Instructional programs, program sets, and drawing systems

Abstract

To improve efficiency of pattern drawing.SOLUTION: A drawing system 7 comprises a terminal for design 2, a drawing apparatus 1, an intermediate storage part 3, and a terminal for instruction 4. The terminal for design 2 is used for designing design data of a pattern. The drawing apparatus 1 performs pattern drawing onto a photosensitive material on a substrate on the basis of design data designed on the terminal for design 2. The intermediate storage part 3 stores the design data designed on the terminal for design 2. The terminal for instruction 4 is used for instruction of a drawing processing to the drawing apparatus 1. The drawing system 7 performs, by executing a program for instruction on the terminal for instruction 4: a process of acquiring one design datum used in drawing from the intermediate storage part 3; a process of creating drawing instruction information showing the content of drawing processing to be executed by the drawing apparatus 1 on the basis of the one design datum; and a process of sending the drawing instruction information from the terminal for instruction 4 to the drawing apparatus 1. Thus, efficiency of pattern drawing can be improved.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0006] , ,

[0001] The present invention relates to a drawing system for performing drawing on a substrate, as well as an instruction program and a program set used in the drawing system.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, pattern drawing has been performed by irradiating light onto a photosensitive material formed on a semiconductor substrate, a printed circuit board, or a glass substrate for an organic EL display device or a liquid crystal display device (hereinafter referred to as "substrate").

[0003] In Patent Document 1, an example of the processing related to the pattern drawing is disclosed. In the pattern drawing system of Patent Document 1, first, design data of a pattern described in vector format is created, and then the design data is converted into raster format drawing data. Then, in a drawing device, light is irradiated onto the photosensitive material on the substrate based on the drawing data, and a pattern is drawn.

[0004] In addition, in the processing related to pattern drawing, between the creation processing of design data and the conversion processing from design data to drawing data, selection of a drawing device used for drawing, setting of drawing parameters based on the design data, etc. are performed. The drawing parameters indicate, for example, the content of the drawing processing to be executed by the drawing device according to the type of the photosensitive material on the substrate.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] However, as mentioned above, when drawing a pattern by sequentially performing the design data creation process, the drawing device selection process, the drawing parameter setting process, and the conversion process from design data to drawing data, one of these processes may become a bottleneck, potentially reducing the efficiency of pattern drawing.

[0007] This invention has been made in view of the above problems and aims to improve the efficiency of pattern drawing. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The invention described in claim 1 is, vector format A design terminal used to design pattern design data, and the design data designed on the design terminal. Convert the drawing data into raster format data An instruction program used in a drawing system comprising: a plurality of drawing devices that each draw patterns on a photosensitive material on a substrate based on; an intermediate storage unit that is communicatively connected to the design terminal and stores design data designed at the design terminal; and an instruction terminal that is communicatively connected to the intermediate storage unit and the plurality of drawing devices and is used to instruct the plurality of drawing devices to perform drawing processes, wherein the instruction terminal has parameter information pre-stored that shows the relationship between a plurality of combinations of drawing devices and photosensitive materials and a plurality of drawing parameters corresponding to each of the plurality of combinations, and when the instruction program is executed at the instruction terminal, a) a step of acquiring one design data to be used for drawing from the intermediate storage unit; b) a step of selecting one drawing device from the plurality of drawing devices to which drawing instruction information is to be sent; c) a step of extracting one drawing parameter from the parameter information that corresponds to the photosensitive material to be used, which is the photosensitive material on the substrate to be drawn on by the one drawing device, and the one drawing device; and d) an indication of the content of the drawing process that the one drawing device should perform based on the one design data. The aforementioned The process involves creating drawing instruction information, including the drawing parameter extracted in step c) above in the drawing instruction information, and sending the drawing instruction information from the instruction terminal to the drawing device.

[0010] Claim 2 The invention described in the claim 1 The instruction program described above includes information indicating the photosensitive material to be used, which is included in the design data obtained from the intermediate storage unit in step a).

[0011] Claim 3 The invention described in the claim 1 or 2 The instruction program described above, in which, when a new drawing parameter corresponding to a new photosensitive material is acquired in one of the plurality of drawing devices, the new drawing parameter is sent to the instruction terminal and included in the parameter information in association with the one drawing device and the new photosensitive material.

