Direct-write lithography equipment and exposure control method

Abstract

The present invention discloses a direct-write lithography device and an exposure control method. The direct-write lithography device includes: a light source, a workpiece stage, at least one row of digital micromirror units, a projection system corresponding to each digital micromirror unit, a heat dissipation system, and a controller. The workpiece stage is suitable for placing a substrate having a photoresist film on it; the digital micromirror units are used to modulate light projected by the light source to form a digital mask pattern; the projection system is used to project light with the digital mask pattern projected by the corresponding digital micromirror unit onto the substrate; the heat dissipation system is used to dissipate heat from the substrate; and the controller is connected to each digital micromirror unit and the heat dissipation system, and is used to activate the heat dissipation system during exposure and control the heat dissipation intensity of the heat dissipation system based on the difference between the substrate temperature and the ambient temperature. The device can control the heat dissipation system to dissipate heat from the substrate through the controller when performing photoresist soldering on the substrate, thereby preventing the odd-even stripe photoresist film on the substrate from having an odd-even color difference after sequential exposure.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of semiconductors, and in particular to a direct-write lithography device and an exposure control method. Background Art

[0002] In related technologies, in the exposure mechanism of direct-write lithography equipment, due to the composition characteristics of some inks and the thermal conductivity of the substrate, the energy absorbed by different stripe areas of the substrate has large differences. The polymerization temperature and laser light intensity also affect the ink color. Both double-row and single-row laser heads will produce odd-even stripe color differences on the exposed substrate. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The present invention aims to solve at least one of the technical problems existing in the prior art. To this end, one object of the present invention is to provide a direct-write lithography apparatus that can control a heat dissipation system to dissipate heat from a substrate via a controller, thereby preventing odd-even stripe photoresist films on the substrate from exhibiting odd-even color differences after sequential exposure.

[0004] The second object of the present invention is to provide an exposure control method.

[0005] The third object of the present invention is to provide a direct-write lithography device.

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, an embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention provides a direct-write lithography device, comprising: a light source; a workpiece stage, wherein the workpiece stage is suitable for placing a substrate, and the substrate has a photoresist film; at least one row of digital micromirror units, wherein the digital micromirror units are used to modulate the light projected by the light source to form a digital mask pattern; a projection system corresponding to each of the digital micromirror units, wherein the projection system is used to project the light with the digital mask pattern projected by the corresponding digital micromirror unit onto the substrate, wherein the photoresist film on the substrate is exposed in the form of odd and even strips and the exposure order of the odd and even strips is sequential; a heat dissipation system, wherein the heat dissipation system is used to dissipate heat for the substrate; a controller, wherein the controller is connected to each of the digital micromirror units and the heat dissipation system, and is used to start the heat dissipation system during exposure and control the heat dissipation intensity of the heat dissipation system according to the difference between the substrate temperature and the ambient temperature.

[0007] According to the direct-write lithography device of an embodiment of the present invention, when the controller controls the digital micromirror unit to expose the photoresist film on the substrate, the controller controls the heat dissipation intensity of the heat dissipation system according to the difference between the substrate temperature and the ambient temperature, and dissipates heat from the substrate, so that the odd and even strips of the photoresist film are exposed at the same temperature, thereby avoiding the odd and even strips of the photoresist film on the substrate having an odd and even color difference after being exposed in sequence.

[0008] In some embodiments, the direct-write lithography device includes two rows of digital micromirror units, the digital micromirror units in the first row are used to expose the photoresist film on the substrate to achieve odd-numbered stripe pattern transfer, and the digital micromirror units in the second row are used to expose the photoresist film on the substrate to achieve even-numbered stripe pattern transfer; wherein, the multiple digital micromirror units in each row are arranged at intervals along a first direction and the two rows of digital micromirror units are staggered along the second direction, and the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction; the heat dissipation system is located below the projection system and above the substrate in a third direction, and the heat dissipation system is located between the digital micromirror units in the first row and the digital micromirror units in the second row in the second direction, and the third direction is perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction.

[0009] In some embodiments, the heat dissipation system includes a plurality of air-cooling heat dissipation units, which are arranged at intervals along the first direction and are used to blow air toward the substrate to cool it down.

[0010] In some embodiments, the number of the plurality of air-cooling heat dissipation units is the same as the number of the digital micromirror units in the second row, and the plurality of air-cooling heat dissipation units are arranged in the third direction corresponding to the digital micromirror units in the second row.

