Exposure apparatus and exposure method

Abstract

To appropriately perform exposure according to the shape of a substrate even if the substrate has no alignment mark formed thereon.SOLUTION: An exposure apparatus according to the present invention includes: a stage that supports a substrate to be processed; an exposure part that exposes a surface of the substrate with a light beam on the basis of predetermined exposure data to draw a pattern thereon; a moving mechanism that relatively moves the substrate and the exposure part; an imaging part that images an edge of an unexposed substrate supported by the stage; and a drawing control part that detects an edge position of the substrate at a plurality of positions from an imaging result by the imaging part and controls an incident position of the light beam to the substrate on the basis of the detection result.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a technique for exposing a substrate, such as a printed wiring board or a glass substrate, to light in order to draw a pattern on the substrate. [Background technology]

[0002] One technique for forming patterns such as wiring patterns on various substrates, such as semiconductor substrates, printed wiring boards, and glass substrates, involves irradiating a photosensitive layer formed on the surface of the substrate with a light beam modulated according to drawing data to expose the photosensitive layer. In this type of technique, an alignment process is performed to adjust the incident position of the light beam relative to the substrate in order to draw at the appropriate position on the substrate.

[0003] For example, in the technology described in Patent Document 1, an alignment mark formed on the surface of a substrate placed on a stage is imaged by a camera, and alignment adjustment is performed based on the position detection results. The alignment adjustment is realized, for example, by mechanically adjusting the relative position between the exposure head and the stage, but it can also be realized by correcting the drawing data or adjusting the emission timing of the light beam, as described in Patent Document 2, for example. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2022-021438 [Patent Document 2] Patent Publication No. 2021-152572 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] The above-mentioned conventional techniques are based on the premise that alignment marks are formed on the substrate in advance. However, there are also cases where the alignment marks themselves are formed by exposure. In such cases, the alignment marks formed in the first exposure are used as the positional reference for subsequent processing. For example, when forming a multilayer pattern on a substrate by multiple exposures, it is sufficient that the relative positions between layers are aligned, so it can be said that strict alignment is not necessary in the first exposure.

[0006] For example, if the substrate is deformed by expansion or contraction, it is desirable to correct the drawing pattern to match the shape of the substrate. If the initial exposure is performed and alignment marks are formed without taking this into consideration, subsequent alignment adjustments based on the formed alignment marks may not necessarily be compatible with the shape of the substrate.

[0007] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and aims to provide a technology that can perform appropriate exposure according to the shape of a substrate, even if the substrate does not have an alignment mark formed thereon. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] One aspect of the exposure apparatus according to the present invention comprises a stage that supports a substrate to be processed, an exposure unit that exposes and draws the surface of the substrate with a light beam based on predetermined exposure data, a moving mechanism that moves the stage and the exposure unit relative to each other, an imaging unit that images the edge portion of the unexposed substrate supported on the stage, and a drawing control unit that detects the edge position of the substrate at multiple locations from the imaging results by the imaging unit and controls the incident position of the light beam on the substrate based on the detection results. The exposure unit then writes a pattern on the substrate, the pattern including alignment marks that serve as positional references in subsequent exposures.

[0009] Furthermore, one aspect of the exposure method according to the present invention is an exposure method in which a stage supporting a substrate to be processed and an exposure unit are moved relative to each other, and the exposure unit exposes and draws the surface of the substrate with a light beam based on predetermined exposure data, the method images the edge portion of the unexposed substrate supported on the stage, detects the edge positions of the substrate at multiple locations from the image capture results, and controls the incident position of the light beam on the substrate based on the detection results. Then, the exposure is performed multiple times on one of the substrates, and in the first exposure on an unexposed substrate, the incident position is controlled based on the detection results, and a pattern including an alignment mark that will serve as a positional reference for subsequent exposures is written on the substrate.

