Exposure device and exposure method

Abstract

The invention provides an exposure apparatus and an exposure method. The exposure device comprises a first optical engine, a second optical engine, a driving device and a control module, the first optical engine and the second optical engine are opposite to each other along the z-axis and each comprise a digital micro-mirror device and an alignment camera; the digital micromirror device is configured to modulate the laser from the light source to form a modulated laser beam for exposing a substrate; the alignment camera is configured to obtain alignment state information of the first optical engine and the second optical engine in the z-axis direction; the driving device is used for driving the first optical engine and the second optical engine to move; the control module is configured to respectively control the exposure opportunities of the first optical engine and the second optical engine during movement according to the alignment state information, or respectively control the irradiation areas of the digital micro-mirror devices in the first optical engine and the second optical engine, and control the exposure opportunities of the digital micro-mirror devices in the first optical engine and the second optical engine; the first optical engine and the second optical engine form aligned exposure patterns on different surfaces of the base material.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of OLED display panel manufacturing, and in particular to a maskless exposure device and an exposure method for producing a metal mask plate. Background Art

[0002] The metal mask is an important tool in the preparation process of OLED (organic light-emitting diode) display panels. It is mainly used for evaporation of organic materials or to limit the deposition area of ​​film materials in the process of forming an encapsulation layer.

[0003] The production process of metal mask includes: pre-cleaning, filming / coating photoresist, exposure, development, etching, film removal, etc. In the prior art, in the exposure process, it is usually necessary to use a mask or film to transfer or replicate the pattern to the photosensitive material to complete the exposure.

[0004] Different products require different masks or film negatives. In addition, the cost of the mask or film will further increase as the product size increases. The above two points make it difficult to reduce the cost of the mask or film negative.

[0005] At the same time, due to the limited maximum size of the mask or film, it is difficult to apply it to the production of large-format metal mask plates, especially, it cannot be applied to the production of G8.x generation lines and above.

[0006] In addition, when using a double-sided exposure process, it is difficult to align the mask / film on both sides of the substrate, and it is necessary to add a clamping and alignment system for the mask / film on both sides. A large number of mechanisms need to be added to the mechanical structure, resulting in a complex structure and high cost.

[0007] On the other hand, the light source of the exposure device is usually a high-pressure mercury lamp, which has high power and high energy consumption. In order to ensure the stability of the light source optical path system, the light source needs to be turned on all the time, which increases the cost of use to a certain extent. In addition, the production, use and later scrapping of high-pressure mercury lamps are harmful to the environment. Summary of the invention

[0008] In order to solve the above problems existing in the prior art, a first aspect of an embodiment of the present application provides an exposure device, including a first optical engine, a second optical engine, a driving device and a control module; wherein:

[0009] The first optical engine and the second optical engine are opposite to each other along the z-axis and both include a digital micromirror device and an alignment camera;

[0010] The digital micromirror device is configured to modulate laser light from a light source to form a modulated laser beam for exposing a substrate;

[0011] The alignment camera is configured to obtain alignment status information of the first optical engine and the second optical engine in the z-axis direction;

[0012] The driving device is used to drive the first optical engine and the second optical engine to move;

[0013] The control module is configured to control the exposure timing of the first optical engine and the second optical engine in motion respectively according to the alignment state information, or to control the irradiation area of ​​the digital micromirror device in the first optical engine and the second optical engine respectively, so that the first optical engine and the second optical engine form aligned exposure patterns on different surfaces of the substrate.

[0014] In the aforementioned technical solution, a laser modulated light beam is directly formed by a digital micromirror device for exposure. There is no need to use a mask / film, and there is no need to configure a mask / film handling and clamping mechanism in the equipment. The cost is greatly reduced, and the optical engine can be moved for exposure, which is suitable for the production of larger generation masks. At the same time, the setting of the control module and the alignment camera can achieve precise alignment of the exposure patterns on both sides of the substrate during double-sided exposure, and is conducive to adjustment.

[0015] In addition, the aforementioned technical solution uses a laser light source instead of a high-pressure mercury lamp, which can reduce harm to the environment and no longer needs to be turned on continuously.

[0016] Optionally, the driving device comprises:

[0017] Base;

[0018] A first moving seat, disposed on the base and capable of stepping back and forth movement along the x direction;

[0019] A second moving seat, disposed on the first moving seat and capable of reciprocating movement along the y direction;

[0020] The supporting cantilever is connected to the second movable seat, and is connected to the first optical engine through a first z-axis driving device, and is connected to the second optical engine through a second z-axis driving device.

