CN1303649C - Exposure device, exposure method and element making method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides an exposure device, which can arbitrarily set the size of the pattern formed on the photosensitive substrate when the divided pattern continues to be exposed, and can also arbitrarily set the division position of the pattern on the mask. Its means is the scanning type exposure device that uses, is equipped with field diaphragm, can set the width of the scanning direction of the projection area (50) of photosensitive substrate P; The width in the non-scanning direction; and the shutter (30), which can move in the non-scanning direction, can set the junction of the pattern image and can continuously attenuate the cumulative exposure of the junction to the periphery of the irradiation area.

Description

Exposure apparatus, exposure method, and device manufacturing method

technical field

The present invention relates to a scanning exposure device and an exposure method for synchronously moving a mask and a photosensitive substrate, and exposing the pattern of the mask on the photosensitive substrate, especially related to repeatedly exposing a part of adjacent patterns on the photosensitive substrate. An exposure device and an exposure method, and a method for manufacturing an element.

Background technique

Liquid crystal display elements or semiconductor elements are manufactured by the so-called photolithography and etch method that transfers the pattern formed on the mask on the photosensitive substrate. The exposure device used in the lithographic etching process includes a substrate stage on which a photosensitive substrate can be moved two-dimensionally, and a mask stage on which a mask with a pattern can be moved two-dimensionally. While moving the mask stage and the substrate stage one by one, the pattern formed on the mask is transferred to the photosensitive substrate through the projection optical system. The so-called exposure device is known to mainly have two types, that is, the collective exposure device that transfers all the patterns on the mask to the photosensitive substrate at the same time, and the one that scans the mask stage and the substrate stage synchronously and continuously transfers the mask on one side. A scanning exposure device that transfers the pattern onto the photosensitive substrate. Among them, in the manufacture of liquid crystal display elements, since enlargement of the display area is required, scanning exposure apparatuses are mainly used.

In the scanning type exposure apparatus, a plurality of projection optical systems are arranged so that adjacent projection areas are formed by shifting by a predetermined amount in the scanning direction, and adjacent ends of the adjacent projection areas overlap in a direction perpendicular to the scanning direction. The so-called multi-mirror type scanning exposure device (mult-lens scan type exposure device). The multi-mirror scanning exposure device can not only maintain good imaging characteristics, but also obtain a large exposure area without enlarging the device. The field apertures of the respective projection optical systems of the above-mentioned scanning exposure apparatus are, for example, trapezoidal in shape, and the total amount of opening widths of the field apertures in the scanning direction is set to be always equal, because the junction of adjacent projection optical systems is repeatedly exposed. , Therefore, the above-mentioned scanning exposure apparatus has the advantages of smooth changes in the optical aberration of the projection optical system and the exposure illuminance.

Scanning exposure device, after the mask and photosensitive substrate are moved synchronously for scanning exposure, these masks and photosensitive substrate are moved in a direction perpendicular to the scanning direction to perform multiple scanning exposures, so that part of the pattern is repeatedly exposed , These patterns can be combined to form a liquid crystal display element with a large display area.

The method of repeating scanning exposure and progressive movement to synthesize patterns on the photosensitive substrate, such as forming a plurality of divided patterns on the mask, and then bonding these divided patterns on the photosensitive substrate; or dividing the pattern image of the mask into A plurality of projected areas, a method of bonding these divided projected areas on a photosensitive substrate, and the like. The preceding method is as shown in FIG. 25 , first forming three divisional patterns Pa, Pb, and Pc on the mask M, and then sequentially exposing these divisional patterns Pa, Pb, and Pc on the photosensitive substrate P, and on the photosensitive substrate P method of joining.

On the other hand, in the latter method, as shown in FIG. 26 , the irradiation area for exposure of the pattern formed on the mask M is changed at each scan, and the exposure areas on the photosensitive substrate P are sequentially scanned and exposed in the projection area corresponding to these irradiation areas. , and then pattern synthesizer. Here, assuming five projection optical systems, as shown in FIG. 26(a), the respective projection areas 100a-100e are set in a trapezoidal shape, and the accumulated exposure in the scanning direction (X direction) remains the same, and each end Parts overlap in the Y direction, and the total width of the projected area in the X direction is equal to the design. When the photosensitive substrate exposes the pattern, among the plurality of projection areas 100a-100e, the optical path corresponding to the predetermined projection area is shielded with a shutter, so that only the predetermined area of the mask M is exposed and irradiated. Scanning exposure times, so that the adjacent end of the projection area repeated exposure. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 26(b), the first scanning exposure is performed on the -Y side end a1 of the projection area 100d, and the second scanning exposure is performed on the +Y side end a2 of the projection area 100b. Repeat exposure. Similarly, the scanning exposure of the second time is performed on the −Y side end a3 of the projection area 100 c, and the third scanning exposure is repeatedly exposed on the +Y side end a4 of the projection area 100 b. At this time, the projection area 100e is shielded during the first scanning exposure; the projection areas 100a, 100d, and 100e are shielded during the second scanning exposure; and the projection area 100a is shielded during the third scanning exposure.

Here, the length L12 in the Y direction of the divided pattern formed on the photosensitive substrate P by the first scanning exposure is from the +Y direction end point of the short side of the projection area 100a to the -Y direction end point of the long side of the projection area 100d. The distance in the Y direction between. The length L13 in the Y direction of the divided pattern formed on the photosensitive substrate P by the scanning exposure for the second time is between the +Y direction end point of the long side of the projection area 100b and the -Y direction end point of the long side of the projection area 100c. The distance in the Y direction. The length L14 in the Y direction of the divided pattern formed on the photosensitive substrate P by the third scanning exposure is the length L14 between the +Y direction end point of the long side of the projection area 100b and the -Y direction end point of the short side of the projection area 100e. The distance in the Y direction. In this way, the size (the lengths L12, L13, and L14 in the Y direction) of each divided pattern is determined based on the long side and short side of the trapezoidal projection area.

The above-mentioned common scanning exposure method and scanning exposure apparatus have the following problems.

In the method shown in FIG. 25, in order to form a plurality of independent divided patterns on the mask M, the pattern configuration on the mask M is limited. Furthermore, for scanning exposure for each divided pattern, the number of scanning exposures increases, reducing throughput.

Moreover, in the method shown in FIG. 26 , when pattern synthesis is performed by multiple scanning exposures, the size of each divided pattern (the lengths L12, L13, and L14 in the Y direction) depends on the long side and short side of the trapezoidal projection area as described above. Depends on the length. That is, in the method shown in FIG. 26, the size of the pattern formed on the photosensitive substrate P is limited by the size of the projected area and the size (shape) of the field of view aperture. Furthermore, the joint of the divided pattern is formed only at the end of the trapezoidal projected area, so the divided position of the pattern is also limited by it. As described above, in the known method, the division position of the pattern and the size of the pattern formed on the photosensitive substrate P are limited, and it is difficult to manufacture an arbitrary module.

Contents of the invention

In view of the above circumstances, the present invention aims to provide an exposure device, an exposure method, and a component manufacturing method, which can simultaneously set the pattern formed on the photosensitive substrate when a part of the divided pattern is repeatedly bonded and exposed on the photosensitive substrate. The size of the mask can be set arbitrarily, and the division position of the pattern on the mask can be set arbitrarily, and the device can be manufactured efficiently.

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, the present invention adopts the configuration as shown in FIGS. 1 to 24 of the embodiment, and its configuration will be described below.

The exposure apparatus (EX) of the present invention has the following features: an illumination optical system (IL) for irradiating a light beam (EL) to a mask (M), a mask stage (MST) for placing the mask (M), and A substrate stage (PST) carrying a photosensitive substrate (P) for passing through a pattern (44, 45a, 45b, 46, 47) of a mask (M) for manufacturing a display assembly. This type can move the mask (M) and the photosensitive substrate (P) synchronously in the scanning direction of the light beam (EL), so that part of the pattern image (50a~50g, 62, 63) of the mask (M) can be repeatedly exposed. The exposure device for exposing the pattern on the photosensitive substrate (P) by scanning exposure divided into multiple times is equipped with a field of view diaphragm (20) to set the scanning direction (X ) width (Lx); and the first shading plate (40), which overlaps with the field of view aperture on the optical path, can set the width (Ly) of the pattern image (50a～50g) in the direction (Y) perpendicular to the scanning direction and the second light-shielding plate (30), which can move in the direction (Y) perpendicular to the scanning direction and set the repeating area (48, 49, 64) of the pattern, while facing the periphery of the irradiation area, will be in the repeated exposure area The cumulative exposure of (48, 49, 66) decays approximately continuously. Wherein, the mask stage is arranged on the optical path between the illumination optical system and the substrate stage, and the field of view aperture, the light-shielding plate and the shutter are arranged at positions conjugate to the mask and the photosensitive substrate, and Configured on the optical path.

According to the present invention, the width of the scanning direction and the direction perpendicular to the scanning direction of the pattern image on the photosensitive substrate can be set with the field of view diaphragm and the first light shielding plate. When the set pattern image is bonded on the photosensitive substrate, A second shading plate is arranged on the optical path and can move in a direction perpendicular to the scanning direction. By moving the second shading plate, the irradiation area of the light beam on the mask (irradiation area of the illumination optical system) can be arbitrarily set. Therefore, the joint portion of the pattern, that is, the division position of the pattern of the mask can be set arbitrarily, so the size of the pattern formed on the photosensitive substrate can be set arbitrarily. In addition, the second shutter is configured to be movable in a direction perpendicular to the scanning direction, and has a dimming characteristic that can attenuate the cumulative exposure amount approximately continuously in the pattern repeating area along the periphery of the opposite irradiation area, so it can be used in the repeating area. Setting the exposure at the desired value can make the repeated area and the exposure outside the repeated area consistent. Therefore, exposure processing with high precision can be performed. In addition, by moving the second light-shielding plate with respect to the field of view aperture, the size or shape of the illumination area of the light beam on the photosensitive substrate (the projection area in the case of an exposure device equipped with a projection optical system) can be set arbitrarily, so the bonding accuracy can be improved when exposure continues and exposure uniformity.

The exposure method of the present invention is to simultaneously move the mask (M) and the photosensitive substrate (P) used to manufacture the display component to the light beam (EL) in the scanning direction while the mask (M) is irradiating the light beam (EL), Divided into multiple scanning exposures, a part of the pattern image (50a-50g, 62, 63) of the mask (M) is repeatedly exposed, and the continuous exposure method of pattern synthesis is performed on the photosensitive substrate (P). The width (Lx) of the scanning direction (X) of the illuminated pattern image (50a～50g) on the photosensitive substrate (P) is set with the field of view aperture (20); the first shading plate ( 40) Set it to overlap with the field of view aperture on the optical path to set the width (Ly) in the perpendicular direction (Y) of the scanning direction of the pattern image (50a-50g), and then cooperate with the area for continued exposure (48, 49, 64) Set the second light-shielding plate (30), the second light-shielding plate (30) can continuously attenuate the irradiation light quantity of the overlapping area (48, 49, 64) to the periphery of the irradiation area, and can be in the pattern image (50a～ 50g, 62, 63) (Y) direction movement.

