WO2019184908A1

WO2019184908A1 - Optical mask plate, and method for preparing optical mask substrate based on optical mask plate

Info

Publication number: WO2019184908A1
Application number: PCT/CN2019/079670
Authority: WO
Inventors: 刘永; 张尚明; 马小叶; 刘国冬; 张东徽
Original assignee: 京东方科技集团股份有限公司; 合肥鑫晟光电科技有限公司
Priority date: 2018-03-26
Filing date: 2019-03-26
Publication date: 2019-10-03
Also published as: CN108255012A

Abstract

Provided are an optical mask plate (400) and a method for preparing an optical mask substrate (200) based on the optical mask plate (400). The optical mask plate (400) comprises a light-transmitting region (420) and a light-blocking region (410), wherein the light-transmitting region (420) has a designated pattern (1001), the designated pattern comprises (1001) at least one unit pattern, and the unit pattern is configured to be spliced to form at least two target patterns (1002). The optical mask plate (400) can be used to prepare a variety of different optical mask substrates (200), thereby increasing the universality.

Description

Optical mask and preparation method of optical mask substrate based on optical mask

The present application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 201 810 254 408 </ RTI> filed on March 26, 2018, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

Technical field

At least one embodiment of the present disclosure is directed to a method of fabricating an optical mask and an optical mask based optical mask substrate.

Background technique

In recent years, TFT-LCD (Thin Film Transistor Liquid Crystal Display) has become popular in the market due to its low operating voltage, low power consumption, low radiation, low space occupancy, and light and beautiful appearance.

The TFT-LCD is mainly composed of an array substrate (TFT glass substrate) and a color film substrate (CF glass substrate). In the process of the array substrate and the color film substrate to the box (Cell to the box), the seal is required to be sealed. Curing; curing is usually pre-cured by ultraviolet (UV) irradiation followed by thermal curing.

During the pre-curing process, the ultraviolet light will have a large influence on the effective display area AA (Active Area) of the display panel, so the optical mask substrate is required to block the AA area, and therefore, the design structure of the optical mask substrate Will affect the manufacturing process of the display panel.

Summary of the invention

At least one embodiment of the present disclosure provides an optical mask comprising a light transmissive region and a light shielding region, one of the light transmissive region and the light shielding region having a designated pattern, the specified pattern including at least A unit pattern that is arranged to be spliced to form at least two target patterns.

For example, in an optical mask provided by at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the specified pattern and the target pattern are different in size.

For example, in an optical mask provided in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the specified pattern and the shape of the target pattern are different.

For example, in an optical mask provided in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the specified pattern includes at least two different types of the unit patterns, the target patterns being spliced from two or more unit patterns.

For example, in an optical mask provided in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the specified pattern includes at least one of a rectangle, a cross, and a cross.

For example, in an optical mask provided by at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the rectangle is specifically a rounded rectangle; or the well pattern includes two first strip portions along the first direction and two along the first a second strip-shaped portion in two directions, each of the first strip-shaped portions intersecting two of the second strip-shaped portions, and a corner of at least one intersection is rounded, the first direction and the The second direction is perpendicular; or the cross includes a first strip portion along the first direction and a second strip portion along the second direction, the first strip portion and the second strip The shaped portions intersect, the corners at the intersection are rounded, and the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction.

For example, in an optical mask provided in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the unit pattern is included in the rounded rectangle, the cross or the cross.

For example, in an optical mask provided by at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the unit pattern is L-shaped, and the L-shaped unit pattern includes first strips and second strips in different directions in which the endpoints intersect unit.

For example, in an optical mask provided in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, a corner at which the first strip and the second strip meet is rounded.

For example, in an optical mask provided in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the first strip and the second strip are transparent strips or non-transparent strips.

At least one embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method of fabricating an optical mask substrate based on the optical mask of any of the above embodiments, comprising: determining the unit pattern for splicing out a target pattern, based on the unit The pattern is periodically exposed to the exposed substrate until the target pattern is formed on the substrate to be exposed, and the optical mask substrate is obtained.

For example, in the method for fabricating an optical mask substrate provided by at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, during each period of exposure, a mask and the optical mask are used to determine the current on the substrate to be exposed. a period of exposure of the period; exposing the exposed area of the current period.

For example, in the method for fabricating an optical mask substrate provided by at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, after exposing the exposed region of the current period during the exposure process of each period, the method further includes: the light transmission The area has the specified pattern, determining whether each exposed area on the substrate to be exposed can be spliced out of the target pattern; if so, ending the periodic exposure, if not, performing the exposure of the next period; or The light shielding area has the specified pattern, and it is determined whether the area other than each exposed area on the substrate to be exposed can splicing out the target pattern, and if so, the periodic exposure is ended, and if not, the exposure of the next period is performed.

