TWI888685B - Exposure device, exposure method, and method for manufacturing article - Google Patents

Abstract

An exposure device performs scanning exposure by illuminating an original plate with light from a light source and exposing the pattern of the original plate to the substrate while moving the substrate in a scanning direction, and performs joint exposure in a manner in which an area exposed by a first exposure and an area exposed by a second exposure are partially repeated. The exposure device comprises: a projection optical system that projects the pattern of the original plate onto the substrate; a shading plate that shields a portion of the exposure light in at least one of the first exposure and the second exposure; and a plurality of adjustment parts that apply force to the shading plate to adjust the amount of light shielded by the shading plate; the plurality of adjustment parts are configured asymmetrically with respect to a straight line passing through the optical axis of the projection optical system and along the scanning direction when no force is applied to the shading plate.

Description

Exposure device, exposure method, and method for manufacturing article

The present invention relates to an exposure device, an exposure method and a method for manufacturing an article.

In the manufacture of liquid crystal panels, organic EL displays, semiconductor devices, etc., a scanning exposure device is used that moves the substrate synchronously with the original plate and exposes the original plate pattern to the substrate coated with an anti-etching layer through a projection optical system. In recent years, in order to cope with the increase in the area of exposure area accompanying the increase in the size of the substrate, it is now necessary to form a pattern in an area larger than the area (partial area) of the transferred original plate pattern through a single scanning exposure. Regarding this method, an exposure method through combined exposure has been proposed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 11-317366, in which a plurality of partial areas are repeatedly exposed in a non-scanning direction orthogonal to the scanning direction.

When performing joint exposure, it is important to reduce the variability of the accumulated exposure in the joint area where adjacent partial areas are repeated. Japanese Patent Publication No. 2017-053888 discloses that a variable slit that can adjust the illumination shape is arranged between the projection optical system and the original plate, and the amount of light passing through the variable slit is adjusted, so that the accumulated exposure in the joint area can be uniform.

[The problem that the invention wants to solve]

However, even if the variable seam described in Japanese Patent Gazette No. 2017-053888 is used, as long as the adjustment section for adjusting the variable seam is not configured to correspond to the middle position in the non-scanning direction of the joint area, the variability of the accumulated exposure in the joint area cannot be completely uniform. In addition, the joint area is determined by the layout of the panels to be produced, so it is impossible to position the adjustment section so that the position is optimal in all layouts. Although it is possible to cope with a variety of layouts to a certain extent by increasing the number of adjustment sections, there are constraints such as configuration space. Therefore, when using a variable seam, variability in the accumulated exposure in the joint area will still occur, and there is a risk of reduced exposure accuracy.

Therefore, the purpose of the present invention is to provide an exposure device that is advantageous in terms of the accuracy of combined exposure. [Technical means for solving the problem]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, an exposure device as one solution of the present invention is an exposure device, which performs scanning exposure by illuminating the original plate with light from a light source and exposing the pattern of the original plate to the substrate while moving the substrate in a scanning direction, and performs joint exposure in a manner that the area exposed by the first exposure and the area exposed by the second exposure are partially repeated, and the exposure device has: a projection optical system, which projects the previous The pattern of the original plate is projected onto the substrate; a light shielding plate that shields a portion of the exposure light in at least one of the first exposure and the second exposure; and a plurality of adjustment parts that apply force to the light shielding plate to adjust the amount of light shielded by the light shielding plate; the plurality of adjustment parts are configured asymmetrically with respect to a straight line passing through the optical axis of the projection optical system and along the scanning direction when no force is applied to the light shielding plate. Further features of the present invention will become clear from the following implementation method (with reference to the drawings).

In the following, the preferred embodiment of the present invention is described in detail based on the drawings. In addition, in each figure, the same reference numerals are marked on the same components, and repeated descriptions are omitted.

<First embodiment> The structure of the exposure device in this embodiment is described. The exposure device in this embodiment is a photolithography device used for a photolithography process in a manufacturing process of a device such as a semiconductor device or FPD. The exposure device in this embodiment performs an exposure process of exposing a substrate through an original plate having a surface with a pattern formed thereon and transferring the pattern of the original plate to the substrate.

FIG1 is a schematic diagram of an exposure device 100 in this embodiment. In this embodiment, a coordinate system is defined by taking a direction parallel to the optical axis of the projection optical system 4 as the Z direction and taking an arbitrary plane perpendicular to the Z axis as the XY plane. In addition, a scanning direction in which the substrate 16 is moved during scanning exposure by the exposure device 100 is defined as the Y direction, and a non-scanning direction orthogonal to the scanning direction is defined as the X direction.

