Exposure method and exposure apparatus

Abstract

The application discloses an exposure method and an exposure device. The exposure method comprises the following steps: dividing an image to be exposed into a plurality of strip images with a width of T, wherein T=L-2*t; driving an exposure mechanism to step to a preset position by a stepping mechanism, and the stepping distance is T; obtaining an actual position of the stepping mechanism after the stepping mechanism stops; calculating an error ΔX between the actual position and the preset position; adding blank strip images with widths of t+ΔX and t-ΔX to both sides of the strip image with the width of T respectively; and performing exposure processing on the exposure mechanism according to the adjusted strip images. The application can compensate for the movement error of a light spot, avoid the overlapping or gap between two adjacent strip images, and improve the exposure quality.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of exposure technology, and in particular to an exposure method for a step-and-step exposure device and an exposure device for implementing the exposure method. Background Art

[0002] An exposure device is a mechanical device that uses light to transfer image information from film or other transparent materials to a surface coated with a photosensitive material. In exposure devices, the exposure mechanism typically moves in a stepping motion. This means the exposure mechanism is moved from one position to another by a stepping mechanism along a stepping direction to expose the exposure medium and form a corresponding image on the exposure medium. During stepping, the exposure mechanism first needs to determine its starting position. Once the position is determined, the stepping mechanism controls its movement. When the exposure mechanism approaches the target position, the stepping mechanism stops, stopping at the target position. However, due to certain movement errors in the stepping mechanism, the final stop position of the exposure mechanism may not be the preset position, which can lead to problems with the exposed image. For example, if the exposure mechanism steps beyond the target position, gaps may appear between adjacent image strips. If the exposure mechanism steps below the target position, adjacent image strips may overlap, affecting the quality of the exposed image. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The object of the present invention is to provide an exposure method capable of improving exposure quality, and also to provide an exposure device for implementing the exposure method.

[0004] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides an exposure method for an exposure device, wherein the exposure device includes an exposure mechanism and a stepping mechanism for controlling the stepping of the exposure mechanism, and the exposure method includes:

[0005] S100, dividing the image to be exposed into a plurality of strip images of width T, where T = L - 2 × t, L is the width of the light spot generated by the exposure mechanism, t is greater than or equal to θ, and θ is the accuracy of the stepping mechanism;

[0006] S200, the stepping mechanism drives the exposure mechanism to step to a preset position, and the stepping distance is T;

[0007] S300, obtaining the actual position of the exposure mechanism after the stepping mechanism stops;

[0008] S400, calculating the error ΔX between the actual position and the preset position, and adding blank strip images with widths of t+ΔX and t-ΔX on both sides of the strip image with a width of T respectively;

[0009] S500: The exposure mechanism performs exposure processing according to the stripe image obtained in step S400.

[0010] Preferably, in S300, the actual position of the exposure mechanism after the stepping mechanism stops is acquired through the grating ruler.

[0011] Preferably, in S400 , when the actual position is to the left of the preset position, a blank strip image with a width of t+ΔX is added to the left of the strip image with a width of T, and a blank strip image with a width of t-ΔX is added to the right.

[0012] Preferably, in S400 , when the actual position is to the right of the preset position, a blank strip image with a width of t-ΔX is added to the left side of the strip image with a width of T, and a blank strip image with a width of t+ΔX is added to the right side.

[0013] Preferably, in S100, the image to be exposed is divided into a plurality of strip images with a width of T by a host computer.

[0014] Preferably, in S400, the error ΔX between the actual position and the preset position is calculated by the lower computer, and blank images with widths of t+ΔX and t-ΔX are added to both sides of the strip image respectively.

[0015] Preferably, the exposure mechanism is in a non-working state when processing the blank strip image data.

[0016] The present invention also discloses an exposure device, comprising:

[0017] An exposure mechanism, used for performing exposure processing on an exposure medium;

[0018] A stepping mechanism, connected to the exposure mechanism, for driving the exposure mechanism to step;

[0019] A control mechanism is connected to both the exposure mechanism and the stepping mechanism, and is used to divide the image to be exposed into a plurality of strip images with a width of T, drive the exposure mechanism to step to a preset position through the stepping mechanism, and the stepping distance is T. The actual position of the exposure mechanism after the stepping mechanism stops is further obtained, the error ΔX between the actual position and the preset position is calculated, and blank images with widths of t+ΔX and t-ΔX are added on both sides of the strip image, respectively, and the exposure mechanism is controlled to perform exposure processing based on the adjusted strip images.

