Lighting device for stereolithography facility

Abstract

[Problem] The present invention addresses the problem of imparting an illumination device 50 with a more satisfactory working environment color than a yellow fluorescent lamp, as well as with a longer service life and lower power consumption than a fluorescent lamp, in a stereolithography facility 10 that includes: a photolithography device 21; a stereolithography device 31 such as a 3D printer; a room 40 in which the stereolithography device 31 is installed; and the illumination device 50, which illuminates the interior of the room 40. [Solution] The illumination device 50 in the stereolithography facility 10 is LED illumination 51, which does not include wavelengths greater than 550 nm.

Description

Lighting equipment for stereolithography equipment

[0001] The present invention relates to a photolithography facility for photoforming a photosensitive material, such as a photolithography facility or a 3D printer facility.

[0002] In the manufacture of printed wiring boards using a photolithography device, which is one field of stereolithography equipment, it is necessary to avoid as much as possible the action of ultraviolet light on the photosensitive material except when the material is exposed to ultraviolet light, and therefore such manufacture is carried out in a room illuminated by a lighting device equipped with a fluorescent lamp that blocks light with wavelengths of 500 nm or less, which is in the ultraviolet range. However, the room illuminated by such a lighting device has a yellow atmosphere and is dimly lit, making it an undesirable working environment for workers (see paragraphs

[0003] and

[0004] of Patent Document 1).

[0003] Therefore, Patent Document 1 proposes that, in order to create a bright atmosphere of white light in the room used for the manufacturing, an illumination device be configured to include a fluorescent lamp provided with an ultraviolet absorbing film and an ultraviolet cut filter that passes light irradiated from the fluorescent lamp, and that the ultraviolet cut filter be configured so that the transmittance gradually decreases around a wavelength of 450 nm and cuts wavelengths of 450 nm or less (see paragraphs

[0005] and

[0012] of [Claims] of Patent Document 1). Also, Patent Document 2 proposes that a photolithography device that performs a photolithography process using a photosensitive material that is photosensitive to ultraviolet light is installed in a clean room, that the photolithography device is housed inside a housing that has an observation window for observing the photolithography device, and that the observation window is formed to block light of a wavelength that photosensitizes the photosensitive material (for the above matters, see claim 1 of Patent Document 2), that an internal illumination device that illuminates the inside of the installed housing is a yellow light illumination using yellow light (see claims 1 and 5 of Patent Document 2), and that the clean room in which the housing is installed is equipped with a photolithography device that performs a photolithography process using a photosensitive material that is photosensitive to ultraviolet light (see paragraphs

[0005] and

[0012] of [Claims] of Patent Document 2). It has been proposed that the lighting device in the room be equipped with a white light illumination device using white light and a second light illumination device using yellow light that blocks light of a wavelength that exposes the photosensitive material, and that when the housing is opened, the white light illumination and the second light illumination be switchable so that the white light illumination is turned off and the photosensitive material is not exposed to light (see claims 1, 5, 6, and 8, paragraph

[0016] of Patent Document 2), and that a light source such as an LED or a liquid crystal lamp can be used as an illumination device in which the white light illumination and the second light illumination (yellow light illumination) are integrally formed (see claim 7, paragraphs

[0034] and

[0036] of Patent Document 2).

[0004] Furthermore, in recent years, resist materials that are sensitive to visible light without using ultraviolet light have been developed. However, the present inventors have newly recognized the problem that when using an illumination device such as those described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, a material that is not sensitive to visible light of 500 nm or less becomes sensitive to visible light containing wavelengths of 500-550 nm.

[0005] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 4-315158 Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2008-198888

[0006] The proposal of Patent Document 1 is undesirable because the fluorescent lamp used as the lighting device has a shorter lifespan and higher power consumption than LED lighting, which has been increasingly used in recent years. Furthermore, Patent Document 2 discloses the use of a light source such as an LED as a lighting device in which the white lighting and the second lighting (yellow light lighting) are integrated. However, this proposal is undesirable because it requires two lighting devices: one for illuminating the area within the clean room (i.e., the clean room in which the housing is installed) in which the photolithography apparatus is installed, and another for illuminating the inside of the housing; the internal lighting device for illuminating the inside of the housing is a yellow light lighting device that is not a good environmental color; and the white lighting using the white light of the lighting device for illuminating the area exposes the photosensitive material.