[0021] Further, the supporting cantilever comprises an upper cantilever and a lower cantilever extending along the y-axis direction, and the upper cantilever and the lower cantilever are fixed relative to each other;

[0022] The first optical engine is arranged at the end of the upper cantilever, and the light emitting direction is downward along the z-axis. The second optical engine is arranged at the end of the lower cantilever, and the light emitting direction is upward along the z-axis.

[0023] In the above scheme, without using a mask / film, by setting a C-shaped supporting cantilever, especially an upper cantilever and a lower cantilever fixed to each other, the first / second optical engine is relatively fixed, so that the first / second optical engine is aligned.

[0024] Optionally, the control module can control the illumination areas of the digital micromirror devices in the first optical engine and the second optical engine respectively to form different graphic marks on the two surfaces of the photosensitive film, for example, circular dot marks and circular ring marks are formed on the two surfaces of the photosensitive film respectively.

[0025] In the aforementioned scheme, the graphic marks formed by the device, such as circular dot marks and circular ring marks, are used to measure the alignment deviation of the optical axes of the two optical engines, which is beneficial to the alignment of the exposure patterns on both sides during the double-sided exposure process.

[0026] A second aspect of the embodiments of the present application provides an exposure method, which specifically includes:

[0027] Providing a first optical engine and a second optical engine, wherein the first optical engine and the second optical engine are respectively aligned with an upper surface and a lower surface of the substrate along a z-axis;

[0028] Dividing the exposure pattern to be formed into a plurality of sub-exposure patterns;

[0029] And the following steps:

[0030] S11: driving the first optical engine and the second optical engine to enter an initial exposure position;

[0031] S12: starting the first optical engine and the second optical engine to output a modulated laser beam, and moving the first optical engine and the second optical engine along the y-axis until a sub-exposure pattern is formed on the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate, and then turning off the first optical engine and the second optical engine;

[0032] S13: driving the first optical engine and the second optical engine to step along the x-axis to enter a starting position corresponding to the next sub-exposure pattern;

[0033] Step S12 and step S13 are repeatedly performed until complete exposure patterns are formed on the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate.

[0034] In the above scheme, the exposure pattern is divided into multiple sub-exposure patterns, and the exposure is performed by moving the optical engine, which breaks through the limitation of the mask / film on the exposure pattern size in the prior art and is suitable for the production of mask plates of larger generation production lines.

[0035] Optionally, step S11 specifically includes:

[0036] In no particular order, driving the first optical engine and the second optical engine along the x-axis and the y-axis respectively to enter an initial exposure position;

[0037] The first optical engine and the second optical engine are driven respectively along the z-axis to enter the exposure distance.

[0038] Further, in step S12, the first optical engine and the second optical engine are moved once along the positive direction or the negative direction of the y-axis; or,

[0039] The first optical engine and the second optical engine are moved back and forth along the y-axis one or more times.

[0040] Optionally, also include:

[0041] Obtaining an alignment deviation between the first optical engine and the second optical engine;

[0042] When there is alignment deviation along the x-axis, perform the following steps:

[0043] S21: Acquire a region to be exposed by the first optical engine on the upper surface of the substrate and a region to be exposed by the second optical engine on the lower surface of the substrate;

[0044] S22: Obtaining overlapping areas to be exposed on the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate;

[0045] S23: Control the digital micromirror devices in the first optical engine and the second optical engine to output modulated laser beams only to the overlapping areas to be exposed.

[0046] On the other hand, it also includes:

[0047] Obtaining an alignment deviation between the first optical engine and the second optical engine;

[0048] The step S12 also includes:

[0049] When there is a positioning deviation along the y-axis, the timing of the first optical engine and the second optical engine outputting the modulated laser beam is controlled respectively, so that the optical engine close to the intended exposure area along the y-axis outputs the modulated laser beam first, and the optical engine far from the intended exposure area delays the output of the modulated laser beam.

[0050] The aforementioned optional solution effectively compensates for the inevitable alignment deviation between the two optical engines. The double-sided exposure alignment error can be reduced to within 3μm (single-sided deviation ±1.5μm), which is a significant improvement compared to the double-sided exposure alignment error of 20μm (single-sided deviation ±10μm) in the prior art.

[0051] Optionally, obtaining the alignment deviation between the first optical engine and the second optical engine specifically includes:

[0052] S31: exposing the two side surfaces of the photosensitive film respectively through the first optical engine and the second optical engine to form a pattern mark, wherein:

[0053] S32: forming a circular dot mark on one surface of the photosensitive film and a ring mark on the other surface;

[0054] S33: Identify the geometric centers of the circular dot mark and the ring mark, and obtain the alignment deviation of the first optical engine and the second optical engine along the x-axis or y-axis according to the distance between the geometric centers along the x-axis or y-axis. The above alignment deviation measurement method has high accuracy.

