JP3809095B2 - Light source system for exposure apparatus and exposure apparatus - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
[Industrial application fields]
The present invention relates to an exposure apparatus used for exposing a circuit pattern drawn on a mask onto a substrate, and more particularly to a light source system for irradiating the substrate with light.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, an exposure apparatus uses an ultrahigh pressure mercury lamp as a light source. And the circuit pattern was exposed to the board | substrate fixed to the exposure stand with the light irradiated from this ultrahigh pressure mercury lamp.
[0003]
However, ultra high pressure mercury lamps generally have a short life. For this reason, the user has to frequently perform the replacement work and the light amount adjustment work accompanying the replacement, which is troublesome. In addition, since the ultra high pressure mercury lamp takes time until a stable amount of light is irradiated after the power is turned on, the exposure operation cannot be started immediately after the apparatus is started. Furthermore, since the ultra-high pressure mercury lamp needs to be lit at all times so that a stable amount of light continues to be radiated, there is also a problem that power consumption inevitably increases.
[0004]
In addition, in order to expose a high-definition circuit pattern on the substrate exposure surface, it is desirable that the exposure apparatus can expose the entire exposure table with a substantially uniform integrated exposure amount without any gap. For this reason, in a conventional exposure apparatus, the amount of light emitted from the light source is detected during periodic inspections, and the amount of light is adjusted so that the amount of light is within a predetermined allowable range. However, during the regular inspection, the entire board production line had to be stopped inevitably, and inefficiency was pointed out. Furthermore, in this adjustment, although it is possible to adjust the change in the amount of light detected at the time of inspection, a change in the amount of light during the actual exposure process, for example, a loss of light amount due to the deterioration of the light source over time, etc., is detected and appropriate compensation is made. There was a problem that could not be done.
[0005]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In view of the above-described conventional problems, the present invention can reduce the burden on the user, suppress power consumption, and can immediately and stably expose a substrate using a stable amount of light, and the exposure of the substrate. An object of the present invention is to provide a light source system for an exposure apparatus that can detect a change in the amount of light during the process in real time.
[0006]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
A light source system for an exposure apparatus according to the present invention is a light source system for an exposure apparatus that exposes a circuit pattern drawn on a mask onto an exposure surface of a substrate, and has a plurality of light emitting elements that are discretely two-dimensionally arranged. By scanning in the first direction, a light emitting means for irradiating a light beam that exposes the entire exposure table with a substantially uniform integrated exposure amount without a gap, a light receiving means, and a position between the light emitting means and the holding position of the mask. And a light guide unit that guides a part of each light beam emitted from the light emitting unit to the light receiving unit, and a detection unit that detects the amount of light received by the light receiving unit.
[0007]
By using a light-emitting element that has a longer lifetime than the ultra-high pressure mercury lamp as the light source, it is possible to reduce the work burden on the user regarding the replacement of the light source. Further, since the light emitting element also has a feature of high stability immediately after being turned on, it is possible to emit light (turn on) only during exposure. That is, power consumption at the light source can be suppressed. Although the area that can be irradiated (exposure) with a single light emitting element is narrow, a plurality of light emitting elements are arranged in a predetermined arrangement, and the light emitting means and the exposure surface (mask) are moved relative to each other by the scanning means, so that the entire exposure surface is covered. Can be exposed. In addition, since a part of the light beam is guided to the light receiving unit by the light guide unit provided in the optical path of the light beam emitted from each light emitting element, a change in the amount of light during exposure can be detected in real time. It became possible.
[0008]
Here, it is preferable that the light guiding unit guides light in a partial region in a cross section of the surface of each light beam parallel to the exposure surface to the light receiving unit. Furthermore, it is more preferable that the partial regions are at substantially the same position in the cross section of each light beam. Thereby, the light quantity detection process by a detection means is performed easily.
[0009]
For example, when each light beam emitted from the light emitting means is a parallel light beam, the partial region is desirably a region including at least the vicinity of the center of the cross section. Each light beam emitted from the light emitting means may be a divergent light beam. However, in the case of a divergent light beam, the light guide means is arranged and configured so that light traveling in a substantially vertical direction toward the exposure surface in the divergent light beam, that is, light in the vicinity of the center of the light beam cross section is incident on the light guide means. As a result, the light guide means can always reliably guide the incident light in the direction in which the light receiving unit is disposed, that is, can detect the amount of the divergent light beam in real time.