[0007] The present invention aims to solve the problems of short life and high power consumption when fluorescent lamps provided by yellow light fluorescent lamps are used to illuminate the room in a stereolithography facility that includes a stereolithography device such as a photolithography device or a 3D printer device, a room in which the stereolithography device is installed, and an illumination device that illuminates the room, as well as the problem of photosensitivity of photosensitive materials to visible light with wavelengths of 500-550 nm.

[0008] In order to achieve the above object, the stereolithography equipment of the present invention is characterized in that the lighting device is an LED lighting that does not include wavelengths of 550 nm or less.

[0009] According to the present invention, the lighting device of the photolithography equipment or 3D printer equipment is an LED light that does not include wavelengths of 550 nm or less, which allows for a longer life and lower power consumption than fluorescent lamps. Furthermore, as described in Patent Document 1, simply setting the wavelength of the lighting device to 500 nm or less may shorten the effective exposure period of materials (such as photosensitive liquid resins and photosensitive resists) that are photosensitive to ultraviolet light, etc. (see paragraph

[0014] for the term "ultraviolet light, etc."). However, when the wavelength of the lighting device is set to 550 nm or less, as in the present invention, the effective exposure period can be significantly extended.

[0010] 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating a photolithography facility 20 (stereolithography facility 10) according to a first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the relationship between wavelength and relative spectral irradiance [irradiance intensity (%) of each wavelength when the maximum spectral irradiance is 100%] (the same applies to FIG. 3 below) for examples 1 and 2 of the LED illumination 51 used in the photolithography facility 20 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The comparative example in FIG. 2 shows a conventional example in which a yellow light illumination device is used. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the same relationship as FIG. 2 for examples 3 and 4 of the LED illumination 51 used in the photolithography facility 20 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a diagram schematically illustrating a 3D printer facility 30 (stereolithography facility 10) according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0011] The stereolithography equipment 10 of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the following description. In the following Figures 1 to 4, identical parts may be designated by the same reference numerals, and their description may be omitted. Furthermore, for the sake of convenience, the structures of the various parts may be appropriately simplified in the drawings, and the dimensional ratios of the various parts may be shown schematically and different from the actual sizes. In the present specification, a "-" indicating a numerical range includes the lower and upper limits. The term "approximately" before a numerical value in the present specification means a range of within 10%, preferably within 5%, and more preferably within 2% of the numerical value. In the present specification, the terms "excluding wavelengths of XXX nm or less" and "excluding wavelengths of XXX nm or more" mean that, in a graph showing the relationship between wavelength [nm] and relative spectral radiant intensity [%], the "relative spectral radiant intensity at wavelengths of XXX nm or less or XXX nm or more" is 5% or less, preferably 3% or less, and more preferably 2% or less.

[0012] <Regarding the stereolithography equipment 10 of the present invention> The stereolithography equipment 10 of the present invention includes a photolithography equipment 20 and a photolithography device 21 as a subordinate concept thereof, and a 3D printer equipment 30 and a 3D printer device 31 as a subordinate concept thereof. The stereolithography equipment 10 of the present invention includes, as its main components, the photolithography device 21 or the 3D printer device 31 (hereinafter, these devices may be collectively referred to as "stereolithography equipment"), a room 40 (or clean room 41) in which the stereolithography devices 21, 31 are installed, and an illumination device 50 that illuminates the room 40, wherein the illumination device 50 is an LED illumination 51 that does not include wavelengths of 550 nm or less.

[0013] <Regarding Materials Sensitized by Ultraviolet Rays, etc.> The materials sensitive to ultraviolet rays, etc., used in the present invention are not limited as long as they are sensitive to ultraviolet rays, etc., and various known materials can be used. Examples include a photosensitive resist (not shown) for the photolithography equipment 20 and a photosensitive liquid resin 60 for the 3D printer equipment 30. Examples of photosensitive resists include etching resist ink, solder resist ink, plating resist ink, and marking ink. The photosensitive resist may also be a dry film. The photosensitive resist for the photolithography equipment 20 and the photosensitive liquid resin 60 for the 3D printer equipment 3 are formed into a shape corresponding to the pattern by processes such as pattern exposure with ultraviolet rays, etc., and subsequent development. There are positive resists, in which the pattern-exposed portions are removed by development, and negative resists, in which the exposed portions remain, but the present invention is not limited to either.

