Liquid crystal display substrate fabrication

Abstract

In order to prevent exposure mismatch on a boundary between exposure regions that causes pattern connection defects (including stitch defects), exposure is performed twice or more on a whole exposure region of a glass substrate. The exposure method includes aligning a reticle in a scanning direction, exposing the reticle pattern onto the glass substrate, moving the glass substrate one-half of the width of the reticle, and exposing an exposure area twice by repeating the exposing and moving steps.

1 - 10 . (canceled)  
     
     
         11 . An exposure apparatus for exposing a reticle onto an exposure area of a substrate, the apparatus comprising: 
 a mask stage for supporting a reticle comprising a reticle pattern, the reticle pattern characterized by a reticle width, a reticle length, and a scanning direction;    a substrate stage for supporting an LCD substrate comprising an exposure area, the substrate stage moving the LCD substrate perpendicular to the scanning direction no greater than one-half of the reticle width between exposures of the reticle; and    an illuminative optical system for exposing the reticle pattern along the scanning direction onto a portion of the exposure area,    the substrate stage and illuminative optical system repeatedly moving and exposing to expose an entirety of the exposure area at least twice.    
     
     
         12 . The exposure apparatus of  claim 11 , where the reticle length is longer than the reticle width and where the scanning direction is along the reticle length.  
     
     
         13 . The exposure apparatus of  claim 11 , where the reticle pattern is repetitive.  
     
     
         14 . The exposure apparatus of  claim 11 , where the substrate stage moves the substrate perpendicular to the scanning direction approximately one-half of the reticle width so that the entirety of the exposure area is exposed twice.  
     
     
         15 . The exposure apparatus of  claim 11 , where the substrate stage moves the substrate perpendicular to the scanning direction less than one-half of the reticle width so that the entirety of the exposure area is exposed more than twice.  
     
     
         16 . The exposure apparatus of  claim 11 , where the illuminative optical system is an equimultiple erect optical system.  
     
     
         17 . The exposure apparatus of  claim 11 , where the reticle length is at least as wide as the exposure area.  
     
     
         18 . The exposure apparatus of  claim 11 , where the reticle and the LCD substrate move together.  
     
     
         19 . An exposure apparatus for exposing a reticle onto an exposure area of a substrate, the apparatus comprising: 
 a substrate stage for moving a substrate along an X-axis and a Y-axis that is perpendicular to the X-axis;    a mask stage for moving a reticle along the Y-axis; and    an illuminative optical system for taking a plurality of exposures of the reticle along the Y-axis onto an exposure region on the substrate,    the mask stage moving the substrate along the X-axis in order to expose an entirety of the exposure region at least twice.    
     
     
         20 . The exposure apparatus of  claim 19 , where the reticle is characterized by a reticle width and a reticle length, the reticle length disposed along the Y-axis and greater than the reticle width.  
     
     
         21 . The exposure apparatus of  claim 19 , where the reticle comprises a repetitive reticle pattern.  
     
     
         22 . The exposure apparatus of  claim 19 , where the mask stage moves the substrate along the X-axis in order to expose an entirety of the substrate twice.  
     
     
         23 . The exposure apparatus of  claim 22 , where the reticle is characterized by a reticle width, and where the mask stage moves the substrate along the X-axis by approximately one-half of the reticle width.  
     
     
         24 . The exposure apparatus of  claim 19 , where the mask stage moves the substrate along the X-axis in order to expose an entirety of the substrate more than twice.  
     
     
         25 . The exposure apparatus of  claim 24 , where the reticle is characterized by a reticle width, and where the mask stage moves the substrate along the X-axis by less than one-half of the reticle width.  
     
     
         26 . The exposure apparatus of  claim 19 , where the illuminative optical system scans the reticle along the Y-axis.  
     
     
         27 . The exposure apparatus of  claim 19 , where the substrate and reticle move together along the Y-axis.  
     
     
         28 . The exposure apparatus of  claim 27 , where the substrate and reticle move together along the Y-axis during exposure at the same speed.  
     
     
         29 . The exposure apparatus of  claim 19 , where the illuminative optical system generates an illumination region of the reticle comprising a length direction perpendicular to the Y-axis.  
     
     
         30 . The exposure apparatus of  claim 19 , where the reticle is at least as long as the exposure region along the Y-axis.