[0055] In summary, the exposure device and exposure method provided in the embodiments of the present application have the following beneficial effects:

[0056] 1. No need to use mask / film, and no need to configure the mask / film handling and clamping mechanism in the equipment, which greatly reduces the cost;

[0057] 2. Without using a mask or film, the first and second optical engines are relatively fixed by setting a C-shaped support cantilever, so that the first and second optical engines are aligned. In addition, even if there is a slight alignment deviation due to factors such as the processing accuracy of parts in the exposure equipment and the matching accuracy between parts, the subsequent alignment difficulty can be greatly reduced, thereby improving production efficiency;

[0058] 3. When producing double-sided exposure workpieces, it has extremely high positioning accuracy, and the exposure of the product on the upper and lower surfaces has no deviation and high precision;

[0059] Specifically, with the existing double-sided exposure equipment, the double-sided exposure alignment error can reach 20μm (single-sided deviation ±10μm), and the accuracy does not meet the design requirements; while the double-sided exposure solution provided in the embodiment of the present application can achieve an alignment error of within 3μm (single-sided deviation ±1.5μm).

[0060] 4. It can be applied to the exposure process of products of G8.x generation line and above, and is suitable for the exposure process of masks of different types and a wide range of sizes, with good versatility and general applicability. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0061] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application or the background technology, the drawings required for use in the embodiments of the present application or the background technology will be described below.

[0062] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the overall structure of the exposure device in the embodiment of the present application;

[0063] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of a base and a first movable seat of an exposure device in an embodiment of the present application;

[0064] Figure 3 It is a schematic diagram of the overall module and working principle of the exposure device in the embodiment of the present application;

[0065] Figure 4It is a schematic diagram of a circular dot mark and a ring mark formed when obtaining the alignment deviation of two optical engines in an embodiment of the present application;

[0066] Figure 5 It is a schematic diagram of obtaining the alignment deviation according to the geometric center of the mark in the embodiment of the present application;

[0067] Figure 6 Different alignment situations of two optical engines along the x-axis or y-axis in the embodiment of the present application are shown;

[0068] Figure 7 The principle of correcting the alignment deviation along the x-axis in the embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0069] Figure 8 The principle of adjusting the light emission timing of two optical engines to correct the alignment deviation along the y-axis in the embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0070] Fig. 9 The comparison between the exposure patterns on both sides of the exposure workpiece with and without alignment deviation is shown;

[0071] Fig.10 A schematic diagram showing the division of an exposure pattern into a plurality of sub-exposure patterns is shown.

[0072] Note in the figure:

[0073] 00: substrate, 01: upper surface, 02: lower surface;

[0074] 11: first optical engine, 12: second optical engine;

[0075] 20: base, 21: first movable seat, 22: second movable seat, 23: supporting cantilever;

[0076] 231: upper cantilever, 232: lower cantilever;

[0077] 241: a first z-axis driving device, 242: a second z-axis driving device. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0078] In this specification, it will also be understood that when a component is referred to as being relative to other components, such as being "connected to" other components, the one component may be directly connected to or directly coupled to the other components, or there may also be a third component in between; in addition, in the embodiments of the present application, "connection" may specifically be a mechanical structure connection, an electrical connection, or an optical path connection.

[0079] The present application will now be described more fully below with reference to the accompanying drawings, however, the present application can be implemented in many different ways and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. On the contrary, providing these embodiments herein will make the present application more detailed and complete, and fully convey the scope of the present application to those skilled in the art. The same reference numerals throughout the text represent the same objects.

[0080] The x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis involved in this application are all axes in a standard rectangular coordinate system, which are perpendicular to each other. Figure 1 or Figure 2 As shown in , the z-axis is along the vertical direction of the device, and the plane of the exposed substrate 00 is perpendicular to the z-axis and parallel to the x-axis and the y-axis.

[0081] Considering the prior art, when making a metal mask, the exposure process used specifically includes the following steps:

[0082] 1. Install the mask / film of the corresponding product model on the mask / film clamping system;

[0083] 2. The product transport and tension control system transports the substrate to the mask / film position and adjusts the required tension to ensure that the substrate is flat and ready for exposure;

[0084] 3. Align the double-sided mask / film on the clamping system to below the required accuracy;

[0085] 4. Parallel light is emitted by the light source optical path system;

[0086] 5. Open the shutter to expose, and close the shutter when the required exposure is reached to complete the exposure process;

[0087] 6. The product transport tension control system transports the exposed product out and moves the substrate in, completing the entire exposure process.

[0088] With respect to the above steps, it can be learned that the existing exposure process has the following problems:

[0089] 1. Using the method of exposure and transfer of photomasks or film negatives, different products require different photomasks or film negatives, and the cost of photomasks or films increases with the increase of product size.