[0014] <Regarding ultraviolet light, etc. used to expose photosensitive materials> Examples of ultraviolet light used to expose photosensitive materials include g-lines with a wavelength of 436 nm, i-lines with a wavelength of 365 nm, and various excimer lasers with wavelengths of 250 nm or less (KrF: 248 nm, ArF: 193 nm). In recent years, resist materials that are sensitive to visible light without using ultraviolet light have been developed, and when using such photosensitive materials, visible light containing wavelengths in the 500-550 nm range can also be used for exposure. Resists exposed to visible light have the advantage of increasing the reflectance of light. In this specification, "ultraviolet light and / or visible light containing wavelengths of 500-550 nm" may be referred to as "ultraviolet light, etc."

[0015] 1 is a schematic diagram of a photolithography facility 20 according to a first embodiment of the present invention. As described above, the photolithography facility 20 includes the photolithography apparatus 21, a room 40 (or clean room 41) in which the photolithography apparatus 21 is installed, and an illumination device 50 that illuminates the interior of the room 40, in which the illumination device 50 is an LED light 51 that does not emit light with wavelengths of 550 nm or less.

[0016] The photolithography device 21 is equipped with an exposure device 22 that uses ultraviolet light, etc., and a developing device 23, etc., and a photosensitive resist, which is a material (not shown) that is sensitive to ultraviolet light, etc., is exposed to a predetermined pattern by the exposure device 22 that uses ultraviolet light, etc., and then developed by the developing device 23 to form a pattern shape corresponding to the predetermined pattern.

[0017] The inventors conducted various studies on the LED lighting 51 used in the lighting device 50. When white light LED lighting was used, although the working environment color was good, it deteriorated (photosensitivity decreased) within a short period (30 minutes to several hours) from drying the photosensitive material to exposure (standing after drying). When LED lighting (yellow lamp) that cuts wavelengths of 500 nm or less was used, the working environment color was not as good as that of white light LED lighting. Furthermore, the time from drying the photosensitive material to exposure (standing after drying) (photosensitivity retention time) was less than four hours.

[0018] Therefore, the inventors have investigated the use of LED lighting 51 as the lighting device 50, which is an LED lighting that does not include wavelengths of 550 nm or less and has one or more peaks in the wavelength range of 550-700 nm. As a result, it has been found that with LED lighting 51 that does not include wavelengths of 550 nm or less (for example, orange light LED lighting, orange red light LED lighting, deep red light LED lighting), the time from drying to exposure (standing after drying) (photosensitivity retention time) of materials that are photosensitive to ultraviolet light or the like is 12 hours or more, which is sufficient for operation. Furthermore, the inventors have investigated the use of LED lighting 51 that has one or more peak wavelengths in the wavelength range of 550-700 nm. As a result, it has been found that even when LED lighting 51 that has multiple peaks in the wavelength range of 550-700 nm is used as the lighting device 50, the time from drying to exposure of photosensitive resist (standing after drying) is 12 hours or more. It was possible to extend the time (photosensitivity retention time) from drying to drying to 12 hours or more. Also, by appropriately combining LED lighting 51 with different peaks, it was possible to improve the working environment color compared to LED lighting with a single peak.

[0019] The peak wavelength ranges of the LED lighting 51 that can be combined include, but are not limited to, the following wavelength ranges: 575-605 nm 610-640 nm 640-670 nm 580-600 nm 585-605 nm 615-635 nm 645-665 nm An LED lighting 51 with multiple peak wavelength ranges like these may be configured as a single LED lighting 51 or may be configured as multiple LED lighting 51.

[0020] 2 is a graph showing wavelength (mm) vs. relative spectral irradiance (%) for Examples 1 and 2 of LED lighting 51 used in photolithography equipment 30, which serves as the stereolithography equipment of Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Examples 1 and 2 do not include wavelengths of 550 nm or less, and in the graph, the peak wavelength is approximately 625 nm (Deep Red light: Example 1) or approximately 655 nm (Orange Red light: Example 2). In contrast, the LED lighting of the comparative example has a peak wavelength of approximately 590 nm in the graph, but includes wavelengths of 550 nm or less, and is a conventional yellow-light LED lighting.

[0021] The examples 1 and 2 of the LED lighting 51 that illuminate the interior of the room 40 (clean room 41) do not include wavelengths of 550 nm or less, and therefore provide orange red light illumination or deep red light illumination, and the time from drying of the photosensitive resist to exposure (standing after drying) (photosensitivity retention time) was 12 hours or more, which was sufficient.