[0011] In some embodiments, the direct-write lithography device includes a row of digital micromirror units, and a plurality of the digital micromirror units in a row are arranged along a first direction. The digital micromirror units in a row are used to perform a first exposure on the photoresist film on the substrate to achieve an odd-numbered stripe pattern transfer, and are also used to perform a second exposure on the photoresist film on the substrate to achieve an even-numbered stripe pattern transfer; the heat dissipation system is located on one side of the row of digital micromirror units in the second direction, and the heat dissipation system is located below the projection system and above the substrate in the third direction, wherein the first direction, the second direction and the third direction are perpendicular to each other.

[0012] A second aspect of the present invention provides an exposure control method for the direct-write lithography equipment described in the above embodiment, the exposure control method comprising: controlling the start-up of the heat dissipation system of the direct-write lithography equipment in response to an exposure instruction; obtaining the difference between the substrate temperature and the ambient temperature; and during the exposure process, controlling the heat dissipation intensity of the heat dissipation system according to the difference between the substrate temperature and the ambient temperature so that the temperature of the photoresist film on the substrate is maintained at the ambient temperature.

[0013] According to the exposure control method of an embodiment of the present invention, when the direct-write lithography equipment exposes the photoresist film on the substrate, the direct-write lithography equipment controls the heat dissipation intensity of the heat dissipation system according to the difference between the substrate temperature and the ambient temperature, and dissipates the heat of the substrate, so that the temperature of the photoresist film on the substrate is maintained at the ambient temperature, thereby avoiding the odd-even stripe photoresist film on the substrate having an odd-even color difference in ink after being exposed in sequence.

[0014] In some embodiments, the exposure control method further includes: obtaining energy distribution information of the exposure surface of the direct-write lithography device; adjusting the modulation parameters of the digital micromirror unit of the direct-write lithography device according to the energy distribution information of the exposure surface to perform energy compensation on the exposure surface.

[0015] In some embodiments, the direct-write lithography device includes two rows of digital micromirror units, and the exposure control method further includes: reducing the actual power of the light source of the row of digital micromirror units exposed later in the two rows of digital micromirror units according to the increased temperature of the substrate, wherein the increased temperature of the substrate is caused by the other row of digital micromirror units in the two rows being exposed first.

[0016] In some embodiments, the direct-write lithography device includes a row of digital micromirror units, and the exposure control method further includes: reducing the actual power of the light source when the row of digital micromirror units performs a second exposure according to the increased temperature of the substrate, wherein the increased temperature of the substrate is caused by the first exposure of the row of digital micromirror units.

[0017] A third aspect of the present invention provides a direct-write lithography device, comprising: at least one processor; a memory communicatively connected to the at least one processor; wherein the memory stores a computer program executable by the at least one processor, and when the at least one processor executes the computer program, the exposure control method described in the above embodiment is implemented.

[0018] According to the direct-write lithography equipment of an embodiment of the present invention, the corresponding exposure program can be stored in the memory. When implementing the exposure control method, the processor runs the program in the memory and controls the heat dissipation intensity of the heat dissipation system according to the difference between the substrate temperature and the ambient temperature, so that the temperature of the photoresist film on the substrate is maintained at the ambient temperature, avoiding the odd and even stripe photoresist films on the substrate having parity-even ink color differences after being exposed in sequence.

[0019] Additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description which follows, or may be learned by practice of the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] The above and / or additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and readily understood from the following description of the embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0021] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a direct-write lithography apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of double-row digital micromirror unit exposure according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the positions of double-row digital micromirror units according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the location of a heat dissipation system for a dual-row digital micromirror unit according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the positions of single-row digital micromirror units according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram of a first exposure of a single-row digital micromirror unit according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0027] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of a second exposure of a single-row digital micromirror unit according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 8 is a schematic diagram of the location of a heat dissipation system for a single-row digital micromirror unit according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 9 is a flow chart of an exposure control method according to one embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 10 4 is a structural block diagram of a direct-write lithography apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0031] Reference numerals:

[0032] Direct write lithography equipment 100;

[0033] Light source 101 ; workpiece stage 102 ; digital micromirror unit 103 ; projection system 104 ; heat dissipation system 105 ; controller 106 ; processor 110 ; memory 120 . DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] The embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below. The embodiments described with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary. The embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below.