For example, in a method of fabricating an optical mask substrate provided by at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the light transmissive region has the specified pattern, and after performing exposure per cycle or completing exposure of all cycles, development is performed; The opaque area has the specified pattern, and development is performed after all periods of exposure have been completed.

For example, in the method for fabricating an optical mask substrate provided by at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the determining an exposure region of the current period on the substrate to be exposed includes: using the shielding member to the optical mask Performing occlusion, forming an actual light-transmissive area or an actual light-shielding area having the unit pattern on the optical mask; the optical mask and the occlusion which will form the actual light-transmissive area or the actual light-shielding area Moving the piece as a whole to the current designated position, or moving to the current specified position as a whole and rotating to the current specified angle, determining the actual light-transmissive area or the actual after moving, or moving and rotating on the substrate to be exposed The area outside the shading area is directly opposite the current exposure area.

For example, in the method for fabricating an optical mask substrate provided by at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the determining an exposure region of the current period on the substrate to be exposed includes:

Moving the optical mask to a current designated position on the mold substrate to be exposed, or moving the optical mask to a current designated position on the mold substrate to be exposed and using the optical mask Rotating to a currently specified angle; moving the shutter to occlude the moving, or moving and rotating optical mask, forming the unit pattern with moving, or moving and rotating, on the optical mask An actual light-transmissive area or an actual light-shielding area; determining, on the substrate to be exposed, a current exposed area that is opposite to the area that is moved, or moved, and rotated, or the area other than the actual light-shielding area .

DRAWINGS

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings of the embodiments will be briefly described below. It is obvious that the drawings in the following description relate only to some embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the present invention. .

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present disclosure, the drawings of the embodiments will be briefly described below. It is obvious that the drawings in the following description relate only to some embodiments of the present disclosure, and are not to limit the disclosure. .

1 is a schematic view showing the principle of pre-curing a sealant with an optical mask substrate;

2 is a schematic diagram of a correspondence relationship between an optical mask and a TFT-LCD product;

3A is a schematic diagram of a corresponding relationship between an optical mask and a TFT-LCD product according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

3B is a schematic diagram of correspondence between another optical mask and a TFT-LCD product according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

4 is a schematic structural diagram of an optical mask according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of another optical mask provided by some embodiments of the present disclosure; FIG.

FIG. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of still another optical mask according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a specific example diagram of a method of fabricating an optical mask substrate according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 is another specific example diagram of a method for fabricating an optical mask substrate according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 is a specific example diagram of a method of fabricating an optical mask substrate according to some embodiments of the present disclosure;

Figure 10 is a flow diagram of an exposure process within a cycle of some embodiments of the present disclosure.

detailed description

The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described in the following with reference to the accompanying drawings. It is apparent that the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the invention, and not all of the embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by a person of ordinary skill in the art based on the described embodiments of the present invention without departing from the scope of the invention are within the scope of the invention.

Unless otherwise defined, technical terms or scientific terms used in the present disclosure are intended to be in the ordinary meaning of those of ordinary skill in the art. The words "first," "second," and similar terms used in the present disclosure do not denote any order, quantity, or importance, but are used to distinguish different components. The words "including" or "comprising", and the like, are intended to mean that the element or item that is present in the <RTIgt; The words "connected" or "connected" and the like are not limited to physical or mechanical connections, but may include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. "Upper", "lower", "left", "right", etc. are only used to indicate the relative positional relationship, and when the absolute position of the object to be described is changed, the relative positional relationship may also change accordingly.

In the pre-curing process, the metal pattern on the optical mask substrate (for example, UV Glass) can be used to shield the AA region, so that the ultraviolet light only irradiates the sealant without irradiating the AA region. The principle is shown in Figure 1. For example, in FIG. 1, 100 may be a TFT-LCD product, 101 may be a frame sealant, 102 may be an AA area, 200 may be an optical mask substrate, and 201 may be an occlusion area of an optical mask substrate.

In the preparation method of the optical mask substrate 200 (for example, UV glass substrate), the glass substrate having the metal layer is usually exposed, etched, etc. by using a mask having a certain metal pattern to obtain the same metal pattern. Optical mask substrate 200.

