Direct drawing device and its control method

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to provide a direct-drawing device and a method for controlling the direct-drawing device, each of which makes it possible to improve the accuracy of interlayer superposition.　Provided is a direct-drawing device which draws a pattern on a substrate that has been processed by a processing device in a previous step, wherein the position at which the pattern is drawn is corrected on the basis of error data corresponding to the processing accuracy of the processing device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a direct drawing apparatus and a control method thereof.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, in order to form a conductive pattern or the like on the exposed surface of a substrate having a photosensitive layer on its surface, the substrate and a photomask with a pattern drawn thereon are overlapped and arranged, and light is irradiated onto the substrate through the photomask, thereby transferring the pattern to the photosensitive layer on the substrate surface. An exposure method has been widely used. On the other hand, a direct drawing apparatus using a maskless exposure (direct exposure) method for directly drawing a predetermined pattern on a substrate without using a photomask has been proposed (for example, see Patent Document 1). According to this type of direct drawing apparatus, since a photomask is not required, it is advantageous in terms of cost, and it is also said that high-precision exposure is possible.

[0003] In addition, in the manufacture of a multilayer substrate in which a plurality of pattern layers are laminated, the requirement for improving the layer-to-layer overlapping accuracy is extremely high. In order to achieve high accuracy, various methods have been proposed to improve the accuracy of a direct drawing apparatus, a via processing apparatus for performing layer-to-layer connection hole processing, and the like.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0004]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] However, via processing equipment and direct drawing equipment each have their own inherent processing and drawing errors. Therefore, if vias C are formed on a substrate using the via processing equipment in the arrangement shown by the dots in Figure 5(a), processing errors will actually occur as shown in Figure 5(b). Similarly, even if the direct drawing equipment draws on the substrate in the arrangement shown in Figure 5(a), the pattern D that is actually drawn will have drawing errors as shown in Figure 5(c). As a result, there is a significant error in the positional relationship between the via C formed by the via processing equipment and the pattern D drawn by the direct drawing equipment, as shown in Figure 6, and there was a risk that the drawing position of via C and the pattern D corresponding to it would not match.

[0006] The object of the present invention is to provide a direct drawing apparatus and a control method thereof that can solve the problems of the conventional technology described above and improve the accuracy of interlayer overlay. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The present invention relates to a direct drawing apparatus that draws a pattern on a substrate processed by a processing apparatus in a preceding process, characterized in that it corrects the drawing position of the pattern based on error data corresponding to the processing accuracy of the processing apparatus.

[0008] In this case, the error data may be generated by measuring the measuring substrate processed by the processing apparatus. The error data may also be generated by measuring the substrate before drawing the pattern. If the substrate is a multilayer substrate in which multiple pattern layers are stacked, the amount of correction for the pattern drawing position may be adjusted according to the number of layers remaining until the final layer. The amount of correction for the pattern drawing position may be adjusted so that the pattern layers closer to the final layer are closer to the design value. The error data includes via position information corresponding to the positions where vias are formed, and the pattern drawing position may be adjusted based on the via position information.

[0009] Furthermore, the present invention relates to a control method for a direct drawing device that draws a pattern on a substrate processed by a processing device in a preceding process, characterized in that error data corresponding to the processing accuracy of the processing device is read out, and the pattern drawing position is corrected based on the error data.

[0010] In this case, the error data may be generated by measuring the measuring substrate processed by the processing apparatus. The error data may also be generated by measuring the substrate before drawing the pattern. If the substrate is a multilayer substrate in which multiple pattern layers are stacked, the amount of correction for the pattern drawing position may be adjusted according to the number of layers remaining until the final layer. The amount of correction for the pattern drawing position may be adjusted so that the pattern layers closer to the final layer are closer to the design value. The error data includes via position information corresponding to the positions where vias are formed, and the pattern drawing position may be adjusted based on the via position information. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0011] [Figure 1] A perspective view of a direct drawing device according to the first embodiment of the present invention is shown. [Figure 2] This diagram schematically illustrates how a direct drawing device corrects the drawing position of a pattern. [Figure 3] This diagram schematically illustrates how the pattern drawing position is corrected according to the number of remaining pattern layers to be stacked. [Figure 4] This diagram schematically illustrates how a direct drawing device according to a second embodiment of the present invention corrects the drawing position of a pattern. [Figure 5] This diagram schematically illustrates how patterns are drawn using conventional techniques. [Figure 6] The results of pattern drawing using conventional technology are schematically shown. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0012] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. (First Embodiment)

[0013] Figure 1 shows a perspective view of a direct drawing device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. The direct drawing device 1 comprises a frame 2, a bed 3, a drawing head 4, a pair of drawing stages 5A and 5B, and a pair of substrate measurement system cameras 6A and 6B.

