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the shielding amount of each partial shielding amount is determined so that the shielding amount of the partial shielding member for which the lower limit value of the integrated light quantity is measured is the minimum shielding amount. Opening amount adjustment method.

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