Work stage and exposure device

Abstract

To provide a work stage capable of suppressing the pinching of foreign matter and properly holding a workpiece consisting of an organic substrate in a flat surface, and an exposure apparatus using the work stage.SOLUTION: In an exposure apparatus 100 having a work stage, a light irradiation unit 20, a mask 30, a mask stage 31 holding the mask, and a projection lens 40, the work stage 10 holding the organic substrate (workpiece W) has a base 11 formed with a recess 11a into which a vacuum is supplied, a number of substrate holding sections (pins) that are disposed inside the recess 11a and hold the entire surface of the organic substrate, and an intake hole that serves as an end of a vacuum air introduction channel 11b to supply vacuum to the recess 11a and vacuum adsorb the organic substrate on the top surface of the substrate holding sections.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a work stage that holds a substrate to be subjected to processing such as exposure, and to an exposure apparatus that uses the work stage. [Background technology]

[0002] 2. Description of the Related Art In the manufacturing process of semiconductors, printed circuit boards, liquid crystal substrates, and other workpieces, a work stage is used to hold the workpiece by suction to prevent the workpiece from shifting position when processing such as exposure is performed. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a so-called pin stage (pin chuck) as a vacuum suction device used in LSI manufacturing, which holds a workpiece (wafer) only by a number of protrusions whose upper surfaces are on the same plane. Thus, pin stages have been widely used in the front-end process of semiconductor manufacturing. Meanwhile, in the post-processing of semiconductor manufacturing, a flat stage (vacuum chuck) with multiple vacuum suction holes formed on its surface has traditionally been used. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 8-195428 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] The workpiece stage is required to reliably suck and hold the placed workpiece, and the workpiece being sucked and held is required to be flat. However, in the processing using the above-mentioned planar stage, foreign matter is likely to get in between the workpiece and the workpiece stage. Such foreign matter is, for example, fall material (FM) from the organic substrate used in semiconductor packages (PKG). If a foreign object gets caught between the workpiece and the workpiece stage, the workpiece will deform and rise. When this happens, defocusing occurs at the raised part of the workpiece, resulting in poor exposure and a decrease in yield.

[0005] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a work stage that can prevent foreign matter from getting caught and can appropriately hold a workpiece made of an organic substrate flat, and an exposure apparatus that uses the work stage. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] In order to solve the above problems, one aspect of the work stage of the present invention is a work stage for holding an organic substrate, comprising a base formed with a recess into which a vacuum is supplied, a number of substrate holding parts provided inside the recess and holding substantially the entire surface of the organic substrate, and an intake hole for supplying a vacuum to the recess and vacuum-adsorbing the organic substrate to the upper surface of the substrate holding part.

[0007] In this way, by using a configuration in which the organic substrate (workpiece) is held by vacuum suction with multiple substrate holders, the contact area between the workpiece and the workpiece stage can be reduced, and foreign matter can be prevented from being caught between the workpiece and the workpiece stage, thereby enabling the workpiece to be held appropriately flat.

[0008] The work stage may further include a partition wall portion provided in a peripheral region near the inner end of the recess, with multiple stages extending from the end of the recess toward the center of the recess. In this case, the film side of the workpiece on which a film or the like that is easily peeled is adsorbed and held, and even if the edge of the film or the like peels off, the partition wall can suppress the progression of the peeling. In other words, it is possible to prevent the film or the like from peeling off significantly from the edge toward the center.

[0009] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned work stage, the numerous substrate holding portions may be provided in a central region inside the recess, in a region corresponding to a processing region of the organic substrate, and the multi-stage partition portion may be provided in the peripheral region set outside the central region inside the recess, in a region corresponding to a non-processing region of the organic substrate. In this case, peeling of the film or the like can be limited to the non-processing area of ​​the workpiece, and the peeling can be prevented from progressing to the processing area of ​​the workpiece, thereby maintaining the flatness of the processing area of ​​the workpiece appropriately.

[0010] In the above work stage, the partition wall may have a notch that forms an intake path for the intake hole. In this case, it is not necessary to provide air intake holes on both the inside and outside of the partition wall, and the inside and outside of the partition wall can be uniformly evacuated.

[0011] Furthermore, in the above-mentioned work stage, the multiple partition sections may include a first partition section having a first cutout section, and a second partition section having a second cutout section and located closer to the center of the recess than the first partition section, and the second cutout section may be located at a position that bypasses the intake path to the intake hole formed by the first cutout section. By diverting the intake air flow in this way, the film side of the workpiece on which a film or the like that is easily peeled off is adsorbed and held, and even if the edge of the film or the like peels off, the peeling can be appropriately suppressed by the second partition portion provided on the center side of the recess.