[0012] Claim 4 The invention described above comprises a design terminal used for designing pattern design data, and a mechanism for drawing patterns onto a photosensitive material on a substrate based on the design data designed by the design terminal. each conduct multiple A drawing device, an intermediate storage unit which is communicatively connected to the design terminal and stores design data designed on the design terminal, and the intermediate memory section and the above multiple The drawing device is connected in a communicative manner, multiple A program set used in a drawing system comprising an instruction terminal used to instruct a drawing device to perform drawing processing, the set comprising a design program used to design design data at the design terminal, as described in claim 1 to 3 It comprises an instruction program described in any one of the following.

[0013] The invention described in claim 5 is a drawing system for drawing a pattern on a substrate, vector format A design terminal used to design pattern design data, and the design data designed on the design terminal. Convert the drawing data into raster format dataA plurality of drawing devices that each perform pattern drawing on a photosensitive material on a substrate, an intermediate storage unit that is communicably connected to the design terminal and stores design data designed by the design terminal, and the intermediate storage unit and the plurality of drawing devices A command terminal that is communicably connected and is used for instructing drawing processing to the plurality of drawing devices, wherein the command terminal stores in advance parameter information indicating the relationship between a plurality of combinations of drawing devices and photosensitive materials and a plurality of drawing parameters respectively corresponding to the plurality of combinations. The command terminal acquires one piece of design data used for drawing from the intermediate storage unit, selects one drawing device from which drawing instruction information is to be sent from the plurality of drawing devices, and uses the photosensitive material on the substrate on which drawing is to be performed by the one drawing device. One drawing parameter corresponding to the material and the one drawing device is extracted from the parameter information, and based on the one design data, The aforementioned Drawing instruction information is created, the one drawing parameter is included in the drawing instruction information, and the drawing instruction information is sent to the one drawing device.

Effect of the Invention

[0014] In the present invention, the efficiency of pattern drawing can be improved.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0015] [Figure 1] It is a diagram showing the configuration of a drawing system according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] It is a perspective view showing a drawing device. [Figure 3] It is a diagram showing the configuration of a design terminal. [Figure 4] It is a diagram showing the configuration of a command terminal. [Figure 5] It is a block diagram showing the functions of a command terminal. [Figure 6] It is a diagram showing a specific example of parameter information. [Figure 7] It is a flowchart showing the flow of processing in a command terminal.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0016] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a drawing system 7 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The drawing system 7 is a system for drawing a pattern on a substrate.

[0017] The drawing system 7 includes a drawing device 1, a design terminal 2, an intermediate storage unit 3, and an instruction terminal 4. The drawing device 1 is a direct drawing device that irradiates a photosensitive material on a substrate with spatially modulated substantially beam-shaped light and scans the irradiation area of the light on the substrate to draw a pattern. In the example shown in FIG. (1), the drawing system 7 includes a plurality of drawing devices 1. The design terminal 2 is used for designing the design data of the pattern. The design data is, for example, CAD data in vector format. The intermediate storage unit 3 temporarily stores the design data designed by the design terminal 2. Usually, a plurality of design data are stored in the intermediate storage unit 3.

[0018] The instruction terminal 4 is used for instructing the drawing process to the drawing device 1. Specifically, the instruction terminal 4 acquires one piece of design data planned to be used for drawing the pattern from the intermediate storage unit 3 and selects one drawing device 1 planned to be used for drawing the pattern from the plurality of drawing devices 1 described above. Subsequently, the instruction terminal 4 creates drawing instruction information indicating the content of the drawing process to be executed by the one drawing device 1 based on the one piece of design data. Then, the instruction terminal 4 sends the drawing instruction information together with the one piece of design data to the selected one drawing device 1. Details of the drawing instruction information will be described later. The one drawing device 1 performs drawing on the substrate 9 based on the one piece of design data designed by the design terminal 2 and the drawing instruction information created by the instruction terminal 4.

[0019] In the drawing system 7, a standard computer is used as the design terminal 2, intermediate storage unit 3, and instruction terminal 4. In the example shown in Figure 1, the instruction terminal 4 is installed in the design department 81, which performs tasks related to pattern design. On the other hand, the instruction terminal 4 and the drawing device 1 are installed in the manufacturing department 82, which performs tasks related to drawing patterns on the substrate. In Figure 1, the design department 81 and the manufacturing department 82 are shown by dashed lines. The manufacturing department 82 is located in a different building from the design department 81, for example. The intermediate storage unit 3 may be installed in the design department 81, the manufacturing department 82, or a location other than the design department 81 and the manufacturing department 82. The intermediate storage unit 3 is connected to the design terminal 2 and the instruction terminal 4 via wired or wireless communication. The instruction terminal 4 is connected to the intermediate storage unit 3 and the drawing device 1 via wired or wireless communication. Note that the installation locations of the design terminal 2, intermediate storage unit 3, instruction terminal 4, and drawing device 1 may be changed as appropriate.

