Ultraviolet Light Emitting Diode Exposure Device and System

Abstract

The present disclosure provides an ultraviolet light-emitting diode exposure device and system, which relates to the technical field of exposure processing. The device includes: an ultraviolet light-emitting diode light source, which includes ultraviolet light-emitting diode lamp beads in an array patch type, and the ultraviolet light-emitting diode lamp beads are used to emit ultraviolet light beams; a collimating lens group, which is used to collect and collimate the ultraviolet light beams; a fly-eye lens group, which is used to homogenize the ultraviolet light beams after collection and collimation; a condenser lens group, which is used to condense the homogenized ultraviolet light beams; an exposure surface, which is a working surface for performing exposure by using the condensed ultraviolet light beams; and a control module, which is used to independently control the on / off of each ultraviolet light-emitting diode lamp bead through a high-frequency switching mode. The ultraviolet light-emitting diode exposure device and system effectively improve the stability of the light source output power and the utilization rate of energy, reduce heat generation and improve the heat dissipation effect, realize the efficient collimation of ultraviolet light beams, and meet the space limitation requirements of the equipment frame and other components.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of exposure processing, and in particular, to an ultraviolet light-emitting diode exposure device and system. Background Art

[0002] Ultraviolet exposure systems are mainly applied to printed circuit board manufacturing, semiconductor device production, and high-precision micro functional pattern exposure. The above applications have strict requirements on parameters such as the feature size, consistency, and contrast of the exposure pattern, thus requiring the ultraviolet exposure system to meet conditions such as high energy uniformity, good collimation, and easy adjustment.

[0003] Currently, the widely used ultraviolet exposure systems usually use high-pressure mercury lamps as light sources and use the light of a single wavelength band. However, the light energy of a single wavelength band only accounts for a very small part of the spectral energy of the mercury lamp, resulting in low energy utilization rate of the mercury lamp. Moreover, the high-pressure mercury lamp generates a large amount of heat and requires a supporting water-cooling heat dissipation device and an air-cooling heat dissipation device for heat dissipation, resulting in a large overall device volume and unable to meet the space limitation requirements of the device frame and other components. In addition, the mercury lamp needs to be preheated in advance, which causes waste of energy. The mercury lamp has a short lifespan and requires regular maintenance by professionals, which causes inconvenience in use. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the above technical problems, the present disclosure provides an ultraviolet light-emitting diode exposure device and system, which are used to at least partially solve the above technical problems.

[0005] Based on this, a first aspect of the present disclosure provides an ultraviolet light-emitting diode exposure device, including: an ultraviolet light-emitting diode light source, including array patch-type ultraviolet light-emitting diode lamp beads for emitting ultraviolet beams; a collimating lens group for collimating the received ultraviolet beams; a fly-eye lens group for homogenizing the collimated ultraviolet beams; a condenser lens group for condensing the homogenized ultraviolet beams; an exposure surface, which is a working surface for performing exposure using the condensed ultraviolet beams; and a control module for independently controlling the on / off of each ultraviolet light-emitting diode lamp bead through a high-frequency switching mode.

[0006] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the collimating lens group includes: a filter for filtering the ultraviolet beams to obtain ultraviolet beams with the wavelength and bandwidth required for exposure; a parabolic mirror for collimating the filtered ultraviolet beams, wherein the ultraviolet beams are incident on the parabolic mirror at a preset angle, and the parabolic mirror matches the numerical aperture and divergence half-angle of the ultraviolet light-emitting diode light source.

[0007] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the collimating lens group includes: a filter for filtering an ultraviolet beam to obtain an ultraviolet beam with a wavelength and bandwidth required for exposure; a concave lens for collecting the filtered ultraviolet beam, wherein the radius of curvature and the number of the concave lenses are determined by the clear aperture, numerical aperture, and divergence half-angle of the ultraviolet light-emitting diode light source; and a collimating lens for collimating the collected ultraviolet beam.

[0008] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the ultraviolet light-emitting diode exposure device further includes: a liquid optical fiber for introducing the ultraviolet beam emitted by the ultraviolet light-emitting diode light source into the collimating lens group.

[0009] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the fly-eye lens group includes two rows of fly-eye lenses, and along the optical path direction, the rear row of fly-eye lenses is located at the focal point of the front row of fly-eye lenses.

[0010] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the fly-eye lenses are distributed in the optical path in a square array, a regular hexagon array, or an octagon array.