[0012] In the above work stage, the distance between the partition walls may be equal to or less than the distance between the substrate holders. In this case, deflection of the workpiece between the partition walls can be appropriately suppressed.

[0013] Furthermore, in the above work stage, the width of the notch may be equal to or less than the distance between the substrate holders. In this case, deflection of the workpiece at the notch provided in the partition wall can be appropriately suppressed.

[0014] In the above work stage, the outer periphery forming the recess, the substrate holding portion, and the partition wall may have the same height. In this case, the workpiece can be held flat by vacuum suction.

[0015] Furthermore, one aspect of the exposure apparatus according to the present invention comprises a light irradiation unit that emits exposure light, a mask stage that holds a mask on which a pattern is formed, and a work stage that holds an organic substrate onto which the pattern formed on the mask is transferred, wherein the work stage is any one of the work stages described above. In this way, an exposure apparatus using a work stage that can hold the workpiece appropriately flat can appropriately suppress exposure defects due to defocus, and avoid a decrease in yield. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] The workpiece stage of the present invention can prevent foreign matter from being caught in the workpiece and can appropriately hold the workpiece made of an organic substrate flat. Furthermore, with an exposure apparatus using such a workpiece stage, exposure defects are suppressed, and a decrease in yield is suppressed. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0017] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of an exposure apparatus equipped with a workpiece stage according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an example of the configuration of a work stage. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a side view showing an example of the configuration of a work stage. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a central region and a peripheral region of the workpiece stage. [Figure 5] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a workpiece. [Figure 6A] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating the operation of an exposure apparatus using a pin stage. [Figure 6B] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating the operation of an exposure apparatus using a pin stage. [Figure 6C] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating the operation of an exposure apparatus using a pin stage. [Figure 6D] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating the operation of an exposure apparatus using a pin stage. [Figure 7A] 3A to 3C are diagrams for explaining the operation of the exposure apparatus of the present embodiment. [Figure 7B] 3A to 3C are diagrams for explaining the operation of the exposure apparatus of the present embodiment. [Figure 7C] 3A to 3C are diagrams for explaining the operation of the exposure apparatus of the present embodiment. [Figure 7D] 3A to 3C are diagrams for explaining the operation of the exposure apparatus of the present embodiment. [Figure 8] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing an example of peeling off a protective film when a pin stage is used. [Figure 9] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing an example of peeling off a protective film when the work stage of the present embodiment is used. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of a work stage. [Figure 11] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of a work stage. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of a work stage. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of a work stage. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of a work stage. [Figure 15] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of a work stage. [Figure 16] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing another example of a work stage. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0018] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In this embodiment, a work stage used in an exposure apparatus will be described as an example, but this work stage can also be used in apparatuses other than exposure apparatuses, as long as they hold organic substrates by vacuum suction and process them.

[0019] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an exposure apparatus 100 equipped with a workpiece stage 10 in this embodiment. The exposure apparatus 100 is an exposure apparatus that exposes a workpiece W made of an organic substrate. Here, the workpiece W can be, for example, a printed circuit board.

[0020] As shown in FIG. 1, the exposure apparatus 100 includes a workpiece stage 10, a light irradiation unit 20, a mask 30, a mask stage 31 that holds the mask 30, and a projection lens 40. The light irradiation unit 20 has a lamp 21, which is an exposure light source that emits light including ultraviolet rays, and a mirror 22 that reflects the light from the lamp 21. The lamp 21 and the mirror 22 are housed in a lamp house 23. Note that, although the case where the light source of the light irradiation unit 20 is the lamp 21 will be described here, the light source may also be an LED, a laser, or the like.

[0021] A pattern such as a circuit pattern to be exposed (transferred) onto the workpiece is formed on the mask 30. The exposure light from the light irradiation unit 20 is irradiated onto the workpiece W held by the workpiece stage 10 via the mask 30 and the projection lens 40, and the pattern formed on the mask 30 is projected onto the workpiece W and exposed. In this embodiment, the case where the exposure apparatus 100 is equipped with the projection lens 40 will be described, but the workpiece stage 10 in this embodiment can also be applied to an exposure apparatus that does not have the projection lens 40.

[0022] The workpiece stage 10 includes a base plate 11 having a recess 11a formed in the center thereof. The base plate 11 can be made of aluminum, for example. A pipe 50 is connected to the work stage 10. Air and vacuum are connected to the pipe 50, and by opening and closing a first valve 51 and a second valve 52, it is possible to switch between supplying vacuum and air to the base 11. A vacuum air introduction path 11b is formed inside the base 11, and the vacuum or air supplied to the piping 50 is supplied to the recess 11a through the vacuum air introduction path 11b.