For the TFT-LCD product 100 having the different shapes of the sealant 101, it is generally required to have the optical mask substrate 200 of the masking region 201 having different patterns to block the AA region 102, and it is also necessary to use a plurality of patterns respectively. An optical mask (such as a UV mask) is used to prepare the corresponding optical mask substrate 200, the principle of which is shown in FIG.

It can be seen from FIG. 2 that for the TFT-LCD product 100A having the first sealant shape, it is required to prepare the corresponding optical mask substrate 200 using the optical mask 300A suitable for the first sealant shape; For the TFT-LCD product 100B having the second frame sealant shape, it is necessary to prepare the corresponding optical mask substrate 200 using the optical mask 300B suitable for the first frame sealant shape.

In the method for fabricating the optical mask substrate 200 shown in FIG. 2, for each TFT-LED product 100, it may be necessary to separately fabricate different optical mask plates to prepare the corresponding optical mask substrate 200, which is relatively expensive to produce; When the preparation amount of the optical mask substrate 200 is particularly small, one or more optical mask sheets are separately produced for this purpose, which further increases the production cost and also causes waste of production resources.

At least one embodiment of the present disclosure provides an optical mask and a method of preparing an optical mask substrate based on the optical mask. The optical mask includes a light transmissive area and a light blocking area, one of the light transmissive area and the light shielding area having a designated pattern, the designated pattern including at least one unit pattern, and the unit pattern being arranged to be spliced to form at least two target patterns. By using an optical mask having a specified pattern, an optical mask substrate having a plurality of different target patterns can be formed by multiple exposures to be applied to a plurality of TFT-LED products, which can reduce production cost and waste of resources. .

For example, in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the designated pattern includes a plurality of partitions, and the unit pattern may be one of the partitions or a combination of the plurality of partitions. The portion occupied by the unit pattern in the specified pattern can be referred to the related description in the following embodiments (the embodiments shown in FIG. 7 and FIG. 8), and details are not described herein.

It should be noted that, in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the method of obtaining an optical mask substrate by multiple exposure of the optical mask may be a photolithography patterning process. In the process, the photoresist is at least divided into a positive photoresist and a negative photoresist. When different types of photoresist are used, the specified pattern can be selected and designed in the optical mask according to the type of the photoresist. Light zone or shade zone.

For example, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, a positive photoresist is used in a photolithographic patterning process for fabricating an optical mask substrate, and the light transmissive region of the optical mask includes a specified pattern.

For example, in other embodiments of the present disclosure, a negative photoresist is used in the photolithographic patterning process for fabricating an optical mask substrate, and the light shielding region of the optical mask includes a specified pattern.

Hereinafter, a method of preparing an optical mask and an optical mask-based optical mask substrate according to at least one embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

For example, in the optical mask board and the optical mask substrate-based optical mask substrate manufacturing method provided by some embodiments of the present disclosure, the corresponding relationship between the optical mask board and the TFT-LCD product is as shown in FIG. 3A, and the use has By designing the optical mask 400 of the pattern 1001, a plurality of different optical mask substrates can be formed by multiple exposures to be applied to various TFT-LED products (100A and 100B in FIG. 3A), which can reduce production costs. Reduce waste of resources. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3A, a positive photoresist is used in the photolithography patterning process for fabricating an optical mask substrate, and the specified pattern 1001 of the optical mask 400 is located in the light transmissive region, and is specified during exposure. The portion (unit pattern) for exposure in the pattern 1001 causes light to pass through, and causes the transmitted light to be directed toward the positive photoresist in the region where the target pattern 1002 is located, and after development, the unit of the positive photoresist pattern The portion corresponding to the pattern is removed, and a patterning process (for example, wet etching) is performed using the remaining positive photoresist as a mask to obtain an optical mask substrate having a target pattern (or a portion thereof).

For example, in the optical mask plate and the optical mask substrate-based optical mask substrate provided by other embodiments of the present disclosure, the corresponding relationship between the optical mask and the TFT-LCD product is as shown in FIG. 3B. With the optical mask 400 having the specified pattern 1001, a plurality of different optical mask substrates can be formed by multiple exposures to be applied to various TFT-LED products (100A and 100B in FIG. 3B), which can reduce production. Cost, reducing waste of resources. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3B, a negative photoresist is used in the photolithography patterning process for fabricating the optical mask substrate, and the specified pattern 1001 of the optical mask 400 is located in the light-shielding region, and the pattern is specified when the exposure is performed. The portion (unit pattern) for shielding light in 1001 blocks light, and after exposure and development, the portion corresponding to the cell pattern of the negative photoresist pattern is removed, and the remaining negative photoresist is used as a mask for patterning. A process (eg, wet etching) is performed to obtain an optical mask substrate having a target pattern (or a portion thereof).