[0010]
The light guide means may be the same number of optical path deflecting members as the light emitting elements arranged corresponding to the arrangement of the light emitting elements, or a plurality of light guide members extending in the arrangement direction of the light emitting elements and irradiated from the light emitting means. An optical path deflecting member that is disposed across the optical path of the light beams and deflects the optical paths of the plurality of light beams may be used. The optical path deflecting member may be a total reflection mirror or a half mirror. Similarly, the light receiving means may be composed of the same number of light receiving elements as the light emitting elements arranged corresponding to the arrangement of the light emitting elements, or a plurality of light receiving elements extending in a predetermined direction corresponding to the arrangement direction of the light emitting elements. CCD line sensor may be used.
[0011]
The optical path deflecting members need to be arranged so as to be shifted from each other by a predetermined amount in a direction orthogonal to the exposure surface so as not to block the light deflected by the other optical path deflecting members. Thereby, the light quantity of the light beam irradiated from all the light emitting elements can be detected reliably.
[0012]
A plurality of light emitting elements are arranged at a predetermined interval in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, and the light emitting elements are in a plane defined by the first and second directions with respect to the first direction. It is desirable that a plurality of elements are arranged at predetermined intervals in a third direction inclined at a predetermined angle. With this arrangement, when the optical path deflecting member and the CCD line sensor are used, they are arranged along the second or third direction.
[0013]
Note that an LED that emits light in a predetermined range can be used as the light-emitting element. For example, when a photosensitive agent that exhibits the highest sensitivity to ultraviolet light is applied to the substrate, it is desirable to use an ultraviolet LED.
[0014]
The exposure apparatus according to claim 19 is a light source system for various exposure apparatuses defined by any one of claims 1 to 15, a light quantity detected by a detection means of the light source system, and a predetermined reference. Comparing means for comparing values, and control means for controlling the light emitting means so that the amount of light matches a predetermined reference value based on the comparison result of the comparing means. Thereby, not only the change of the light quantity can be detected in real time, but also the light emission control can be performed so that the exposure is performed with a predetermined light quantity by performing feedback control based on the detected light quantity.
[0015]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, an embodiment of an exposure apparatus including the light source system of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is an enlarged perspective view of the vicinity of the light source unit 1 and the exposure table 2 of the exposure apparatus 100 of the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a top view of the vicinity of the exposure table 2 and FIG. 3 is a side view of the vicinity of the exposure table 2. The exposure apparatus 100 of the embodiment is an apparatus for exposing a circuit pattern drawn on a mask M onto a substrate S. In this exposure apparatus 100, exposure is performed by separating the mask M and the substrate S slightly (10 μm to 20 μm). Proximity method is used. In each drawing, the X direction (and the opposite direction to the X direction) is a direction (first direction) in which the light source unit 1 and the exposure table 2 move relatively, that is, a scanning direction in the exposure apparatus 100. The Y direction is a direction (second direction) orthogonal to the X direction on the exposed surface (exposure surface) of the substrate. The Z direction is a direction orthogonal to the exposure surface, that is, a straight traveling direction of light emitted from the light source unit 1.
[0016]
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the exposure apparatus 100 includes a light source unit 1 (indicated by a two-dot chain line in FIG. 1), an exposure table 2, a light source unit drive motor 3, a first rail 4, a driver 5, and a pair of rails. (Second rail) 6, a first ball screw 7 a, a table drive motor 7 b, a base 8, and a mask holder portion 9 are provided.
[0017]
The light source unit 1 moves in the X direction along the first rail 4 by driving the light source unit driving motor 3. The light source unit drive motor 3 is controlled by the control unit 10 via the driver 5. Here, the maximum width in the Y direction exposed by the light emitted from the light source unit 1 is sufficiently longer than the maximum length in the Y direction of the substrate S that can be exposed by the exposure apparatus 100. That is, the entire surface of the exposure surface of the substrate S of any size is exposed when the light source unit 1 is translated in the X direction.
[0018]
The exposure table 2 on which the substrate S is placed is provided on the base 8. The exposure table 2 is in a state that can be driven in the X direction by rotating the first ball screw 7a by the table drive motor 7b with the lower surface guided along the second rail 6 extending in the X direction. .