[0090] 2. During double-sided exposure, it is difficult to align the masks / films on both sides, and it is necessary to add a clamping and alignment system for the masks / films on both sides. A large number of mechanisms need to be added to the mechanical structure, which is complex and costly.

[0091] 3. The light source is usually a high-pressure mercury lamp, which has high power and high energy consumption. In order to ensure the stability of the light source optical system, the light source needs to be turned on all the time, which increases the cost of use to a certain extent. In addition, the production, use and later scrapping of high-pressure mercury lamps are harmful to the environment.

[0092] 4. Due to the limited size of the mask or film, the existing technical solutions cannot be applied to products of G8.x generation lines and above.

[0093] In view of the above, at least in order to solve the problems existing in the above prior art, the embodiment of the present application provides an exposure device and a corresponding exposure method, the overall structure of which is as follows: Figure 3 shown.

[0094] The exposure device provided by the present application is as follows Figure 1 As shown, it specifically includes a first optical engine 11, a second optical engine 12, a driving device and a control module; wherein,

[0095] The first optical engine 11 and the second optical engine 12 are opposite to each other along the z-axis, and both include a digital micromirror device and an alignment camera;

[0096] The digital micromirror device (DMD) is configured to modulate the laser light from the light source to form a modulated laser beam for exposing the substrate 00 (surface coated with photoresist);

[0097] The alignment camera is configured to obtain the alignment status information of the first optical engine 11 and the second optical engine 12 in the z-axis direction, specifically including obtaining the deviations Lx and Ly of the axes of the two optical engines along the x-axis and along the y-axis.

[0098] The driving device is used to drive the first optical engine 11 and the second optical engine 12 to move; specifically, it is used to drive the two optical engines to move along the x / y / z axis.

[0099] The control module is used to control the synchronization of the driving device and the two optical engines during the exposure execution process, including the precise synchronization of the exposure time and the exposure position, and is configured to control the exposure timing of the first optical engine 11 and the second optical engine 12 in motion according to the alignment state information, or to control the irradiation area of ​​the digital micromirror device in the first optical engine 11 and the second optical engine 12, so that the first optical engine 11 and the second optical engine 12 form aligned exposure patterns on different surfaces of the substrate 00.

[0100] Compared with the existing equipment, the above-mentioned embodiment does not need to configure a mask / film transport and clamping mechanism in the equipment, which greatly reduces the cost.

[0101] In a typical embodiment, Figure 1As shown, the first optical engine 11 is arranged at the top, and the light emitting direction is downward along the z-axis, and the second optical engine 12 is arranged at the bottom, and the light emitting direction is upward along the z-axis. The substrate 00 is arranged between the first optical engine 11 and the second optical engine 12, and the substrate plane is perpendicular to the optical axis (i.e., the z-axis) of the optical engine.

[0102] In one embodiment, a laser light source is further included, and its output end is connected to a digital micromirror device through an optical fiber. The digital micromirror device controls whether the laser at each position passes through. After being modulated by the digital micromirror device, the laser from the laser light source forms a light beam that illuminates a specific area, that is, a modulated laser beam, which is emitted through the laser head of the optical engine and illuminates the surface of the substrate to achieve exposure.

[0103] In one embodiment, the driving device may be a three-axis or more degree-of-freedom manipulator.

[0104] In an embodiment, the control module can control the two optical engines to emit modulated laser beams respectively, control the opening and closing of the laser light source, control the digital micromirror device to regulate whether the light beams in each area pass through; and control the driving device to perform actions, including executing the movement of the first / second optical engine in the x-axis direction, the y-axis direction and the z-axis direction.

[0105] In an embodiment, the exposure device feeds back the obtained deviations Lx and Ly of the axis of the first / second optical engine along the x-axis and along the y-axis to the control module through the alignment camera. After conversion, the control module issues an action command to control the movement of the driving device along the y-axis, and then controls the first / second optical engine to enter the exposure position at different times, and controls the first / second optical engine to start after each entering the exposure position, so as to complete the exposure on the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate in turn.

[0106] Optionally, the movement of the first / second optical engine along the z-axis is configured to be performed synchronously or asynchronously.

[0107] In a typical embodiment, Figure 3 As shown, the aforementioned control module is specifically a synchronization plate assembly.

[0108] In a preferred embodiment, the aforementioned driving device, such as Figure 1 Specifically shown include:

[0109] Base 20.

[0110] The first moving seat 21 is disposed on the base 20 and can move back and forth in a stepping manner along a direction perpendicular to the z-axis, such as the x-direction.