[0022] 3 is a graph showing wavelength (mm) vs. relative spectral irradiance (%) for Examples 3 and 4 of LED illumination 51 used in photolithography equipment 20, which serves as the stereolithography equipment of Embodiment 1 of the present invention. Examples 3 and 4 do not include wavelengths of 550 nm or less, and in the graph, the peak wavelength is approximately 592 nm (amber 1 light: Example 3) or approximately 595 nm (amber 2 light: Example 4).

[0023] In Examples 3 and 4, which do not include wavelengths of 550 nm or less, amber 1 light illumination and amber 2 light illumination were used, and the color environment for workers was improved compared to orange red light illumination and deep red light illumination. In addition, the time from drying of the photosensitive resist to exposure (standing after drying) (photosensitivity retention time) was 12 hours or more, which was sufficient.

[0024] 4 is a diagram schematically illustrating a 3D printer facility 10 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The 3D printer facility 30 as the stereolithography facility 10 includes the 3D printer device 31 (stereolithography device) as a subordinate concept, a room 40 in which the 3D printer device 31 is installed, and an illumination device 50 that illuminates the interior of the room 40.

[0025] The 3D printer device 31 includes a modeling plate 32, a modeling plate suspension and drive device 33, a photosensitive resin container 35 containing photosensitive liquid resin 60, and an ultraviolet ray irradiator 37. A transparent window 36 is formed at the bottom of the photosensitive resin container 35, and ultraviolet rays and the like from the ultraviolet ray irradiator 37 below the photosensitive resin container 35 are irradiated into the photosensitive resin container 35 through the transparent window 36. The modeling plate 32 facing the transparent window 36 is provided inside the photosensitive resin container 35 and is movable up and down. The photosensitive liquid resin 60 between the modeling plate 32 and the transparent window 36 is exposed to and hardened by ultraviolet rays and the like from the ultraviolet ray irradiator 37, forming a layer of resin on the underside of the modeling plate 32. Then, the shaping plate 32 on which the resin portion was formed was raised, and one layer of photosensitive liquid resin 60 was inserted between the resin portion and the transparent window portion 36, and exposed and hardened by ultraviolet light from the ultraviolet irradiator 37, and one layer of resin portion was added sequentially to produce a resin molded product (not shown) on the underside of the shaping plate 32.

[0026] When the same LED lighting 51 as in Examples 1 and 2 of the first embodiment was used as the lighting device 50 for illuminating the interior of the room 40, results similar to those of Examples 1 and 2 were obtained.

[0027] In the second embodiment, an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) type stereolithography apparatus is used, but an SLA (Stereo Lithography Apparatus) type or a DLP (Digital Light Processing) type may also be used. Furthermore, the 3D printer equipment 30 in the second embodiment uses a regulated liquid level method in which exposure is performed from an ultraviolet ray irradiator 37 below the photosensitive resin container 35, but may use a free liquid level method in which exposure is performed from an ultraviolet ray irradiator (not shown) above the photosensitive liquid resin 60.

[0028] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to the embodiments, the present invention is not limited to the above-described Embodiments 1 and 2 and Examples 1 to 4. Various modifications that can be understood by those skilled in the art can be made to the configuration and details of the present invention within the scope of the present invention.

[0029] This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2023-164673, filed September 27, 2023, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

[0030] In the stereolithography equipment (10, 20, 30) of the embodiment of the present invention, the lighting device that illuminates the room 40 in which the stereolithography devices (photography device 21, 3D printer device 31) are installed is LED lighting 51 that does not include wavelengths of 550 nm or less, which allows for a longer life and lower power consumption than when fluorescent lamps are used. Therefore, the stereolithography equipment of the present invention can be effectively used as manufacturing equipment for various shapes, such as photolithography devices and stereolithography devices.

[0031] A part or all of the above-described embodiments can be described as, but not limited to, the following supplementary notes.