[0019]
A mask M indicated by a hatched portion in each drawing is held by a mask holder portion 9. Specifically, the mask holder portion 9 has a concave cross-sectional shape as shown in FIG. 3, and the mask M is placed in the concave portion. The mask M placed in the recess is fixed at a predetermined position by an X adjustment mechanism 9a that performs positioning in the X direction and a pair of Y adjustment mechanisms 9b that perform positioning in the Y direction. Specifically, each adjustment mechanism 9a, 9b includes an L-shaped mask support member L, and the mask M is positioned by driving each mask support member in the X or Y direction. Note that the mask M can be rotated in the XY plane if the driving amounts of the pair of Y adjustment mechanisms 9b are different at the time of positioning. Since the mask holder unit 9 is attached to the exposure table 2 by the Z-axis base 9c, the mask holder unit 9 is in a state of being movable in the X direction together with the exposure table 2. The mask holder portion 9 is in a state that it can be raised and lowered in the Z direction by the lifting mechanism 9d.
[0020]
In the previous step, the substrate S on which the photosensitive material is applied is transported to the exposure apparatus 100 via a transport path (not shown), and is placed and fixed on the exposure table 2. Until the substrate S is fixed to the exposure table 2, the mask holder unit 9 is moved in the reverse direction of the Z direction (that is, in the direction of the light source unit 1) by the elevating mechanism 9 d to a height that does not hinder the movement of the substrate S. It is rising. When the substrate S is positioned and fixed to the exposure table 2, the mask holder unit 9 is moved in the Z direction (that is, the exposure table 2) by the elevating mechanism 9 d until the distance between the mask M and the substrate S becomes about 10 μm to 20 μm. Direction). The mask M is positioned relative to the substrate S fixed to the exposure table 2 by the above-described X and Y adjusting mechanisms 9a and 9b.
[0021]
At the time of exposure, first, the substrate S coated with a photosensitive material is conveyed from the previous process to the exposure apparatus 100. The transported substrate S is placed and fixed on the exposure table 2 while being positioned relative to the mask M. In this state, by moving the light source 1 and the exposure table 2 (that is, the substrate S and the mask M) relative to each other in the X direction, the entire exposure surface of the substrate S can be exposed with a uniform light amount without a gap. it can.
[0022]
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an outline of the internal structure of the light source unit 1 which is a main component of the light source system of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 4, the light source unit 1 includes a plurality of light emitting elements 12 attached to a printed board 11 in a predetermined arrangement, a lens panel 13 having a plurality of convex lenses 13a, and a plurality of openings 14a. The aperture panel 14, the total reflection mirror 15, and the light receiving unit 16 are provided. In the present embodiment, an ultraviolet LED that emits light in the ultraviolet region that is most sensitive to the photosensitive material applied to the substrate S is used as the light emitting element 12. In the present specification, the light intensity distribution of the light beam emitted from the LED 12 on a plane parallel to the exposure surface is approximately approximated to a Gaussian distribution.
[0023]
In the present specification, a value calculated by integrating the intensity of light incident on an arbitrary position on the exposure surface by the exposure time is referred to as an integrated exposure amount at the arbitrary position.
[0024]
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an arrangement of spots formed on the exposure surface by each light beam emitted from the ultraviolet LED 12 of the light source unit 1. Here, during the exposure period, in order to accurately print the circuit pattern on the substrate, the entire exposed surface of the substrate S needs to be exposed with a substantially uniform integrated exposure amount without a gap. Therefore, the ultraviolet LED 12 is disposed on the printed board 11 so as to form a spot arrangement as shown in FIG. That is, when attention is paid to the X direction, a plurality of ultraviolet LEDs 12 are arranged along a line segment extending in a third direction inclined by a predetermined angle with respect to the X direction in the XY plane. Here, the ultraviolet LED 12 arranged along the line segment extending in the third direction has the same amount of deviation in the Y direction from the other adjacent ultraviolet LEDs 12. Further, when attention is paid to the Y direction, a plurality of ultraviolet LEDs 12 are arranged at equal intervals on a line segment parallel to the Y direction. That is, the ultraviolet LEDs 12 are two-dimensionally arranged on a surface (substantially parallelogram shape) defined by the Y direction and the third direction.
[0025]
Here, in order to make the integrated exposure amount almost uniform at any place on the exposure surface, the ultraviolet LED 12 is disposed so as to satisfy both the following condition (1) and condition (2).
(A × K) / b ≧ 2 (1)
K = b / d (2)
However, a is a spot diameter formed by light emitted from each light emitting element and incident on the exposure table.
b represents the arrangement pitch of the spot diameters in the second direction,
K is the number of the light emitting elements arranged in the third direction,
d represents the amount of deviation of the ultraviolet LED 12 arranged along the third direction in the second direction from the other adjacent ultraviolet LED 12.