[0111] The second movable seat 22 is disposed on the first movable seat 21 and can move back and forth in a direction perpendicular to the x-axis and the z-axis, for example, in the y-direction;

[0112] The supporting cantilever 23 is connected to the second movable base 22 , and is connected to the first optical engine 11 via a first z-axis driving device 241 , and is connected to the second optical engine 12 via a second z-axis driving device 242 .

[0113] In a typical embodiment, the first movable seat 21, the second movable seat 22 and the first z-axis drive device 241, the second z-axis drive device 242 all include corresponding drive structures, such as high-precision power guide rails, etc. The drive structure can be selected from existing products according to actual needs. Due to space limitations, it is not described in detail in the embodiments of this application.

[0114] In one embodiment, the specific connection method and setting direction of the base 20 and the first movable base 21 are as follows: Figure 2 shown.

[0115] In a preferred embodiment, the support cantilever 23 includes an upper cantilever 231 and a lower cantilever 232 extending along the y-axis direction, and includes a longitudinal support arm arranged between the upper cantilever 231 and the lower cantilever 232. Figure 1 "C" shape shown.

[0116] In an embodiment, Figure 1 As shown, the first optical engine 11 is disposed at the end of the upper cantilever 231, and the light emitting direction is downward along the z-axis. The second optical engine 12 is disposed at the end of the lower cantilever 232, and the light emitting direction is upward along the z-axis.

[0117] In the embodiment, the upper cantilever 231 and the lower cantilever 232 are fixed relative to each other. It should be understood that when the relative position between the upper and lower cantilevers can be changed, in order to obtain the two optical engines relative to each other along the z-axis, it is necessary to adjust and eliminate the position deviation of the upper and lower cantilevers in the x-axis direction and the y-axis direction. This adjustment process is complicated and will inevitably produce adjustment errors. In this solution, the upper cantilever 231 and the lower cantilever 232 are configured to be fixed relative to each other at the same time, and the first optical engine 11 and the second optical engine 12 are fixed relative to each other in directions other than along the z-axis direction. This design makes the positions of the upper and lower optical engines in the x-axis direction and the y-axis direction relatively fixed, and no further adjustment is required. Therefore, the aforementioned adjustment error caused by the changeable relative position between the upper and lower cantilevers can be eliminated, and the difficulty of alignment control of the two optical engines is reduced to a certain extent.

[0118] In a preferred embodiment, the control module can control the irradiation area of ​​the digital micromirror device in the first optical engine 11 and the second optical engine 12 respectively, so as to form different graphic imprints on the two surfaces of the photosensitive film respectively. For example, the two surfaces of the photosensitive film respectively form the following graphic imprints: Figure 4 The circular dot imprint and the circular ring imprint shown.

[0119] Based on the same technical idea, the present application also provides a specific embodiment of an exposure method, which includes:

[0120] Execute in no particular order:

[0121] Provide a first optical engine 11 and a second optical engine 12, wherein the first optical engine 11 and the second optical engine 12 are respectively aligned with the upper surface and the lower surface of the substrate 00 along the z-axis;

[0122] Dividing the exposure pattern to be formed into a plurality of sub-exposure patterns;

[0123] And the following steps:

[0124] S11: driving the first optical engine 11 and the second optical engine 12 to enter an initial exposure position;

[0125] S12: starting the first optical engine 11 and the second optical engine 12 to output modulated laser beams, and moving the first optical engine 11 and the second optical engine 12 along the y-axis until a sub-exposure pattern is formed on the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate 00, and then turning off the first optical engine 11 and the second optical engine 12;

[0126] S13: driving the first optical engine 11 and the second optical engine 12 to move stepwise along the x-axis to enter a starting position corresponding to the next sub-exposure pattern;

[0127] Step S12 and step S13 are repeatedly performed until complete exposure patterns are formed on the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate 00 .

[0128] In a preferred embodiment, the exposure method is performed using an exposure device described in the aforementioned embodiment or any one of its optional, preferred embodiments.

[0129] In an embodiment, the exposure pattern to be formed is divided into a plurality of sub-exposure patterns. For example, the exposure pattern is designed by CAM (computer-aided manufacturing) software, and Fig.10 As shown, the image is imported into the V-Mask software dedicated to the exposure machine for segmentation to form vector graphics, i.e., sub-exposure graphics.

[0130] In the exposure process, the aforementioned vector diagram is imported into the exposure machine control module, and converted by the control module into action instructions to control the optical engine and the driving device to perform corresponding actions.

[0131] In a preferred embodiment, step S11 specifically includes:

[0132] In no particular order, driving the first optical engine 11 and the second optical engine 12 along the x-axis and the y-axis respectively to enter an initial exposure position;

[0133] The first optical engine 11 and the second optical engine 12 are driven along the z-axis to enter the exposure distance. Typically, during this process, the first optical engine 11 and the second optical engine 12 both move toward the substrate.

