JP2000081707A - Aligner - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To shorten alignment operation time and to easily cope with the change of the thickness of a work by adjusting the height of a seal packing for sealing space between a platen and a mask holding device. SOLUTION: The seal packing 2 is provided on the side of an art work mask attaching frame 3 and seals a gap between the platen 1 and the frame 3. By making the gap vacuum by a vacuum device, the work W is brought into vacuum-contact with an art work mask 30 and exposed in such a state. The inner part of the packing 2 is made of hollow tube-like soft material consisting of synthetic resin. In the case of image alignment, air inside the packing 2 is extracted to decrease the height of the packing 2, and in the case of the vacuum-contact, the packing 2 is filled with the air to increase the height. A seal packing pressure adjusting device 20 is connected to the packing 2 and the height of the packing 2 is adjusted by controlling the device 20.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

[0001] The present invention relates to an exposure apparatus.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In manufacturing a printed circuit board or the like, a method of applying a photosensitive resist to a printed circuit board, printing a pattern with an exposure device, and developing the pattern has been widely used. Further, when a solder resist pattern is formed, the pattern is similarly baked by an exposure device and then developed. The above-described exposure apparatus controls the movement of the platen 1 ′ in the XYZ and θ directions by the platen driving device 10 ′ as shown in FIG. 5, and moves the platen 1 ′ to the artwork mask mounting frame 3 ′ via the seal packing 2 ′. Attached artwork mask 30 '
The work W 'on the platen 1' and the artwork mask 30 'on the artwork mask attachment frame 3' are reduced by reducing the pressure between the platen 1 'and the artwork mask attachment frame 3'. They are brought into close contact and exposed. The position of the work W 'and the position of the artwork mask 30' must be strictly aligned.
Work W 'and artwork mask 3 using camera 5'
Image processing is performed on the basis of a marking or the like drawn on 0 'to perform alignment.

[0003]

In positioning the workpiece W 'and the artwork mask 30', it is necessary to make the image of the marking or the like by the CCD camera 5 'as clear as possible. It is desirable to bring the work mask 30 'as close as possible, but there is a problem that a clear image cannot be obtained because the seal packing 2' has a gap between the work W 'and the artwork mask 30'. Therefore, once the space between the platen 1 'and the artwork mask mounting frame 3' is evacuated, the workpiece W 'and the artwork mask 30' are brought into close contact with each other. And the platen driving device 10 'to drive the platen 1'
To correct the misalignment between the work W 'and the artwork mask 30', raise the platen 1 'again, and bring
It was necessary to check the position by the CD camera 5 '. This series of operations has to be repeated until the position of the workpiece W 'and the artwork mask 30' coincide with each other within an allowable range, and there is a disadvantage that the alignment takes time and effort. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the above procedure, and it is necessary to repeat steps 3 ′ to 8 ′ at the time of alignment. Further, in the case of the conventional exposure apparatus, there is a problem that it cannot cope with the thickness of the work W. That is, since the height of the seal packing 2 'is constant, if the work W is thin, there is a limit to the compression of the seal packing 2' even when vacuum is applied, and there is a problem that the work W and the artwork mask 30 'do not adhere. .
If the work W is thick, the seal packing 2 'cannot be in close contact with the platen 1', and the space between the platen 1 'and the artwork mask mounting frame 3' cannot be sealed, making it impossible to draw a vacuum. Therefore, conventionally, it was necessary to select and replace the seal packing 2 ′ according to the thickness of the work W. The present invention aims to remedy the disadvantages of the prior art.

[0004]

To achieve the above object, an exposure apparatus according to the present invention comprises a platen on which an object to be exposed is placed, a mask on which an exposure pattern is drawn, and a mask holding apparatus for holding the mask. And a seal packing for sealing between the platen and the mask holding device, wherein the height of the seal packing is adjustable. In a preferred embodiment, the seal packing is formed of a hollow soft body, and the height of the seal packing is adjusted by filling the hollow portion with a fluid such as air. In the case of an exposure apparatus having an image processing device for performing alignment between a mask and an exposure object, the height of the seal packing is adjustable, and when aligning the mask with the exposure object, the seal packing is used. It is desirable to reduce the height of the mask to minimize the distance between the mask and the object to be exposed, and execute image processing by the image processing apparatus. With this configuration, in image processing, procedures such as vacuum adhesion, vacuum breakage accompanying this, and elevation of the platen 1 'can be omitted. Further, when the thickness of the exposure object changes, the mask-holding device and the platen seal are satisfactorily sealed by seal packing while appropriately maintaining the distance between the mask and the exposure object according to the thickness. It is desirable to adjust the height of the seal packing so that it can be performed. Accordingly, it is possible to accommodate various travel objects without changing the seal packing.

[0005]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In FIG. 1, a platen 1 can be moved in XYZ and θ directions by a platen driving device 10, and can be relatively moved with respect to an artwork mask mounting frame 3, which is a part of a mask holding device.
The artwork mask mounting frame 3 may be movable, or both the platen 1 and the artwork mask mounting frame 3 may be movable.

[0006] A work W such as a circuit board to be exposed is placed on the platen 1. The artwork mask mounting frame 3 is made of a material that transmits the exposure wavelength. The artwork mask 30 is mounted facing the work W, and the pattern drawn on the artwork mask 30 by exposure from the exposure light source 6 is applied to the work W. It is baked on top.

