Photolithography method, method of preparing flexible substrate and photoresist drying device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11249399-B2
Application number	US-201916406759-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 8, 2019
Priority date	Sep 5, 2018
Publication date	Feb 15, 2022
Grant date	Feb 15, 2022

Abstract

A photolithography method, a method of preparing a flexible substrate and a photoresist drying device are provided. The photolithography method includes: providing a base substrate on which a material layer to be etched is formed, in which the base substrate includes an intermediate region and a peripheral region surrounding the intermediate region; coating a layer of photoresist on the base substrate, in which the photoresist is coated in the intermediate region and the peripheral region, and is formed to cover the material layer to be etched; and drying the photoresist and simultaneously performing a first exposure process on the photoresist coated in the peripheral region.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A photolithography method, comprising:
providing a base substrate on which a material layer to be etched is formed, wherein the base substrate comprises an intermediate region and a peripheral region surrounding the intermediate region;
coating a layer of photoresist on the base substrate, wherein the photoresist is coated in the intermediate region and the peripheral region and is formed to cover the material layer to be etched; and
drying the photoresist and simultaneously performing a first exposure process on the photoresist coated in the peripheral region;
wherein after the photoresist is dried and the first exposure process is completed, the method further comprises:
performing a second exposure process on the photoresist coated in at least the intermediate region;
wherein after the second exposure process is completed, the method further comprises:
performing a development process on the photoresist coated in the intermediate region and the peripheral region, so as to form a photoresist pattern in the intermediate region of the base substrate and remove the photoresist in the peripheral region,
wherein the photoresist pattern is used as an etching mask.

2. The photolithography method according to claim 1 , wherein the second exposure process is performed on the photoresist coated in the intermediate region and the peripheral region simultaneously.

3. The photolithography method according to claim 1 , wherein the first exposure process comprises:
guiding light emitted from an exposure light source, by a light guiding device, so as to allow an emission range of the light guided by the light guiding device to correspond to the peripheral region.

4. The photolithography method according to claim 1 , wherein the photoresist is a positive photoresist.

5. A method of preparing a flexible substrate, comprising:
forming a flexible material layer on a support substrate, wherein the support substrate comprises a flexible substrate formation region and a peripheral region surrounding the flexible substrate formation region;
performing a patterning process on the flexible material layer by a photolithography process, wherein the photolithography process comprises coating a layer of photoresist and drying the photoresist, and the photoresist is coated in the flexible substrate formation region and the peripheral region; and
performing a first exposure process on the photoresist coated in the peripheral region while drying the photoresist;
wherein after the photoresist is dried and the first exposure process is completed, the method further comprises:
performing a second exposure process on the photoresist coated in at least the flexible substrate formation region;
wherein after the second exposure process is completed, the method further comprises:
performing a development process on the photoresist coated in the flexible substrate formation region and the peripheral region, so as to form a photoresist pattern in the flexible substrate formation region and remove the photoresist in the peripheral region,
wherein the photoresist pattern is used as an etching mask for the patterning process.

6. The method of preparing the flexible substrate according to claim 5 , wherein the photoresist is a positive photoresist.

7. The method of preparing the flexible substrate according to claim 5 , wherein the first exposure process comprises:
guiding light emitted from an exposure light source by a light guiding device, so as to allow an emission range of the light guided by the light guiding device to correspond to the peripheral region.

8. The method of preparing the flexible substrate according to claim 7 , wherein the emission range of the light is formed in a rectangular frame shape, and a width of a frame of the rectangular frame ranges from 8 mm to 15 mm.

9. The method of preparing the flexible substrate according to claim 8 , further comprising:
after the photolithography process is completed, stripping off the flexible material layer from the support substrate to form the flexible substrate.

Assignees

• Chengdu Boe Optoelect Tech Co
• Boe Technology Group Co Ltd

Inventors

• Tang Cheng
• Sun Zebin
• Zhen Zhen
• Zhang Hao
• Zhang Shitao
• Fan Xinxing
• Zhang Xudong

Classifications

• G03F7/2004

  characterised by the use of a particular light source, e.g. fluorescent lamps or deep UV light · CPC title

• G03F7/38

  Treatment before imagewise removal, e.g. prebaking {(G03F7/265 takes precedence)} · CPC title

• G03F7/0035

  Multiple processes, e.g. applying a further resist layer on an already in a previously step, processed pattern or textured surface · CPC title

• G03F7/2028 Primary

  of an edge bead on wafers · CPC title

• G03F7/16 Primary

  Coating processes; Apparatus therefor (applying coatings to base materials in general B05; applying photosensitive compositions to base for photographic purposes G03C1/74) · CPC title