Position measurement method, position control method, measurement method, loading method, exposure method and exposure apparatus, and device manufacturing method

• US 20080151257A1
• Filed: 02/19/2008
• Published: 06/26/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 11/18/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Sugihara, Taro, Yasuda, Masahiko
• Granted Patent: US 8,054,465 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 356/498
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70341 Details of immersion lithography aspects, e.g. exposure media or control of immersion liquid supply chemical composition of immersion liquids G03F7/2041
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70691 Handling of masks or workpieces
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/707 Chucks, e.g. chucking or un-chucking operations or structural details
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70725 control
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70775 Position control, e.g. interferometers or encoders for determining the stage position
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70975 Assembly, maintenance, transport or storage of apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 9/7011 Pre-exposure scan; original with original holder alignment; Prealignment, i.e. workpiece with workpiece holder
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 9/7088 Alignment mark detection, e.g. TTR, TTL, off-axis detection, array detector, video detection
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49002 Electrical device making

Abstract

A part of a plate of a predetermined shape detachably mounted on a moving body is detected by an alignment system while the position of the moving body is measured by a measurement unit that sets a movement coordinate system of the movement body, and based on the detection results and the measurement results of the measurement unit corresponding to the detection results, position information of an outer periphery edge of the plate is obtained. Therefore, even if there are no alignment marks on the moving body for position measurement, the position of the plate, or in other words, the position of the moving body can be controlled on the movement coordinate system set by the measurement unit, based on the position information of the outer periphery edge of the plate.

Claims

1. A method for determining an offset between a center of a substrate and a center of a depression in a chuck, comprising:

providing a test substrate to the depression, the test substrate having a dimension smaller than a dimension of the depression;

measuring a position of an alignment mark of the test substrate while in the depression; and

determining the offset between the center of the substrate and the center of the depression from the position of the alignment mark.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein providing the test substrate to the depression comprises loading the test substrate inside the depression using a substrate handler.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein measuring the position of the alignment mark of the test substrate comprises measuring the position of the alignment mark relative to a reference mark of the chuck or vice versa.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

determining a position of the center of the depression relative to a position of a reference mark of the chuck or vice versa; and

determining a position of the center of the test substrate relative to the position of the alignment mark of the test substrate or vice versa.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein measuring the position of the center of the test substrate is performed with a prealigner.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the dimension of the test substrate is such that, when the test substrate is in the depression, a gap between an edge of the test substrate and an edge of the depression is greater than a maximum offset.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein measuring the position of the alignment mark of the test substrate is performed with an optical system.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the optical system comprises an interferometer and an optical alignment system.

9. The method according to claim 1, further comprising calibrating a substrate handler to take into account the offset.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein calibrating the substrate handler includes shifting a positioning of substrates by the substrate handler to correct for the offset so that a subsequent substrate provided by the substrate handler to the depression is substantially centered inside the depression.