[0023] The structure of the work stage 10 will now be described in detail. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing an example of the configuration of the workpiece stage 10, and FIG. 3 is a side view showing an example of the configuration of the workpiece stage 10. As shown in FIG. The base 11 of the work stage 10 is, for example, a rectangular plate-like member. However, the shape of the base 11 is not limited to a rectangular shape. The base 11 has an outer peripheral portion 12 formed at its outer edge so as to protrude toward the suction surface side (upward in FIG. 3) of the workpiece W. The outer peripheral portion 12 is formed around the entire periphery of the base 11, and this outer peripheral portion 12 forms a recess 11a in the base 11.

[0024] Partition walls 13 are provided near the ends inside the recess 11a, and a number of substrate holders 14 are provided in the center inside the recess 11a. The partition wall portion 13 is provided in multiple stages in a direction from the end of the recess 11a toward the center of the recess 11a. In this embodiment, the partition wall portion 13 is formed in two layers at a predetermined interval from the outer circumferential portion 12 inward.

[0025] Each of the inner and outer partition walls 13 has at least one notch 13a. In this embodiment, each of the partition walls 13 has two notches 13a. Specifically, the outer partition wall 13 has notches 13a at positions facing each other in the X direction, and the inner partition wall 13 has notches 13a at positions facing each other in the Y direction. The partition wall 13 may have at least two stages, and the number of stages is not particularly limited.

[0026] The substrate holding portions 14 are, for example, pin-shaped protrusions. The substrate holding portions (hereinafter also referred to as "pins") 14 are aligned at predetermined intervals in the X and Y directions, as shown in FIG. The shape and arrangement of the substrate holder 14 are not limited to those described above. For example, the shape of the substrate holder 14 may be cylindrical, conical, prismatic, pyramidal, or the like.

[0027] Additionally, an intake hole 15 is formed in the bottom surface of the recess 11a, which serves as the end of the vacuum air introduction path 11b. In Fig. 2, the workpiece stage 10 is shown with only one intake hole 15 in the center of the recess 11a, but the number and location of the intake holes 15 are not limited to the above. The intake hole 15 only needs to be provided in at least the center of the workpiece stage 10. Furthermore, the outer periphery 12, the partition wall 13, and the pins 14 have the same height in the Z direction. The upper surface of the outer periphery 12, the upper surface of the partition wall 13, and the upper surface of the pins 14 form the mounting surface of the workpiece W on the workpiece stage 10. When the workpiece W is mounted on the mounting surface, the workpiece stage 10 can suction-hold the workpiece W by evacuating the area formed between the workpiece W and the recess 11a.

[0028] The mounting surface of the workpiece stage 10, i.e., the plane including the upper surface of the outer peripheral portion 12, the upper surface of the partition wall portion 13, and the upper surface of the pin 14, is finished to a highly accurate flat surface. For example, the mounting surface of the workpiece stage 10 is processed into an ultra-flat surface by high-precision lapping.

[0029] As shown in Figure 4, the recess 11a is made up of a central region 10a in which the pins 14 are provided, and an outer peripheral region 10b on the periphery of the central region 10a in which the partition wall 13 is provided. The central region 10a corresponds to a processing region (exposure region) provided over substantially the entire surface of the workpiece W, and the outer peripheral region 10b corresponds to a relatively small non-processing region provided outside the processing region of the workpiece W. In other words, the workpiece W is placed on the workpiece stage 10 so that the exposure region is located within the central region 10a, and substantially the entire surface of the workpiece W is held by the pins 14.

[0030] The diameter or length of one side of the pins 14 (hereinafter referred to as "pin diameter") is preferably about 0.2 mm to 1 mm. The height of the pins 14 can be several tens of μm to several mm. The distance between the pins 14 (hereinafter referred to as "pin distance") is preferably 4 mm or less, and can be, for example, about 0.5 mm to 4 mm. The width of the upper surface of the partition 13 (hereinafter referred to as the "partition width") and the distance between the grooves between the partitions 13 (hereinafter referred to as the "partition distance") may be the same as the pin diameter and the pin-to-pin distance. The partition distance may be equal to or less than the pin-to-pin distance.

