MOVABLE BODY DRIVE METHOD AND MOVABLE BODY DRIVE SYSTEM, PATTERN FORMATION METHOD AND APPARATUS, EXPOSURE METHOD AND APPARATUS, DEVICE MANUFACTURING METHOD, AND MEASURING METHOD

• US 20090051894A1
• Filed: 08/21/2008
• Published: 02/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: SHIBAZAKI, Yuichi, KANAYA, Yuho
• Granted Patent: US 9,304,412 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 355/72
• 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 7/7085 Detection arrangement, e.g. detectors of apparatus alignment possibly mounted on wafers, exposure dose, photo-cleaning flux, stray light, thermal load
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 9/7026 Focusing
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 9/7034 Leveling
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 9/7049 Technique, e.g. interferometric

Abstract

A wafer stage is moved while monitoring a position using an X interferometer and a Y interferometer, and a Z position of a Y scale arranged on the wafer stage upper surface is measured using a surface position sensor. In this case, for example, from a difference of measurement results of two surface position sensors, tilt of the Y scale in the Y-axis direction is obtained. By measuring the tilt of the entire surface of a pair of Y scales, two-dimensional unevenness data of the scales are made. By correcting the measurement results of the position surface sensor using the unevenness data, and then using the corrected measurement results, it becomes possible to drive wafer stage WST two-dimensionally with high precision.

Claims

1. A movable body drive method in which a movable body is driven substantially along a two-dimensional plane, the method comprising:

a drive process in which a detection device that has at least one detection position and detects positional information related to a direction orthogonal to the two-dimensional plane of the movable body at the detection point is used to detect the positional information of a specific portion of the movable body, and based on the detected information and information related to unevenness of a detection subject of the detection device corresponding to the specific portion, the movable body is driven in at least one of the direction orthogonal to the two-dimensional plane and a tilt direction with respect to the two-dimensional plane.

2. The movable body drive method according to claim 1 wherein

the detection subject is a surface of the specific portion of the movable body, the surface of the specific portion is covered with a protective member consisting of a transparent member, and the information related to the unevenness includes an error component due to thickness change of the protective member.

3. The movable body drive method according to claim 1, the method further comprising:

prior to the drive process, a measurement process in which information related to the unevenness of the detection subject is measured.

4. The movable body drive method according to claim 3 wherein

the measurement process includes

an unevenness measurement process in which the movable body is moved in a predetermined direction, and measurement information of at least one sensor measuring positional information of the specific portion of the surface of the movable body and measurement information of an interferometer measuring positional information of the movable body in the predetermined direction are taken in on the movement, and based on the measurement information, unevenness information of the detection subject of the detection device corresponding to the specific portion of the movable body is computed.

5. The movable body drive method according to claim 4 wherein

in the unevenness measurement process, measurement information of two sensors arranged side-by-side in the predetermined direction and measurement information of the interferometer are taken in, and based on a difference of the measurement information of the two sensors and the measurement information of the interferometer, unevenness information of the detection subject of the detection device corresponding to the specific portion of the surface of the movable body is computed.

6. The movable body drive method according to claim 4 wherein

in the measurement process, the unevenness information is obtained at a plurality of points by moving the movable body to a different position in the direction perpendicular to the predetermined direction in the two-dimensional plane, and repeatedly performing a processing of the unevenness measurement process at every movement position, and based on the unevenness information which has been obtained, an unevenness information map of the detection subject of the detection device corresponding to the specific portion is made.

7. The movable body drive method according to claim 4 wherein

in the measurement process, the processing of the unevenness measurement process is repeatedly performed using different sensors, and by averaging unevenness information obtained for each sensor, unevenness information of the detection subject of the detection device corresponding to the specific portion is obtained.

8. The movable body drive method according to claim 4 wherein

the specific portion is a first grating section having a grating whose periodic direction is in the predetermined direction formed on the surface of the movable body, and the method further comprising:

a positional information measurement process in which of a plurality of first heads that have a different position in a direction perpendicular to the predetermined direction within the two-dimensional plane, positional information of the movable body in the predetermined direction is measured, based on measurement values of the first head facing the first grating section.

9. A pattern formation method, comprising:

a mount process in which an object is mounted on a movable body that can move along a movement plane; and

a drive process in which the movable body is driven by the movable body drive method according to claim 1, to form a pattern on the object.

10. A device manufacturing method including a pattern forming process, wherein

in the pattern formation process, a pattern is formed on a substrate using the pattern formation method according to claim 9.

11. An exposure method in which a pattern is formed on an object by an irradiation of an energy beam wherein

for relative movement of the energy beam and the object, a movable body on which the object is mounted is driven, using the movable body drive method according to claim 1.

