Exposure apparatus, exposure method, and device manufacturing method

• US 20080013062A1
• Filed: 03/22/2007
• Published: 01/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Nagasaka, Hiroyuki
• Application Number:
  US11/723,888
• Publication Number:
  US 20080013062A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 355/53
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70208 Multiple illumination paths, e.g. radiation distribution devices, microlens illumination systems, multiplexers or demultiplexers for single or multiple projection systems
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70283 Mask effects on the imaging process
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70458 Mix-and-match, i.e. multiple exposures of the same area using a similar type of exposure apparatus, e.g. multiple exposures using a UV apparatus

Abstract

An exposure apparatus includes an optical system that irradiates a first exposure light with a first wavelength onto a first exposure field and irradiates a second exposure light with a second wavelength different from the first wavelength onto a second exposure field, a predetermined field on the substrate being multiply exposed with an image of a first pattern formed by the irradiation of the first exposure light onto the first exposure field and with an image of a second pattern formed by the irradiation of the second exposure light onto the second exposure field.

Claims

1. An exposure apparatus that exposes a substrate, comprising:

an optical system that irradiates a first exposure light having a first wavelength onto a first exposure field and irradiates a second exposure light having a second wavelength different from the first wavelength onto a second exposure field, a predetermined field on the substrate being multiply exposed with an image of a first pattern formed by the irradiation of the first exposure light onto the first exposure field and with an image of a second pattern formed by the irradiation of the second exposure light onto the second exposure field.

2. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the optical system comprises one optical element that faces a surface of the substrate, and

the first exposure light and the second exposure light are respectively irradiated onto the first exposure field and the second exposure field via the one optical element.

3. The exposure apparatus according to claim 2, wherein

the optical system comprises:

a first reflecting surface positioned at a first optical path that is an optical path of the first exposure light from the first pattern; and

a second reflecting surface positioned at a second optical path that is an optical path of the second exposure light from the second pattern, and

the first exposure light traveling along the first optical path is reflected by the first reflecting surface to be guided to the optical element, and the second exposure light traveling along the second optical path is reflected by the second reflecting surface to be guided to the optical element.

4. The exposure apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the first reflecting surface and the second reflecting surface are arranged at positions optically conjugate with the first exposure field and the second exposure field or in the vicinity thereof.

5. The exposure apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the optical system comprises:

a first optical unit that guides the first exposure light from the first pattern to the first reflecting surface;

a second optical unit that guides the second exposure light from the second pattern to the second reflecting surface; and

a third optical unit, including the optical element, that respectively guides the first exposure light reflected by the first reflecting surface and the second exposure light reflected by the second reflecting surface to the first exposure field and the second exposure field.

6. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined field on the substrate is exposed while relative movement between the first exposure field as well as the second exposure field and the predetermined field on the substrate is executed in a predetermined scanning direction.

7. The exposure apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the first exposure field and the second exposure field are separated in the scanning direction.

8. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a first moving unit that is capable of moving the first mask having the first pattern in a predetermined scanning direction with respect to the first exposure light and is capable of moving the second mask having the second pattern in a predetermined scanning direction with respect to the second exposure light; and

a second moving unit that is capable of moving the predetermined field on the substrate in a predetermined scanning direction with respect to the first exposure field and the second exposure field, wherein

the predetermined field on the substrate being multiply exposed, while the predetermined field on the substrate is moved in a scanning direction by the second moving unit, in synchronous with movements of the first mask and the second mask in the respective scanning directions thereof by the first moving unit.

12. A device manufacturing method that uses the exposure apparatus according to claim 1.

9. An exposure apparatus that exposes a substrate, comprising:

a first optical unit that emits a first exposure light having a first wavelength;

a second optical unit that emits a second exposure light having a second wavelength; and

a third optical unit that includes one optical element, the one optical element guiding the first exposure light from the first optical unit to a first exposure field and guiding the second exposure light from the second optical unit to a second exposure field.

10. The exposure apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the one optical element faces a surface of the substrate.

11. The exposure apparatus according to claim 9, further comprising a selection unit that selectively guides only either one of the first exposure light and the second exposure light to the one optical element.

13. An exposure method, comprising:

irradiating a first field of a photosensitive layer formed on a substrate with a first exposure light having a first wavelength from a first pattern; and

irradiating a second field of the photosensitive layer with a second exposure light having a second wavelength different from the first wavelength, the second field including at least a part of the first exposure field irradiated with the first exposure light.

14. The exposure method according to claim 13, wherein a pattern formed on the photosensitive layer by irradiation of the first exposure light and the second exposure light is comparatively finer than a pattern formed on the photosensitive layer by irradiation only of the first exposure light or only of the second exposure light.

15. The exposure method according to claim 13, wherein an entirety of the second field irradiated with the second exposure light is included in a part of the first exposure field irradiated with the first exposure light