JP6714992B2 - Polarized light irradiation device and polarized light irradiation method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a polarized light irradiation device and a polarized light irradiation method.

In Patent Document 1, a polarized light having a plurality of unit polarizers arranged adjacent to each other and at least one of a stage and a polarized light irradiation unit are moved to thereby polarize polarized light with respect to a substrate placed on the stage. Realizing good alignment characteristics by providing scanning means for scanning the ultraviolet light from the irradiation means in a predetermined scanning direction, and the adjoining surface of the unit polarizer and the adjoining direction of the unit polarizer are inclined with respect to the scanning direction. A photo-alignment irradiation device for achieving the above is disclosed.

Japanese Patent No. 5131886

However, in the invention described in Patent Document 1, since the stage is moved along the scanning direction, the length of the photo-alignment irradiation device in the longitudinal direction, here the direction along the scanning direction, is set to the substrate mounted on the stage. Etc. (hereinafter, referred to as the object W) in the direction along the scanning direction (when the object W is tilted with respect to the scanning direction, the scanning direction of the object W in the tilted state). It is necessary to be at least twice the length (along the length). As described above, the invention described in Patent Document 1 has a problem that the device becomes large.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides a polarized light irradiation device and a polarized light irradiation method capable of downsizing the device, particularly shortening the length in the direction along the scanning direction. With the goal.

In order to solve the above problems, the polarized light irradiation device according to the present invention, for example, a stage on which an object is placed, and a substantially band-shaped polarized light along a direction substantially orthogonal to the scanning direction of the object. A polarized light irradiation unit for irradiating, an optical measurement unit for measuring the characteristics of light emitted from the polarized light irradiation unit, and a light source moving unit for moving the polarized light irradiation unit along the scanning direction of the object, And the stage, the polarized light irradiation unit, and the optical measurement unit are provided so that their horizontal positions do not overlap when the polarized light irradiation unit is in the standby position. ..

According to the exposure apparatus of the present invention, a stage on which an object is placed, a polarized light irradiation unit that irradiates a substantially strip-shaped polarized light along a direction substantially orthogonal to the scanning direction of the object, and a polarized light irradiation. The optical measurement unit that measures the characteristics of the light emitted from the unit is provided so that the horizontal positions do not overlap when the polarized light irradiation unit is in the standby position. The light source moving unit moves the polarized light irradiation unit along the scanning direction of the object and passes it over the stage. As described above, by moving the polarized light irradiation unit in the scanning direction without moving the stage in the scanning direction, the polarized light irradiation device can be downsized, and particularly, the length in the longitudinal direction can be shortened.

Here, an input unit for inputting information, a moving speed calculation unit for calculating the moving speed of the polarized light irradiation unit based on the information input by the input unit, and a movement calculated by the moving speed calculation unit. So that the polarized light irradiator passes over the stage at a speed and moves to a measurement position where the horizontal position of the polarized light irradiator and the horizontal position of the optical measuring device match. And a light source movement control unit that controls the light source movement unit. Thereby, by moving the polarized light irradiation unit in the scanning direction, the exposure to the object W and the measurement with the optical measuring device (illumination of polarized light (mW/cm ² ) and integrated exposure amount (mJ/cm ^{2) are performed.} ))It can be performed.

Here, when the polarized light irradiation unit is at the standby position, the optical measuring device may be provided on the opposite side of the stage in the horizontal direction with the polarized light irradiation unit interposed therebetween. This makes it possible to prevent the optical measuring device from being irradiated with more polarized light than necessary.

Here, a light source control unit that controls turning on and off of the light source, and an optical measurement unit that measures the exposure amount and illuminance based on the result measured by the optical measurement device and the information input by the input unit. When the polarized light irradiation unit is in the standby position, the horizontal position of the optical measuring device is between the horizontal position of the stage and the horizontal position of the polarized light irradiation unit. The light source movement control unit allows the polarized light irradiation unit to continuously pass over the optical measuring device and the stage, and the light source control unit includes the light source movement control unit for the polarized light irradiation unit. The light source may be turned on during the movement. Thereby, the measurement with the optical measuring device can be performed almost simultaneously with the exposure process.

Here, an input unit for inputting information, an optical measuring device moving unit for moving the optical measuring device along the scanning direction of the object, and the polarized light irradiation based on the information input by the input unit. A moving speed calculating unit for calculating a moving speed of the light source, and a light source moving unit for controlling the light source moving unit so that the polarized light irradiation unit passes over the stage at the moving speed calculated by the moving speed calculating unit. The optical measuring device moving unit is controlled to move the optical measuring device to a measurement position where a horizontal position of the polarized light irradiation unit and a horizontal position of the optical measuring device coincide with each other. The optical measurement unit movement control unit may be included. As a result, the size of the device can be further reduced.

Here, when the polarized light irradiation unit is at the standby position, the optical measuring device and the polarized light irradiation unit are provided adjacent to each other in the horizontal direction, and both sides of the optical measuring device and the polarized light irradiation unit are provided. Two stages may be provided. Thereby, it is possible to efficiently irradiate a plurality of objects with polarized light.

Here, the light source moving unit may include a rotating unit that rotates the polarized light irradiation unit. Thereby, the longitudinal direction of the polarized light to be exposed can be tilted with respect to the scanning direction without moving the stage, and as a result, good alignment characteristics can be obtained.

Here, the polarized light irradiation unit is a light source, a light guide member for guiding the light emitted from the light source, and a light incident unit to which the light of the light source is supplied, and an upper portion of the stage. A light guide member that is provided in a band shape and that has a light emitting portion that emits light to the stage may be included. As described above, by using the light guide member, the portion to be moved by the light source moving unit can be made smaller and lighter, whereby the polarized light irradiation device can be made smaller.

In order to solve the above problems, the polarized light irradiation method according to the present invention is, for example, a stage on which an object is placed, and a substantially band-shaped polarized light along a direction substantially orthogonal to the scanning direction of the object. It has a polarized light irradiation unit for irradiating, an optical measuring device for measuring the characteristics of the light irradiated from the polarized light irradiation unit, and an input unit for inputting information, and the polarized light irradiation unit is in the standby position. Sometimes, the stage, the polarized light irradiation unit, and the optical measuring device is a polarized light irradiation method using a polarized light irradiation device provided so that the horizontal positions do not overlap, The step of placing the object, a step of calculating the moving speed of the polarized light irradiation unit based on the information input from the input unit, and a state in which light is emitted from the polarized light irradiation unit, A step of moving the polarized light irradiation part from the standby position along the scanning direction of the object at the calculated moving speed to pass on the stage; and a horizontal position of the polarized light irradiation part. A step of moving the polarized light irradiation unit or the optical measuring device along the scanning direction to a measurement position where the horizontal position of the optical measuring device matches, and irradiating light from the polarized light irradiation unit. It is characterized by As described above, by moving the polarized light irradiation unit in the scanning direction without moving the stage in the scanning direction, the polarized light irradiation device can be downsized, and particularly, the length in the longitudinal direction can be shortened.

In order to solve the above problems, the polarized light irradiation method according to the present invention is, for example, a stage on which an object is placed, and a substantially band-shaped polarized light along a direction substantially orthogonal to the scanning direction of the object. It has a polarized light irradiation unit for irradiating, an optical measuring device for measuring the characteristics of the light irradiated from the polarized light irradiation unit, and an input unit for inputting information, and the polarized light irradiation unit is in the standby position. Sometimes, the stage, the polarized light irradiation unit, and the optical measuring device is a polarized light irradiation method using a polarized light irradiation device provided so that the horizontal positions do not overlap, The step of placing the object, a step of calculating the moving speed of the polarized light irradiation unit based on the information input from the input unit, and a state in which light is emitted from the polarized light irradiation unit, Moving the polarized light irradiation unit from the standby position along the scanning direction of the object at the calculated moving speed, and continuously passing over the optical measuring device and the stage. Is characterized by. As a result, by moving the polarized light irradiation unit in the scanning direction without moving the stage in the scanning direction, the polarized light irradiation device can be miniaturized, and the measurement with the optical measuring device can be performed almost simultaneously with the exposure process. It is possible to shorten the time required to process one object W.