[0011] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the condenser lens group divides the optical distance from the fly-eye lens group to the exposure surface into a condensing working distance and an exposure working distance, and the condenser lens group is configured to adjust the condensing working distance and the exposure working distance by adjusting the radius of curvature of the condenser lens group.

[0012] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the ultraviolet light-emitting diode exposure device further includes: a first reflecting mirror for deflecting the optical path from the fly-eye lens group to the condenser lens group and / or the optical path from the condenser lens group to the exposure surface.

[0013] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the control module includes a controller and a control system, wherein: the controller is configured with an independent chip corresponding to each ultraviolet light-emitting diode lamp bead, and independently controls each ultraviolet light-emitting diode lamp bead by means of addressing; the control system is used to send control instructions to the controller through a software interface to control the on / off of the ultraviolet light-emitting diode lamp beads and collect the working parameters of the ultraviolet light-emitting diode lamp beads.

[0014] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the ultraviolet light-emitting diode exposure device further includes: a compound parabolic concentrator provided on the outgoing optical path of the ultraviolet light-emitting diode light source for reducing the divergence angle of the ultraviolet light-emitting diode light source.

[0015] The second aspect of the present disclosure provides an ultraviolet light-emitting diode exposure system, including: a plurality of ultraviolet light-emitting diode exposure devices as described above; a second reflecting mirror for deflecting the ultraviolet beam after being condensed by the condenser lens groups of the plurality of ultraviolet light-emitting diode exposure devices and then incident on the same exposure surface at a preset incident angle to achieve coaxial exposure and off-axis exposure, wherein the preset incident angles corresponding to the ultraviolet beams condensed by each condenser lens group are the same or different.

[0016] The ultraviolet light-emitting diode exposure device and system provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure have at least the following beneficial effects:

[0017] By controlling the on / off of the ultraviolet light-emitting diode lamp beads through a high-frequency switching mode, the stability of the light source output power is effectively improved, heat generation is reduced, and heat dissipation effect is enhanced. Moreover, an independent control mode is adopted among the ultraviolet light-emitting diode lamp beads, and some of the ultraviolet light-emitting diode lamp beads can be flexibly selected to be turned on and off according to actual application requirements to meet low-power requirements.

[0018] Furthermore, by providing a collimating mirror group to collimate the ultraviolet beam, the energy utilization rate is improved. And by providing collimating mirror groups with different structures and coupling various collimation methods, high-efficiency collimation of the ultraviolet beam is realized.

[0019] Furthermore, by adding a compound parabolic concentrator in the emission direction of the ultraviolet light-emitting diode light source, the divergence angle can be reduced, and thus the energy utilization rate is improved.

[0020] Even further, the condenser lens group is configured to flexibly adjust the condenser working distance and the exposure working distance by adjusting the radius of curvature of the condenser lens group, and change the optical path by adding a reflecting mirror, compress the length of the exposure system, and converge it into a smaller space, so as to meet the space limitation requirements of the equipment frame and other components.

[0021] In addition, by using a reflecting mirror to make the condensed ultraviolet beam enter the same exposure surface at a preset incident angle for exposure, multiple sets of ultraviolet light-emitting diode exposure devices work in combination and linkage, so as to realize coaxial exposure and off-axis exposure. Description of the Drawings

[0022] Through the following description of the embodiments of the present disclosure with reference to the drawings, the above and other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become clearer. In the drawings:

[0023] Figure 1 Schematically shows the structural diagram of the ultraviolet light-emitting diode exposure device provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0024] Figure 2A Schematically shows the structural diagram of the collimating mirror group provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0025] Figure 2B Schematically shows the structural diagram of the collimating mirror group provided by another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0026] Figure 2C Schematically shows the structural diagram of the collimating mirror group provided by still another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0027] Figure 2D Schematically shows the structural diagram of the collimating mirror group provided by yet another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0028] Figure 3A Schematically shows the position diagram of the first mirror provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure in an ultraviolet light-emitting diode exposure device.

[0029] Figure 3B Schematically shows the position diagram of the first mirror provided by another embodiment of the present disclosure in an ultraviolet light-emitting diode exposure device.