[0035] The first embodiment of the present invention provides a direct-write lithography device, which can control the heat dissipation system through a controller to dissipate heat to the substrate when the substrate is undergoing photolithography solder masking, thereby avoiding the odd-even stripe photolithography film on the substrate having an odd-even color difference in the ink after being exposed in sequence.

[0036] like Figure 1 As shown, the direct-write lithography apparatus 100 includes: a light source 101 , a workpiece stage 102 , at least one row of digital micromirror units 103 , a projection system 104 , a heat dissipation system 105 and a controller 106 .

[0037] Among them, the workpiece stage 102 is suitable for placing a substrate, and there is a photoresist film on the substrate; the digital micromirror unit 103 is used to modulate the light projected by the light source 101 to form a digital mask pattern; the projection system 104 is used to project the light with the digital mask pattern projected by the corresponding digital micromirror unit 103 onto the substrate, and the photoresist film on the substrate is exposed in the form of odd and even strips, and the exposure order of the odd and even strips is sequential; the heat dissipation system 105 is used to dissipate heat from the substrate, and the heat dissipation system can be arranged in the length or width direction of the substrate through a mounting frame or a mounting table to better dissipate heat from the photoresist on the substrate; the controller 106 is connected to each digital micromirror unit 103 and the heat dissipation system 105, and is used to start the heat dissipation system 105 during exposure and control the heat dissipation intensity of the heat dissipation system 105 according to the difference between the substrate temperature and the ambient temperature.

[0038] Specifically, the substrate needs to be treated with solder mask so that the substrate is covered with a solder mask layer; the main functions of the solder mask layer include preventing moisture and various chemical electrolytes from invading and causing oxidation corrosion of the circuits and endangering electrical performance, preventing external mechanical scratches, avoiding contact short circuits and maintaining good insulation performance of the board surface, preventing parts that should not be soldered from being connected by solder and causing short circuits when components are soldered on the substrate, reducing tin spraying / immersion gold losses in non-soldering areas, and covering the substrate with inks of various colors to beautify the appearance.

[0039] Before performing photolithography, the substrate to be processed needs to be placed on the table of the workpiece table 102 and aligned to ensure that the pattern can be accurately transferred to the substrate. After the alignment is completed, the exposure parameters need to be set, such as exposure time, exposure energy, etc., to ensure the quality of the final pattern. During photolithography, the light source 101 projects light to the digital micromirror unit 103. At least one row of digital micromirror units 103 modulates the light projected by the light source to form a digital mask pattern. The projection system 104 corresponding to each digital micromirror unit 103 projects the light with the digital mask pattern projected by the corresponding digital micromirror unit 103 onto the substrate, and the photoresist film on the substrate is sequentially processed in the form of odd and even strips. Row exposure; each digital micromirror unit 103 corresponds to an exposure head, and one exposure head exposes a strip on the substrate. Each digital micromirror unit 103 includes multiple spatial modulators. Under control, the spatial modulator can modulate a certain parameter of the light field through liquid crystal molecules, for example, by modulating the amplitude of the light field, modulating the phase through the refractive index, and modulating the polarization state through the rotation of the polarization plane, so as to write certain information into the light wave and achieve the purpose of light wave modulation; during photolithography, the controller 106 starts the heat dissipation system 105 and controls the heat dissipation intensity of the heat dissipation system 105 according to the difference between the substrate temperature and the ambient temperature to dissipate heat to the substrate. The heat dissipation system 105 can dissipate heat through air cooling, water cooling, or refrigerant.

[0040] For the direct write lithography device 100, if it is equipped with two rows of digital micromirror units 103, the rear projection system 104 corresponds to the odd-numbered DMD rows, and the front projection system 104 corresponds to the even-numbered DMD rows. One optical head exposes one strip, and the pattern transfer is completed in one scan. The substrate first arrives under the odd-numbered DMD rows to expose the pattern. At this time, the ink of the even-numbered strips absorbs a certain amount of energy due to the exposure of the odd-numbered strips, and the temperature of the ink rises. When the substrate moves to the bottom of the even-numbered DMD optical head for exposure, since the temperature of the ink before exposure is higher than the ambient temperature, the polymerization temperature of the ink is higher than the polymerization temperature of the odd-numbered strips, resulting in more complete polymerization of the even-numbered strips. Therefore, during exposure, the controller 106 starts the heat dissipation system 105 and controls the heat dissipation intensity of the heat dissipation system 105 according to the difference between the substrate temperature and the ambient temperature, dissipates heat to the substrate, and reduces the substrate temperature to the ambient temperature, so that the later exposed strips can be exposed at the ambient temperature.