[0020] Preferably, when the actual position is to the left of the preset position, the control mechanism adds a blank strip image with a width of t+ΔX to the left of the strip image with a width of T, and adds a blank strip image with a width of t-ΔX to the right.

[0021] Preferably, when the actual position is to the right of the preset position, the control mechanism adds a blank strip image with a width of t-ΔX to the left side of the strip image with a width of T, and adds a blank strip image with a width of t+ΔX to the right side.

[0022] The beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0023] The present invention divides the image to be exposed into strip images with a width of T, and adds a blank strip image of t+ΔX and a blank strip image of t-ΔX on both sides of the strip image according to the error between the actual position of the exposure mechanism and the preset position, so as to compensate for the movement error of the light spot, avoid overlap or gap between two adjacent strips, and improve the exposure quality. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] Figure 1 is a flow chart of the exposure method in embodiment 1 of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of light spot stepping;

[0026] Figure 3 It is a structural schematic diagram of an exposure device;

[0027] Figure 4 is another structural schematic diagram of the exposure equipment;

[0028] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of image segmentation to be exposed;

[0029] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the movement of the exposure mechanism;

[0030] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of stripe image compensation when the position is on the left;

[0031] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the exposure method in Example 2;

[0032] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of strip image compensation when the position is on the right. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0033] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be described clearly and completely below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of the present invention.

[0034] In the prior art, the stepping mechanism has errors when driving the exposure mechanism. This causes a discrepancy between the actual position of the light spot produced by the exposure mechanism after stepping and the preset position, which in turn affects exposure quality. The present invention adjusts the position of the light spot produced by the exposure mechanism based on the errors produced during the stepping mechanism's movement to compensate for the error between the actual position of the light spot and the preset position, thereby improving exposure quality.

[0035] The exposure method disclosed in the present invention is described in detail below using two embodiments.

[0036] Example 1

[0037] like Figure 1 FIG. 1 is an exposure method of an exposure device disclosed in Embodiment 1 of the present invention, comprising the following steps:

[0038] S100, dividing the image to be exposed into a plurality of strip images of width T, where T = L - 2 × t, L is the width of the light spot generated by the exposure mechanism, t is greater than or equal to θ, and θ is the accuracy of the stepping mechanism;

[0039] Specifically, combined Figures 2 to 4 As shown, the exposure apparatus includes an exposure mechanism 10 and a stepping mechanism 20. The exposure mechanism 10 is connected to the stepping mechanism 20. The exposure mechanism 10 is used to generate a light spot B and use the light spot B to expose an exposure medium A, which includes but is not limited to a screen. The stepping mechanism 20 is used to control the movement of the exposure mechanism 10 along a stepping direction so that the light spot B moves along a stepping direction X. During operation, the light spot B generated by the exposure mechanism 10 moves along an exposure direction Y to expose the exposure medium. After completing one exposure process, the exposure mechanism 10 moves along the stepping direction X under the control of the stepping mechanism 20. Once the exposure mechanism 10 is in place, it moves along the exposure direction Y to expose the exposure medium A again. The above process is repeated to complete the exposure process of the exposure medium A.

[0040] In this embodiment, the exposure mechanism 10 utilizes DLP technology or laser close-packed technology. When the exposure mechanism 10 utilizes DLP technology, it includes, but is not limited to, a light source, a DMD (Digital Micromirror Device), and a lens assembly. During implementation, light generated by the light source is directed toward the DMD, reflected by the DMD, and then enters the lens assembly. After being processed by the lens assembly, it is directed toward the photoreactive material, thereby exposing the photoreactive material.

[0041] When the exposure mechanism 10 utilizes laser close-packed technology, it includes, but is not limited to, lasers arranged in a line or array. During implementation, the lasers are controlled to turn on or off according to a specific pattern to expose the photoreactive material. The light generated by the lasers can be irradiated directly onto the photoreactive material or through optical fibers, lenses, or the like.

[0042] like Figure 3As shown, the stepping mechanism 20 includes but is not limited to a conveyor belt 21 and a motor 22. The motor 22 drives the exposure mechanism 10 to move through the conveyor belt 21. Of course, in other embodiments, such as Figure 4 As shown, the stepping mechanism 20 may also adopt a linear motor, which drives the exposure mechanism 10 to move in a stepping direction.