For example, in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the size of the designated pattern and the target pattern are different. As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the specified pattern of the optical mask 400 is smaller than the target pattern 1002 of the optical mask substrate corresponding to the TFT-LED product 100A, and larger than the target pattern of the optical mask substrate corresponding to the TFT-LED product 100B. 1003.

For example, in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the shape of the designated pattern and the target pattern are different. As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the aspect ratio of the designated pattern 1001 of the optical mask 400, the aspect ratio of the target pattern 1002 of the optical mask substrate corresponding to the TFT-LED product 100A, and the corresponding TFT-LED product 100B The aspect ratios of the target patterns 1003 of the optical mask substrate are not equal.

Hereinafter, the technical solution in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure will be described by taking a specific pattern in the optical mask in a light transmitting region as an example. In this case, during the exposure, the target pattern corresponds to the exposed area, and thus the target pattern may become the pattern to be exposed.

For example, in an optical mask provided by at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the planar structure of the optical mask 400 is as shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 5 or FIG. The optical mask 400 includes a light-shielding region 410 and a light-transmitting region 420 having a prescribed pattern, and the design pattern 1001 includes at least one unit pattern capable of splicing out at least two patterns to be exposed (1002 and 1003).

By using an optical mask 400 having a specified pattern, a plurality of optical mask substrates having different patterns to be exposed can be formed by using a mask for different times of exposure. The optical mask 400 has high versatility and can be effective. Reduce production costs and reduce waste of resources.

For example, as shown in FIG. 4, FIG. 5 or FIG. 6, the optical mask substrate 200 prepared by the optical mask 400 includes a light shielding region 410 and a light transmitting region 420 having a pattern to be exposed.

For example, in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the specified pattern of the optical mask includes at least one unit pattern, and the pattern to be exposed may be spliced by any one of the unit patterns, or may be spliced by two or more unit patterns. to make.

In at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the specified pattern (or the unit pattern therein) may include a plurality of shapes in order to better adapt to the existing AA area (such as 102 in FIG. 1) and the sealant (FIG. 1). In the design shape of 101), in the embodiment of the invention, the specified pattern may include at least one of a rectangle, a cross, and a cross.

For example, in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the specified pattern of the optical mask may be rectangular. For example, the designated pattern may be a rounded rectangle, as shown in FIG. 4; the area inside the rounded rectangle is a partial occlusion area that can be used to block the AA area during pre-curing of the sealant.

For example, in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the specified pattern of the optical mask may be in the shape of a square. For example, as shown in FIG. 5, the well pattern includes two first strip portions 421 (belonging to the light transmitting region 420) and two along the second direction (in the X-axis direction in the drawing). The second strip portion 422 (in the Y-axis direction) of the middle (in the light transmissive region 420), and the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction. Each of the first strip portions 421 intersects the two second strip portions 422, and the corners at each intersection are rounded to better accommodate the design shape of the sealant in the current product.

In the case where the specified pattern of the optical mask is a trapezoidal shape, the well-shaped pattern includes not only the rounded rectangular pattern in the above embodiment (the embodiment shown in FIG. 4) but also the rounded rectangle in each direction. The partial pattern increases the compatibility of the pattern and has a wider application range.

For example, in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the specified pattern of the optical mask may be a cross. For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the cross includes a first strip portion 421 disposed in a first direction (X-axis direction in the drawing) and a second portion in a second direction (Y-axis direction in the drawing) The strip portion 422 has a first direction that is perpendicular to the second direction. The first strip portions 421 are each intersected with the second strip portion 422, and the corners at the intersections are rounded to better accommodate the design shape of the sealant in the current product.

In the case where the specified pattern of the optical mask is a cross, the cross pattern distributes a partial pattern of rounded rectangles in various directions (for example, four corners and four sides of a rounded rectangle), increasing pattern compatibility. , the scope of application is wider.

For example, in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the specified pattern of the optical mask is a rounded rectangle, based on a rounded rectangular optical mask, an appropriate unit pattern can be selected, and the substrate to be exposed based on the unit pattern Multiple exposures were made to obtain an optical mask having a well-shaped or cross-shaped light transmissive region.

For example, in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, when the specified pattern of the optical mask is a rounded rectangle, a cross or a cross, the unit pattern is at least a portion of the rounded rectangle, a cross or a cross.