According to the present invention, the width of the pattern image on the photosensitive substrate in the scanning direction and the width in the direction perpendicular to the scanning direction can be set by using the field of view diaphragm and the first light-shielding plate. Then, when the pattern image is bonded on the photosensitive substrate, the second light-shielding plate is set in conjunction with the area where the exposure continues, and the irradiation area (irradiation area of the illumination optical system) of the light beam to the mask can be arbitrarily set, so it can be arbitrarily The connection part of the pattern is set, that is, the division part of the pattern of the mask. Therefore, the size of the pattern formed on the photosensitive substrate can be set arbitrarily, and a large pattern can be formed. In addition, the second light-shielding plate has a light-reduction characteristic capable of continuously attenuating the irradiation light amount of the overlapping area of the pattern, so the exposure amount of the overlapping area can be set to a desired value. Therefore, it is possible to match the respective exposure amounts between the overlapping area and the areas other than the overlapping area, and to perform accurate exposure embedding.

The module manufacturing method of the present invention is to use a scanning exposure type exposure device (EX) that irradiates the mask (M) with a light beam (EL) and simultaneously moves the mask (M) and the glass substrate (P) synchronously with the light beam (EL), A method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display element with a larger continuous pattern area (46, 47) of the mask (M) by joining and synthesizing a part of the pattern of the mask (M). The position of the pattern of the mask (M) on the glass substrate (P); the position of the light-shielding plate on the joint exposure area of the pattern of the mask (M), shielding the pattern of the mask (M) and move the mask (M) and the glass substrate (P) synchronously to scan and expose the pattern of the mask (M) on a predetermined area of the glass substrate (P). After exposure, the glass substrate (P) is moved to the direction (Y) perpendicular to the scanning direction, and the mask (M ) pattern merges the shot area of the exposure exposure, and at the same time, the pattern (49) of the mask (M) at the bonding position on one side of the shot area is superimposed and exposed to the position of the light shielding plate (30) for bonding exposure.

According to the present invention, when splicing and exposing between patterns, the information of the splicing position (division position) of the pattern of the mask is pre-set in the exposure device as a format, and then matched with the format, in the first splicing exposure During scanning exposure, exposure is performed again at the position where the shading plate is aligned at the joining position. After the first scanning exposure, the glass substrate is moved forward in the direction perpendicular to the scanning direction. During the second scanning exposure, it is exposed again at the joint position and the position of the shading plate. Therefore, only during the first scanning exposure By adjusting the position of the light-shielding plate during the second scanning exposure and the second scanning exposure, the pattern of the mask can be divided and bonded on the glass substrate. As mentioned above, the bonding position can be set only by adjusting the position of the light-shielding plate, so the bonding accuracy can be improved, and a device with desired performance can be manufactured.

In order to make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more comprehensible, a preferred embodiment will be described in detail below together with the accompanying drawings.

Description of drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of the exposure apparatus of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of an embodiment of the exposure apparatus of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a plan view illustrating an optical filter.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a field of view diaphragm, a first light shielding plate, and a second light shielding plate.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a field of view diaphragm, a first light shielding plate, and a second light shielding plate.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a field of view diaphragm, a first light shielding plate, and a second light shielding plate.

FIG. 7 is a shape diagram of the projection area set according to the first shading plate or the second shading plate.

FIG. 8 is a diagram of the projection area set by the projection optical system.

Fig. 9 is a plan view of the relationship between the mask and the projection area.

Fig. 10 is a plan view of the relationship between the photosensitive substrate and the projection area.

FIG. 11 is a flowchart of a sequence of exposure operations.

FIG. 12 is a schematic diagram of a state where the alignment mark of the mask is aligned with the position of the second light-shielding plate.

FIG. 13 is a schematic diagram of a state in which the alignment marks of the mask screen and the alignment marks of the substrate are aligned.

Fig. 14 is an explanatory diagram of a state in which the exposure amount is controlled in the overlapping area.

Fig. 15 is a plan view of another embodiment during continuous exposure.

Fig. 16 is a plan view of another embodiment during continuous exposure.

Fig. 17 is a second shading plate of another embodiment.

Fig. 18 is a second shading plate of another embodiment.

Fig. 19 is a second shading plate of another embodiment.

Fig. 20 is a second shading plate of another embodiment.

Fig. 21 is a second shading plate of another embodiment.

Fig. 22 is a diagram of another embodiment when setting overlapping regions.

Fig. 23 is a flowchart of an example of a semiconductor element manufacturing process.

Fig. 24 is a diagram of sensors and measurement positions.

Fig. 25 is a known continuous exposure method.

Fig. 26 is a known continuous exposure method.

Label description:

20 Field of view aperture 30 Shutter (Second shutter)

40 shading plate (first shading plate) 46, 47 split pattern

48, 49 Repeated regions

50a～50g Projection area (illumination area) 52a～52f Repeat area (continuation part)

60A, 60B Mask Position Alignment Mark 62, 63 Split Pattern

64 Repeat Area 72 Substrate Position Alignment Mark

CONT Control Gear EL Exposure (Beam)

EX Exposure Device IL IL Illumination Optical System

IMa～IMg Lighting element M M Mask

MST mask table

Lx Width of the scan direction of the pattern image

Ly Width of the pattern image in the direction perpendicular to the scanning direction

P photosensitive substrate, glass substrate PL (Pla～PLg) projection optical system

PST Substrate Stage X Scanning Direction

Y Non-scanning direction (direction perpendicular to the scanning direction)

Detailed ways

Hereinafter, the exposure apparatus and the exposure method of this invention, and the manufacturing method of the element are demonstrated with reference to drawing. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of an embodiment of the exposure apparatus of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of the exposure apparatus.

In FIGS. 1 and 2, the exposure device EX includes a mask table MST on which a mask M is placed; and an illumination optical system IL that can emit an exposure (beam) EL to illuminate the mask M on the mask table MST; and a substrate table PST , placing the photosensitive substrate P so as to expose the pattern formed on the mask M; and the projection optical system PL, projecting and exposing the pattern image of the mask M irradiated by the illumination optical system IL on the substrate stage PST. This illumination optical system IL has a plurality (seven in this embodiment) of illumination elements IM (IMa˜IMg). Projection optical system PL also has a plurality (seven in this example) of projection optical systems PLa to PLg corresponding to the number of illumination elements IM. The projection optical systems PLa to PLg are respectively arranged corresponding to the illumination elements IMa to IMg. The photosensitive substrate P is obtained by applying a photosensitive agent to a glass plate (glass substrate).

This exposure apparatus EX is a scanning type exposure apparatus which performs exposure movement and scanning exposure by synchronizing the mask M and the photosensitive substrate P. As shown in FIG. In the following description, it is assumed that the optical axis direction of the projection optical system PL is the Z direction, the synchronous moving direction (scanning direction) of the mask M and the photosensitive substrate P perpendicular to the Z direction is the X direction, and the Z direction and the X direction are The perpendicular direction (non-scanning direction) is the Y direction.

Then, as will be described in detail later, the exposure device EX is provided with; the field of view diaphragm 20 is located at the projection optical system PL, in order to set the scanning direction (X direction) of the pattern image of the mask M illuminated on the photosensitive substrate. Width; and the first light-shielding plate 40 is arranged in the projection optical system PL, and the position about the same as the field of view diaphragm 20, for setting the non-scanning direction (Y direction) of the pattern image of the mask M illuminated by the photosensitive substrate The width and the second blind 30 are provided in the illumination optical system IL and can move in the non-scanning direction (Y direction).

As shown in Figure 2, the illumination optical system IL includes: a light source 1 is composed of ultra-high pressure mercury, etc.; and an elliptical mirror 1a is used to gather the light beam emitted by the light source 1; Among the collected light beams, the light beams of necessary wavelengths are reflected, and the light beams of other wavelengths are directly transmitted; and the wavelength selection filter 3, in the light beams reflected by the dichroic mirror 2, only the more necessary wavelengths (usually At least one waveband among g, h, i lines) passes through; And the light guiding device 4, the light beam that the wavelength selection filter 3 passes is divided into many branches (7 in the present embodiment), and is shot through the reflecting mirror 5 Enter each lighting element IMa～IMg.

There are multiple lighting elements IM (in this implementation, there are seven IMa~IMg) (but Figure 2 is for convenience, only showing the corresponding part of the lighting element IMg). Keep the arrangement at a certain interval. The exposure ELs emitted individually from these plurality of illumination elements IMa to IMg illuminate different small regions on the mask M (irradiation regions of the illumination optical system) individually.

Each of the illumination elements IMa˜IMg is prepared, an illumination shutter 6 , a relay lens 7 , a fly-eye lens 8 as an optical integrator, and a condenser lens 9 . When the lighting shutter 6 blocks the light path, it blocks the light beam of the light path; when the light path is opened, it releases the light shielding of the light beam. The illumination shutter 6 is connected to the shutter drive unit 6a to drive the illumination shutter 6 to move forward and backward along the optical path of the light beam. The shutter drive unit 6a is controlled by the control device CONT.

In addition, each of the illumination elements IMa to IMg is provided with a light quantity adjustment mechanism 10 . The light amount adjustment mechanism 10 is a device for setting the illuminance of the light beam of each optical path to adjust the exposure amount of each optical path, and is equipped with a semi-transparent mirror 11, a wave detector 12, an optical filter 13, and an optical filter drive unit 14. . The semi-transparent mirror 11 is arranged in the optical path between the optical filter 13 and the relay lens 7 , and injects a part of the beam passing through the optical filter 13 into the detector 12 . Each detector 12 often independently detects the illuminance of the incident light beam, and outputs the detected illuminance signal to the control device CONT.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the optical filter 13 is formed by coating a glass plate 13A with chrome (Cr) or the like in a curtain-like pattern, and its transmittance gradually changes linearly within a certain range along the Y direction. This filter 13 is disposed between the illumination shutter 6 and the semitransparent mirror 11 in each optical path.

Each of the plurality of optical paths is provided with a semi-transparent mirror 11 , a wave detector 12 and an optical filter 13 . The optical filter drive unit 14 moves the optical filter 13 in the Y direction according to the instruction of the control device CONT. In this way, by moving the filter 13 with the filter driving unit 14, the individual light intensity for each optical path can be adjusted.

The light beam passing through the optical path adjustment mechanism 10 then passes through the relay lens 7 and reaches the flying eye lens 8 . The fly-eye lens 8 forms a secondary light source on the emitting surface, which can irradiate the irradiation area of the mask M with a uniform illuminance through the condenser lens 9 . Then, the exposure EL through the condenser lens 9 passes through the catadioptric optical system 15 including the rectangular prism 16, the lens system, and the concave lens in the illumination element, and illuminates a predetermined illumination area of the mask M. The mask M illuminates different irradiation regions according to the exposure ELs transmitted through the illumination elements IMa to IMg. Here, between the condenser lens 9 and the catadioptric optical system 15, a second light shield 30 (Blind shutter) is arranged, and the second light shield 30 can be driven in the non-scanning direction (Y direction) by the light shield driving unit 31. move. The shutter B will be described later.

The mask stage MST supporting the mask M has a long stroke in the X direction for performing one-dimensional scanning exposure, and a stroke of a predetermined distance in the Y direction perpendicular to the scanning direction. As shown in FIG. 2, mask stage MST has mask stage drive part MSTD which can move this mask stage MST to XY direction. The mask stage drive unit MSTD is controlled by the control device CONT.

As shown in FIG. 1 , vertical movable mirrors 32 a and 32 b are respectively provided on the side ends in the X direction and the Y direction on the mask stage MST. The laser interferometer 33a facing to the movable mirror 32a is provided, and the laser interferometer 33b is arranged facing to the movable mirror 32b. These laser interferometers 33a, 33b each emit laser light to the opposing moving mirrors 32a, 32b to measure the distance between them and the moving mirrors 32a, 32b, so that the X-direction and Y-direction of the mask table MST can be detected with high precision. The position of , that is, the position of the mask. The detection results of the laser interferometers 33a and 33b are output to the control device CONT. Control device CONT monitors the position of mask stage MST from the outputs of laser interferometers 33a and 33b, controls mask stage drive unit MSTD, and moves mask stage MST to a desired position.