[0010] In the invention configured as described above, the edge portion of an unexposed substrate is imaged to detect the edge position of the substrate at multiple locations, and the incident position of the light beam on the substrate is controlled based on the detection results. By detecting the positions of multiple locations on the edge of the substrate, it is possible to estimate the outer shape of the substrate. For example, if the substrate is deformed due to expansion / contraction, distortion, etc., the relative positions between the detected edges will differ from the original positional relationship. If the edge position detection results are reflected in the relative incident position of the light beam on the substrate during exposure, it is possible to write images that match the shape of the substrate. By drawing a pattern including alignment marks while controlling the incident position, it becomes possible to use the alignment marks formed at positions corresponding to the deformation of the substrate as positional references in subsequent exposures. [Effects of the Invention]

[0011] As described above, according to the present invention, the edge portion of an unexposed substrate is imaged to detect the edge position at multiple locations, and the incident position of the light beam on the substrate is controlled based on the results. Therefore, even if the substrate is deformed due to expansion / contraction, distortion, etc., or even if an alignment mark is not formed on the substrate, it is possible to draw at the appropriate position on the substrate. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0012] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view showing a schematic configuration of an exposure apparatus according to the present invention; [Figure 2] 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the electrical configuration of the exposure apparatus of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 3] 1A and 1B are diagrams illustrating the relationship between deformation of a substrate and a pattern formation area on the substrate. [Figure 4]4 is a flowchart showing an exposure process in the present embodiment. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing the relationship between the arrangement of the alignment camera and the imaging position. [Figure 6] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a process of estimating the outer shape of a board based on an imaging result. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0013] Figure 1 is a front view that schematically shows the general configuration of an exposure apparatus according to the present invention, and Figure 2 is a block diagram that shows an example of the electrical configuration of the exposure apparatus of Figure 1. In Figure 1 and the following figures, the X direction, which is the horizontal direction, the Y direction, which is the horizontal direction perpendicular to the X direction, the Z direction, which is the vertical direction, and the rotation direction θ about a rotation axis parallel to the Z direction are shown as appropriate.

[0014] The exposure apparatus 1 draws a pattern on a substrate S (substrate to be exposed) on which a layer of a photosensitive material such as resist has been formed, by irradiating the substrate S with a laser beam of a predetermined pattern. The substrate S can be, for example, a printed wiring board, a glass substrate for various display devices, a semiconductor substrate, or any other type of substrate.

[0015] The exposure apparatus 1 includes a main body 11, which is made up of a main body frame 111 and a cover panel (not shown) attached to the main body frame 111. Various components of the exposure apparatus 1 are arranged inside and outside the main body 11.

[0016] The interior of the main body 11 of the exposure apparatus 1 is divided into a processing region 112 and a transfer region 113. The processing region 112 mainly contains a stage 2, a stage drive mechanism 3, an exposure unit 4, and an alignment unit 5. Furthermore, an illumination unit 6 that supplies illumination light to the alignment unit 5 is disposed outside the main body 11. The transfer region 113 contains a transport device 7, such as a transport robot, that transports the substrate S into and out of the processing region 112. Furthermore, a control unit 9 is disposed inside the main body 11, and the control unit 9 is electrically connected to each part of the exposure apparatus 1 to control the operation of each of these parts.

[0017] The transport device 7 arranged in the transfer area 113 inside the main body 11 receives an unprocessed substrate S from an external transport device or substrate storage device (not shown) and loads it into the processing area 112, and also unloads a processed substrate S from the processing area 112 and sends it out. The loading of the unprocessed substrate S and the unloading of the processed substrate S are performed by the transport device 7 in response to instructions from the control unit 9.

[0018] Stage 2 has a flat plate-like outer shape and holds substrate S placed on its upper surface in a horizontal position. A plurality of suction holes (not shown) are formed in the upper surface of stage 2, and by applying negative pressure (suction pressure) to these suction holes, substrate S placed on stage 2 is fixed to the upper surface of stage 2. Stage 2 is driven by stage driving mechanism 3.

[0019] The stage driving mechanism 3 is an XYZ-θ driving mechanism that moves the stage 2 in the Y direction (main scanning direction), X direction (sub-scanning direction), Z direction, and rotational direction θ (yaw direction). The stage driving mechanism 3 has a Y-axis robot 31 that is a single-axis robot extending in the Y direction, a table 32 that is driven in the Y direction by the Y-axis robot 31, an X-axis robot 33 that is a single-axis robot extending in the X direction on the upper surface of the table 32, a table 34 that is driven in the X direction by the X-axis robot 33, and a θ-axis robot 35 that drives the stage 2, which is supported on the upper surface of the table 34, in the rotational direction θ relative to the table 34.

