JP2009109560A - Pattern-drawing device and pattern-drawing method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To perform precise focus adjustment, in a pattern-drawing device, while restraining its device structure from becoming complex. <P>SOLUTION: The photoirradiation part 4 of a pattern-drawing device includes an illumination optical system 41 into which light from a light source is made incident; a mask part 42 having a mask pattern which partially transmits the light from the light source, a mask part-slightly moving mechanism 43; which minutely moves the mask part 42 up and down; and a projection optical system 44 which guides the light, which has passed the mask pattern, to a substrate. When slight focus adjustment is made to the photoirradiation part 4, the pattern-drawing device minutely moves the mask part 42, by means of the mask part-minutely moving mechanism 43, vertically along the optical axis formed by the mask part 42 and the projection optical system 44, to fit the mask pattern of the mask part 42 to an optically conjugate position to the objective surface of the substrate. According to this, precise focus adjustment can be made, while restraining the structure of the pattern-drawing device from becoming complicated. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a technique for drawing a pattern by irradiating a photosensitive material on a substrate with light.

  Conventionally, a pattern is drawn by irradiating light to a photosensitive material formed on a semiconductor substrate, a printed circuit board, a glass substrate for a plasma display device or a liquid crystal display device (hereinafter referred to as “substrate”). It has been broken.

  For example, in the proximity type exposure apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, a mask having the same size as the substrate is opposed to the substrate through a minute gap (ie, a proximity gap), and is formed on the mask. By irradiating the substrate with light through the mask pattern, the mask pattern is transferred to the photosensitive material on the substrate. Further, in the exposure apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 2, a photomask having a size equivalent to one exposure area is applied to a substrate on which six exposure areas each corresponding to one color filter are set. By irradiating light to one exposure region through a mask pattern formed on the mask, the entire pattern of the exposure region is drawn.

  However, as in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, in a drawing method in which a mask pattern corresponding to a pattern to be drawn on a substrate is formed on a mask and the mask pattern is collectively transferred, the pitch of the pattern to be drawn or It is difficult to respond flexibly to changes in width, etc. Also, if the substrate to be drawn or the exposure area set on the substrate becomes larger, the mask becomes larger and the manufacturing cost of the apparatus increases. End up.

  In the pattern drawing apparatus of Patent Document 3, two masks in which rectangular openings are arranged in a predetermined arrangement direction are overlapped, and an area where each of the two masks overlaps (hereinafter referred to as “mask set opening”). .)) While irradiating light onto the substrate while scanning the irradiation region on the substrate in a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction, a stripe pattern is drawn on the photosensitive material on the substrate. In the pattern drawing apparatus of Patent Document 3, it is possible to cope with an increase in the size of the substrate without increasing the size of the mask, and to change the shape of the mask set opening by shifting one mask with respect to the other mask. Thus, it is possible to flexibly cope with changes in the pitch and width of the pattern to be drawn.

  In the pattern writing apparatus of Patent Document 3, in the projection optical system that guides light that has passed through the mask to the substrate, by moving some of the plurality of optical elements that constitute the projection optical system, The imaging position is adjusted, and thereby the imaging position is adjusted to the surface of the photosensitive material on the substrate (that is, focus adjustment) even when the substrate has irregularities or warpage.

On the other hand, in the exposure apparatus of Patent Document 1, the upper surface of the substrate chuck that holds the substrate by suction is elastically deformed by the expansion and contraction of a plurality of piezos arranged below the upper surface, thereby causing the surface of the substrate having uneven thickness. Is disclosed that is parallel to the mask. In addition, the exposure apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 2 discloses a technique for adjusting a proximity gap between a photomask and a substrate by moving the photomask up and down or tilting the photomask. The deformation of the substrate chuck and the vertical movement of the photomask are performed before the pattern is drawn, and are not naturally performed during the pattern drawing.
Japanese Patent Publication No. 6-28222 JP 2004-233398 A JP 2005-345582 A

  By the way, in the pattern drawing apparatus of Patent Document 3, since it is necessary to control the movement amount of the optical element at the time of focus adjustment with high accuracy, the structure of the projection optical system becomes complicated. Further, in the pattern drawing apparatus of Patent Document 3, focus adjustment is continuously performed during drawing of a pattern due to high-speed movement of the substrate, but vibration due to movement of the optical element may remain in the optical element. There is also a possibility that the residual vibration of the optical element affects the scanned image of the mask set opening (that is, the residual vibration affects the pattern being drawn).

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to perform high-precision focus adjustment while suppressing complication of the apparatus structure of the pattern drawing apparatus.

  The invention according to claim 1 is a pattern drawing apparatus for drawing a pattern by irradiating light onto a photosensitive material on a substrate, and holds a substrate having a light source and a target surface to which light from the light source is guided. A substrate holding unit, a mask unit having a mask pattern through which light from the light source partially passes, a projection optical system that guides light from the mask unit to the substrate, the mask unit, and the projection optical system; A fine movement mechanism for moving the mask portion minutely with respect to the projection optical system along an optical axis connecting the two, and the optical movement with respect to the target surface of the substrate by controlling the fine movement mechanism for the mask portion. And a focus fine adjustment unit that matches the mask pattern of the mask unit at a position conjugate to the mask pattern.

  A second aspect of the present invention is the pattern drawing apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the substrate is moved relative to the projection optical system in a predetermined movement direction parallel to the target surface together with the substrate holding portion. And a substrate moving mechanism that moves automatically, and while the substrate moves, the projection optical system irradiates the target surface intermittently or continuously, and the projection optical system and the target surface The mask fine movement mechanism is controlled based on fine focus adjustment information that substantially indicates the distance between the two.

  A third aspect of the present invention is the pattern drawing apparatus according to the second aspect, wherein the substrate holding portion has a holding surface on which the substrate is placed, and the focus fine adjustment portion is the focus. A storage unit that stores fine adjustment information is further provided, and the focus fine adjustment information is information indicating the height of the holding surface at a plurality of positions on the holding surface or information obtained from the information.

  A fourth aspect of the present invention is the pattern drawing apparatus according to the second aspect, wherein the distance between the projection optical system and the target surface in a direction along the optical axis of the projection optical system is substantially set. A distance measuring unit for measuring is further provided, and the distance is repeatedly measured by the distance measuring unit in parallel with the movement of the substrate by the substrate moving mechanism, and an output from the distance measuring unit is used as the focus fine adjustment information. Input to the fine adjustment unit.

  A fifth aspect of the present invention is the pattern drawing apparatus according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein one end of the mask portion fine movement mechanism is fixed relative to the projection optical system. The other end is provided with a piezo element connected to the mask portion, and the mask portion moves slightly along the optical axis as the piezo element expands and contracts.

  A sixth aspect of the present invention is the pattern drawing apparatus according to the fifth aspect, wherein the mask portion is supported by a link mechanism in which one end portion is fixed relative to the projection optical system. The

  The invention according to claim 7 is the pattern drawing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the mask portion is formed with a first mask pattern through which light from the light source partially passes. A first mask and a second mask that is optically superimposed on the first mask and formed with a second mask pattern through which light from the first mask partially passes. Is a pattern formed by optically overlapping the second mask pattern and the first mask pattern.