According to the present invention, it is possible to reduce the size of the apparatus, and particularly to shorten the length in the scanning direction.

It is a top view which shows the outline of the polarized light irradiation apparatus 1 which concerns on 1st Embodiment. It is a front view which shows the outline of the polarized light irradiation apparatus 1. 3 is a perspective view showing details of polarized light irradiation unit 10. FIG. It is a block diagram which shows the outline of a functional structure of the polarized light irradiation apparatus 1. 3 is a block diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of a control unit 50. FIG. It is a flow chart which shows a flow of processing which polarized light irradiation device 1 performs. 5 is an example of information input to the moving speed calculation unit 52 and information calculated by the moving speed calculation unit 52. It is a top view which shows the outline of the polarized light irradiation apparatus 2 which concerns on 2nd Embodiment. It is a flow chart which shows a flow of processing which polarized light irradiation device 2 performs. It is a top view which shows the outline of the polarized light irradiation apparatus 3 which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a front view which shows the outline of the polarized light irradiation apparatus 3 which concerns on 3rd Embodiment. It is a block diagram showing an example of a schematic structure of control part 50A. It is a flow chart which shows a flow of processing which polarized light irradiation device 3 performs. It is a top view which shows the outline of the polarized light irradiation apparatus 4. It is a front view which shows the outline of the polarized light irradiation device 4. It is a perspective view which shows the outline of the light guide member 62. It is an example schematically showing the distribution state of the emitting portions 62c (the end faces of the optical fiber element wires 62a) on the irradiation surface 62e. It is a top view which shows the outline of the polarized light irradiation apparatus 4A which concerns on the modification of 4th Embodiment. It is a front view which shows the outline of polarized light irradiation apparatus 4A. It is a top view which shows the outline of the polarized light irradiation apparatus 5 which concerns on 5th Embodiment. It is a flow chart which shows a flow of processing which polarized light irradiation device 5 performs. It is a figure which shows the outline of the conventional polarized light irradiation apparatus 100.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

<First Embodiment>
FIG. 1 is a plan view showing the outline of a polarized light irradiation device 1 according to the first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a front view showing the outline of the polarized light irradiation device 1. The polarized light irradiation device 1 irradiates the exposed surface of an object W such as a glass substrate with light that has been polarized by passing through a polarizer (hereinafter, referred to as polarized light) to perform optical alignment processing, and thus a liquid crystal panel or the like. This is a device for producing the alignment film of. Here, the photo-alignment treatment is performed by irradiating a polymer film with linearly polarized ultraviolet light to induce rearrangement of molecules in the film and an anisotropic chemical reaction, thereby making the film anisotropic. Processing. However, the process that can be performed by using the polarized light irradiation device 1 is not limited to the photo-alignment process, and the exposed object W can also be inspected by using the polarized light irradiation device 1, for example.

Hereinafter, the transport direction of the target object W is defined as the x direction, the direction orthogonal to the transport direction is defined as the y direction, and the vertical direction is defined as the z direction. Note that, in FIG. 2, a part of the front side (−y side) of the device is omitted for the sake of explanation. Further, in FIG. 1, for the sake of description, the top surface (the surface on the +z side) of the device frame is omitted.

The polarized light irradiation device 1 mainly includes a polarized light irradiation unit 10, a stage 21, an optical measuring device 22, a light source moving unit 30, and a robot 40.

The polarized light irradiation unit 10 irradiates the object W with polarized light. FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing details of the polarized light irradiation unit 10. The polarized light irradiation unit 10 mainly includes a light source 11, an optical member 12, a mirror 13, and a housing 14.

The light source 11 is a rod-shaped member and emits unpolarized light (for example, ultraviolet light). The light source 11 has a length of about 1 m to about 2 m and a diameter of about 10 mm. In addition, the light source 11 is not limited to this form, and for example, point light sources may be arranged in a line to form a rod-shaped light source.

The optical member 12 is a rectangular member having a long side slightly longer than the emission length of the light source 11. The optical member 12 is provided on the lower side (−z side) of the light source 11 so that its longitudinal direction substantially coincides with the longitudinal direction of the light source 11. The optical member 12 is, for example, a polarizing film that polarizes unpolarized light emitted from the light source 11, but is not limited to the polarizing film. Further, the optical member 12 may be configured by a single member, or may be configured by arranging parallelogram (including square and rectangular) small pieces in a row.

The mirror 13 has a substantially semi-elliptical cross section, and reflects the light emitted from the light source 11. The mirror 13 is provided on the upper side (+z side) of the light source 11 so that its longitudinal direction coincides with the longitudinal direction of the light source 11. As a result, the light emitted from the light source 11 passes through the optical member 12 and is emitted downward (in the −z direction) as thin linear light (see the chain double-dashed line in FIG. 3 ).

The housing 14 is provided with the light source 11, the optical member 12, and the mirror 13. The upper surface (+z side) of the housing 14 is provided with a rotating portion 33 (detailed later). The rotating portion 33 is provided in the housing 14, that is, substantially in the center of the polarized light irradiation portion 10.

Returning to the description of FIGS. 1 and 2. The stage 21 is rotatably provided by a rotation mechanism (not shown) (see the dotted line in FIG. 1). An object W is placed on the upper surface of the stage 21.

The optical measuring device 22 measures the characteristics of the light emitted from the polarized light irradiation unit 10, such as the illuminance of the light emitted from the polarized light irradiation unit 10, the integrated exposure amount, and the orientation of the polarization axis. As shown in FIG. 1, the optical measuring instrument 22 has a sensor 22a for measuring the illuminance of light and a sensor 22b for measuring the direction of the polarization axis. The positions and the numbers of the sensors 22a and 22b are not limited to the form shown in FIG. The optical measuring device 22 can use various known techniques.

The light source moving unit 30 mainly includes a support base 31, a support base moving unit 32, and a rotating unit 33.

As shown in FIG. 3, the support base 31 holds the polarized light irradiation unit 10 via the rotation unit 33. The rotating portion 33 is provided on the back surface (the surface on the −z side) of the support base 31.

The rotating portion 33 mainly includes a rotating shaft 33a for rotating the housing 14 with respect to the support 31 and a rotating shaft driving portion 33b for driving the rotating shaft (not shown in FIG. 3, see FIG. 4). , Which will be described later).

The rotating unit 33 is not an essential component. In the case where the rotating portion 33 is not provided, the housing 14 may be directly provided on the support base 31.

Returning to the description of FIGS. 1 and 2. The support base moving unit 32 includes a rod-shaped rail 32a, a support base drive unit 32b (not shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, see FIG. 4, described later), and a drive force of the support base drive unit 32b. And a parallel movement mechanism section (not shown) for reciprocally moving the support base 31.

A sliding portion (not shown) is provided on the surface (the surface on the +z side) or the side surface (the surface on the +y side and the surface on the -y side) of the support base 31, and the sliding portion slides along the rail 32a. As a result, the support base 31 moves along the rail 32a. Various known techniques can be used for the parallel movement mechanism unit.

The robot 40 is a moving unit that moves the object W to the stage 21 or moves the object W from the stage 21. The position of the robot 40 is not limited to the position shown in FIGS. Since the robot 40 is already known, its description is omitted.