The exposure device 100 has an illumination optical system 1, an alignment observer 2 for detecting the alignment mark between the original plate 3 and the substrate 16, an original plate stage 27, a projection optical system 4, an exposure adjustment plate 19, a substrate stage 17, a control unit 20, and an acquisition unit 26. The illumination optical system 1 may include, for example, a light source 5, focusing lenses 6 and 8, a fly-eye lens 7, a slit 9 (light shielding plate), an imaging optical system 10, and a plane mirror 11. The light source 5 may include, for example, a mercury lamp and an elliptical mirror. The slit 9 is provided between the light source 5 and the original plate 3, and only the light incident on the opening of the slit is transmitted among the light emitted from the light source 5, thereby defining the illumination range. The imaging optical system 10 includes a plurality of reflective mirrors, and is configured to image the light passing through the slit 9 on the original plate 3. The plane mirror 11 bends the optical path in the illumination optical system 1.

The projection optical system 4 projects the pattern of the original plate 3 held on the original plate stage 27 onto the substrate 16 held on the substrate stage 17 through the illumination optical system 1. The original plate 3 is arranged at the object plane of the projection optical system 4, and the substrate 16 is arranged at the image plane of the projection optical system 4. The projection optical system 4 in this embodiment can be an equal-magnification imaging optical system that projects the pattern of the original plate 3 onto the substrate 16 at the same magnification, and can also be an enlargement imaging optical system or a reduction imaging optical system.

The pattern of the original plate 3 illuminated by the illumination optical system 1 is imaged on the substrate 16 via the first parallel plate 13a, the plane mirror 14, the concave mirror 12, the convex mirror 15, the concave mirror 12, the plane mirror 14 of the projection optical system 4, and then via the second parallel plate 13b. A light amount sensor 18 (detection unit) for measuring the exposure amount is arranged on the substrate stage 17 for driving the substrate 16.

The exposure adjustment plate 19 is provided between the projection optical system 4 and the substrate 16, and is provided to shield a part of the light emitted from the projection optical system 4. The exposure adjustment plate 19 can be formed of metal, for example. The exposure adjustment plate 19 has a mechanism movable in a non-scanning direction (X direction), and is configured to control the exposure amount. The control unit 20 includes a CPU and a memory, and controls the exposure device 100 as a whole.

In the exposure device 100 of the present embodiment, it is assumed that the substrate 16 is exposed by an exposure mode called joint exposure. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the procedure of joint exposure. FIG. 2(a) is a diagram showing the procedure (first exposure) in which the first exposure area 22a of the substrate 16 is exposed. In FIG. 2(a), the first exposure area 22a is exposed by the exposure light 23 while the original plate 3 and the substrate 16 are moved synchronously in the scanning direction (Y direction).

FIG2(b) is a diagram showing the process (second exposure) after the first exposure area 22a is exposed. In FIG2(b), the original plate 3 and the substrate 16 are moved in a non-scanning direction (X direction) in synchronization. At this time, the exposure is not performed. The amount of movement of the original plate 3 and the substrate 16 in the non-scanning direction is determined so that no area that will not be exposed is generated between the first exposure area 22a and the second exposure area to be exposed in the next exposure, and a part of the area overlaps.

FIG. 2( c ) is a diagram showing the process of exposing the second exposure area 22 b of the substrate 16. In FIG. 2( c ), the second exposure area 22 b is exposed by the exposure light 23 while the original plate 3 and the substrate 16 are moved in the scanning direction (Y direction) in synchronization. Here, the second exposure area 22 b is exposed in a manner that a portion overlaps with the first exposure area 22 a, so that a joint area 24 (an area repeatedly exposed in the joint exposure) is formed in which the first exposure area 22 a and the second exposure area 22 b partially overlap. In addition, in the present embodiment, it is sufficient to perform multiple scanning exposures, not limited to two scanning exposures, and exposure can also be performed by three or more scanning exposures.

FIG2(d) is a graph showing the cumulative exposure amount exposed by joint exposure. The cumulative exposure amount is the cumulative value of the exposure amount exposed to the substrate. FIG2(d) shows the cumulative exposure amount in the non-scanning direction (X direction) at a point in the Y direction of the first exposure area 22a and the second exposure area 22b. The vertical axis of the graph is the cumulative exposure amount, and the horizontal axis represents the position in the X direction. In the first exposure and the second exposure, exposure is repeated in the joint area 24, so in order to make the cumulative exposure amount of the exposed area uniform, it is necessary to reduce the exposure amount in the joint area 24. For example, an exposure adjustment plate 19 is inserted in the optical path between the projection optical system 4 and the substrate 16 in the non-scanning direction (X direction), thereby reducing the exposure amount in the joint area 24. The control unit 20 controls the driving of the exposure amount adjustment plate 19. The exposure amount in the joint area 24 can be adjusted by the driving size of the exposure amount adjustment plate 19. The exposure amount adjustment plate 19 extends in the edge in the direction intersecting with the scanning direction (Y direction), so that the cumulative exposure amount of the joint area 24 exposed in the first exposure and the second exposure can be the same as that of the area outside the joint area 24.