[0026]
If the ultraviolet LEDs 12 are arranged so as to satisfy the above condition (1), the number of spots passing through the exposure surface of the substrate S placed on the exposure table 2 becomes equal. That is, the exposure amount at the arbitrary point becomes equal. When the left side (a × K) / b is 2, the overlap of the trajectory of each spot in the Y direction is substantially the radius of the spot.
[0027]
Condition (2) is a condition relating to the number K of arrangements of the ultraviolet LEDs 12 in the third direction. If the condition (2) is not satisfied, the number of ultraviolet LEDs 12 whose scanning trajectories on the exposure surface substantially coincide with each other varies depending on the location, and the integrated exposure amount cannot be made uniform.
[0028]
The convex lenses 13a and the openings 14a are provided in the respective panels 13 and 14 in an arrangement state in which the light beams emitted from the ultraviolet LEDs 12 in the arrangement state described above are guided to the exposure surface. That is, each convex lens 13a and each opening 14a are in the same arrangement state as shown in FIG.
[0029]
The lens panel 13 is arranged so that the front focal point of each convex lens 13a and the arrangement position of the ultraviolet LED 12 substantially coincide. By arranging in this way, each convex lens 13a has a function as a collimator lens. Therefore, each light beam emitted from the plurality of ultraviolet LEDs 12 is emitted from each convex lens 13a as a parallel light beam. Here, by arranging a plurality of convex lenses 13 a on a single plate-like body like the lens panel 13, it is possible to simplify the position adjustment of each ultraviolet LED 12 and the corresponding convex lens 13 a.
[0030]
Each opening 14a provided in the opening panel 14 shapes the cross-sectional shape of the parallel light beam transmitted through each convex lens 13a into a predetermined shape corresponding to the shape of the opening. By shaping the light flux by each opening 14a, the spot shape on the exposure surface of each light flux is adjusted. In addition, the provision of the opening panel 14 also has an effect of blocking so-called stray light. Position adjustment in the light source unit 1 is facilitated by providing the opening 14a in the opening panel 14 which is a single flat plate.
[0031]
As will be described later, a part of the light beams transmitted through the opening 14a are guided to the light receiving unit 16 through the total reflection mirror 15, and the remaining light enters the mask M. The substrate S is exposed by light incident on the mask M.
[0032]
FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between the cross section of each light beam emitted from the ultraviolet LED 12 and the total reflection mirror 15. The total reflection mirror 15 is a thin rectangular glass flat plate with a mirror surface. The total reflection mirror 15 is arranged so that its longitudinal direction extends along all the optical paths along the Y direction and aligned in the Y direction. The total reflection mirror 15 is arranged such that a virtual center line extending in the Y direction of the total reflection mirror 15 is in a positional relationship parallel to a cross section of a plane parallel to the exposure surface of each light beam. As a result, the total reflection mirror 15 reflects the light in a predetermined region in the cross section of the light beam irradiated from each row of the ultraviolet LEDs 12 arranged in the Y direction in a plane parallel to the exposure surface to the light receiving unit 16. Lead. In the present embodiment, the total reflection mirror 15 is disposed so as to be inclined so that an angle defined by incident light and reflected light is approximately 90 degrees. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6, the arrangement of the ultraviolet LEDs 12 in the Y direction is set to four rows (K = 4), so that four total reflection mirrors 15 are also used. .
[0033]
As indicated by the hatched area in FIG. 6, the total reflection mirror 15 is positioned so that the predetermined area in any light beam is an area including the central portion of the light beam cross section in order to simplify the light amount detection process described later. Is arranged. That is, the light reflected by the total reflection mirror 15 includes a region having the highest light intensity among the light beams emitted from the ultraviolet LED 12.
[0034]
Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 4, each total reflection mirror 15 is disposed at a position shifted by a predetermined amount in the Z direction so as not to block the reflected light from the other total reflection mirrors 15. The light reflected by the total reflection mirror 15 arranged in this way is incident on the light receiving unit 16.
[0035]
The light receiving unit 16 includes four CCD line sensors 16a extending in the Y direction at positions where light reflected by the total reflection mirrors 15 enters. As described above, since the total reflection mirrors 15 are each shifted by a predetermined amount in the Z direction, the CCD line sensors 16a are also respectively disposed at positions shifted by the predetermined amount in the Z direction.