In addition, when the polarized light irradiation unit 10 and the support base 31 are at the standby positions (positions indicated by broken lines and solid lines) shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the polarized light irradiation unit 10, the stage 21, and the optical measuring device 22 are , So that the horizontal positions do not overlap. As a result, it is possible to measure the characteristics of light in the optical measuring device 22 and perform the orientation process on the object W without problems.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an outline of a functional configuration of the polarized light irradiation device 1. The control unit 50 mainly includes a support base movement control unit 51, a movement speed calculation unit 52, a rotation control unit 53, a light source control unit 54, a stage rotation control unit 55, a robot control unit 56, and an optical unit. It has a measurement unit 57 and an integrated control unit 59.

The support base movement control unit 51 controls the support base drive unit 32b so that the support base 31 passes over the stage 21 and the optical measuring instrument 22 along the scanning direction (+x direction or −x direction). The support drive unit 32b is, for example, an actuator. The support base movement control unit 51 can grasp the position of the support base 31 in the x direction from the encoder value of the actuator or the like.

The moving speed calculation unit 52 calculates the moving speed of the support base 31 based on the input information and the like. The result calculated by the moving speed calculation unit 52 is output to the support base movement control unit 51. The support base movement control unit 51 moves the support base 31 in the x direction at the speed calculated by the movement speed calculation unit 52. Specific processing performed by the moving speed calculation unit 52 will be described in detail later.

When an instruction is input by an input device (see FIG. 5) or the like, the rotation control unit 53 controls the rotation shaft drive unit 33b to rotate the support base 31. The rotary shaft drive unit 33b is, for example, an actuator. The rotation control unit 53 can grasp the rotation angle of the support base 31 from the encoder value of the actuator or the like. As described above, the rotation unit 33 is not an essential component, and the rotation control unit 53 is not necessary when the rotation unit 33 is not provided.

The light source control unit 54 controls turning on and off of the light source 11. The stage rotation control unit 55 rotationally drives the stage 21. The robot controller 56 controls the robot 40. The light source control unit 54 and the stage rotation control unit 55 are already known, so their explanations are omitted.

The optical measurement unit 57 calculates the illuminance (mW/cm ² ) and the integrated exposure amount (mJ/cm ² ) of the polarized light emitted from the polarized light irradiation unit 10 based on the result measured by the sensor 22a. In addition, the optical measurement unit 57 determines whether the orientation of the polarization axis measured by the sensor 22b is correct. The process performed by the optical measuring unit 57 will be described in detail later.

The integrated control unit 59 centrally controls each unit that configures the polarized light irradiation device 1 and each functional configuration unit of the control unit 50. Further, the overall control unit 59 has a function of sending a command signal to each unit of the device based on information (data) input, processing result, and the like.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing an example of a schematic configuration of the control unit 50. As shown in the figure, the control unit 50 including, for example, a computer includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 501 which is an arithmetic device, a RAM (Random Access Memory) which is a volatile storage device, and a non-volatile storage device. A memory 502 composed of a certain ROM (Read Only Memory), an external storage device 503, a communication device 504 for communicating with an external device of the polarized light irradiation device 1, an input device 505 such as a mouse and a keyboard, a display device, and the like. An output device 506 and an interface (I/F) 507 that connects the control unit 50 to another unit are provided.

Each functional unit illustrated in FIG. 4 is realized by, for example, the CPU 501 reading a predetermined program stored in a non-volatile storage device of the memory 502 into a volatile storage device of the memory 502 and executing the program. To be done. The predetermined program may be installed in the memory 502 in advance, or may be downloaded from the network via the communication device 504 and installed or updated.

The operation of the polarized light irradiation device 1 thus configured will be described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing performed by the polarized light irradiation device 1. Prior to operating the polarized light irradiation device 1, the polarized light irradiation unit 10 is in the standby position shown in FIGS.

First, the robot control unit 56 controls the robot 40 to perform a loading process of placing the object W on the stage 21 (step S10). Next, the stage rotation control unit 55 rotates the stage 21 and performs a rotation process of tilting the object W by a certain angle with respect to the scanning direction (step S12). This completes the preparation for irradiating the object W with polarized light.

Next, the light source control unit 54 and the support base movement control unit 51 perform the outward exposure process (step S14). The outward exposure process (step S14) will be described below. The support base movement control unit 51 moves the support base 31 in the −x direction so that the support base 31 passes over the stage 21. At this time, the light source control unit 54 turns on the light source 11 and irradiates the object W with polarized light from the polarized light irradiation unit 10. The support base movement control unit 51 stops the support base 31 near the end on the −x side (see the two-dot chain line on the left side in FIGS. 1 and 2). In the forward exposure process, the support base movement control unit 51 moves the support base 31 in the −x direction at the speed, time, and the like calculated by the movement speed calculation unit 52 in advance.

FIG. 7 is an example of information input to the moving speed calculation unit 52 and information calculated by the moving speed calculation unit 52. In FIG. 7, the column described as “input” is information that is stored in the memory 502 via the input device 505 and is input to the moving speed calculation unit 52, and the column described as “calculation” is , The information calculated by the moving speed calculation unit 52 based on the information stored in the memory 502.

The moving speed calculation unit 52 calculates the acceleration and the deceleration based on the mathematical expression (1). For example, when the driving force of the support base drive unit 32b is input as 0.12 G, the moving speed calculation unit 52 sets the acceleration and deceleration to 0.12 (G)×9.80665×1000=11176.8. (Mm/sec ² ) In addition, it is desirable that the driving force of the support driving unit 32b is within a range of 0.12G to 0.15G.
[Equation 1]
Acceleration, deceleration=driving force of support base drive unit 32b×gravitational acceleration×1000 (1)

The moving speed calculation unit 52 calculates the time required for acceleration or deceleration based on Equations (2) and (3). For example, when the acceleration and deceleration are 1176.8 mm/sec ² , the exposure speed is 100 mm/sec, and the initial velocity and the final velocity are 0 mm/sec, the moving velocity calculation unit 52 determines the acceleration time and The deceleration time is calculated as (100 (mm/sec)-0 (mm/sec))/1176.8 (mm/sec ² )=0.085 (sec).
[Equation 2]
Acceleration time = (exposure speed-initial speed) ÷ acceleration (2)
[Equation 3]
Deceleration time = (exposure speed-final speed) ÷ deceleration (3)

The moving speed calculation unit 52 calculates the distances L1 and L2 (see FIG. 1) required for acceleration and deceleration based on Equations (4) and (5). For example, when the acceleration time and the deceleration time are 0.1 seconds and the initial speed and the final speed are 0 mm/second, the moving speed calculation unit 52 sets the acceleration distance L1 and the deceleration distance L2 to 1/2×1176.8. Calculated as (mm/sec ² )×0.085 (sec) ² =4.25 (mm). Further, the moving speed calculation unit 52 calculates the exposure distance L3 (see FIG. 1) based on the mathematical expression (6). For example, when the total movement distance L (see FIG. 1) is 2800 mm and the acceleration distance L1 and the deceleration distance L2 are 4.25 mm, the movement speed calculation unit 52 sets the exposure distance L3 to 2800 (mm)-4. It is calculated as 0.25 (mm)-4.25 (mm)=2791.5 (mm).
[Equation 4]
Acceleration distance L1 = 1/2 x acceleration x acceleration time ² + initial velocity x acceleration time (4)
[Equation 5]
Deceleration distance L2 = 1/2 x deceleration x deceleration time ² + final speed x deceleration time (5)
[Equation 6]
Exposure distance L3=total movement distance L-acceleration distance L1-deceleration distance L2 (7)

The moving speed calculation unit 52 calculates the exposure time and the total required time based on the mathematical expressions (7) and (8). For example, when the exposure distance is 2791.5 mm and the exposure speed is 100 mm/sec, the feeling during exposure is calculated as 2791.5 (mm)÷100 (mm/sec)=27.915 (sec). When the acceleration time and the deceleration time are 0.085 seconds, the total required time is calculated as 0.085 (seconds)+27.915 (seconds)+0.085 (seconds)=28.07 (seconds).
[Equation 7]
Exposure time=exposure distance/exposure speed (7)
[Equation 8]
Total required time = acceleration time + exposure time + deceleration time (8)

Thus, in the forward path of the exposure process (step S14), and the support table 31, the first 0.1 seconds accelerated by 1176.8Mm / sec ² to 100 mm / sec, are moved 27.9 seconds at 100 mm / sec, The moving speed calculation unit 52 obtains that the deceleration of the last 0.1 seconds is 1176.8 mm/sec ² to 100 mm/sec. The support base movement control unit 51 moves the support base 31 in the −x direction at the speed, time, and the like calculated by the moving speed calculation unit 52 in this way. Hereinafter, the range in which the support base 31 accelerates and moves is referred to as an acceleration range, the range in which the support base 31 moves at a constant speed is referred to as a constant speed range, and the range in which the support base 31 decelerates and moves is referred to as a deceleration range.