[0041] For the direct-write lithography device 100, if equipped with a row of digital micromirror units 103, the same optical head exposes multiple strips, and multiple scans are performed to complete the pattern transfer. The odd strips are exposed for the first time, and the even strips are exposed for the second time. The odd strips are exposed first, which increases the temperature of the unexposed ink in the even strips, resulting in more complete polymerization of the even strips exposed for the second time, making the colors of the inks exposed in different batches different. Therefore, during exposure, the controller 106 starts the heat dissipation system 105 and controls the heat dissipation intensity of the heat dissipation system 105 according to the difference between the substrate temperature and the ambient temperature, dissipating the heat to the substrate so that the substrate temperature drops to the ambient temperature.

[0042] According to the direct-write lithography device of an embodiment of the present invention, when the controller controls the digital micromirror unit to expose the photoresist film on the substrate, the controller controls the heat dissipation intensity of the heat dissipation system according to the difference between the substrate temperature and the ambient temperature, and dissipates heat from the substrate, so that the odd and even strips of the photoresist film are exposed at the same temperature, thereby avoiding the odd and even strips of the photoresist film on the substrate having an odd and even color difference after being exposed in sequence.

[0043] In some embodiments, the direct-write lithography device includes two rows of digital micromirror units, the digital micromirror units in the first row are used to expose the photoresist film on the substrate to achieve odd-numbered stripe pattern transfer, and the digital micromirror units in the second row are used to expose the photoresist film on the substrate to achieve even-numbered stripe pattern transfer; wherein, the multiple digital micromirror units in each row are arranged at intervals along a first direction and the two rows of digital micromirror units are staggered along a second direction, and the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction; the heat dissipation system is located below the projection system and above the substrate in the third direction, and the heat dissipation system is located in the second direction at a position corresponding to the digital micromirror units in the first row and the digital micromirror units in the second row, and the third direction is perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction.

[0044] Specifically, if Figure 2 As shown, the direct-write lithography device 100 includes two rows of digital micromirror units 103. The digital micromirror units 103 in the first row are used to expose the photoresist film on the substrate to achieve odd-numbered stripe pattern transfer, and the digital micromirror units in the second row are used to expose the photoresist film on the substrate to achieve even-numbered stripe pattern transfer; one optical head in a row of digital micromirror units 103 exposes one stripe, and the pattern transfer is completed in one scan.

[0045] like Figure 3 As shown, the multiple digital micromirror units 103 in each row are spaced apart along the first direction and the two rows of digital micromirror units are staggered along the second direction. The first direction and the second direction are perpendicular to each other, so that there is a certain distance between the front and rear rows of digital micromirror units 103 in the first and second direction planes, thereby preventing the temperature of the front and rear rows of digital micromirror units 103 from having an excessive impact on the substrate during exposure. The two rows of digital micromirror units 103 complete the transfer of all stripe patterns in one scanning exposure.

[0046] like Figure 4 As shown, the heat dissipation system 105 is located below the projection system 104 and above the substrate in the third direction, and the heat dissipation system 105 is located between the digital micromirror units 103 in the first row and the digital micromirror units 103 in the second row in the second direction. The third direction is perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction. After the digital micromirror units 103 in the first row expose the photoresist film on the substrate, because the heat dissipation system 105 is located between the digital micromirror units 103 in the first row and the digital micromirror units 103 in the second direction and the heat dissipation system 105 is located below the projection system 104 in the third direction, the heat dissipation system 105 first cools the substrate to quickly restore the substrate to ambient temperature. After the substrate returns to ambient temperature, the digital micromirror units 103 in the second row expose the photoresist film on the substrate, ultimately achieving odd-even stripe pattern transfer. The heat dissipation system 105 cools the substrate so that there is no color difference after the odd-even stripe pattern is transferred. The heat dissipation system 105 can dissipate heat through air cooling, for example, by setting a fan to cool the substrate.