The unit pattern may be any portion of a specified pattern (eg, a designated pattern of rounded rectangles, crosses, or crosses), in order to better conform to the shape requirements of the sealant in current products, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, the unit patterns The shape can be L-shaped (or inverted L-shaped). For example, in other embodiments of the present disclosure, the shape of the unit pattern is a straight segment shape. The shape of the unit pattern can be designed as needed, and is not limited herein.

The L-shaped unit pattern includes a first strip portion intersecting the end direction in the first direction and a second strip portion along the second direction, the corner of the intersection of the first strip portion and the second strip portion being rounded . Therefore, the optical mask substrate prepared based on the L-shaped unit pattern is more in line with the need to cure the sealant in the current product.

For example, in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, when the unit pattern belongs to a specified pattern of a rounded rectangle, the length of the first strip is not greater than the length of the side in one direction of the rounded rectangle, and the second strip is The length is not greater than the length of the side in the second direction of the rounded rectangle.

For example, in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, when the unit pattern belongs to a specified pattern of a well-shaped shape, the length of the first strip portion is not greater than the length of the associated first strip portion, and the length of the second strip portion is not greater than The length of the second strip portion.

It should be noted that, in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, in a case where a specified pattern in the optical mask is located in the light transmitting region (as shown in the embodiments shown in FIGS. 3A, 4, 5, and 6), The first strip and the second strip are transparent strips; in the case where the designated pattern in the optical mask is located in the shade (as in the embodiment shown in FIG. 3B), the first strip and the first strip The two strips are non-transparent strips, and the non-transparent strips can be shielded from light.

For example, in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, when the unit pattern belongs to a cross shape, the length of the first strip portion is not greater than the length of the first strip portion, and the length of the second strip portion is not greater than the second strip shape The length of the part.

For example, in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, as shown in FIGS. 4, 5, and 6, the optical mask 400 may further include a mask frame 430, which is a light-shielding region. Used to form the boundary of the exposed area (601 in Fig. 7).

In at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, at least one optical mask having a specified pattern is provided, and any of the optical masks can be used to prepare a plurality of different optical mask substrates, which is highly versatile and can be greatly Reduce production costs and reduce waste of production resources.

At least one embodiment of the present disclosure provides a method of fabricating an optical mask substrate. For example, FIGS. 7 and 8 respectively show two typical examples of the preparation method.

The preparation method includes: determining a unit pattern capable of splicing out a pattern to be exposed, and periodically exposing the substrate 600 to be exposed based on the unit pattern until a pattern to be exposed is formed on the substrate 600 to be exposed, thereby obtaining a sealable adhesive that can be used for curing The optical mask substrate 200 of 101. The substrate to be exposed 600 is a glass substrate with a metal film layer, and the pattern to be exposed is a pattern of a metal film layer to be exposed.

For example, in the method of fabricating an optical mask substrate provided by at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, during each period of exposure, a specified pattern (unit pattern) of the optical mask is located in the light transmissive region, as shown in FIG. 7 or 8. As shown in FIG. 10, the following steps may be included:

S1, using a shutter 500 and an optical mask 400 having the unit pattern, forming an exposure region 601 of the current period on the substrate 600 to be exposed;

S2, exposing the exposure area 601 of the current cycle.

For example, in the method for fabricating an optical mask substrate provided by at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, different exposure modes are used to form different patterns to be exposed on the substrate to be exposed 600 by using the optical mask 400, thereby obtaining different optics. Mask substrate 200.

For example, in the method for preparing an optical mask substrate provided by at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, after the step S2 is completed during the exposure process of each cycle, the preparation method may further include:

It is judged whether each exposed area 601 on the substrate to be exposed 600 can be spliced out of the pattern to be exposed; if so, the periodic exposure is ended; if not, the exposure of the next period is performed. Here, as shown in FIG. 7 or FIG. 8 and FIG. 10, the designated pattern (unit pattern) of the optical mask 400 is located in the light transmitting region.

For example, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, in a case where a specified pattern (unit pattern) of the optical mask is located in the light-shielding region, an area other than each exposed area on the substrate to be exposed (ie, an area that is not exposed) is determined. Whether the target pattern can be spliced, and if so, the periodic exposure is ended, and if not, the exposure of the next cycle is performed.

For example, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, in the case where the light-transmitting region has a prescribed pattern, development is performed after completion of exposure per cycle or completion of exposure of all cycles, which can be seen in FIGS. 7 and 8 Example. For example, in other embodiments of the present disclosure, in the case where the light-shielding region has a prescribed pattern, development is performed after all periods of exposure have been completed, which can be seen in the embodiment shown in FIG.