When the outward exposure process (step S14) is completed, the light source controller 54 and the support base movement controller 51 perform the backward exposure process (step S16). In the return exposure process (step S16), the support base movement control unit 51 moves the support base 31 in the +x direction at the same speed and time as in the forward exposure process (step S14) and passes over the stage 21. Let At this time, the light source control unit 54 turns on the light source 11 and irradiates the object W with polarized light from the polarized light irradiation unit 10. With this, the reciprocal exposure process (steps S14 and S16) is completed.

In the polarized light irradiation device 1, when the polarized light irradiation unit 10 is at the standby position, the optical measuring device 22 is provided on the opposite side of the stage 21 with the polarized light irradiation unit 10 interposed therebetween in the horizontal direction. Deterioration of the optical measuring instrument 22 is accelerated by excessive irradiation of light, especially ultraviolet rays. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the optical measuring instrument 22 from being irradiated with light (ultraviolet rays) during the reciprocal exposure processing (steps S14 and S16), and prevent the performance of the optical measuring instrument 22 from being deteriorated early.

When the reciprocal exposure process (steps S14 and S16) is completed, the stage rotation control unit 55 rotates the stage 21 to return the target object W from a state in which the target object W is tilted by a certain angle to the original direction. Is performed (step S18). At the same time, the support base movement control unit 51 moves the support base 31 in the +x direction so that the position of the light source 11 in the horizontal direction (x direction) comes to the measurement position that overlaps with the position of the optical measuring instrument 22 in the x direction. (Step S18).

When the light source 11 is moved to the measurement position, the polarized light emitted from the polarized light emitting unit 10 is measured (step S20). Specifically, when the polarized light irradiation unit 10 is at the measurement position, the light source control unit 54 turns on the light source 11 for a fixed time. Further, the time during which the polarized light irradiation unit 10 irradiates the optical measuring instrument 22 with the polarized light is stored in the memory 502 in advance. Therefore, the optical measurement unit 57 calculates the integrated exposure amount (mJ/cm ² ) of the polarized light emitted from the polarized light irradiation unit 10 and the polarized light based on the result measured by the sensor 22a and the information indicating the lighting time. The illuminance (mW/cm ² ) is calculated.

Simultaneously with the polarized light measurement process, the robot controller 56 controls the robot 40 to perform a discharge process of discharging the target W from the stage 21 (step S20).

In step S20, the overall control unit 59 compares the result measured by the polarized light measurement process with the information stored in the memory 502, and determines whether the measured result by the polarized light measurement process is correct. That is, it may be determined whether or not the object W has been accurately exposed. Then, when the overall control unit 59 determines that the target object W is not accurately exposed, it may end the process.

The overall control unit 59 determines whether or not there is an object W to be processed next (step S22). For example, if the information indicating that the process is to be terminated is not input from the input device 505, the overall control unit 59 determines to perform the process on the next target object W.

If there is an object W to be processed next (YES in step S22), the support base movement control unit 51 moves the support base 31 to the standby position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 (step S24). Then, the robot control unit 56 controls the robot 40 to perform the loading process of placing the object W on the stage 21 as in step S10 (step S24). After that, the overall control unit 59 returns the process to step S12 and performs the process on the next object W.

When there is no target object W to be processed next (NO in step S22), the support base movement control unit 51 moves the support base 31 to the standby position shown in FIGS. The control unit 59 ends the series of processes.

In addition, in steps S18, S20, and S24, a plurality of processes are simultaneously performed in order to shorten the processing time, but these processes may be performed in order.

Further, the polarized light is irradiated from the polarized light irradiation unit 10 to the target W with respect to the target W inclined by a certain angle with respect to the scanning direction (x direction). The light source 11 may be tilted with respect to the y direction without rotating the stage 21, or the light source 11 may be tilted with respect to the y direction. May be inclined with respect to the x direction. For example, when the longitudinal direction of the light source 11 is tilted with respect to the y direction without rotating the stage 21, the longitudinal direction of the light source 11 can be tilted with respect to the scanning direction without moving the stage 21. As a result, good alignment characteristics can be obtained.

According to the present embodiment, since the polarized light irradiation unit 10 is moved in the scanning direction without moving the stage 21 in the scanning direction, the length of the polarized light irradiation device 1 in the longitudinal direction is shortened and the polarized light irradiation device 1 is reduced. The irradiation device 1 can be downsized.

FIG. 22 shows a polarized light irradiation device 100 that moves the stage 101 in the scanning direction as an example of a conventional polarized light irradiation device. Note that, in FIG. 22, for comparison, the size of the polarized light irradiation device 1 of the present invention is shown by a two-dot chain line. In the polarized light irradiation device 100, a region where the stage 101 can be arranged is required on both sides of the polarized light irradiation unit 102, and an optical measuring device 103 needs to be arranged outside thereof. Therefore, the length of the polarized light irradiation device 100 in the x direction is the length of the polarized light irradiation unit 10 in the x direction, the length of the optical measuring device 103 in the x direction, and the length of the stage 101 in the x direction (stage 101 Is inclined with respect to the scanning direction, it is necessary to have a total length equal to or more than twice the length in the inclined state in the x direction).

However, when the polarized light irradiation unit 10 is moved in the scanning direction without moving the stage 21 in the scanning direction, an area for moving and scanning the stage 21, specifically, the length of the stage 21 in the x direction. The length (the length in the x direction when the stage 21 is tilted with respect to the scanning direction) is unnecessary. Therefore, the polarized light irradiation device 1 can be downsized. Specifically, the length of the polarized light irradiation device 1 in the longitudinal direction is not more than twice the length of the stage 21 in the x direction (or the length of the stage 21 in the x direction when tilted with respect to the scanning direction). can do.

The polarized light irradiation device 1 of the present invention is effective when the size of the object W is large. This is particularly effective when the length of the object W in the scanning direction is as large as 300 mm or more. This is because the polarized light irradiation device 1 can be made smaller as the length of the object W in the scanning direction becomes longer.

<Second Embodiment>
In the first embodiment, the polarized light irradiation unit 10 is provided between the stage 21 and the optical measuring instrument 22 at the standby position shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, but the polarized light irradiation unit 10, the stage 21, It suffices that the optical measuring device 22 and the optical measuring device 22 are provided so that their horizontal positions do not overlap with each other in the standby position, and the arrangement of these constituent elements is not limited to the case shown in FIGS.

The second embodiment is a mode in which an optical measuring device 22 is provided between the stage 21 and the polarized light irradiation unit 10 at the standby position. Hereinafter, the polarized light irradiation device 2 according to the second embodiment will be described. The same parts as those of the polarized light irradiation device 1 according to the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 8 is a plan view showing an outline of the polarized light irradiation device 2 according to the second embodiment. In FIG. 8, the standby positions of the polarized light irradiation unit 10 and the support base 31 are indicated by broken lines and solid lines. At this standby position, the polarized light irradiation unit 10 is provided near the end on the +x side. In other words, at the standby position, the optical measuring device 22 is provided between the stage 21 and the polarized light irradiation unit 10.

