Maskless Exposure Beam Spot Control for Stain-Free Patterning
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Solution Overview
Problem
The high manufacturing cost of masks required for forming diverse metal patterns on display substrates, due to the need for multiple masks with varying shapes, leads to increased production costs and inefficiencies in the mask-based exposure process.
Innovation Solution
A maskless exposure device is developed, featuring a light source, light modulator, optical system, position determining unit, and control unit, which creates a beam spot array with adjustable on/off-spots to minimize light deviation across patterns, preventing oblique stains by dynamically adjusting the exposure pattern based on accumulated light amounts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If masks are used for exposure, then pattern formation is achieved, but manufacturing cost increases due to multiple masks being required
Solution Approach 1:
The exposure beam is divided into multiple beam spots that can be independently controlled. The light modulator divides the single beam into an array of beam spots, each corresponding to a specific region on the substrate, enabling selective exposure without requiring physical masks for each pattern.
Solution Approach 2:
Physical masks are replaced by a light modulator that uses optical/electrical control to define patterns. The light modulator modulates the exposure beam based on exposure pattern data, eliminating the need for physical mask fabrication and replacement while maintaining precise pattern formation capability.
2Manufacturing precision
If masks are manufactured for each pattern shape, then accurate exposure is achieved, but production time increases due to frequent re-manufacturing
Solution Approach 1:
The exposure system transitions from static physical masks to a dynamic light modulator that can change patterns electronically. The light modulator can rapidly switch between different exposure patterns by changing the modulation data, enabling flexible pattern changes without physical re-manufacturing and significantly reducing production time.
3Device complexity
If beam spot distance is uniform, then device structure is simple, but oblique stains occur due to accumulated light amount deviations
Solution Approach 1:
The beam spot arrangement transitions from uniform to non-uniform spacing, with different distances between adjacent beam spots depending on their positions. This local variation in beam spot spacing compensates for accumulated light amount deviations in different regions, preventing oblique stains while maintaining reasonable device complexity.
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 maskless exposure device effectively reduces light deviation between patterns, minimizing oblique stains and decreasing production costs by eliminating the need for multiple masks, thus enhancing the efficiency of the exposure process.
Implementation Method 1
a light source for emitting an exposure beam
Implementation Method 2
an optical system for transferring the modulated exposure beam onto a substrate in the form of a beam spot array
Data Source
AI summary
A maskless exposure device includes: a light source for emitting a beam, a light modulator for modulating the beam according to an exposure pattern, an optical system for transferring the modulated beam onto a substrate in the form of a beam spot array, a position determining unit for generating relative position data between the beam spot array and the substrate, and a control unit for controlling the light modulator based on the position data of the position determining unit.The beam spot array includes alignment areas and out-of-alignment areas which are alternately disposed, on/off-spots which overlap the alignment areas, and neutral spots which overlap the out-of-alignment areas and at which the substrate is not irradiated with the beam, and a distance between on/off-spots adjacent to each other at a first point in time is different from a distance between on/off-spots adjacent to each other at a second point in time.