[0030] Figure 4 Schematically shows the structure of the ultraviolet light-emitting diode exposure system provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure. Detailed implementation manners

[0031] To make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present disclosure clearer and more understandable, the following further describes the present disclosure in detail with reference to specific embodiments and the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present disclosure, rather than all of them. All other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments in the present disclosure without creative efforts shall fall within the scope of protection of the present disclosure.

[0032] The terms used herein are only for describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. The terms "including", "comprising" and the like used herein indicate the presence of the described features, steps, operations and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations or components.

[0033] In the present disclosure, unless otherwise clearly defined and limited, terms such as "installed", "connected", "connected", "fixed" and the like should be understood in a broad sense. For example, it can be a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or integrated; it can be a mechanical connection, an electrical connection or can communicate with each other; it can be a direct connection, or indirectly connected through an intermediate medium, and can be the internal connection of two components or the interaction relationship between two components. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above terms in the present disclosure can be understood according to specific situations.

[0034] In the description of the present disclosure, it should be understood that the orientation or positional relationship indicated by terms such as "longitudinal", "length", "circumferential", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc. is based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the drawings, and is only for the convenience of describing the present disclosure and simplifying the description, rather than indicating or implying that the described subsystems or components must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation to the present disclosure.

[0035] Throughout the accompanying drawings, the same elements are denoted by the same or similar reference numerals. When it may cause confusion in the understanding of the present disclosure, conventional structures or configurations will be omitted. Moreover, the shapes, sizes, and positional relationships of the components in the drawings do not reflect the actual sizes, proportions, and actual positional relationships. Additionally, in the claims, any reference signs placed between parentheses shall not be construed as limiting the claim.

[0036] Similarly, in order to streamline the present disclosure and assist in understanding one or more of the various disclosed aspects, in the above description of the exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, the various features of the present disclosure are sometimes grouped together into a single embodiment, figure, or description thereof. Descriptions with reference terms such as "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "example", "specific example", or "some examples" etc. mean that the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described in connection with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present disclosure. In this specification, the schematic representations of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in a suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples.

[0037] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the quantity of the indicated technical features. Thus, the features defined with "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of such features. In the description of the present disclosure, the meaning of "a plurality" is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise specifically and clearly defined.

[0038] In the process of implementing the concept of the present disclosure, the applicant found that ultraviolet light-emitting diode light sources (ultraviolet LEDs) have advantages such as high luminous efficiency, long lifespan, and broad spectral linewidth, and are ideal light sources for replacing high-pressure mercury lamps for ultraviolet exposure. Since the luminous power of a single ultraviolet LED lamp bead is low and the divergence angle is large, a large-area LED array arrangement can be adopted, and the intensity requirement can be met by the form of energy superposition of multiple LED lamp beads, but the energy uniformity is relatively low and the beam divergence angle on the mask surface is large, which affects the feature size of the exposure pattern. Therefore, the present disclosure selects a small array patch-type ultraviolet LED, adopts a high-frequency switching mode, and couples multiple collimation methods to at least partially solve the problems existing in the prior art. The following will be introduced in detail in combination with specific embodiments.

[0039] Figure 1 A structural diagram of an ultraviolet light-emitting diode exposure device provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure is schematically shown.

[0040] As Figure 1 shown, the ultraviolet light-emitting diode exposure device may, for example, include an ultraviolet light-emitting diode light source 1, a collimating lens group 2, a fly-eye lens group 3, a condenser lens group 4, an exposure surface 5, and a control module 6.

[0041] Wherein:

[0042] The ultraviolet light-emitting diode light source 1 serves as the light source of the entire exposure device. For example, it may include array patch-type ultraviolet light-emitting diode lamp beads, and each ultraviolet light-emitting diode lamp bead is used to emit an ultraviolet light beam.

[0043] The collimating mirror group 2 is used to collect and collimate the ultraviolet light beam to improve the energy utilization rate.

[0044] The fly-eye lens group 3 is used to homogenize the ultraviolet light beam after being collected and collimated to form a uniform light beam.

[0045] The condenser lens group 4 is used to condense the homogenized ultraviolet light beam.

[0046] The exposure surface 5 is a working surface for performing exposure using the condensed ultraviolet light beam.

[0047] The control module 6 is used to independently control the on / off of each ultraviolet light-emitting diode lamp bead through a high-frequency switching mode.