[0020] Figure 2 is a perspective view showing one drawing device 1. The structure of other drawing devices 1 is substantially the same as that shown in Figure 2. In Figure 2, three mutually orthogonal directions are indicated by arrows as the X, Y, and Z directions. In the example shown in Figure 2, the X and Y directions are mutually perpendicular horizontal directions, and the Z direction is vertical.

[0021] The drawing apparatus 1 comprises a stage 121, a stage moving mechanism 122, a drawing unit 14, a data generation device 15, and a control unit 16. The stage 121 is a substantially flat substrate holding unit located below the drawing unit 14 (i.e., on the (-Z) side) and holds the horizontal substrate 9 from below. The substrate 9 is, for example, a plate-shaped member that is substantially rectangular in plan view. The substrate 9 is, for example, a printed circuit board. The stage 121 is, for example, a vacuum chuck that holds the lower surface of the substrate 9 by suction. The stage 121 may have a structure other than a vacuum chuck. The upper surface 91 of the substrate 9 placed on the stage 121 is substantially perpendicular to the Z direction and substantially parallel to the X and Y directions.

[0022] The stage movement mechanism 122 is a movement mechanism that moves the stage 121 relative to the drawing unit 14 in a horizontal direction (i.e., a direction substantially parallel to the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9). The stage movement mechanism 122 comprises a first movement mechanism 123 and a second movement mechanism 124. The second movement mechanism 124 moves the stage 121 linearly in the X direction along a guide rail. The first movement mechanism 123 moves the stage 121 linearly in the Y direction along the guide rail together with the second movement mechanism 124. The drive source for the first movement mechanism 123 and the second movement mechanism 124 is, for example, a linear servo motor or a motor attached to a ball screw. The structure of the first movement mechanism 123 and the second movement mechanism 124 can be modified in various ways.

[0023] The drawing device 1 may be provided with a stage rotation mechanism that rotates the stage 121 around a rotation axis extending in the Z direction. The drawing device 1 may also be provided with a stage lifting mechanism that moves the stage 121 in the Z direction. For example, a servo motor can be used as the stage rotation mechanism. For example, a linear servo motor can be used as the stage lifting mechanism. The structures of the stage rotation mechanism and the stage lifting mechanism can be modified in various ways.

[0024] The drawing unit 14 includes a plurality of drawing heads 141 (five in the example shown in Figure 2) arranged in the X and Y directions. Each drawing head 141 includes a light source, optical system, and spatial light modulation element (not shown). Each drawing head 141 is supported above the stage 121 and the stage moving mechanism 122 by a head support 140 that spans the stage 121 and the stage moving mechanism 122. The number of drawing heads 141 in the drawing unit 14 may be one or multiple.

[0025] In the drawing device 1, modulated (i.e., spatially light-modulated) light is irradiated onto the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9 from multiple drawing heads 141 of the drawing unit 14, while the substrate 9 is moved in the Y direction by the stage moving mechanism 122. As a result, the light irradiation areas from the multiple drawing heads 141 are scanned on the substrate 9 in the Y direction, and a pattern is drawn on the substrate 9. In the following description, the Y direction will also be referred to as the "scanning direction". The stage moving mechanism 122 is a scanning mechanism that moves the light irradiation areas from each drawing head 141 on the substrate 9 in the scanning direction.

[0026] In the drawing device 1, drawing on the substrate 9 is performed using a so-called single-pass method. Specifically, the stage 121 is moved relative to the multiple drawing heads 141 in the Y direction by the stage moving mechanism 122, and the light irradiation area from the multiple drawing heads 141 is scanned only once in the Y direction (i.e., scanning direction) on the upper surface 91 of the substrate 9. This completes the drawing on the substrate 9. In addition, the drawing device 1 may also perform drawing on the substrate 9 using a multi-pass method in which the stage 121 is moved in the Y direction and stepped in the X direction repeatedly. When multi-pass drawing is performed in the drawing device 1, the Y direction is the main scanning direction and the X direction is the sub-scanning direction. Furthermore, the first moving mechanism 123 of the stage moving mechanism 122 is a main scanning mechanism that moves the stage 121 in the main scanning direction, and the second moving mechanism 124 is a sub-scanning mechanism that moves the stage 121 in the sub-scanning direction.

