TW202238279A - Exposure apparatus, exposure method and method for manufacturing article facilitate accuracy of joint exposure - Google Patents

Abstract

An exposure apparatus performs scanning exposure by illuminating an original plate with light from a light source and exposing a pattern of the original plate to a substrate while moving the substrate in a scanning direction so that joint exposure is carried out in a way of partially exposing an area exposed by a first exposure and an area exposed by a second exposure. The exposure apparatus includes: a projection optical system for projecting the pattern of the original plate on the substrate; a light-shielding plate for shielding a portion of exposure light in at least one of the first exposure and the second exposure; and a plurality of adjustment units configured to impose force to the light-shielding plate to adjust the amount of light shielded by the light-shielding plate. The plurality of adjustment units are arranged as asymmetrical with respect to a straight line passing through the optical axis of the projection optical system and along the scanning direction in a state where no force is applied to the light shielding plate.

Description

Exposure apparatus, exposure method and method of manufacturing article

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

In the manufacture of liquid crystal panels, organic EL displays, semiconductor devices, etc., a scanning type exposure apparatus is used that exposes a pattern of the original plate to a substrate coated with a resist layer through a projection optical system while moving the substrate in synchronization with the original plate. In recent years, in order to cope with the enlargement of the 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) where the pattern of the original plate is transferred by one scanning exposure. In terms of this method, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-317366 proposes an exposure method through joint exposure in which a plurality of partial regions are repeatedly exposed in a non-scanning direction perpendicular to the scanning direction.

When joint exposure is performed, it is important to reduce the variability in cumulative exposure in the joint area where adjacent partial areas overlap. In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2017-053888, the following content has been disclosed: a variable slit that can adjust the shape of the illumination 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 cumulative exposure in the combined area can be adjusted. The amount is uniform.

[Problem to be Solved by the Invention]

However, even if the variable seam described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2017-053888 is used, as long as the adjustment part that is not configured to adjust the variable seam corresponds to the intermediate position in the non-scanning direction of the joint area, the joint area cannot be fully adjusted. The variability within the cumulative exposure is uniform. In addition, the joint area depends on the layout of the panel to be produced, so it cannot be positioned so that the position of the adjustment part is optimal in all layouts. Although it is possible to cope with various layouts to a certain extent by increasing the number of adjustment parts, there are constraints such as configuration space. Therefore, even when the variable slit is used, variability occurs in the cumulative exposure amount in the joint area, and there is a possibility that the accuracy of exposure may be lowered.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an exposure apparatus that is advantageous in the precision of combined exposure. [Technical means to solve the problem]

In order to achieve the aforementioned object, an exposure device as an aspect of the present invention is an exposure device that illuminates a master plate with light from a light source and exposes a pattern of the master plate to the substrate while moving the substrate in a scanning direction. In scanning exposure, joint exposure is performed in such a manner that the area exposed by the first exposure and the area exposed by the second exposure partially overlap, and the exposure device has a projection optical system for projecting the pattern of the original plate on the a substrate; a light-shielding plate that shields a part of the exposure light in at least one of the first exposure and the second exposure; The amount of light shielded by the plate; the plurality of adjustment parts are arranged asymmetrically with respect to a straight line passing through the optical axis of the projection optical system and along the scanning direction in a state where no force is applied to the light shielding plate. Further features of the present invention will become apparent from the following embodiments (below referring to the drawings).

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings. In addition, in each figure, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same members, and overlapping descriptions are omitted.

<First Embodiment> The configuration of the exposure apparatus in this embodiment will be described. The exposure apparatus in this embodiment is a photolithography apparatus used for a photolithography process in the process of manufacturing devices such as semiconductor devices and FPDs. The exposure apparatus in this embodiment performs an exposure process of exposing a substrate through an original plate having a surface on which a pattern is formed, and transferring the pattern of the original plate to the substrate.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an exposure apparatus 100 in this embodiment. In the present embodiment, a coordinate system is defined with a direction parallel to the optical axis of the projection optical system 4 being the Z direction and an arbitrary plane perpendicular to the Z axis being the XY plane. Moreover, the scanning direction which moves the board|substrate 16 at the time of scanning exposure by the exposure apparatus 100 is defined as a Y direction, and the non-scanning direction orthogonal to a scanning direction is defined as an X direction.