The polarized light irradiation device 2 mainly includes a polarized light irradiation unit 10, a stage 21, an optical measuring device 22, a light source moving unit 30A, and a robot 40.

The light source moving unit 30A mainly includes a support base 31, a support base moving unit 32A, and a rotating unit 33. The support base moving unit 32A includes a rod-shaped rail 32c, a support base driving unit 32b (not shown), and a parallel movement mechanism unit (not shown). The difference between the rail 32a and the rail 32c is only the length in the x direction.

The operation of the polarized light irradiation device 2 will be described. FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing performed by the polarized light irradiation device 2. Before operating the polarized light irradiation device 2, the polarized light irradiation unit 10 is in the standby position shown in FIG.

First, the robot control unit 56 performs a loading process of placing the object W on the stage 21 (step S10). Next, the stage rotation control unit 55 performs a rotation process for rotating the stage 21 (step S12).

After that, the light source control unit 54 and the support base movement control unit 51 move the support base 31 in the −x direction while turning on the light source 11, and perform the outward exposure process and the measurement process (step S15). Regarding the forward exposure process, the difference between step S14 (see FIG. 6) and step S15 is the distance in the constant velocity range (total movement distance L-1 and exposure distance L3-1), and the other steps are step S14 and step S15. Are the same.

In the polarized light irradiation device 2, the optical measuring device 22 is provided in the constant speed region. Therefore, the total moving distance L-1 and the exposure distance L3-1 in the polarized light irradiation device 2 are longer than the total moving distance L and the exposure distance L3 in the polarized light irradiation device 1 by at least the optical measuring device 22.

In step S15, the support base 31 (polarized light irradiation unit 10) passes over the optical measuring instrument 22 and continuously passes over the stage 21 while moving at a constant velocity in the constant velocity region. Therefore, in step S15, the measurement process can be performed almost simultaneously with the outward exposure process. The optical measuring unit 57 calculates the integrated exposure amount (mJ/cm ² ) of the polarized light emitted from the polarized light emitting unit 10 based on the measurement result of the optical measuring device 22 and the speed calculated by the moving speed calculating unit 52. ) And the illuminance (mW/cm ² ) of polarized light.

After the forward exposure process and measurement process (step S15), the support base movement control unit 51 stops the support base 31 near the end on the -x side (see the chain double-dashed line in FIG. 8).

After the outward exposure process and the measurement process (step S15) are completed, the light source control unit 54 and the support base movement control unit 51 move the support base 31 in the +x direction while turning on the light source 11, and perform the return exposure process. Perform (step S16). After the backward exposure process (step S16), the support base 31 returns to the standby position shown in FIG.

When the reciprocal exposure process (steps S14 and S16) is completed, the stage rotation control unit 55 rotates the stage 21 to return the target object W from a state in which the target object W is tilted by a certain angle to the original direction. Is performed (step S17). Then, the robot control unit 56 controls the robot 40 to perform a discharge process of discharging the target object W from the stage 21 (step S21).

The overall control unit 59 determines whether or not there is an object W to be processed next (step S22). If there is a target object W to be processed next (YES in step S22), the robot controller 56 returns the process to step S10 and performs the process on the next target object W.

When there is no target object W to be processed next (NO in step S22), the overall control unit 59 ends the series of processes.

According to the present embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the size of the polarized light irradiation device 2 in the longitudinal direction can be reduced.

Further, according to the present embodiment, since the support base 31 (polarized light irradiation unit 10) may be moved back and forth once (moved in the −x direction and then moved in the +x direction), the process performed by the control unit 50. It is possible to simplify the contents and shorten the time required to process one object W.

<Third Embodiment>
In the first embodiment, the polarized light irradiation unit 10 is movably provided, but a member other than the polarized light irradiation unit 10 may be movably provided.

The third embodiment is a mode in which the polarized light irradiation unit 10 and the optical measuring device 22 are movably provided. Hereinafter, the polarized light irradiation device 3 according to the second embodiment will be described. The same parts as those of the polarized light irradiation device 1 according to the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 10 is a plan view showing an outline of the polarized light irradiation device 3 according to the third embodiment. FIG. 11 is a front view showing an outline of the polarized light irradiation device 3 according to the third embodiment. At the standby position shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the optical measuring device 22 is provided near the end on the +x side, and the polarized light irradiation unit 10 is provided adjacent to the −x side. In other words, at the standby position, the polarized light irradiation unit 10 is provided between the stage 21 and the optical measuring instrument 22 when viewed from above (+z direction).

The polarized light irradiation device 3 mainly includes a polarized light irradiation unit 10, a stage 21, an optical measuring device 22, an optical measuring device moving unit 23, a light source moving unit 30B, and a robot 40.

The optical measuring instrument moving unit 23 is driven by a rod-shaped rail 23a, an optical measuring instrument driving unit 23b (not shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, see FIG. 12, detailed later), and a driving force of the optical measuring instrument driving unit 23b. And a parallel movement mechanism section (not shown) for reciprocating the optical measuring instrument 22 along the rail 23a.

A sliding portion (not shown) is provided on the bottom surface (the surface on the −z side) of the optical measuring instrument 22, and the sliding portion slides along the rail 23a so that the optical measuring instrument 22 moves along the rail 23a. To move. Various known techniques can be used for the parallel movement mechanism unit.

The light source moving unit 30B mainly includes a support base 31, a support base moving unit 32B, and a rotating unit 33. The support base moving unit 32B includes a rod-shaped rail 32d, a support base driving unit 32b (not shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, see FIG. 12), and a parallel moving mechanism unit (not shown). The difference between the rails 32a and 32d is only the length in the x direction.

FIG. 12 is a block diagram showing an outline of a functional configuration of the polarized light irradiation device 3. The control unit 50A mainly includes a support base movement control unit 51, a movement speed calculation unit 52, a rotation control unit 53, a light source control unit 54, a stage rotation control unit 55, a robot control unit 56, and an optical unit. It has a measuring unit 57, an optical measuring device movement control unit 58, and a general control unit 59.

The optical measuring instrument movement control unit 58 controls the optical measuring instrument driving unit 23b so as to move the optical measuring instrument 22 along the scanning direction (+x direction or −x direction). The optical measuring instrument drive unit 23b is, for example, an actuator. The optical measuring instrument movement control unit 58 can grasp the position of the optical measuring instrument 22 in the x direction from the encoder value of the actuator or the like.

The operation of the polarized light irradiation device 3 thus configured will be described. FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing performed by the polarized light irradiation device 3. Prior to operating the polarized light irradiation device 3, the polarized light irradiation unit 10 is in the standby position shown in FIGS.

First, the robot control unit 56 controls the robot 40 to perform a loading process of placing the object W on the stage 21 (step S10). Next, the stage rotation control unit 55 performs a rotation process for rotating the stage 21 (step S12). Next, the light source controller 54 and the support base movement controller 51 perform the forward exposure process (step S14) and the backward exposure process (step S16).

When the exposure process (steps S14 and S16) is completed, the stage rotation control unit 55 rotates the stage 21 and performs a rotation process for returning the object W from the state in which it is tilted by a certain angle with respect to the scanning direction to the original state. (Step S19). This process is the same as the process in step S18 (see FIG. 6). At the same time, the optical-measuring-device movement control unit 58 sets the optical measuring device 22 in the -x direction so that the position of the light source 11 in the horizontal direction (x direction) comes to a measurement position that overlaps the position of the optical measuring device 22 in the x direction. (Step S19).

When the light source 11 is moved to the measurement position, the polarized light emitted from the polarized light emitting unit 10 is measured (step S20). At the same time, the robot controller 56 controls the robot 40 to perform a discharge process of discharging the target object W from the stage 21 (step S20).