[0031] The pin diameter and the distance between the pins are preferably set to values ​​that ensure flatness that does not impair exposure accuracy due to deformation (warping) of the workpiece W when the workpiece W is held by suction. The pin diameter and the distance between the pins can be set appropriately depending on the type of workpiece W (thickness, hardness, etc.) and cost, etc. For example, the narrower the distance between the pins, the less the workpiece W will bend, and the higher the exposure accuracy can be, but the more pins 14 are required, which increases costs. In addition, it is preferable that the pin diameter be set to a value that can prevent foreign matter from adhering to the contact surface with the workpiece W.

[0032] As mentioned above, the workpiece mounting surface of the workpiece stage is required to be flat. However, in conventional exposure devices using a flat stage with multiple vacuum suction holes formed on the surface of the workpiece stage, even if the workpiece stage itself is flat, foreign matter is likely to adhere to the workpiece mounting surface, and foreign matter that gets between the workpiece and the workpiece stage can cause deformation of the workpiece. In this case, defocusing occurs at the raised parts of the workpiece, resulting in poor exposure and reduced yield.

[0033] The work stage 10 in this embodiment comprises a base 11, an outer peripheral portion 12, and a plurality of pins 14 provided in a recess 11a formed in the base 11 by the outer peripheral portion 12, and is configured such that by supplying a vacuum to the recess 11a, the pins 14a, which hold almost the entire surface of the work W, hold the work W by vacuum suction. This allows the contact area between the workpiece W and the workpiece stage 10 to be significantly reduced compared to conventional workpiece stages, thereby making it possible to suppress exposure defects caused by the above-mentioned foreign matter.

[0034] However, some printed circuit boards have circuit patterns formed on both sides. In this case, the workpiece W has a structure in which resist R is applied to both sides of a substrate W0, and a protective film F is laminated on top of the resist R, as shown in Figure 5. Note that the thicknesses of the resist R and film F are exaggerated in Figure 5. Here, the resist R may be, for example, a dry film resist. The protective film F may be, for example, a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film. The thickness of the resist R may be about 30 μm, and the thickness of the protective film F may be about 10 μm to 30 μm.

[0035] When a workpiece W as shown in FIG. 5 is used, the exposure device performs exposure processing on both sides of the workpiece W. At this time, if the work stage does not have the partition wall portion 13 that the work stage 10 of this embodiment has, that is, if the work stage has a configuration in which only the pins 14 are formed in the recesses 11a, peeling of the protective film F occurs during double-sided exposure. This point will be explained in detail below.

[0036] 6A to 6D are diagrams for explaining the operation of an exposure apparatus that includes a workpiece stage 110 that does not include a partition section 13. FIG. Here, the work stage 110 has an outer periphery 112, pins 114, intake holes 115, recesses 111a and vacuum air introduction passages 111b which respectively correspond to the outer periphery 12, pins 14, intake holes 15, recesses 11a and vacuum air introduction passages 111b of the work stage 10 in this embodiment. In an exposure apparatus equipped with this workpiece stage 110, first, as shown in Fig. 6A, a workpiece W is transported onto the workpiece stage 110 by a transport means (not shown). Here, the workpiece W has a structure in which resist R is applied to both sides (first surface W1 and second surface W2) of the workpiece W, and a protective film F is laminated thereon, as shown in Fig. 5.

[0037] The workpiece W transported onto the workpiece stage 110 is placed on the workpiece stage 110 with the first surface W1 facing up, as shown in FIG. 6B. Then, the exposure device supplies a vacuum from the piping 150 to the recess 111a of the workpiece stage 110, so that the workpiece W is adsorbed and held on the workpiece stage 110. In this state, the exposure device irradiates the workpiece W with exposure light L and performs an exposure process on the first surface W1. During the above exposure process, the exposure device continues to supply a vacuum to the workpiece stage 110 so that the workpiece W does not move (shift in position).

[0038] When the exposure process on the first surface W1 is completed, the exposure device stops emitting the exposure light L and stops supplying vacuum to the recess 111a. This releases the workpiece W from suction. The workpiece W from which suction has been released is turned over by a reversing means (not shown) as shown in FIG. 6C, and is placed on the workpiece stage 110 with the second surface W2, which will be exposed next, facing up, as shown in FIG. 6D. The exposure apparatus then supplies a vacuum to the recess 111 a of the workpiece stage 110 through the piping 150 , whereby the workpiece W is held on the workpiece stage 110 by suction.

[0039] In addition, when the resist often used in printed circuit boards is irradiated with exposure light, the irradiated portion becomes harder than before exposure, so even if the exposed surface is placed on the work stage with the exposed side facing down, the formed exposure pattern will not be deformed. In this state, the exposure device irradiates the workpiece W with exposure light L, and performs exposure processing on the second surface W2. In this manner, exposure processing is performed on both surfaces of the workpiece W. When the exposure processing of the second surface W2 is completed, the workpiece W is removed from the workpiece stage 110 and transported by a transport means (not shown) outside the exposure device to be transferred to the next development process.