The exposure apparatus 100 has an illumination optical system 1, an alignment scope 2 for detecting alignment marks between the original plate 3 and the substrate 16, an original plate stage 27, a projection optical system 4, an exposure level adjustment plate 19, a substrate stage 17, a control unit 20, Get part 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 (shading 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 among the lights emitted from the light source 5, only the light incident on the opening of the slit is transmitted to define the illumination range. The imaging optical system 10 includes a plurality of mirrors, and is configured to image the light passing through the slit 9 onto the original plate 3 . The plane mirror 11 bends the light 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 position of the object plane of the projection optical system 4 , and the substrate 16 is arranged at the position of 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 on the substrate 16 at an equal magnification, or can 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 passes through the first parallel flat plate 13a, the plane mirror 14, the concave mirror 12, the convex mirror 15, the concave mirror 12, and the plane mirror 14 of the projection optical system 4, and then passes through the second parallel flat plate 13b to form an image on the substrate. 16. A light sensor 18 (detection unit) for measuring an exposure amount is disposed on a substrate stage 17 for driving the substrate 16 .

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

In the exposure apparatus 100 in this embodiment, it is assumed that the substrate 16 is exposed in an exposure mode called combined exposure. FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a procedure of combined exposure. FIG. 2( a ) is a diagram illustrating a procedure (first exposure) for exposing the first exposure region 22 a of the substrate 16 . In FIG. 2( a ), while the original plate 3 is moved in the scanning direction (Y direction) in synchronization with the substrate 16 , the exposure light 23 is transmitted to expose the first exposure region 22 a.

FIG. 2( b ) is a diagram illustrating a procedure (second exposure) after the first exposure region 22 a is exposed. In FIG. 2( b ), the original plate 3 is moved in the non-scanning direction (X direction) in synchronization with the substrate 16 . At this time, 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 there is no non-exposed area between the first exposure area 22a and the second exposure area to be exposed in the next exposure, and a part overlaps.

FIG. 2( c ) is a diagram illustrating a procedure for exposing the second exposure region 22 b of the substrate 16 . In FIG. 2( c ), while the original plate 3 is moved in the scanning direction (Y direction) in synchronization with the substrate 16 , the second exposure region 22 b is exposed through the exposure light 23 . Here, the 2nd exposure area 22b is exposed in the mode that partly overlaps with the 1st exposure area 22a, so form the joint area 24 that overlaps in the 1st exposure area 22a and the 2nd exposure area 22b (repeatedly exposed in joint exposure) Area). In addition, in this embodiment, as long as it is a plurality of scanning exposures, it is not limited to two scanning exposures, and exposure may be performed by three or more scanning exposures.

FIG. 2( d ) is a graph plotting the cumulative exposure amount exposed by combined exposure. The accumulated exposure amount is an accumulated value of the exposure amount exposed to the substrate. In FIG. 2( d ), the cumulative exposure amount in the non-scanning direction (X direction) at one point in the Y direction of the first exposure region 22 a and the second exposure region 22 b is shown. The vertical axis of the graph represents the cumulative exposure, and the horizontal axis represents the position in the X direction. In the first exposure and the second exposure, exposure is repeated in the combined area 24 , so to make the cumulative exposure amount of the exposed area uniform, the exposure amount in the combined area 24 needs to be reduced. For example, the light path between the projection optical system 4 and the substrate 16 inserts the exposure adjustment plate 19 in the non-scanning direction (X direction), so that the exposure amount in the joint area 24 can be reduced. The control unit 20 controls the driving of the exposure level adjustment plate 19 . The exposure amount in the joint area 24 can be adjusted by driving the exposure amount adjustment plate 19 . The exposure amount adjustment plate 19 extends to the edge of the direction intersecting with the scanning direction (Y direction), so that the cumulative exposure amount of the combined area 24 exposed in the first exposure and the second exposure can be outside the combined area 24. area to the same extent.