[0032] (Supplementary Note 1) A stereolithography facility including: a stereolithography device that stereolithographs a material that is photosensitive to ultraviolet light and / or visible light containing wavelengths of 500-550 nm; a room in which the stereolithography device is installed; and an illumination device that illuminates the room, wherein the illumination device is an LED illumination device that does not contain wavelengths of 550 nm or less. (Supplementary Note 2) The stereolithography facility described in Supplementary Note 1, wherein the stereolithography device is a photolithography device. (Supplementary Note 3) The stereolithography facility described in Supplementary Note 2, wherein the material that is photosensitive to ultraviolet light and / or visible light containing wavelengths of 500-550 nm is a photosensitive resist. (Supplementary Note 4) The photosensitive resist is etching resist ink, solder resist ink, plating resist ink, marking ink, or dry film. The stereolithography facility described in Supplementary Note 3. (Supplementary Note 5) The stereolithography facility described in Supplementary Note 1, wherein the stereolithography device is a 3D printer device. (Supplementary Note 6) The stereolithography equipment according to Supplementary Note 5, wherein the material that is photosensitive to ultraviolet light and / or visible light having a wavelength of 500-550 nm is a photosensitive liquid resin. (Supplementary Note 7) The stereolithography equipment according to any one of Supplements 1 to 6, wherein the room is a clean room. (Supplementary Note 8) The stereolithography equipment according to any one of Supplements 1 to 7, wherein the LED illumination has a peak wavelength within any one of the ranges of 575-605 nm, 610-640 nm, and 640-670 nm. (Supplementary Note 9) The stereolithography equipment according to any one of Supplements 1 to 7, wherein the LED illumination has a peak wavelength within any one of the ranges of 580-600 nm, 615-635 nm, and 645-665 nm. (Supplementary Note 10) The stereolithography equipment according to any one of Supplements 1 to 7, wherein the LED illumination has two or more peak wavelengths. (Supplementary Note 11) The stereolithography equipment according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 7, wherein the lighting device is equipped with a plurality of types of LED lighting with different peak wavelengths. (Supplementary Note 12) The stereolithography equipment according to any one of Supplementary Notes 1 to 11, wherein the lighting device is installed in the room. (Supplementary Note 13) LED lighting for photolithography equipment, which does not include wavelengths of 550 nm or less.(Supplementary Note 14) An LED light for a 3D printer equipment, the LED light not including wavelengths of 550 nm or less. (Supplementary Note 15) The LED light according to Supplementary Note 13 or 14, wherein the LED light does not include wavelengths of 700 nm or more.

[0033] 10 Optical molding equipment 20 Photolithography equipment (optical molding equipment) 21 Photolithography device (optical molding device) 22 Exposure device using ultraviolet light, etc. 23 Developing device 30 3D printer equipment (optical molding equipment) 31 3D printer device (optical molding device) 32 Modeling plate 33 Modeling plate suspension and drive device 35 Container for photosensitive resin 36 Transparent window 37 UV irradiator, etc. 40 Room in which optical molding device is installed 41 Clean room 50 Lighting device for illuminating the room in which optical molding device is installed 51 LED lighting 60 Photosensitive liquid resin (material that is photosensitive to ultraviolet light, etc.)

Claims

1. A stereolithography facility including: a stereolithography device that stereolithographs a material that is sensitive to ultraviolet light and / or visible light having a wavelength of 500-550 nm; a room in which said stereolithography device is installed; and a lighting device that illuminates the room, wherein said lighting device is an LED light that does not include wavelengths of 550 nm or less.

2. The stereolithography facility according to claim 1, wherein the stereolithography device is a photolithography device.

3. The stereolithography equipment according to claim 2, wherein the material that is sensitive to ultraviolet light and / or visible light having a wavelength of 500-550 nm is a photosensitive resist.

4. The stereolithography equipment according to claim 3, wherein the photosensitive resist is an etching resist ink, a solder resist ink, a plating resist ink, a marking ink, or a dry film.

5. The stereolithography equipment according to claim 1, wherein the stereolithography equipment is a 3D printer.

6. The stereolithography facility of claim 1, wherein the room is a clean room.

7. The stereolithography equipment according to claim 1, wherein the LED illumination has a peak wavelength within any one of the ranges of 575-605 nm, 610-640 nm, and 640-670 nm.

8. The stereolithography equipment according to claim 1, wherein the LED illumination has a peak wavelength within any one of the ranges of 580-600 nm, 615-635 nm, and 645-665 nm.

9. The stereolithography equipment according to claim 7 or 8, wherein the LED lighting has two or more peak wavelengths.

10. The stereolithography equipment according to claim 1, wherein the lighting device is equipped with a plurality of types of LED lighting having different peak wavelengths.

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