[0134] Exemplary, including execution in no particular order,

[0135] Moving the first optical engine and the second optical engine along the x-axis to a position A corresponding to an initial exposure position;

[0136] Moving the first optical engine and the second optical engine along the y-axis to a position B corresponding to an initial exposure position;

[0137] Among them, between position A and position B, the one that the first optical engine and the second optical engine reach later is the initial exposure position.

[0138] In a preferred embodiment, in step S12, the first optical engine 11 and the second optical engine 12 are moved once along the positive direction or the negative direction of the y-axis; or,

[0139] The first optical engine 11 and the second optical engine 12 are reciprocated along the y-axis once or multiple times.

[0140] Although in the aforementioned embodiment of the exposure device, the improvement in its structure has greatly reduced the alignment deviation of the first / second optical engine, due to the influence of factors such as the processing accuracy of components in the exposure equipment and the matching accuracy between components, there is still an inevitable alignment deviation between the two optical engines. Although this deviation is extremely small, it is still unacceptable for metal mask plate products with extremely high processing accuracy requirements.

[0141] The impact of alignment deviation on exposure products can be seen in detail. Fig. 9 As shown, the exposure patterns on both sides of the workpiece are compared with each other when there is no alignment deviation and when there is alignment deviation. Specifically, Fig. 9 In part (a), since there is no alignment deviation, the patterns formed on the photoresist coated on the upper and lower sides of the workpiece are accurately aligned. Fig. 9 As shown in (b), the patterns on the photoresists on the upper and lower sides of the workpiece are not aligned, resulting in that during subsequent etching, the holes starting from the upper and lower surfaces will be offset from each other, which in turn leads to reduced processing accuracy of the pattern holes in the mask plate, and even causes the mask plate to be scrapped due to unqualified processing accuracy.

[0142] like Figure 6Different alignment situations of the two optical engines along the x-axis or y-axis are shown respectively, wherein (a) shows the situation where the two optical engines are aligned along the x / y-axis; (b) shows the situation where the second optical engine 12 is in the positive direction of the first optical engine 11 along the x / y-axis; (c) shows the situation where the first optical engine 11 is in the positive direction of the second optical engine 12 along the x / y-axis.

[0143] In order to eliminate the alignment deviation as much as possible, Figure 6 In the situations shown in (b) and (c), when the alignment deviation is in the x-axis direction, since the first / second optical engine moves along the x-axis in a stepping manner, each step needs to complete the exposure of the current area (i.e., complete a sub-exposure pattern) before the next step. Therefore, it is impossible to eliminate the alignment deviation by controlling the light emission timing of the two optical engines separately.

[0144] Therefore, in the embodiment of the present application, the steps of eliminating the alignment deviation of the first / second optical engine in the x-axis direction include:

[0145] The exposure alignment area of ​​the first / second optical engine is obtained and fed back to the digital micromirror device (DMD), and the DMD is controlled to emit light in the alignment area and not emit light in the edge misaligned area.

[0146] like Figure 7 As shown, (a) shows the proposed exposure area of ​​the first optical engine on the upper surface of the workpiece, (b) shows the proposed exposure area of ​​the second optical engine on the lower surface of the workpiece, (c) shows the overlap of the proposed exposure areas on both sides, and (d) shows the exposure areas actually performed on the surfaces of both sides of the workpiece.

[0147] In a typical embodiment, the exposure method further comprises:

[0148] Obtaining a position deviation between the first optical engine 11 and the second optical engine 12;

[0149] Furthermore, when there is an alignment deviation along the x-axis, the following steps are performed:

[0150] S21: Acquire the area to be exposed by the first optical engine 11 on the upper surface of the substrate, and the area to be exposed by the second optical engine 12 on the lower surface of the substrate;

[0151] S22: Obtaining overlapping areas to be exposed on the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate;

[0152] S23: Control the digital micromirror devices in the first optical engine 11 and the second optical engine 12 to output modulated laser beams only to the overlapping areas to be exposed.

[0153] Furthermore, if Figure 6In the situations shown in (b) and (c), when the alignment deviation is in the y-axis direction, the two optical engines move in the y-axis direction without relative motion, so the first / second optical engines enter the same exposure position successively.

[0154] Based on this consideration, the steps of eliminating the alignment deviation of the optical engine in the y-axis direction in the embodiment include:

[0155] The alignment deviation of the axis of the first / second optical engine in the y-axis direction is obtained, and combined with the movement of the two optical engines on the y-axis, the light emission timing of the first / second optical engine is controlled, and one optical engine delays or advances the light emission compared to the other optical engine, thereby achieving synchronization of exposure of the first / second optical engine and achieving alignment of the upper and lower exposure patterns.