  Invention of Claim 8 is the pattern drawing apparatus in any one of Claim 1 thru | or 7, Comprising: Another mask part similar to the said mask part, the said projection optical system, and the said mask part fine movement mechanism, The optical system further includes another projection optical system and another mask unit fine movement mechanism, and light from the light source or the other light source passes through the another mask unit and the other projection optical system, and A position optically conjugated with respect to the target surface of the substrate by being guided to the target surface, and the focus adjusting unit controlling the other mask fine movement mechanism independently of the mask fine movement mechanism. Are matched with the mask pattern of the other mask portion.

  The invention according to claim 9 is the pattern drawing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the substrate is a color filter substrate for a liquid crystal display device, and the mask pattern is formed on the substrate. This corresponds to a part of the periodic pixel pattern to be formed.

  The invention according to claim 10 is a pattern drawing method for drawing a pattern by irradiating light to a photosensitive material on a substrate, wherein a) a mask portion having a mask pattern through which light from a light source partially passes is provided. Optically with respect to the target surface of the substrate by moving minutely with respect to the projection optical system along an optical axis connecting the mask portion and the projection optical system that guides light from the mask portion to the substrate And b) irradiating the target surface of the substrate with light from the light source through the mask pattern.

  The invention according to claim 11 is the pattern drawing method according to claim 10, wherein c) the substrate is moved relative to the projection optical system in a predetermined movement direction parallel to the target surface. In parallel with the step c), the step a) is repeated and the projection surface is irradiated with light intermittently or continuously from the projection optical system.

  A twelfth aspect of the present invention is the pattern drawing method according to the eleventh aspect, wherein d) a plurality of patterns on the holding surface on which the substrate is placed before the steps a) to c). A step of obtaining focus fine adjustment information which is information indicating the height of the holding surface at the position or information obtained from the information, and in the step a), the position of the substrate in the moving direction and the step The mask portion is slightly moved based on the focus fine adjustment information.

  The invention according to claim 13 is the pattern drawing method according to claim 11, wherein e) measures a distance between the projection optical system and the target surface in a direction along the optical axis of the projection optical system. The step e) and the step a) are repeated in parallel with the step c), and the mask portion is formed on the basis of the distance obtained in the step e) in the step a). Minute movement is performed.

  A fourteenth aspect of the present invention is the pattern drawing method according to any one of the tenth to thirteenth aspects, wherein a minute movement of the mask portion in the step a) is caused at one end with respect to the projection optical system. This is performed by expansion and contraction of a piezo element which is relatively fixed and whose other end is connected to the mask portion.

  In the present invention, highly accurate focus adjustment can be performed while suppressing the complexity of the device structure. In the inventions of claims 2 and 11, a pattern can be drawn with high accuracy while performing focus adjustment with high accuracy. Further, in the third and twelfth aspects of the present invention, it is possible to accurately adjust the focus shift due to the unevenness of the holding surface of the substrate holding portion. The deviation can be adjusted with high accuracy. In the invention of claim 5, the mask pattern can be easily changed.

  1 and 2 are a front view and a right side view of the pattern drawing apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a plan view of the pattern drawing apparatus 1. The pattern drawing apparatus 1 is an apparatus that draws a drawing pattern on a photosensitive material by irradiating light onto the photosensitive material on a target surface 91 of a glass substrate 9 (hereinafter simply referred to as “substrate 9”). In the present embodiment, the substrate 9 is a color filter substrate for a liquid crystal display device, and a drawing pattern drawn on a color resist, which is a photosensitive material provided on the substrate 9, is subjected to a plurality of subsequent processes and a plurality of drawing patterns. A rectangular pixel pattern is formed in which rectangular pixels are arranged in two directions (that is, the X direction and the Y direction) perpendicular to each other on the substrate 9.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the pattern drawing apparatus 1 is provided on a stage 3, which is a substrate holding unit that holds a substrate 9 placed on a holding surface 31, and on a base 11. 3, a substrate moving mechanism 2 that moves and rotates together with the substrate 3, a frame 12 that is fixed to the base 11 so as to straddle the stage 3 and the substrate moving mechanism 2, and a photosensitive material on the target surface 91 of the substrate 9 that is attached to the frame 12. A light irradiation unit 4 for irradiating light is provided, and a control unit for controlling these components is provided. 3, for the sake of illustration, the frame 13 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the illumination optical system 41 of the light irradiation unit 4, the mask unit 42 and the mask unit fine movement mechanism 43, and the laser oscillator 45 and laser shown in FIG. The illustration of the drive unit 46 is omitted.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing the function of the control unit 6 together with another structure of the pattern drawing apparatus 1. As shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 6 includes a focus fine adjustment unit 61, and the focus fine adjustment unit 61 stores focus fine adjustment information used for focus fine adjustment of the light irradiation unit 4 described later. 62. In FIG. 4, only one of the plurality of mask fine movement mechanisms 43 is shown.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the substrate moving mechanism 2 includes a support plate 21 that rotatably supports the stage 3, and a stage 3 centering on a stage rotation axis 221 that is perpendicular to the main surface of the stage 3 on the support plate 21. A stage rotation mechanism 22 that rotates the stage 3, and a sub-scanning mechanism that moves the stage 3 together with the support plate 21 in the X direction (that is, the movement direction parallel to the target surface 91 of the substrate 9 and hereinafter referred to as “sub-scanning direction”). 23, the base plate 24 that supports the support plate 21 via the sub-scanning mechanism 23, and the stage 3 together with the support plate 21 and the base plate 24 in the Y direction (that is, the moving direction parallel to the target surface 91 of the substrate 9) The main scanning mechanism 25 moves in the “main scanning direction”.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the stage rotation mechanism 22 includes a linear motor 222 provided on the (−Y) side of the stage 3, and the linear motor 222 is disposed on the (−Y) side of the stage 3. A fixed mover and a stator provided on the upper surface of the support plate 21 are provided. In the stage rotation mechanism 22, the moving element of the linear motor 222 moves in the X direction along the groove of the stator, so that the stage 3 has a predetermined angle around the stage rotation axis 221 provided on the support plate 21. Rotate within the range of.

  The sub-scanning mechanism 23 has a linear motor 231 extending in the sub-scanning direction parallel to the main surface of the stage 3 and perpendicular to the main scanning direction on the lower side (that is, (−Z) side) of the support plate 21, and A pair of guide rails 232 extending in the sub-scanning direction are provided on the (+ Y) side and the (−Y) side of the linear motor 231. The linear motor 231 includes a mover fixed to the lower surface of the support plate 21 and a stator provided on the upper surface of the base plate 24. When the mover moves in the sub-scanning direction along the stator, The support plate 21 moves linearly with the stage 3 along the linear motor 231 and the guide rail 232 in the sub-scanning direction.

  The main scanning mechanism 25 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 includes a linear motor 251 extending in the main scanning direction parallel to the main surface of the stage 3 below the base plate 24, and the (+ X) side of the linear motor 251 and (− A pair of guide rails 252 extending in the main scanning direction is provided on the X) side. The linear motor 251 includes a mover fixed to the lower surface of the base plate 24 and a stator provided on the upper surface of the base 11, and when the mover moves in the main scanning direction along the stator, The base plate 24 linearly moves in the main scanning direction along with the support plate 21 and the stage 3 along the linear motor 251 and the guide rail 252 which are moving axes.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the light irradiation unit 4 includes a plurality of illumination optical systems 41, a plurality of mask units 42, a plurality of mask unit fine movement mechanisms 43, and a plurality of projection optical systems 44. As shown, a laser oscillator 45 that is one light source corresponding to the plurality of illumination optical systems 41 and a laser drive unit 46 that drives the laser oscillator 45 are provided. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, 13 sets of illumination optical system 41, mask portion 42, mask portion fine movement mechanism 43 and projection optical system 44 are arranged at equal pitches along the sub-scanning direction. The light from the laser oscillator 45 is divided into 13 by a beam splitter or the like (not shown) and is incident on 13 illumination optical systems 41.