[0027] The data generation device 15 converts the vector-format design data sent from the instruction terminal 4 (see Figure 1) to generate raster-format drawing data. Furthermore, during the generation of the drawing data, the data generation device 15 performs distortion correction based on deformation of the substrate 9 on which the pattern drawing is to be performed. In the drawing system 7, for example, a standard computer is used as the data generation device 15.

[0028] The control unit 16 controls the stage movement mechanism 122 and the drawing unit 14, etc., based on the drawing data generated by the data generation device 15 and the drawing instruction information created by the instruction terminal 4, to perform pattern drawing on the substrate 9. The drawing instruction information includes, for example, the type of photosensitive material on the substrate 9 on which the pattern is drawn, and the characteristics specific to the drawing device 1 on which the pattern drawing is to be performed, and includes drawing conditions (hereinafter also referred to as "drawing parameters") set so that the drawing process is suitably executed when the drawing device 1 performs pattern drawing on the photosensitive material. The drawing parameters include, for example, the intensity of the light emitted from each drawing head 141. Furthermore, if each drawing head 141 is provided with multiple light sources that emit light of different wavelengths, the drawing instruction information includes, for example, the intensity ratio of the light emitted from the multiple light sources. In the drawing system 7, for example, a normal computer is used as the control unit 16.

[0029] Figure 3 shows the configuration of the design terminal 2. The design terminal 2 is a standard computer comprising a processor 201, memory 202, input / output unit 203, and bus 204. The bus 204 is a signal circuit connecting the processor 201, memory 202, and input / output unit 203. The memory 202 stores various types of information. For example, the memory 202 reads and stores a design program 209 that is pre-stored in a storage medium 208. The storage medium 208 is, for example, a USB memory or a CD-ROM. The design program 209 includes CAM software with various CAD data editing functions.

[0030] The processor 201 performs various processes (e.g., numerical calculations and image processing) using the memory 202, etc., according to the design program 209 etc. stored in the memory 202. The input / output unit 203 includes a keyboard 205 and a mouse 206 that accept input from the operator, and a display 207 that displays the output from the processor 201 etc. The operator creates the vector-format design data described above using CAM software etc. executed on the design terminal 2. This design data is sent to the intermediate storage unit 3 (see Figure 1) via the input / output unit 203 etc. of the design terminal 2 and stored in the intermediate storage unit 3. In the intermediate storage unit 3, multiple design data created on the design terminal 2 are stored as described above.

[0031] Figure 4 shows the configuration of the instruction terminal 4. The instruction terminal 4 is a normal computer comprising a processor 401, memory 402, input / output unit 403, and bus 404. The bus 404 is a signal circuit connecting the processor 401, memory 402, and input / output unit 403. The memory 402 stores various information. For example, the memory 402 reads and stores the instruction program 409 that is pre-stored in the storage medium 408. The storage medium 408 is, for example, a USB memory or a CD-ROM. In the following description, the instruction program 409 and the design program 209 used for designing design data in the design terminal 2 will be collectively referred to as the "program set".

[0032] The processor 401 performs various processes (e.g., numerical calculations and image processing) using the memory 402, etc., according to the instruction program 409 etc. stored in the memory 402. The input / output unit 403 includes a keyboard 405 and a mouse 406 that accept input from the operator, and a display 407 that displays the output from the processor 401 etc. The operator gives instructions to the drawing device 1 for drawing processing using the functions provided by the instruction program 409 executed on the instruction terminal 4.

[0033] Figure 5 is a block diagram showing the functions realized when the instruction program 409 is executed on the instruction terminal 4. Figure 5 also shows the configuration other than the instruction terminal 4. The instruction terminal 4 comprises a storage unit 41, a device selection unit 42, an information creation unit 43, and an instruction output unit 44.

[0034] The memory unit 41 is mainly implemented by memory 402 (see Figure 4) and stores various information related to pattern drawing in the drawing system 7. For example, the memory unit 41 stores one design data (hereinafter also referred to as the "selected design data") selected by the operator from among multiple design data stored in the intermediate memory unit 3. The memory unit 41 also stores parameter information 411 used to give instructions to the drawing device 1.