However, when the accumulated exposure amount in the joint area 24 contains a secondary component after adjustment by the exposure amount adjustment plate 19, it is not possible to correct the accumulated exposure amount to a uniform value in the entire joint area 24. For example, the accumulated exposure amount distribution shown in FIG. 2( d ) cannot be corrected to be uniform. In this embodiment, a method for adjusting the accumulated exposure amount distribution to be uniform by deforming the shape of the slit 9 to thereby adjust the accumulated exposure amount in the joint area 24 to be uniform is described.

In the joint exposure, a wider range of regions can be exposed than the range that can be exposed in one scanning exposure. For this reason, it can become an advantageous technology when producing large-screen liquid crystal panels and organic EL panels. However, since the joint area 24 is formed, it is necessary to suppress the variation of the accumulated exposure amount between the joint area 24 and the areas other than the joint area, or to suppress the variation of the accumulated exposure amount within the joint area 24.

FIG3 is a diagram illustrating a variable slit 21 that can locally adjust the exposure amount. FIG3(a) is a diagram illustrating a comparative example of the present embodiment, in which a plurality of adjustment portions 21c of the variable slit 21 are arranged symmetrically. FIG3(b) is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the variable slit 21 of the present embodiment, in which a plurality of adjustment portions 21c are arranged asymmetrically.

The variable slit 21 is applied to the slit 9 (light shielding plate). The variable slit 21 is composed of a variable sheet 21a and a fixed sheet 21b. The variable sheet 21a has a plurality of adjustment parts 21c (L1~5, X0, R1~5) arranged in the X direction, and each adjustment part 21c pushes and pulls the variable sheet 21a to adjust the slit width at each position (the width between the variable sheet 21a and the fixed sheet 21b). That is, force is applied to the variable slit 21 to deform the variable slit 21, thereby adjusting the shape of the opening 21d. The opening 21d is the space between the variable sheet 21a and the fixed sheet 21b. Light passes through the opening 21d, so that the illumination area illuminated on the original plate 3 can be defined as the shape of the opening 21d. The adjustment portion 21c (L1-5 and R1-5) in this embodiment is arranged asymmetrically with respect to a straight line passing through the slit center and along the scanning direction (Y direction) when no force is applied to the variable slit 21. Here, the slit center is, for example, the optical axis of the projection optical system 4.

In FIG. 3(a), the interval between two adjacent adjustment parts 21c (L1 to L5 or R1 to R5) is A. The difference from the center position of the joint area is the same when the adjustment part 21c (L1 to L5) is selected and when the adjustment part 21c (R1 to R5) is selected. For example, when the center position of the joint area is the position represented by the square in FIG. 3(a), the difference is A/2 when the adjustment part 21c (L4) or the adjustment part 21c (R4) is selected. Therefore, in the case of FIG. 3(a), in the non-scanning direction (X direction), the maximum deviation between the center position of the joint area 24 and the adjustment part is A/2.

On the other hand, in FIG. 3(b), the difference between the center position of the joint area and the case of selecting the adjustment portion 21c (L1-L5) and the case of selecting the adjustment portion 21c (R1-R5) is different. In FIG. 3(b), the interval between two adjacent adjustment portions 21c (L1-L5 or R1-R5) is A, and the position symmetrical to the adjustment portion 21c (L1-L5) based on the center of the opening 21d (the position of X0) is indicated by a black circle. In this embodiment, the position of one adjustment portion 21c (R1-5) is arranged at the middle position (the middle position between the black circles) of the position of the other adjustment portion 21c (L1-5). In FIG. 3(b), for example, when the center position of the joint area is the position indicated by the square in FIG. 3(b), the difference will be different when the adjustment section 21c(L5) or the adjustment section 21c(R5) is selected. When the adjustment section 21c(L5) is selected, the difference with the center position of the joint area becomes 3A/4, and when the adjustment section 21c(R5) is selected, the difference with the center position of the joint area becomes A/4. That is, in FIG. 3(b), by selecting a close adjustment section, the difference with the center position of the joint area can be suppressed to a maximum deviation of A/4. In addition, when the adjustment section 21c(L4) is selected, the difference with the center position of the joint area becomes A/4, so the adjustment section 21c(L4) can also be selected. That is, just select the adjustment part that is closest to the center of the joint area.