[0040] In a workpiece W with resist R applied to both sides, a protective film F is laminated on top of the resist R to protect it. The protective film F adheres firmly to the resist R in the center, making it difficult to peel off, but peels easily at the periphery. The critical peel strength of the protective film F in the center is 10 N or more, but the critical peel strength at the periphery is about 0.2 N.

[0041] 6B, when the workpiece W is placed on the workpiece stage 110 with the surface to be exposed first (first surface W1) facing up and the surface to be exposed later (second surface W2) facing down, and vacuum is supplied to the recess 111a from the piping 150 to vacuum-suck the workpiece W, the suction force of the vacuum may cause the peripheral portion of the protective film F to peel off. Peeling that occurs at the peripheral portion progresses significantly toward the center due to the suction force of the vacuum. As shown in Figure 6B, if the protective film F peels off on the second surface W2, which is the adsorption surface of the workpiece W, the adsorption force of the workpiece W will decrease and the flatness (flatness) of the workpiece W will decrease, causing problems with the exposure process of the first surface W1.

[0042] Furthermore, as shown in Figure 6D, when performing exposure processing on the second surface W2 of the workpiece W, the side of the protective film F that was peeled off during the exposure processing of the first surface W1 becomes the irradiated surface, which causes problems with the exposure processing of the second surface W2. In this way, when the workpiece W having the resist R and the protective film F laminated on both sides is vacuum-adsorbed by the workpiece stage 110 and subjected to double-sided exposure processing, the problem of the protective film F peeling off may occur.

[0043] In contrast, in this embodiment, a double partition wall 13 is provided in the outer peripheral region 10b of the recess 11a, so that even when the protective film F side of the workpiece W having a protective film F provided on its surface is held by suction, peeling of the protective film F can be suppressed.

[0044] 7A to 7D are diagrams for explaining the operation of exposure apparatus 100 equipped with workpiece stage 10 in this embodiment. As shown in Fig. 7A, first, a workpiece W is transported onto the workpiece stage 10 by a transport means (not shown). The workpiece W transported onto the workpiece stage 110 is placed on the workpiece stage 10 with the first surface W1 facing up, as shown in Fig. 7B, and is vacuum-adsorbed. In this state, the exposure device 10 irradiates the workpiece W with exposure light L, and performs an exposure process on the first surface W1.

[0045] 7A, the exposure apparatus 100 may place the workpiece W on the workpiece stage 10 while supplying a vacuum to the recess 11a of the workpiece stage 10 from the piping 50. By placing the workpiece W on the workpiece stage 10 while supplying a vacuum, the takt time can be shortened. However, the timing of supplying the vacuum is not limited to the above, and the exposure apparatus 100 may supply the vacuum to the recess 11a of the workpiece stage 10 after the workpiece W has been placed on the workpiece stage 10.

[0046] During the exposure process for the first surface W1, the workpiece W is pressed against the surface of the workpiece stage 10 by vacuum suction. At this time, the vacuum supplied to the recess 11a flows from the vacuum air introduction path 11b through the intake hole 15, through the central region 10a (see FIG. 4) of the recess 11a, and toward the outer peripheral region 10b (see FIG. 4). The workpiece stage 10 in this embodiment has double partition walls 13 in the outer peripheral region 10b, and the cutouts 13a provided in each of the double partition walls 13 are arranged alternately. Therefore, the suction force of the workpiece W weakens appropriately from the central region 10a toward the outer peripheral region 10b. Therefore, as shown in Fig. 7B, even if the protective film F side of the second surface W2 is suction-held, the protective film F will not peel off, and the exposure process of the first surface W1 can be performed appropriately.

[0047] When the exposure process for the first surface W1 is completed, the exposure device 100 stops irradiating the exposure light L, stops supplying vacuum to the recess 11a, and switches to supplying air. By supplying air to the recess 11a, the workpiece W is pushed up, making it easier to remove the workpiece W. The workpiece W that has been peeled off from the workpiece stage 10 is turned over by a turning means (not shown) as shown in FIG. 7C, and is placed on the workpiece stage 110 with the second surface W2, which will be exposed next, facing up, as shown in FIG. 7D, and is held by suction on the workpiece stage 10. Then, the exposure process for the second surface W2 is performed in the same manner. As shown in Figure 7B, during the exposure process of the first surface W1, the protective film F on the second surface W2 side is not peeled off, so even if the second surface W2 side is the irradiated surface, as shown in Figure 7D, there is no interference with the exposure process of the second surface W2.