[0036]
The light received by the CCD line sensor 16 a is photoelectrically converted in the light receiving unit 16 and then output to the control unit 10 as light amount data of each ultraviolet LED 12.
[0037]
FIG. 7 is a block diagram relating to the light amount control. Based on the light amount data for each ultraviolet LED 12 output from the light receiving unit 16, the control unit 10 calculates the light amount of each ultraviolet LED 12. As described above, the total reflection mirror 15 is disposed so as to guide the light including the substantially central portion of the light beam cross section to the light receiving unit 16. That is, the light amount data for each ultraviolet LED 12 output from the light receiving unit 16 is data related to the vicinity of the peak value in the intensity distribution of each light beam. Here, the light intensity distribution is approximately approximated to a Gaussian distribution, so that the light amount of each light beam can be easily calculated based on each light amount data.
[0038]
In the EEPROM 17, data (reference data) relating to a light amount serving as a reference to be output from each ultraviolet LED 12 is stored in advance in order to realize high-definition exposure. The control unit 10 constantly compares the calculated light amount of each ultraviolet LED 12 with reference data. Then, light emission control is performed for each ultraviolet LED 12 so that the light quantity of each ultraviolet LED 12 matches the reference data. That is, according to the present embodiment, the amount of light emitted from the ultraviolet LED 12 is detected and feedback controlled in real time during the exposure process. Therefore, the exposure apparatus 100 equipped with the light source system can always perform exposure with a uniform integrated exposure amount.
[0039]
The above is the embodiment of the present invention. The present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications described below are possible.
[0040]
In the above embodiment, it has been described that the total reflection mirror 15 guides light in a region having the highest light intensity in the light beam cross section to the light receiving unit 16. However, as described above, the light intensity on the plane parallel to the exposure surface of the light beam emitted from the ultraviolet LED 12 approximates a Gaussian distribution. Therefore, if data relating to the intensity distribution of each ultraviolet LED 12 is input to the EEPROM 17, even if the total reflection mirror 15 is arranged so as to guide light other than the region with the highest light intensity to the light receiving unit 16, the control unit 1 It is possible to calculate the amount of light. Alternatively, the control unit 10 can compare the signal level transmitted from the light receiving unit 16, that is, the voltage value itself with the reference voltage value stored in the EEPROM 17. According to this modification, the burden on the comparison process of the control unit 10 can be reduced by the amount that the process of calculating the light quantity of each light beam from the light quantity data is not required as in the above embodiment.
[0041]
In the above embodiment, the total reflection mirror is used as the light guiding means for guiding a part of the light beam emitted from the ultraviolet LED 12 to the light receiving unit 16, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the structure guided to the light-receiving part 16 with an optical fiber may be sufficient. If a half mirror is used, it is possible to suppress the light for detecting the light amount and increase the amount of light used for exposure as much as possible. However, when a half mirror is used as the light guide means, the control unit 10 that calculates the light amount needs to calculate the light amount in consideration of the reflectance of the half mirror.
[0042]
Further, in the above embodiment, in order to facilitate position adjustment and cost reduction, the elongated rectangular total reflection mirror 15 is arranged so as to straddle between the light beams from the ultraviolet LEDs 12 arranged in the Y direction. Here, even if the total reflection mirror 15 is arranged not in the Y direction but in a direction extending in the arrangement direction of the ultraviolet LEDs 12, the same effect as in the above embodiment can be obtained. For example, in the above embodiment, the total reflection mirror 15 may be disposed so as to straddle the optical path of the light beam emitted from the ultraviolet LED 12 arranged in the third direction.
[0043]
Furthermore, it is also possible to arrange one optical path deflecting member such as a total reflection mirror for one light beam from the ultraviolet LED 12, that is, the same number of optical path deflecting members as the number of the ultraviolet LEDs 12. FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of an optical path deflecting member that can be used when one optical path deflecting member is arranged for one light beam. The optical path deflecting member shown in FIG. 8A is provided with a rectangular mirror portion 15a on a part of a surface on which a light beam (shown by a broken line in the drawing) of one glass flat plate 15A is incident. In the case of the glass flat plate 15A, the control unit 10 can detect the light amount of each light beam by the same processing as in the above embodiment. Further, the optical path deflecting member shown in FIG. 8B is provided with a circular mirror portion 15b on a part of the light incident surface of one glass flat plate 15B. In the case where the glass flat plate 15B is used, light including the region with the highest light intensity can be guided to the light receiving unit 16 if it is arranged so that the central portion of the light beam enters the mirror unit 15b. By arranging the glass flat plate 15A shown in FIG. 8A in the optical path of each light beam, or by arranging the glass flat plate 15B shown in FIG. 8B in the optical path of each light beam, the same effects as in the above embodiment can be obtained. be able to.