The exposure ELs transmitted through the mask M are respectively incident on the projection optical systems PL (PLa to PLg). The projection optical systems PLa to PLg are devices for forming an image of the pattern existing in the irradiation range of the mask M on the photosensitive substrate P and projecting the exposure pattern image on a specific area of the photosensitive substrate P, and are arranged correspondingly to the respective illumination elements IMa to IMg.

As shown in FIG. 1 , among the plurality of projection optical systems PLa˜PLg, the projection optical systems Pla, PLc, PLg and the projection optical systems PLb, PLd; PLf are arranged in two rows of multiple birds. That is, the adjacent projection optical systems (for example, PLa and PLb, PLb and PLc) of the respective projection optical systems PLa˜PLg arranged in a multi-bird shape are quantitatively displaced in the X direction. These respective projection optical systems PLa to PLg pass a plurality of exposures emitted from the illumination elements IMa to IMg and pass through the mask M, and then project the pattern image of the mask M on the photosensitive substrate P placed on the substrate stage PST. That is, through the exposure EL of each projection optical system PLa˜PLg, on different projection areas (illumination areas) on the photosensitive substrate P, pattern images corresponding to the irradiation areas of the mask M are imaged according to predetermined imaging characteristics.

As shown in FIG. 2 , each projection optical system PLa to PLg is provided with an image moving mechanism 19 , two sets of catadioptric optical systems 21 and 22 , a field diaphragm 20 , and a magnification adjustment mechanism 23 . The image moving mechanism 19 moves the pattern image of the mask M in the X direction or the Y direction by rotating two parallel flat glass plates around the Y axis or the X axis respectively. The exposure EL transmitted through the mask M passes through the image moving mechanism 19 and enters the first group of catadioptric optical systems 21 .

The catadioptric optical system 21 is a device for forming an intermediate image of the pattern of the mask M, and includes a rectangular prism 24 , a lens system 25 and a concave lens 26 . The rectangular prism 24 can freely rotate around the Z axis, and can rotate the pattern image of the mask M. FIG.

At the position of the intermediate image, a field stop 20 is provided. The field stop 20 is a device for setting a projection area on the photosensitive substrate P, and in particular sets the width of the pattern image on the photosensitive substrate P in the scanning direction (X direction). The light beam passing through the field aperture 20 enters the catadioptric optical system 22 of the second group. The catadioptric optical system 22 includes a rectangular prism 27 , a lens system 28 , and a concave lens 29 similarly to the catadioptric optical system 21 . The rectangular prism 27 can also freely rotate around the Z axis, and can rotate the pattern image of the mask M.

The exposure EL emitted from the catadioptric optical system 22 forms an equal magnification positive image of the pattern image of the mask M on the photosensitive substrate P through the magnification adjustment mechanism 23 . The magnification adjustment mechanism 23 is composed of three lenses including a plano-convex lens, a double-convex lens and a plano-convex lens. The magnification of the pattern image of the mask M can be changed by moving the lenticular lens located between the two plano-convex lenses in the Z direction.

The substrate stage PST supporting the photosensitive substrate P has a substrate holder PH, and the photosensitive substrate P is placed on the substrate holder PH. Like the mask stage MST, the substrate stage PST has a long stroke in the X direction for performing one-dimensional scanning exposure, and a long stroke for stepwise movement in the Y direction perpendicular to the scanning direction, and the substrate stage PST The substrate table drive unit PSTD that moves in the XY direction. The substrate stage drive unit PSTD is controlled by the control device CONT. In addition, the substrate stage PST can also move in the Z direction.

In addition, the substrate stage PST is provided with a detection device (not shown) for detecting the position in the Z direction between the pattern surface of the mask M and the exposure surface of the photosensitive substrate, and can control the pattern surface of the mask M and the exposure surface of the photosensitive substrate P. The location of the given interval. This detection device is constituted by a multi-point focus position detection system which is one type of focus detection system of an oblique incidence method, and the detection value, that is, the position information of the photosensitive substrate P in the Z direction is output to the control device CONT.

As shown in FIG. 1 , movable mirrors 34 a and 34 b are respectively provided in directions perpendicular to respective side ends in the X direction and the Y direction on the substrate stage PST. A laser interferometer 35a is arranged opposite to the moving mirror 34a. A laser interferometer 35b is arranged opposite to the moving mirror 34b. These laser interferometers 35a, 35b respectively emit laser light to the moving mirrors 34a, 34b facing them, measure the laser light output from the moving mirrors 34a, 34b, and measure the distance between them and the moving mirrors 34a, 34b. In this way, the positions of the substrate stage PST in the X direction and the Y direction, that is, the position of the photosensitive substrate P can be detected with high resolution and high accuracy. The detection result of the laser interferometer is output to the control device CONT. The control device CONT monitors the position of the substrate stage PST by using the output of the laser interferometers 35a, 35b and the detection device (multi-point focus position detection system), controls the substrate stage drive unit PSTD, and moves the substrate stage PST to a desired position.

The mask table driving unit MSTD and the substrate table driving unit PSTD are independently controlled by the control device CONT. The mask table MST and the substrate table PST are originally driven by the mask table driving unit MSTD and the substrate table driving unit PSTD respectively, and can be independently controlled. move. Therefore, the control device CONT can monitor the positions of the mask stage MST and the substrate stage OST while controlling the two drive units PSTD and MSTD so that the mask M and the photosensitive substrate P are aligned with the projection optical system PL at a desired scanning speed ( Synchronous movement speed) to move synchronously in the X direction.

Here, the mask M supported by the mask stage MST and the photosensitive substrate P supported by the substrate stage PST are arranged in a conjugate positional relationship through the projection optical system PL.

Next, the field of view diaphragm 20 , the visor (first visor) 40 and the shutter (second visor) 30 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 . 4 and 5 are model diagrams showing the positional relationship between the field diaphragm 20 , the light shielding plate 40 , and the shutter 30 , and the projection optical system PL, the mask M, and the photosensitive substrate P.

In FIG. 4 , the projection optical system PLg is represented, and the field stop 20 is arranged in the projection optical system PL(PLg) and has a slit-shaped opening. The field stop 20 is a device for setting the shape of the projected area (illuminated area) 50 (50g) on the photosensitive substrate P, and in particular sets the width Lx of the projected area 50 of the pattern image in the scanning direction (X direction). The field of view aperture 20 is disposed within the projection optical system PL, and has an approximately conjugate positional relationship with respect to the mask M and the photosensitive substrate P.

The light-shielding plate (first light-shielding plate) 40 is also a device for setting the shape of the projection area on the photosensitive substrate P, especially the width Ly of the non-scanning direction (Y direction) of the projection area 50 of the pattern image. The light-shielding plate 40 is also provided in the projection optical system PLg, and is arranged to overlap the field of view diaphragm. The opening K formed by the field of view diaphragm 20 and the light-shielding plate 40 sets the size and shape of the projection area 50g on the photosensitive substrate P. In this embodiment, the projected area 50g formed by the field of view diaphragm 20 and the shading plate 40 is in the shape of a plane trapezoid. Here, the light-shielding plate 40 arranged to overlap with the field of view diaphragm 20 is also in a roughly conjugate positional relationship with respect to the mask M and the photosensitive substrate P within the projection optical system PL.

In addition, the light-shielding plate 40 can be moved relative to the photosensitive substrate P, so the light-shielding plate 40 can be fixed or movable. In order to maintain a greater degree of freedom, the movement as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5 is also possible.

A light-shielding plate driving mechanism (not shown) is provided on the light-shielding plate 40 , and the light-shielding plate 40 can move in a non-scanning direction (Y direction) under the driving of the light-shielding plate driving mechanism. Therefore, the width Ly of the projection area 50g in the Y direction can be arbitrarily set by moving the light shielding plate 40 in the Y direction. In this way, the combined size of the projection areas 50a to 50g can be arbitrarily set. Here, the shading plates 40 provided in the projection optical system PLg can move independently, and the position of each shading plate 40 in the Y direction can be set individually, so the size and shape of the projection area 50 can be set.

Also, two large visors may be provided for the projection areas 50a to 50g as the visor 40, for example, the shape shown by reference numeral 30F in FIG. 2 may also be used. The light-shielding plate 40 may be located near the photosensitive substrate P, the mask M, or the shutter 30 .

The shutter (second light shielding plate) 30 is arranged in the illumination optical system IL (illumination element IM) as shown in FIG. The drive of the shutter drive unit 31 is controlled by the control device CONT, and the shutter 30 moves under the control of the control device CONT. In this embodiment, the shutter 30, as shown in FIG. 1, includes: the shutter A is arranged at a position close to the optical path of the corresponding illumination element IMa and the projection optical system Pla, and the shutter B is arranged between the illumination element IMg and the projection optical system Pla. The approximate position of the optical path corresponding to the system PLg. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5 , the shutter 30 can cover a part of the opening K formed by the field of view aperture 20 and the shading plate 40 by moving in the Y direction (only the opening K is shown in FIG. 5 for convenience of understanding, and the field of view aperture is not shown 20 and shading plate 40), the size and shape of the projection area 50 can be set arbitrarily.

The width of the front end portion of the shutter 30 (the portion corresponding to the opening K) in the X direction gradually decreases toward the Y direction, forming an oblique oblique shutter. The shape of the projection area 50 can be set by masking and exposing the EL with its oblique portion. In this embodiment, the projected area (illumination area) 50 formed by the viewing aperture 20 , the visor 40 and the shutter 30 is set in a trapezoidal shape (a planar quadrilateral shape).

The shutter 30 is disposed within the illumination optical system IL, at a position approximately conjugate to the mask M and the photosensitive substrate P. As shown in FIG. That is, in this embodiment, the field of view diaphragm 20, the light shielding plate 40, and the shutter 30 are arranged in a roughly conjugate relationship with respect to the mask M and the photosensitive substrate P, and the mask M and the photosensitive substrate P pass through the projection optics. The configuration of the position of the system PL into a conjugate relationship.

Here, the field stop 20 , the light shielding plate 40 and the shutter 30 may be arranged at relative positions that are conjugate to the mask M and the photosensitive substrate P. FIG. Therefore, for example, as shown in FIG. 6 , the light shielding plate (first light shielding plate) 40 may be provided close to the shutter B. As shown in FIG. Alternatively, the shutter 30 may be arranged in the vicinity of the field stop 20 in the projection optical system. Alternatively, these elements 20 , 30 , and 40 may be arranged at positions close to the mask M or the photosensitive substrate P. That is, the field of view diaphragm 20, the light shielding plate 40, and the shutter 30 are respectively disposed on the optical path of the exposure EL at a position that is conjugate to the mask M and the photosensitive substrate P (refer to A and B labels in FIG. 2 ). Any location is fine. Also, since the shutter 30 is disposed at a position where the conjugate plane is defocused, the sum of the light quantities remains constant, so it does not matter if the shutter 30 is disposed at a position slightly deviated from the focus direction.

Again, although the light shielding plate 40 can utilize the movement in the Y direction to set the width Ly of the Y direction of the projection area 50, because it is designed to be able to rotate around the Z axis, the light shielding plate 40 can be rotated around the Z axis, as shown in FIG. The shape of the projection area 50 is changed. Similarly, rotating the shutter 30 along the Z axis can also change the shape of the projection area 50 .