[0014] Bed 3 extends on the frame 2 in the directions of arrows A and B. A drawing head 4, a pair of drawing stages 5A and 5B, and a pair of substrate measurement system cameras 6A and 6B are arranged on this bed 3.

[0015] On the side of the drawing head 4, which is located in the center of the bed 3, in the direction of arrow A, are the drawing stage 5A on which the substrate 10A is placed and the substrate measurement system camera 6A. On the side of the drawing head 4, in the direction of arrow B, are the drawing stage 5B on which the substrate 10B is placed and the substrate measurement system camera 6B.

[0016] The drawing head 4 is equipped with a drawing head coordinate system for drawing conductive patterns on substrates 10A and 10B, and the substrate measurement system camera 6 is equipped with a substrate position detection coordinate system for detecting the position of substrate 10. The drawing head 4 is provided to be able to move back and forth not only in the main scanning direction, which is the direction of arrows A and B, but also in the sub-scanning direction, which is orthogonal to the directions of arrows A and B. In this embodiment, the direct drawing apparatus 1 is configured to draw patterns on two substrates 10A and 10B by placing one substrate each on two drawing stages 5A and 5B, but it may also be configured to draw patterns on one substrate using only one drawing stage.

[0017] The drawing stages 5A and 5B are respectively placed on the carriage 7A or the carriage 7B, and the drawing stages 5A and 5B and the substrate measurement system cameras 6A and 6B are provided so as to be reciprocally movable in the directions of arrow A and arrow B respectively. In addition, in order to detect the positions of the substrates 10A and 10B, the substrate measurement system cameras 6A and 6B are provided so as to be reciprocally movable not only in the directions of arrow A and arrow B but also in the directions orthogonal to the directions of arrow A and arrow B.

[0018] FIG. 2 schematically shows how the direct drawing apparatus corrects the drawing position of the pattern. FIG. 2(a) shows a state where the drawing position of the pattern has not been corrected as viewed from a direction perpendicular to the substrate surface, and FIG. 2(b) shows a state where the drawing position of the pattern has been corrected as viewed from a direction perpendicular to the substrate surface.

[0019] A multilayer substrate in which a plurality of pattern layers are laminated is provided such that different pattern layers are electrically connected via vias which are through-holes. When forming such an electrical connection between the respective pattern layers, first, vias are formed in the insulating layer between the pattern layers of the substrates 10A and 10B using a laser or the like in a via processing apparatus (not shown) in the previous process. Next, after copper plating is performed on the substrates 10A and 10B in which the vias are formed, a photosensitive material is pasted on the surface on which the patterns of the substrates 10A and 10B are to be drawn, the patterns are drawn by the direct drawing apparatus 1, copper plating is performed after development, and after the photosensitive material is peeled off and etching is performed, the patterns drawn on the substrates 10A and 10B are electrically connected via the vias respectively.

[0020] In the present embodiment, for ease of understanding, the manufacturing of the substrates 10A and 10B having a pattern as shown in FIG. 5(a) in which the vias are evenly arranged in the vertical and horizontal directions as an ideal shape will be described.

[0021] In Fig. 2(a), vias C formed by a via processing apparatus on the same substrates 10A and 10B are illustrated as black dots, and patterns D drawn at positions corresponding to the respective vias C by the direct drawing apparatus 1 are shown as white dots. As can be seen from the arrangement of the black dots, since errors due to the processing accuracy of the via processing apparatus occur, the vias C processed by the via processing apparatus are formed in a state shifted in the vertical and horizontal directions. Also, as can be seen from the arrangement of the white dots, since errors due to the drawing accuracy of the direct drawing apparatus 1 occur, the patterns D are drawn in a state shifted in the vertical and horizontal directions. Due to the difference caused by the processing accuracy of the via processing apparatus and the drawing accuracy of the direct drawing apparatus 1, for example, even when alignment is performed using the alignment vias C1 to C4 at the four corners and the pattern D is drawn by the direct drawing apparatus 1, in some of the vias C, the position of the formed via C and the drawing position of the pattern D corresponding to this via C are greatly shifted.