[0048] In the case of a work stage 110 that does not have a partition wall portion 13, when a small peel F11 occurs at the edge of the protective film F as shown in the left diagram of Fig. 8, this peel progresses further toward the center, becoming a large peel F12 as shown in the right diagram of Fig. 8. This is because, in the case of the work stage 110, the pin 114 forms an intake path that runs in a straight line from the edge of the work stage 110 to the central intake hole 115, and the peel progresses along this intake path. In FIG. 8, the pins 114 are shown in an exaggerated manner.

[0049] In contrast, in the case of the workpiece stage 10 of this embodiment, even if a small peel F1 similarly occurs at the edge of the protective film F, as shown in the left diagram of FIG. 9, this peeling does not progress significantly. This is because the partitions 13 cause the intake path to be diverted away from the intake holes 15. As shown in the left diagram of FIG. 9, if peel F1 occurs at the position of the notch 13a provided in the outermost partition 13, peel F1 progresses along the intake path toward the center, but its progress is stopped at the second partition 13. Therefore, as shown in the right diagram of FIG. 9, it remains at a relatively small peel F2.

[0050] In other words, peeling that occurs at the edge is limited to the outer peripheral region 10b where the partition wall 13 is formed, and does not reach the central region 10a. Therefore, the workpiece stage 10 in this embodiment can appropriately maintain the flatness (flatness) of the exposure region of the workpiece W, and the exposure apparatus 100 using the workpiece stage 10 in this embodiment can perform the exposure process of the workpiece W well. In FIG. 9, the partition wall 13 and the pins 14 are shown in an exaggerated manner.

[0051] As described above, the workpiece stage 10 in this embodiment includes the base 11 having the recess 11a formed therein to which a vacuum is supplied, a large number of pins 14 provided inside the recess 11a, and an intake hole 15 that supplies a vacuum to the recess 11a, and by supplying a vacuum to the recess 11a, substantially the entire surface of the workpiece W, which is an organic substrate, is vacuum-attached to the upper surfaces of the pins 14. At this time, the pins 14 hold substantially the entire surface of the workpiece W.

[0052] In this way, by configuring the workpiece W to be held by vacuum suction with a large number of pins 14, the contact area between the workpiece W and the workpiece stage 10 can be reduced, and it is possible to prevent foreign matter from being caught between the workpiece W and the workpiece stage 10. Therefore, the workpiece W can be held appropriately flat.

[0053] In addition, the work stage 10 in this embodiment can be provided with a partition wall portion 13 arranged in multiple stages in the outer peripheral region 10b, which is near the inner end of the recess 11a, in the direction from the end of the recess 11a toward the center of the recess 11a. This makes it possible to prevent the protective film F from peeling off from the edge even when a workpiece W having a protective film F that is easily peeled off laminated on the workpiece stage 10 is sucked and held on the workpiece stage 10. Furthermore, even if initial peeling occurs at the edge of the protective film F when cutting or transporting the workpiece W, the partition 13 can prevent the peeling from progressing significantly toward the center.

[0054] Furthermore, partition wall 13 can have cutouts 13a that form an intake path for intake holes 15. Here, partition wall 13 is provided in at least two stages in the direction from the end of recess 11a toward the center of recess 11a, and cutouts 13a are arranged alternately. In other words, when partition wall 13 with multiple stages includes first partition wall 13 with first cutout 13a and second partition wall 13 with second cutout 13a that is located closer to the center of recess 11a than first partition wall 13, second cutout 13a is provided at a position that bypasses the intake path for intake holes 15 formed by first cutout 13a. In this way, by providing the partition wall portion 13 with at least two stages and forming the notch portion 13a so as to divert the flow of intake air, the progression of the above-mentioned separation can be appropriately suppressed.

[0055] In addition, the pin 14 can be provided in the central region 10a inside the recess 11a, which corresponds to the processing region (exposure region) of the workpiece W, and the partition portion 13 can be provided in the peripheral region 10b inside the recess 11a, which corresponds to the non-processing region of the workpiece W. Peeling that occurs at the end of the protective film F can progress up to the installation position of the innermost partition wall 13, but by providing the partition wall 13 in an area corresponding to the non-processing area of ​​the workpiece W, peeling of the protective film F can be contained within the non-processing area of ​​the workpiece W. Therefore, the processing area of ​​the workpiece W can be kept appropriately flat.