However, when the cumulative exposure amount of the combined area 24 includes a secondary component through the adjustment of the exposure level adjustment plate 19 , it cannot be corrected to a uniform value over the entire combined area 24 . For example, it is impossible to correct the distribution of the cumulative exposure amount as shown in FIG. 2( d ) to be uniform. In the present embodiment, a description will be given of a method of adjusting the accumulated exposure amount in the joint region 24 to be uniform by deforming the shape of the slit 9 in order to adjust the distribution of the accumulated exposure amount uniformly.

In the joint exposure, it is possible to expose a wider area than can be exposed with one scanning exposure. For this reason, it becomes an advantageous technique when producing a large-screen liquid crystal panel or an organic EL panel, for example. However, since the combined area 24 is formed, it is necessary to suppress the variability of the cumulative exposure in the combined area 24 and other areas, or to suppress the variability of the cumulative exposure within the combined area 24 .

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the variable slit 21 capable of locally adjusting the exposure amount. FIG. 3( a ) is a diagram illustrating a comparative example of the present embodiment, and a plurality of adjustment parts 21 c of the variable slit 21 are arranged bilaterally symmetrically. FIG. 3( b ) is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the variable slit 21 according to the present embodiment, and a plurality of adjustment parts 21 c are arranged asymmetrically on the left and right.

The variable slit 21 is applied to the slit 9 (shading plate). The variable seam 21 is composed of a variable piece 21a and a fixed piece 21b. The variable piece 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 piece 21a to adjust the slit width at each position (variable piece The width between piece 21a and fixed piece 21b). That is, the variable slit 21 is biased to deform the variable slit 21 to adjust the shape of the opening 21d. The opening 21d is the space between the variable piece 21a and the fixed piece 21b, and the 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 part 21c (L1-5 and R1-5) in this embodiment is arrange|positioned with respect to the straight line which passes through the center of a slit and along a scanning direction (Y direction) in the state which does not apply force to the variable slit 21. asymmetric. Here, the center of the slit is, for example, the optical axis of the projection optical system 4 .

In FIG. 3( a ), the interval between two adjacent adjustment parts 21 c ( L1 to L5 or R1 to R5 ) is set to A. As shown in FIG. The difference from the central position of the joint region is the same amount when selecting the adjusting part 21c (L1-L5) and when selecting the adjusting part 21c (R1-R5). For example, when the central position of the joint region is the position indicated by the square in FIG. Therefore, in the case of FIG. 3( a ), in the non-scanning direction (X direction), the distance between the center position of the joint region 24 and the adjustment part deviates by A/2 at most.

On the other hand, in FIG. 3( b ), the difference between the center position of the joint region and the case of selecting the adjustment unit 21c ( L1 to L5 ) and the selection of the adjustment unit 21c ( R1 to R5 ) is different. In Fig. 3(b), the distance between two adjacent adjustment parts 21c (L1-L5 or R1-R5) is A, and the center of the opening 21d (the position of X0) is used as a reference to the adjustment part 21c (L1 ~L5) Symmetrical positions are indicated by black circles. In this embodiment, the arrangement of the one adjustment part 21c (R1-5) is an intermediate position (intermediate position between the black circle and the black circle) of the other adjustment part 21c (L1-5). In FIG. 3( b ), for example, when the central position of the joint region is the position indicated by the square in FIG. 3( b ), the difference will be different when the adjustment part 21c (L5) or the adjustment part 21c (R5) is selected. When the adjustment unit 21c (L5) is selected, the difference from the center position of the joint area is 3A/4, and when the adjustment unit 21c (R5) is selected, the difference from the center position of the joint area is A/4. That is, in FIG. 3( b ), by selecting a close adjustment part, the difference from the center position of the joint area can be suppressed to a maximum deviation of A/4. In addition, when the adjustment part 21c (L4) is selected, the difference from the center position of the joint area is A/4, so the adjustment part 21c (L4) can also be selected. That is, it is only necessary to select the adjustment unit closest to the center position of the joint area.