  In the light irradiation unit 4, the laser oscillator 45 shown in FIG. 1 is driven by the laser driving unit 46, whereby light is intermittently emitted toward the plurality of illumination optical systems 41 (that is, pulsed light is emitted). The light from the laser oscillator 45 is guided to the mask unit 42 via each illumination optical system 41. The mask unit 42 has a mask pattern (details will be described later) through which the light from the laser oscillator 45 partially passes, and the light that has passed through the mask pattern (that is, the light from the mask unit 42) is a projection optical system. The light is guided to the target surface 91 of the substrate 9 by 44 and irradiated to the photosensitive material provided on the target surface 91.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the plurality of illumination optical systems 41 are held by the frame 13, and the frame 13 is fixed to the frame 12 via a support member 131. In FIG. 1, the support member 131 is not shown for the sake of illustration. The plurality of projection optical systems 44 are fixed to the frame 12 as shown in FIGS. A mask fine movement mechanism 43 that finely moves the mask part 42 in the vertical direction is attached to the upper side (that is, the (+ Z) side) of each mask part 42 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The mechanism 43 is attached to the frame 13 via a block 132.

  A link mechanism 47 (shown only in FIG. 1) is attached to the (−Y) side of each mask portion 42, and each link mechanism 47 is attached to the frame 12 via a block 121. In the pattern drawing apparatus 1, the mask unit 42 is controlled by the focus fine adjustment unit 61 (see FIG. 4) of the control unit 6, so that the mask unit 42 connects the mask unit 42 and the projection optical system 44. It moves slightly with respect to the projection optical system 44 in the vertical direction (that is, the Z direction) along the axis.

  FIG. 5 is an enlarged front view showing the vicinity of the mask part 42 and the mask part fine movement mechanism 43 of the light irradiation part 4, and FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 show a set of the mask part 42 and the mask part fine movement mechanism 43, respectively. It is a right view and a top view. In FIG. 5, in order to facilitate understanding of the drawing, a part of the mask fine movement mechanism 43 is shown in cross section.

  As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the mask unit 42 includes a first mask 421 and a second mask 422, a first mask 421 and a second mask through which the light from the laser oscillator 45 (see FIG. 1) partially passes. A mask moving mechanism 423 that holds 422 and moves and rotates both masks, and a mask attaching portion 424 to which the mask moving mechanism 423 is attached are provided. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 7, the mask mounting portion 424 is provided with an opening 4241 having a substantially rectangular shape in plan view, and light from the illumination optical system 41 shown in FIG. 5 passes through the opening 4241. The first mask 421 and the second mask 422 are irradiated.

  A mask fine movement mechanism 43 fixed to the frame 13 via a block 132 is attached to the (−Y) side of the opening 4241 of the mask attachment part 424. Further, one end (that is, the end on the (−Y) side) of the mask attachment portion 424 on the (−Y) side is fixed to the frame 12 via the block 121. The other end (that is, the (+ Y) side end) is attached. As described above, in the light irradiation unit 4, since the projection optical system 44 is fixed to the frame 12, one end of the mask mounting portion 424 of the mask unit 42 is relatively relative to the projection optical system 44. It is supported by the fixed link mechanism 47.

  The link mechanism 47 includes two leaf springs 471 that are elastic members, and a rigid member 472 that is fixed to the upper and lower surfaces of the leaf springs 471 at the center of each leaf spring 471 in the Y direction. In the link mechanism 47, the leaf spring 471 is elastically deformed on the (+ Y) side and the (−Y) side of the rigid member 472 (that is, the portion of the plate spring 471 that does not overlap the rigid member 472 functions as an elastic hinge. Therefore, the mask mounting portion 424 moves up and down without tilting. As the link mechanism 47, instead of the structure described above, an elastic hinge may be used by thinning the vicinity of the corner of a rectangular frame-shaped rigid member by cutting or the like.

  FIG. 8 is a plan view showing the first mask 421, and FIG. 9 is a plan view showing the second mask 422 optically superimposed on the first mask 421. As shown in FIG. 8, in the first mask 421, a plurality of three types of translucent portions 4211, 4212, and 4213 having different sizes are arranged at equal pitches along the sub-scanning direction (ie, the X direction). Yes. In this embodiment mode, the pitch of the light transmitting parts 4211 formed on the first mask 421, the pitch of the light transmitting parts 4212, and the pitch of the light transmitting parts 4213 are different from each other. In FIG. 8, in order to facilitate understanding of the drawing, parallel oblique lines are given to regions (that is, light shielding portions) of the first mask 421 excluding the light transmitting portions 4211 to 4213.

  As shown in FIG. 9, in the second mask 422, three types of translucent portions 4221, 4222, and 4223 having different sizes respectively corresponding to the translucent portions 4211 to 4213 of the first mask 421 are sub-scanned. A plurality are arranged at equal pitches along the direction (that is, the X direction). The pitch of the light transmitting portions 4221 formed on the second mask 422, the pitch of the light transmitting portions 4222, and the pitch of the light transmitting portions 4223 are different from each other, like the light transmitting portions 4211 to 4213 of the first mask 421. In FIG. 9, similarly to FIG. 8, parallel oblique lines are given to regions (that is, light shielding portions) excluding the light transmitting portions 4221 to 4223. In FIG. 9, the translucent portions 4211 to 4213 of the first mask 421 are drawn with broken lines.

  The first mask 421 and the second mask 422 shown in FIGS. 8 and 9 are arranged at optically conjugate positions, and an irradiation region 451 of light from the laser oscillator 45 (see FIG. 1) (in FIG. 9). When the light transmitting portion 4211 of the first mask 421 and the light transmitting portion 4221 of the second mask 422 partially overlapping with the light transmitting portion 4211 are disposed in the laser oscillator The light from 45 is transmitted only through the mask pattern, which is a region where the plurality of light transmitting portions 4211 and the plurality of light transmitting portions 4221 overlap, and the substrate 9 (FIG. 1) through the projection optical system 44 (see FIG. 5). Reference) is guided to a plurality of rectangular irradiation areas above. Here, the first mask pattern and the light transmitting portion of the first mask 421 and the light transmitting portion of the second mask 422, respectively, which are arranged in the irradiation region 451 shown in FIG. When referred to as a second mask pattern, the mask pattern is a pattern formed by optically overlapping the first mask pattern and the second mask pattern.

  In the light irradiation unit 4 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the mask moving mechanism 423 adjusts the relative position of the second mask 422 in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction with respect to the first mask 421, so The shape of the translucent portion (that is, the region where the translucent portion of the first mask 421 and the translucent portion of the second mask 422 overlap) is easily changed. As a result, the shape of the plurality of irradiation regions on the substrate 9 is changed. Be changed. At this time, in order to prevent dust generation due to friction between the first mask 421 and the second mask 422, the first mask 421 and the second mask 422 are separated in the vertical direction.

  Further, in the light irradiation unit 4, the first mask 421 and the second mask 422 are moved in the main scanning direction by the mask moving mechanism 423, and light is transmitted to the irradiation region 451 of the light from the illumination optical system 41 (see FIG. 9). By arranging the parts 4212 and 4222 or the translucent parts 4213 and 4223, the size, pitch, and the like of the plurality of irradiation regions on the substrate 9 can be easily changed. Furthermore, the first mask 421 and the second mask 422 are rotated by a minute angle around the axis facing the Z direction as necessary, and the arrangement direction of the mask pattern and the arrangement direction of the irradiation area on the substrate 9 are fine. Adjusted.