[0056] Furthermore, the distance between the partitions 13 and the width of the notches 13a can be set to be equal to or less than the distance between the pins. In this case, deflection of the workpiece W at the grooves between the partitions 13 and the notches 13a can be appropriately suppressed. Furthermore, the outer peripheral portion 12, the partition wall portion 13, and the pins 14 can be made to have the same height. In this case, the workpiece W can be held flat by vacuum suction.

[0057] As described above, the workpiece stage 10 in this embodiment can prevent foreign matter from getting caught between the workpiece W and the workpiece W, and can appropriately hold the workpiece W flat. Furthermore, even when the workpiece stage 10 in this embodiment adsorbs and holds the film side of the workpiece W on which a film that easily peels off is laminated, the workpiece stage 10 can appropriately prevent the film from peeling off. Therefore, in the exposure apparatus 100 using such a workpiece stage 10, poor exposure due to defocus can be appropriately suppressed, and a decrease in yield can be avoided. Also, a double-sided exposure process can be appropriately performed on a workpiece W having films laminated on both sides.

[0058] (Variation) 10 to 16 show modified examples of the work stage 10 in this embodiment. The configurations shown in Figs. 10 to 16 can also have the same effects as the above embodiment. In the work stage 10 shown in Fig. 2, two notches 13a are provided in each of the double partition walls 13, but the number of notches 13a may be three or more. For example, as in the work stage 10A shown in Fig. 10, four notches 13a may be provided in each of the double partition walls 13.

[0059] 11, the innermost partition 13 does not need to have a notch 13a. In this case, even if initial peeling occurs at the end of the protective film F, reaching a position inside the recess 11a beyond the outer partition 13, the progress of peeling can be reliably stopped by the innermost partition 13. However, in this case, an intake hole 15 is also required in the outer peripheral region 10b, which is the region outside the innermost partition 13. 11, the outer partition wall 13 is provided with the notch 13a, but not all partition wall 13 may have the notch 13a. In this case, however, intake holes 15 are required between the partition wall 13 and between the outermost partition wall 13 and the outer peripheral portion 12.

[0060] In this way, the central region 10a and the outer peripheral region 10b of the recess 11a may be configured to be separated by the partition wall 13. However, in this case, as described above, the outer peripheral region 10b also needs to have an air intake hole 15, and it is necessary to control the suction force of the workpiece W in each of the central region 10a and the outer peripheral region 10b. For this reason, it is preferable to provide a cutout portion 13a in the partition wall 13, so that the central region 10a and the outer peripheral region 10b are connected to each other. The position and number of the cutout portions 13a can be set appropriately depending on the position and number of the air intake holes 15.

[0061] Furthermore, although the partition wall 13 in the workpiece stage 10 shown in Fig. 2 has a double trench structure, the partition wall 13 may have any shape, as in the workpiece stage 10C shown in Fig. 12. The partition wall 13 may have any shape as long as it forms an intake path for the intake holes 15 and also diverts the intake path for the intake holes 15. That is, for example, the partition wall 13 may have a curved shape, as in the workpiece stage 10D shown in Fig. 13, or the partition wall 13 may have a shape that combines a linear shape and a curved shape, as in the workpiece stage 10E shown in Fig. 14. Furthermore, the partition wall 13 may have a complex arrangement, as in the workpiece stage 10F shown in Fig. 15.

[0062] 16, a seal member S may also be provided. The seal member S is a low-resilience elastic body provided on the outside of the outer periphery 12, and can be formed around the entire periphery of the base 11. For example, the seal member S can be made of rubber sponge or the like. When a workpiece W is placed on the workpiece stage 10G, the seal member S comes into close contact with the outer periphery of the workpiece W. Here, the height of the sealing member S may be higher than the heights of the outer periphery 12, the partition wall 13, and the pins 14. In this case, when the workpiece W is vacuum-sucked onto the workpiece stage 10G, the sealing member S is pressed down to the height of the outer periphery 12, the partition wall 13, and the pins 14, and the elastic force of the sealing member S increases the degree of adhesion between the workpiece W and the sealing member S. This increases the degree of vacuum inside the recess 11a.

[0063] Therefore, the workpiece stage 10G can more appropriately vacuum-suck the workpiece W. Furthermore, even if peeling occurs at the end of the protective film F on the suction surface side, the progression of the peeling is appropriately suppressed. In a work stage that does not have a sealing member S, for example, if initial peeling occurs in the protective film F, reaching the central region 10a where the pin 14 is provided, when the surface where the initial peeling has occurred is used as the suction surface and vacuum-adsorbed to the work stage, the partition section 13 may not function, and the peeling may progress to a larger extent. In contrast, with the workpiece stage 10G equipped with the sealing member S, even if the above-described initial peeling occurs, it is possible to appropriately suppress the progression of peeling. This is thought to be because the sealing member S makes it possible to make the recess 11a a system that is completely closed off from the atmosphere.