12. A measuring method in which information is measured related to unevenness of a detection subject detected by a detection device, which is arranged on a surface parallel to a two-dimensional plane of a movable body that moves substantially along the two-dimensional plane and has a plurality of detection positions and detects positional information of the movable body related to a direction orthogonal to the two-dimensional plane at each detection positions the method comprising:

an unevenness measurement process in which the movable body is moved in a predetermined direction, and measurement information of at least one sensor measuring positional information of the movable body related to a direction orthogonal to the two-dimensional plane and measurement information of a first interferometer measuring positional information of the movable body in the predetermined direction are taken in on the movement, and based on the measurement information, unevenness information of the detection subject of the detection device corresponding to the specific portion of the movable body where the sensor passes during the movement is computed.

13. The measuring method according to claim 12 wherein

in the unevenness measurement process, measurement information of two sensors arranged side-by-side in the predetermined direction and measurement information of the first interferometer are taken in, and based on a difference of the measurement information of the two sensors and the measurement information of the first interferometer, unevenness information of the detection subject of the detection device corresponding to the specific portion of the surface of the movable body is computed.

14. The measuring method according to claim 12 wherein

the unevenness information is obtained at a plurality of points by moving the movable body to a different position in the direction perpendicular to the predetermined direction in the two-dimensional plane, and repeatedly performing a processing of the unevenness measurement process at every movement position, and based on the unevenness information which has been obtained, an unevenness information map of the detection subject of the detection device corresponding to the specific portion is made.

15. The measuring method according to claim 12 wherein

the processing of the unevenness measurement process is repeatedly performed using different sensors, and by averaging unevenness information obtained for each sensor, unevenness information of the area subject to measurement is obtained.

16. The measuring method according to claim 12 wherein

the specific portion is a first grating section having a grating whose periodic direction is the predetermined direction formed on the surface of the movable body.

17. A movable body drive system in which a movable body is driven along a substantially two-dimensional plane, the system comprising:

a detection device that has a plurality of detection positions, and detects positional information of the movable body related to a direction orthogonal to the two-dimensional plane at the detection position; and

a drive device that detects positional information related to a direction orthogonal to the two-dimensional plane of the specific portion of the surface of the movable body at the plurality of detection points of the detection device, and based on the detected information and information related to unevenness of a detection subject of the detection device corresponding to the specific portion, drives the movable body in at least one of the direction orthogonal to the two-dimensional plane and a tilt direction with respect to the two-dimensional plane.

18. The movable body drive system according to claim 17 wherein

the detection subject is a surface of the specific portion of the movable body, the surface of the specific portion of the movable body is covered with a protective member consisting of a transparent member, and the information related to the unevenness includes an error component due to thickness change of the protective member.

19. A pattern formation apparatus, comprising:

a movable body on which an object is mounted, and is movable along a movement plane holding the object; and

a movable body drive system according to claim 17 which drives the movable body for pattern formation to the object.

20. An exposure apparatus that forms a pattern on an object by an irradiation of an energy beam, the apparatus comprising:

a patterning device that irradiates the energy beam on the object; and

a movable body drive system according to claim 17, whereby

the movable body drive system drives the movable body on which the object is mounted for relative movement of the energy beam and the object.

21. A movable body drive system that drives a movable body which moves substantially in a two-dimensional direction, the system comprising:

a detection device which detects positional information of the movable body in a direction perpendicular to the two-dimensional direction when the movable body is positioned at a measurement position placed within at least a part of an operating area of the movable body;

a storage device which stores information related to unevenness of a detection subject of the detection device; and

a controller which controls a position of the movable body in a direction perpendicular to the two-dimensional direction, using positional information of the movable body detected by the detection device and information related to unevenness of the detection subject of the detection device.

22. The movable body drive system according to claim 21 wherein

the detection device detects a position of a specific portion in the direction perpendicular to the two-dimensional direction when the specific portion of a surface parallel to the two-dimensional direction of the movable body is positioned at the measurement position, and

information related to the unevenness stored in the storage device is a surface shape of the specific portion of a surface of the movable body parallel to the two-dimensional direction.

23. A pattern formation apparatus, comprising:

a movable body on which an object is mounted, and is movable along a movement plane holding the object; and

a movable body drive system according to claim 21 which drives the movable body for pattern formation to the object.

24. An exposure apparatus that forms a pattern on an object by an irradiation of an energy beam, the apparatus comprising:

a patterning device that irradiates the energy beam on the object; and

a movable body drive system according to claim 21, whereby

the movable body drive system drives the movable body on which the object is mounted for relative movement of the energy beam and the object.