  In the pattern writing apparatus 1, a plurality of masks each having a light transmitting portion different from the first mask 421 and the second mask 422 are held, and these masks are used as the first mask 421 or the second mask of each mask portion 42. A mask changer that replaces the mask 422 may be provided.

  In the pattern drawing apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1, the substrate 9 is moved together with the stage 3 in the (+ Y) direction by controlling the substrate moving mechanism 2 and the laser driving unit 46 of the light irradiation unit 4 by the control unit 6 (see FIG. 4). While the substrate 9 is moved, the projection optical system 44 of the light irradiation unit 4 intermittently irradiates light on the target surface 91 of the substrate 9 at a predetermined interval (that is, a predetermined amount). Irradiation with pulsed light of a frequency is performed). As a result, the drawing pattern elements corresponding to the mask pattern (that is, those to be a plurality of rectangular pixels arranged in the sub-scanning direction) are periodically arranged in the main scanning direction (ie, A pattern to be a pixel pattern) is drawn. Thus, in the light irradiation unit 4, the mask pattern of the mask unit 42 corresponds to a part of the periodic pixel pattern formed on the substrate 9.

  In the pattern writing apparatus 1, when the stage 3 is moved once in the main scanning direction, the substrate 9 is moved together with the stage 3 in the sub-scanning direction with a predetermined distance (this embodiment) with the light irradiation stopped. In this case, after moving by 50 mm), the irradiation region on the target surface 91 of the substrate 9 is irradiated with light while moving the substrate 9 in the (−Y) direction opposite to the first main scanning. In the present embodiment, the main scanning is performed four times with the sub-scanning between the main scannings, so that a drawing pattern is drawn on the photosensitive material of the substrate 9 and development processing is performed in a later process. Thus, the non-exposed portion of the photosensitive material is removed from the substrate to form a plurality of subpixels of the color filter substrate.

  Next, the mask part fine movement mechanism 43 of the light irradiation part 4 is demonstrated. The mask fine movement mechanism 43 shown in FIGS. 5 and 6 has a mask attachment portion 424 of the mask portion 42 whose lower end portions (that is, (−Z) side end portions) of the two leg portions 4311 arranged in the X direction. A leaf spring 432 extending in the X direction and attached between the two leg portions 4311 of the frame 431 with a gap between the gate-shaped frame 431 and the mask attachment portion 424 fixed to the upper surface of the leaf spring 432 The connection portion 433 is fixed to the frame 13 via the block 132 (shown only in FIG. 5), and the upper end is fixed to the parallel portion 4312 of the frame 431 and the lower end is fixed to the connection portion 433. A cylindrical piezo element 434 is provided, and as shown in FIG. 5, a distance sensor 435 that is fixed to the parallel part 4312 of the frame 431 and measures the distance to the connection part 433 is provided.

  As described above, in the light irradiation unit 4, the projection optical system 44 is fixed to the frame 12, and the connection unit 433 is fixed to the frame 13 fixed to the frame 12, so that the lower end of the piezo element 434 is Therefore, the projection optical system 44 is fixed relatively. The upper end of the piezo element 434 is connected to the mask part 42 via the frame 431, and the mask part 42 is supported by the piezo element 434 standing on the connection part 433. The piezo element 434 can be expanded and contracted in the vertical direction (that is, the Z direction) under the control of the focus fine adjustment unit 61 (see FIG. 4) of the control unit 6.

  In the mask fine movement mechanism 43, when the piezo element 434 contracts from the reference length, FIG. As shown in FIG. In A, from the reference position indicated by the two-dot chain line, it moves slightly along the optical axis connecting the mask portion 42 and the projection optical system 44 (see FIG. 5), and is located at the position indicated by the solid line. . Further, when the piezo element 434 extends from the reference length, FIG. As shown in FIG. 10B, the frame 431 and the mask part 42 are shown in FIG. In B, it moves slightly along the optical axis connecting the mask portion 42 and the projection optical system 44 from the reference position indicated by the two-dot chain line, and is positioned at the position indicated by the solid line. In the present embodiment, the mask part 42 is movable up and down within a range of 50 μm vertically from the reference position. Note that FIG. A and FIG. In B, for the sake of illustration, the movement amount of the mask portion 42 is drawn larger than the actual amount.

  FIG. A and FIG. As shown in B, when the piezo element 434 is expanded and contracted, the two leg portions 4311 of the frame 431 and the leaf spring 432 fixed to the connection portion 433 are elastically deformed in the vertical direction. This prevents the mask portion 42 from tilting so that one of the (+ X) side and (−X) side portions of the mask portion 42 is positioned above the other when the mask portion 42 is moved in the vertical direction. The Further, since the end portion on the (−Y) side of the mask portion 42 is supported by the link mechanism 47 as shown in FIG. 5, the mask portion 42 is moved when the mask portion 42 is slightly moved in the vertical direction. Inclination is prevented so that one of the (+ Y) side and (−Y) side portions of the lies is positioned above the other. In other words, the main surfaces of the first mask 421 and the second mask 422 of the mask portion 42 are moved by the leaf spring 432 and the link mechanism 47 of the mask portion fine movement mechanism 43 when the mask portion 42 is slightly moved in the vertical direction. , And maintained perpendicular to the optical axis connecting the mask unit 42 and the projection optical system 44.

  In the pattern drawing apparatus 1 shown in FIG. 1, the mask pattern of the mask unit 42 is approximately coincident with a position optically conjugate with the target surface 91 of the substrate 9 (that is, the target surface 91 of the substrate 9 is projected). The projection optical system 44 of the target surface 91 of the substrate 9 and the mask portion 42 is designed by the minute unevenness of the holding surface 31 of the stage 3. (Ie, the vertical distance between the optical element disposed closest to the substrate 9 and the target surface 91 of the substrate 9) among the plurality of optical elements of the projection optical system 44. It is conceivable that the target surface 91 is shifted from a position optically conjugate with the mask pattern.

  In this case, in the pattern drawing apparatus 1, the voltage applied to the piezo element 434 (see FIGS. 5 and 6) of the mask fine movement mechanism 43 is controlled by the focus fine adjustment unit 61 (see FIG. 4) of the control unit 6. As a result, the piezo element 434 expands and contracts, and the vertical position of the mask portion 42 is finely adjusted. As a result, the mask pattern of the mask unit 42 coincides with a position optically conjugate with the target surface 91 of the substrate 9 (that is, fine adjustment of the light irradiation unit 4 is performed).

  The focus fine adjustment unit 61 obtains the amount of deformation from the reference length of the piezo element 434 (that is, the amount of movement of the mask unit 42 in the vertical direction) based on the output from the distance sensor 435 shown in FIG. The command value sent from the adjustment unit 61 to the piezo element 434 is compared with the actual deformation amount of the piezo element 434. When the command value from the focus fine adjustment unit 61 differs from the actual deformation amount of the piezo element 434 due to the hysteresis of the piezo element 434, the command value from the focus fine adjustment unit 61 so as to correct the hysteresis or the like. Is changed. In the mask fine movement mechanism 43, a strain gauge may be attached to the piezo element 434 instead of the distance sensor 435, and the deformation amount of the piezo element 434 may be acquired.