8 is a plan view of projection areas 50 a to 50 g of projection optical systems Pla to PLg on a photosensitive substrate P. FIG. Each of the projection areas 50a to 50g is set in a predetermined shape (a trapezoid in this example) in accordance with the field of view diaphragm 20 and the visor 40 . The projection areas 50a, 50c, 50e, and 50g are disposed opposite to the projection areas 50b, 50d, and 50f in the X direction. And between the ends (boundaries) of the adjacent projection areas of the projection areas 50a to 50g (51a and 51b, 51c and 51d, 51e and 51f, 51g and 51h, 51i and 51j, 51k and 51l), use a two-point lock. As indicated by the lines, they are arranged in an overlapping manner in the Y direction to form overlapping regions (junctions) 52a to 52f. Since the boundary portions of the projection areas 50a to 50g are arranged side by side overlapping in the Y direction, the widths of the projection areas in the X direction are set to be substantially equal in total, so that the exposure amounts during scanning exposure in the X direction can be made equal.

As described above, by providing overlapping areas (junctions) 52a to 52f of the projection areas 50a to 50g of the respective projection optical systems Pla to PLg, changes in optical aberration and illuminance changes at the joints 52a to 52f can be moderated. Here, the positions and widths of the joining portions 52 a to 52 f in the Y direction can be set arbitrarily by moving the visor 40 .

As shown by the dotted line in FIG. 8, among the two groups of shutters 30, one shutter 30A moves in the ±Y direction to set the irradiation area to the mask M, and the size of the projection area 50a on the +Y side is set. , shape; the other shutter 30B also moves in the ±Y direction to set the irradiation area on the mask M to set the size and shape of the projection area 50g on the -Y side. Moreover, one shutter 30A can still shield the optical path corresponding to the projection area 50a, and simultaneously set the size and shape of the projection area 50c; the other shutter 30B can also set the projection area while shielding the corresponding optical path of the projection area 50g. The size and shape of the area 50e. In this way, the individual shutters 30A, 30B moving in the Y direction can cover the optical path corresponding to a specific projection area among the plurality of projection areas, and the size and shape of the predetermined projection area can be set arbitrarily.

Furthermore, the movement of the shutter 30 can set the respective sizes of the boundary portions 51a, 51d, 51e, 51h, 51i, and 51l of the projection area. Therefore, the mask 30 can set the overlapping regions 52a to 52f of the projection region (pattern image) by moving in the non-scanning direction (Y direction) to set the size and shape of the boundary portion of the projection region. In addition, since the width of the front end portion of the shutter 30 (the portion corresponding to the opening K) in the X direction gradually decreases toward the Y direction to form an oblique shape, a part of the optical path corresponding to the boundary portion of the projection area can be blocked, and it can be directed to the Y direction. The perimeter of the projected area continuously attenuates the accumulated exposure in the repeated area.

In FIG. 8, the inclination angles of the planes of the boundary portions 51a, 51e, and 51i of the projection area are set to coincide with the inclination angles of the front end portion of the shutter 30A. Similarly, the inclination angles of the planes of the boundary portions 51d, 51h, and 51l of the projection area are set to coincide with the inclination angles of the front end portion of the shutter 30B. The shutter 30A arranges its front end at a portion of the optical path corresponding to the boundary portion 51a or 51e, and sets the overlapping area 52a or 52c so that during scanning exposure, the cumulative exposure amount in the overlapping area 52a (52c) is toward the -Y side. Roughly continuous decay. The shutter 30B places its front end on a part of the optical path corresponding to the boundary portion 51l or 51h, and sets the overlapping area 52f or 52d so that the cumulative exposure amount in the overlapping area 52f (52d) is roughly towards the +Y side during scanning exposure. Continuous decay.

As mentioned above, the projection area is divided into a plurality by the field of view aperture 20 , the shading plate 40 and the anti-shelter 30 , and its size and shape can be set arbitrarily. In this way, by setting the position of the shutter 30, during the scanning exposure, the accumulated exposure amount is approximately continuously attenuated toward the periphery of the irradiation area of the mask M, and the accumulated exposure amount in the Y direction of the overlapping regions 52a to 52f is continuously changed.

Returning to FIG. 2 , a photodetector 41 is provided on the substrate stage PST. The photodetector 41 is a device that detects information on the amount of light irradiated on the photosensitive substrate P for the exposure, and the detected signal is output to the control device CONT.

Further, the information on the amount of exposed light includes the amount of exposed light irradiated per unit area on the surface of the object, or the amount of exposed light radiated per unit time. In this embodiment, the information on the amount of light to be exposed is expressed and described as illuminance.

The photodetector 41 is an illuminance sensor for measuring exposure irradiance at corresponding positions of the respective projection optical systems Pla to PLg on the photosensitive substrate P, and is constituted by a CCD sensor as shown in FIG. 24( a ). The photodetector 41 is supported by a guide shaft (not shown) arranged in the Y direction on the substrate stage PST, set at the height of the same plane as the photosensitive substrate P, driven by the detector drive unit, and can be perpendicular to the scanning direction (X direction). direction (Y direction) to move.

The photodetector 41 is placed under each projection area corresponding to the projection optical system Pla to PLg by the movement of the substrate stage PST in the X direction and the drive of the detector drive unit in the Y direction before one or more exposures. is scanned. Therefore, information on the amount of light exposed to the projected areas 50 a to 50 g on the photosensitive substrate P and the boundary portions 51 a to 51 l of these 50 a to 50 g can be detected by the photodetector 41 two-dimensionally. Information about the amount of exposed light detected by the photodetector 41 is output to the control device CONT. At this time, the control device CONT can detect the position of the photodetector 41 according to the respective driving amounts of the substrate driving unit PSTD and the detector driving unit.

As shown in FIG. 9 , in the pattern region of the mask M, a pixel pattern 44 and peripheral circuit patterns 45 a and 45 b located at both ends of the pixel pattern 44 in the Y direction are formed. In the pixel pattern 44 , a plurality of electrodes corresponding to a plurality of pixels form a pattern arranged in regular order. In the peripheral circuit patterns 45a, 45b, a driving circuit for driving the electrodes of the pixel pattern 44 is formed.

Each projection area 50a-50g is set according to a predetermined size. At this time, as shown in FIG. L3.

Also, the peripheral circuit patterns 45a, 45b of the mask M shown in FIG. 9 are of the same size and shape as the peripheral circuit patterns 61a, 61b of the photosensitive substrate P shown in FIG. The projection optical system 50a, 50g is exposed. The pixel patterns 44 of the mask M and the pixel patterns 60 of the photosensitive substrate P have the same length in the X direction, but different lengths in the Y direction.

Next, the scanning exposure of the exposure EL synchronously moving mask M and the photosensitive substrate P by using the exposure apparatus EX having the above-mentioned structure is described, and a part of the pattern image of the mask M is repeatedly exposed, and the scanning exposure is divided into multiple times. A method of connecting an exposure pattern on a photosensitive substrate P.

In the following description, all movements of the mask stage MST and the substrate stage PST are controlled by the control device CONT, and are operated through the mask stage driving unit MSTD and the substrate stage driving unit PSTD.

Also, in the following description, as shown in FIG. 9 , the pattern formed on the mask M is divided into two regions, that is, the divided pattern 46, and the length in the Y direction is LA including the peripheral circuit pattern 45a and the pixel pattern 44. A part; and the division pattern 47 , the length LB in the Y direction includes a part of the peripheral circuit pattern 45 b and the pixel pattern 44 . A part of each of these divided patterns 46 and 47 is repeatedly exposed, and the scanning exposure divided into two is performed on the photosensitive substrate P for pattern synthesis. Then, the entire exposure pattern on the photosensitive substrate P is as shown in FIG. part, and the division pattern (exposure area) 63, the length in the Y direction is LB, including the part of the peripheral circuit pattern 61b and the pixel pattern 60. The entire exposure pattern is synthesized by the two sets of division patterns 62 , 63 .

Here, the length LA is the distance in the Y direction between the +Y direction end point of the short side of the projection area 50a and the intersection point of the short side of the projection area 50e and the shutter 30B arranged on the optical path corresponding to 50e. The length LB is the distance in the Y direction between the intersection point of the short side of the projection area 50c and the shutter 30A disposed on the optical path corresponding to the projection area 50c, and the -Y direction endpoint of the short side of the projection area 50g.

Also, the divisional pattern 62 and the divisional pattern 63 are overlapped on the overlapping region (junction) 64 on the photosensitive substrate P; the length LK of the overlapping region 64 in the Y direction is the same distance as the overlapping regions 52a-52f of the projected regions 50a-50g. .

Then, the length LK of the distance in the Y direction of the overlapping area 64, as shown in FIG. The Y-direction distance of the connection part 48 of exposure amount is equal. Likewise, the length LK is set by the position of the shutter 30A in the Y direction and the projection area 50c, and matches the Y-direction distance of the connecting portion 49 that continuously attenuates the cumulative exposure on the same -Y side in the projection area 50c. That is, the shapes (inclination angles) of the front ends of the shutters 30A and 30B are set such that the distances in the Y direction between the connecting portions 48 and 49 are equal.

Also, when detecting the positions of the respective front ends of the shutters 48, 49, the sensors shown in Fig. 24(b) and (c) can be used to move to the position where the amount of light detected by the sensors is half (about 50%). position, and it can be combined with this position.

On the mask M, each position of the connecting portion 48, 49 is formed according to the shutter 30, that is, each area to be subjected to subsequent exposure has been preset, and the position corresponding to the desired setting of the connecting portion 48, 49 (continuous exposure) In the vicinity of the pattern of the mask M in the region), alignment marks 60 ( 60A, 60B) are provided to align the position of the shutter 30 .

Hereinafter, the exposure sequence will be described with reference to FIG. 11 . In this embodiment, the continuous parts 48, 49 of the divided patterns 46, 47 of the mask M are sequentially synthesized on the photosensitive substrate (glass substrate) P, so as to produce larger than the continuous pattern regions 45a, 44, 45b of the mask M. of liquid crystal elements.

First, the control device CONT sets in advance the information on the pattern arrangement position of the mask M on the photosensitive substrate P, and the information on the pattern bonding position on the mask M. That is, the respective exposure positions of the divided patterns 46, 47 of the mask M on the photosensitive substrate P are preset, and the setting positions of the connecting portions 48, 49 on the mask M are also set in advance.

The control device CONT drives the field diaphragm 20 and the light-shielding plate 40 and simultaneously drives the mask table MST to align the pattern of the mask M to set the irradiation area of the exposure EX. In addition, the control device CONT adjusts the size and shape of the opening K by using the field of view diaphragm 20 and the light-shielding plate 40 respectively provided in the projection optical systems Pla-PLg to set the scanning direction (X direction), and the width of the non-scanning direction (Y direction).

Then, the control device CONT sets the position of the shutter when the continuous exposure is performed based on the preset formatted exposure processing-related information.

Here, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 10 . During the first scanning exposure, the shutter 30B is configured to cover a part of the projection area 50e; the shutter 30A is set to avoid the light path. On the other hand, during the scanning exposure of the second time, the shutter 30A is arranged so as to cover a part of the projection area 50c, and the shutter B is set so as to avoid the optical path.

The control device CONT sets the position of the shutter 30B when the first scanning exposure is performed (step S2).