[0020] Therefore, the stage driving mechanism 3 can drive the stage 2 in the Y direction using the Y-axis servo motor of the Y-axis robot 31, drive the stage 2 in the X direction using the X-axis servo motor of the X-axis robot 33, and drive the stage 2 in the rotational direction θ using the θ-axis servo motor of the θ-axis robot 35. These servo motors are not shown. The stage driving mechanism 3 can also drive the stage 2 in the Z direction using the Z-axis robot 37, which is not shown in FIG. 1. The stage driving mechanism 3 moves the substrate S placed on the stage 2 by operating the Y-axis robot 31, X-axis robot 33, θ-axis robot 35, and Z-axis robot 37 in response to commands from the control unit 9.

[0021] The exposure unit 4 has an exposure head 41 arranged above the substrate S on the stage 2, and a light irradiation section 43 that irradiates laser light onto the exposure head 41. The light irradiation section 43 has a laser driving section 431, a laser oscillator 432, and an illumination optical system 433. A plurality of exposure units 4 may be provided at different positions in the X direction.

[0022] A laser beam emitted from a laser oscillator 432 by operation of a laser driving unit 431 is irradiated onto the exposure head 41 via an illumination optical system 433. The exposure head 41 modulates the laser beam irradiated from the light irradiating unit 43 using a spatial light modulator, and irradiates the modulated laser beam onto the substrate S moving directly below it. By exposing the substrate S to the laser beam in this way, a pattern is drawn on the substrate S (exposure operation).

[0023] The alignment unit 5 has an alignment camera 51 arranged above the substrate S on the stage 2. This alignment camera 51 has a lens barrel, an objective lens, and a CCD image sensor, and captures an image of an alignment mark provided on the top surface of the substrate S moving directly below it. The CCD image sensor provided in the alignment camera 51 is configured, for example, by an area image sensor (two-dimensional image sensor). As will be described later, multiple alignment cameras 51 (three sets in this embodiment) are provided at different positions in the X direction.

[0024] The illumination unit 6 is connected to the lens barrel of the alignment camera 51 via an optical fiber 61 and supplies illumination light to the alignment camera 51. The illumination light guided by the optical fiber 61 extending from the illumination unit 6 is guided to the top surface of the substrate S via the lens barrel of the alignment camera 51, and the light reflected from the substrate S is incident on a CCD image sensor via an objective lens. In this way, the top surface of the substrate S is imaged and a captured image is obtained. The alignment camera 51 is electrically connected to the control unit 9 and obtains a captured image in accordance with instructions from the control unit 9 and transmits this captured image to the control unit 9.

[0025] The control unit 9 acquires the position of the alignment mark indicated by the image captured by the alignment camera 51. The control unit 9 also controls the exposure unit 4 based on the position of the alignment mark, thereby adjusting the pattern of the laser light irradiated from the exposure head 41 onto the substrate S in the exposure operation. The control unit 9 then draws the pattern on the substrate S by causing the exposure head 41 to irradiate the substrate S with laser light modulated according to the pattern to be drawn.

[0026] The control unit 9 controls the operation of each of the above-mentioned units to perform various processes. To this end, the control unit 9 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 91, memory 92, storage 93, input 94, display unit 95, and interface unit 96. The CPU 91 reads and executes a control program 931 pre-stored in the storage 93 to perform various operations described below. The memory 92 is used for the arithmetic processing by the CPU 91, or stores data generated as a result of the arithmetic processing on a short-term basis. The storage 93 stores various data and control programs on a long-term basis. Specifically, in addition to the control program 931 executed by the CPU 91, the storage 93 also stores, for example, CAD (Computer Aided Design) data 932, which is design data representing the content of a pattern to be drawn.

[0027] The input unit 94 accepts operational inputs from the user, and for this purpose has appropriate input devices (not shown), such as a keyboard, mouse, or touch panel. The display unit 95 notifies the user by displaying and outputting various types of information, and for this purpose has an appropriate display device. The interface unit 96 controls communication with external devices. For example, the interface unit 96 functions when the exposure apparatus 1 receives a control program 931 and CAD data 932 from the outside. For this purpose, the interface unit 96 may have a function for reading data from an external recording medium.

[0028] The CPU 91 executes the control program 931 to implement, in software, functional blocks such as an exposure data generation unit 911, an exposure control unit 912, a focus control unit 913, and a stage control unit 914. Note that at least a portion of each of these functional blocks may be implemented by dedicated hardware.