  In the pattern drawing apparatus 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the 13 mask fine movement mechanisms 43 respectively attached to the 13 mask parts 42 are independently controlled by the focus fine adjustment unit 61 of the control unit 6. (That is, each mask portion fine movement mechanism 43 is controlled independently of the other 12 mask portion fine movement mechanisms 43), so that the mask pattern of each mask portion 42 is the corresponding one of the target surfaces 91 of the substrate 9. It coincides with a position optically conjugate with the region below the mask pattern.

  Next, a drawing pattern drawing flow by the pattern drawing apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIG. When a drawing pattern is drawn by the pattern drawing device 1, first, a plurality of positions on the holding surface 31 of the stage 3 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 (in this embodiment, the X direction and the Y direction, respectively) Information indicating the height of the holding surface 31 at a plurality of positions arranged at a pitch is acquired, and the information is used as the fine focus adjustment information used for the fine focus adjustment described above, and the storage unit 62 (see FIG. 4) (step S11). The storage unit 62 stores the thickness of the substrate 9 in advance.

  In the pattern drawing apparatus 1, for example, the stage 3 not holding the substrate 9 is moved in the Y direction by the substrate moving mechanism 2 while being arranged at an equal pitch in the X direction on the stage 3. A plurality of distance sensors fixed relative to one base 11 (for example, 13 distance sensors arranged at the same position as the 13 projection optical systems 44 in the X direction) The distance is repeatedly measured, and the height of the holding surface 31 from a predetermined reference position (for example, the upper surface of the base 11) is obtained based on the acquired measurement value.

  Subsequently, the substrate 9 on which the photosensitive material is applied to the target surface 91 is placed on the stage 3, and is sucked and held on the holding surface 31 of the stage 3 (step S12). At this time, since the substrate 9 follows the holding surface 31 of the stage 3, unevenness corresponding to slight unevenness (so-called waviness or warpage) of the holding surface 31 of the stage 3 is formed on the target surface 91 of the substrate 9. When the substrate 9 is held, the control unit 6 controls the substrate moving mechanism 2 to move the stage 3 in the main scanning direction and the sub-scanning direction, and rotate around the stage rotation shaft 221, thereby The position of the substrate 9 is adjusted, and the substrate 9 is positioned at the drawing start position shown in FIG. 1 (that is, the (+ Y) side end of the substrate 9 is substantially opposite to the mask pattern of the mask portion 42) (step S13). ).

  Next, based on the focus fine adjustment information stored in the storage unit 62 of the control unit 6 and the thickness of the substrate 9, the mask pattern of each mask unit 42 in the target surface 91 of the substrate 9 positioned at the drawing start position is determined. The height of the lower region (for example, the height from the upper surface of the base 11) is obtained, and the vertical direction between each projection optical system 44 fixed to the base 11 via the frame 12 and the target surface 91 is determined. Distance is required. In other words, the distance between the target surface 91 and each projection optical system 44 is obtained based on the position of the substrate 9 in the main scanning direction and the focus fine adjustment information. The focus fine adjustment information can be said to be information that substantially indicates the distance between the target surface 91 of the substrate 9 and the projection optical system 44.

  Then, by the focus fine adjustment unit 61 (see FIG. 4), based on the distance between the target surface 91 and the projection optical system 44 (that is, based on the position of the substrate 9 in the main scanning direction and the focus fine adjustment information). ) By controlling each mask portion fine movement mechanism 43, each mask portion 42 slightly moves in the vertical direction with respect to the projection optical system 44 along the optical axis connecting the mask portion 42 and the projection optical system 44. As a result, the mask pattern of the mask unit 42 coincides with the optically conjugate position with respect to the target surface 91 of the substrate 9 (that is, the focus fine adjustment of the light irradiation unit 4 is performed) (step S14).

  When the focus fine adjustment is completed, the control unit 6 controls the substrate moving mechanism 2 to start the movement of the substrate 9 and the stage 3 in the (+ Y) direction (step S15). In parallel with the start of the movement of the substrate 9, pulse light having a predetermined frequency emitted from the laser oscillator 45 is guided to the projection optical system 44 through the mask pattern of the mask unit 42, and the target of the substrate 9 is detected. Irradiation of light to the irradiation area corresponding to the mask pattern on the surface 91 is started (step S16).

  In the pattern drawing apparatus 1, in parallel with the movement of the substrate 9 in the main scanning direction, the mask portion fine movement mechanism 43 is controlled based on the position of the substrate 9 in the main scanning direction and the focus fine adjustment information. The fine movement in the vertical direction of the unit 42 (that is, fine focus adjustment) is repeated, and light is irradiated intermittently from the projection optical system 44 to the target surface 91 of the substrate 9 (step S17). Thereby, a drawing pattern in which a plurality of rectangular elements are arranged at equal pitches in the X direction and the Y direction is drawn on the photosensitive material on the target surface 91 of the substrate 9. When the main scanning of the substrate 9 reaches a predetermined movement end position, light irradiation and movement of the stage 3 and the substrate 9 are stopped (steps S18 and S19).

  When the first main scanning with respect to the photosensitive material on the substrate 9 is completed, it is confirmed whether or not the pattern drawing on the substrate 9 is continued (that is, whether or not the next main scanning is performed) (step S20). If there is a next scan, the sub-scanning mechanism 23 moves the substrate 9 in the sub-scanning direction (step S201), returns to step S15, moves the stage 3 in the (−Y) direction, and the substrate 9 Irradiation of light is started (steps S15 and S16). In parallel with the movement of the substrate 9 in the main scanning direction, fine focus adjustment by minute movement of the mask portion 42 in the vertical direction is repeated, and light is intermittently applied to the target surface 91 of the substrate 9 ( Step S17). Thereafter, the irradiation of light and the movement of the stage 3 are stopped at the movement end position on the (−Y) side (steps S18 and S19).

  In the pattern drawing apparatus 1, the stage 3 is moved in the main scanning direction while irradiating light on the substrate 9 (that is, main scanning of the light irradiation region from the light irradiation unit 4 to the photosensitive material on the substrate 9). The operation is repeated a predetermined number of times (four times in the present embodiment) with the movement of the stage 3 in the sub-scanning direction between the main scans (steps S15 to S20, S201). When the entire drawing pattern is drawn on the photosensitive material on the substrate 9 (step S20), the drawing operation by the pattern drawing apparatus 1 is completed. In the substrate 9 on which the drawing pattern is drawn, a development process is performed in a subsequent process, whereby a non-exposed portion of the photosensitive material is removed from the substrate to form a plurality of subpixels. The above process is repeated for each color of the sub-pixels to form a pixel pattern of RGB color resists.

  As described above, in the pattern writing apparatus 1, when fine adjustment of the focus of the light irradiation unit 4 is performed, the mask unit 42 having the mask pattern is moved in the vertical direction (that is, with the mask unit 42 by the mask unit fine movement mechanism 43). By making a slight movement in the direction along the optical axis connecting the projection optical system 44, the mask pattern of the mask portion 42 is made to coincide with a position optically conjugate with the target surface 91 of the substrate 9. Thereby, compared with the case where the focus adjustment is performed by moving a part of the optical elements constituting the projection optical system, the fine adjustment of the focus can be performed with high accuracy while suppressing the complication of the structure of the pattern drawing apparatus 1. Can do. As a result, a highly accurate drawing pattern can be drawn on the photosensitive material on the target surface 91 of the substrate 9.