[0043] In order to compensate for the position deviation of the light spot generated by the exposure mechanism 10 caused by the error in the stepping process of the stepping mechanism 20, as shown in FIG. Figure 5 As shown, the present invention first divides the image to be exposed into several strip images M with a width of T. Here, the width T of the strip image M is the width of the light spot minus at least twice the precision of the stepping mechanism, that is, T = L-2×t, t≧θ, and θ is the precision of the stepping mechanism. The light spot here refers to the beam of light with a specific shape formed on the exposure medium after being emitted from the exposure mechanism. For exposure mechanisms using DLP technology, the size of the light spot is not necessarily the same as the size of the DMD. In general, the width of the divided strip images is equal to the width of the DMD, which is also equal to the product of the width of the light spot and the magnification. The precision here refers to the error of the stepping mechanism. For example, if the preset movement distance of the stepping mechanism is M, and the actual movement distance of the stepping mechanism 20 is N, the difference P between M and N is the precision. In other words, the actual distance moved by the stepping mechanism during the actual movement is M±P. By reducing the width of the strip images based on the precision of the stepping mechanism 20, sufficient error compensation space can be reserved for compensation processing.

[0044] S200, the stepping mechanism 20 drives the exposure mechanism 10 to step to a preset position, and the stepping distance is T;

[0045] S300, obtaining the actual position of the stepping mechanism 20 after the stepping mechanism 20 stops;

[0046] Specifically, after the image to be exposed is segmented, the stepping mechanism 20 controls the exposure mechanism 10 to step toward the preset position along the stepping direction, and the stepping distance is T. After the stepping mechanism 20 stops moving, the actual position of the stepping mechanism 20 after stopping is further obtained through the grating ruler. During implementation, a reader for reading data can be assembled in the exposure mechanism, and the position data can be obtained through the cooperation of the reader and the grating ruler. When there is no movement error in the stepping mechanism 20, the stepping distance of the stepping mechanism 20 is equal to T. However, due to the movement error of the stepping mechanism 20, the actual position of the stepping mechanism 20 after stopping is to the left of the preset position, and thus the position of the light spot generated by the exposure mechanism 10 is also to the left of the preset position, as shown in FIG. Figure 6 As shown in the figure, C is the initial position of the exposure mechanism 10, C' is the preset stop position of the exposure mechanism 10 after stepping according to the stepping distance, and C" is the actual stop position of the exposure mechanism 10 after stepping according to the stepping distance. It can be seen from the figure that there is an error between the two.

[0047] S400, calculating the error ΔX between the actual position and the preset position, adding a blank strip image with a width of t+ΔX to the left side of the strip image, and adding a blank strip image with a width of t-ΔX to the right side of the strip image;

[0048] S500: The exposure mechanism performs exposure processing according to the stripe image obtained in step S400.

[0049] Specifically, after the actual position where the stepping mechanism 20 stops is obtained through the grating ruler, the error ΔX between the actual position and the preset position is further calculated. Since the actual position is on the left side of the preset position and the error between the two is ΔX, the light spot formed by the exposure mechanism 10 is also on the left side of the preset position and the error between the two is also ΔX. After calculating and obtaining the error ΔX between the two, a blank strip image with a width of t+ΔX is added to the left side of the strip image with a width of T, and a blank strip image with a width of t-ΔX is added to the right side. At this time, the overall width of the strip image is T+t+ΔX+t-ΔX. Substituting T=L-2×t, the overall width of the strip image can be obtained as L, that is, the overall width of the strip image is the width of the light spot. After adding blank strip images with widths of t+ΔX and t-ΔX on both sides of the strip image, the exposure mechanism 10 performs exposure processing on the exposure medium according to the compensated strip image data. As Figure 7 As shown, M is a stripe image with a width of T, B is a light spot, C' is a preset stop position of the exposure mechanism after stepping according to the stepping distance, C" is the actual stop position of the exposure mechanism after stepping according to the stepping distance, D is a blank stripe image with a width of t+ΔX, and D' is a blank stripe image with a width of t-ΔX.

[0050] During exposure, the exposure mechanism 10 is in a non-operating state when processing blank stripe image data. For example, for a DLP exposure mechanism 10, the micromirror array is off, and for a laser close-packed exposure mechanism 10, the corresponding laser is off. By adding a blank stripe image of width t+ΔX to the left of the stripe image and a blank stripe image of width t-ΔX to the right, the stripe image is shifted rightward by a distance of ΔX, thereby compensating for errors, avoiding overlap or gaps between adjacent stripe images, and improving exposure quality.