[0029] The exposure data generation unit 911 generates exposure data 911 for modulating the light beam according to the pattern, based on the CAD data 932 read out from the storage 93. If the substrate S is deformed, such as distorted, the exposure data generation unit 911 corrects the exposure data according to the amount of distortion of the substrate S, thereby enabling drawing to match the shape of the substrate S. The exposure data is sent to the exposure head 41, and the exposure head 41 modulates the laser light emitted from the light irradiation unit 43 according to the exposure data. The modulated light beam thus modulated according to the pattern is irradiated onto the substrate S, and the surface of the substrate S is partially exposed to light, thereby drawing the pattern.

[0030] The exposure control unit 912 controls the light irradiation unit 43 to emit a laser light beam having a predetermined power and spot size. The focus control unit 913 controls a projection optical system (not shown) provided in the exposure head 41 to converge the laser light beam on the surface of the substrate S.

[0031] The stage control unit 914 controls the stage drive mechanism 3 to move the stage 2 for alignment adjustment and for scanning movement during exposure. In alignment adjustment, the position of the stage 2 is adjusted in the X, Y, Z, and θ directions so that the relative positional relationship between the substrate S placed on the stage 2 and the exposure head 41 at the start of exposure is a predetermined relationship. On the other hand, in scanning movement, a main scanning movement in which the stage 2 is moved in the Y direction at a constant speed to pass the substrate S below the exposure head 41 is combined with a step feed (sub-scanning movement) in the X direction at a constant pitch.

[0032] Next, the exposure operation by the exposure apparatus 1 configured as described above will be described. Note that the basic operation of an exposure apparatus configured as described above is publicly known, and therefore a description of that operation will be omitted here. Furthermore, alignment adjustment methods and exposure data correction methods for drawing at the correct position on a substrate S on which alignment marks have been formed in advance are also publicly known, as described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, for example, and therefore detailed explanations will be omitted.

[0033] In this embodiment, a process of adjusting the incident position of the laser light on the substrate S by mechanically aligning the substrate S placed on the stage 2 with the exposure head 41, and an adjustment of the incident position of the laser light by correcting the exposure data in order to deform the pattern to match the shape of the substrate S, are performed in combination. Both of these adjustments adjust the positional relationship between each point in the pattern to be formed and the position at which the laser light beam, which is irradiated to form those points by exposure, is incident on the substrate S. Therefore, although the specific methods for these adjustments differ, they can ultimately be considered as adjusting the incident position of the laser light beam on the substrate S. In this specification, the processes for these adjustments will be collectively referred to as "writing position adjustment."

[0034] If the alignment marks are planned as part of the pattern formed by exposure, there will be no alignment marks on the unexposed substrate S. Therefore, the alignment marks cannot be used as a reference for alignment in exposure before the alignment marks are formed, for example, in an exposure operation for forming a pattern including the alignment marks.

[0035] For example, when forming a multilayer pattern by repeating multiple exposures, it is sufficient to ensure the relative alignment between the patterns of each layer. Therefore, it can be considered that strict adjustment of the drawing position is not necessary in the first exposure to form a pattern including alignment marks. This is because the alignment marks formed in the first exposure can be used as the positional reference for subsequent exposures, allowing for alignment between layers.

[0036] On the other hand, one of the major advantages of an exposure apparatus that performs direct writing using laser light modulated by exposure data without using a mask is that it can deform and write a pattern to match the shape of the substrate S. In terms of utilizing this advantage, it would be convenient if the position of the alignment mark itself could be adjusted to match the shape of the substrate S. For example, there may be cases where it is known in advance that deformation such as expansion and contraction of the substrate will occur during the processing process.

[0037] Figure 3 shows the relationship between substrate deformation and pattern formation areas on the substrate. For example, as shown in Figure 3(a), consider a case where multiple pattern formation areas Rp, where patterns are formed by exposure, are set on an undistorted rectangular substrate S1. Assume that alignment marks AM are formed by the first exposure near the periphery of the pattern formation area Rp, either inside or outside it.

[0038] As shown in Figure 3(b), the actual substrate S2 may have some distortion or deformation. In this example, both the left and right sides of the substrate S2 are curved, and the width at the center of the substrate S2 is slightly smaller than the width at the top and bottom ends. However, the deformation is not limited to this and various other types are possible.

