Inner layer alignment device applied to exposure equipment and exposure equipment

Abstract

The utility model relates to an inner layer alignment device applied to exposure equipment, and belongs to the technical field of inner layer plate exposure. Comprising a transparent front plate and a transparent back plate which are buckled with each other, alignment areas are arranged on the two sides of the front plate or the two sides of the back plate, and at least two targets are arranged on each alignment area; the targets are arranged on the upper side and the lower side of the alignment area, a plate to be exposed is fixed in an interlayer space between the front plate and the back plate, an area limited between the alignment areas on the two sides of the front plate or the back plate is a plate processing area, and the plate to be exposed is limited in the plate processing area. According to the device, accurate marking of the fourth point can be simply achieved, the alignment precision of the exposure plate can be effectively improved, meanwhile, the inner layer alignment device with a simple structure is adopted, and the device can effectively reduce the four-point alignment cost for exposure processing plates of different sizes.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to an inner layer alignment device applied to exposure equipment and the exposure equipment, belonging to the technical field of inner layer plate exposure. Background Art

[0002] Exposure machines are typically equipped with a high-precision optical alignment system that uses a camera or laser alignment device to detect positioning marks (such as alignment holes or patterns) on the inner layer board. The system captures the image in real time and compares it with the preset design data to achieve precise alignment.

[0003] Traditional alignment technology, taking into account both cost and accuracy, generally uses a three-point alignment method. Three-point alignment targets are typically located at the three corners of the plate to be exposed. When creating the targets, x- and y-axes are positioned on two adjacent sides of the worktable's suction cups. Multiple marking devices are installed on these axes to mark the three alignment targets for different plate sizes. To further improve alignment accuracy, the industry has also begun using a four-point alignment method.

[0004] A large number of experiments and tests have shown that four-point alignment can improve the accuracy of alignment. Usually, the four targets of four-point alignment are usually set at the four corners of the plate to be exposed. However, for PCB boards of different sizes, the production of targets from three points to four points will bring a huge increase in cost and certain difficulties. Specifically, when two plates of different sizes need to be marked, if the original structure is used to set the marking device at the bottom of the supporting suction cup, the fourth target cannot be made. If a new marking device is added to complete the marking of the upper right corner, windows need to be opened at different positions on the surface of the suction cup for plates of different sizes to facilitate the setting of the marking device. Too many windows on the surface of the suction cup will affect the adsorption of the PCB board on the suction cup.

[0005] Therefore, the four-point alignment method has a high overall cost. Currently, there is an urgent need to find an alignment device that can both improve alignment accuracy and reduce costs. Utility Model Content

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, in the first aspect, the utility model provides an inner layer alignment device applied to an exposure device, wherein the inner layer alignment device includes a transparent positive plate and a transparent back plate that are interlocked with each other, and alignment areas are provided on both sides of the positive plate or both sides of the back plate, and each of the alignment areas is provided with at least two targets; the targets are provided on the upper and lower sides of the alignment area, and the plate to be exposed is fixed in the interlayer space between the positive plate and the back plate, and the area defined between the alignment areas on both sides of the positive plate or the back plate is the plate processing area, and the plate to be exposed is confined to the plate processing area.

[0007] Furthermore, the front plate and the back plate are glass plates with a transparency greater than or equal to 99%.

[0008] Furthermore, the front plate and the back plate are connected by bolts, and the bolts bridge the gap between the front plate and the back plate to form a sandwich space, and the height of the sandwich space is equal to the thickness of the plate to be exposed.

[0009] Furthermore, the alignment area is provided with a copy film.

[0010] Furthermore, positioning rulers are provided on two adjacent sides of the plate processing area.

[0011] Furthermore, the alignment area is provided with targets arranged in an array.

[0012] Furthermore, the shape of the target may be any one of a circle, a rectangle, a triangle, and a cross; or it may be a combination of several basic shapes, wherein the basic shape is any one of a circle, a rectangle, a triangle, and a cross.

[0013] In the second aspect, the utility model provides an exposure device, such as a laser direct writing imaging exposure device, including a workbench, an alignment component, and an exposure component; including the inner layer alignment device; the workbench is used to carry the inner layer alignment device; the alignment component is used to collect the target of the inner layer alignment device and calibrate the position of the inner layer alignment device in the workbench according to the target; the exposure component is used to expose the plate to be exposed in the inner layer alignment device.