Here, the reason why the distance between the center position of the joint area 24 and the adjustment unit 21c is minimized in the non-scanning direction (X direction) to improve the exposure accuracy in the joint area 24 is explained. As shown in FIG2(d), when the distribution of the accumulated exposure amount of the joint area 24 has a quadratic shape, the adjustment unit 21c is adjusted to eliminate the secondary component of the accumulated exposure amount. At this time, the secondary component of the accumulated exposure amount has a peak at the center position of the joint area 24. By adjusting the adjustment unit 21c at a position corresponding to the peak of the quadratic shape or a position close to it, the secondary component of the accumulated exposure amount can be more effectively removed.

For example, it is assumed that a first distance is a distance between the adjustment unit that adjusts the exposure amount for exposing the joint region 24 in the first exposure and the position coordinates of the center position in the non-scanning direction (X direction) of the joint region 24 forming the predetermined position. Also, it is assumed that a second distance is a distance between the adjustment unit that adjusts the exposure amount for exposing the joint region 24 in the second exposure and the position coordinates of the center position in the non-scanning direction (X direction) of the joint region 24 forming the predetermined position. And the first distance is compared with the second distance. When the first distance is smaller than the second distance, the exposure amount of the joint area 24 is adjusted in the first exposure. When the second distance is smaller than the first distance, the exposure amount of the joint area 24 is adjusted in the second exposure, thereby effectively removing the secondary component of the accumulated exposure amount.

Here, the secondary component indicates that the shape of the exposure distribution in the non-scanning direction (X direction) of the joint area 24 includes a curve, and removing the secondary component makes the shape of the exposure distribution in the non-scanning direction (X direction) of the joint area 24 change from the curve to a straight line. In this embodiment, the plurality of adjustment units are controlled so that the shape of the exposure distribution of the joint area 24 changes from the curve to a straight line.

Regarding the reason why the accumulated exposure of the joint area 24 has a secondary component, for example, the error in the manufacture of the optical components may be the main cause. For example, the manufacturing error of the reflector used in the imaging optical system 10 is the main cause. In the present embodiment, when the illumination shape for illuminating the original plate 3 is an arc, the reflector used in the imaging optical system 10 is ground in the direction along the arc shape. The use of a reflector ground in the direction along the arc shape causes the possibility of uneven illumination along the scanning direction (Y direction) of the illumination shape. When there is uneven illumination in the scanning direction (Y direction), the accumulated exposure becomes the cumulative value of the places where the exposure increases and decreases, so the accumulated exposure becomes uniform and does not become a problem in most of the arc-shaped illumination areas.

However, at the end of the arc-shaped illumination area (illumination area near the edge of the exposure adjustment plate 19), there is a possibility that the area where the exposure amount increases is shielded and only the area where the exposure amount decreases is accumulated in the joint area 24. Alternatively, there is a possibility that the area where the exposure amount decreases is shielded and only the area where the exposure amount increases is accumulated in the joint area 24. In such a case, the accumulated exposure amount in the joint area 24 does not become uniform, resulting in a distribution of the accumulated exposure amount in a quadratic shape with a peak at the center of the joint area 24.

In the present embodiment, the adjustment section 21c is selected to correspond to the vicinity of the center of the joint area 24, so that the secondary component of the distribution of the accumulated exposure amount is effectively removed, so that the variability of the accumulated exposure amount of the joint area 24 can be effectively reduced. In addition, in order to maximize the accuracy of the joint exposure, the adjustment section 21c is configured to be asymmetric on the left and right, and one of the two is selected to correct the secondary component, so that the accuracy of the joint exposure can be improved. In FIG. 3, although the configuration of the adjustment section on the opposite side relative to one adjustment section is all configured in the middle of the individual symmetrical positions, the adjustment section 21c that is not used in the joint area (for example, R1 and L1 near the center of the opening 21d) can also be configured to be symmetrical on the left and right. In addition, the shape of the exposure light defined by the variable slit 21 can be an arc shape or a rectangle.

Next, a method for determining which of the plurality of adjustment units 21c is to be driven when performing joint exposure and a method for determining the driving amount of the adjustment unit will be described. The acquisition unit 26 acquires information such as the layout of the panel to be produced, which is input into an input device (not shown) by a user. Based on this, the acquisition unit 26 can acquire position information of a predetermined area forming the joint area 24. The position information of the predetermined area forming the joint area 24 refers to, for example, the coordinates of the middle position of the joint area 24 in the non-scanning direction (X direction). The coordinates of the entire joint area 24 can be acquired through the acquisition unit 26, and the coordinates of the middle position of the joint area 24 in the non-scanning direction (X direction) can be calculated through the control unit 20.