[0047] In some embodiments, the heat dissipation system 105 includes a plurality of air-cooling heat dissipation units, which are arranged at intervals along a first direction and are used to blow air toward the substrate to cool it down.

[0048] Specifically, if Figure 4 As shown, the heat dissipation system 105 includes multiple air-cooled heat dissipation units, which are arranged at intervals along a first direction. After the digital micromirror units 103 in the first row expose the photoresist film on the substrate, the multiple heat dissipation units in the heat dissipation system 105 blow air to the substrate to cool it down, so that the substrate quickly returns to the ambient temperature. After the substrate returns to the ambient temperature, the digital micromirror units 103 in the second row expose the photoresist film on the substrate, and finally realize the transfer of the odd-even stripe pattern.

[0049] For example, the substrate heat dissipation system 105 uses adjustable air cooling to cool the post-exposure ink strips before exposure. For a dual-row digital micromirror unit 103, the heat dissipation system 105 is positioned between the two rows of optical heads to cool the ink. Before the substrate reaches the bottom of the second row of digital micromirror units 103 for projection exposure, the even-numbered ink strips, which have absorbed heat from the odd-numbered ink strips, quickly dissipate heat, bringing their temperature down to ambient temperature before exposure, matching that of the odd-numbered ink strips. This minimizes color differences between the odd and even ink stripes caused by different initial temperatures before exposure.

[0050] In some embodiments, the number of the plurality of air-cooling and heat-dissipating units is the same as the number of the digital micromirror units in the second row, and the plurality of air-cooling and heat-dissipating units are arranged in the third direction corresponding to the digital micromirror units in the second row.

[0051] Specifically, the air-cooling heat dissipation unit needs to dissipate heat and cool down the even-numbered strip ink that has absorbed the heat conducted by the odd-numbered strip ink before the substrate reaches the bottom of the second row of digital micromirror units 103 for projection exposure, so as to avoid color differences between the odd and even strip inks due to different initial temperatures before exposure. Therefore, the number of air-cooling heat dissipation units is the same as the number of digital micromirror units 103 in the second row, and they are arranged in the third direction corresponding to the digital micromirror units 103 in the second row.

[0052] In some embodiments, the direct-write lithography device includes a row of digital micromirror units, wherein the multiple digital micromirror units in the row are arranged along a first direction, and the digital micromirror units in the row are used to perform a first exposure on the photoresist film on the substrate to achieve the transfer of the odd-numbered stripe pattern, and are also used to perform a second exposure on the photoresist film on the substrate to achieve the transfer of the even-numbered stripe pattern; the heat dissipation system is located on one side of the row of digital micromirror units in the second direction, and the heat dissipation system is located below the projection system and above the substrate in the third direction, wherein the first direction, the second direction and the third direction are perpendicular to each other.

[0053] Specifically, if Figure 5 As shown, the direct write lithography device 100 includes a row of digital micromirror units 103, and a plurality of digital micromirror units 103 in a row are arranged along a first direction; the digital micromirror units 103 in a row are respectively exposed twice, as shown in FIG. Figure 6 As shown, a row of digital micromirror units 103 is used to perform a first exposure on the photoresist film on the substrate to achieve the odd-numbered stripe pattern transfer, and a second exposure on the photoresist film on the substrate after the odd-numbered stripe pattern transfer, as shown in FIG. Figure 7 As shown, a row of digital micromirror units 103 is used to perform a second exposure on the photoresist film on the substrate to achieve the transfer of even-numbered stripe patterns, and ultimately transfer all stripe patterns.

[0054] like Figure 8 As shown, the heat dissipation system 105 is located on one side of a row of digital micromirror units 103 in the second direction, and the heat dissipation system 105 is located below the projection system 104 and above the substrate in the third direction, wherein the first direction, the second direction and the third direction are perpendicular to each other; after the row of digital micromirror units 103 expose the photoresist film on the substrate to achieve the transfer of the odd-numbered stripe pattern, the heat dissipation system 105 first cools the substrate to quickly restore the substrate to the ambient temperature. After the substrate returns to the ambient temperature, the row of digital micromirror units 103 expose the photoresist film on the substrate to achieve the transfer of the even-numbered stripe pattern, and finally achieve the transfer of the odd-even stripe pattern. The heat dissipation system 105 cools the substrate so that there is no color difference after the odd-even stripe pattern is transferred. The heat dissipation system 105 can dissipate heat through air cooling or water cooling. During water cooling, the heat dissipation system 105 is set on the workpiece table, located below the substrate, and absorbs the heat of the substrate through water circulation.