For example, in the method for fabricating an optical mask substrate provided by some embodiments of the present disclosure, the foregoing step S1 may include:

The optical mask 400 is shielded by the shielding member 500, and the actual light transmitting region 423 having the unit pattern is formed on the optical mask 400; the optical mask 400 and the shutter 500 forming the actual light transmitting region 423 are integrally moved. The exposure area 601 of the current period that is opposite to the actual light transmission area 423 that is moved, or moved and rotated, is determined on the substrate to be exposed 600 to the current designated position, or moved to the current specified position as a whole and rotated to the current specified angle. . Wherein, the specified pattern (unit pattern) of the optical mask 400 is located in the light transmitting region.

It should be noted that, in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, in a case where a specified pattern (unit pattern) of the optical mask is located in the light shielding region, the step S1 may include: blocking the optical mask with the shielding member. Forming an actual light-shielding region having a unit pattern on the optical mask; moving the optical mask and the shutter forming the actual light-shielding region as a whole to the current designated position, or moving integrally to the current designated position and rotating to the current specified angle, The exposed area of the current period facing the area outside the actual light-shielding area after moving, or moving and rotating, is determined on the substrate to be exposed.

For example, in the method for preparing an optical mask substrate provided by other embodiments of the present disclosure, step S1 may include:

Moving the optical mask 400 to the currently designated position on the mold substrate 600 to be exposed, or moving the optical mask 400 to the current designated position and rotating the optical mask 400 to the current specified angle; moving the shutter 500 The moving, or moving, and rotated optical mask 400 is shielded, and an actual light transmitting region 423 having a moving, or moving, and rotated unit pattern is formed on the optical mask 400; The exposure area 601 of the current period that is opposite to the actual light transmission area 423 that is moved, or moved and rotated, is determined. Wherein, the specified pattern (unit pattern) of the optical mask 400 is located in the light transmitting region.

It should be noted that, in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, in a case where a specified pattern (unit pattern) of the optical mask is located in the light shielding region, step S1 may include: moving the optical mask onto the substrate to be exposed The current specified position, or move the optical mask to the current designated position and rotate the optical mask to the current specified angle; the moving shutter occludes the moved, moved, and rotated optical mask, Forming an actual light-shielding region having a moving, or moving, and rotated unit pattern on the optical mask; determining, on the substrate to be exposed, a region other than the actual light-shielding region after moving, or moving and rotating The exposure area of the current cycle.

For example, in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the movement and rotation of the optical mask 400 and the shutter 500, as well as the exposure process, can all be performed by an exposure machine.

For example, in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the number of the shielding members is not limited, and the shielding members may be disposed in one, two or any number. The more the shielding members 500, the more flexible the adjustment of the shielding area is, but When the number is too large, the workload of the moving shutter 500 is also large. Therefore, in actual production, an appropriate number of shutters 500 can be selected for the occlusion operation according to specific needs.

For example, in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, the shape and size of the shielding member are not limited. The shielding member may adopt a rectangular shape, and may also adopt other shapes such as a triangle, a circle, etc., to realize flexible adjustment of the shielding area, in actual production. In the case, depending on the specific needs and the characteristics of the exposure machine.

Next, a method for preparing an optical mask substrate will be further described by taking an optical mask 400 (shown in FIG. 3A) having a designated pattern as a rounded rectangle as an example.

In one example of an embodiment of the present disclosure, based on the optical mask 400 having a rounded rectangular light-shielding region 410 as shown in FIG. 3A, the first optical mask having the first pattern to be exposed can be prepared by 8 exposures. The film substrate 200, the first pattern to be exposed is two rounded rectangles, wherein the size of each rounded rectangle is larger than the size of the rounded rectangle in the optical mask 400, and the preparation process can be as shown in FIG. 7.

In the process of preparing the first type of optical mask substrate 200, first determining a first unit pattern that can be spliced into the first pattern to be exposed; and then periodically exposing the film to be exposed based on the first unit pattern until A pattern to be exposed is formed on the substrate 600 to be exposed, thereby obtaining a first type of optical mask substrate 200.