[0035] Figure 6 shows a specific example of parameter information 411. Parameter information 411 is a database showing the relationship between multiple combinations of drawing devices 1 and photosensitive materials, and multiple drawing parameters corresponding to each of these combinations. In the example shown in Figure 6, each column in the first column from the left contains an identifier for the drawing device 1, and each column in the second column from the left contains a type of photosensitive material. Furthermore, each column in the third column from the left contains a drawing parameter corresponding to the combination of the identifier for the drawing device 1 and the type of photosensitive material described to the left of that column. The identifier for the drawing device 1 is a name, code, or numerical value used to distinguish that drawing device 1 from other drawing devices 1. Drawing parameters include, for example, the intensity of light emitted from each drawing head 141 in the drawing device 1 corresponding to the identifier, and the intensity ratio of light emitted from multiple light sources with different wavelengths in the drawing head 141. In the example shown in Figure 6, parameter information 411 is represented in table format, but is not limited to this. Parameter information 411 may be stored in the storage unit 41 in a format other than table format.

[0036] The device selection unit 42 is mainly implemented by the processor 401 (see Figure 4) and selects one drawing device 1 from among multiple drawing devices 1 to be used for drawing patterns. The selection of one drawing device 1 by the device selection unit 42 is performed, for example, according to input from an operator via the input / output unit 403. Alternatively, the selection of one drawing device 1 by the device selection unit 42 may be performed automatically based on output from a monitoring system that monitors the operating status of multiple drawing devices 1. Specifically, the monitoring system identifies one drawing device 1 whose currently running pattern drawing will finish the fastest, and sends the identification number of that drawing device 1 to the instruction terminal 4. The device selection unit 42 selects the one drawing device 1 identified by the identification number, etc., as the drawing device 1 to be used for drawing patterns.

[0037] The information creation unit 43 is mainly implemented by the processor 401 and extracts a drawing parameter from the parameter information 411 described above. Specifically, the information creation unit 43 extracts a drawing parameter from the multiple drawing parameters of the parameter information 411 shown in Figure 6 that corresponds to the identifier of a drawing device 1 selected by the device selection unit 42 (hereinafter also referred to as "selected drawing device 1") and the type of photosensitive material (hereinafter also referred to as "photosensitive material used") on the substrate 9 where drawing is to be performed by the selected drawing device 1. Information indicating the type of photosensitive material used (for example, the name of the photosensitive material used) is included, for example, in the selected design data stored in the storage unit 41. Note that information indicating the type of photosensitive material used may also be input by the operator via the input / output unit 403. The information creation unit 43 creates drawing instruction information that includes the drawing parameter extracted from the parameter information 411. The drawing instruction information may include various information other than the drawing parameter. Other information besides the drawing parameters in question includes, for example, information contained in the design data and / or information created based on that design data.

[0038] The instruction output unit 44 is mainly implemented by the processor 401 and sends the drawing instruction information created by the information creation unit 43, along with the selected design data, to the selected drawing device 1 via the input / output unit 403.

[0039] In the selected drawing device 1, the data generation device 15 (see Figure 2) converts the selected design data in vector format to generate drawing data in raster format. Then, the control unit 16 controls the stage movement mechanism 122 and the drawing unit 14, etc., based on the drawing data and the drawing instruction information described above, and draws a pattern on the substrate 9. In drawing the pattern, drawing parameters suitable for the selected drawing device 1 and the photosensitive material used are applied, so that a suitable pattern is drawn.

[0040] Figure 7 is a flowchart showing the processing flow in the instruction terminal 4. In the instruction terminal 4, when the instruction program 409 described above is executed, first, one design data to be used for drawing the pattern (i.e., selected design data) is acquired from the intermediate storage unit 3 (see Figure 1) and stored in the storage unit 41 (step S11). Subsequently, the device selection unit 42 (see Figure 5) selects one drawing device 1 from a plurality of drawing devices 1 that is intended to be used for drawing the pattern (i.e., selected drawing device 1) (step S12). Step S12 may be performed in parallel with step S11, or it may be performed after step S11.