[0055] For example, all the optical heads of a single-row digital micromirror unit 103 have the same position in the first direction, and all the stripe pattern transfers are completed in multiple exposures. The first exposure completes the odd-numbered stripe pattern transfer, and the second exposure completes the even-numbered stripe pattern transfer. For the single-row digital micromirror unit 103, a heat dissipation system 105 is set on the front side of the optical head to cool the ink. While the odd-numbered stripe pattern is transferred during the first exposure, the even-numbered stripe ink that has absorbed the heat conducted by the odd-numbered stripe ink is quickly dissipated, so that the temperature of the even-numbered stripe ink is reduced to the ambient temperature before exposure, which is consistent with the temperature of the odd-numbered stripe ink before exposure, thereby reducing the color difference between the odd and even stripe inks caused by the different initial temperatures before exposure.

[0056] Reference below Figure 9 An exposure control method according to an embodiment of the second aspect of the present invention is described. Figure 9 As shown, the method at least includes steps S1 to S3.

[0057] Step S1 : in response to an exposure instruction, controlling a heat dissipation system of a direct-write lithography device to start.

[0058] Specifically, when exposure starts in response to an exposure instruction, the controller controls the cooling system of the direct-write lithography equipment to start and dissipate heat to the substrate. The cooling system can dissipate heat through air cooling, water cooling, or refrigerant, so that the temperature of all exposed strip inks is consistent before exposure, thereby reducing the color difference of the strip ink caused by the different initial temperatures before exposure.

[0059] Step S2, obtaining the difference between the substrate temperature and the ambient temperature.

[0060] Specifically, after exposure begins, the direct-write lithography equipment obtains the ambient temperature and substrate temperature in real time, and determines whether the substrate needs to be cooled during the next exposure based on the difference between the substrate temperature and the ambient temperature.

[0061] Step S3 , during the exposure process, controlling the heat dissipation intensity of the heat dissipation system according to the difference between the substrate temperature and the ambient temperature, so that the temperature of the photoresist film on the substrate is maintained at the ambient temperature.

[0062] Specifically, when the direct-write lithography equipment is exposed, the odd and even strips on the substrate are exposed in sequence. Since the strips exposed later absorb the heat conducted by the ink of the strips exposed earlier, the difference between the substrate temperature and the ambient temperature is obtained during exposure to determine whether the substrate needs to be dissipated. When heat dissipation is needed, the heat dissipation system is started and the heat dissipation intensity of the heat dissipation system is controlled according to the difference between the substrate temperature and the ambient temperature to dissipate heat from the substrate, so that the substrate temperature drops to the ambient temperature, thereby avoiding the odd and even stripe photoresist film on the substrate having an odd and even color difference after exposure in sequence.

[0063] According to the exposure control method of an embodiment of the present invention, when the direct-write lithography equipment exposes the photoresist film on the substrate, the direct-write lithography equipment controls the heat dissipation intensity of the heat dissipation system according to the difference between the substrate temperature and the ambient temperature, and dissipates the heat of the substrate, so that the temperature of the photoresist film on the substrate is maintained at the ambient temperature, thereby avoiding the odd-even stripe photoresist film on the substrate having an odd-even color difference in ink after being exposed in sequence.

[0064] In some embodiments, the exposure control method further includes: obtaining energy distribution information of the exposure surface of the direct-write lithography device; adjusting the modulation parameters of the digital micromirror unit of the direct-write lithography device according to the energy distribution information of the exposure surface to perform energy compensation on the exposure surface.

[0065] Specifically, after each exposure, the direct-write lithography device collects energy distribution information of the exposure surface and transmits the energy distribution information to the controller. The controller analyzes the energy distribution information to determine which parts of the exposure surface have lower energy and which parts of the exposure surface have higher energy. The modulation parameters of the digital micromirror unit of the direct-write lithography device are adjusted according to the energy distribution information of the exposure surface to perform energy compensation on the exposure surface. For low-energy areas, the compensation is increased through modulation, and for high-energy areas, the compensation is reduced through modulation. Ultimately, the energy distribution is balanced, so that the ink temperature is consistent when exposing odd and even stripes, and the substrate color is consistent after exposure.