That is, the control device CONT aligns the position of the shutter 30B for continuous exposure with respect to the pattern of the mask M provided in the continuous portion 48 on one side of the irradiation area of the exposure EL of the mask M (that is, the divided pattern 46 ). .

Specifically, the control device CONT aligns the alignment mark 60B provided on the mask M corresponding to the connection portion (overlapping region) 48 with the position of the front end portion of the shutter 30B. When the alignment mark 60B of the mask M is aligned with the shutter 30B, as shown in the schematic diagram of FIG. The alignment mark 60B is irradiated onto the position of the mask. The alignment light irradiated to the alignment mark 60B of the mask M passes through the mask, passes near the front end portion of the shutter 30B, and is received by the alignment light receiving unit 71 . At this time, when the shutter 30B is moved in the Y direction while the calibration light is irradiated to the position alignment mark, the calibration light received by the light receiving unit 71 is blocked by the shutter 30B, and the received light amount is only 50%, for example. At this time, the detection signal of the light receiving unit 71 is output to the control device CONT, and the control device CONT changes the position of the shutter 30B when the light receiving unit 71 changes from the state of receiving the calibration light to the state of not receiving the light, and compares the position alignment mark. 60B, judging that the shutter 30B has been closed. The position of the shutter 30B is aligned with the alignment mark 60B, and the alignment of the connecting portion 48 is also aligned.

Here, the alignment mark 60B is provided at two places of the mask M on the −X side end and the +X side end. The two position alignment marks 60B are respectively aligned with the position of the shutter 30B. If they are done in advance, the position of the shutter 30B can be set according to the pre-made position information and then the scanning exposure can be performed, and the desired position can be set by the shutter 30B. The connection part 48.

As described above, after the position of the shutter 30B is aligned with the mask position alignment mark 60B, the control device CONT sends information about the positions of the shutter 30B and the mask stage MST (mask M) at this time to the The memory device (not shown) memorizes (step S3).

Next, the control unit CONT sets the position of the shutter 30A when the second scanning exposure is performed (step S4).

That is, the control device CONT aligns the position of the shutter 30A for continuous exposure with respect to the pattern in the continuous portion 49 on one side of the irradiation region (divided pattern 47 ) of the exposure EL of the mask M.

Specifically, the control device CONT aligns the alignment mark 60A provided on the mask M corresponding to the connection portion (overlapping region) 49 with the position of the front end portion of the shutter 30A. The position alignment of the position alignment mark 60A on the mask M and the position alignment of the shutter 30A can be performed in the same procedure as the method described in FIG. 12 . By aligning the position of the shutter 30A with the alignment mark 60A, the mating portion 49 can also be aligned.

Here, the alignment marks 60A are also provided at two positions of the mask M on the −X side end and the +X side end. The two alignment marks 60A are respectively aligned with the position of the shutter 30A, which is done in advance. The scanning exposure can be performed while setting the position of the shutter 30A based on these position information, and the desired connection portion 49 can be set with the shutter 30A.

As mentioned above, after the position of the shutter 30A and the mask position registration mark 60A are aligned, the control device CONT stores the information on the positions of the shutter 30A and the mask stage MST (mask M) in the memory device. (step S5).

Next, illuminance correction and position detection of each projection area 50a-50g are performed.

First, in the state where the photosensitive substrate P is not placed on the substrate stage PST, the exposure operation is started in an area corresponding to the division pattern 62 (the portion of long LA) on the photosensitive substrate P (step S6 ).

Specifically, first, the control device CONT drives the filter drive unit 14 to move the filter 13 so that the light beam from the light source 1 passes through the filter 13 with the maximum transmittance. When the filter 13 moves, the light beam is irradiated by the light source 1 through the elliptical mirror 1a. The irradiated light beam passes through the filter 13, the half mirror 11, the mask M, the projection optical systems Pla to PLg, etc., and then reaches the substrate stage PST. At this time, the mask M is moved to a position where a pattern or the like is not formed in the irradiated area of the exposure EL.

At this time, each of the projection areas 50 a to 50 g has been set by each of the viewing apertures 20 and the light shielding plate 40 , and the shutter 30B has retreated from the optical path.

At the same time, the photodetector 41 is moved in the X direction and the Y direction within the region corresponding to the division pattern 62, and the projection regions 50a to 50g corresponding to the projection optical systems PLa to PLg are scanned. The illuminance of each projection area 50a-50g and the illuminance Wa-W1 of the boundary part 51a-51l can be measured sequentially by the scanning photodetector 41 (step S7).

The detection signal of the photodetector 41 is output to the control device CONT. The control device CONT performs image processing based on the detection signal of the photodetector 41, and detects the shape and illuminance of each of the projection areas 50a to 50g and the boundary portions 51a to 51l. Then, the control device CONT stores the illuminances Wa to W1 of these boundary portions 51a to 51l in a memory device.

Next, based on the illuminances Wa to Wl of the boundary portions 51a to 51l measured by the photodetector 41, these illuminances Wa to Wl are approximately predetermined values and (|Wa-Wb|, |Wc-Wd|, |We- Wf|, |Wg-Wh|, |Wi-Wj|, |Wk-Wl|) become minimum, and the optical filter 13 is individually driven for each of the lighting elements IMa to IMg while measuring the illuminance with the photodetector 41 (step S8).

In this way, it is possible to correct the light intensity of the light beams in each optical path.

At this time, part of the light beam irradiated by the light source 1 enters the photodetector 12 through the semi-transparent mirror 11, and the photodetector 12 detects the illuminance of the incident light beam, and outputs the detected illuminance signal to the control device CONT. Therefore, the control device can also control the filter drive unit 14 according to the illuminance of the light beam detected by the photodetector 12 to maintain the illuminance at a predetermined value, so as to adjust the individual light quantities of each optical path.

The control device CONT estimates the positions of the respective boundary portions 51a to 51l based on the information on the light intensity of the exposure light detected by the scanning photodetector 41 (step S9).

That is, according to the detection signal of the scanning photodetector 41, the control device CONT estimates the shape of each boundary portion 51a-51l with respect to the predetermined coordinate system, and then obtains the position of each boundary portion 51a-51l according to the estimated shape. The location of the specified coordinate system. Specifically, among the triangular-shaped boundary portions 51a to 51l, representative designated positions such as the tip position and the centroid position are calculated.

At this time, the position of the photodetector 41 can be estimated based on the driving amount of each driving unit to the reference position. That is, the initial position (standby position) of the photodetector 41 is set as a reference position, and the position where the photodetector 41 is scanned can be estimated from the reference position. The control device CONT estimates the position of each boundary part 51a-51l with respect to a reference position based on the movement position of the photodetector 41 with respect to a reference position.

Then, the control device CONT stores the positions of the boundary parts 51a to 51l in the predetermined coordinate system in the memory device. At this time, the relative positions of the projection areas 50a to 50g are also memorized.

In the state where the shutter 30B is withdrawn from the optical path, after adjusting the light intensity and position detection of each projection area 50a-50g, the control device CONT arranges the shutter 30B at the position set in step S2 according to the information of the memory device, and proceeds in this state. exposure action. Then, the control device CONT detects the illuminance of the small area KB corresponding to the projected area 50 e of the connection portion 48 with the photodetector 41 .

Here, the shutter 30B in the small area KB continuously attenuates the cumulative exposure amount of the overlapping area 64 on the photosensitive substrate P in the -Y direction.

The detection signal of the light detector 41 is output to the control device CONT, and the control device CONT performs image processing according to the detection signal of the light detector 41 to detect the shape and illuminance of the small area KB. Thereafter, the control unit CONT memorizes the shape and illuminance Wkb of the small area KB in the memory unit. The control device CONT further calculates the position and shape of the small area KB based on the information on the amount of exposed light detected by the photodetector 41 . The so-called position of the small area KB refers to a representative designated position such as the front end position or the centroid position in the triangular small area KB.

After the illuminance, position and shape of the small area KB are obtained, the control device CONT withdraws the shutter 30B from the optical path and arranges the shutter 30A at the position set in step S4, and performs the exposure operation in this state. The control device detects the illuminance Wka of the small area KA corresponding to the projection area 50c of the connection portion 49 with the photodetector 41 (step S11).

Here, the shutter 30A in the small area KA continuously attenuates the cumulative exposure amount in the overlapping area 64 of the photosensitive substrate P in the +Y direction.

The detection signal of the light detector 41 is output to the control device CONT, and the control device CONT performs image processing according to the detection signal of the light detector 41 to detect the shape and illuminance of the small area KA. Then, the control device CONT memorizes the shape and illuminance Wkb of the small area KA in the memory device. The control device CONT further calculates the position and shape of the small area KA based on the information on the amount of exposed light detected by the photodetector 41 . The so-called position of the small area KB refers to a representative designated position such as the front end position or the centroid position in the triangular small area KA.

The control device CONT, based on the illuminance Wkb of the small area KB obtained in step S10 and the illuminance Wka of the small area KA obtained in step S11, uses the photodetector 41 to measure the illuminance while driving the lighting elements IMc and IMc. The optical filter 13 makes the illuminance Wka and Wkb roughly a predetermined value, and makes (|Wa-Wb|, |Wc-Wd|, |We-Wf|, |Wg-Wh|, |Wi-Wj|, | The values of Wk-Wl|, |Wka-Wkb|) are minimum (step S12).

The control device CONT performs shape correction of the small areas KA and KB according to the shapes of the small areas KA and KB detected in steps S10 and S11 (step S13 ).

For example, when the shape of the small area KB detected in the front is not as expected, or the shape of the small area KA detected later is not as expected, or when the scanning exposure is not uniformly repeated, or the small areas KA and KB are formed repeatedly. When the width LK of the area 64 and the widths of the respective projection areas 52a to 52f differ greatly, etc., it is necessary to drive the image moving mechanism 19, the magnification adjustment mechanism 23, Right-angle prisms 24 and 27 are used to correct image characteristics such as shifting, scaling, and rotation (lens correction).

In addition, the control device CONT, when the respective shapes of the projection areas 50a to 50g are not predetermined shapes, or when the widths of the overlapping areas 52a to 52f between the adjacent projection areas 50a to 50g are changed due to scanning exposure, etc., either The image moving mechanism 19, the magnification adjustment mechanism 23, and the rectangular prisms 24 and 27 of the respective projection optical systems PLa to PLg can be driven to correct characteristics. The control device CONT memorizes these correction values in the memory device.

As described above, after the correction (illuminance correction, lens correction) of the projected areas 50a to 50g including the splicing portion is performed, the actual exposure process is performed, and the control device CONT arranges the mask M on the optical path of exposure, and simultaneously passes through The machine loads the photosensitive substrate P on the substrate stage PST and the substrate holder PH (step S14).

For the first scanning exposure, the control device sets the projection area with a predetermined width in the scanning direction and the non-scanning direction according to the setting value or correction value set by the above-mentioned various calibration projects, and according to the field of view aperture 20 and the light shielding plate 40 Simultaneously drive the mask stage MST to match the pattern of the mask M to set the irradiation area irradiated by the exposure EL. Then, the position of the mask stage MST is controlled so that at least the divided pattern 46 used for the first scanning exposure in the pattern area of the mask M can be irradiated by the exposure EL, and at the same time, as illustrated in FIG. The position alignment mark 60B is formed, and the position of the shutter 30B is adjusted so that the shutter 30B covers the optical path corresponding to the projection area 50g and covers a part of the projection area 50e (step S15 ).

Then, the alignment marks 60B of the mask M are used to align the positions of the photosensitive substrate P placed on the substrate stage PST and the mask M (step S16 ).