[0041] When step S12 is completed, a drawing parameter corresponding to the identifier of the selected drawing device 1 and the type of photosensitive material used included in the selected design data is extracted from the parameter information 411 by the information creation unit 43 (see Figure 5) (step S13). When step S13 is completed, drawing instruction information including the drawing parameter extracted in step S13 is created by the information creation unit 43 (step S14). That is, in step S14, the drawing instruction information is created based on the selected drawing device 1 and the selected design data. Subsequently, the instruction output unit 44 (see Figure 5) sends the drawing instruction information and the selected design data from the instruction terminal 4 to the selected drawing device 1 (step S15). In the selected drawing device 1, the pattern is preferably drawn based on the drawing instruction information and the selected design data as described above.

[0042] In the drawing system 7, when a pattern is drawn using a combination of photosensitive material and drawing device 1 not included in the parameter information 411, the drawing device 1 performs pattern drawing on a test substrate 9 before drawing the pattern on the product substrate 9, and new drawing parameters corresponding to the above combination are obtained. Specifically, the drawing device 1 repeatedly draws patterns on the test substrate 9 while changing the intensity of light emitted from each drawing head 141 and the intensity ratio of light emitted from multiple light sources with different wavelengths at the drawing head 141, in order to obtain appropriate light intensity and intensity ratio.

[0043] When new drawing parameters corresponding to a new photosensitive material are acquired in the drawing device 1, these new drawing parameters are sent from the drawing device 1 to the instruction terminal 4, as indicated by the arrows in Figure 5. For example, the drawing device 1 is provided with a transmit button for sending new drawing parameters, and when the operator operates this transmit button, the light intensity, intensity ratio, etc., set in the drawing device 1 are sent to the instruction terminal 4 as new drawing parameters. In the instruction terminal 4, the new drawing parameters sent from the drawing device 1 are associated with the drawing device 1 and the new photosensitive material and added to the parameter information 411 stored in the storage unit 41. Note that the new drawing parameters do not necessarily need to be sent from the drawing device 1 to the instruction terminal 4; the operator may manually add the new drawing parameters to the parameter information 411.

[0044] As described above, the drawing system 7 comprises a design terminal 2, a drawing device 1, an intermediate storage unit 3, and an instruction terminal 4. The design terminal 2 is used to design pattern design data. The drawing device 1 draws patterns on the photosensitive material on the substrate 9 based on the design data designed by the design terminal 2. The intermediate storage unit 3 is connected to the design terminal 2 for communication and stores the design data designed by the design terminal 2. The instruction terminal 4 is connected to the intermediate storage unit 3 and the drawing device 1 for communication and is used to instruct the drawing device 1 on the drawing process.

[0045] The instruction program 409 is used in the drawing system 7 described above. In the drawing system 7, when the instruction program 409 is executed at the instruction terminal 4, the following steps are performed: (step S11) acquiring a design data to be used for drawing (i.e., selected design data) from the intermediate storage unit 3; (step S14) creating drawing instruction information indicating the content of the drawing process to be executed by the drawing device 1 based on the design data; and (step S15) sending the drawing instruction information from the instruction terminal 4 to the drawing device 1.

[0046] Thus, the instruction terminal 4 can create drawing instruction information based on the design data stored in the intermediate storage unit 3, thereby enabling the creation of drawing instruction information independently of the design data design in the design terminal 2. Therefore, the creation of drawing instruction information can proceed regardless of the design progress of the design data in the design terminal 2, and the created drawing instruction information can be sent to the drawing device 1. As a result, the efficiency of pattern drawing in the drawing system 7 can be improved. Furthermore, since the drawing system 7 does not perform any editing of design data in the instruction terminal 4, the instruction program 409 does not need to include the relatively expensive CAM software mentioned above. Therefore, the introduction cost of the drawing system 7 can be reduced.

[0047] As described above, the program set used in the drawing system 7 includes the instruction program 409 and the design program 209 used for designing design data at the design terminal 2. This improves the efficiency of pattern drawing in the drawing system 7, as described above. It also reduces the cost of introducing the drawing system 7.