[0039] Here, as shown in FIG. 3(b), there are two possible approaches: forming alignment marks AM and setting pattern formation regions Rp in the same way as when there is no deformation of substrate S2, regardless of the deformation of substrate S2; and adjusting the shapes and positions of alignment marks AM and pattern formation regions Rp in accordance with the deformation of substrate S2, as shown in FIG. 3(c). Of these, no method for realizing the latter approach has been proposed to date. The writing position adjustment in this embodiment is one method that makes this possible.

[0040] Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing the exposure process in this embodiment. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing the relationship between the arrangement of the alignment cameras and the imaging positions. This process is realized by the CPU 91 executing a control program 931 stored in advance in the storage 93. When an unexposed substrate S is set on the stage 2 (step S101), the stage driving mechanism 3 performs main scanning movement to move the stage 2 in the main scanning direction Ds (Y direction), and the alignment cameras 51 capture images at multiple locations so as to include the edge portion of the substrate S (step S102). Note that the number and arrangement of the alignment cameras 51, the number of imaging locations, etc. are not limited to those exemplified here and can be set arbitrarily.

[0041] As indicated by dashed lines in Fig. 5, alignment camera 51 captures images of the interiors of multiple imaging regions Ri that are set to include the four corners and edge portions of rectangular substrate S. The edge positions of substrate S are detected from each captured image (step S103), and the outer shape and orientation of substrate S on stage 2 are estimated from these detection results (step S104). Substrate S can assume various orientations on stage 2 due to deformation due to distortion or the like of the substrate itself and positional deviations caused by variations in the placement position on stage 2. Positional deviations caused by variations in the placement position on stage 2 can be eliminated by alignment adjustment (step S105), which adjusts the position of stage 2 in the X, Y, Z, and θ directions.

[0042] On the other hand, misalignment that cannot be eliminated by alignment adjustment is caused by deformation due to distortion of the substrate S itself. This can be addressed by reflecting the edge position detection results when creating exposure data from CAD data and correcting the data by, for example, enlarging, reducing, or deforming the pattern (step S106). More specifically, by correcting the exposure data using the edge position detection results of the substrate S instead of the position detection results of the alignment marks in the technology described in Patent Document 2, it is possible to eliminate misalignment caused by deformation of the substrate S.

[0043] Furthermore, positional deviation in the X direction (sub-scanning direction) caused by deformation of the substrate S can be addressed as necessary by controlling the pitch feed amount of the stage 2 relative to the exposure head 41, controlling the width of the laser light beam, etc. Positional deviation in the Y direction can be addressed by controlling the operation timing of the optical modulator provided in the exposure head 41. These adjustments may also be combined as appropriate.

[0044] The substrate S, whose positional relationship with the exposure head 41 has been adjusted by the alignment adjustment, is scanned by moving the stage 2 and exposed based on the corrected exposure data (step S107), so that a pattern deformed according to the outer peripheral shape of the substrate S is formed on the substrate S. After exposure, the substrate S is unloaded from the exposure apparatus 1 (step S108), and the pattern is visualized by subsequent processes such as development and cleaning. This pattern includes alignment marks AM, and therefore the alignment marks AM are arranged according to the shape of the substrate S.

[0045] In the second and subsequent exposures, the writing position is adjusted using the visualized alignment mark AM as a position reference, and patterns are sequentially stacked. Well-known techniques can be applied to this process. Thus, in this embodiment, in the first exposure operation on a substrate S that has not been exposed and on which alignment marks have not been formed, the edge position of the substrate S is detected to estimate the shape of the substrate S, and the writing position is adjusted based on the result.

[0046] In this way, the pattern formed in the first exposure on a substrate S without alignment marks can be adapted to the shape of the substrate S. Furthermore, if alignment marks are formed in this exposure, the patterns formed in subsequent exposures that use these alignment marks as positional references can also be adapted to the shape of the substrate S. Even when patterns are formed in multiple layers, it is naturally possible to adapt these patterns to the shape of the substrate S while also achieving good relative alignment between each layer.

[0047] Fig. 6 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of a process for estimating the substrate outline based on the imaging results. As shown in Fig. 5, a plurality of alignment cameras 51 (three sets in this embodiment) are provided along the X direction, and these are arranged so that the imaging field of view generally includes both ends and the center of the substrate S in the X direction. Each alignment camera 51 intermittently captures images while scanning the substrate S in the Y direction, thereby acquiring images of each imaging region Ri shown by the dashed lines in Fig. 6(a).