[0048] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the peak wavelength range of the ultraviolet light-emitting diode light source 1 can be, for example, 365 nm - 370 nm, and the optical power can reach 5 W / cm 2 Above, the number of ultraviolet light-emitting diode lamp beads can be determined according to the actual exposure scenario, and the present disclosure does not limit it. Different actual application scenarios have different requirements for the number, wavelength, etc., and the corresponding configurations of the ultraviolet light-emitting diode light source can be different. For example, the ultraviolet light-emitting diode light source includes 14 ultraviolet light-emitting diode lamp beads, and its corresponding light-passing aperture is 7.5 mm, the numerical aperture (NA) is 0.66, and the divergence half-angle is 41°. In addition, a temperature sensor and a radiator can be correspondingly arranged for the ultraviolet light-emitting diode light source to detect the temperature of the ultraviolet light-emitting diode light source in real time and use the radiator to dissipate heat from the ultraviolet light-emitting diode light source to prevent the temperature of the ultraviolet light-emitting diode light source from being too high and affecting normal exposure.

[0049] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, collimating mirror groups 2 with various different structures can be designed, and various collimating methods are used to efficiently collimate the ultraviolet light beam. Four different structures of collimating mirror groups and corresponding collimating methods are listed below.

[0050] Figure 2A Schematically shows the structural diagram of the collimating mirror group provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0051] As Figure 2A shown, in this embodiment, the collimating mirror group 2 may include, for example, a filter 2-1 and a parabolic mirror 2A-1. Wherein:

[0052] The filter 2-1 is used to filter the ultraviolet beam to obtain an ultraviolet beam with the wavelength and bandwidth required for exposure.

[0053] The parabolic mirror 2A-1 is used to collect and collimate the filtered ultraviolet beam. Among them, the ultraviolet beam is incident on the parabolic mirror at a preset angle, and the parameters of the parabolic mirror match those of the ultraviolet light-emitting diode light source, such as the numerical aperture and divergence half-angle. The preset angle can be, for example, 35°, which is determined according to actual needs and is not limited in this disclosure.

[0054] Figure 2B Schematically shows the structural diagram of the collimating mirror group provided by another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0055] As Figure 2B shown, in this embodiment, the collimating mirror group 2 may include, for example, a filter 2-1, a concave lens 2B-1, and a collimating mirror 2B-2. Among them:

[0056] The filter 2-1 is used to filter the ultraviolet beam to obtain an ultraviolet beam with the wavelength and bandwidth required for exposure.

[0057] The concave lens 2B-1 is used to collect the filtered ultraviolet beam. Among them, the radius of curvature and the number of the concave lens 2B-1 can be determined by parameters such as the light-transmitting aperture, numerical aperture, and divergence half-angle of the ultraviolet light-emitting diode light source 1.

[0058] The collimating mirror 2B-2 is used to collimate the collected ultraviolet beam. The collimating mirror 2B-2 is designed to match the concave lens 2B-1.

[0059] Figure 2C Schematically shows the structural diagram of the collimating mirror group provided by another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0060] As Figure 2C shown, in this embodiment, the collimating mirror group 2 may include, for example, a liquid optical fiber 2C-1, a filter 2-1, a concave lens 2B-1, and a collimating mirror 2B-2. Among them:

[0061] The liquid optical fiber 2C-1 is used to introduce the ultraviolet beam emitted by the ultraviolet light-emitting diode light source 1 into the filter 2-1.

[0062] The filter 2-1 is used to filter the ultraviolet beam to obtain an ultraviolet beam with the wavelength and bandwidth required for exposure.

[0063] The concave lens 2B-1 is used to collect the filtered ultraviolet beam. Among them, the radius of curvature and the number of the concave lens 2B-1 are determined by parameters such as the light-transmitting aperture, numerical aperture, and divergence half-angle of the ultraviolet light-emitting diode light source 1.

[0064] The collimating mirror 2B-2 is used to collimate the ultraviolet beam after receiving light. The collimating mirror 2B-2 is designed to match the concave lens 2B-1.

[0065] Figure 2D Schematically shows the structural diagram of a collimating mirror group provided by another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0066] As Figure 2D shown, in this embodiment, the collimating mirror group 2 may include, for example, a liquid optical fiber 2C-1, a filter 2-1, and a parabolic mirror 2A-1. Among them:

[0067] The liquid optical fiber 2C-1 is used to introduce the ultraviolet beam emitted by the ultraviolet light-emitting diode light source 1 into the filter 2-1.