The control unit 20 determines the amount of light to be shielded in the joint area 24 exposed in the first exposure and the second exposure based on the position information of the joint area 24, and drives the exposure amount adjustment plate 19 in the non-scanning direction (X direction) to shield a part of the light path. In addition, in order to determine the driving amount of the adjustment unit 21c, the exposure amount distribution is measured by the light amount sensor 18. Specifically, the substrate stage 17 is stepped in the non-scanning direction (X direction) one by one, and the light amount is detected by the light amount sensor 18. The measurement of the exposure amount distribution through the light amount sensor 18 can be performed every time before the joint exposure is performed, and can also be performed at the timing when the layout of the panel to be produced is changed or at the timing when a predetermined time has passed from the previous measurement.

Referring to FIG. 4, a method for making the cumulative exposure amount of the joint area 24 uniform in the joint exposure in the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 4 illustrates an example of performing joint exposure by two scanning exposures, namely, the first exposure and the second exposure. In the exposure adjustment plate 19 described below, the exposure adjustment plate 19a and the exposure adjustment plate 19b are provided in different shapes with the light path interposed therebetween.

FIG. 4(a) is a diagram showing the correspondence between the position of the exposure area 24 and the position of the variable gap 21 and the position of the exposure adjustment plate 19a in the first exposure. In the first exposure, the exposure adjustment plate 19a is driven in the non-scanning direction (X direction) to adjust the exposure of the joint area 24 to a continuous exposure distribution of 0% to 100%. FIG. 4(b) is a diagram showing the correspondence between the position of the exposure area 24 and the position of the variable gap 21 and the position of the exposure adjustment plate 19b in the second exposure. In the second exposure, the exposure adjustment plate 19b is driven in the non-scanning direction (X direction) to adjust the exposure of the joint area 24 to a continuous exposure distribution of 0% to 100%. In addition, referring to Figure 4 (a) and Figure 4 (b), the middle position of the exposure area 24 in the non-scanning direction (X direction) is equivalent to the adjustment part of the position R3. Therefore, the adjustment part of the position R3 is driven to correct it to remove the secondary shape of the cumulative exposure distribution.

FIG4(c) is a graph showing the position of the area exposed by joint exposure and the accumulated exposure amount in the non-scanning direction (X direction) at a Y coordinate position. The vertical axis of the graph is the accumulated exposure amount, and the horizontal axis is the position in the non-scanning direction (X direction). The dotted lines in the graph are the results of the exposure amount distribution measured in advance by the light sensor 18, and the accumulated exposure amount distribution of the secondary shape is displayed. The control unit 20 calculates the correction amount of the accumulated exposure amount of the secondary shape, determines the adjustment part of the position of R3 and the drive amount of the adjustment part around the corrected position of R3. When the cumulative exposure of the joint area 24 is smaller than that of other areas as shown in FIG4(c), the adjustment part is adjusted in the direction of widening the opening 21d so that the cumulative exposure can be uniformly exposed in the joint area 24 as indicated by the solid line in the graph of FIG4(c).

The following describes the procedure for performing joint exposure using the exposure device 100. Fig. 5 is a flow chart showing the processing method for joint exposure in this embodiment. The control unit 20 controls each part of the exposure device 100 to perform each step described below.

In step S501, the acquisition unit 26 acquires position information of the joint region 24 to be formed according to the layout of the exposure region exposed on the substrate 16. The acquired position information is, for example, the coordinates of the middle position of the joint region 24 to be formed in the non-scanning direction (X direction).

In step S502, the control unit 20 drives the exposure adjustment plate 19 to adjust the cumulative exposure of the joint area 24 based on the position information of the joint area 24 obtained in step S501. In addition, when the exposure adjustment plate 19 is driven, the exposure distribution is obtained through the light sensor 18. The cumulative exposure of the joint area 24 is calculated by the sum of the cumulative exposure of the first exposure and the cumulative exposure of the second exposure. When the joint area is measured this time using the measurement information of the previous joint area, step S502 is omitted.

In step S503, the adjustment unit 21c to be driven is selected, and the driving amount of the selected adjustment unit 21c is determined. The adjustment unit 21c to be driven is selected based on the position information of the joint area 24 obtained in step S501 and the position where the adjustment unit 21c is arranged. Based on the position coordinates of each axis of the adjustment unit 21c previously memorized in the control unit 20, the adjustment unit closest to the position coordinates of the middle position in the non-scanning direction (X direction) of the predetermined joint area 24 is determined through the control unit 20. The control unit 20 determines the driving amount of the selected adjustment unit and its peripheral adjustment units (for example, adjustment units arranged adjacent to the selected adjustment unit).