Here, the reason for improving the exposure accuracy in the joint area 24 by minimizing the distance between the center position of the joint area 24 and the adjustment portion 21c in the non-scanning direction (X direction) will be described. As shown in FIG. 2( d ), when the cumulative exposure amount distribution of the joint region 24 has a quadratic shape, the adjustment unit 21 c can adjust to eliminate the quadratic component of the cumulative exposure amount. At this time, the secondary component of the cumulative exposure has a peak at the center of the joint region 24 . By adjusting the adjusting portion 21c corresponding to the position of the peak position of the quadratic shape or a position close thereto, the quadratic component of the cumulative exposure amount can be removed more effectively.

For example, it is assumed that the adjustment unit that adjusts the exposure amount for exposing the joint area 24 in the first exposure among the plurality of adjustment units and the center position in the non-scanning direction (X direction) of the planned position for forming the joint area 24 The first distance of the distance of the position coordinates. In addition, it is assumed that the adjustment unit that adjusts the exposure amount for exposing the joint area 24 in the second exposure among the plurality of adjustment units and the center position in the non-scanning direction (X direction) of the planned position for forming the joint area 24 The second distance of the distance of the position coordinates. And, the first distance and the second distance are compared. When the first distance is smaller than the second distance, the first exposure adjusts the exposure to the joint area 24, and when the second distance is smaller than the first distance, the second exposure adjusts the exposure to the joint area 24. amount, so that the secondary components of the accumulated exposure amount can be effectively removed.

Here, the secondary component means that the shape of the exposure distribution in the non-scanning direction (X direction) of the combined region 24 includes a curve, and the secondary component is removed so that the exposure in the non-scanning direction (X direction) of the combined region 24 The shape of the quantity distribution changes from a curve to a straight line. In the present embodiment, the plurality of adjustment units are controlled so that the shape of the exposure amount distribution in the combined area 24 changes from a curve to a straight line.

The reason why the cumulative exposure amount of the joint region 24 has a secondary component may be, for example, an error during manufacture of the optical member. For example, manufacturing errors of mirrors used for the imaging optical system 10 are the main cause. In the present embodiment, when the illumination shape for illuminating the original plate 3 is an arc, the mirror used for the imaging optical system 10 is ground in a direction along the arc shape. Using a reflector polished in a direction along an arc shape may cause unevenness in illuminance along the scanning direction (Y direction) of the illumination shape. In the case of uneven illumination in the scanning direction (Y direction), the cumulative exposure amount becomes the cumulative value of the places where the exposure amount becomes larger and smaller, so the cumulative exposure amount becomes uniform, and most of the arc-shaped illumination area won't be a problem.

However, at the end of the arc-shaped illumination area (illumination area near the edge of the exposure level adjustment plate 19 ), the portion where the exposure amount is increased may be blocked and only the portion where the exposure amount is decreased may be accumulated in the joint area 24 . Alternatively, the place where the exposure amount becomes smaller may be blocked, and only the place where the exposure amount becomes larger may be accumulated in the joint region 24 . In such a case, the cumulative exposure amount does not become uniform in the joint region 24 , and as a result, the distribution of the cumulative exposure amount exhibits a quadratic shape having a peak at the center of the joint region 24 .

In this embodiment, the adjustment part 21c is selected to correspond to the vicinity of the center of the joint area 24, so the secondary component in the distribution of the cumulative exposure is effectively removed, so that the variability of the cumulative exposure of the joint area 24 can be effectively reduced. In addition, in order to maximize the precision of joint exposure, the adjustment part 21 c is arranged asymmetrically on the left and right, and one of them is selected to correct the secondary component, so that the precision of joint exposure can be improved. In FIG. 3 , although the arrangement of the adjustment parts on the opposite side is all arranged in the middle of individual symmetrical positions with respect to one adjustment part, the adjustment part 21c (for example, R1 and L1 near the center of the opening 21d) is not used in the joint area. ) can also be arranged in a symmetrical position. 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 of determining which adjustment unit to drive among the plurality of adjustment units 21 c and a method of determining the driving amount of the adjustment unit when performing joint exposure will be described. The acquisition unit 26 acquires information such as the layout of panels to be produced that is input to an input device (not shown) by a user. Accordingly, the acquiring unit 26 can acquire positional information of a predetermined area forming the joint area 24 . The location information of the predetermined area forming the combined area 24 refers to the coordinates of the middle position of the combined area 24 in the non-scanning direction (X direction), for example. The coordinates of the entire joint area 24 can be obtained 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 combined area 24 exposed by the first exposure and the second exposure based on the position information of the combined area 24, and drives the exposure level adjustment plate 19 in the non-scanning direction (X direction) to Part of the light path is shaded. Moreover, in order to determine the drive amount of the adjustment part 21c, the light amount sensor 18 measures the exposure amount distribution. Specifically, the substrate table 17 is stepped in the non-scanning direction (X direction) step by step, and the light quantity sensor 18 detects the light quantity. The measurement of the exposure amount distribution through the light sensor 18 may be performed each time before joint exposure, or may be performed at a timing when the layout of a panel to be produced is changed, or at a timing when a predetermined time elapses from the previous measurement.