[0044]
Here, even if the light beam emitted from the light source unit 1 is a divergent light beam, if the glass flat plate 15B shown in FIG. 8B is arranged in the optical path of each light beam, the mirror unit 15b has a central portion of the divergent light beam, Of the divergent light flux, light traveling substantially vertically enters. Therefore, incident light can be reliably guided to the light receiving unit 16, and the amount of light can be detected as in the above embodiment.
[0045]
Further, it has been described that the light receiving unit 16 of the above embodiment includes four CCD line sensors 16 a extending in the Y direction corresponding to the arrangement of the total reflection mirror 15. However, as the light receiving means, as in the above-described modification of the optical path deflecting means, one light emitting element, that is, the same number of light receiving elements as the number of ultraviolet LEDs 12 is arranged for one light reflected by the total reflection mirror 15. A configuration is also possible.
[0046]
Furthermore, although the said embodiment demonstrated that the light quantity of each ultraviolet LED12 calculated based on light quantity data was used for the feedback control which performs light quantity adjustment, it can also be used for another use. For example, the control unit 10 determines whether the light amount is within a predetermined allowable range that is optimal for exposure. And it is also possible to make it the structure which alert | reports to the user the ultraviolet LED12 of the light quantity which is not in this tolerance | permissible_range via the warning part 18 shown in FIG. In this case, the predetermined allowable range needs to be input in advance to the EEPROM 17.
[0047]
In the above embodiment, the ultraviolet LED 12 that emits ultraviolet light having the highest sensitivity of the photosensitive agent is used as a light source. However, a lamp element capable of high-speed on / off control such as a semiconductor element, plasma (light emission by discharge), or the like. Can also be used as a light source.
[0048]
In the above embodiment, for the sake of convenience, the description has been made assuming an exposure apparatus that exposes only one side of the substrate S, but the present invention can also be applied to a double-sided exposure apparatus. The present invention can also be applied to an apparatus that performs exposure using a technique other than the proximity method, such as the above-described embodiment, such as a contact method or a projection method.
[0049]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, in the exposure apparatus of the present invention, the life of the light source can be extended by using a plurality of light emitting elements arranged in a predetermined arrangement instead of the ultrahigh pressure mercury lamp. That is, it is possible to greatly reduce the burden on the user regarding the light source replacement work and the like.
[0050]
The light emitting element used for the light source has a feature that a stable amount of light is emitted immediately after the power is turned on, so that an exposure operation can be started immediately after the apparatus is started. . In addition, from the above characteristics, when a light emitting element is used, it is sufficient to emit light only during an exposure operation, so that excessive power consumption can be suppressed.
[0051]
Furthermore, by extracting a part of the light beam emitted from each light source and detecting the current light amount of each light source obtained based on the extraction result, the light amount during the exposure process can be detected in real time. Can do. Therefore, an exposure apparatus equipped with the light source system according to the present invention can always perform high-definition exposure with an optimum light amount by feedback-controlling the light amount that changes over time during the exposure process.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a schematic block diagram of an exposure apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a top view showing the vicinity of an exposure table of an exposure apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 is a side view showing the vicinity of an exposure table of the exposure apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an outline of an internal structure of a light source unit which is a main component of the light source system of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an array of spots formed on the exposure surface by each light beam irradiated from the ultraviolet LED.
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a positional relationship between a cross section of each light beam irradiated from an ultraviolet LED and a total reflection mirror.
FIG. 7 is a block diagram relating to light amount control.
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of an optical path deflecting member that can be used when one optical path deflecting member is arranged for one light beam.