[0051] In this embodiment, the upper computer segments the image to be exposed into several strip images of width T. After image segmentation is completed, the upper computer transmits the strip image data to the lower computer. The lower computer controls the exposure mechanism 10 to step by controlling the stepping mechanism 20. After the movement stops, the lower computer receives the actual position of the stepping mechanism 20 measured by the grating ruler. The lower computer calculates the error ΔX between the actual position and the preset position, and adds blank strip images of widths t+ΔX and t-ΔX on both sides of the strip image of width T. The strip image data is then transmitted to the exposure mechanism 10, which can then perform exposure processing on the exposure medium. By adopting the upper and lower computer settings, the data processing rate can be increased. Of course, in other embodiments, only the upper computer can be set to implement all the above functions.

[0052] Example 2

[0053] Combine Figure 8 and Figure 9 As shown, this is the exposure method disclosed in the second embodiment of the present invention. Different from the first embodiment, in step S400, after calculating the error ΔX between the actual position and the preset position, a blank strip image with a width of t-ΔX is added to the left side of the strip image, and a blank strip image with a width of t+ΔX is added to the right side of the strip image.

[0054] Specifically, after the actual position where the stepping mechanism 20 stops is obtained through the grating ruler, the error ΔX between the actual position and the preset position is further calculated. Since the actual position is on the right side of the preset position and the error between the two is ΔX, the light spot formed by the exposure mechanism 10 is also on the left side of the preset position and the error between the two is also ΔX. After calculating the error ΔX, a blank strip image with a width of t-ΔX is added to the left side of the strip image with a width of T, and a blank strip image with a width of t+ΔX is added to the right side. At this time, the overall width of the strip image is T+t+ΔX+t-ΔX. Substituting T=L-2×t, it can be obtained that the overall width of the strip image is L, that is, the overall width of the strip image is the width of the light spot. As Figure 9 As shown, M is a strip image with a width of T, B is a light spot, C' is a preset stop position of the exposure mechanism 10 after stepping according to the stepping distance, C" is the actual stop position of the exposure mechanism 10 after stepping according to the stepping distance, D is a blank strip image with a width of t-ΔX, and D' is a blank strip image with a width of t+ΔX.

[0055] By adding a blank strip image of t-ΔX width on the left side of the strip image and a blank strip image of t+ΔX width on the right side, it is equivalent to moving the strip image to the right by a distance of ΔX, thereby compensating for the error, avoiding overlap or gaps between adjacent strips, and improving exposure quality.

[0056] After adding blank stripe images of widths t+ΔX and t-ΔX on both sides of the stripe image, respectively, the exposure mechanism 10 performs exposure processing on the exposure medium based on the compensated stripe image data. During the exposure process, the exposure mechanism 10 is in a non-operating state when processing the blank stripe image data. For example, for a DLP exposure mechanism 10, the micromirror array is in a turned-off state, and for a laser close-packed exposure mechanism 10, the corresponding laser is in a turned-off state.

[0057] Combine Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, the present invention also discloses an exposure device for implementing the above-mentioned exposure method. Specifically, the exposure device includes a stepping mechanism 20, an exposure mechanism 10 and a control mechanism (not shown in the figure), wherein the stepping mechanism 20 and the exposure mechanism 10 are both connected to the control mechanism, and the stepping mechanism 20 is also connected to the exposure mechanism 10. The stepping mechanism 20 is used to drive the exposure mechanism 10 to move along the stepping direction; the exposure mechanism 10 is used to expose the exposure medium; the control mechanism is used to divide the image to be exposed into a plurality of strip images with a width of T, T = L-2×t, and control the stepping mechanism 20 to drive the exposure mechanism 10 to step with a step distance of T, further obtain the actual position where the exposure mechanism 10 stops and calculate the error ΔX between the actual position and the preset position, add blank images with widths of t+ΔX and t-ΔX on both sides of the strip image, and control the exposure mechanism 10 to perform exposure processing based on the adjusted strip images.

[0058] Specifically, the control mechanism divides the image to be exposed into several strip images with a width of T, where the width T of the strip image is the width of the light spot minus at least twice the accuracy of the stepping mechanism 20, that is, T = L-2×t, t≧θ. Ideally, the width of the divided strip image is L, that is, the width of the strip image is equal to the width of the light spot, and by reducing the size of the strip image according to the accuracy of the stepping mechanism 20, sufficient error compensation space can be reserved for compensation processing. After the image to be exposed is divided, the stepping mechanism 20 controls the exposure mechanism 10 to step toward the preset position along the stepping direction, and the stepping distance is T. When the exposure mechanism 10 stops moving, the control mechanism obtains the actual position of the exposure mechanism 10 through the grating ruler. The error ΔX between the actual position and the preset position is further calculated. Since the actual position is on the left or right side of the preset position, the light spot formed by the exposure mechanism 10 is also on the left or right side of the preset position. After calculating the error ΔX, blank stripe images of widths t+ΔX and t-ΔX are added to both sides of the stripe image of width T, respectively. See above for details. At this point, the overall width of the stripe image is T+t+ΔX+t-ΔX. Substituting T=L-2×t, the overall width of the stripe image is L, i.e., the overall width of the stripe image is the width of the light spot. Adding blank stripe images of t+ΔX and t-ΔX on both sides of the stripe image is equivalent to moving the stripe image to the left or right by a distance of ΔX, thereby compensating for the error and avoiding overlap or gaps between adjacent stripes, thereby improving exposure quality. The exposure mechanism 10 and the stepping mechanism 20 are described above in detail and will not be described in detail here.