Here, in the vicinity of the continuous exposure region of the photosensitive substrate P, that is, the pattern region corresponding to the overlapping region 64 of the photosensitive substrate P, a substrate alignment mark 72 is provided in advance. The control device CONT aligns the position alignment mark 60B of the mask M placed on the mask stage MST with the position of the position alignment mark 72 of the photosensitive substrate P placed on the substrate stage PST, so that the exposure of the photosensitive substrate P can be performed. The regions 62 are exposed to the positions of the division patterns 46 of the combined mask M. As shown in FIG.

Also, when the alignment marks 60B of the mask M are aligned with the alignment marks 72 of the photosensitive substrate P, for example, as shown in the schematic diagram of FIG. The die position alignment mark 60B is irradiated with alignment light. The calibration light irradiated on the alignment mark 60B passes through the mask M, and is irradiated onto the substrate alignment mark 72 of the photosensitive substrate P through the projection optical system PL. Then, the reflected light reflected by the alignment mark 72 of the substrate passes through the alignment mark 60B of the projection optical system PL and the mask M, and is detected by the light receiving unit 76 provided above the mask M. Based on the reflected light of the mask alignment mark 60B and the reflected light of the substrate alignment mark 72 , the position of the substrate stage PST may be adjusted so that the mask alignment mark 60B and the substrate alignment mark 72 coincide.

In addition, since the photosensitive substrate P is a glass substrate, it is not necessary to detect the reflected light of the alignment mark of the substrate. It is also possible to align the position of the mask M and the photosensitive substrate P with the light of the alignment mark 72 .

Here, the substrate alignment marks 72 are formed at two positions of the −X side end and the +X side end of the photosensitive substrate P similarly to the mask alignment marks. The mask position alignment marks 60B on the +X side and the −X side are respectively aligned with the substrate position alignment marks 72 on the +X side and the −X side, and stored in advance. Scanning and exposing according to the location information can improve the exposure accuracy.

As mentioned above, after the alignment of the mask M and the photosensitive substrate P, and the alignment of the mask M and the shutter 30B, the control device CONT performs the first scanning exposure process on the photosensitive substrate P (step S17) .

First, the portion corresponding to the division pattern 62 (the portion with the length LA) is exposed. In this case, the illumination shutter 6 of the illumination element IMf corresponding to the projection optical system PLf is inserted into the optical path by the shutter drive unit 6a, and blocks the optical path of the illumination light corresponding to the projection area 50f as shown in FIG. 10 . At this time, the illumination shutters 6 of the illumination elements IMa to IMe and IMg open the respective optical paths. However, the shutter 30B blocks a part of the projection area 50e and the entire optical path of the projection area 50g. Due to the shutter 30B, a small region KB having a Y-direction dimming characteristic is formed in the projected region 50e, and an exposure region of the Y-direction length LA including the peripheral circuit 61a and a part of the pixel pattern 60 is set on the photosensitive substrate P.

Then, the mask M and the sensitive substrate P are moved synchronously in the X direction, and the first scanning exposure is performed. In this way, as shown in FIG. 10 , the division pattern 62 set by the projection areas 50 a , 50 b , 50 c , and 50 d and a part of the projection area 50 e is exposed on the photosensitive substrate P. As shown in FIG. Furthermore, due to the small area KB set by the mask 30B, the overlapping area 64 formed on one side of the -Y side of the divided pattern (exposure area) 62 by scanning exposure is continuous attenuation exposure toward the -Y side of the divided pattern 62. quantity.

Next, in order to perform the scanning exposure of the second time, alignment is performed in which the substrate stage PST is aligned to a predetermined position (step S18).

A specific method is to perform fine adjustment while moving the substrate stage PST progressively by a predetermined distance in the +Y direction.

In order to align the position of the substrate stage PST for the second scanning exposure, the mask position alignment mark 60A correspondingly formed in the inner connection portion 48 of the mask M is formed correspondingly to the inner overlapping region 64 of the photosensitive substrate P The alignment of the substrate alignment marks 72 is performed. The control device CONT is described sequentially as shown in FIG. 13 . The light-emitting unit 75 emits correction light to the alignment mark 60A of the mask, and then irradiates the alignment mark 72 on the photosensitive substrate P according to the correction light through the projection optical system. The reflected light and the reflected light of the mask alignment mark 60A adjust the position of the substrate stage PST so that the mask alignment mark 60A matches the substrate alignment mark 72 .

As mentioned above, using the mask alignment mark 60 formed on the mask M and the substrate alignment mark 72 formed on the photosensitive substrate P, the position of the alignment portion is aligned when exposure is continued, and the determined junction portion can be improved. The accuracy of the position.

After the positions of the mask M and the photosensitive substrate P are aligned, the control device CONT moves the shutter 30B away from the light path of the exposure EL, and at the same time moves the shutter 30A in the Y direction to cover a part of the projection area 50c, and project All optical paths of the area 50a (step S19).

The alignment of the shutter 30A with the mask M at this time is also illustrated in FIG. 12 , and the position of the shutter 30A can be aligned with the mask alignment mark 60A. The shutter 30A aligned at a predetermined position forms a small area KA having light reduction characteristics in the Y direction in a part of the projected area 50c. Also, the illumination shutter 6 of the illumination element IMb corresponding to the projection optical system PLb is inserted into the optical path driven by the shutter driving unit 6a, and blocks the illumination light of the optical path corresponding to the projection area 50b as shown in FIG. 10 . At this time, the illumination shutters 6 of the illumination elements IMa, IMc to IMg open the respective optical paths. At this time, the shutter 30A blocks a part of the projection area 50c and the optical path corresponding to the projection area 50a, and sets an exposure area of the Y-direction length LB including the peripheral circuit 61b and a part of the pixel pattern 60 on the photosensitive substrate P.

In this way, the control device CONT moves the substrate stage PST in the +Y direction according to the overlapping region 64 (connection portion 48) formed by the small region KB of the first scanning exposure, so that the small region KA projected and exposed by the second scanning exposure The connecting portion 49 is matched with the connecting portion of the first scan.

Here, when the progress of the second scanning exposure moves, or when it is arranged on the optical path of the shutter 30A, the control device CONT can adjust the photosensitive substrate according to the set values and correction values stored in the memory device during calibration. P Corrects image characteristics, or fine-tunes the shutter 30B. That is, it is possible to adjust image characteristics (movement, transformation ratio, rotation) so that the overlapping area 64 based on the small area KA coincides with the overlapping area 64 based on the small area KB.

In addition, the position of the substrate stage PST can be adjusted so that the pattern overlapping region 64 and the irradiance amount of each exposure other than the overlapping region are roughly aligned. That is, the respective shapes and light quantities of the small areas KA and KB are detected in advance in steps S10 to S13, adjusted and stored. The control device CONT finely adjusts the position of the substrate stage PST according to the memorized shape or light intensity of each small area KA, KB, so that the illuminance in the repeating area 64 of the pattern is roughly consistent with the illuminance outside the repeating area (that is, the areas 62, 63). Specifically, the exposure irradiance of the small area KB in the first scanning exposure and the small area KA in the second scanning exposure in the overlapping area 64 is the illuminance distribution shown in FIG. 14 . As shown in Figure 14 (a), the small area KB of the first scanning exposure and the small area KA of the second scanning exposure, the total exposure in the overlapping area 64 is larger than the exposure exposure outside the overlapping area 64 If it is low, the position of the substrate stage PST is adjusted to increase the encirclement of the overlap, as shown in FIG. 14(b), so that the irradiation doses of the exposures at all positions can be roughly uniformed (step S20).

Alternatively, the shutter 30 may be driven to adjust the exposure irradiation amount in the overlapping area 64 so that the exposure irradiation amount in the overlapping area 64 is approximately equal to the exposure irradiation amount other than the overlapping area 64 . As described above, it is possible to correct the light intensity of the light beams in each optical path.

In addition, during the second scanning exposure, the disposition of the shutter 30A on the optical path has been preset in the calibration, so the relationship between the expected position and the reference position has been preset, so the shutter 30 can also be moved according to the set value. .

In the second scanning exposure, the upward movement of the substrate stage PST may be performed without the substrate alignment mark 72 and the mask alignment mark 60A. In this case, the upward movement of the substrate stage PST may be upward based on information obtained in advance at the time of calibration. In addition, the substrate stage PST can also be moved according to the positions of the small areas KA and KB obtained during calibration, that is, the positional relationship between the overlapping area 64 (connection portion 48) corresponding to the reference position in the first scanning exposure projection exposure It has been found that in the second scanning exposure, that is, the position of the substrate PST is set so that the connection portion 49 for projection exposure and the overlapping region 64 have a predetermined positional relationship.

Then, the mask M and the photosensitive substrate P are moved synchronously in the X direction, and the second scanning exposure is performed (step S21 ).

As shown in FIG. 10 , on the photosensitive substrate P, a part of the projected area 50c, 50d, 50e, 50f, and 50g are exposed to the divided pattern 63 set. Due to the small area KA set by the mask 30A, the overlapping area 64 formed on the side of the +Y side of the divided pattern 63 (exposure area) during scanning exposure has the amount of light continuously attenuated from the divided pattern 63 in the +Y direction. The distribution is repeated with the repeated area 64 formed during the first scanning exposure, so that a predetermined synthetic exposure can be obtained.

As described above, one piece of mask M is used, and the photosensitive substrate P larger than the mask is continued to be exposed (step S22).

As explained above, by disposing the shutter 30 movable in the Y direction to the pattern image (projection area) set by the field of view diaphragm 20 and the light shielding plate 40, it is possible to arbitrarily set the continuation portion (division) of the pattern on the mask M. position) 48, 49. Therefore, the size of the pattern formed on the photosensitive substrate P can be set arbitrarily, and an arbitrary element can be manufactured at a high rate.

Moreover, the shutter 30 is set to move in the non-scanning direction, and has a dimming characteristic of continuously attenuating the cumulative exposure amount in the pattern continuous portion (overlapping area) toward the periphery of the irradiation area of the illumination optical system IL, so it can be set The exposure amount of the connection part is a desired value, and the exposure amount of the overlapping area 64 and the exposure other than the overlapping area 64 can be made uniform. Therefore, exposure processing with high precision can be performed.

In addition, the light-shielding plate 40 and the shutter 30 can move respectively to the field of view diaphragm 20, so the size or shape of the projected areas 50a-50g of the exposure EL to the photosensitive substrate P can be set arbitrarily, so when the exposure is continued, the bonding accuracy can be improved. Or the uniformization of exposure.

Using the field of view diaphragm 20, the light shielding plate 40 and the shutter 30, the projection area is divided into a plurality of 50a-50g, and these projection areas are combined and exposed to form a so-called multi-mirror scanning exposure device, which not only maintains good imaging characteristics, In addition, large patterns can be formed without increasing the size of the device. The projection optical system PL is formed by a plurality of projection optical systems PLa to PLg arranged in parallel in a direction perpendicular to the scanning direction. Among the plurality of optical systems PLa to PLg, the optical path of a predetermined optical system can be blocked, so that it can be easily adjusted each time. Scan the exposed projected area. In addition, when joining the divided patterns 62 and 63 , it is not necessary to use a large mask M, and a uniform pattern can be formed on a large photosensitive substrate P. FIG. Therefore, it is possible to prevent an increase in size and cost of the device.

Since the projection areas 50 a to 50 g divided into a plurality have a trapezoidal shape, it is easy to agree on the exposure amounts of the spliced portion and those other than the spliced portion when continuous exposure is performed.