  In addition, since the minute movement in the vertical direction of the mask portion can be realized with a simple structure, the above-described mask fine movement mechanism 43 and the above-described pattern drawing device 43 having no mechanism for minutely moving the mask portion can be used. A similar mechanism can be easily added, and this enables fine adjustment of the focus with high accuracy.

  As described above, in the pattern drawing apparatus 1, high-precision focus adjustment is possible while suppressing the complexity of the apparatus structure, and drawing of a high-precision drawing pattern is realized. It can be said that it is particularly suitable for drawing a drawing pattern, which is a pixel pattern of a liquid crystal display device that requires higher definition.

  In the pattern drawing apparatus 1, the projection optical system 44 and the substrate are moved while the substrate 9 is moved in the main scanning direction by the substrate moving mechanism 2 that moves the substrate 9 in the main scanning direction relative to the projection optical system 44. 9 is intermittently applied from the projection optical system 44 to the target surface 91 of the substrate 9 while performing fine focus adjustment by the mask fine movement mechanism 43 based on the focus fine adjustment information substantially indicating the distance between the target surface 91 and the target surface 91. A pattern is drawn by irradiating light. Thus, during the drawing of the drawing pattern on the substrate 9 moving at a high speed, the focus fine adjustment is repeatedly performed corresponding to the change in the height of the target surface 91 in the main scanning direction (that is, the vertical position). Thus, more accurate focus adjustment is realized, and as a result, drawing of a drawing pattern with higher accuracy is realized.

  In the pattern drawing apparatus 1, information indicating the height of the holding surface 31 at a plurality of positions on the holding surface 31 of the stage 3 is used for focus fine adjustment as focus fine adjustment information, whereby the holding surface 31 of the stage 3 is used. It is possible to accurately adjust the focus shift due to the unevenness. As a result, higher accuracy in drawing the drawing pattern is realized. Further, the flatness required for the holding surface 31 of the stage 3 (that is, the degree of smoothness) is prevented from becoming excessively high, and an increase in manufacturing cost of the pattern writing apparatus 1 is prevented.

  Note that the focus fine adjustment information stored in the storage unit 62 of the pattern drawing apparatus 1 is not necessarily limited to the output itself from the distance sensor or the like that measures the height of the holding surface 31 of the stage 3. For example, the height of the holding surface 31 is measured by three distance sensors arranged in the X direction while moving the substrate 9 in the Y direction, and the height of the holding surface 31 at a position between a plurality of measurement positions is interpolated. The focus fine adjustment information may be obtained. Further, the focus fine adjustment information is not necessarily limited to information indicating the height of the holding surface 31 of the stage 3. For example, the focus fine adjustment information is based on the height of the holding surface 31 at the drawing start position where the focus fine adjustment is performed in step S14. As the height, a difference between the height of the holding surface 31 at a plurality of positions on the holding surface 31 and the reference height may be obtained and stored in the storage unit 62 as focus fine adjustment information.

  Further, information indicating the height of the target surface 91 of the substrate 9 sucked and held on the holding surface 31 is obtained from information indicating the height of the holding surface 31 of the stage 3 (that is, the height of the holding surface 31). Further, it may be obtained by adding the thickness of the substrate 9 to the storage unit 62 as fine focus adjustment information, and the mask fine movement mechanism 43 may be controlled based on the fine focus adjustment information. In addition, when information such as warpage or waviness of the substrate 9 is known in advance, information indicating the height of the target surface 91 of the substrate 9 including this information is obtained and used as focus fine adjustment information. Good.

  In the light irradiation unit 4, the mask unit fine movement mechanism 43 is controlled independently of the other mask unit fine movement mechanisms 43 in the plurality of sets of mask units 42, the projection optical system 44, and the mask unit fine movement mechanism 43. Even if the heights of the plurality of regions corresponding to the plurality of mask portions 42 (that is, the plurality of regions arranged in the X direction) on the nine target surfaces 91 are different, the mask pattern of each mask portion 42 is The position can be made optically conjugate with the target surface 91 of the substrate 9. Thereby, the focus adjustment with higher accuracy is realized.

  In the mask fine movement mechanism 43 of the light irradiation unit 4, the mask unit 42 is moved in the vertical direction by expansion and contraction of the piezo element 434 having one end fixed relative to the projection optical system 44 and the other end connected to the mask unit 42. Thus, the mask portion fine movement mechanism 43 can be reduced in size while realizing a highly accurate movement of the mask portion 42 in the vertical direction.

  In the mask portion 42, since the mask pattern is formed by optically overlapping the first mask pattern of the first mask 421 and the second mask pattern of the second mask 422, the first mask 421 is changed to the second mask pattern. By moving relative to the mask 422, the mask pattern can be easily changed. As a result, a plurality of types of drawing patterns can be easily handled.

  Next, a pattern drawing apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 12 is a front view of the pattern drawing apparatus 1a according to the second embodiment. As shown in FIG. 12, the pattern drawing apparatus 1 a includes a distance measurement unit 48 fixed to the lower side (that is, (−Z) side) of each projection optical system 44. Other configurations are the same as those of the pattern drawing apparatus 1 shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, and the same reference numerals are given in the following description.

  As shown in FIG. 12, the distance measuring unit 48 is in the vicinity of the opening 4241 of the mask mounting portion 424 of the mask unit 42 in the main scanning direction and the optical axis (that is, the projection optical system) connecting the projection optical system 44 and the substrate 9. 44 optical axis). In the pattern drawing apparatus 1a, the distance measuring unit 48 measures the distance to the target surface 91 of the substrate 9 in the vertical direction along the optical axis of the projection optical system 44, and the projection optical system 44 and the substrate 9 are measured based on the measurement result. The vertical distance between the target surface 91 (that is, the vertical distance between the optical element disposed closest to the substrate 9 among the plurality of optical elements of the projection optical system 44 and the target surface 91 of the substrate 9). Distance) is required. In other words, the distance measurement unit 48 substantially measures the vertical distance between the projection optical system 44 and the target surface 91 of the substrate 9. In the pattern drawing apparatus 1a, the 13 distance measuring units 48 are respectively attached to the 13 projection optical systems 44 and arranged linearly in the sub-scanning direction (that is, the X direction).

  FIG. A and FIG. B is a diagram illustrating a drawing pattern drawing flow by the pattern drawing apparatus 1a. When a drawing pattern is drawn by the pattern drawing apparatus 1a, first, the substrate 9 coated with a photosensitive material on the target surface 91 is placed on the stage 3, and is sucked and held on the holding surface 31 of the stage 3. (Step S31). At this time, since the substrate 9 follows the holding surface 31 of the stage 3, unevenness corresponding to slight unevenness (so-called waviness or warpage) of the holding surface 31 of the stage 3 is formed on the target surface 91 of the substrate 9. In addition, when the target surface 91 is uneven when the substrate 9 is not held on the stage 3 or when the substrate 9 has uneven thickness, the shape of the target surface 91 of the substrate 9 held on the stage 3 Is affected by these unevenness and thickness unevenness.

  When the substrate 9 is held, the position of the substrate 9 is adjusted, and the substrate 9 is moved to the movement start position shown in FIG. 12 (that is, the (+ Y) side end of the substrate 9 is substantially opposite to the 13 distance measuring units 48. (Step S32), the movement of the stage 3 in the (+ Y) direction is started (Step S33). Subsequently, each distance measuring unit 48 is controlled by the control unit 6 (see FIG. 4), whereby measurement of the vertical distance between each projection optical system 44 and the target surface 91 of the substrate 9 is started. (Step S34). The output from each distance measurement unit 48 is sent to the control unit 6 and input to the focus fine adjustment unit 61 (see FIG. 4) as focus fine adjustment information.

