Proximity exposure machine

Abstract

This application provides a proximity exposure machine. In the light source system, the exposure source and backlight are coaxially aligned in their light emission directions. A dichroic mirror is tilted between the exposure source and backlight. A vision device is positioned on one side of the dichroic mirror. The dichroic mirror can transmit light from the exposure source and reflect light from the backlight to enable imaging by the vision device. A mask stage is mounted on the frame and located between the dichroic mirror and the exposure stage, used to load and drive the mask for lateral or longitudinal displacement adjustment. The exposure stage carries and transports silicon wafers into, fixes, or removes them from the exposure position. The transport device on the stage includes a drive mechanism and a ring-shaped ventilated carrier belt. An adsorption stage provides negative pressure, creating negative pressure on the surface of the ventilated carrier belt, which is used to transport or fix the silicon wafers. A ventilated flexible element is also provided between the adsorption stage and the ventilated carrier belt. The proximity exposure machine provided in this application achieves high-precision positioning through a simple structure, reducing equipment costs.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application belongs to the field of photovoltaic silicon wafer manufacturing equipment technology, and more specifically, relates to a proximity exposure machine. Background Technology

[0002] In the field of proximity exposure machines, due to the extremely small distance between the exposure mask and the silicon wafer to be exposed, the general process of silicon wafer positioning before exposure is as follows: after the silicon wafer is pre-positioned visually, it is transported to the exposure area by a high-precision wafer transfer device; then the mask is moved and adjusted so that it can be moved directly above the silicon wafer to meet the exposure requirements.

[0003] In the aforementioned process, there are two position adjustment steps. Each position adjustment step is limited by the movement accuracy of the drive device and has a certain positioning error. This will cause the error to accumulate, resulting in a large accumulation of positioning error before silicon wafer exposure, which in turn affects the positioning accuracy.

[0004] However, reducing positioning errors using this positioning method requires upgrading the drive unit at a relatively high cost. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this application is to provide a proximity exposure machine to solve the technical problem of large positioning errors of silicon wafers before exposure in the prior art.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted in this application embodiment is to provide a proximity exposure machine, including a frame and a light source system, a mask stage, and an exposure stage disposed on the frame, wherein:

[0007] The light source system includes an exposure source, a dichroic mirror, a vision device, and a backlight. The light emission directions of the exposure source and the backlight are arranged opposite each other, and their optical axes are on the same axis. The dichroic mirror is tilted between the exposure source and the backlight. The vision device is arranged on one side of the dichroic mirror. The dichroic mirror can transmit the light from the exposure source and reflect the light from the backlight so that the vision device can form an image.

[0008] The mask stage is disposed on the frame and located between the dichroic mirror and the exposure stage. The mask stage is used to load the mask plate and drive the mask plate to perform lateral or longitudinal displacement adjustment.

[0009] The exposure stage is used to carry and transport silicon wafers into, fix, or leave the exposure position. The exposure stage includes an adsorption stage and a transport device. The transport device includes a drive mechanism and a ring-shaped ventilated carrier belt. The top inner circumferential surface of the ventilated carrier belt faces the adsorption area on the adsorption stage. The adsorption stage is used to provide negative pressure and form a negative pressure on the surface of the ventilated carrier belt. The ventilated carrier belt is used to transport or fix the silicon wafer. A ventilated flexible element is also provided between the adsorption stage and the ventilated carrier belt.

[0010] Optionally, the exposure stage further includes a support, the adsorption stage is disposed on the support, and the support is made of marble; and / or, the backlight is disposed on the adsorption stage.

[0011] Optionally, the breathable carrier tape is a paper tape or steel tape with an array of breathable holes on its surface, and / or the breathable flexible element is a paper sheet, and the thickness of the carrier tape and / or the breathable flexible element is 0.1 mm to 0.3 mm; and / or the thickness consistency range between different areas on the carrier tape or the breathable flexible element is 1 μm to 10 μm.

[0012] Optionally, the adsorption region includes a first adsorption region and a second adsorption region, wherein the second adsorption region is disposed on both sides of the first adsorption region and respectively corresponds to the inlet and outlet of the conveying device; the adsorption force of the second adsorption region is less than the adsorption force of the first adsorption region.

[0013] Optionally, a vacuum channel is provided in the adsorption table; the first adsorption area includes a plurality of interconnected first adsorption tanks and a first negative pressure hole disposed in the bottom of the first adsorption tank and connected to the vacuum channel; and / or, the second adsorption area includes a plurality of non-interconnected second adsorption tanks extending along the conveying direction of the conveying device, and a second negative pressure hole connected to the vacuum channel is provided at the bottom of the second adsorption tank at one end near the first adsorption area.

[0014] Optionally, the mask stage includes at least one set of adjustment stages. Each adjustment stage includes a horizontal moving plate, a horizontal driving assembly disposed on the top surface of the horizontal moving plate, a vertical driving assembly disposed on the bottom surface of the horizontal moving plate, and a carrier plate disposed on the vertical driving assembly. The vertical driving assembly includes a driving device and two slidably disposed transverse wedges and a vertical wedge. The vertical wedge is slidably disposed vertically on the horizontal moving plate, and the transverse wedge is slidably disposed horizontally on the horizontal moving plate and connected to the driving device. The bottom of the vertical driving assembly is used to connect the mask plate.