[0059] The present invention divides the image to be exposed into strip images with a width of T and adds a blank strip image of t+ΔX and a blank strip image of t-ΔX on both sides of the strip image according to the error between the actual position of the exposure mechanism driven by the stepping mechanism 20 and the preset position, so as to compensate for the movement error of the light spot, avoid overlap or gap between two adjacent strips, and improve the exposure quality.

[0060] The technical content and technical features of the present invention have been disclosed as above. However, those skilled in the art may still make various substitutions and modifications based on the teachings and disclosures of the present invention without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should not be limited to the contents disclosed in the embodiments, but should include various substitutions and modifications that do not depart from the present invention and are covered by the claims of this patent application.

Claims

1. An exposure method for an exposure device, wherein the exposure device comprises an exposure mechanism and a stepping mechanism for controlling the stepping of the exposure mechanism, characterized in that: The exposure method comprises: S100, dividing the image to be exposed into a plurality of strip images of width T, where T = L - 2 × t, L is the width of the light spot generated by the exposure mechanism, t is greater than or equal to θ, and θ is the accuracy of the stepping mechanism; S200, the stepping mechanism drives the exposure mechanism to step to a preset position, and the stepping distance is T; S300, obtaining the actual position of the exposure mechanism after the stepping mechanism stops; S400, calculating the error ΔX between the actual position and the preset position, and adding blank strip images with widths of t+ΔX and t-ΔX on both sides of the strip image with a width of T respectively; S500: The exposure mechanism performs exposure processing according to the stripe image obtained in step S400.

2. The exposure method according to claim 1, in S300, the actual position of the exposure mechanism after the stepping mechanism stops is obtained through the grating ruler.

3. The exposure method according to claim 1 , wherein in step S400 , when the actual position is to the left of the preset position, a blank strip image with a width of t+ΔX is added to the left of the strip image with a width of T, and a blank strip image with a width of t-ΔX is added to the right.

4. The exposure method according to claim 1 , wherein in S400 , when the actual position is to the right of the preset position, a blank strip image with a width of t-ΔX is added to the left side of the strip image with a width of T, and a blank strip image with a width of t+ΔX is added to the right side. 5 . The exposure method according to claim 1 , wherein in S100 , the image to be exposed is divided into a plurality of strip images with a width of T by a host computer.

6. The exposure method according to claim 1, wherein in step S400, the error ΔX between the actual position and the preset position is calculated by the lower computer, and blank images with widths of t+ΔX and t-ΔX are added on both sides of the strip image, respectively. 7 . The exposure method according to claim 1 , wherein the exposure mechanism is in a non-working state when processing blank stripe image data.

8. An exposure device for implementing the exposure method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that: The exposure equipment includes: An exposure mechanism, used for performing exposure processing on an exposure medium; A stepping mechanism, connected to the exposure mechanism, for driving the exposure mechanism to step; A control mechanism is connected to both the exposure mechanism and the stepping mechanism, and is used to divide the image to be exposed into a plurality of strip images with a width of T, drive the exposure mechanism to step to a preset position through the stepping mechanism, and the stepping distance is T. The actual position of the exposure mechanism after the stepping mechanism stops is further obtained, the error ΔX between the actual position and the preset position is calculated, and blank images with widths of t+ΔX and t-ΔX are added on both sides of the strip image, respectively, and the exposure mechanism is controlled to perform exposure processing based on the adjusted strip images.

9. The exposure device according to claim 8, when the actual position is to the left of the preset position, the control mechanism adds a blank strip image with a width of t+ΔX to the left of the strip image with a width of T, and adds a blank strip image with a width of t-ΔX to the right.

10. The exposure method according to claim 8, wherein when the actual position is to the right of the preset position, the control mechanism adds a blank strip image with a width of t-ΔX to the left side of the strip image with a width of T, and adds a blank strip image with a width of t+ΔX to the right side.

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