[0014] Furthermore, the workbench includes a suction cup, and the upper surface of the suction cup is also provided with a mounting groove adapted to the inner layer alignment device.

[0015] Beneficial effects of the utility model:

[0016] The utility model forms an inner layer alignment device by arranging transparent and mutually interlocking front and back plates, and arranges alignment areas on both sides of the inner layer alignment device, and arranges targets on the upper and lower sides of the alignment areas, which can simply realize the precise marking of the fourth point and effectively improve the alignment accuracy of the exposure plate. At the same time, the inner layer alignment device with a simple structure is adopted, and the device can effectively reduce the cost of four-point alignment for exposure processing plates of different sizes. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an inner layer alignment device installed on an exposure device in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 2 This is an exploded view of the inner layer alignment device in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 3This is a schematic diagram of an inner layer alignment device in one embodiment of the present invention;

[0020] In the figure: 1. Inner layer alignment device; 2. Workbench; 3. Suction cup; 4. Alignment component; 5. Exposure component; 6. Gantry; 7. Plate; 11. Front plate; 12. Back plate; 13. Alignment area; 14. Plate processing area; 15. Bolt; 16. Nut; 17. Target. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] The following is a clear and complete description of the technical solution of the present invention in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the embodiments described are only some of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of them. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without making any creative efforts are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0022] In the description of the present invention, it should be noted that the terms "center", "up", "down", "left", "right", "vertical", "horizontal", "inside", "outside", etc., indicating directions or positional relationships, are based on the directions or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing the present invention and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific direction, be constructed and operated in a specific direction. Therefore, they cannot be understood as limitations on the present invention.

[0023] In the description of this utility model, it should be noted that, unless otherwise expressly specified or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "connected" should be understood in a broad sense. For example, they can refer to fixed or detachable connections; mechanical or electrical connections; direct or indirect connections through an intermediate medium; and internal communication between two components. Those skilled in the art will understand the specific meanings of the above terms in this utility model based on the specific circumstances.

[0024] Example 1

[0025] like Figure 1-Figure 3As shown, in the first aspect, the utility model provides an inner layer alignment device applied to an exposure device, the inner layer alignment device comprises a transparent positive plate 11 and a transparent back plate 12 that are interlocked with each other, both sides of the positive plate 11 or both sides of the back plate 12 are provided with alignment areas 13, each of the alignment areas 13 is provided with at least two targets 17, the targets 17 are provided on the upper and lower sides of the alignment area 13, the plate 7 to be exposed is fixed in the interlayer space between the positive plate 11 and the back plate 12, the area defined between the alignment areas 13 on both sides of the positive plate 11 or the back plate 12 is the plate processing area 14, the plate to be exposed is confined in the plate processing area 14, the plate 7 to be exposed can be any plate with an area smaller than that of the inner layer alignment device. Figure 3 As shown, two targets 17 are set in each alignment area 13, and the two alignment areas form a total of four targets 17. The targets 17 of the present application are set on the alignment area 13 of the inner layer alignment device, respectively located at the four corners of the inner layer alignment device, which replaces the traditional step of marking on the workpiece to be exposed. The inner layer alignment device can accommodate plates of different sizes and specifications. Therefore, the target is not limited by the size and specifications of the plate. When marking the fourth point of the four-point alignment, there is no need to consider the different sizes of the plates. A plurality of new axes are set on the back of the workbench to install the back marking device, which can achieve four-point alignment at a lower cost. In addition, compared with the traditional technology of marking on the plate, the present invention avoids opening windows at different positions on the surface of the workbench to facilitate the setting of the marking device to complete the marking, and avoids the situation where too many window positions affect the adsorption and fixation of the plate on the suction cup. Moreover, compared with the photolithography target on the plate to be processed, marking on the inner layer alignment device does not occupy the processing area of ​​the plate to be processed.

[0026] In this application, the front plate 11 and back plate 12 are connected by bolts 15 and nuts 16. The bolts 15 create a gap between the front plate 11 and back plate 12 to form a sandwich space. The height of this sandwich space is equal to the thickness of the plate to be exposed. Alternatively, the front plate 11 and back plate 12 can be fastened together using a C-shaped buckle to secure the plate 7 to be exposed.