[0066] For example, the energy of the exposed surface is compensated through a grayscale compensation template. Grayscale compensation refers to a technology that adjusts the grayscale level of an image in image processing to improve the quality of the image or solve a specific problem. Grayscale compensation can be applied to multiple fields, including but not limited to computer vision, image processing, photography, etc. In computer vision and image processing, grayscale compensation is usually used to improve the contrast and clarity of the image, making the details in the image more obvious, which is helpful for subsequent image analysis or recognition tasks.

[0067] In some embodiments, the direct-write lithography device includes two rows of digital micromirror units, and the exposure control method further includes: reducing the actual power of the light source of the row of digital micromirror units that is exposed later in the two rows of digital micromirror units according to the increased temperature of the substrate, wherein the increased temperature of the substrate is caused by the other row of digital micromirror units in the two rows being exposed first.

[0068] Specifically, the direct-write lithography equipment includes two rows of digital micromirror units. When the two rows of digital micromirror units are exposed, due to the staggered arrangement of the two rows of digital micromirror units, one row of digital micromirror units is exposed first, causing the temperature of the unexposed strip ink to rise, resulting in more complete polymerization of the strips exposed later in the other row. The ink colors of the strips exposed at different times are inconsistent. Therefore, the actual power of the light source of the last row of digital micromirror units exposed in the two rows of digital micromirror units is reduced according to the increased temperature of the substrate, so that the temperature of the strips exposed later is reduced, and finally the colors of the strips exposed successively are consistent.

[0069] For example, the exposure surface light intensity control is achieved by controlling the laser light energy through software and modulating the UV hardening degree to compensate for the difference in thermal hardening degree caused by the temperature difference of the ink before the strip is exposed. For a double-row digital micromirror unit, the actual power value of the laser of the row of digital micromirror units exposed later is reduced without changing the nominal value. That is, nominally, the exposure surface energy of the front and rear exposure systems is consistent, and the production capacity is not affected by the reduction in the energy of the front exposure surface.

[0070] In some embodiments, the direct-write lithography device includes a row of digital micromirror units, and the exposure control method further includes: reducing the actual power of the light source when the row of digital micromirror units performs a second exposure according to the increased temperature of the substrate, wherein the increased temperature of the substrate is caused by the first exposure of the row of digital micromirror units.

[0071] Specifically, for a single-row DMU exposure system, the color difference between stripes is reduced by lowering the actual power value of the laser during the second exposure. Direct-write lithography equipment includes a row of DMUs. During exposure, one row of DMUs exposes the odd-numbered stripes first, causing the ink temperature of the unexposed even-numbered stripes to rise. This results in more complete polymerization of the even-numbered stripes during the second exposure, resulting in inconsistent ink colors in stripes exposed from batch to batch. Therefore, the actual power of the DMU light source during the second exposure is reduced according to the rising temperature of the substrate, lowering the temperature of the even-numbered stripes during the second exposure, ultimately achieving consistent colors in the stripes exposed successively.

[0072] A third embodiment of the present invention provides a direct write lithography apparatus, such as Figure 10 As shown, the direct-write lithography device 100 includes a processor 110 and a memory 120 .

[0073] The memory 120 stores a computer program that can be executed by the at least one processor 110 , and the at least one processor 110 implements the exposure control method when executing the computer program.

[0074] According to the direct-write lithography equipment of an embodiment of the present invention, the corresponding exposure program can be stored in the memory. When implementing the exposure control method, the processor runs the program in the memory and controls the heat dissipation intensity of the heat dissipation system according to the difference between the substrate temperature and the ambient temperature, so that the temperature of the photoresist film on the substrate is maintained at the ambient temperature, avoiding the odd and even stripe photoresist films on the substrate having parity-even ink color differences after being exposed in sequence.

[0075] Throughout this specification, reference to terms such as "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "illustrative embodiments," "example," "specific example," or "some examples" means that a specific feature, substrate, material, or characteristic described in conjunction with the embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the present invention. In this specification, exemplary expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example.