[0007] Alignment marks are provided on the artwork mask 30 and the work W, and the alignment of the artwork mask attachment frame 3 and the platen 1 is performed by the CCD cameras 5 and 5 based on the marks. . In this embodiment, the matching between the position of the platen 1 and the position of the artwork mask attachment frame 3 is determined by image processing using a computer, but the determination may be made visually.

A seal packing 2 is provided on the side of the artwork mask mounting frame 3 to seal the space between the platen 1 and the artwork mask mounting frame 3, and the gap is evacuated by a vacuum device (not shown). W and the artwork mask 30 are brought into close contact with each other in vacuum, and exposure is performed in this state. As shown in FIG. 2, the seal packing 2 is made of a soft material made of a synthetic resin having a hollow tubular shape, and at the time of image alignment, the inside is evacuated to reduce the height to reduce the height as shown in FIG. Sometimes it is filled with air to increase its height. A seal packing pressure adjusting device 20 is connected to the seal packing 2, and the height of the seal packing 2 is adjusted by controlling the seal packing pressure adjusting device 20.

In the above configuration, when alignment of the work W and the artwork mask 30 is performed, FIG.
As shown in (A), the air is evacuated from the seal packing 2 and contracted, and the platen 1 is moved while the artwork mask 30 and the work W are as close as possible to each other. The workpiece W is set at an optimum position while performing predetermined image processing based on the image processing, and the alignment is completed. At the time of exposure, as shown in FIG. 3 (B), air is introduced into the seal packing 2 and expanded to obtain a predetermined height, and the platen 1 and the seal packing 2 are brought into close contact with each other on the contact surface M. The work W and the artwork mask 30 are brought into close contact with each other by vacuuming the gap between the workpiece mask 3 and the artwork mask mounting frame 3, and exposure is performed.

When the thickness of the work W changes, the height of the seal packing 2 can be changed according to the thickness of the work W. That is, the height is set so that the work W and the artwork mask 30 can be in close contact with each other and the contact surface M can be formed between the work W and the platen 1. This makes it possible to cope with works W of various thicknesses.

FIG. 4 shows a flowchart of the alignment and exposure operations. A substrate, which is a work W, is loaded on the platen 1 (step 1), and is centered here (step 2). Then, air is evacuated from the seal packing 2 and contracted (step 3), and the platen 1 is raised to a height at which image processing is performed (step 4). Since the height of the seal packing 2 is low, this operation is not hindered, and the platen 1 is easily raised to a required height without performing a vacuuming process as in the related art. Can be brought into close contact or close to each other. In this state, an image such as a marking is obtained by the CCD camera 5 and image processing is executed (step 5). If the alignment is unsuccessful, the platen 1 is moved in the XY or θ directions to perform alignment (step 6). . If the alignment is successful, the seal packing 2 is filled with air to obtain the required height of the seal packing 2 (step 7), and the platen 1 is raised to the exposure position and brought into close contact with the seal packing 2 (step 8). Then, the gap between the platen 1 and the artwork mask attachment frame 3 is evacuated, and the workpiece W and the artwork mask 30 are brought into close contact (step 9). Then, the alignment is confirmed again (step 10). If the alignment is not satisfied, vacuum breaking is performed (step 11), the platen 1 is lowered to the alignment height (step 12), and the process returns to step 6. Step 10
If the alignment passes, the exposure is executed (step 13), and the substrate as the work W is carried out (step 14).

As is clear from the comparison between FIG. 4 described above and FIG. 6 which is a flowchart of the conventional apparatus, the operations of vacuum adhesion, vacuum breakage, and lowering of the platen 1 are not required at the time of alignment. Since the operation is repeatedly performed until the alignment is passed, the operation time can be significantly reduced. Further, even when the thickness of the work W changes, it is possible to easily cope with the change in the thickness by adjusting the amount of air in the seal packing 2.

[0013]

As described above, according to the exposure apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to shorten the alignment operation time and to easily cope with a change in the thickness of the work W.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the operation of one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the operation of one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a conventional exposure apparatus.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of a conventional exposure apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

1: platen, 2: seal packing, 3: artwork mask mounting frame, 5: CCD camera, 6: exposure light source, 1
0: platen driving device, 20: seal packing pressure adjusting device, 30: artwork mask.

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A platen on which an exposure target is placed, a mask on which an exposure pattern is drawn, a mask holding device for holding the mask, and a seal packing for sealing between the platen and the mask holding device. In the exposure apparatus provided,
An exposure apparatus, wherein the height of the seal packing is adjustable. 2. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the seal packing is formed of a hollow soft body, and the height of the seal packing is adjusted by filling the hollow portion with a fluid. 3. A platen for placing an object to be exposed, a mask on which an exposure pattern is drawn, a mask holding device for holding the mask, a seal packing for sealing between the platen and the mask holding device, An image processing apparatus for performing alignment between the mask and the exposure target, and in an exposure apparatus including, the height of the seal packing is adjustable, and when aligning the mask and the exposure target, An exposure apparatus, wherein the height of the seal packing is reduced to bring the mask and the object to be exposed into close proximity or close contact with each other, and execute image processing by the image processing apparatus. 4. A platen on which an object to be exposed is placed, a mask on which an exposure pattern is drawn, a mask holding device for holding the mask, and a seal packing for sealing between the platen and the mask holding device. In the exposure apparatus provided,
In accordance with the thickness of the exposure object, the height of the seal packing is adjusted so that the mask holding device and the platen can be better sealed by the seal packing while appropriately maintaining the distance between the mask and the exposure object. An exposure apparatus characterized in that the exposure time can be adjusted.