[0064] In the above embodiment, a partition wall portion 13 and a pin 14 are provided in the recess 11a of the work stage 10. However, if no protective film F that is easily peeled off is laminated on the surface of the workpiece W as shown in FIG. 5, or if double-sided exposure processing is not performed and peeling of the protective film F on the second surface W2 when the second surface W2 side is held by suction does not interfere with the exposure processing of the first surface W1, then the partition wall portion 13 does not necessarily need to be provided. Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the case where the substrate holding portion 14 is pin-shaped has been described, but the substrate holding portion 14 is not limited to being pin-shaped, and may be a support pillar having a certain contact area with the workpiece W. In other words, it is sufficient that the contact area with the workpiece W is smaller than that of a conventional planar stage and that adhesion of foreign matter can be suppressed.

[0065] The substrate holders 14 can be formed by any processing method such as machining. The processing method for the substrate holders 14 is not particularly limited, and the arrangement of the substrate holders 14 does not have to be equally spaced in the X and Y directions as shown in FIG. Furthermore, the substrate holding portion 14 may be provided not only in the central region 10a inside the recess 11a but also in the outer circumferential region 10b. That is, the partition wall portion 13 and the pins 14 may be arranged in combination in the outer circumferential region 10b. [Explanation of symbols]

[0066] 10...work stage, 11...base, 11a...recess, 12...periphery, 13...partition wall, 13a...notch, 14...substrate holding portion (pin), 15...air intake, 20...light irradiation portion, 30...mask, 40...projection lens, 50...piping, 100...exposure device, F...protective film, R...resist, W...work

Claims

1. A work stage for holding an organic substrate, a base having a recess formed therein to which a vacuum is supplied; a plurality of substrate holders provided inside the recess and configured to hold substantially the entire surface of the organic substrate; an intake hole for supplying a vacuum to the recess and vacuum-adsorbing the organic substrate onto the upper surface of the substrate holder; a partition wall portion provided in a plurality of stages in a direction from the end of the recess toward the center of the recess in an outer peripheral region that is near the end of the recess, the plurality of substrate holders are provided in a central region inside the recess, in a region corresponding to a processing region of the organic substrate; The work stage is characterized in that the multi-stage partition portion is provided in the outer peripheral region set outside the central region inside the recess, in an area corresponding to a non-processing area of ​​the organic substrate.

2. A work stage for holding an organic substrate, a base having a recess formed therein to which a vacuum is supplied; a plurality of substrate holders provided inside the recess and configured to hold substantially the entire surface of the organic substrate; an intake hole for supplying a vacuum to the recess and vacuum-adsorbing the organic substrate onto the upper surface of the substrate holder; a partition wall portion provided in a plurality of stages in a direction from the end of the recess toward the center of the recess in an outer peripheral region that is near the end of the recess, The partition wall has a notch that forms an intake path for the intake hole.

3. A work stage for holding an organic substrate, a base having a recess formed therein to which a vacuum is supplied; a plurality of substrate holders provided inside the recess and configured to hold substantially the entire surface of the organic substrate; an intake hole for supplying a vacuum to the recess and vacuum-adsorbing the organic substrate onto the upper surface of the substrate holder; a partition wall portion provided in a plurality of stages in a direction from the end of the recess toward the center of the recess in an outer peripheral region that is near the end of the recess, A work stage characterized in that the distance between the partition walls is equal to or less than the distance between the substrate holders.

4. The partition wall portion in the plurality of stages is a first partition wall portion provided with a first cutout portion; a second partition wall portion provided closer to the center of the recess than the first partition wall portion and having a second notch portion, 3. The work stage according to claim 2, wherein the second cutout portion is provided at a position that diverts the intake path for the intake hole formed by the first cutout portion.

5. 3. The work stage according to claim 2, wherein the width of the notch is equal to or less than the distance between the substrate holders.

6. 6. The work stage according to claim 1, wherein the outer periphery forming the recess, the substrate holding portion, and the partition wall have the same height.

7. a light irradiation unit that emits exposure light; a mask stage for holding a mask on which a pattern is formed; a work stage for holding an organic substrate onto which a pattern formed on the mask is to be transferred; Equipped with 6. An exposure apparatus, wherein the workpiece stage is the workpiece stage according to claim 1.

Images