US 6,646,279 B2Granted

Apparatus for exposing a face of a printed circuit panel

AssigneeAutoma-Tech

InventorsGilles Vibet, Alain Sorel

Life of this patent

Estimating the term…

Loading patent…

Abstract

An apparatus for exposing a light sensitive surface (e.g., a printed circuit board) to light. An optical processor subsystem, which includes a reflector and an integrator-collimator assembly, processes light from a light source to produce a uniform and collimated light beam having a mean angle of incidence relative to the light sensitive surface of less than or equal to 2° and having illumination uniformity that departs by less than ±10% from a mean value. An optical light shaper subsystem transforms the uniform and collimated light beam into a uniform and collimated light strip. A displacement mechanism provides relative movement between the light strip and the light sensitive surface. A speed matching mechanism matches the speed of relative displacement to the brightness of the light strip and to the sensitivity of the light sensitive surface. The light source remains stationary in one construction and moves relative to the light sensitive panel in another construction.

Claims28

Dependent claims

Apparatus for exposing to light a substantially rectangular surface of at least one face of a panel through at least one artwork, said surface having a sensitivity, said apparatus comprising:

a frame;
means for holding said at least one artwork and said panel on said frame;
an optical system comprising a light source emitting a light beam, processor means for processing said light beam to generate a uniform and collimated light beam having a mean angle of incidence relative to said surface to the exposed of less than or equal to 2° and having illumination uniformity that departs by less than ±10% from a mean value, and shaper means to transform said uniform and collimated light beam into a uniform and collimated light strip having a length on said surface of said panel to be exposed and including said artwork, said length of said uniform and collimated light strip being not less than the length of one of the sides of said surface to be exposed, said means for processing said light beam comprising a reflector and an integrator-collimator assembly;
displacement means for generating relative displacement between said light strip and said surface to be exposed in a direction substantially transverse to the length of said light strip;
and
matching means for matching the speed of said relative displacement between said light strip and said surface to be exposed to said illumination of said light strip and to said sensitivity of said surface to be exposed.

3 more elements

Apparatus for exposing to a light substantially rectangular surface of at least one face of a panel through at least one artwork, said surface having a sensitivity, said apparatus comprising:

a frame;
means for holding at least said one artwork and said panel on said frame;
an optical system comprising at least one light box containing a light source and a reflector comprising at least a first parabola having a first focus and a second parabola having a second focus, said first and second focuses being situated on the propagation axis of light towards said surface to be exposed, said light source being placed at said first focus to generate a light strip on said surface of the panel to be exposed and including said artwork, having a mean angle of incidence relative to said surface to be exposed of less than or equal to 15° and having illumination uniformity that departs by less than +10% from a mean value, said length of said light strip being not less than the length of one of said sides of said surface to be exposed;
displacement means for generating relative displacement between said light strip and said surface to be exposed in a direction substantially transverse to said length of said light strip;
and
matching means for matching the speed of said relative displacement between said light strip and said surface to be exposed to said illumination of the light strip and to said sensitivity of said surface to be exposed.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 10/109,225Filed 28 Mar 2002
Priority: FR 01 0418628 Mar 2001
Published: US 2002/0167788 A114 Nov 2002
Granted: 11 Nov 2003
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification7 codes

G03F 7/2032
Multi-step exposure, e.g. hybrid; backside exposure; blanket exposure, e.g. for image reversal; edge exposure, e.g. for edge bead removal;…:…
G03F 7/2008
With visible light or UV light, through an original having an opaque pattern on a transparent support, e.g. film printing, projection printing;…
G03F 7/201
With visible light or UV light, through an original having an opaque pattern on a transparent support, e.g. film printing, projection printing;…
G03F 7/2014
With visible light or UV light, through an original having an opaque pattern on a transparent support, e.g. film printing, projection printing;…