[0068] The filter 2-1 is used to filter the ultraviolet beam to obtain an ultraviolet beam with the required wavelength and bandwidth for exposure.

[0069] The parabolic mirror 2A-1 is used to collect and collimate the filtered ultraviolet beam. Among them, the ultraviolet beam is incident on the parabolic mirror at a preset angle, and the parabolic mirror matches parameters such as the numerical aperture and divergence half-angle of the ultraviolet light-emitting diode light source.

[0070] It should be noted that in an optical system, the biggest difference between an LED light source and a traditional mercury lamp light source lies in the light collection and collimation part. Due to the omnidirectional illumination of the mercury lamp light source, even if an ellipsoidal mirror is used for light collection and collimation, the energy utilization rate is extremely low. Because of the high integration of LEDs, they have a certain ability to control the numerical aperture and divergence half-angle, which provides a new route for light collection and collimation.

[0071] Based on this, the present disclosure designs Figures 2A to 2D a collimating mirror group with the shown structure, coupling different light collection and collimation methods. Among them, Figure 2A the collimation method corresponding to the shown collimating mirror group is more unique, it occupies more space, and the processing difficulty of the parabolic surface is greater. Figure 2B The collimation method corresponding to the shown collimating mirror group can be understood as an optical design after specifying the clear aperture, numerical aperture, and emission half-angle. It needs to be designed specifically in combination with the input conditions, but it also belongs to the category of conventional optical design.

[0072] Since the ultraviolet light-emitting diode light source generates heat when emitting light, heat dissipation is required. The conventional method is to design water cooling or install a cooling fan for heat dissipation, which will undoubtedly increase the volume of the entire exposure device, and the vibration of the cooling fan will also affect some devices with high-precision vibration control requirements. Since the liquid optical fiber has a certain bending radius and can ensure a small energy loss even for several meters in length, therefore, in Figure 2A and Figure 2BOn the basis of the collimating lens group shown, a liquid optical fiber is further added to introduce the ultraviolet beam emitted by the ultraviolet light-emitting diode lamp bead into the collimating lens group, obtaining Figure 2C and Figure 2D the collimating lens group shown, so as to completely isolate the heat-generating light source and vibration source from the device, and thus can well solve the problems that designing water cooling or installing a cooling fan for heat dissipation results in a large volume of the entire exposure device and the vibration of the cooling fan will also affect some devices with precise vibration control requirements.

[0073] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the fly-eye lens group 3 may include, for example, two rows of fly-eye lenses. Along the optical path direction, the rear row of fly-eye lenses is located at the focal point of the front row of fly-eye lenses. The number of lenses in each row of fly-eye lenses can be set according to actual application requirements, and the present disclosure does not make any restrictions. The fly-eye lenses can be in the shape of a square, pentagon, hexagon, etc., and can be specifically selected according to actual application requirements, and the present disclosure does not make any restrictions. Since a square can meet the requirements of most application scenarios, a square is generally selected. The fly-eye lenses can be distributed in the optical path in a square array, regular hexagon array, octagon array, etc. according to requirements such as field of view and light homogenization. The specific array arrangement is determined according to the shape of the field of view, and the present disclosure does not make any restrictions. Continuing to refer to Figure 1 FIG. 4, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the condenser lens group 4 can divide the optical distance from the fly-eye lens group 3 to the exposure surface 5 into a condenser working distance L1 and an exposure working distance L2. The condenser lens group 4 is configured to adjust the condenser working distance L1 and the exposure working distance L2 by adjusting the curvature radius of the condenser lens group 4.

[0074] Further, the ultraviolet light-emitting diode exposure device may further include: a first reflector for deflecting the optical path from the fly-eye lens group to the condenser lens group and / or the optical path from the condenser lens group to the exposure surface.

[0075] Figure 3A FIG. 5 schematically shows the position diagram of the first reflector provided in an embodiment of the present disclosure in the ultraviolet light-emitting diode exposure device.