[0015] Optionally, at least two sets of the horizontal drive assembly are provided; the horizontal drive assembly includes a linear motor and a slide rail assembly; the horizontal sliding direction of the slide rail assembly is perpendicular to the sliding direction of the linear motor, and one slider of the slide rail assembly is rotatably mounted on the horizontal moving plate, while the other slider is fixedly connected to the linear motor; the driving directions of at least two linear motors are arranged intersecting.

[0016] Optionally, two sets of vertical drive components are symmetrically arranged on the horizontal moving plate, and the carrier plate is simultaneously connected to the bottom of the horizontal wedge or the vertical wedge in both sets of vertical drive components; and / or, the horizontal wedge is disposed at the top of the vertical wedge, and a slide rail assembly is disposed between the horizontal wedge and the vertical wedge; and / or, the vertical drive component further includes a carriage, on which slide rails are disposed along both the horizontal and vertical directions, and the drive device and the horizontal and vertical wedges are all disposed on the carriage.

[0017] Optionally, two sets of adjustment platforms are symmetrically arranged on the frame, and the two sets of adjustment platforms are independently arranged.

[0018] Optionally, a carrier plate is provided at the bottom of the vertical wedge, and the carrier plate is provided with an opening for accommodating the mask plate. The opening is connected to one side of the carrier plate, and the openings of the carrier plates on the two sets of adjustment platforms are arranged opposite to each other. The included angle between the length directions of the two vertical drive components in the same set of adjustment platforms is 90°.

[0019] The proximity exposure machine provided in this application embodiment has at least the following beneficial effects:

[0020] First, the exposure stage is equipped with a conveyor device with adsorption function, enabling the conveyor to transport the silicon wafer from the receiving station to the exposure station for adsorption and fixation. Second, by coaxially positioning the backlight for visual positioning with the exposure source, and by using a dichroic mirror to reflect the propagation direction of the backlight and image it with the vision device, the silicon wafer can be visually positioned at the exposure station to obtain positional error data. Third, the silicon wafer exposure position is adjusted by moving the mask, thus avoiding the need for further movement and adjustment of the silicon wafer after adsorption and fixation, ensuring a good positional fixation effect. Through the above settings, the silicon wafer does not need to be transferred and positioned multiple times on the exposure machine, thus avoiding positional errors caused by multiple positioning. High-precision positioning is achieved through a simple structure, thereby reducing equipment costs. Attached Figure Description

[0021] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0022] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of a proximity exposure machine in some embodiments of this application;

[0023] Figure 2 This is a side view of a proximity exposure machine in some embodiments of this application;

[0024] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the exposure light source in some embodiments of this application;

[0025] Figure 4 These are perspective views of the exposure stage in some embodiments of this application;

[0026] Figure 5 Exploded views of the exposure stage in some embodiments of this application;

[0027] Figure 6 This is a perspective view of the third plate in some embodiments of this application;

[0028] Figures 7 to 8 This is a perspective view of the adjustment table in some embodiments of this application;

[0029] Figure 9 This is a perspective view of the vertical drive component in some embodiments of this application;

[0030] Figure 10 This is a perspective view of the mask stage in some embodiments of this application;

[0031] Figure 11 This is a perspective view of the mask stage in some other embodiments of this application;

[0032] Figure 12 This is a perspective view of a proximity exposure machine in some other embodiments of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0033] To make the technical problems, technical solutions and beneficial effects to be solved by this application clearer, the following describes this application in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0034] It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are merely illustrative of this application and are not intended to limit this application.

[0035] It should be noted that when a component is referred to as "fixed to" or "set on" another component, it can be directly on the other component or indirectly on that other component.

[0036] When a component is said to be "connected to" another component, it can be directly connected to the other component or indirectly connected to that other component.

[0037] It should be understood that the terms "length", "width", "upper", "lower", "front", "rear", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "top", "bottom", "inner", "outer", etc., indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing this application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on this application.

[0038] 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 number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined with "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature.

[0039] In the description of this application, "multiple" means two or more, unless otherwise expressly and specifically defined.

[0040] Please refer to the following: Figures 1 to 12 The proximity exposure machine provided in the embodiments of this application will now be described.

[0041] refer to Figures 1 to 5 and Figure 12 It is understood that the proximity exposure machine of this application embodiment includes a frame 100, and a light source system 200, a mask stage 300 and an exposure stage 400 disposed on the frame 100.

[0042] It is understandable that the light source system 200, the mask stage 300, and the exposure stage 400 are arranged sequentially from top to bottom on the frame 100; at the same time, it is also understandable that the exposure stage 400 is provided with an exposure station, and an exposure plane C is formed directly above the exposure station.