On the mask M, corresponding to the continuous parts 48 and 49 of the continued exposure area, there are position alignment marks 60A and 60B for alignment with the shutter 30. Using these position alignment marks, the masking can be accurately aligned. The position of device 30. Therefore, a desired exposure amount can be exposed in the overlapping region 60 .

On the photosensitive substrate P, which is equivalent to the area 64 for continued exposure, there are also substrate alignment marks 72 aligned with the mask alignment marks 60A and 60B, so the alignment between the mask M and the photosensitive substrate is excellent. , can improve the exposure accuracy, and, in order to perform multiple scanning exposures, when moving the substrate stage PST in the upper step, it is sufficient to use the alignment marks 60A, 60B, and 72, so the alignment accuracy can be improved.

In the present embodiment, the illuminances of the overlapping boundary portions 51a to 51l of the projected areas 50a to 50g are measured and corrected so as to be approximately consistent, and the illuminances of the connection portions 52a to 52f are made uniform. Change the position of the Y direction of the shutter 30 or the shading plate 40 again, the illuminance in the overlapping area 64 of the divided patterns 62, 63 is the same as the illuminance in other areas, so that the whole pattern is exposed with a uniform exposure amount, and the line width of the pattern can be made The pattern is uniform across the board. Therefore, the quality of the liquid crystal element after exposure can be improved.

In FIGS. 9 and 10 , the Y-direction length LK of the overlapping region 64 is set to be the same length as the overlapping regions 52a to 52f of the projected regions 50a to 50g. However, the inclination angle of the front end of the shutter 30A (30B) may be changed so that the Y-direction length of the overlapping region 64 between the division patterns 62 and 63 is different from the Y-direction length of the above-mentioned overlapping regions 52a to 52f.

Also, in this embodiment, when the division pattern 62 and the division pattern 63 are joined, during the first scanning exposure, a part of the projected area 50e is covered with a mask 30B to form a small area KB; In the sub-scanning exposure, a part of the projected area 50c is masked by the mask 30A to form a small area KA. These small areas KA, KB are overlapped, but the projection area forming the small areas KA, KB may be any one of the projection areas 50a to 50g. That is, multiple scanning exposures are performed on any projection area to form small areas with light reduction characteristics in the Y direction, and these small areas can be overlapped. Moreover, the lighting shutter 6 can shield any light path.

In this embodiment, the shutter 30B is used for the first scanning exposure, and the shutter 30A is used for the second scanning exposure. However, as shown in FIG. 15 , the shutter 30B is used for the first scan exposure, and the shutter 30B is not used for the second scan exposure. It is also possible to use the illumination shutter 6 to cover the optical path of the predetermined projection area instead. Also, in FIG. 15 , during the first scanning exposure, the illumination shutter 6 is used to block the optical path corresponding to the projection area 50f; during the second scanning exposure, the illumination shutter 6 is used to block the optical path corresponding to the projection areas 50a, 50b.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, there are seven light paths arranged in parallel, and the illumination elements IMa-IMg and the projection optical systems PLa-PLg are provided correspondingly. However, one optical path, one illumination element and one projection optical system may be provided. That is, it can be applied to an exposure method and an exposure apparatus for repeatedly exposing part of a pattern image of a mask by dividing into a plurality of scanning exposures.

Furthermore, the number of parallel optical paths is not limited to seven, for example, less than six or more than eight may be used.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, only one photodetector 41 for detecting information on the amount of light exposed in the projection area is provided, but a plurality of photodetectors whose positional relationship with the reference position is known may be provided. The illuminances Wa to W1 of the boundary portions 51a to 51l can be detected simultaneously by these plural photodetectors. This occasion. The illuminance of each projection area 50a-50g and the boundary part 51a-51l, or the position of the boundary part 51a-51l can be detected at high speed, and workability can be improved.

In the above-described embodiment, when calibration is performed, the illuminance is detected by the photodetector 41, and calibration is performed based on the detection result. However, at the time of calibration, the actual test photosensitive substrate is subjected to exposure processing, the shape of the formed pattern is measured, and calibration may be performed based on the measurement result.

Also, in the above-described embodiment, after the first scanning exposure is completed, the mask position alignment mark 60 formed on the mask M is used to align the position of the photosensitive substrate P after the upper step movement of the second scanning exposure, The mark 72 is aligned with the substrate position formed on the photosensitive substrate P. However, when calibrating, it is best to set the moving distance of the upper step first, and then move the upper step according to the set distance.

Also, the liquid crystal element (semiconductor element) is formed by stacking multiple material layers, and the photosensitive substrate P may be deformed due to development processing or various heat treatments during exposure processing of the second or lower layers, for example. In this case, it is only necessary to calculate the amount of change in the image characteristics such as the ratio of the photosensitive substrate P during correction, calculate the correction value (offset), and then move up according to the correction value. Furthermore, in this case, as in the aforementioned case, the position of the shutter 30 or light-shielding plate 40 can be driven to set the projection area according to the variation of image characteristics such as rotation and displacement, so as to control the continuous exposure.

Also, in the above-mentioned embodiment, there is only one light source 1, but there may be more than one light source 1, one for each optical path, and a plurality of light sources are arranged in total, and the plurality of light sources are combined into one light beam with light guide equipment, etc., and then A configuration in which light is distributed to each optical path is also possible. In this case, not only can the bad influence caused by the difference in the light intensity of the light source be eliminated, but also the disappearance of one light source only lowers the overall light intensity, and it is possible to prevent the exposed element from becoming unusable. In addition, a plurality of light sources 1 are provided, and when combining and distributing light beams, the amount of exposure to be irradiated can be adjusted to the desired irradiation by inserting a filter such as an ND filter that can change the amount of transmitted light into the optical path. It is also possible to control the exposure dose of each projection area 50a to 50g.

Also, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the shape of the projected areas 50a to 50g is trapezoidal, but hexagonal, rhombus, or parallelogram may also be used. However, continuous exposure can be performed easily and stably by using the trapezoidal shape.

The above-mentioned embodiment is a configuration in which images are composited on the photosensitive substrate P by two scanning exposures, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

In addition, in the above-mentioned embodiment, the projection optical system PL is described as a plurality of devices (PLa to PLg). However, as can be easily understood from FIG. Lens-based projection optics, or exposure devices with non-rectangular exposure areas with arc-shaped slits are also suitable. Furthermore, by moving the second light shielding plate 30 to the exposure area, bonding can be performed at a desired position.

FIG. 16 shows an example in which the pattern is divided into three divided patterns Pa, Pb, and Pc by scanning exposure twice and then synthesized. The plurality of projection areas shown in FIG. 16 are not in the shape of many birds, but arranged in a row. When exposing pattern Pa, use mask 30B to form connection portion 80a; Here, in the periphery of the pattern of the mask M, a periodic pattern 81 serving as a circuit pattern with a specific shape period is formed. The alignment marks 60A, 60B of the mask M and the shutters 30A, 30B are formed at positions corresponding to the boundaries of the periodic pattern 81 . When such periodic pattern 81 will continue to be exposed, in the past, the position of the continuous portion cannot be arbitrarily set due to the connection portion set in conjunction with each projection area, and the continuous exposure of the periodic pattern 81 is difficult; in the present invention, it can be used in Y The shutter 30 moving in the direction can arbitrarily set the position of the connection portion, so the plurality of periodic patterns 81a to 81h formed on the photosensitive substrate P can be made to match the number of lines (pitches) of the wiring lines arranged thereon, and the Continuous exposure is performed with high precision.

The shutter 30 in the above-mentioned embodiment, the width of the X-direction at its front end gradually decreases toward the Y-direction, forming a shielding body with a slope, but as long as the cumulative exposure amount in the Y-direction of the overlapping area can be continuously attenuated during scanning Any shape can be used. For example, as shown in FIG. 17 , the width in the X direction gradually decreases toward the Y direction to form a plurality of zigzag shapes. In this case, the Y-direction forming range of the sawtooth portion is the Y-direction length LK of the repeating region. In addition, FIG. 17 shows the state where the illumination shutter 6 covers the optical path corresponding to the projection area 50f.

As described in the above embodiment, from the top views of FIG. 1 and FIGS. 9 and 10, the shutter 30A disposed near the projection area 50a and the shutter 30B disposed near the projection area 50g face each other in the Y direction. configuration. However, as shown in FIG. 18, two shutters 30C and 30D movable in the Y direction may be arranged in parallel in the X direction. In this case, among the projection areas 50a to 50g arranged in two rows, the shutter 30C is provided corresponding to the projection areas 50a, 50c, 50e, and 50g arranged on the -X side; the shutter 30D is provided corresponding to the projection area 50b arranged on the +X side. , 50d, 50f settings. The shutters 30C and 30D are respectively moved in the Y direction to block the light path of a specific projection area among the plurality of projection areas, and set the size and shape of the predetermined projection area. Here, the movement of the shutters 30C and 30D in the Y direction may be configured to move synchronously, or may be configured to move independently. In this case, as shown by the dotted line in FIG. 18, shutters 30C' and 30D' movable in the Y direction may be arranged at positions opposite to each of the shutters 30C and 30D in the Y direction.

In the above description of the embodiments, for example, the shutter 30A shields the optical path corresponding to the projection area 30a, and sets the size and shape of the projection area 30C, that is, one shutter 30 can span multiple projection areas. However, as shown in FIG. 19 , for the optical paths corresponding to the plurality of projection areas 50a to 50g, a configuration in which small shutters 30 movable in the Y direction are respectively arranged (only the shutter 30E corresponding to the projection area 50e is shown in FIG. 19 ). When it is necessary to cover the light path of a specific projection area, for example, when the light path of the projection areas 50f and 50g is to be covered, the illumination shutters 6 corresponding to the light paths of the projection areas 50f and 50g can be used to block light.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 20 , it is also possible to combine a small slope shader 30E that is movable in the Y direction with projection areas 50 a to 50 g corresponding to each other, and a large planar rectangular shader 30F that can simultaneously shade a plurality of projection areas. Can. Here, the shutter 30 is arranged near the surface of the photosensitive substrate P, and the roughly conjugate position of the photosensitive substrate P and the mask M can be arranged or withdrawn between the projection optical system PL and the photosensitive substrate P according to the movement in the Y direction.

Figure 21 is a diagram of other embodiments of the shutter as the second light shielding plate. The shutter 30 shown in Figure 21 is the light shielding part and the transmission part of the dot pattern (dot pattern) of Cr on the glass substrate. Among them, the transmittance can be continuously changed. The shutter 30G is a structure movable in the Y direction, and is provided with a light-shielding portion 77 for blocking light and a light-transmitting portion 78 for transmitting light according to a predetermined transmittance. The light-shielding portion 77 is a chrome film formed of an opaque material on a glass substrate, and is an area where the light transmittance is almost 0%. The light-transmitting part 78 is made of chromium which is an opaque material, and its density is vapor-deposited on the glass plate. From the boundary with the light-shielding part 77 to the front end, the transmittance is continuously changed from 0 to 100%. . Here, the dot size of the translucent portion 78 is set below the resolution limit of the exposure apparatus EX.

In this way, the light-transmitting portion 78 of the filter for adjusting the light quantity distribution is provided in the shutter 30G, and the cumulative exposure quantity can be continuously attenuated in the overlapping region of the pattern image. Since the light-transmitting portion 78 is formed as a pattern of chromium dots evaporated on the glass substrate, the adjustment of the light distribution can be performed with excellent precision at the molecular level, so when performing continuous exposure, the exposure amount of the overlapping area can be accurately adjusted.