The overall control unit 59 determines whether or not there is an object W to be processed next (step S22). If there is an object W to be processed next (YES in step S22), the optical measuring device movement control unit 58 moves the optical measuring device 22 in the +x direction so that the optical measuring device 22 is at the standby position. (Step S25). Then, similarly to step S10, the robot controller 56 performs the loading process of controlling the robot 40 and placing the object W on the stage 21 (step S25). After that, the overall control unit 59 returns the process to step S12 and performs the process on the next object W.

When there is no object W to be processed next (NO in step S22), the optical measuring instrument 22 is moved in the +x direction (step S27), and the overall control unit 59 ends the series of processes.

In addition, in steps S19, S20, and S25, a plurality of processes are performed at the same time to shorten the processing time, but the plurality of processes may be performed in order.

According to this embodiment, the size of the polarized light irradiation device 3 can be further reduced. Specifically, the size of the polarized light irradiation device 3 can be made smaller than the size of the polarized light irradiation device 1 by the length of the support 31 in the x direction.

<Fourth Embodiment>
Although the polarized light irradiation unit 10 using the light source 11 is moved in the scanning direction in the first embodiment, the polarized light irradiation unit to be moved is not limited to this.

The fourth embodiment uses a light guide member that guides the light of the light source onto the stage 21. Hereinafter, the polarized light irradiation device 4 according to the fourth embodiment will be described. The same parts as those of the polarized light irradiation device 1 according to the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 14 is a plan view showing an outline of the polarized light irradiation device 4 according to the fourth embodiment. FIG. 15 is a front view showing the outline of the polarized light irradiation device 4.

The polarized light irradiation unit 60 mainly includes a light source 61, a light guide member 62, and an optical member 63 (not shown in FIG. 14). At the standby position shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the polarized light irradiation unit 60 is provided between the stage 21 and the optical measuring instrument 22 in the horizontal direction.

The light source 61 mainly has a lamp 61a and an optical filter 61b. The light source 61 is provided outside the device frame of the polarized light irradiation device 1, for example. However, the position where the light source 61 is provided is not limited to the position shown in FIGS.

The lamp 61a emits unpolarized light (for example, ultraviolet light). The lamp 61a is a short arc type lamp that is a high-intensity point light source with a short interelectrode distance of about 1 to 10 mm, for example. The lamp 61a is not limited to a short arc type lamp, and various types of light emitting devices such as LEDs can be used.

The optical filter 61b allows only light of a predetermined wavelength to pass through from the light emitted from the lamp 61a. A lamp 61a is provided on the back surface of the optical filter 61b, and an incident portion 62b (detailed later) of the light guide member 62 is provided on the front surface of the optical filter 61b.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view showing an outline of the light guide member 62. The light guide member 62 guides the light emitted from the light source 61 to a place away from the light source. In the present embodiment, the light guide member 62 is an optical fiber bundle formed by bundling a plurality of optical fiber strands 62a. The optical fiber strand 62a guides the light supplied from the incident part 62b to the emitting part 62c.

In the light guide member 62, the optical fiber wires 62a are partially bundled. The bundled main body 62d is formed by bundling a plurality of optical fiber strands 62a into a bundle and integrating the bundles by a fusion process or the like.

The end face of the optical fiber element wire 62a on the side where the optical fiber element wires 62a are bundled is the incident portion 62b. At the incident portion 62b, the end faces of the plurality of optical fiber strands 62a are uniformly distributed and fixed.

The end surface of the optical fiber element wire 62a on the side where the optical fiber element wires 62a are not bundled is the emitting portion 62c. The optical fiber element wire 62a can be widened in the vicinity of the emitting portion 62c. In the present embodiment, the optical fiber wires 62a are spread and arranged so that the emitting portion 62c has a substantially strip shape. Hereinafter, the entire emission parts 62c arranged in a substantially strip shape are defined as an irradiation surface 62e that irradiates the object W with light.

FIG. 17 is an example schematically showing the distribution state of the emitting portions 62c (the end faces of the optical fiber element wires 62a) on the irradiation surface 62e. In FIG. 17, the optical fiber strand 62a is partially shown.

The emission parts 62c are arranged in a staggered manner so that the unevenness of the light emitted from the irradiation surface 62e is not noticeable. That is, the optical fiber strand 62a is arranged such that the center of the emitting portion 62c in the first row (row I) is located between the centers of the emitting portions 62c in the row (row II) adjacent to the first row. However, the arrangement of the emitting portion 62c is not limited to this form.

Returning to the description of FIGS. The irradiation surface 62e and the optical member 63 are provided above the stage 21 (+z direction).

The optical member 63 is a rectangular member having a long side that is substantially the same length as the irradiation surface 62e. The optical member 63 is provided on the lower side (−z side) of the light source 61 so that its longitudinal direction substantially coincides with the longitudinal direction of the irradiation surface 62e. The optical member 63 is, for example, a polarizer that polarizes unpolarized light emitted from the light source 11, but is not limited to this.

The support table 31 supports the irradiation surface 62e and the optical member 63. The support base 31 is provided with a hole (not shown) through which the main body 62d passes. On the lower surface side of the support base 31, an optical fiber element wire 62a is provided so as to be widened to form an irradiation surface 62e. When the support base 31 is moved along the rail 32a, the light guide member 62 and the optical member 63 are moved, but the light source 61 is not moved.

In the polarized light irradiation device 4, the light source control unit 54 controls turning on and off of the light source 61. Other than that, the processing content of the polarized light irradiation device 4 is the same as the processing content of the polarized light irradiation device 1, and thus the description thereof is omitted.

According to the present embodiment, the light source 61 is not moved, and only the light guide member 62 and the optical member 63 are moved. Therefore, the portion supported by the support base 31 (in other words, the portion moved by the support base drive unit 32b). Can be small and light. As a result, it becomes easy to move the part irradiated with the polarized light. As a result, it is possible to use the support base driving unit 32b having a small output, and it is possible to make the polarized light irradiation device 3 smaller.

For example, in the polarized light irradiation device 1 of the first embodiment, since heat is generated from the light source 11, the polarized light irradiation unit 10 is often provided with a duct for exhausting heat. Therefore, the support base driving unit 32b must move the duct together with the polarized light irradiation unit 10, and it is necessary to use an actuator or the like having a large output as the support base driving unit 32b.

On the other hand, in the polarized light irradiation device 4 of the present embodiment, since the portion to be moved is light, a small actuator having a small output can be used as the support base drive unit 32b. In addition, since the portion supported by the support base 31 is small and light, the polarized light irradiation device 3 can be downsized accordingly.

In addition, although the optical fiber bundle is used as the light guide member 62 in the present embodiment, the light guide member is not limited to this. A diffusion plate may be used as a light guide member that guides the light of the light source 61.

FIG. 18 is a plan view showing the outline of a polarized light irradiation device 4A according to a modification of the fourth embodiment. FIG. 19 is a front view showing an outline of the polarized light irradiation device 4A.

The polarized light irradiation unit 60A mainly includes a light source 61, a light guide member 64, and an optical member 63 (not shown in FIG. 11). At the standby position shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, the polarized light irradiation unit 60A is provided between the stage 21 and the optical measuring instrument 22 in the horizontal direction.

The light source 61 is provided adjacent to the side surface of the light guide member 64 (here, the side surface on the y side (short side direction)). The optical member 63 is provided below the light guide member 64.

The light guide member 64 is a plate material formed of a transparent material such as acrylic and is formed in a substantially strip shape. A metal reflection diffusion plate is provided on the front surface (the +z side surface) of the light guide member 64 so that the back surface (the −z side surface) of the light guide member 64 emits surface light. Further, a light shielding plate made of metal is provided on the side surface of the light guide member 64 where the light source 61 is not provided adjacent to it so that light does not escape.