[0043] The light source system 200 includes an exposure source 210, a dichroic mirror 220, a vision device 230, and a backlight 240. The exposure source 210, the dichroic mirror 220, and the vision device 230 are all disposed above the exposure plane C; the backlight 240 is disposed below the exposure plane C, and it can be disposed on the exposure stage 400 or on the frame 100, and is not limited thereto.

[0044] Furthermore, the dichroic mirror 220 is tilted relative to the exposure plane C, and the angle between the dichroic mirror 220 and the exposure plane C can be 45° or other acute angles. The light emission directions of the exposure source 210 and the backlight 240 are arranged facing each other, and their optical axes are on the same axis. At the same time, the vision device 230 is disposed on one side of the dichroic mirror 220 and located on the angle bisector of the acute angle formed between the dichroic mirror 220 and the exposure plane C.

[0045] In some specific embodiments, the exposure source 210 is selected from ultraviolet light and violet light in the wavelength range of 280nm to 455nm, and the backlight source 240 is selected from yellow light and red light in the wavelength range of 577nm to 770nm; and the dichroic mirror 220 has a transmittance of more than 85% for ultraviolet light and violet light in the wavelength range of 280nm to 455nm and a reflectance of more than 80% for yellow light and red light in the wavelength range of 577nm to 770nm.

[0046] By configuring the light source system 200 in such a way, firstly, the outline of the exposure area of ​​the exposure source 210 on the exposure plane C can coincide with the outline of the backlight area of ​​the backlight source 240 on the exposure plane C; secondly, the light from the backlight source 240 can be reflected by the dichroic mirror 220 so that it can be acquired by the vision device 230, and the light from the exposure source 210 can be transmitted by the dichroic mirror 220 to illuminate the silicon wafer 500. This allows the backlight path b and the exposure path a to propagate coaxially within the distance range between the exposure plane C and the dichroic mirror 220. For example, the exposure path a propagates along the first direction, while the backlight path b propagates in the opposite direction. At the dichroic mirror 220, the backlight path b is reflected, causing its propagation direction to change from the opposite direction to the second direction and be imaged by the vision device 230. This allows the vision device 230 to acquire the position data of the silicon wafer 500 on the exposure plane C. The exposure path a then completely passes through the dichroic mirror 220 and continues to propagate along the first direction to illuminate the exposure plane C, thereby exposing the silicon wafer 500.

[0047] An exposure stage 400 is fixedly mounted on the frame 100 and is used to carry and transport the silicon wafer 500 into, fix, or leave the exposure position. Specifically, the exposure stage 400 includes an adsorption stage 410 and a conveying device 420. A vacuum channel is provided in the adsorption stage 410, and an adsorption area communicating with the vacuum channel is provided on the top surface of the adsorption stage 410. The conveying device 420 includes a drive mechanism 421 and an annular, breathable carrier belt 422.

[0048] It is understood that the conveyor device 420 is provided with at least one set, for example, two or three sets, each set being used to provide an exposure station on the rack 100. In specific applications, two sets of conveyor devices 420 are arranged side by side.

[0049] Understandably, in proximity exposure machines, for example... Figure 12 Each light source system 200 can be configured to correspond to each exposure station; or, for example, Figure 1 Alternatively, each light source system can correspond to multiple exposure stations simultaneously, but this is not a limitation.

[0050] In practical applications, each conveying device 420 has two ends used to connect to the feed conveyor line and the discharge conveyor line, respectively. The conveying planes of the feed conveyor line and the discharge conveyor line are on the same plane as the conveying plane of the conveying device 420. The driving mechanism 421 is used to drive the annular breathable carrier belt 422 to rotate so that it carries the silicon wafer 500 from the feed conveyor line at the edge of the exposure area to the exposure area, or from the exposure area to the discharge conveyor line at the edge of the exposure area.

[0051] Furthermore, the top inner circumferential surface of the breathable carrier belt 422 faces the adsorption area on the adsorption stage 410. The adsorption stage 410 is used to provide negative pressure and form a negative pressure on the surface of the breathable carrier belt 422. Thus, when the silicon wafer 500 is carried on the breathable carrier belt 422, the silicon wafer 500 can be adsorbed onto the surface of the breathable carrier belt 422, thereby maintaining the positional stability of the silicon wafer 500 during the transfer process, so that the displacement of the silicon wafer 500 during the transfer process is kept within a very small deviation.

[0052] It should be understood that the area on the breathable carrier belt 422 located directly above the adsorption area is the aforementioned exposure station.

[0053] Furthermore, a breathable flexible element 430 is provided between the adsorption stage 410 and the breathable carrier belt 422. In this way, on the one hand, the breathable flexible element 430 can buffer the negative pressure flow in the adsorption area, allowing the breathable carrier belt 422 to maintain negative pressure suction on the silicon wafer 500 while avoiding excessive resistance to its own rotation caused by the negative pressure suction, thus achieving smooth rotational transmission and good adsorption force on the silicon wafer 500; on the other hand, the breathable flexible element 430 can also prevent excessive wear between the breathable carrier belt 422 and the adsorption stage 410, thereby affecting the surface flatness of the adsorption stage 410 and / or the breathable carrier belt 422, so that both the adsorption stage 410 and the breathable carrier belt 422 can maintain good flatness.