In each of the above-mentioned embodiments, in order to adjust the light quantity distribution in the overlapping area, a slope shutter or a sawtooth shutter, or a shutter with a light-transmitting portion 78 with a distribution of transmittance is used, but the light path of the shutter can also be adjusted. The position of the direction adjusts the exposure distribution of the repeated area. That is, as shown in Fig. 22(a), the shutter 30 is moved from the position conjugated to the mask to a position away from the mask (defocusing), so that the exposure passing through the end of the shutter 30 is diffused, and the light intensity distribution is determined. Expose the mask. At this time, the width LK of the diffused light on the mask (that is, the width of the overlapping region) is assumed to be NA, and the number of apertures of the illumination optical system IL is NA. When the shutter 30 is arranged at the position α on the mask M, LK= 2×α×NA. As shown in FIG. 22( b ), the light quantity distribution in the width LK is continuously attenuated in the Y direction. In this way, by adjusting the position of the shutter 30 in the optical path direction (Z direction), it is also possible to form an overlapping area with a desired width LK.

The exposure apparatus EX of this embodiment may be a proximity exposure apparatus that is in close contact with the mask M and the photosensitive substrate P to expose the pattern of the mask M instead of a projection optical system.

The application of the exposure apparatus EX is not limited to the exposure apparatus for liquid crystals used for exposing a liquid crystal display pattern to an angled glass plate. For example, an exposure device for semiconductor manufacturing that exposes a circuit pattern on a semiconductor wafer, or an exposure device for manufacturing a thin-film magnetic pickup can be applied.

The light source of the exposure device of the present embodiment, except g line (436nm), h line (405nm), i line (365nm), KrF excimer laser (248nm), ArF excimer laser (193nm), _F2 laser (157nm) ) etc. can be used.

As for the magnification of the projection optical system PL, not only the equal magnification system but also any of the reduction system and the enlargement system can be used.

For the projection optical system PL, in the case of using excimer laser and other far-ultraviolet rays, the glass material should use quartz or fluorite and other materials that transmit far-ultraviolet rays; in the case of using _F2 laser or X-ray, reflective inflection system or inflection system should be used optical system.

When a linear motor is used for the substrate stage PST or the mask stage MST, either an air float type using an air grab shaft or a magnetic air float type using a Lorentz force or a reactive force may be used. Furthermore, the substrate stage or the mask stage may be of a type that moves along a guide or a type without a guide.

When a planar motor is used as the driving device of the substrate stage or mask stage, either one of the magnet group and the armature group is connected to the stage, and the other of the magnet group and the armature group is provided on the moving surface side of the stage. .

The reaction force generated by the movement of the substrate stage PST may be mechanically transmitted to the floor using frame members as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 8-166475. Such a configuration is also applicable to the exposure apparatus of the present invention.

The reaction force generated by the movement of the mask table MST may be mechanically transmitted to the floor using a frame member as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-330224. The present invention is also applicable to the exposure apparatus having this configuration.

As mentioned above, the exposure apparatus of the embodiment of the present application can be manufactured by combining various sub-systems including the constituent elements listed in the claims of the present application while maintaining predetermined mechanical precision, electrical precision and optical precision. In order to ensure these various precisions, before and after the combination, it is necessary to adjust the optical precision of various optical systems, adjust the mechanical precision of various mechanical systems, and adjust the electrical precision of various electrical systems. The process of combining the sub-systems into an exposure device includes the mechanical connection between various sub-systems, the connection of electrical circuit wiring, and the piping connection of pneumatic lines. Before these various sub-systems are combined into an exposure device project, it is of course necessary to complete the combined project of each sub-system. After the construction of the exposure device composed of various sub-systems is completed, comprehensive adjustments are made to ensure the overall accuracy of the exposure device. In addition, it is preferable that the exposure apparatus is manufactured in a clean room controlled by temperature and cleanliness.

The manufacture of semiconductor elements, as shown in Figure 23, is carried out through the step 201 of designing the function and performance of the element, the step 202 of manufacturing the mask according to the design step, and the step 203 of manufacturing the substrate of the element base material, according to the exposure device of the foregoing embodiment , the substrate processing step 204 of exposing the pattern of the mask on the substrate, the component assembly step (sentence dicing engineering, bonding engineering, packaging engineering) 205, and the inspection step 206, etc.

Invention effect

In the present invention, the pattern image set by the field diaphragm and the first light shield is provided with a second light shield that can move in a direction perpendicular to the scanning direction, so that the continuous portion of the pattern can be arbitrarily set on the mask. Therefore, the size of the pattern formed on the photosensitive substrate can be set arbitrarily, and arbitrary elements can be manufactured efficiently. In addition, the first and second light-shielding plates can be individually moved to the field of view aperture, and the size or shape of the illuminated area exposed to the photosensitive substrate can be set arbitrarily, so when the exposure is continued, the bonding accuracy and the uniformity of the exposure amount can be improved . Also, the second light-shielding plate is set to be movable in a direction perpendicular to the scanning direction, and has a dimming characteristic of continuously attenuating the cumulative exposure amount in the overlapping area of the pattern from the periphery of the irradiation area of the illumination optical system, so it can be set The exposure amount of the splicing part is set to a desired value, so that the exposure amount of the overlapping area is consistent with that of the area outside the overlapping area. Therefore, exposure processing with high precision can be performed, and a high-quality element can be manufactured.

Claims (16)

1. An exposure apparatus having: an illumination optical system capable of irradiating a mask with a beam of light, a mask stage carrying a mask, and a substrate stage carrying a photosensitive substrate for exposing the mask through exposure The pattern of the mold is used to manufacture display components; the exposure device can move the mask and the photosensitive substrate synchronously in the scanning direction of the aforementioned light beam, and divide it into several scanning exposures, so that a part of the pattern image of the mask is repeatedly exposed on the photosensitive substrate. The substrate exposes the pattern; it is characterized by: The field of view aperture is used to set the width of the scanning direction of the illuminated pattern image on the photosensitive substrate; The first shading plate overlaps the field of view aperture on the optical path, and can set the width of the pattern image in a direction perpendicular to the scanning direction; and The second light-shielding plate can move in a direction perpendicular to the scanning direction, set the repeated area of the pattern image, and continuously attenuate the cumulative exposure of the repeated area with the periphery of the opposite irradiation area, Wherein the mask stage is arranged on the optical path between the illumination optical system and the substrate stage, and the field of view aperture, the light-shielding plate, and the shutter are arranged at positions conjugate to the mask and the photosensitive substrate, and configured on the light path. 2. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the illumination area formed by the field aperture, the first light shielding plate, and the second light shielding plate is divided into a plurality. 3. The exposure apparatus as claimed in claim 2, wherein the plurality of divided illumination areas are trapezoidal in shape. 4. The exposure device according to claim 1, wherein the second light-shielding plate is provided with a light-shielding pattern on the glass substrate, and continuously changes the transmittance between the light-shielding part and the light-transmitting part. component composition. 5. The exposure device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a projection optical system is provided to project the pattern image of the aforementioned mask onto the photosensitive substrate, and the mask and the photosensitive substrate pass through the projection optical system. The system is arranged in a conjugate position, and at the same time, the above-mentioned field of view aperture, the first light-shielding plate and the second light-shielding plate are also arranged in a conjugate position to the above-mentioned mask and the photosensitive substrate. 6. The exposure apparatus as claimed in claim 2 or 3, wherein the illumination optical system is composed of a plurality of illumination components, and by the plurality of illumination components, the irradiation areas divided into a plurality are formed on the aforementioned photosensitive substrate. 7. The exposure apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the projection optical system is composed of a plurality of projection optical systems, and the pattern of the mask is divided into a plurality of Projected onto the aforementioned substrate. 8. An exposure method, while the light beam is irradiating the mask, the above-mentioned mask and the photosensitive substrate used to manufacture the display component are moved synchronously to the light beam in the scanning direction, and divided into multiple scanning exposures to make the pattern image of the mask A part of repeated exposure, and a continuous exposure method for synthesizing the pattern on the photosensitive substrate, is characterized in that it includes: The width of the scanning direction of the pattern image illuminated on the photosensitive substrate is set with the field of view aperture; The first light-shielding plate is arranged to overlap the field of view aperture on the optical path, so as to set the width of the pattern image in a direction perpendicular to the scanning direction; and The second light-shielding plate that can move in the direction perpendicular to the scanning direction of the pattern image and can continuously attenuate the irradiation light quantity of the above-mentioned overlapping area to the periphery of the irradiation area is set in conjunction with the aforementioned continuous exposure area. board position. 9. The exposure method according to claim 8, characterized in that a position registration mark corresponding to the position of the second light-shielding plate is provided near the pattern region of the mask corresponding to the continuous exposure region, The position alignment mark is used to align with the position of the second light shielding plate to adjust the position of the second light shielding plate. 10. The exposure method according to claim 9, characterized in that, in the vicinity of the pattern area of the photosensitive substrate corresponding to the above-mentioned continuous exposure area, a substrate alignment mark is provided, and when exposing, the substrate is aligned. The alignment mark is aligned with the position alignment mark of the above-mentioned mask. 11. A component manufacturing method, irradiating a mask with a light beam and synchronously moving the light beam to an exposure device for scanning and exposing the mask and a glass substrate, joining and synthesizing a part of the pattern of the mask, and manufacturing the mask A method of manufacturing a liquid crystal display component with a larger continuous pattern area, characterized by: the position of the pattern of the registration mask on the glass substrate; Align the position of the light-shielding plate on the joint exposure area of the pattern of the mask, cover a part of the pattern of the mask, and move the mask and the glass substrate synchronously to scan on a predetermined area of the glass substrate exposing the pattern of the mask; After the exposure, moving the glass substrate in a direction perpendicular to the scanning exposure direction; At the position where the predetermined area overlaps with a part of the glass substrate, set the irradiation area to be combined with the exposed mask pattern for irradiation exposure. Align the position of the mask for exposure and perform exposure. 12. The component manufacturing method according to claim 11, characterized in that, while the irradiation area is composed of multiple irradiation areas, these divided irradiation areas are mutually repeated composite exposures Area. 13. The component manufacturing method according to claim 12, wherein the position of the light-shielding plate for the butt joint exposure is set in any one of the plurality of divided irradiation areas. 14. A component manufacturing method, irradiating a mask with a light beam and synchronously moving the light beam to an exposure device for scanning and exposing the mask and a photosensitive substrate used for display components, and joining and synthesizing a part of the pattern of the mask, A method of manufacturing a display element larger than the continuous patterned area of the mask, characterized by: the position of the pattern of the registration mask on the glass substrate; Align the position of the light-shielding plate on the joint exposure area of the pattern of the mask, cover a part of the pattern of the mask, and move the mask and the glass substrate synchronously to scan on a predetermined area of the glass substrate exposing the pattern of the mask; After the exposure, moving the photosensitive substrate in a direction perpendicular to the scanning exposure direction; At the position where the predetermined area overlaps with a part of the photosensitive substrate, set the irradiation area to be combined with the exposed mask pattern for irradiation exposure, and at the same time, for the pattern of the mask at the bonding position on one side of the irradiation area, Align the position of the mask for the spliced exposure and perform the exposure. 15. The component manufacturing method according to claim 14, characterized in that, while the irradiation area is composed of multiple irradiation areas, these divided irradiation areas are mutually repeated composite exposures Area. 16. The component manufacturing method according to claim 15, wherein the position of the light-shielding plate for butt joint exposure is set in any one of the plurality of divided irradiation areas.

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