[0076] As Figure 3A shown, the first reflector (L1-1, L1-2) may be located on the optical path from the fly-eye lens group 3 to the condenser lens group 4. The ultraviolet beam after light homogenization by the fly-eye lens group 3 is reflected by L1-1 at a certain angle, so that the reflected ultraviolet beam is incident on L1-2, and then the ultraviolet beam is reflected by L1-2 to the condenser lens group 4, so that the ultraviolet beam is incident on the condenser lens group 4 from the fly-eye lens group 3 in a deflected manner. Through this design, on the one hand, the length of the ultraviolet light-emitting diode exposure device can be compressed, and the size of the ultraviolet light-emitting diode exposure device can be reduced. On the other hand, it can meet the situation where the space is limited due to the occupation of other devices during exposure, and the light incident method shown in Figure 1 FIG. 4 cannot be used, and thus the ultraviolet exposure device has stronger adaptability to the scene.

[0077] Figure 3B The figure schematically shows the position of the first reflector in the UV LED exposure device provided in another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0078] like Figure 3B As shown, the first reflecting mirror (L2-1, L2-2) can be located on the optical path from the condensing lens group 4 to the exposure surface 5, and the ultraviolet light beam focused by the condensing lens group 4 is reflected at a certain angle by L2-1, so that the reflected ultraviolet light beam is incident on L2-2, and then the ultraviolet light beam is reflected to the exposure surface 5 by L2-2, so that the ultraviolet light beam is incident on the exposure surface 5 from the condensing lens group 4 by a folding manner. Through this design, on the one hand, the length of the ultraviolet light emitting diode exposure device can be compressed and the size of the ultraviolet light emitting diode exposure device can be reduced, and on the other hand, it can meet the problem that the space is limited due to the occupation of other devices during exposure and the exposure device cannot be used. Figure 1 The light entering method at the position shown makes the ultraviolet exposure device more adaptable to the scene.

[0079] It should be understood that L1-1 and L1-2 can be set on the optical path from the compound eye group 3 to the condenser group 4 at the same time so that the ultraviolet light beam is incident on the condenser group 4 from the compound eye group 3 by means of folding, and L2-1 and L2-2 can be set on the optical path from the condenser group 4 to the exposure surface 5 so that the ultraviolet light beam is incident on the condenser group 4 by means of folding, thereby doubly compressing the length of the ultraviolet light emitting diode exposure device and being able to more flexibly adjust the position of each component in the device, thereby further improving the adaptability of the ultraviolet exposure device to the scene.

[0080] It should be noted that the condenser group 4 and the first reflector need to be designed with targeted parameters in combination with the input and output requirements. On the one hand, the light path is adjusted by adjusting the curvature radius of the condenser group 4 to meet the space limitations of the equipment frame and other components. On the other hand, the length of the UV LED exposure device is compressed by the folding of the reflector, so that the UV LED exposure device can be folded into a smaller space.

[0081] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the control module 6 includes a controller 61 and a control system 62. The controller 61 is matched with the ultraviolet light-emitting diode light source 1. The controller 61 is configured with an independent chip for each ultraviolet light-emitting diode bead of the ultraviolet light-emitting diode light source 1, and can independently control each ultraviolet light-emitting diode bead in an addressing manner. The control system 62 is used to send control instructions to the controller through a software interface to control the on / off of the ultraviolet light-emitting diode beads and collect the operating parameters of the ultraviolet light-emitting diode beads. After receiving the light source turn-on instruction sent by the control system 62, the controller 61 independently controls the on / off of each ultraviolet light-emitting diode bead through a high-frequency switching mode. The ultraviolet light-emitting diode beads are not in a constantly-on state, but are switched on and off at a frequency as high as, for example, 10KHZ. This switching mode can effectively improve the energy stability, reduce the heat generation of the LED light source 1, and improve the heat dissipation effect.

[0082] The control system 62 can communicate with the LED controller 61 in various ways such as through a network port, RS232, etc. The control system 62 can control the on / off, switching frequency, operating current, operating time, etc. of each ultraviolet light-emitting diode bead, and can also read signals such as the light source serial number, operating current, operating voltage, operating temperature, etc.

[0083] It should be noted that although a conventional LED light source has multiple beads, they are all switched on and off in parallel at the same time. A large number of beads can achieve high power, but it cannot be compatible with low-power requirements. Because the current or voltage has a minimum control amount, even when using the minimum power, there is still a relatively high light source output power. The independent control of the beads in the present disclosure can solve this problem. When low-power requirements are needed, some beads can be turned off. And, after a conventional LED light source is turned on, it is in a constantly-on state. In this way, there are two problems: First, when continuously turned on, the light source will continuously heat up, and the final operating temperature can reach 50 - 100 °C; Second, it is required that the current or voltage be stable for a long time (1%), which itself is a relatively high requirement, and it will further affect the current or voltage stability as the temperature changes. After the light source is controlled to be turned on in the present disclosure, the actual ultraviolet light-emitting diode beads are not turned on for a long time, but are switched at a high frequency, such as 10KHZ. The state of this switching cannot be felt during use, but during the off time, a cooling time can be left for the light source, and the temperature can be controlled to about 30 °C by only adding a fan. Moreover, the high-frequency switching can be understood as the light source state being in the state at the moment of starting the light source for a long time. The controller can well control the current at the starting moment, thereby ensuring a stable output power of the light source.