The support 31 supports the polarized light irradiation unit 60A. The polarized light irradiation unit 60A has a light source 61, but since the light source 61 is smaller and lighter than the light source 11, the support table 31 can be moved easily as compared with the polarized light irradiation devices 1 and 2. Therefore, the polarized light irradiation device 4A can be downsized as compared with the polarized light irradiation devices 1 and 2.

<Fifth Embodiment>
In the first embodiment, one stage 21 is provided, but the number of stages 21 is not limited to this.

In the fifth embodiment, two stages 21 are provided. Hereinafter, the polarized light irradiation device 5 according to the fifth embodiment will be described. The same parts as those of the polarized light irradiation device 1 according to the first embodiment are designated by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will be omitted.

FIG. 20 is a plan view showing the outline of the polarized light irradiation device 5 according to the second embodiment. In FIG. 20, the positions of the polarized light irradiation unit 10 and the support base 31 at the standby position are indicated by broken lines and solid lines. At this standby position, the polarized light irradiation unit 10 is provided at substantially the center in the x direction. Further, at the standby position, an optical measuring instrument 22 is provided adjacent to the polarized light irradiation unit 10, and stages 21 are provided on both sides thereof. 20, the optical measuring device 22 is provided on the right side (+x side) of the polarized light irradiation unit 10, but the optical measuring device 22 is provided on the left side (−x side) of the polarized light irradiation unit 10. May be

The polarized light irradiation device 5 mainly includes a polarized light irradiation unit 10, a stage 21, an optical measuring device 22, a light source moving unit 30C, and a robot 40 (not shown in FIG. 20).

The light source moving unit 30C mainly includes a support base 31, a support base moving unit 32C, and a rotating unit 33. The support base moving unit 32C includes a rod-shaped rail 32e, a support base driving unit 32b (not shown), and a parallel movement mechanism unit (not shown). The difference between the rails 32a and 32e is only the length in the x direction.

The robot 40 is provided to face the +x side end and the −x side end of the polarized light irradiation device 5. The position of the robot 40 provided at the end on the −x side is the same as that of the polarized light irradiation device 1.

The operation of the polarized light irradiation device 5 thus configured will be described. FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing the flow of processing performed by the polarized light irradiation device 5. Prior to operating the polarized light irradiation device 5, the polarized light irradiation unit 10 is in the standby position shown in FIG.

First, the robot control unit 56 controls the robot 40 to perform a loading process of placing the target object W on the stage 21 (hereinafter referred to as the first stage 21) provided on the −x side (step S30). .. The process is similar to step 10 (see FIG. 6).

Next, the stage rotation controller 55 rotates the first stage 21 to perform a rotation process of tilting the object W by a certain angle with respect to the scanning direction (step S32). The process is the same as step 12 (see FIG. 6).

Next, the light source controller 54 and the support base movement controller 51 perform the outward exposure process on the first stage 21 (step S34). The process is the same as step S14 (see FIG. 6).

When the outward exposure process (step S34) is completed, the light source controller 54 and the support base movement controller 51 perform the backward exposure process for the first stage 21 (step S36). The backward exposure process in step S36 is the same as step S16 (see FIG. 6). At the same time, the robot control unit 56 controls the robot 40 to perform the loading process of placing the target object W on the stage 21 (hereinafter referred to as the second stage 21) provided on the +x side (step S36). ..

When the reciprocal exposure process (steps S34, S36) for the first stage 21 is completed, the light source control unit 54 turns on the light source 11, and the support base movement control unit 51 starts moving the support base 31 in the +x direction (step S34). S38). At the same time, the stage rotation control unit 55 rotates the first stage 21 to rotate the first stage 21 from the state in which the object W is tilted by a certain angle to the scanning direction, and rotates the second stage 21. Then, the rotation process of tilting the object W by a certain angle with respect to the scanning direction is performed (step S38).

When the light source 11 is moved to the measurement position where the position of the light source 11 in the horizontal direction (x direction) overlaps with the position of the optical measuring instrument 22 in the x direction, measurement processing of the polarized light emitted from the polarized light irradiation unit 10 is performed. (Step S40). Then, the light source control unit 54 and the support base movement control unit 51 perform the outward exposure process for the second stage 21 (step S42).

The integrated control unit 59 continuously performs steps S40 and S42 without stopping the support base 31 after starting to move the support base 31 in step S38. The moving speed calculation unit 52 calculates in advance the speed, time, etc. at which the support base movement control unit 51 moves the support base 31. In step S40, the optical measurement unit 57, based on the measurement result of the optical measurement device 22 and the speed calculated by the moving speed calculation unit 52, the integrated exposure amount of the polarized light irradiated from the polarized light irradiation unit 10 ( mJ/cm ² ) and the illuminance of polarized light (mW/cm ² ) are calculated. In this way, in steps S38 to S42, the exposure process and the measurement process are continuously and substantially simultaneously performed.

Simultaneously with the forward exposure process, the robot control unit 56 controls the robot 40 to perform a discharge process of discharging the target object W from the first stage 21 (step S42).

The overall control unit 59 determines whether or not there is an object W to be processed next (step S44). When there is a target object W to be processed next (YES in step S44), the light source control unit 54 and the support base movement control unit 51 perform the homeward exposure process for the second stage 21 and the target object for the first stage 21. The process of loading the article W is performed (step S46). In the backward exposure process performed on the second stage 21 in step S46, the support base 31 is moved in the −x direction at the same speed as in steps S38 to S42, and the polarized light irradiation unit 10 is returned to the standby position. .. The process of inserting the target object W into the first stage 21 in step S46 is the same as in step S30.

Next, the stage rotation controller 55 rotates the second stage 21 to perform a rotation process of returning the object W from the state in which the object W is tilted by a certain angle with respect to the scanning direction to the original state (step S48). The process is similar to step 32. At the same time, the stage rotation controller 55 rotates the first stage 21 to perform a rotation process of tilting the object W by a certain angle with respect to the scanning direction (step S48).

Then, the robot control unit 56 controls the robot 40 to perform a discharge process of discharging the target object W from the second stage 21 (step S50). At the same time, the light source controller 54 and the support base movement controller 51 perform the outward exposure process on the first stage 21 (step S50). This exposure process is the same as step S34. After that, the overall control unit 59 returns the process to step S36 and performs the process on the next object W.

When there is no target object W to be processed next (NO in step S44), the light source controller 54 and the support base movement controller 51 perform the exposure process of the second stage 21 on the return path (step S52). The process is the same as the process in step S46. Next, the stage rotation controller 55 rotates the second stage 21 to perform a rotation process of returning the object W from the state in which the object W is tilted by a certain angle with respect to the scanning direction to the original state (step S54). The process is similar to step S48. After that, the robot control unit 56 controls the robot 40 to perform a discharge process of discharging the target object W from the second stage 21 (step S56). The process is the same as the process in step S50. Then, the overall control unit 59 ends the series of processes.

In addition, in steps S36, S38, S42, S46, S48, and S50, a plurality of processes are performed at the same time in order to reduce the processing time, but the plurality of processes may be performed in order.

According to the present embodiment, it is possible to perform the processing more efficiently by using the device having the same size as the conventional device.

The embodiment of the present invention has been described in detail above with reference to the drawings. However, the specific configuration is not limited to this embodiment, and includes design changes and the like within the scope not departing from the gist of the present invention. ..

Further, in the present invention, “substantially” is a concept that includes not only the case where they are exactly the same but also an error and a deformation that do not lose the sameness. For example, the term “substantially the center” is not limited to the case of the exact center. In addition, for example, when simply expressing as parallel, orthogonal, etc., it includes not only strictly parallel, orthogonal, etc. but also substantially parallel, substantially orthogonal, etc. Further, in the present invention, “vicinity” is a concept indicating that it is near A and may or may not include A, for example, when it is near A.