[0048] The drawing system 7 preferably comprises a plurality of drawing devices 1, including the drawing device 1 described above. Furthermore, it is preferable that the instruction terminal 4 has parameter information 411 pre-stored, which shows the relationship between a plurality of combinations of drawing devices 1 and photosensitive materials and a plurality of drawing parameters corresponding to each of the plurality of combinations. Then, when the instruction program 409 is executed in the instruction terminal 4, it is preferable that, before step S14, a step (step S12) is performed to select one drawing device 1 (i.e., the selected drawing device 1) from the plurality of drawing devices 1 to which drawing instruction information is to be sent in step S15, and between step S12 and step S14, a step (step S13) is performed to extract a drawing parameter from the parameter information 411 that corresponds to the photosensitive material used on the substrate 9 on which drawing is to be performed by the selected drawing device 1 and the selected drawing device. Furthermore, it is preferable that in step S14, the drawing parameter extracted in step S13 is included in the drawing instruction information.

[0049] This simplifies the process of including appropriate drawing parameters in the drawing instruction information, reducing the time required for this task and improving its accuracy. Furthermore, in the drawing system 7 described above, the extraction of drawing parameters in step S13 and the creation of drawing instruction information in step S14 are automatically performed by the information creation unit 43. This prevents human error and improves the accuracy of the drawing instruction information, unlike when an operator performs steps S13 to S14 manually.

[0050] As described above, it is preferable that the design data obtained from the intermediate storage unit 3 in step S11 includes information indicating the photosensitive material used. This allows for optimal pattern drawing in the drawing device 1 even if the characteristics of the photosensitive material are changed, simply by modifying the drawing parameters corresponding to the photosensitive material in the parameter information 411 at the instruction terminal 4 to match the changed characteristics of the photosensitive material. In this case, since no work related to changes in the characteristics of the photosensitive material is required at the design terminal 2, the efficiency of pattern drawing in the drawing system 7 can be further improved.

[0051] As described above, when a new drawing parameter corresponding to a new photosensitive material is acquired in one of the multiple drawing devices 1, it is preferable that the new drawing parameter is sent to the instruction terminal 4 and included in the parameter information 411, associated with the drawing device 1 and the new photosensitive material. This simplifies the updating of the parameter information 411. As a result, the efficiency of pattern drawing in the drawing system 7 can be further improved.

[0052] As described above, the drawing system 7, which draws patterns on the substrate 9, comprises a design terminal 2, a drawing device 1, an intermediate storage unit 3, and an instruction terminal 4. The design terminal 2 is used to design the pattern design data. The drawing device 1 draws patterns on the photosensitive material on the substrate 9 based on the design data designed by the design terminal 2. The intermediate storage unit 3 is connected to the design terminal 2 for communication and stores the design data designed by the design terminal 2. The instruction terminal 4 is connected to the intermediate storage unit 3 and the drawing device 1 for communication and is used to instruct the drawing device 1 on the drawing process. The instruction terminal 4 obtains one design data to be used for drawing (i.e., selected design data) from the intermediate storage unit 3, and based on that design data, creates drawing instruction information indicating the content of the drawing process that the drawing device 1 should execute and sends it to the drawing device 1. This improves the efficiency of pattern drawing in the drawing system 7, as described above. It also reduces the cost of introducing the drawing system 7.

[0053] Various modifications are possible to the instruction program 409, program set, and drawing device 1 described above.

[0054] For example, the extraction of drawing parameters from the parameter information 411 in step S13 does not necessarily have to be performed automatically by the information creation unit 43; an operator may visually inspect the parameter information 411 and manually select one drawing parameter to extract from the parameter information 411.

[0055] In the drawing system 7, the installation locations of the design terminal 2, the intermediate storage unit 3, and the instruction terminal 4 can be varied. For example, the design terminal 2, the intermediate storage unit 3, and the instruction terminal 4 may be installed in one department.

[0056] In the technology related to the present invention, The number of drawing devices 1 provided in the drawing system 7 may be one. In this case, the parameter information 411 stored in the instruction terminal 4 is information indicating the correspondence between multiple photosensitive materials and multiple drawing parameters. According to the present invention The drawing system 7 may have multiple design terminals 2 and multiple instruction terminals 4.

[0057] In the drawing system 7, the number of design data stored in the intermediate storage unit 3 may be one or two or more.

[0058] The aforementioned program set may be introduced later into an existing drawing system that does not have this program set. Similarly, the instruction program 409 may be introduced later into an existing drawing system that has the design program 209 installed.

[0059] The substrate 9 is not necessarily limited to a printed circuit board. The drawing device 1 may perform drawing on, for example, a semiconductor substrate, a glass substrate for a flat panel display device such as a liquid crystal display device or an organic EL display device, a glass substrate for a photomask, a substrate for a solar cell panel, etc.