[0084] Further, the ultraviolet light-emitting diode exposure device may further include: a compound parabolic concentrator, disposed on the light-emitting path of the ultraviolet light-emitting diode light source, for reducing the divergence angle of the ultraviolet light-emitting diode light source. By setting the compound parabolic concentrator, the energy utilization rate can be improved.

[0085] Based on the same inventive concept, the disclosed embodiment also provides an ultraviolet light emitting diode exposure system, which includes, for example, a plurality of ultraviolet light emitting diode exposure devices as described above. A second reflector is used to fold the ultraviolet light beams focused by the condensing lens groups of the plurality of ultraviolet light emitting diode exposure devices and make them incident on the same exposure surface at a preset incident angle to achieve coaxial exposure and off-axis exposure, wherein the preset incident angles corresponding to the ultraviolet light beams focused by the condensing lens groups are the same or different.

[0086] Figure 4 The structure of the ultraviolet light emitting diode exposure system provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure is schematically shown.

[0087] like Figure 4 As shown, the ultraviolet light emitting diode exposure system further couples the LED-1 ultraviolet exposure device to the LED-N ultraviolet exposure device on the basis of the LED-0 ultraviolet exposure device, and the second reflector (L2-3 and L2-4) is arranged on the light path from the LED-1 ultraviolet exposure device to the LED-N ultraviolet exposure device, and the ultraviolet light beam focused by the corresponding focusing lens group 4 to the exposure surface 5 is reflected by L2-3 at a certain angle, so that the reflected ultraviolet light beam is incident on L2-4, and then the ultraviolet light beam is reflected by L2-4 to the exposure surface 5 of the LED-0 ultraviolet exposure device, so that the ultraviolet light beams focused by all the focusing lens groups 4 from the LED-1 ultraviolet exposure device to the LED-N ultraviolet exposure device are incident on the exposure surface 5 of the LED-0 ultraviolet exposure device, and the LED-0 ultraviolet exposure device to the LED-N ultraviolet exposure device work in linkage to realize coaxial and off-axis exposure, and off-axis lighting.

[0088] Among them, the collimating lens group 2, the compound lens group 3 and the condensing lens group 4 of each ultraviolet exposure device need to adjust the number of lenses, the radius of curvature and the distance between lenses in combination with the requirements of the illumination field of view and uniformity. The oblique incident angle can be adjusted by the reflector L2-3 and the reflector L2-4. When the spatial layout permits, by adjusting these parameters and the number of ultraviolet exposure devices, single off-axis exposure, double off-axis exposure, four off-axis exposure and approximate annular exposure can be achieved.

[0089] It should be noted that the principle of off-axis illumination is to change the incident angle of the illumination light incident on the mask to achieve the graphic size corresponding to the cutoff frequency of the extended imaging system, thereby improving the resolution of the lithography system and the imaging focal depth at the corresponding resolution.

[0090] It should be noted that the UV LED exposure system part in the embodiment of the present disclosure corresponds to the UV LED exposure device part in the embodiment of the present disclosure, and their specific implementation details and technical effects are also the same, which will not be repeated here.

[0091] To further prove the advantages of the ultraviolet light-emitting diode exposure device and system provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure, the following indicators are listed for illustration.

[0092] In this example, the key indicators of the ultraviolet light-emitting diode exposure device are that the light field size is greater than 45 mm × 45 mm, the energy density reaches 200 mw / cm 2 , the light field uniformity reaches 98%, the beam divergence half-angle is ±2°, and the entire exposure device can operate for a long time (12 hours) with the temperature controllable within 30°C. Based on this, it can be seen that the ultraviolet light-emitting diode exposure device and system have high energy utilization efficiency, a small beam emission angle, can efficiently perform light collection and collimation, and have good heat dissipation effects, and have broad application prospects in the field of exposure technology.