[0054] The mask stage 300 is disposed on the frame 100 and located between the dichroic mirror 220 and the exposure stage 400. It is provided with a transverse and longitudinal driving device 3131 to carry the mask plate 600 and drive the mask plate 600 to move laterally or longitudinally to adjust the relative position of the mask plate 600 and the silicon wafer 500.

[0055] After the conveying device 420 on the exposure stage 400 conveys and positions the silicon wafer 500 on the exposure station, the mask stage 300 drives the mask plate 600 to move laterally and longitudinally according to the position data of the silicon wafer 500 obtained by the vision device 230, so that the mask plate 600 can be accurately positioned above the silicon wafer 500 at the predetermined exposure position, thereby meeting the exposure accuracy and exposure intensity required for the exposure operation.

[0056] In summary, the proximity exposure machine of this application embodiment firstly, by providing a conveying device 420 with adsorption function on the exposure stage 400, the exposure stage 400 is able to convey the silicon wafer 500, and the displacement and conveying level of the silicon wafer 500 during the conveying process can be controlled within a very small deviation; secondly, by coaxially setting the backlight 240 for visual positioning with the exposure source 210, and by setting a dichroic mirror 220 so that the propagation direction of the backlight 240 can be reflected and imaged by the vision device 230, the silicon wafer 500 can be directly visually positioned at the exposure station to obtain position error data, without the need for visual positioning at a location other than the exposure station first; thirdly, by adjusting the exposure position of the silicon wafer 500 by moving the mask plate 600, the silicon wafer 500 can be avoided from being moved and adjusted again after adsorption and fixation, thereby ensuring a better position fixation effect of the silicon wafer 500.

[0057] With the above settings, the silicon wafer 500 does not need to be transferred and positioned multiple times on the exposure machine, thus avoiding positional errors caused by multiple positioning. High-precision positioning can be achieved through a simple structure, thereby reducing equipment costs.

[0058] refer to Figures 4 to 5 In some embodiments, the exposure stage 400 further includes a support 440, on which the adsorption stage 410 is disposed, and the support 440 is made of marble. Since marble has a low coefficient of thermal expansion, this arrangement can prevent the support 440 from shrinking due to ambient temperature during the exposure process, thus ensuring that the flatness of the upper surface of the adsorption stage 410 on it remains within the target range.

[0059] refer to Figure 3 and Figure 5In some embodiments, the backlight 240 is disposed on the adsorption stage 410. Specifically, the aforementioned adsorption stage 410 includes a first plate 4101, a second plate 4102, and a third plate 4013. The first plate 4101 is frame-shaped to effectively reduce its mass; the third plate 4103 covers the first plate 4101, the second plate 4102 is connected to the bottom of the third plate 4103 and located inside the frame of the first plate 4101, and the adsorption area is disposed on the third plate 4103. Meanwhile, the backlight 240 is embedded between the first plate 4101 and the third plate 4103, and a light-transmitting hole is formed on the third plate 4103. Preferably, the light-transmitting hole is disposed around the edge or corner of the exposure area of ​​the silicon wafer 500; a light-transmitting element is covered in the light-transmitting hole, and the light-transmitting element can be a quartz glass sheet.

[0060] In some embodiments, the breathable carrier tape 422 is a paper tape or steel tape with a surface array of breathable holes, and the thickness of the breathable carrier tape 422 is 0.1 mm to 0.3 mm, and the thickness consistency between different regions on the breathable carrier tape 422 is in the range of 1 μm to 10 μm.

[0061] In a preferred embodiment, the thickness of the breathable carrier belt 422 is 0.1 mm to 0.2 mm, and the thickness error range of different regions on it is within 5 μm.

[0062] In a preferred embodiment, the breathable carrier belt 422 is a steel belt, which is formed by welding thin steel sheets together using a laser welding process. Specifically, before welding the two ends of the thin steel sheets together, the edges of both ends of the thin steel sheets are first ground and cut to ensure that the parallelism of the two ends is within 0.1 mm, thereby ensuring that the parallelism between the two axes on the steel belt can be maintained within 0.1 mm after welding. After the two ends of the thin steel sheets are welded, the weld points on the steel belt also need to be ground to ensure that the flatness of the joint on the steel belt reaches within 10 μm.

[0063] In some embodiments, the breathable flexible element 430 is a paper sheet, and the thickness of the breathable flexible element 430 is 0.1 mm to 0.3 mm, and the thickness consistency range between different regions on the breathable flexible element 430 is 1 μm to 10 μm.

[0064] In a preferred embodiment, the thickness of the breathable flexible component 430 is 0.1 mm, and the thickness error range of different regions on it is within 5 μm.

[0065] By configuring the breathable carrier belt 422 and the breathable flexible component 430 in this way, the flatness of the silicon wafer 500 can be maintained within 10µm during the silicon wafer 500 transport process before exposure.