In the above description, although the adjustment section 21c is controlled to remove the secondary component of the exposure distribution (that is, to correct the exposure distribution of the secondary shape to the distribution of the primary shape), it cannot be said that the cumulative exposure amount in the joint area 24 has been corrected to be uniform. The adjustment section 21c needs to be controlled to remove the primary component instead of only the secondary component. The following describes an example of removing the primary component.

Here, the primary component means a straight line component of the exposure distribution in the non-scanning direction (X direction) of the joint area 24, and the secondary and primary components are removed so that the shape of the exposure distribution in the non-scanning direction (X direction) of the joint area 24 becomes a straight line without tilt. In this embodiment, the plurality of adjustment units are controlled so that the shape of the exposure distribution of the joint area 24 becomes a straight line without tilt, so that the joint area 24 is uniformly exposed.

In step S502, the adjustment unit at the opposite position to the adjustment unit selected for removing the secondary component is driven to make the accumulated exposure amount uniform. That is, in FIG. 4(a), when the adjustment unit at the position of R3 is selected for the first exposure to correct the secondary shape, the adjustment unit at the opposite side of the position of R3 is controlled in the second exposure to remove the primary component. Specifically, the adjustment units L2 to L5 that affect the exposure amount of the exposure area 24 are driven at a fixed amount to remove the primary component.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, the adjustment unit (the adjustment unit at the position of R2 to R5) at the same position as the adjustment unit (the adjustment unit at the position of R3) selected for removing the secondary component may be driven to remove the primary component and make the accumulated exposure amount uniform. That is, it may be a method of removing the secondary component in the first exposure and the primary component in the second exposure, or it may be a method of performing correction in only one of the first exposure and the second exposure. Alternatively, it is also possible to divide the first exposure and the second exposure into a predetermined ratio and remove the primary component and the secondary component in the individual exposures. Furthermore, after the correction drive is performed according to the correction amount determined in step S503, the accumulated exposure amount may be confirmed again with the light sensor 18 as in step S502 to calculate a more accurate correction amount of the adjustment unit 21c.

In step S504, the adjustment section 21c is driven with the driving amount determined in step S503 to perform joint exposure.

In this embodiment, even if the joint area 24 has an exposure distribution with a secondary component, the accumulated exposure amount can be corrected to be uniform by selecting and driving an appropriate adjustment section from among the adjustment sections arranged asymmetrically with respect to a straight line passing through the center of gravity of the opening 21d and along the scanning direction (Y direction). In addition, joint exposure corresponding to a variety of panel layouts can be performed.

<Second embodiment> In the first embodiment, an example is described in which the cumulative exposure of the joint area can be corrected to be uniform by applying a variable slit 21 having a plurality of adjustment parts 21c arranged asymmetrically on the slit 9. In this embodiment, an example is described in which a variable adjustment plate 25 having a plurality of adjustment parts 27 arranged asymmetrically on the left and right is applied to the exposure adjustment plate 19. In addition, the structure of the exposure device 100 is the same as that of the first embodiment, so the description is omitted. In addition, in terms of matters not mentioned in this embodiment, the first embodiment is followed.

In this embodiment, the slit 9 is not configured to make the cumulative exposure amount of the joint area uniform, but is configured to define the illumination shape of the light illuminating the original plate 3 into, for example, an arc shape. Therefore, when it is not necessary to define the illumination shape, it may not be included in the exposure device 100. In addition, when the slit 9 is configured, the slit 9 may not be a variable slit, but may be a variable slit like the first embodiment.

FIG6 is a diagram showing a variable adjustment plate 25 (light shielding plate) that can locally adjust the exposure amount. The variable adjustment plate 25 has two light shielding plates 25a and 25b on the left and right. The variable adjustment plate 25 has a plurality of adjustment parts 27 (L1-7, R1-7), and each adjustment part 27 pushes and pulls the light shielding plates 27a and 27b to locally adjust the exposure amount of the light shielding. The adjustment parts 27 (L1-7) are configured asymmetrically with respect to the adjustment parts 27 (R1-7). Specifically, when no force is applied to the light shielding plates 27a and 27b, they are configured asymmetrically with respect to a straight line passing through the center positions of the light shielding plates 27a and 27b and along the scanning direction (Y direction). When the shading plate is not driven in the non-scanning direction (X direction), the center of gravity of the illumination area determined by the exposure light is the middle position of the shading plate 27a and the shading plate 27b. In FIG. 6, the positions symmetrical to the positions of L1 to L7 are indicated by black circles. The adjustment section 27 (R1 to 7) is arranged at a position different from the black circle. The reason why the adjustment section 27 is arranged asymmetrically is to make it an adjustment section that can be selected for correction so as to remove the secondary component of the joint exposure area in the same way as the first embodiment.