Referring to FIG. 4 , a description will be given of a method for making the cumulative exposure amount of the combined region 24 uniform in the combined exposure in this embodiment. In FIG. 4 , an example in which combined exposure is performed by two scanning exposures of the first exposure and the second exposure will be described. In addition, in the exposure level adjustment plate 19 described below, the exposure level adjustment plate 19a and the exposure level adjustment plate 19b are provided in different shapes with the optical path sandwiched between them.

FIG. 4( a ) is a diagram showing the correspondence between the position of the exposure region 24 , the position of the variable slit 21 exposed in the first exposure, and the position of the exposure amount adjustment plate 19 a. In the first exposure, the exposure amount adjustment plate 19a is driven in the non-scanning direction (X direction), and the exposure amount of the joint area 24 is adjusted to a continuous exposure amount distribution of 0% to 100%. FIG.4(b) is a figure which shows the correspondence of the position of the exposure area|region 24, the position of the variable slit 21 exposed in the 2nd, and the position of the exposure amount adjustment plate 19b. In the second exposure, the exposure amount adjustment plate 19b is driven in the non-scanning direction (X direction), and the exposure amount of the joint area 24 is adjusted to a continuous exposure amount distribution of 0% to 100%. In addition, referring to FIG. 4( a ) and FIG. 4( b ), the middle position in the non-scanning direction (X direction) of the exposure area 24 corresponds to the adjustment part at the position of R3. Therefore, the adjusting unit at the position of R3 is driven to correct the quadratic shape of the accumulated exposure amount distribution.

FIG. 4( c ) is a diagram illustrating a region exposed by joint exposure, a position in a non-scanning direction (X direction) at a Y coordinate position, and a pattern of cumulative exposure. The vertical axis of the graph is the cumulative exposure, and the horizontal axis is the position in the non-scanning direction (X direction). The dotted line in the graph is the result of measuring the exposure amount distribution in advance through the light amount sensor 18, and shows a quadratic cumulative exposure amount distribution. The control unit 20 calculates the correction amount of the cumulative exposure amount of the quadratic shape, and determines the driving amount of the adjustment unit at the position R3 and the adjustment unit related to the periphery of the corrected position R3. As shown in FIG. 4( c), when the cumulative exposure amount of the joint region 24 is smaller than the cumulative exposure amount of other regions, the adjustment part is adjusted in the direction of widening the opening 21d, so that the cumulative exposure amount is shown in FIG. 4( The solid line in the graph of c) indicates that the joint area 24 can also be uniformly exposed.

A description will be given of the procedure for performing joint exposure with the exposure apparatus 100 . FIG. 5 is a flow chart illustrating the processing method through the joint exposure in this embodiment. The control unit 20 controls each part of the exposure apparatus 100 to execute each step described below.

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

In step S502 , the control unit 20 drives the exposure level adjustment plate 19 in order to adjust the cumulative exposure amount of the joint area 24 based on the position information of the joint area 24 acquired in step S501 . In addition, when the exposure level adjustment plate 19 is driven, the exposure level distribution is obtained through the light level sensor 18 . The cumulative exposure amount of the joint region 24 is calculated by the sum of the cumulative exposure amount of the first exposure and the cumulative exposure amount of the second exposure. When the current joint area is performed 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 acquired 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 stored in the control unit 20 in advance, the adjustment unit closest to the position coordinates of the intermediate position in the non-scanning direction (X direction) of the predetermined joint area 24 to be formed is passed through the control unit 20 And judge. The control unit 20 determines the driving amount of the selected adjustment unit and its surrounding adjustment units (for example, adjustment units arranged adjacent to the selected adjustment unit).