[0022] The direct drawing apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment is equipped with a storage unit (not shown), reads error data corresponding to the processing accuracy of the via processing apparatus from the storage unit, and can correct the drawing position of the pattern D based on the read error data. The error data includes via position information corresponding to the position where the via C is formed, and the via position information enables the deviation of the via position that occurs when the via C is formed by the via processing apparatus to be known. Based on the via position information included in the error data, as shown in Fig. 2(b), the direct drawing apparatus 1 corrects the drawing position of the pattern D corresponding to the via C so as to approach the position of the via C actually formed by the via processing apparatus. Thereby, the direct drawing apparatus 1 can draw the pattern D shown as white dots so that the drawing position of the pattern overlaps with high precision with respect to the position of the via C shown as black dots formed by the via processing apparatus.

[0023] Error data is generated by measuring substrates 10A and 10B, on which vias C have been formed by a via processing device, using substrate measurement system cameras 6A and 6B. In this embodiment, error data is stored in the memory unit after actually measuring substrates 10A and 10B using substrate measurement system cameras 6A and 6B. However, as will be described later in the second embodiment, it may be possible to handle errors without measuring substrates 10A and 10B by measuring a measurement substrate processed separately by a via processing device using substrate measurement system camera 6A or 6B and storing the corresponding error data in the memory unit.

[0024] When correcting the drawing position of pattern D, indicated by white dots, the amount of displacement of via C included in the error data directly becomes the correction value. For example, if the error value from the measurement result is (x,y)=(-0.004,0.002), this error value is directly reflected in the drawing of the direct drawing device 1 as the correction value. That is, the drawing position of the corresponding part of pattern D drawn by the direct drawing device 1 is corrected, offset by -0.004 in the x direction and by 0.002 in the y direction. At this time, the part formed between each point is corrected by linear interpolation using a linear function. For example, if point A has global coordinates x=50mm, y=10mm and point B has global coordinates x=50mm, y=20mm, points A and B are corrected directly from the error value from the measurement result as described above, but the part between point A and point B is linearly interpolated by a linear function passing through the corrected points A and B.

[0025] Figure 3 schematically illustrates how the pattern drawing position is corrected according to the number of remaining pattern layers to be stacked. Figure 3(a) schematically shows the pattern of the lower layers of a multilayer substrate, and Figure 3(b) schematically shows the pattern of the final layer of a multilayer substrate.

[0026] The direct drawing device 1, in the case of a multilayer substrate 10A, 10B in which multiple pattern layers are stacked, can adjust the degree to which it corrects the pattern drawing position based on error data according to the number of remaining pattern layers to be stacked up to the final layer of the completed multilayer substrate. As a result, as shown in Figure 3(a), even if the pattern D of the lower layers of the multilayer substrate is drawn with vertical and horizontal displacement due to the result of drawing in accordance with the formed via C, the final layer can be corrected and drawn so that the pattern D is aligned vertically and horizontally, as shown in Figure 3(b). Specifically, for other patterns D that are further stacked on top of the pattern D of the lower layers of the multilayer substrate, the drawing position of the pattern D is corrected little by little step by step for each pattern layer towards the final layer, so that the pattern D of the final layer becomes as shown in Figure 3(b). In other words, the direct drawing device 1 adjusts the amount of correction of the drawing position of the pattern D so that the pattern layers closer to the final layer are closer to the design value. For example, if the number of remaining processing layers, i.e., the number of remaining pattern layers to be stacked, is n, and the accuracy difference is d, then the correction amount for each pattern layer to be stacked is d / n. In this case, the drawing positions of the corrected pattern D are obtained by multiplying the coordinates of the points other than those where via C is formed by a correction coefficient, which is a linear linear function interpolation.

[0027] In this embodiment, the direct drawing apparatus 1 corrects the drawing position of pattern D based on error data corresponding to the processing accuracy of the via processing apparatus. This allows the drawing position of pattern D to be brought closer to the actual position of via C formed by the via processing apparatus, even if the position of via C formed by the via processing apparatus is misaligned. Therefore, the direct drawing apparatus 1 can improve the interlayer overlay accuracy.

[0028] (Second Embodiment) Figure 4 schematically shows how the direct drawing apparatus according to the second embodiment of the present invention corrects the pattern drawing position. In this figure, Figure 4(a) shows a substrate processed by a via processing apparatus, and Figure 4(b) shows a substrate on which a pattern has been drawn by the direct drawing apparatus. In the second embodiment, the parts that differ from the first embodiment will be described, and the same reference numerals will be used for components that are substantially the same as those in the first embodiment in the figures.