[0027] Furthermore, the front plate 11 and the back plate 12 are glass plates with a transparency greater than or equal to 99%. Since the rigidity of glass is significantly higher than that of a metal vacuum suction cup, it will not deform when the temperature and air pressure change, thereby avoiding the deformation of the inner layer alignment device. The theoretical position of the target is the same as the actual position, thereby improving the alignment accuracy. The traditional metal vacuum suction cup that carries the plate to be exposed will deform due to thermal expansion and contraction or pressure changes when the temperature or air pressure changes. At this time, when marking through the marking device on the back of the metal vacuum suction cup, the actual position of the target marking is actually different from the theoretical position due to the deformation of the suction cup. During alignment, the general alignment camera will determine whether the mark point has reached the predetermined position. If it is not aligned, it is considered that the plate 7 is placed at an angle or may be deformed, and the difference between the actual position and the theoretical position is measured. The exposure software converts the exposure pattern according to the difference to achieve alignment. When comparing the target marked by the marking device using the metal vacuum suction cup, the target marked with the offset mark is compared with the theoretical position. At this time, there will be errors in the alignment position, which affects the alignment accuracy. Therefore, the inner layer alignment device of the present application can effectively improve the alignment accuracy during alignment.

[0028] Furthermore, the target 7 in the alignment area 13 is a prefabricated target, such as a fixed target directly fabricated during the fabrication of the inner alignment device. The target in the alignment area 13 can also be a target marked by a backside marking device during exposure. In this case, the alignment area 13 of the inner alignment device is provided with a corresponding material, such as a photosensitizer or photoresist.

[0029] Furthermore, the surface of alignment area 13 is covered with carbon film, and target 17 is placed on the surface of the carbon film and exposed by the exposure assembly of the exposure equipment. Carbon film 13 can be marked using exposure instead of laser marking, eliminating the need for a back-marking device installed on the back of the workbench, further reducing costs. Furthermore, the exposure system forms target 17 on the surface of the carbon film through exposure, with the target being exposed and then removed. By identifying the position and state of the mark after exposure, the current exposure state of the exposure system can be accurately detected. By identifying whether the position of the target in alignment area 13 has changed, it can be determined whether the exposure system hardware has shifted relative to the workbench.

[0030] Furthermore, two adjacent sides of the plate processing area 14 are provided with positioning rulers for determining the placement position of the plate, and the positioning rulers include grating rulers and magnetic grating rulers.

[0031] Furthermore, the alignment area 13 is provided with targets 17 arranged in an array. For example, 4×1 targets arranged in columns are provided in the alignment area 13 on one side. By observing the target position in real time, it can be determined whether the workbench is moving vertically forward and whether the X-axis is offset during the movement. Specifically, if during the detection process, the positions of the four targets in the alignment area 13 of the inner layer alignment device are relatively fixed, and the alignment camera detects that the Y coordinates of the four targets are different, then it can be confirmed that the X-axis is offset during the movement of the workbench. Furthermore, the shape of the target 17 can be any one of a circle, a rectangle, a triangle, and a cross; or it can be a combination of several basic graphics, wherein the basic graphics are any one of a circle, a rectangle, a triangle, and a cross. The combination methods include, for example, three graphics arranged in a triangle, five graphics arranged in a five-pointed star, or five graphics arranged in an X shape, an array of several graphics, etc.

[0032] Example 2

[0033] like Figure 1 As shown, the present invention provides an exposure device, taking a laser direct writing imaging exposure device as an example, comprising a workbench 2, an alignment component 4, and an exposure component 5; including the inner layer alignment device described in Example 1; the alignment component 4 is used to collect the target 17 of the inner layer alignment device and calibrate the position of the inner layer alignment device in the workbench 2 according to the target 17; the exposure component 5 is used to expose the plate to be exposed in the inner layer alignment device. The workbench 2 is used to carry the inner layer alignment device,

[0034] In some embodiments, due to the use of an inner layer alignment device for fixation, a back-side marking device is not required. The workbench 2 can be an air-floating support platform or an adsorption support platform instead of a suction cup. The structure of the air-floating support platform can be referenced in patent CN118466129A, and the structure of the adsorption support platform can be referenced in patent CN117184900A.