In the above description, although the example in which the adjustment unit 21c is controlled to remove the secondary component of the exposure distribution (that is, to correct the exposure distribution of the quadratic shape to the distribution of the primary shape) is described, it cannot be said that only this is the case. The cumulative exposure of the combined area 24 has been corrected to be uniform. The need adjustment unit 21c controls to also remove the primary component instead of only the secondary component. In the following, an example related to the removal of primary components will be described.

Here, the primary component represents the linear component of the exposure distribution in the non-scanning direction (X direction) of the joint region 24, and the secondary and primary components are removed so that the exposure amount distribution in the non-scanning direction (X direction) of the joint region 24 The shape of the exposure amount distribution becomes a straight line without inclination. In the present embodiment, the plurality of adjustment units are controlled so that the shape of the exposure dose distribution of the combined area 24 becomes a straight line without inclination, so that the combined area 24 is uniformly exposed.

In step S502, the adjustment unit at the position opposite to the adjustment unit selected for removing the secondary component is driven so that the cumulative exposure amount becomes uniform. That is, in Fig. 4(a), in the case where the adjustment unit at the position of R3 is selected in the first exposure for secondary shape correction, the second exposure controls the adjustment unit at the opposite side to the position of R3, thereby eliminating the primary Element. Specifically, the primary components can be removed by driving the adjustment units of L2 to L5 that affect the exposure amount of the exposure area 24 by a fixed amount.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the adjustment unit (the adjustment unit at the position R2 to R5) belonging to the same position as the adjustment unit (the adjustment unit at the position R3) selected for removing the secondary component may be driven, thereby The cumulative exposure amount is made uniform by removing primary components. That is, it may be a method of removing secondary components in the first exposure and removing a primary component in the second exposure, or a method of performing correction only in one of the first exposure and the second exposure. Alternatively, the first exposure and the second exposure may be divided into a predetermined ratio, and the primary component and the secondary component may be removed in separate exposures. In addition, after the calibration drive is performed based on the correction amount determined in step S503, the cumulative exposure amount can be confirmed again with the light sensor 18 as in step S502, and a more accurate correction amount of the adjustment unit 21c can be calculated.

In step S504, the adjustment unit 21c is driven with the driving amount determined in step S503, and combined exposure is performed.

In the present embodiment, even if the combined region 24 has an exposure distribution of the secondary component, it is possible to pass through the adjustment part arranged asymmetrically along a straight line along the scanning direction (Y direction) with respect to the center of gravity of the passage opening 21d. Among them, an appropriate adjustment unit is selected and driven to correct the cumulative exposure amount to be uniform. Furthermore, it becomes possible to perform joint exposure corresponding to a colorful panel layout.

<Second Embodiment> In the first embodiment, an example was described in which the cumulative exposure amount of the joint area can be corrected to be uniform by applying the variable slit 21 provided with the plurality of adjustment parts 21c arranged asymmetrically in the slit 9 from left to right. In this embodiment, an example in which the variable adjustment plate 25 provided with the plurality of adjustment portions 27 arranged asymmetrically in the left and right is applied to the exposure level adjustment plate 19 will be described. In addition, since the configuration of the exposure apparatus 100 is the same as that of the first embodiment, description thereof will be omitted. In addition, regarding matters not mentioned in this embodiment, follow 1st Embodiment.