[0048] By performing edge detection for each imaging region Ri, the edge position of the substrate S is identified, and the outer shape of the substrate S is estimated from the positional relationship of each edge. That is, as shown by the dotted lines in FIG. 6(b), it is possible to estimate the approximate outer peripheral shape Ss of the substrate S by connecting the detected edges with straight lines. The outer shape may also be estimated by appropriate curve approximation. In particular, for rectangular or polygonal substrates S, it is desirable to include corner portions C in the imaging field of view to improve estimation accuracy.

[0049] Furthermore, it is desirable that the imaging region Ri be determined in accordance with the arrangement of the pattern formation region Rp (FIG. 3(a)) on the substrate S. That is, as shown in FIG. 6(c), it is desirable that the imaging region Ri be set so as to correspond as closely as possible to each of the pattern formation regions Rp set on the substrate S, for example, so as to include the corner portions of the pattern formation region Rp. By doing so, the deformation of the substrate S in the vicinity of each pattern formation region Rp can be grasped by actual measurement, and it becomes possible to adjust the pattern formation region Rp accordingly, that is, to adjust the drawing position with high precision.

[0050] In particular, it is more preferable that the imaging region Ri be set so as to include as much as possible the positions of the alignment marks AM formed on or near the periphery of the pattern formation region Rp. In this way, the alignment marks AM, which serve as positional references in subsequent processing, are positioned according to the shape of the substrate S, and the patterns of each layer, for which writing positions are adjusted based on this, can also be adapted to the shape of the substrate S.

[0051] Since the content and layout of the pattern to be drawn are specified by the design data, i.e., the CAD data 932, this objective can be achieved by obtaining information regarding the layout of the pattern formation area Rp or alignment mark AM from the CAD data 932 and setting the imaging area Ri accordingly.

[0052] As described above, in exposure apparatus 1 of this embodiment, stage 2, stage drive mechanism 3, exposure unit 4, and alignment camera 51 function as the "stage," "movement mechanism," "exposure section," and "imaging section" of the present invention, respectively. Also, control section 9 functions as the "writing control section" of the present invention.

[0053] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications other than those described above are possible without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, as mentioned above, the arrangement of the alignment cameras and imaging areas is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and can be set arbitrarily. Furthermore, these arrangements do not have to be equally spaced.

[0054] Furthermore, the substrate S to be processed in the above embodiment does not have alignment marks in an unexposed state, and alignment marks are formed on its surface by the first exposure. However, the above-described writing position adjustment process also functions effectively on a substrate on which alignment marks have been formed in advance.

[0055] Furthermore, the above embodiment is based on the premise that after an alignment mark is formed on the substrate S by the first exposure, multiple exposures are performed using this as a positional reference. However, the above-described writing position adjustment process is effective regardless of whether the pattern formed by the first exposure includes an alignment mark or whether a second or subsequent exposure is planned.

[0056] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the alignment camera 51 for alignment adjustment is also used to capture an image of the edge portion of the substrate S. However, the edge portion may be captured by an imaging means other than the alignment camera.

[0057] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the stage 2 on which the substrate S is placed is moved to achieve relative movement between the substrate S and the exposure head 41 and the alignment camera 51. Alternatively, the relative movement may be achieved by driving the alignment camera 51 or the exposure head 41.

[0058] As described above with reference to specific embodiments, in the exposure apparatus according to the present invention, for example, the writing control unit may be configured to control the incident position of the light beam based on the relative position of the outer periphery of the substrate with respect to the exposure unit, which is estimated from the edge position detection results. With such a configuration, it is possible to perform writing that is adapted to the outer shape of the substrate.

[0059] Furthermore, for example, the writing control unit may be configured to correct the exposure data based on the edge position detection result. In an exposure apparatus that performs exposure by directly irradiating a light beam controlled by exposure data onto a substrate without using a mask, it is possible to change the incident position of the light beam and change the pattern shape by correcting the exposure data. Therefore, it is possible to perform writing while also dealing with distortion or expansion / contraction of the substrate that cannot be addressed by mechanical alignment adjustment such as translation or rotation.

[0060] Furthermore, for example, the timing of emitting the light beam from the exposure unit may be adjusted based on the edge detection result. With this configuration, it is possible to deal with positional deviation along the direction of relative movement between the exposure unit and the substrate.