[Explanation of symbols]
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Light source 2 Exposure stand 10 Control part 12 Ultraviolet LED
13 Lens panel 15 Total reflection mirror 16 Light receiving part 16a CCD line sensor 100 Exposure device

Claims (19)

A light source system for an exposure apparatus that exposes a circuit pattern drawn on a mask onto an exposure surface of a substrate,
A plurality of light emitting elements discretely two-dimensionally arranged, and by scanning in the first direction, light emitting means for irradiating a light beam that exposes the entire exposure table with a substantially uniform integrated exposure amount without a gap;
A light receiving means disposed at a predetermined position that does not interfere with exposure by the light flux emitted from the light emitting means;
A light guide unit disposed between the light emitting unit and the holding position of the mask, and guiding a part of each light beam emitted from the light emitting unit to the light receiving unit;
A light source system for an exposure apparatus, comprising: detecting means for detecting the amount of each light received by the light receiving means. The light source system for an exposure apparatus according to claim 1,
A light source system for an exposure apparatus, wherein the light guide means guides light in a partial area in a cross section of a plane parallel to an exposure surface of each light beam to the light receiving means. The light source system for an exposure apparatus according to claim 2,
The light source system for an exposure apparatus, wherein the partial areas of the light beams are substantially at the same position in each of the cross sections. The light source system for an exposure apparatus according to claim 3,
Each light beam emitted from the light emitting means is a parallel light beam. The light source system for an exposure apparatus according to claim 4,
The light source system for an exposure apparatus, wherein the partial area includes at least the vicinity of the center of the cross section. The light source system for an exposure apparatus according to claim 3,
Each light beam emitted from the light emitting means is a divergent light beam. The light source system for an exposure apparatus according to claim 6,
The light source system for an exposure apparatus, wherein the partial area is a predetermined area near the center of the cross section. The light source system for an exposure apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7,
The light source system for an exposure apparatus, wherein the light guide means has the same number of optical path deflecting members as the light emitting elements, which are arranged corresponding to the arrangement of the light emitting elements. The light source system for an exposure apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
The light guiding means includes an optical path deflecting member that extends in the arrangement direction of the light emitting elements, is disposed across the optical paths of the plurality of light beams emitted from the light emitting means, and deflects the optical paths of the plurality of light beams. A light source system for an exposure apparatus. The light source system for an exposure apparatus according to claim 8 or 9,
The light source system for an exposure apparatus, wherein the optical path deflecting members are arranged so as to be shifted from each other by a predetermined amount in a direction orthogonal to the exposure surface so as not to block light deflected by other optical path deflecting members. The light source system for an exposure apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10,
The light source system for an exposure apparatus, wherein the light receiving means has the same number of light receiving elements as the light emitting elements arranged corresponding to the arrangement of the light emitting elements. The light source system for an exposure apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 10,
The light receiving unit includes a plurality of CCD line sensors extending in a predetermined direction corresponding to the arrangement direction of the light emitting elements. The light source system for an exposure apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 12,
A plurality of the light emitting elements are arranged at a predetermined interval in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction, and the light emitting elements are arranged in the first direction within a plane defined by the first and second directions. A light source system for an exposure apparatus, wherein a plurality of light source systems are arranged at predetermined intervals in a third direction inclined by a predetermined angle. The light source system for an exposure apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 13,
A light source system for an exposure apparatus, further comprising an arithmetic unit that calculates a light amount in a substrate of each light beam emitted from each light emitting element based on a light amount detected by the detecting unit. 15. The light source system for an exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light emitting element is an ultraviolet LED that emits light in an ultraviolet region. A light source system for an exposure apparatus that exposes a circuit pattern drawn on a mask onto an exposure surface of a substrate,
A plurality of light sources discretely arranged in a two-dimensional array, and by scanning in the first direction, light emitting means for irradiating a light beam that exposes the entire exposure table with a substantially uniform integrated exposure amount without a gap;
An extraction unit that is disposed between the light emitting unit and the holding position of the mask and extracts at least a part of light in a predetermined region in a cross section of each light beam emitted from the light emitting unit;
A light source system for an exposure apparatus, comprising: a detection unit that detects a light amount of each light extracted by the extraction unit. The light source system for an exposure apparatus according to claim 16,
The light source system for an exposure apparatus, wherein the cross section of the light beam is a surface parallel to the exposure surface. The light source system for an exposure apparatus according to claim 17,
The light source system for an exposure apparatus, wherein the predetermined region is a region including a maximum intensity in a light intensity distribution in the cross section. A light source system for an exposure apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 15,
A comparison means for comparing the amount of light detected by the detection means of the light source system for the exposure apparatus with a predetermined reference value;
An exposure apparatus comprising: a control unit that controls the light emitting unit based on a comparison result of the comparing unit so that the light quantity matches a predetermined reference value.

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