  Next, when the substrate 9 is positioned at a drawing start position (that is, a position where the (+ Y) side end portion of the substrate 9 is substantially opposite to the mask pattern of the mask portion 42), the focus fine adjustment unit 61 causes the distance measurement unit 48 to move. The mask fine movement mechanism 43 is controlled on the basis of the focus fine adjustment information obtained in the above, so that each mask 42 is projected along the optical axis connecting the mask 42 and the projection optical system 44. 44, the mask pattern of the mask portion 42 coincides with an optically conjugate position with respect to the target surface 91 of the substrate 9 (that is, the focus fineness of the light irradiation portion 4). Adjustment is performed) (step S35).

  Then, the pulse light having a predetermined frequency emitted from the laser oscillator 45 is guided to the projection optical system 44 through the mask pattern of the mask portion 42, and the irradiation surface corresponding to the mask pattern on the target surface 91 of the substrate 9. Light irradiation is started (step S36).

  In the pattern drawing apparatus 1a, in parallel with the movement of the substrate 9 in the main scanning direction, the distance measurement unit 48 measures the distance between the projection optical system 44 and the target surface 91 of the substrate 9, and the measurement result is The fine movement (that is, fine focus adjustment) of the mask portion 42 by the mask portion fine movement mechanism 43 based on the mask portion fine movement mechanism 43 is repeated, and light is radiated intermittently from the projection optical system 44 to the target surface 91 of the substrate 9 (step) S37). Thereby, a drawing pattern in which a plurality of rectangular elements are arranged at equal pitches in the X direction and the Y direction is drawn on the photosensitive material on the target surface 91 of the substrate 9. When main scanning of the substrate 9 reaches a predetermined movement end position, light irradiation, distance measurement by the distance measuring unit 48, and movement of the stage 3 and the substrate 9 are stopped (steps S38 to S40).

  When the first main scanning with respect to the photosensitive material on the substrate 9 is completed, it is confirmed whether or not the pattern drawing on the substrate 9 is continued (that is, whether or not the next main scanning is performed) (step S41). If there is a next scan, the substrate 9 is moved in the sub-scanning direction by the sub-scanning mechanism 23 of the substrate moving mechanism 2 (step S411), and the process returns to step S33 to move the stage 3 in the (−Y) direction. Then, measurement of the distance between the projection optical system 44 and the target surface 91 of the substrate 9, fine focus adjustment by minute movement of the mask portion 42 in the vertical direction, and irradiation of light to the substrate 9 are started (step S 33). To S36). In parallel with the movement of the substrate 9 in the main scanning direction, the measurement of the distance between the projection optical system 44 and the target surface 91 and the fine focus adjustment are repeated, and the target surface 91 of the substrate 9 is intermittently moved. Is irradiated with light (step S37). Thereafter, at the movement end position on the (−Y) side, the light irradiation, the distance measurement by the distance measuring unit 48, and the movement of the stage 3 are stopped (steps S38 to S40).

  In the pattern drawing apparatus 1a, the movement of the stage 3 in the main scanning direction performed while irradiating the substrate 9 with light is performed a predetermined number of times (this embodiment) with the movement of the stage 3 in the sub-scanning direction between each main scanning. In this form, the process is repeated 4 times (steps S33 to S41, S411). When the entire drawing pattern is drawn on the photosensitive material on the substrate 9 (step S41), the drawing operation by the pattern drawing apparatus 1a is completed.

  As described above, in the pattern drawing apparatus 1a, as in the first embodiment, the fine pattern adjustment is performed by finely moving the mask portion 42 having the mask pattern in the vertical direction, thereby performing pattern drawing. High-precision focus adjustment can be performed while suppressing the complexity of the structure of the apparatus 1a. As a result, a highly accurate drawing pattern can be drawn on the photosensitive material on the target surface 91 of the substrate 9.

  In the pattern drawing apparatus 1a, fine focus adjustment is performed based on focus fine adjustment information indicating the distance between the projection optical system 44 and the target surface 91 of the substrate 9 while the substrate 9 moves in the main scanning direction. The drawing pattern is drawn while being drawn. As described above, as in the first embodiment, the height of the target surface 91 in the main scanning direction (that is, the vertical position) changes during the drawing of the drawing pattern worthy of the substrate 9 that moves at high speed. By repeatedly performing fine focus adjustment in response to the above, more accurate focus adjustment is realized, and as a result, drawing of a more accurate drawing pattern is realized.

  In the pattern writing apparatus 1a according to the second embodiment, in particular, the distance between the projection optical system 44 and the target surface 91 of the substrate 9 by the distance measuring unit 48 in parallel with the movement of the substrate 9 in the main scanning direction. Are repeatedly measured, and the output from the distance measuring unit 48 is used as focus fine adjustment information. Thereby, the focus shift due to the unevenness of the target surface 91 of the substrate 9 can be adjusted with high accuracy, and as a result, higher accuracy in drawing the drawing pattern is realized. Further, as in the first embodiment, the flatness required for the holding surface 31 of the stage 3 is prevented from becoming excessively high, and an increase in manufacturing cost of the pattern writing apparatus 1a is prevented.

  In the pattern drawing apparatus 1a, when drawing is performed on a plurality of substrates, the distance between the projection optical system 44 and the target surface of the substrate is measured in drawing on each substrate, and focus fine adjustment is performed based on the measurement result. Is done. For this reason, the structure of the pattern drawing apparatus 1a has continuous projections performed on a plurality of substrates having irregularities exceeding the allowable range (that is, irregularities exceeding the focal depth range of the projection optical system 44). It is particularly suitable for pattern drawing.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention has been described, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment, A various change is possible.

  For example, in the mask portion fine movement mechanism 43, a minute movement in the vertical direction of the mask portion 42 may be realized by a magnetostrictive element, a cylinder, or the like instead of the piezo element 434. In addition, by providing a linear guide or the like instead of the link mechanism 47, the main surfaces of the first mask 421 and the second mask 422 of the mask portion 42 are masked when the mask portion 42 is finely moved in the vertical direction. It may be maintained perpendicular to the optical axis connecting the unit 42 and the projection optical system 44.

  In the above embodiment, the target surface 91 of the substrate 9 held on the stage 3 is substantially located within the range of the focal depth of the projection optical system 44 (that is, the approximate focus adjustment has been completed in advance). However, in the pattern drawing apparatus, for example, an elevating mechanism for raising and lowering the substrate 9 together with the stage 3 is provided, and before the drawing on the substrate 9 is started, the mask portion 42 by the mask portion fine movement mechanism 43 is provided. By roughly moving the substrate 9 up and down compared to the movement, an approximate focus adjustment with a lower accuracy than the focus fine adjustment by the mask fine movement mechanism 43 may be performed.

  In the mask portion 42, the first mask 421 has three types of light transmitting portions 4211 to 4213 formed in each row, but each light transmitting portion may be provided in a plurality of rows, and more than four types or two or two. Less than or equal to type of translucent part may be formed on the first mask 421 (the same applies to the second mask 422). In the mask portion 42, instead of the first mask 421 and the second mask 422, only one mask on which a mask pattern is formed may be provided.

  In the pattern writing apparatus according to the above embodiment, light is continuously emitted from the laser oscillator 45 and continuously irradiated onto the target surface 91 of the substrate 9 while the substrate 9 continuously moves in the main scanning direction. Thus, a stripe-like drawing pattern may be drawn on the photosensitive material on the target surface 91.