[0076] While embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions, and variations may be made to the embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, and that the scope of the invention is defined by the claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A direct write lithography apparatus, characterized in that: include: light source; A workpiece stage, wherein the workpiece stage is suitable for placing a substrate, and the substrate has a photoresist film; At least one row of digital micromirror units, the digital micromirror units being used to modulate light projected by a light source to form a digital mask pattern; a projection system corresponding to each of the digital micromirror units, the projection system being configured to project light carrying the digital mask pattern projected by the corresponding digital micromirror unit onto the substrate, wherein the photoresist film on the substrate is exposed in the form of odd and even stripes, and the exposure order of the odd and even stripes is sequential; a heat dissipation system, the heat dissipation system being used to dissipate heat from the substrate; A controller is connected to each of the digital micromirror units and the heat dissipation system, and is used to start the heat dissipation system during exposure and control the heat dissipation intensity of the heat dissipation system according to the difference between the substrate temperature and the ambient temperature.

2. The direct-write lithography apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The direct-write lithography apparatus comprises two rows of digital micromirror units, wherein the digital micromirror units in the first row are used to expose the photoresist film on the substrate to achieve odd-numbered stripe pattern transfer, and the digital micromirror units in the second row are used to expose the photoresist film on the substrate to achieve even-numbered stripe pattern transfer; The plurality of digital micromirror units in each row are arranged at intervals along a first direction and the digital micromirror units in two rows are staggered along a second direction, and the first direction and the second direction are perpendicular to each other; The heat dissipation system is located below the projection system and above the substrate in a third direction, and is located between the digital micromirror units corresponding to the first row and the second row in the second direction, and the third direction is perpendicular to the first direction and the second direction.

3. The direct-write lithography apparatus according to claim 2, wherein: The heat dissipation system includes a plurality of air-cooling heat dissipation units, which are arranged at intervals along the first direction and are used to blow air toward the substrate to reduce its temperature.

4. The direct-write lithography apparatus according to claim 3, wherein: The number of the plurality of air-cooling and heat-dissipating units is the same as the number of the digital micromirror units in the second row, and the plurality of air-cooling and heat-dissipating units are arranged in the third direction corresponding to the digital micromirror units in the second row.

5. The direct-write lithography apparatus according to claim 1, wherein: The direct-write lithography apparatus includes a row of digital micromirror units, wherein a plurality of the digital micromirror units in the row are arranged along a first direction, and the digital micromirror units in the row are used to perform a first exposure on the photoresist film on the substrate to achieve transfer of an odd-numbered stripe pattern, and also to perform a second exposure on the photoresist film on the substrate to achieve transfer of an even-numbered stripe pattern; The heat dissipation system is located on one side of the row of digital micromirror units in the second direction, and is located below the projection system and above the substrate in the third direction, wherein the first direction, the second direction and the third direction are perpendicular to each other.

6. An exposure control method, characterized in that: For the direct-write lithography apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, the exposure control method comprises: In response to an exposure instruction, controlling a heat dissipation system of the direct-write lithography apparatus to start; Obtain the difference between the substrate temperature and the ambient temperature; During the exposure process, the heat dissipation intensity of the heat dissipation system is controlled according to the difference between the substrate temperature and the ambient temperature, so that the temperature of the photoresist film on the substrate is maintained at the ambient temperature.

7. The exposure control method according to claim 6, wherein: The exposure control method further includes: Acquiring energy distribution information of an exposure surface of the direct-write lithography device; The modulation parameters of the digital micromirror unit of the direct-write lithography device are adjusted according to the energy distribution information of the exposure surface, so as to perform energy compensation on the exposure surface.

8. The exposure control method according to claim 6 or 7, wherein: The direct-write lithography device includes two rows of digital micromirror units, and the exposure control method further includes: The actual power of the light source of the row of digital micromirror units exposed later in the two rows of digital micromirror units is reduced according to the increased temperature of the substrate, wherein the increased temperature of the substrate is caused by the other row of digital micromirror units being exposed earlier in the two rows of digital micromirror units.

9. The exposure control method according to claim 6 or 7, wherein: The direct-write lithography apparatus includes a row of digital micromirror units, and the exposure control method further includes: The actual power of the light source of the row of digital micromirror units during the second exposure is reduced according to the increased temperature of the substrate, wherein the increased temperature of the substrate is caused by the first exposure of the row of digital micromirror units.

10. A direct write lithography apparatus, characterized in that: include: at least one processor; a memory communicatively coupled to the at least one processor; The memory stores a computer program that can be executed by the at least one processor, and the at least one processor implements the exposure control method according to any one of claims 6 to 9 when executing the computer program.

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