[0060] The configurations in the above embodiments and each modified example may be combined as appropriate, as long as they do not contradict each other. [Explanation of symbols]

[0061] 1 Drawing device 2 Design terminal 3. Intermediate memory unit 4. Instruction terminal 7. Drawing System 9 circuit boards 209 Design Program 409 Instruction Program 411 Parameter Information S11~S15 Step

Claims

1. An instruction program for use in a drawing system comprising: a design terminal used for designing vector-format pattern design data; a plurality of drawing devices that convert the design data designed on the design terminal into raster-format drawing data and each perform pattern drawing on a photosensitive material on a substrate based on the drawing data; an intermediate storage unit that is communicatively connected to the design terminal and stores the design data designed on the design terminal; and an instruction terminal that is communicatively connected to the intermediate storage unit and the plurality of drawing devices and is used to instruct the plurality of drawing devices on drawing processing, the instruction program for use in a drawing system comprising: a design terminal used for designing vector-format pattern design data; a plurality of drawing devices that convert the design data designed on the design terminal into raster-format drawing data and each perform pattern drawing on a photosensitive material on a substrate based on the drawing data; The instruction terminal has parameter information pre-stored in it that shows the relationship between multiple combinations of drawing devices and photosensitive materials and multiple drawing parameters corresponding to each of the multiple combinations. When the instruction program is executed on the instruction terminal, a) A step of obtaining one design data to be used for drawing from the intermediate storage unit, b) A step of selecting one drawing device from the plurality of drawing devices to which drawing instruction information is to be sent, c) A step of extracting from the parameter information a drawing parameter corresponding to the photosensitive material to be used, which is a photosensitive material on a substrate on which drawing is to be performed by the drawing apparatus, and the drawing apparatus, d) A step of creating drawing instruction information that indicates the content of the drawing process to be performed by the drawing device based on the design data, and including the drawing parameters extracted in step c) in the drawing instruction information. e) A step of sending the drawing instruction information from the instruction terminal to the first drawing device, An instruction program characterized by the following:

2. An instruction program according to claim 1, An instruction program characterized in that information indicating the photosensitive material used is included in the design data obtained from the intermediate storage unit in step a).

3. An instruction program according to claim 1 or 2, An instruction program characterized in that, when a new drawing parameter corresponding to a new photosensitive material is acquired in one of the plurality of drawing devices, the new drawing parameter is sent to the instruction terminal and included in the parameter information in association with the one drawing device and the new photosensitive material.

4. A program set used in a drawing system comprising: a design terminal used for designing pattern design data; a plurality of drawing devices that each draw patterns on a photosensitive material on a substrate based on the design data designed by the design terminal; an intermediate storage unit that is communicatively connected to the design terminal and stores the design data designed by the design terminal; and an instruction terminal that is communicatively connected to the intermediate storage unit and the plurality of drawing devices and is used to instruct the plurality of drawing devices on drawing processing, wherein The design program used for designing design data on the aforementioned design terminal, An instruction program according to any one of claims 1 to 3, A program set characterized by comprising the following features.

5. A drawing system for drawing patterns on a substrate, A design terminal used to design vector-formatted pattern design data, Multiple drawing devices that convert design data designed on the aforementioned design terminal into raster-format drawing data and each perform pattern drawing on a photosensitive material on a substrate based on the drawing data, An intermediate storage unit is connected to the aforementioned design terminal in a communication manner and stores the design data designed on the aforementioned design terminal. An instruction terminal is connected to the intermediate storage unit and the plurality of drawing devices in a communicative manner and is used to instruct the plurality of drawing devices on drawing processes, Equipped with, The instruction terminal has parameter information pre-stored in it that shows the relationship between multiple combinations of drawing devices and photosensitive materials and multiple drawing parameters corresponding to each of the multiple combinations. A drawing system characterized in that the instruction terminal acquires a design data to be used for drawing from the intermediate storage unit, selects a drawing device from the plurality of drawing devices to which drawing instruction information is to be sent, extracts a drawing parameter from the parameter information that corresponds to the photosensitive material to be used, which is the photosensitive material on the substrate to be drawn on by the drawing device, and the drawing device, creates drawing instruction information that indicates the content of the drawing process to be executed by the drawing device based on the design data, includes the drawing parameter in the drawing instruction information, and sends the drawing instruction information to the drawing device.

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