In this embodiment, as in the first embodiment, even if the joint area 24 has a secondary component exposure distribution, the accumulated exposure can be corrected to be uniform by selecting an appropriate adjustment unit from the adjustment units arranged to be asymmetric left and right and driving it. In addition, joint exposure corresponding to a variety of panel layouts can be performed.

<Implementation of the method for manufacturing an article> The method for manufacturing an article according to the implementation of the present invention is suitable for manufacturing, for example, a flat panel display (FPD). The method for manufacturing an article according to the present implementation includes: a procedure for forming a latent pattern on a photosensitive agent coated on a substrate using the above-mentioned exposure device (a procedure for exposing the substrate); and a procedure for developing the substrate on which the latent pattern is formed by the procedure. Furthermore, the manufacturing method includes other well-known procedures (oxidation, film formation, evaporation, doping, planarization, etching, anti-etching layer stripping, cutting, bonding, packaging, etc.). The method for manufacturing an article according to the present implementation is advantageous over conventional methods in at least one of the performance, quality, productivity, and production cost of the article.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention are described above, the present invention is certainly not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications and changes can be made within the scope of the gist.

3: Original plate 4: Projection optical system 5: Light source 9: Slit 16: Substrate 19: Exposure adjustment plate 21c: Adjustment unit 22a: First exposure area 22b: Second exposure area 100: Exposure device

[FIG. 1] is a schematic diagram showing the structure of the exposure device. [FIG. 2] is a diagram for explaining the joint exposure. [FIG. 3] is a diagram showing the structure of the slit in the first embodiment. [FIG. 4] is a diagram showing the joint exposure in the first embodiment. [FIG. 5] is a flow chart showing the sequence of the joint exposure in the first embodiment. [FIG. 6] is a diagram showing the structure of the exposure adjustment plate in the second embodiment.

9: narrow seam 21: variable seam 21a: variable piece 21b: fixed piece 21c: adjustment part 21d: opening

Claims (15)