During the periodic exposure process, the exposure process for each cycle can be similar. Taking the first cycle as an example, during the exposure of the first cycle:

The optical mask 400 is shielded by the shielding member 500, and the first actual light transmitting region 423 having the first unit pattern is formed on the optical mask 400, that is, the unmasked portion of the transparent region of the designated pattern The portion blocked by 500 is the first actual light transmitting region 423; the optical mask 400 and the shutter 500 forming the first actual light transmitting region 423 are integrally moved to the current designated position on the substrate 600 to be exposed, and the film to be exposed is The first exposure area 601 is determined; the first exposure area 601 is exposed, and after the exposure, it is judged that only one first exposure area 601 cannot splicing the first pattern to be exposed, so the next cycle is continued. Exposure. After the exposure of the eighth cycle is completed, it is judged that the eight first exposure regions 601 that have been exposed can splicing out the first pattern to be exposed, and the exposure ends.

In another example of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a second optical having a second pattern to be exposed can be prepared by 16 exposures based on the optical mask 400 having a rounded rectangular light-shielding region 410 as shown in FIG. 3A. The mask substrate 200, the second pattern to be exposed includes four rounded rectangles, wherein the size of each rounded rectangle is smaller than the size of the rounded rectangle in the optical mask 400, and the preparation process is as shown in FIG. .

In the process of preparing the second optical mask substrate 200, first determining a second unit pattern that can be spliced into the second pattern to be exposed, the determined second unit pattern is as shown in FIG. 8; and then based on the second The unit pattern is periodically exposed to the exposure film until a pattern to be exposed is formed on the substrate 600 to be exposed, thereby obtaining the second optical mask substrate 200.

During the periodic exposure process, the exposure process for each cycle can be similar. Taking the first period as an example, during the exposure of the first period: the optical mask 400 is shielded by the shutter 500, and the second actual pattern having the second unit pattern is formed on the optical mask 400. The light-transmitting region 423, that is, the portion of the light-transmitting region of the designated pattern that is not blocked by the shutter 500 is the second actual light-transmitting region 423; the optical mask 400 and the shutter 500 that will form the second actual light-transmitting region 423 Moving to the current designated position on the substrate to be exposed 600, determining the second exposure area 601 on the film to be exposed; exposing the second exposure area 601, after the exposure, it is judged that only one second exposure The area 601 cannot splicing out the second pattern to be exposed, so the exposure of the next cycle is continued. After the exposure of the 16th cycle is completed, it is judged that the exposed 16 second exposure regions 601 can splicing out the second pattern to be exposed, and the exposure ends.

For example, in the method of fabricating an optical mask substrate provided by at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, a specified pattern (unit pattern) of the optical mask is located in the light-shielding region during each period of exposure, as shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. As shown, the following steps can be included:

S1, using a shutter 500 and an optical mask having the unit pattern (not shown, including the actual light-shielding region 423a), forming an exposure region of the current period on the substrate to be exposed 600a (not blocked by the shutter 500 and corresponding to the optical The area outside the actual shading area 423a of the mask).

S2, exposing the exposure region 601a of the current period, that is, the portion of the region corresponding to the actual light-shielding region 423a is not exposed to the region of the substrate 600a to be exposed that is not blocked by the shutter 500 during the exposure process, The area 601a that is not exposed corresponds to the sub-pattern in which the target pattern is to be formed.

The above process is repeated, as shown in Fig. 9, in each exposure process, except for the area to be exposed, the other areas are shielded by the shutter 500. Thus, after the exposure of all the cycles is completed, the photoresist (for example, a negative photoresist) on the exposed substrate 600a is developed, and the region where the photoresist is not exposed (for example, the region 601a) is removed after development. Patterning (for example, wet etching) using the remaining photoresist as a mask, an optical mask substrate having a target pattern (for example, an optical mask substrate shown in the eighth cycle of FIG. 9) is obtained.

In the method for preparing an optical mask substrate based optical mask substrate provided by at least one embodiment of the present disclosure, any one of the optical masks having the specified pattern can be prepared by multiple exposures and different times of exposure. The optical mask substrate of any pattern to be exposed; the method has strong versatility, can greatly reduce the production cost, and reduce the waste of production resources.

Compared with the prior art, the embodiment of the present invention has at least the following beneficial effects:

(1) Providing at least one optical mask having a specified pattern, any of which may be used to prepare at least two different optical mask substrates for preparing different products, adding optical masks The versatility between products greatly reduces costs;

(2) Based on the optical mask having the specified pattern provided by the embodiment of the present invention, an optical mask substrate having different patterns to be exposed is prepared by a periodic exposure process to meet the demand for preparing different products, which can be greatly reduced. Production costs, reducing waste of production resources.

For the present disclosure, the following points need to be explained:

(1) The drawings of the embodiments of the present disclosure relate only to the structures related to the embodiments of the present disclosure, and other structures can be referred to the general design.