[0061] Furthermore, for example, the configuration may be such that, based on the edge detection results, at least one of the manner of relative movement by the movement mechanism and the relative attitude between the stage and the exposure unit is adjusted. With this configuration, it is possible to address misalignment by mechanically adjusting the relative position between the exposure unit and the substrate.

[0062] Furthermore, for example, the location of the edge portion imaged by the imaging unit may be determined according to design data that defines the content to be drawn. With this configuration, imaging can be performed according to the arrangement of the drawing pattern to be formed on the substrate, so that the arrangement of the drawing pattern can be made to better suit the shape of the substrate.

[0063] For example, the exposure unit may be configured to write a pattern on the substrate that includes alignment marks that serve as a positional reference for subsequent exposures. In particular, when multiple exposures are performed on a single substrate, the exposure unit may be configured to write a pattern that includes alignment marks in the first exposure of an unexposed substrate. By arranging alignment marks on the substrate in this manner, they can be used as a positional reference for subsequent processing. Furthermore, by applying the adjustment according to the present invention to the exposure for forming the alignment marks, the alignment mark arrangement and subsequent processing based on the alignment marks can be optimized to match the shape of the substrate.

[0064] Furthermore, for example, in the exposure method according to the present invention, when multiple exposures are performed on a single substrate, it is preferable to control the incident position based on the edge detection results in the first exposure of an unexposed substrate. Since the present invention adjusts the writing position based on the edge detection results of the substrate, it functions effectively even when there are no marks or the like on the substrate that serve as positional references.

[0065] The present invention is applicable to exposure apparatuses and exposure methods for processing various types of substrates, and is particularly effective when processing substrates that have relatively large dimensional tolerances compared to semiconductor wafers, or substrates that are prone to expansion, contraction, distortion, etc. during processing, such as printed wiring boards. [Industrial Applicability]

[0066] The present invention is suitable for use in the technical field of exposing substrates to light in order to form patterns on various substrates such as printed wiring boards and glass substrates. [Explanation of symbols]

[0067] 1. Exposure equipment 2 Stage 3 Stage drive mechanism (movement mechanism) 4 Exposure unit (exposure section) 9 Control unit (drawing control unit) 41 Exposure head (exposure section) 51 Alignment camera (imaging unit) AM alignment mark Ri imaging area Rp patterning region S board

Claims

1. a stage for supporting a substrate to be processed; an exposure unit that exposes and patterns the surface of the substrate with a light beam based on predetermined exposure data; a movement mechanism that moves the stage and the exposure unit relative to each other; an imaging unit that images an edge portion of the unexposed substrate supported by the stage; a writing control unit that detects edge positions of the substrate at a plurality of points from the imaging results of the imaging unit, and controls the incident position of the light beam on the substrate based on the detection results; Equipped with The exposure unit is an exposure apparatus that writes a pattern on the substrate, the pattern including alignment marks that serve as positional references in subsequent exposure.

2. 2. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the writing control unit controls the incident position of the light beam based on a relative position of the outer periphery of the substrate with respect to the exposure unit estimated from the detection result.

3. 3. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the writing control unit corrects the exposure data based on the detection result.

4. 4. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the writing control unit adjusts the timing of emission of the light beam from the exposure unit based on the detection result.

5. 5. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the writing control unit adjusts the manner of the relative movement by the movement mechanism based on the detection result.

6. 6. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the writing control unit adjusts the relative attitude of the stage and the exposure unit based on the detection result.

7. 7. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the location of the edge portion imaged by the image capturing unit is determined in accordance with design data that defines the content to be drawn.

8. 1. An exposure method in which a stage supporting a substrate to be processed and an exposure unit are moved relative to each other, and the exposure unit exposes and patterns a surface of the substrate with a light beam based on predetermined exposure data, capturing an image of an edge portion of the unexposed substrate supported on the stage, detecting edge positions of the substrate at a plurality of locations from the captured image, and controlling an incident position of the light beam on the substrate based on the detection results; performing the exposure a plurality of times on one of the substrates; an exposure method in which, in a first exposure of the unexposed substrate, the incident position is controlled based on the detection result, and a pattern including an alignment mark that serves as a positional reference for subsequent exposures is written on the substrate. An exposure method.

9. 9. The exposure method according to claim 8, wherein the substrate is a printed wiring board.

Images