[0066] refer to Figure 6Based on the above embodiments, the adsorption region includes a first adsorption region A and a second adsorption region B. The first adsorption region A is positioned directly opposite the exposure station, and the second adsorption region B is positioned on both sides of the first adsorption region A and is respectively positioned at the inlet and outlet of the conveying device 420. The adsorption force of the second adsorption region B is less than the adsorption force of the first adsorption region A.

[0067] By setting second adsorption areas B on both sides of the first adsorption area A, and the adsorption force of the second adsorption area B is less than that of the first adsorption area A, when the silicon wafer 500 is conveyed horizontally from the feeding conveyor line to the breathable carrier belt 422, or transferred from the breathable carrier belt 422 to the discharge conveyor line, the silicon wafer 500 is prone to displacement when moving between the feeding or discharge conveyor line and the two ends of the breathable carrier belt 422 due to the gap between them. By setting the second adsorption area B, when one end of the silicon wafer 500 enters or leaves the breathable carrier belt 422, the second adsorption area B can play an auxiliary positioning role for the silicon wafer 500, so as to avoid displacement or shift of the silicon wafer 500 when it moves between different conveying devices, thus ensuring the positional accuracy of the silicon wafer 500 during continuous conveying. When the silicon wafer 500 is completely in the first adsorption area A, the large negative pressure of the first adsorption area A can play a final adsorption and fixing role for the silicon wafer 500.

[0068] Specifically, the first adsorption region A includes several interconnected first adsorption grooves 411 and first negative pressure holes 412 disposed in the bottom of the first adsorption grooves 411 and connected to the ventilation grooves. It can be understood that the first adsorption grooves 411 are grid-like, and each first negative pressure hole 412 is located at the intersection of the grids in the first adsorption grooves 411. Thus, after each first negative pressure hole 412 generates negative pressure, the negative pressure flow area in each grid channel of the first adsorption groove 411 is equal, thereby ensuring that the suction force is equal throughout the first adsorption region A, so that the breathable carrier belt 422 and the silicon wafer 500 can maintain good flatness.

[0069] The second adsorption region B includes several parallel and non-communicating second adsorption tanks 413, and also includes second negative pressure holes 414 disposed at the bottom of the second adsorption tanks 413. Each second adsorption tank 413 extends along the conveying direction of the breathable carrier belt 422. Furthermore, each second negative pressure hole 414 is disposed in each second adsorption tank 413 near the first adsorption region A, and each second negative pressure hole 414 is connected to a vacuum channel in the third plate.

[0070] In some embodiments, the exposure stage 400 is slidably mounted on the frame 100, and can move horizontally to or from directly below the exposure source 210 to facilitate its inspection and maintenance. Specifically, the frame 100 is provided with a slide rail assembly, a drive motor, and a lead screw drive assembly.

[0071] refer to Figures 7 to 11 Based on the above embodiments, the mask stage 300 includes at least one set of adjustment stages 310. Each adjustment stage 310 includes a horizontal moving plate 311, a horizontal drive assembly 312 disposed on the top surface of the horizontal moving plate 311, and a vertical drive assembly 313 disposed on the bottom surface of the horizontal moving plate 311. The horizontal drive assembly 312 is used to connect to the frame 100, and the vertical drive assembly 313 is used to connect to the mask plate 600.

[0072] Understandably, reference Figure 11 The mask plate 600 can be directly fixed to the bottom of the vertical drive assembly 313; or, refer to Figure 7 , Figure 8 and Figure 10 Alternatively, it can be connected to the bottom of the vertical drive assembly 313 via a carrier plate 314. Specifically, the carrier plate 314 has an opening 3141 for carrying the mask plate 600. The exposure light source illuminates the mask plate 600 and passes through the opening 3141 on the carrier plate 314 to finally image onto the silicon wafer 500.

[0073] It is understood that the opening 3141 on the carrier plate 314 can be configured in various ways. For example, the opening 3141 can be located at the center of the carrier plate 314, or it can be configured to connect to at least one side of the carrier plate 314, and is not limited thereto.

[0074] The horizontal drive assembly 312 has at least two sets on the horizontal moving plate 311. For example, there can be two sets, three sets, four sets, etc.

[0075] At least one set of vertical drive components 313 is provided, which includes a drive device 3131, a transverse wedge 3132, and a vertical wedge 3133. Specifically, the transverse wedge 3132 is slidably disposed horizontally on the horizontal moving plate 311, and the vertical wedge 3133 is slidably disposed vertically on the horizontal moving plate 311. The drive device 3131 is fixedly disposed on the horizontal moving plate 311 and drives the transverse wedge 3132 to move. Furthermore, the inclined surfaces of the transverse wedge 3132 and the vertical wedge 3133 abut against each other. A carrier plate 314 is disposed at the bottom of the vertical wedge 3133.