In this embodiment, the slit 9 is not configured to make the cumulative exposure amount of the combined area uniform, but is configured to define the illumination shape of the light illuminating the original plate 3 as, for example, an arc shape. Therefore, when it is not necessary to define the illumination shape, it does not need to be configured in the exposure device 100 . Moreover, when the slit 9 is arrange|positioned, the slit 9 does not need to be a variable slit, and may be a variable slit similarly to 1st Embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a variable adjustment plate 25 (shading plate) capable of locally adjusting the exposure amount. The variable adjustment plate 25 has left and right two light shielding plates 25a, 25b. The variable adjustment plate 25 has a plurality of adjustment parts 27 (L1 to 7, R1 to 7), and each adjustment part 27 pushes and pulls the light shielding plates 27a and 27b to locally adjust the light shielding exposure amount. The adjustment part 27 (L1-7) is arrange|positioned asymmetrically with respect to the adjustment part 27 (R1-7). Specifically, in the state where no force is applied to the light shielding plate 27a and the light shielding plate 27b, they are arranged asymmetrically with respect to a straight line passing through the center positions of the light shielding plate 27a and the light shielding plate 27b along the scanning direction (Y direction). When the shading plate is not driven in the non-scanning direction (X direction), the position of the center of gravity of the illuminated area depending on the exposure light is an intermediate position between the shading plate 27a and the shading plate 27b. In FIG. 6 , positions symmetrical to the positions L1 to L7 are indicated by black circles. The adjustment part 27 (R1-7) is arrange|positioned in the position different from the black circle. The reason why the adjustment unit 27 is arranged asymmetrically is that the adjustment unit used for correction can be selected to remove the secondary component of the joint exposure area in the same way as in the first embodiment.

In the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, even if the joint region 24 has an exposure distribution of the secondary component, it is possible to select and drive an appropriate adjustment unit among the adjustment units arranged asymmetrically on the left and right. The cumulative exposure is thereby corrected to be uniform. Furthermore, it becomes possible to perform joint exposure corresponding to a colorful panel layout.

<Embodiments of the manufacturing method of the article> The manufacturing method of the article related to the embodiment of the present invention is suitable for manufacturing, for example, a flat panel display (FPD). The method of manufacturing an article according to this embodiment includes: a process of forming a latent image pattern on a photosensitive agent coated on a substrate using the above-mentioned exposure device (a process of exposing the substrate); A procedure for developing substrates. Furthermore, the manufacturing method includes other well-known procedures (oxidation, film formation, vapor deposition, doping, planarization, etching, resist stripping, dicing, bonding, packaging, etc.). The method of manufacturing an article according to this embodiment is advantageous in at least one of article performance, quality, productivity, and production cost compared to conventional methods.

As mentioned above, although the preferred embodiment of this invention was described, it goes without saying that this invention is not limited to these embodiment, Various deformation|transformation and a change are possible within the range of the summary.

3: Original 4: Projection optical system 5: light source 9: Slit 16: Substrate 19: Exposure adjustment board 21c: Adjustment Department 22a: The first exposure area 22b: The second exposure area 100: Exposure device

[FIG. 1] is a schematic diagram showing the structure of an exposure apparatus. [ Fig. 2 ] is a diagram for explaining joint exposure. [ Fig. 3] Fig. 3 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a slit in the first embodiment. [ Fig. 4] Fig. 4 is a diagram illustrating combined exposure in the first embodiment. [FIG. 5] It is a flowchart which shows the procedure of combined exposure in 1st Embodiment. [FIG. 6] It is a figure which shows the structure of the exposure level adjustment plate in 2nd Embodiment.

9: Slit

21: variable seam

21a: Variable pieces

21b: Fixed pieces

21c: Adjustment Department

21d: opening

Claims (14)