[0156] like Figure 8 As shown. In (a), in the direction of travel of the first / second optical engine along the y-axis, the second optical engine (located at the bottom) is closer to the predetermined exposure position; when the second optical engine moves to the position shown in (b), it reaches the exposure position first, and the second optical engine is controlled to perform exposure; then when the first optical engine moves to the position shown in (c), it also reaches the exposure position, and the first optical engine is controlled to perform exposure. In this way, the first / second optical engine is exposed at the same corresponding position (upper and lower sides), and the upper and lower surfaces of the workpiece are accurately exposed.

[0157] In view of this, in a typical implementation, the aforementioned step S12 further includes:

[0158] When there is a positioning deviation along the y-axis, the timing of the first optical engine 11 and the second optical engine 12 outputting the modulated laser beam is controlled respectively, so that the optical engine close to the intended exposure area along the y-axis outputs the modulated laser beam in advance, and the optical engine far from the intended exposure area delays the output of the modulated laser beam.

[0159] In a preferred embodiment, the specific steps of obtaining the alignment deviation of the first optical engine 11 and the second optical engine 12, that is, obtaining the alignment deviation of the first / second optical engine in the x-axis direction and the alignment deviation of the first / second optical engine in the y-axis direction, include:

[0160] S31: The first optical engine 11 and the second optical engine 12 are used to expose the two side surfaces of the photosensitive film and form a pattern mark, wherein:

[0161] S32: forming a circular dot mark on one surface of the photosensitive film and a ring mark on the other surface;

[0162] S33: Identify the geometric centers of the circular dot marks and the ring marks, and obtain the alignment deviation of the first optical engine 11 and the second optical engine 12 along the x-axis or the y-axis according to the distance between the geometric centers along the x-axis or the y-axis.

[0163] In a typical embodiment, Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the first optical engine 11 and the second optical engine 12 are used to expose the upper surface 01 and the lower surface 02 of the photosensitive film respectively, and form graphic marks respectively, wherein:

[0164] The upper surface 01 is exposed to form a point with a diameter of D1 (for example, 0.1 mm), and the lower surface 02 is exposed to form a ring with an inner diameter of D2 (for example, 0.3 mm) and an outer diameter of D3 (for example, 0.4 mm).

[0165] The centers of the two exposure patterns are identified by the alignment camera, and the deviations of the two centers in the x-axis direction and the y-axis direction are obtained, which are recorded as Lx and Ly.

[0166] like Figure 5 As shown, where:

[0167] In the upper left figure, Lx=0, Ly=0, indicating that there is no deviation in the alignment of the first / second optical engines;

[0168] In the upper right figure, Lx=a, Ly=0, indicating that the alignment deviation of the first / second optical engine in the x-axis direction is a, and there is no alignment deviation in the y-axis direction;

[0169] In the lower left figure, Lx=0, Ly=b, indicating that the first / second optical engine has no alignment deviation in the x-axis direction, and the alignment deviation in the y-axis direction is b;

[0170] In the lower right figure, Lx=a, Ly=b, indicating that the alignment deviation of the first / second optical engine in the x-axis direction is a, and the alignment deviation in the y-axis direction is b.

[0171] In an embodiment, the step of obtaining the alignment deviation of the two optical engines is completed before performing the exposure step.

[0172] The aforementioned exposure method, combined with the structural features of the exposure device in the aforementioned embodiment, has extremely high alignment accuracy when producing double-sided exposure workpieces, and the exposure of the product on the upper and lower surfaces has no deviation, high accuracy, and the alignment error can be controlled within 3μm (single-sided deviation ±1.5μm). In addition, it is suitable for the exposure process of different types and a wide range of sizes of mask plates, has better versatility and general applicability, and is particularly suitable for the exposure process of products of G8.x generation lines and above.

[0173] The above are only some specific implementation methods of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any changes or substitutions that can be easily thought of by any technician familiar with the technical field within the technical scope disclosed in the embodiments of the present application should be included in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application shall be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An exposure device, characterized in that: It comprises a first optical engine (11), a second optical engine (12), a driving device and a control module; wherein: The first optical engine (11) and the second optical engine (12) are opposite to each other along the z-axis, and both include a digital micromirror device and an alignment camera; The digital micromirror device is configured to modulate laser light from a light source to form a modulated laser beam for exposing a substrate (00); The alignment camera is configured to obtain alignment status information of the first optical engine (11) and the second optical engine (12) in the z-axis direction; The driving device is used to drive the first optical engine (11) and the second optical engine (12) to move; The control module is configured to control the exposure timing of the first optical engine (11) and the second optical engine (12) in motion, or to control the irradiation areas of the digital micromirror devices in the first optical engine (11) and the second optical engine (12), respectively, according to the alignment state information, so that the first optical engine (11) and the second optical engine (12) form aligned exposure patterns on different surfaces of the substrate (00).