[0076] By configuring the vertical drive assembly 313 as follows: On the one hand, the drive direction of the drive device 3131 is set horizontally, and the horizontal movement direction and the vertical drive direction are converted by the mutual sliding of the inclined surfaces on the wedges. This can significantly reduce the thickness of the vertical drive assembly 313, so that the carrier plate 314 at the bottom of the vertical wedge 3133 can be as close as possible to the silicon wafer 500, and thus the mask plate 600 can be as close as possible to the silicon wafer 500, thereby achieving high-precision exposure operation. On the other hand, the height adjustment of the carrier plate 314 is achieved by the vertical movement of the vertical wedge 3133, which is driven by the horizontal wedge 3132. By adjusting the angle of the inclined surfaces on the wedges, the drive stroke of the drive device 3131 to the horizontal wedge 3132 can be proportionally enlarged or reduced. High-precision exposure operation can be achieved with a simple structure, which is also conducive to the miniaturization of the equipment.

[0077] Understandably, the drive unit 3131 can be a voice coil motor. With this configuration, the voice coil motor generates less heat and has a faster driving speed, enabling rapid adjustment of the vertical position of the carrier plate 314.

[0078] In some embodiments, the angle between the inclined surface of the horizontal wedge 3132 or the vertical wedge 3133 and the horizontal direction ranges from 0 to 20°. For example, the inclined surface angle can be 1°, 5°, 10°, or 19°, etc. The smaller the inclined surface angle, the larger the ratio of the travel distance between the horizontal wedge 3132 and the vertical wedge 3133, and the greater the single adjustment accuracy of the mask 600. In some specific embodiments, the inclined surface angle is 5.711°, which makes the travel distance ratio between the horizontal wedge 3132 and the vertical wedge 3133 10:1. Without changing the driving accuracy of the driving device 3131, the single adjustment accuracy of the mask 600 can be greatly improved, so as to achieve high-precision fine adjustment within a small travel range.

[0079] refer to Figures 7 to 8 In some embodiments, each group of horizontal drive components 312 includes a horizontally arranged linear motor 3121 and a slide rail assembly 3122, wherein the slide rail assembly 3122 includes a first slider and a second slider, and the sliding direction of the first slider and the second slider is perpendicular to the driving direction of the linear motor 3121.

[0080] Furthermore, the first slider is rotatably mounted on the horizontal moving plate 311, and the second slider is connected to the mover of the linear motor 3121, which is directly or indirectly fixedly connected to the frame 100.

[0081] Understandably, in the same horizontal drive assembly 312, the second slider, in addition to being connected to the mover of the linear motor 3121, is also slidably disposed on the frame 100, with its sliding direction on the frame 100 parallel to the driving direction of the linear motor 3121. This improves the load-bearing capacity of the horizontal drive assembly 312 on the horizontal transfer plate 314, thereby enhancing the stability of the mask plate 600 during position adjustment.

[0082] Furthermore, the driving directions of the linear motors 3121 in at least two sets of horizontal drive components 312 intersect, for example, they can be arranged at an acute angle or perpendicular to each other. When there are three or more sets of horizontal drive components 312, the driving directions of the linear motors 3121 in two sets of horizontal drive components 312 can be arranged to be parallel, and the driving directions of the linear motors 3121 in at least two sets of horizontal drive components 312 can intersect; alternatively, the driving directions of the linear motors 3121 in each set of horizontal drive components 312 can be arranged to intersect but not to be parallel.

[0083] By configuring the horizontal drive assembly 312 in the following ways: on the one hand, the horizontal moving plate 311 has multiple moving paths and can rotate around any rotation center, thus increasing the range of movement of the horizontal moving plate 311; on the other hand, the linear motor 3121 is small in size and thin, which can effectively reduce the thickness of the adjustment table 310, which is conducive to miniaturizing the equipment; furthermore, the horizontal drive assembly 312 has a simple structure and is easy to assemble and disassemble.

[0084] Specifically, taking a horizontal drive assembly 312 with two sets of linear motors 3121, where the driving directions of the first linear motor 31211 and the second linear motor 31212 are perpendicular, as an example. The driving direction of the first linear motor 31211 is defined as the X-axis, and the driving direction of the second linear motor 31212 is defined as the Y-axis. Simultaneously, the slide rail assembly 3122 connected to the first linear motor 31211 is defined as the first slide rail assembly 31221, and the slide rail assembly 3122 connected to the second linear motor 31212 is defined as the second slide rail assembly 31222. In this case, the first slider in the first slide rail assembly 31221 can only move relative to the second slider along the Y-axis, and the first slider in the second slide rail assembly 31222 can only move relative to the second slider along the X-axis.

[0085] When the horizontal moving plate 311 moves along the X-axis, the first linear motor 31211 drives the second slider in the first slide rail assembly 31221 to move along the X-axis, and the first slider and the second slider remain relatively stationary. At this time, the second linear motor 31212 does not drive the second slider in the second slide rail assembly 31222. Under the drive of the first slide rail assembly 31221, the second slider in the second slide rail assembly 31222 moves relative to the first slider along the X-axis, thereby realizing the X-axis movement of the horizontal moving plate 311.

[0086] When the horizontal moving plate 311 moves along the Y-axis, the first linear motor 31211 stops driving, and the second linear motor 31212 drives. The movement mode is the opposite of the aforementioned movement along the X-axis, which will not be described in detail here.