1, 2, 3, 4, 4A, 5: polarized light irradiation device 10: polarized light irradiation unit 11: light source 12: optical member 13: mirror 14: housing 21: stage 22: optical measuring instruments 22a, 22b: sensor 23 : Optical measuring instrument moving section 23a: Rail 23b: Optical measuring instrument driving section 30, 30A, 30B, 30C: Light source moving section 31: Support stand 32, 32A, 32B, 32C: Support stand moving section 32a: Rail 32b: Support stand Drive unit 32c: Rail 32d: Rail 32e: Rail 33: Rotating unit 33a: Rotating shaft 33b: Rotating shaft driving unit 40: Robot 50, 50A: Control unit 51: Support platform movement control unit 52: Moving speed calculation unit 53: Rotation control unit 54: Light source control unit 55: Stage rotation control unit 56: Robot control unit 57: Optical measuring unit 58: Optical measuring device movement control unit 59: General control unit 60, 60A: Polarized light irradiation unit 61 : Light source 61a: Lamp 61b: Optical filters 62, 64: Light guide member 62a: Optical fiber element wire 62b: Incident part 62c: Emission part 62d: Main body 62e: Irradiation surface 63: Optical member 501: CPU
502: Memory 503: External storage device 504: Communication device 505: Input device 506: Output device 507: Interface

Claims (10)

A stage on which an object is placed and which does not move in the scanning direction,
A polarized light irradiation unit that irradiates a substantially strip-shaped polarized light along a direction substantially orthogonal to the scanning direction of the object,
An optical measuring device that measures the characteristics of the light emitted from the polarized light irradiation unit,
A light source moving unit that moves the polarized light irradiation unit along the scanning direction of the object,
A measurement in which the polarized light irradiation unit is passed over the stage to irradiate the object with polarized light, and then the horizontal position of the polarized light irradiation unit and the horizontal position of the optical measuring device match. The polarized light irradiation unit is moved to a position to irradiate the optical measuring device with polarized light, and then the polarized light irradiation unit is moved to a standby position, or the horizontal position of the polarized light irradiation unit and the optical The polarized light irradiator is moved to a measurement position where the horizontal position of the measuring instrument matches, and the polarized light is radiated to the optical measuring instrument, and then the polarized light irradiator is passed over the stage to produce the polarized light. A control unit that irradiates the object with polarized light, and then moves the polarized light irradiation unit to a standby position,
Equipped with
When the polarized light irradiation unit is in the standby position, the stage, the polarized light irradiation unit, and the optical measuring device are provided so that their horizontal positions do not overlap. Irradiation device. A stage on which an object is placed and which does not move in the scanning direction,
A polarized light irradiation unit that irradiates a substantially strip-shaped polarized light along a direction substantially orthogonal to the scanning direction of the object,
An optical measuring device that measures the characteristics of the light emitted from the polarized light irradiation unit,
A light source moving unit that moves the polarized light irradiation unit along the scanning direction of the object,
An optical measuring device moving unit that moves the optical measuring device along the scanning direction of the object,
When the polarized light irradiation unit is passed over the stage to irradiate the object with polarized light, and then the polarized light irradiation unit is moved to a standby position, and the polarized light irradiation unit is located at the standby position. In, a control unit for moving the optical measuring device to a measurement position where the horizontal position of the polarized light irradiation unit and the horizontal position of the optical measuring device match.
Equipped with
When the polarized light irradiation unit is in the standby position, the stage, the polarized light irradiation unit, and the optical measuring device are provided so that their horizontal positions do not overlap. Irradiation device. Wherein when the polarized light irradiation unit is in the standby position, in the horizontal direction, the optical meter, according to claim 1, characterized in that provided on the opposite side of the stage across the polarized light irradiation unit Polarized light irradiation device. Based on the information measured by the optical measuring device and the information indicating the lighting time, an optical measuring unit for measuring the exposure amount and the illuminance, and
When the polarized light irradiation unit is in the standby position, the horizontal position of the optical measuring device is between the horizontal position of the stage and the horizontal position of the polarized light irradiation unit,
The control unit allows the polarized light irradiation unit to continuously pass over the optical measuring device and the stage, and lights the polarized light irradiation unit while moving the polarized light irradiation unit. The polarized light irradiation device according to claim 1, wherein the polarized light irradiation unit is controlled to be turned on and off. An input unit for inputting information including a total moving distance which is a total distance required for exposure and an exposure speed which is a speed required for exposure,
Based on the information input by the input unit, an acceleration of the polarized light irradiation unit, deceleration, acceleration time, deceleration time, and a moving speed calculation unit for calculating the exposure time,
The control unit moves the polarized light irradiation unit in the scanning direction while accelerating the polarized light irradiation unit for the acceleration time at the acceleration, and moves the polarized light irradiation unit in the scanning direction for the exposure time at the exposure speed. The polarized light according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the polarized light irradiation unit is moved in the scanning direction while being passed over a stage and decelerating the polarized light irradiation unit for the deceleration time at the deceleration. Irradiation device. When the polarized light irradiation unit is in the standby position, the optical measuring device and the polarized light irradiation unit are provided adjacent to each other in the horizontal direction, and the stage is provided on both sides of the optical measuring device and the polarized light irradiation unit. The polarized light irradiation device according to claim 1, wherein two polarized light irradiation devices are provided. The polarized light irradiation device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the light source moving unit includes a rotating unit that rotates the polarized light irradiation unit. The polarized light irradiation unit is a light source and a light guide member that guides the light emitted from the light source, and is provided in a substantially strip shape above the stage and a light incident unit to which the light of the light source is supplied. The polarized light irradiation device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, further comprising: a light guide member having a light emitting portion that emits light to the stage. A stage that does not move in the scanning direction in which an object is placed, a polarized light irradiation unit that irradiates a substantially band-shaped polarized light along a direction substantially orthogonal to the scanning direction of the object, and an irradiation from the polarized light irradiation unit An optical measuring device for measuring the characteristics of the light, and an input unit for inputting information, and when the polarized light irradiation unit is in a standby position, the stage, the polarized light irradiation unit, and The optical measuring device is a polarized light irradiation method using a polarized light irradiation device provided so that horizontal positions do not overlap,
Placing the object on the stage,
Based on the information input from the input unit, a step of calculating the moving speed of the polarized light irradiation unit,
In a state where light is emitted from the polarized light irradiation unit, the polarized light irradiation unit is moved from the standby position along the scanning direction of the object at the calculated moving speed to pass on the stage. Exposure process
The polarized light irradiation unit or the optical measuring device is moved along the scanning direction to a measurement position where the horizontal position of the polarized light irradiation unit and the horizontal position of the optical measuring device match, and the polarized light irradiation is performed. A step of irradiating light from a part to measure polarized light,
A step of moving the polarized light irradiation unit to the standby position,
A method for irradiating polarized light, which comprises: A stage that does not move in the scanning direction in which an object is placed, a polarized light irradiation unit that irradiates a substantially band-shaped polarized light along a direction substantially orthogonal to the scanning direction of the object, and an irradiation from the polarized light irradiation unit An optical measuring device for measuring the characteristics of the light, and an input unit for inputting information, and when the polarized light irradiation unit is in a standby position, the stage, the polarized light irradiation unit, and The optical measuring device is a polarized light irradiation method using a polarized light irradiation device provided so that horizontal positions do not overlap,
Placing the object on the stage,
Based on the information input from the input unit, a step of calculating the moving speed of the polarized light irradiation unit,
In a state where light is emitted from the polarized light irradiation unit, the polarized light irradiation unit is moved from the standby position along the scanning direction of the object at the calculated moving speed, and the optical measuring device and the stage A step of continuously passing through the above to perform exposure processing and measurement processing of polarized light;
A step of moving the polarized light irradiation unit to the standby position,
A method for irradiating polarized light, which comprises:

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