[0035] In some embodiments, the workbench includes a suction cup 3 and a mounting groove, and the mounting groove is used to place the connection and fixing structure of the front plate and the back plate to facilitate fixing the inner layer alignment device, such as Figure 1 In the installation, the bolt and nut fixing structure is placed through the installation groove. In addition, the connection fixing structure is placed through the installation groove to preliminarily locate the inner layer alignment device, achieving the effect of rough positioning of the exposure plate.

[0036] Example 3

[0037] Example 3 discloses the application of the exposure device described in Example 2 in an exposure process, taking exposure of a PCB board as an example.

[0038] During exposure, the inner layer alignment device is installed on the workbench of the exposure equipment. The specific steps of the exposure process are as follows:

[0039] Step 1: Place the plate to be exposed on the back plate 12, align the lower bottom edge of the plate 7 with the bottom edge of the front plate or the back plate, and one side edge of the plate 7 needs to be attached to the side edge of the back plate adjacent to the bottom edge, use a positioning ruler for preliminary positioning, so as to limit the plate 7 to the plate processing area 14.

[0040] Step 2: Cover the front plate 11 on top of the back plate 12, and insert bolts 15 at the four corners of the front plate 11 and the back plate 12, and fix them with nuts 16, leaving a space between the front plate 11 and the back plate 12 that is just enough to clamp the plate 7.

[0041] Step 3: Place the inner layer alignment device holding the plate on the suction cup 3, use the exposure component 5 to expose the A side of the plate, and at the same time use the lens of the exposure component 5 to mark four marks on the copy film of the alignment area 13 and record their coordinate positions.

[0042] Step 4: Turn the inner layer alignment device over and place it on the suction cup 3 again, and use the alignment component 4 to identify the mark coordinate position again.

[0043] Step 5: Calculate the rotation and translation of the plate based on the changes in the coordinate positions of multiple marks, and use this to expose the B side of the plate.

[0044] Step 6: Remove the bolts 15 and nuts 16, take out the exposed plate, and wait until the mark on the carbon film in the alignment area 13 disappears before exposing the next plate.

[0045] In step 1 and step 6, the placement and removal of the plate and the circulation of the inner layer alignment device can be achieved by placing the plate on the back plate of the inner layer alignment device through an automated robot or by manual placement.

[0046] Although the present invention has been disclosed above with reference to preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Anyone familiar with this technology may make various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be based on the definition of the claims.

Claims

1. An inner layer alignment device used in an exposure device, characterized in that: The inner layer alignment device includes a transparent front plate and a transparent back plate that are interlocked with each other. Alignment areas are provided on both sides of the front plate or both sides of the back plate, and at least two targets are provided on each alignment area; the targets are provided on the upper and lower sides of the alignment area, and the plate to be exposed is fixed in the interlayer space between the front plate and the back plate. The area defined between the alignment areas on both sides of the front plate or the back plate is the plate processing area, and the plate to be exposed is confined to the plate processing area.

2. The inner layer alignment device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The front plate and the back plate are glass plates with a transparency greater than or equal to 99%.

3. The inner layer alignment device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The front plate and the back plate are connected by bolts, and the bolts empty the gap between the front plate and the back plate to form a sandwich space, and the height of the sandwich space is equal to the thickness of the plate to be exposed.

4. The inner layer alignment device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The alignment area is provided with a copy film.

5. The inner layer alignment device according to claim 1, characterized in that: Positioning rulers are provided on two adjacent sides of the plate processing area.

6. The inner layer alignment device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The alignment area is provided with targets arranged in an array.

7. The inner layer alignment device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The shape of the target is any one of circular, rectangular, triangular and cross.

8. The inner layer alignment device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The target is a combination of several basic graphics, and the basic graphics are any one of circle, rectangle, triangle and cross.

9. An exposure device comprising a workbench, an alignment assembly, and an exposure assembly; characterized in that: comprising the inner layer alignment device according to any one of claims 1 to 8; The workbench is used to carry the inner layer alignment device; The alignment assembly is used to collect the target of the inner layer alignment device and calibrate the position of the inner layer alignment device on the workbench according to the target; The exposure assembly is used to expose the plate to be exposed in the inner layer alignment device.

10. The exposure apparatus according to claim 9, wherein The workbench includes a suction cup, and the upper surface of the suction cup is also provided with a mounting groove adapted to the inner layer alignment device.

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