[0087] When the horizontal moving plate 311 moves along any angle between the X-axis and the Y-axis, the first linear motor 31211 and the second linear motor 31212 are driven in sequence, for example, moving along the X-axis first or moving along the Y-axis first. The driving method of the linear motor 3121 and the movement method of each slide rail assembly 3122 are the same as the aforementioned movement along the X-axis or Y-axis, and will not be repeated here.

[0088] When the horizontal moving plate 311 needs to rotate, the first linear motor 31211 and the second linear motor 31212 synchronously drive each slide rail assembly 3122 to move. At this time, in addition to the relative sliding of the first slider and the second slider in each slide rail assembly 3122, each first slider also rotates relative to the horizontal moving plate 311. It can be understood that the difference in the linear drive speed or drive stroke of the first linear motor 31211 and the second linear motor 31212 directly affects the position of the rotation center of the horizontal moving plate 311, thereby enabling the horizontal moving plate 311 to rotate around any rotation center.

[0089] refer to Figures 7 to 8 In some embodiments, two sets of vertical drive components 313 are symmetrically arranged on the horizontal moving plate 311, and the carrier plate 314 is simultaneously connected to the bottom of the horizontal wedge 3132 or the vertical wedge 3133 in both sets of vertical drive components 313. Thus, setting two sets of vertical drive components 313 can improve the stability of the carrier plate 314 when it moves vertically, and also help to improve the accuracy of the exposure operation.

[0090] refer to Figure 9In some embodiments, a transverse wedge 3132 is disposed on top of a vertical wedge 3133, and a guide rail assembly is disposed between the transverse wedge 3132 and the vertical wedge 3133. The guide rail assembly includes two guide rails respectively disposed on the transverse wedge 3132 and the vertical wedge 3133 and slidingly engaged with each other. Specifically, the guide rail assembly is disposed on one side of the wedge's inclined surface. Thus, there is no sliding engagement structure between the mutually abutting inclined surfaces of the transverse wedge 3132 and the vertical wedge 3133, which can further reduce the thickness of the vertical drive assembly 313.

[0091] refer to Figure 9 Furthermore, the vertical drive assembly 313 also includes a slide 3134 fixedly mounted on the bottom of the horizontal moving plate 311. Slide rails are provided on the slide 3134 in both the horizontal and vertical directions. The horizontal wedge 3132 is slidably mounted on the slide rails in the horizontal direction, and the vertical wedge 3133 is slidably mounted on the slide rails in the vertical direction. The drive device 3131 is fixedly mounted on the slide 3134 and its drive end is connected to the horizontal wedge 3132.

[0092] refer to Figure 10 Based on any of the above embodiments, in the same mask stage 300, corresponding to the conveying device 420 on the exposure stage 400, two sets of adjustment stages 310 are symmetrically arranged, and the two sets of adjustment stages 310 are independently arranged to achieve synchronous or asynchronous adjustment of their respective carrier plates 314. In this way, the adjustment stages 310 can adjust their respective assembly positions according to the structural design on the frame 100 and the setting of the exposure process production line to meet the needs of the exposure operation.

[0093] Specifically, the mask stage 300 can be implemented in the following ways.

[0094] In some embodiments, two sets of adjustment platforms 310 are arranged opposite each other, and the openings 3141 of the upper plates 314 of each set of adjustment platforms 310 are arranged opposite each other. In this embodiment, two sets of vertical drive components 313 are provided in the same set of adjustment platforms 310, and the two sets of vertical drive components 313 are arranged at a 90° angle in their respective length directions, and the two sets of vertical drive components 313 are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the center line of the opening 3141.

[0095] In this way, the carriers 314 on the two sets of adjustment stages 310 can be brought as close as possible so that the masks 600 carried by each carrier 314 are as close as possible. That is, a small gap can be set between the two masks 600. With the exposure light source parameters remaining unchanged, the irradiation area of ​​the exposure light source can simultaneously cover both masks 600. Correspondingly, the two silicon wafer 500 exposure production lines can be set up side by side with a small gap. Thus, in the exposure process, only a single exposure light source is needed to simultaneously expose the silicon wafers 500 on the two production lines, and the mask carriers 300 occupy less space on the exposure equipment.

[0096] In other embodiments, similarly, two sets of adjustment platforms 310 are arranged opposite each other, and the openings 3141 of the upper plate 314 on each set of adjustment platforms 310 are arranged opposite each other; in addition, three sets of horizontal drive components 312 are provided on the same set of adjustment platforms 310, namely, a first horizontal drive component 312a, a second horizontal drive component 312b and a third horizontal drive component 312c, and two sets of horizontal drive components 312 are symmetrically arranged, that is, the first horizontal drive component 312a and the third horizontal drive component 312c are symmetrically arranged and the second horizontal drive component 312b is disposed between the first horizontal drive component 312a and the third horizontal drive component 312c.

[0097] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of this application and is not intended to limit this application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made within the spirit and principles of this application should be included within the protection scope of this application.