An exposure device that performs scanning exposure for illuminating an original plate with light from a light source and exposing a pattern of the original plate to the substrate while moving the substrate in a scanning direction, so that the area exposed through the first exposure and the area to be exposed are Joint exposure is performed in such a way that the area exposed by the second exposure is partially repeated, The aforementioned exposure device has: a projection optical system, which projects the pattern of the aforementioned original plate onto the aforementioned substrate; a light-shielding plate that shields a part 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 that is shielded through the light-shielding plate; The plurality of adjustment parts are arranged asymmetrically with respect to a straight line passing through the optical axis of the projection optical system and along the scanning direction in a state where no force is applied to the light shielding plate. The exposure device according to claim 1, wherein the light-shielding plate is arranged between the light source and the original plate, and is a variable slit defining the shape of illumination to the original plate. The exposure device according to claim 2, further comprising an exposure amount adjustment plate inserted in the light path between the projection optical system and the substrate, The exposure level adjustment plate reduces the exposure level of the area exposed in the combined exposure. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the light-shielding plate is an exposure amount adjustment plate inserted in the light path between the projection optical system and the substrate, and reduces exposure in a region exposed in the repeated exposure of the joint exposure quantity. The exposure device according to claim 1, further comprising a control unit for controlling the driving of the plurality of adjustment units, The control unit adjusts the cumulative exposure amount exposed to the area that is repeatedly exposed in the combined exposure. The exposure device according to claim 5, wherein the control unit arranges the exposure in the area exposed in the repeated joint exposure based on the position information of the area exposed in the joint exposure and the positions of the plurality of adjustment units. Cumulative exposure. The exposure device according to claim 5, wherein the control unit selects the area to be exposed in the first exposure adjustment based on the position information of the area exposed by the combined exposure and the positions of the plurality of adjustment units. The exposure amount of the area repeatedly exposed or the exposure amount of the area repeatedly exposed in the aforementioned combined exposure adjusted in the second exposure. The exposure device according to claim 5, further comprising an acquisition unit that acquires positional information of an area that is repeatedly exposed in the combined exposure before performing the first exposure. The exposure apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the obtaining unit obtains position coordinates of a center position in a direction perpendicular to the scanning direction of the region exposed by the repeated exposure. The exposure device according to claim 5, which further has a detection unit for detecting light exposed to the surface on which the substrate is arranged, The control unit adjusts the driving amount of the plurality of adjustment units based on the result detected by the detection unit. The exposure device according to claim 5, wherein the control unit compares a first distance with a second distance, and the first distance is repeated between the first exposure adjustment exposure and the joint exposure among the plurality of adjustment units. The distance between the adjustment unit of the exposure amount of the exposed area and the position coordinates of the center position in the direction perpendicular to the scanning direction of the area where the combined exposure is repeated and exposed, the second distance is the plurality of adjustment units Among them, the second exposure adjusts the exposure at the center position of the adjustment part of the exposure amount in the area where the combined exposure is repeatedly exposed and the direction perpendicular to the scanning direction of the area where the combined exposure is repeatedly exposed. The distance of the position coordinates, in the case where the first distance is smaller than the second distance, the exposure amount of the first exposure is adjusted, and when the second distance is smaller than the first distance, the second exposure is adjusted exposure. The exposure device according to claim 11, wherein, when the first distance is smaller than the second distance, the control unit drives the plurality of adjustment units in the first exposure to repeat exposure during the combined exposure The secondary component of the exposure amount distribution in the direction perpendicular to the scanning direction of the region is removed, and when the second distance is smaller than the first distance, the second exposure drives the plurality of adjustment parts The secondary component of the exposure amount distribution in the direction orthogonal to the aforementioned scanning direction for the area exposed in which the aforementioned joint exposure is repeated is removed. An exposure method that performs scanning exposure of illuminating an original plate with light from a light source and exposing a pattern of the original plate to the substrate while moving the substrate in a scanning direction, and is exposed through the first exposure Exposure is performed by an exposure device that performs joint exposure in such a way that the area of the area and the area exposed by the second exposure partially overlap, The aforementioned exposure device has: a projection optical system, which projects the pattern of the aforementioned master plate onto the aforementioned substrate; and a light shielding plate for shielding a part of the exposure light in at least one of the first exposure and the second exposure; The foregoing exposure method includes the following procedures: With respect to the optical axis passing through the projection optical system and along the scanning direction in a state where the light shielding plate is not urged by the plurality of adjustment parts that adjust the amount of light that is shielded by passing through the light shielding plate, The plurality of adjustment parts arranged in straight lines asymmetrically apply force to the light-shielding plate to adjust the shape of the opening formed through the light-shielding plate. A method of manufacturing an article, comprising: An exposure procedure for exposing a substrate using an exposure device according to any one of Claims 1 to 12; a developing process for developing the substrate exposed in the aforementioned exposing process; and A process for manufacturing an article from a substrate developed in the preceding developing process.

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