[0029] In this embodiment, the direct drawing device 1 generates error data in advance using a gauge board (measuring board) 10C, which is used solely for error measurement, before starting to draw on the substrates 10A and 10B that will be used in the actual products. The gauge board 10C is processed using the same via processing device as the via processing device that processes the actual product substrates 10A and 10B.

[0030] First, as shown in Figure 4(a), the direct drawing device 1 measures the gauge substrate 10C, on which vias C have been formed by the via processing device, using substrate measurement system cameras 6A and 6B. This generates via position data based on the position information of the vias C for the gauge substrate 10C processed by the via processing device.

[0031] Once positional data for vias C formed by the via processing device is generated, the direct drawing device 1 draws pattern D on another gauge substrate (measuring substrate) 10D in which vias C have not been formed, as shown in Figure 4(b), and measures the drawn pattern D using substrate measurement system cameras 6A and 6B. As a result, the direct drawing device 1 generates pattern position data based on the positional information of pattern D for the gauge substrate 10D on which pattern D has been drawn.

[0032] Once via position data and pattern position data are generated, the direct drawing device 1 compares the via position data and pattern position data, generates error data based on the difference between the position of via C formed on the gauge substrate 10C and the position of pattern D formed on the gauge substrate 10D corresponding to each of these via C, and stores it in the storage unit.

[0033] The direct drawing device 1 generates error data for the entire surface of the gauge substrates 10C and 10D. For example, when correcting the position of a small area as shown in Figure 2(a), the device reads the correction value for this area from the error data and corrects the position where pattern D is drawn.

[0034] The direct drawing apparatus 1 according to this embodiment generates error data in advance by measuring gauge substrates 10C and 10D, which are used solely for measurement. This eliminates the need to measure substrates 10A and 10B each time pattern D is drawn on the actual product substrates 10A and 10B, thereby shortening the time required for product manufacturing.

[0035] Although the present invention has been described above based on embodiments, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, in the second embodiment, via position data and pattern position data were measured using separate gauge substrates, but they may be measured using the same gauge substrate. Furthermore, in the second embodiment, error data is generated based on via position data and pattern position data, but the invention is not limited thereto. If the position in which the direct drawing device 1 forms the pattern D can be corrected according to the position of the via C formed by the via processing device, error data may be generated based only on via position data. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0036] 1…Direct drawing device 2… Stand 3... Bed 4… Drawing head 5A... Drawing stage 5B... Drawing stage 6A... Circuit board measurement system camera 6B... Circuit board measurement system camera 7A...Carriage 7B...Carriage 10A... Circuit board 10B... Circuit board 10C…Gauge board (measuring board) 10D…Gauge board (measuring board) C... Beer D...Pattern

Claims

1. In a direct drawing apparatus that draws patterns on a substrate processed by a processing apparatus in the preceding process, Based on the error data corresponding to the machining accuracy of the aforementioned machining apparatus, the pattern drawing position is corrected. A direct drawing apparatus characterized in that, when the substrate is a multilayer substrate in which multiple pattern layers are stacked, the amount of correction for the pattern drawing position is adjusted according to the number of remaining layers until the final layer.

2. A direct drawing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the error data is generated by measuring a measuring substrate processed by the processing apparatus.

3. A direct drawing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the error data is generated by measuring the substrate before drawing the pattern.

4. A direct drawing apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the amount of correction for the drawing position of a pattern is adjusted so that the pattern closer to the final layer approaches the design value.

5. A direct drawing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the error data includes via position information corresponding to the position where vias are formed, and the drawing position of the pattern is adjusted based on the via position information.

6. In a control method for a direct drawing device that draws patterns on a substrate processed by a processing device in a preceding process, The error data corresponding to the machining accuracy of the aforementioned machining apparatus is read out, Based on the error data, the pattern drawing position is corrected. In the case where the substrate is a multilayer substrate in which multiple pattern layers are stacked, the correction amount for the pattern drawing position is adjusted according to the number of remaining layers until the final layer. A method for controlling a direct drawing device.

7. A control method for a direct drawing apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that the error data is generated by measuring a measuring substrate processed by the processing apparatus.

8. A control method for a direct drawing apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that the error data is generated by measuring the substrate before drawing the pattern.

9. A control method for a direct drawing device according to claim 6, characterized in that the amount of correction for the drawing position of a pattern is adjusted so that the pattern closer to the final layer approaches the design value.

10. A control method for a direct drawing device according to claim 6, wherein the error data includes via position information corresponding to the position where vias are formed, and the drawing position of the pattern is adjusted based on the via position information.

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