Claims

1. A proximity exposure machine, characterized in that, Includes a frame and a light source system, a mask stage, and an exposure stage disposed on the frame, wherein: The light source system includes an exposure source, a dichroic mirror, a vision device, and a backlight. The light emission directions of the exposure source and the backlight are arranged opposite each other, and their optical axes are on the same axis. The dichroic mirror is tilted between the exposure source and the backlight. The vision device is arranged on one side of the dichroic mirror. The dichroic mirror can transmit the light from the exposure source and reflect the light from the backlight so that the vision device can form an image. The mask stage is disposed on the frame and located between the dichroic mirror and the exposure stage. The mask stage is used to load the mask plate and drive the mask plate to perform lateral or longitudinal displacement adjustment. The exposure stage is used to carry and transport silicon wafers into, fix, or leave the exposure position. The exposure stage includes an adsorption stage and a transport device. The transport device includes a drive mechanism and a ring-shaped ventilated carrier belt. The top inner circumferential surface of the ventilated carrier belt faces the adsorption area on the adsorption stage. The adsorption stage is used to provide negative pressure and form a negative pressure on the surface of the ventilated carrier belt. The ventilated carrier belt is used to transport or fix the silicon wafer. A ventilated flexible element is also provided between the adsorption stage and the ventilated carrier belt.

2. The proximity exposure machine as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The exposure stage further includes a support, the adsorption stage is disposed on the support, and the support is made of marble; and / or, the backlight is disposed on the adsorption stage.

3. The proximity exposure machine as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The breathable carrier tape is a paper tape or steel tape with an array of breathable holes on its surface, and / or the breathable flexible element is a paper sheet, and the thickness of the carrier tape and / or the breathable flexible element is 0.1 mm to 0.3 mm; and / or the thickness consistency range between different areas on the carrier tape or the breathable flexible element is 1 μm to 10 μm.

4. The proximity exposure machine as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that: The adsorption region includes a first adsorption region and a second adsorption region. The second adsorption region is disposed on both sides of the first adsorption region and is respectively disposed at the inlet and outlet of the conveying device. The adsorption force of the second adsorption region is less than that of the first adsorption region.

5. The proximity exposure machine as described in claim 4, characterized in that: A vacuum channel is provided in the adsorption table; the first adsorption area includes a plurality of interconnected first adsorption tanks and a first negative pressure hole disposed in the bottom of the first adsorption tank and connected to the vacuum channel; and / or, the second adsorption area includes a plurality of non-interconnected second adsorption tanks extending along the conveying direction of the conveying device, and a second negative pressure hole connected to the vacuum channel is provided at the bottom of the second adsorption tank at one end near the first adsorption area.

6. The proximity exposure machine as described in claim 1, characterized in that: The mask stage includes at least one set of adjustment stages, each adjustment stage including a horizontal moving plate, a horizontal driving assembly disposed on the top surface of the horizontal moving plate, a vertical driving assembly disposed on the bottom surface of the horizontal moving plate, and a carrier plate disposed on the vertical driving assembly. The vertical drive assembly includes a drive device and two slidably disposed transverse wedges and a vertical wedge. The vertical wedge is slidably disposed vertically on the horizontal moving plate, and the transverse wedge is slidably disposed horizontally on the horizontal moving plate and connected to the drive device. The bottom of the vertical drive assembly is used to connect the mask plate.

7. The proximity exposure machine as described in claim 6, characterized in that: The horizontal drive assembly is provided in at least two sets; the horizontal drive assembly includes a linear motor and a slide rail assembly; the horizontal sliding direction of the slide rail assembly is perpendicular to the sliding direction of the linear motor, and one slider of the slide rail assembly is rotatably mounted on the horizontal moving plate, while the other slider is fixedly connected to the linear motor; the driving directions of at least two linear motors are arranged intersecting.

8. The proximity exposure machine as described in claim 6 or 7, characterized in that: Two sets of vertical drive components are symmetrically arranged on the horizontal moving plate. The carrier plate is simultaneously connected to the bottom of the horizontal wedge or the vertical wedge in both sets of vertical drive components; and / or, the horizontal wedge is disposed at the top of the vertical wedge, and a slide rail assembly is disposed between the horizontal wedge and the vertical wedge; and / or, the vertical drive component further includes a carriage, on which slide rails are disposed along both the horizontal and vertical directions, and the drive device and the horizontal and vertical wedges are all disposed on the carriage.

9. The proximity exposure machine as described in claim 6 or 7, characterized in that: Two sets of adjustment platforms are symmetrically arranged on the frame, and the two sets of adjustment platforms are set independently.

10. The proximity exposure machine as described in claim 9, characterized in that: A carrier plate is provided at the bottom of the vertical wedge block. The carrier plate has an opening for accommodating the mask plate. The opening is connected to one side of the carrier plate, and the openings of the carrier plates on the two sets of adjustment platforms are arranged opposite to each other. The included angle between the length directions of the two vertical drive components in the same set of adjustment platforms is 90°.

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