Mask Plate With Oversized Protection Mark For Double Exposure Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional display panel production processes face challenges in accurately placing test marks due to positional deviations during double exposure, leading to product defects and increased production costs.
Innovation Solution
A mask plate design with test mark and protection mark mask parts, where the protection mark outline is larger than the test mark, ensuring consistent pattern size even with positional deviations, and a method involving sequential exposures using this mask plate to enhance accuracy and coverage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of stationary object
If the test mark is designed in the double exposure region to increase substrate utilization, then the display region area can be increased, but positional deviation between exposures causes the test mark to fall outside the intended pattern outline
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by designing the protection mark with a larger pattern outline than the test mark before the exposure process. This pre-designed buffer zone anticipates potential positional deviations during double exposure, ensuring that even when alignment is not perfect, the test mark remains within the intended pattern outline boundaries.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements beforehand cushioning by creating a protection mark with a larger pattern outline that serves as a buffer zone around the test mark. This cushioning effect absorbs the impact of positional deviations during exposure, preventing the test mark from falling outside the intended pattern outline and ensuring reliable test results.
2Object-affected harmful factors
If a protection mark of the same size as the test mark is designed to protect photoresist, then photoresist protection is achieved, but any positional deviation causes the test mark to be exposed out and fail the test purpose
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by designing the protection mark with a different pattern outline size than the test mark - specifically, a larger pattern outline. This creates a localized buffer zone with different geometric properties that provides both photoresist protection and tolerance for positional deviations, ensuring the test mark remains within boundaries even when alignment is imperfect.
3Reliability
If conventional exposure processes are used with high placement precision requirements, then product monitoring can be achieved, but positional deviation results in large product loss and increased investment
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-designing the protection mark with a larger pattern outline before the exposure process. This design decision anticipates potential alignment issues and built-in tolerance, reducing the need for extremely high placement precision during exposure while still achieving reliable product monitoring through the test mark.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements beforehand cushioning by creating a protection mark with a larger pattern outline that serves as a buffer zone. This cushioning reduces the impact of positional deviations, minimizing product loss and reducing the stringency of placement precision requirements, thereby lowering production costs while maintaining monitoring reliability.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution improves the accuracy of substrate mark production, reduces production costs, and simplifies product monitoring by ensuring consistent test mark sizes and reducing deformation during double exposure.
Implementation Method 1
exposing every panel region of the substrate in sequence using a mask plate
Implementation Method 2
forming a photoresist layer on the material layer
Data Source
AI summary
The general inventive concepts relate to the field of display technology, and provide a mask plate and a method for producing a substrate mark to increase the accuracy of the production of a substrate mark, and decrease the difficulty in monitoring products and the production cost. An exemplary mask plate comprises: a display region mask part; at least one pair of test mark mask parts, a test mark mask part being located on either side of the display region mask part and their positions being opposite to each other; and a protection mark mask part correspondingly disposed on the outside of each test mark mask part relative to the display region mask part, wherein the pattern outline of the protection mark mask part is larger than that of the test mark mask part.