  In the light irradiation unit 4, the light from 13 laser oscillators provided instead of the one laser oscillator 45 may be guided to 13 illumination optical systems 41. In the light irradiation unit 4, the 13 sets of the illumination optical system 41, the mask unit 42, the mask unit fine movement mechanism 43, and the projection optical system 44 do not necessarily need to be provided. ) Or 14 sets or more of the illumination optical system 41, the mask part 42, the mask part fine movement mechanism 43, and the projection optical system 44 may be provided.

  In the pattern writing apparatus according to the above embodiment, the substrate 9 moves relative to the projection optical system 44 of the light irradiation unit 4 by moving the light irradiation unit 4 with respect to the stage 3 in a stopped state. May be.

  In the pattern drawing apparatus, a drawing pattern corresponding to a pattern other than the pixel pattern (for example, a black matrix or a photo spacer) may be drawn on a color filter substrate for a liquid crystal display device. The pattern drawing apparatus may be used for drawing a drawing pattern on a substrate for a flat display device such as a plasma display device or an organic EL display device, and may be a semiconductor substrate, a printed wiring board, or a glass substrate for a photomask. It can also be used for drawing a drawing pattern with respect to the above.

It is a front view of the pattern drawing apparatus which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a right view of a pattern drawing apparatus. It is a top view of a pattern drawing apparatus. It is a block diagram which shows the function of a control part. It is a front view which expands and shows the mask part and mask part fine movement mechanism vicinity. It is a right view of a mask part and a mask part fine movement mechanism. It is a top view of a mask part and a mask part fine movement mechanism. It is a top view of the 1st mask. It is a top view of the 2nd mask. It is a right view of a mask part and a mask part fine movement mechanism. It is a right view of a mask part and a mask part fine movement mechanism. It is a figure which shows the flow of drawing of a drawing pattern. It is a front view of the pattern drawing apparatus which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a figure which shows the flow of drawing of a drawing pattern. It is a figure which shows the flow of drawing of a drawing pattern.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,1a Pattern drawing apparatus 2 Substrate moving mechanism 3 Stage 9 Substrate 31 Holding surface 42 Mask part 43 Mask part fine movement mechanism 44 Projection optical system 45 Laser oscillator 47 Link mechanism 48 Distance measuring part 61 Focus fine adjustment part 62 Storage part 91 Target surface 421 First mask 422 Second mask 434 Piezo element S11 to S20, S31 to S41, S201, S411 Step

Claims (14)

A pattern drawing apparatus for drawing a pattern by irradiating light to a photosensitive material on a substrate,
A light source;
A substrate holding part for holding a substrate having a target surface to which light from the light source is guided;
A mask portion having a mask pattern through which light from the light source partially passes;
A projection optical system that guides light from the mask part to the substrate;
A mask part fine movement mechanism that finely moves the mask part relative to the projection optical system along an optical axis connecting the mask part and the projection optical system;
A fine focus adjustment unit that matches the mask pattern of the mask unit to a position optically conjugate with the target surface of the substrate by controlling the mask unit fine movement mechanism;
A pattern drawing apparatus comprising: The pattern drawing apparatus according to claim 1,
A substrate moving mechanism that moves the substrate relative to the projection optical system in a predetermined moving direction parallel to the target surface together with the substrate holding unit;
While the substrate is moving, the projection optical system irradiates the target surface with light intermittently or continuously, and a focus fine that substantially indicates the distance between the projection optical system and the target surface. A pattern drawing apparatus, wherein the mask fine movement mechanism is controlled based on adjustment information. The pattern drawing apparatus according to claim 2,
The substrate holder has a holding surface on which the substrate is placed;
The focus fine adjustment unit further includes a storage unit that stores the focus fine adjustment information,
The pattern drawing apparatus, wherein the focus fine adjustment information is information indicating the height of the holding surface at a plurality of positions on the holding surface or information obtained from the information. The pattern drawing apparatus according to claim 2,
A distance measuring unit that substantially measures the distance between the projection optical system and the target surface in a direction along the optical axis of the projection optical system;
In parallel with the movement of the substrate by the substrate moving mechanism, the distance is repeatedly measured by the distance measurement unit, and an output from the distance measurement unit is input to the focus fine adjustment unit as the focus fine adjustment information. A characteristic pattern drawing apparatus. The pattern drawing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The mask portion fine movement mechanism includes a piezo element having one end fixed relatively to the projection optical system and the other end connected to the mask portion, and the piezo element expands and contracts to expand the mask portion. A pattern drawing apparatus characterized by moving minutely along the optical axis. It is a pattern drawing apparatus of Claim 5, Comprising:
The pattern drawing apparatus, wherein the mask unit is supported by a link mechanism having one end fixed relatively to the projection optical system. The pattern drawing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6,
The mask portion is
A first mask formed with a first mask pattern through which light from the light source partially passes;
A second mask optically superimposed on the first mask and formed with a second mask pattern through which light from the first mask partially passes;
With
The pattern drawing apparatus, wherein the mask pattern is a pattern formed by optically overlapping the second mask pattern and the first mask pattern. The pattern drawing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The mask portion, the projection optical system, and another mask portion similar to the mask portion fine movement mechanism, further comprising another projection optical system and another mask portion fine movement mechanism,
Light from the light source or another light source is guided to the target surface of the substrate via the another mask portion and the other projection optical system;
The focus adjustment unit controls the another mask unit fine movement mechanism independently from the mask unit fine movement mechanism, so that the other mask unit is optically conjugate with the target surface of the substrate. A pattern drawing apparatus characterized by matching the mask patterns. The pattern drawing apparatus according to claim 1,
The substrate is a color filter substrate for a liquid crystal display device,
The pattern drawing apparatus, wherein the mask pattern corresponds to a part of a periodic pixel pattern formed on the substrate. A pattern drawing method for drawing a pattern by irradiating light to a photosensitive material on a substrate,
a) The projection optical system along an optical axis connecting a mask portion having a mask pattern through which light from a light source partially passes, and the projection optical system that guides light from the mask portion to the substrate. The step of making the mask pattern of the mask part coincide with a position optically conjugate with the target surface of the substrate
b) irradiating the target surface of the substrate with light from the light source through the mask pattern;
A pattern drawing method comprising: The pattern drawing method according to claim 10,
c) further comprising a step of moving the substrate relative to the projection optical system in a predetermined movement direction parallel to the target surface;
In parallel with the step c), the step a) is repeated, and light is irradiated intermittently or continuously from the projection optical system onto the target surface. The pattern drawing method according to claim 11,
d) Information indicating the height of the holding surface at a plurality of positions on the holding surface on which the substrate is placed or information obtained from the information before the steps a) to c). A step of obtaining focus fine adjustment information;
In the step a), the pattern drawing method is characterized in that the mask portion is slightly moved based on the position of the substrate in the moving direction and the focus fine adjustment information. The pattern drawing method according to claim 11,
e) further comprising measuring a distance between the projection optical system and the target surface in a direction along the optical axis of the projection optical system;
In parallel with the step c), the step e) and the step a) are repeated, and in the step a), the mask portion is slightly moved based on the distance obtained in the step e). A pattern drawing method characterized by the above. The pattern drawing method according to any one of claims 10 to 13,
The minute movement of the mask part in the step a) is performed by expansion and contraction of a piezo element having one end fixed relative to the projection optical system and the other end connected to the mask part. Pattern drawing method.

Images