(2) For the sake of clarity, in the drawings for describing embodiments of the present disclosure, the thickness of layers or regions is enlarged or reduced, that is, the drawings are not drawn to actual scales.

(3) In the case of no conflict, the embodiments of the present disclosure and the features in the embodiments may be combined with each other to obtain a new embodiment.

The above is only the specific embodiment of the present disclosure, but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the scope of protection of the present disclosure is subject to the scope of protection of the claims.

Claims

An optical mask comprising:

Light transmissive area and shading area;

Wherein one of the light transmitting region and the light shielding region has a designated pattern, and the specified pattern includes at least one unit pattern, and the unit pattern is configured to be spliced to form at least two target patterns.
The optical mask according to claim 1, wherein

The specified pattern and the target pattern are different in size.
The optical mask according to claim 1 or 2, wherein

The specified pattern and the shape of the target pattern are different.
The optical mask according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein

The specified pattern includes at least two different types of the unit patterns, and the target patterns are formed by splicing two or more unit patterns.
The optical mask according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein

The specified pattern includes at least one of a rectangle, a cross, and a cross.
The optical mask according to claim 5, wherein

The rectangle is a rounded rectangle; or

The well pattern includes two first strip portions in a first direction and two second strip portions in a second direction, each of the first strip portions and two of the second strip portions All intersecting, at least one corner of the intersection is rounded, the first direction being perpendicular to the second direction; or

The cross shape includes a first strip portion in a first direction and a second strip portion in a second direction, the first strip portion and the second strip portion intersecting at an intersection The corner is rounded, and the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction.
The optical mask according to claim 6, wherein

The unit pattern is included in the rounded rectangle, the cross or the cross.
The optical mask according to claim 7, wherein

The unit pattern is L-shaped, and the L-shaped unit pattern includes first strips and second strips that intersect at different ends in different directions.
The optical mask according to claim 8, wherein

A corner of the intersection of the first strip and the second strip is rounded.
The optical mask according to claim 8 or 9, wherein

The first strip portion and the second strip portion are transparent strip portions or non-transparent strip portions.
A method of preparing an optical mask substrate according to any one of claims 1 to 10, comprising:

Determining the unit pattern for splicing out the target pattern, and periodically exposing the substrate to be exposed based on the unit pattern until the target pattern is formed on the substrate to be exposed, to obtain the optical mask substrate.
The method of claim 11 wherein

During each period of exposure, a masking member and the optical mask are used to determine an exposure region of the current period on the substrate to be exposed;

The exposure area of the current period is exposed.
The method according to claim 12, wherein after exposing the exposed area of the current period during the exposure of each period, the method further comprises:

The light transmissive area has the specified pattern, and it is determined whether each exposed area on the substrate to be exposed can be spliced out of the target pattern, and if so, the periodic exposure is ended, and if not, the exposure is performed in the next cycle. ;or

The light-shielding area has the specified pattern, and it is determined whether a region other than each exposed area on the substrate to be exposed can be spliced out of the target pattern, and if so, the periodic exposure is ended, and if not, the next cycle is performed. exposure.
The method of claim 13 wherein

The light transmissive region has the specified pattern, and is developed after completing the exposure of each cycle or completing the exposure of all cycles; or

The opaque area has the specified pattern, and development is performed after all periods of exposure have been completed.
The method according to any one of claims 12-14, wherein the determining an exposure region of the current period on the substrate to be exposed comprises:

Blocking the optical mask with the shielding member, forming an actual light-transmissive region or an actual light-shielding region having the unit pattern on the optical mask;

Moving the optical mask and the shutter forming the actual light-transmissive area or the actual light-shielding area to the current designated position as a whole, or moving to the current designated position as a whole and rotating to the current specified angle, in the to-be-exposure A current exposure area that is opposite to the area of the actual light-transmissive area or the actual light-shielding area that is moved, or moved and rotated, is determined on the substrate.
The method according to any one of claims 12-14, wherein the determining an exposure region of the current period on the substrate to be exposed comprises:

Moving the optical mask to a current designated position on the mold substrate to be exposed, or moving the optical mask to a current designated position on the substrate to be exposed and rotating the optical mask To the current specified angle;

Moving the shutter to block the moving, or moving, and rotating optical mask panel, forming an actual light transmissive area of the unit pattern having a moving, or moving, and rotating shape on the optical mask sheet or The actual light-shielding area determines a current exposure area that is opposite to the actual light-transmissive area or the area other than the actual light-shielding area that is moved, or moved and rotated, on the substrate to be exposed.