2. The exposure device according to claim 1, characterized in that The driving device comprises: Base (20); A first movable seat (21) is arranged on the base (20) and is capable of step-by-step reciprocating motion along the x-direction; A second movable seat (22) is arranged on the first movable seat (21) and is capable of reciprocating movement along the y direction; A supporting cantilever (23) is connected to the second movable seat (22), and is connected to the first optical engine (11) via a first z-axis driving device (241), and is connected to the second optical engine (12) via a second z-axis driving device (242).

3. The exposure device according to claim 2, characterized in that The supporting cantilever (23) comprises an upper cantilever (231) and a lower cantilever (232) extending along the y-axis direction, and the upper cantilever (231) and the lower cantilever (232) are fixed relative to each other; The first optical engine (11) is arranged at the end of the upper cantilever (231), and the light emitting direction is downward along the z-axis; the second optical engine (12) is arranged at the end of the lower cantilever (232), and the light emitting direction is upward along the z-axis.

4. The exposure device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that The control module can respectively control the irradiation areas of the digital micromirror devices in the first optical engine (11) and the second optical engine (12) to form different graphic marks on the two surfaces of the photosensitive film.

5. An exposure method, characterized in that: include: Providing a first optical engine (11) and a second optical engine (12), wherein the first optical engine (11) and the second optical engine (12) are respectively aligned with the upper surface and the lower surface of the substrate (00) along the z-axis; Dividing the exposure pattern to be formed into a plurality of sub-exposure patterns; And the following steps: S11: driving the first optical engine (11) and the second optical engine (12) to enter an initial exposure position; S12: starting the first optical engine (11) and the second optical engine (12) to output a modulated laser beam, and moving the first optical engine (11) and the second optical engine (12) along the y-axis until a sub-exposure pattern is formed on the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate (00), and then turning off the first optical engine (11) and the second optical engine (12); S13: driving the first optical engine (11) and the second optical engine (12) to move stepwise along the x-axis to enter a starting position corresponding to the next sub-exposure pattern; Step S12 and step S13 are repeatedly performed until complete exposure patterns are formed on the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate (00).

6. The exposure method according to claim 5, characterized in that: The step S11 specifically includes: In no particular order, driving the first optical engine (11) and the second optical engine (12) along the x-axis and the y-axis respectively to enter the initial exposure position; The first optical engine (11) and the second optical engine (12) are driven respectively along the z-axis to enter the exposure distance.

7. The exposure method according to claim 5, characterized in that: In the step S12, the first optical engine (11) and the second optical engine (12) are moved once along the positive direction or the negative direction of the y-axis; or, The first optical engine (11) and the second optical engine (12) are moved back and forth along the y-axis once or multiple times.

8. The exposure method according to claim 5, characterized in that: Also includes: Obtaining the alignment deviation between the first optical engine (11) and the second optical engine (12); When there is alignment deviation along the x-axis, perform the following steps: S21: acquiring a proposed exposure area of ​​the first optical engine (11) on the upper surface of the substrate, and a proposed exposure area of ​​the second optical engine (12) on the lower surface of the substrate; S22: Obtaining overlapping areas to be exposed on the upper and lower surfaces of the substrate; S23: Controlling the digital micromirror devices in the first optical engine (11) and the second optical engine (12) so that they output modulated laser beams only to the overlapping intended exposure areas.

9. The exposure method according to claim 5, characterized in that: Also includes: Obtaining the alignment deviation between the first optical engine (11) and the second optical engine (12); The step S12 also includes: When there is a misalignment along the y-axis, the timings of the first optical engine (11) and the second optical engine (12) outputting the modulated laser beam are respectively controlled so that the optical engine close to the intended exposure area along the y-axis outputs the modulated laser beam first, and the optical engine far from the intended exposure area delays outputting the modulated laser beam.

10. The exposure method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that: The obtaining of the alignment deviation between the first optical engine (11) and the second optical engine (12) specifically includes: S31: exposing the two side surfaces of the photosensitive film respectively through the first optical engine (11) and the second optical engine (12) to form a pattern mark, wherein: S32: forming a circular dot mark on one surface of the photosensitive film and a ring mark on the other surface; S33: Identify the geometric centers of the circular dot marks and the ring marks, and obtain the alignment deviation of the first optical engine (11) and the second optical engine (12) along the x-axis or the y-axis based on the distance between the geometric centers along the x-axis or the y-axis.

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