[0093] The specific embodiments described above further elaborate on the purpose, technical solutions, and beneficial effects of the present disclosure. It should be understood that the above are only specific embodiments of the present disclosure and are not used to limit the present disclosure. Any modifications, equivalent replacements, improvements, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present disclosure shall be included within the protection scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. An ultraviolet light-emitting diode exposure device, characterized in that, Comprising: An ultraviolet light-emitting diode light source, including array patch ultraviolet light-emitting diode lamp beads for emitting ultraviolet light beams; A collimating lens group for collecting and collimating the ultraviolet light beams; A fly-eye lens group for homogenizing the ultraviolet light beams after collection and collimation; A condenser lens group for condensing the homogenized ultraviolet light beams; An exposure surface, which is a working surface for exposure using the condensed ultraviolet light beams; A control module for independently controlling the on / off of each of the ultraviolet light-emitting diode lamp beads through a high-frequency switching mode; the high-frequency switching mode keeps the state of the ultraviolet light-emitting diode lamp beads at the moment when the light source is started for a long time; A liquid optical fiber for introducing the ultraviolet light beams emitted by the ultraviolet light-emitting diode light source into the collimating lens group; The condenser lens group divides the optical distance from the fly-eye lens group to the exposure surface into a condensing working distance and an exposure working distance, and the condenser lens group is configured to adjust the condensing working distance and the exposure working distance by adjusting the curvature radius of the condenser lens group; The control module includes a controller and a control system, wherein: the controller is configured with an independent chip corresponding to each ultraviolet light-emitting diode lamp bead, and independently controls each ultraviolet light-emitting diode lamp bead by means of addressing; When the low power requirement is met, some of the ultraviolet light-emitting diode lamp beads can be turned off; The control system is used to send control instructions to the controller through a software interface to control the on / off of the ultraviolet light-emitting diode lamp beads and collect the working parameters of the ultraviolet light-emitting diode lamp beads.

2. The ultraviolet light-emitting diode exposure device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The collimating lens group includes: a filter for filtering the ultraviolet light beams to obtain the ultraviolet light beams with the required wavelength and bandwidth for exposure; A parabolic mirror for collecting and collimating the filtered ultraviolet light beams, wherein the ultraviolet light beams are incident on the parabolic mirror at a preset angle, and the parabolic mirror matches the numerical aperture and divergence half-angle of the ultraviolet light-emitting diode light source.

3. The ultraviolet light-emitting diode exposure device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The collimating lens group includes: A filter for filtering the ultraviolet light beams to obtain the ultraviolet light beams with the required wavelength and bandwidth for exposure; a concave lens for collecting the filtered ultraviolet light beams, wherein the curvature radius and number of the concave lenses are determined by the light passing aperture, numerical aperture, and divergence half-angle of the ultraviolet light-emitting diode light source; A collimating lens for collimating the collected ultraviolet light beams.

4. The ultraviolet light-emitting diode exposure device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The fly-eye lens group includes two rows of fly-eye lenses, and along the optical path direction, the rear row of fly-eye lenses is located at the focal point of the front row of fly-eye lenses.

5. The ultraviolet light-emitting diode exposure device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The fly-eye lenses are distributed in the optical path in a square array, or a regular hexagon array, or an octagon array.

6. The ultraviolet light-emitting diode exposure device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ultraviolet light-emitting diode exposure device further includes: A first reflector for deflecting the optical path from the fly-eye lens group to the condenser lens group and / or the optical path from the condenser lens group to the exposure surface.

7. The ultraviolet light-emitting diode exposure device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ultraviolet light-emitting diode exposure device further includes: A compound parabolic concentrator provided on the outgoing optical path of the ultraviolet light-emitting diode light source for reducing the divergence angle of the ultraviolet light-emitting diode light source.

8. An ultraviolet light-emitting diode exposure system, characterized in that, Comprising: Multiple ultraviolet light-emitting diode exposure devices as described in any one of claims 1-7; The second reflector is configured to deflect the ultraviolet light beams condensed by the condenser lens groups of the plurality of ultraviolet light emitting diode exposure devices and then make them incident on the same exposure surface at a preset incident angle, so as to achieve coaxial exposure and off-axis exposure, wherein the preset incident angles corresponding to the ultraviolet light beams condensed by each condenser lens group are the same or different.

Images