An exposure device performs scanning exposure by illuminating an original plate with light from a light source and exposing the pattern of the original plate to the substrate while moving the substrate in a scanning direction, so as to perform joint exposure in a manner that a joint area in which an area exposed by a first exposure and an area exposed by a second exposure partially overlap is formed, the exposure device comprising: a projection optical system that projects the pattern of the original plate onto the substrate; and a light shielding plate that blocks a portion of the exposure light of at least one of the first exposure and the second exposure. shading; and a plurality of adjustment parts, which apply force to the aforementioned shading plate to adjust the amount of light that is shielded by the shading plate; the aforementioned plurality of adjustment parts are arranged so that, when the plurality of adjustment parts do not apply force to the aforementioned shading plate, they are asymmetrical with respect to a straight line passing through the optical axis of the aforementioned projection optical system and along the aforementioned scanning direction, and the position of the adjustment part that adjusts the exposure amount of the aforementioned joint area during the aforementioned first exposure is different from the position of the adjustment part that adjusts the exposure amount of the aforementioned joint area during the aforementioned second exposure. As in claim 1, the exposure device, wherein the light shielding plate is disposed between the light source and the original plate, and is a variable seam defining the shape of the illumination directed toward the original plate. The exposure device of claim 2 further comprises an exposure adjustment plate inserted into the optical path between the projection optical system and the substrate, wherein the exposure adjustment plate reduces the exposure amount of the area exposed repeatedly in the joint exposure. The exposure device of claim 1, wherein the light shielding plate is an exposure adjustment plate inserted into the optical path between the projection optical system and the substrate, and reduces the exposure amount of the area exposed repeatedly in the joint exposure. The exposure device as in any one of claims 1 to 4 further comprises a control unit for controlling the driving of the plurality of adjustment units, wherein the control unit adjusts the cumulative exposure amount of the area exposed repeatedly in the joint exposure. As in claim 5, the exposure device, wherein the control unit configures the cumulative exposure amount of the area repeatedly exposed in the joint exposure based on the position information of the area repeatedly exposed in the joint exposure and the positions of the plurality of adjustment units. The exposure device of claim 5, wherein the control unit selects the exposure amount of the area repeatedly exposed in the joint exposure in the first exposure adjustment or the exposure amount of the area repeatedly exposed in the joint exposure in the second exposure adjustment based on the position information of the area repeatedly exposed in the joint exposure and the positions of the plurality of adjustment units. The exposure device of claim 5 further comprises an acquisition unit for acquiring position information of the area repeatedly exposed in the aforementioned joint exposure before performing the aforementioned first exposure. As in claim 8, the exposure device, wherein the acquisition unit acquires the position coordinates of the center position in a direction orthogonal to the scanning direction of the area repeatedly exposed in the joint exposure. The exposure device of claim 5 further comprises a detection unit for detecting light exposed on the surface of the substrate, and the control unit adjusts the driving amount of the plurality of adjustment units based on the result detected by the detection unit. An exposure device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the control unit compares a first distance and a second distance, wherein the first distance is the distance between the position coordinates of the adjustment unit for adjusting the exposure amount of the area repeatedly exposed in the joint exposure in the first exposure among the plurality of adjustment units and the center position in the direction orthogonal to the scanning direction of the area repeatedly exposed in the joint exposure, and the second distance is the distance between the position coordinates of the adjustment unit for adjusting the exposure amount of the area repeatedly exposed in the joint exposure in the first exposure among the plurality of adjustment units. The distance between the adjustment unit for adjusting the exposure amount of the area repeatedly exposed in the joint exposure and the position coordinates of the center position in the direction orthogonal to the scanning direction of the area repeatedly exposed in the joint exposure in the second exposure is adjusted when the first distance is smaller than the second distance, and the exposure amount of the second exposure is adjusted when the second distance is smaller than the first distance. As in the exposure device of claim 11, wherein the control unit drives the plurality of adjustment units in the first exposure so that the secondary component of the exposure amount distribution in the direction orthogonal to the scanning direction of the area where the combined exposure is repeatedly exposed is removed when the first distance is smaller than the second distance, and drives the plurality of adjustment units in the second exposure so that the secondary component of the exposure amount distribution in the direction orthogonal to the scanning direction of the area where the combined exposure is repeatedly exposed is removed when the second distance is smaller than the first distance. An exposure device that performs scanning exposure by illuminating an original plate with light from a light source and exposing the pattern of the original plate to the substrate while moving the substrate in a scanning direction, and performs joint exposure in a manner in which an area exposed by a first exposure and an area exposed by a second exposure are partially repeated, comprising: a projection optical system that projects the pattern of the original plate onto the substrate; a shading plate that shields a portion of the exposure light in at least one of the first exposure and the second exposure; a plurality of adjustment units that apply force to the shading plate to adjust the amount of light shielded by the shading plate; and a control unit that controls the driving of the plurality of adjustment units; the plurality of adjustment units are configured to form a plurality of adjustment units relative to a straight line passing through the optical axis of the projection optical system and along the scanning direction when no force is applied to the shading plate. The control unit compares a first distance and a second distance, wherein the first distance is the distance between the position coordinates of the adjustment unit for adjusting the exposure amount of the area repeatedly exposed in the joint exposure in the first exposure among the plurality of adjustment units and the center position in the direction orthogonal to the scanning direction of the area repeatedly exposed in the joint exposure, and the second distance is the distance between the position coordinates of the adjustment unit for adjusting the exposure amount of the area repeatedly exposed in the joint exposure in the first exposure among the plurality of adjustment units and the center position in the direction orthogonal to the scanning direction of the area repeatedly exposed in the joint exposure. 2. The exposure adjustment unit for adjusting the exposure amount of the area repeatedly exposed in the joint exposure adjusts the distance between the position coordinates of the center position in the direction orthogonal to the scanning direction of the area repeatedly exposed in the joint exposure, and when the first distance is smaller than the second distance, adjusts the exposure amount of the first exposure, and when the second distance is smaller than the first distance, adjusts the exposure amount of the second exposure. An exposure method is a scanning exposure method for illuminating an original plate with light from a light source and exposing the pattern of the original plate to the substrate while moving the substrate in a scanning direction, wherein the exposure is performed by an exposure device for performing joint exposure in a manner of forming a joint area in which an area exposed by a first exposure and an area exposed by a second exposure partially overlap, the exposure device comprising: a projection optical system for projecting the pattern of the original plate onto the substrate; and a light shielding plate for shielding a portion of the exposure light in at least one of the first exposure and the second exposure; The exposure method includes the following procedures: a plurality of adjustment parts that adjust the amount of light that is blocked by the light shielding plate by applying force to the light shielding plate are arranged to be asymmetric with respect to a straight line that passes through the optical axis of the projection optical system and along the scanning direction when no force is applied to the light shielding plate, and the position of the adjustment part that adjusts the exposure amount of the joint area during the first exposure is different from the position of the adjustment part that adjusts the exposure amount of the joint area during the second exposure, and the plurality of adjustment parts apply force to the light shielding plate to adjust the amount of light that is blocked by the light shielding plate. A method for manufacturing an article, comprising: an exposure process for exposing a substrate using an exposure device as described in any one of claims 1 to 13; a development process for developing the substrate exposed in the aforementioned exposure process; and a process for manufacturing an article from the substrate developed in the aforementioned development process.

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