Exposure apparatus, exposure method, and device manufacturing method

• US 20100231879A1
• Filed: 03/23/2010
• Published: 09/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Nagasaka, Hiroyuki
• Application Number:
  US12/659,845
• Publication Number:
  US 20100231879A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 355/67
• 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

Abstract

An exposure apparatus includes: an optical system having an optical element on which a first exposure light and a second exposure light are incident, the first exposure light and the second exposure light from the optical element being irradiated onto a first exposure field and a second exposure field; and a detection device that detects at least one of the first exposure light and the second exposure light, which are from the optical element and are directed towards a different direction from directions towards the first and second exposure fields.

Claims

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

an optical system that has an optical element on which a first and second exposure lights are incident and from which a first and second branched lights each having the first and second exposure lights are exited, each of first and second exposure fields being irradiated with the first and second exposure lights corresponding to the first branched light, each of third and fourth exposure fields being irradiated with the first and second exposure light corresponding to the second branched light, wherein

a predetermined field on a first substrate is multiply exposed with the first and second exposure lights corresponding to the first branched light and a predetermined field on a second substrate is multiply exposed with the first and second exposure lights corresponding to the second branched light.

2. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the optical element emits the first and second branched lights towards different directions.

3. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of an operation of multiply exposing the first substrate and at least a part of an operation of multiply exposing the second substrate are concurrently executed.

4. The exposure apparatus according to 1, wherein the optical element transmits a part of the first exposure light and reflects the remaining part, and reflects a part of the second exposure light and transmits the remaining part, and emits one including the transmitted first exposure light and the reflected second exposure light as the first branched light or the second branched light and another one including the reflected first exposure light and the transmitted second exposure light as the second branched light or the first branched light.

5. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the optical system includes:

a first optical system that guides the first exposure light to the optical element,

a second optical system that guides the second exposure light to the optical element,

a third optical system that guides each of the first and second exposure lights corresponding to the first branched light to the first and the second exposure fields, and

a fourth optical system that guides each of the first and second exposure lights corresponding to the second branched light to the third and fourth exposure fields.

6. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the first exposure field and at least a part of the second exposure field are overlapped, and at least a part of the third exposure field and at least a part of the fourth exposure field are overlapped.

7. The exposure apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

a predetermined field on the first substrate is multiply exposed by means of a relative movement between the first substrate and the first and second exposure fields,

a predetermined field on the second substrate is multiply exposed by means of a relative movement between the second substrate and the third and fourth exposure fields.

8. The exposure apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a substrate moving system that moves each of the first substrate and the second substrate.

9. The exposure apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the substrate moving system includes a first substrate stage that is capable of holding and moving the first substrate, and a second substrate stage that is capable of holding the second substrate, and moving independent of the first substrate stage, on a light emitting side of the optical system.

10. The exposure apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

the substrate moving system includes

a main stage that is capable of holding and moving the first substrate and the second substrate on the light emitting side of the optical system,

a first moving device that is capable of moving the first substrate relative to the main stage, and

a second moving device that is capable of moving the second substrate relative to the main stage.

11. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a measurement system that measures respective position information of the first substrate and the second substrate.

12. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising an illumination system that illuminates a first pattern with the first exposure light and illuminates a second pattern with the second exposure light, wherein

the first and second exposure lights are incident on the optical element via the first and second patterns.

13. The exposure apparatus according to claim 12, further comprising a movement apparatus that synchronously executes a movement of the first and second patterns relative to first and second illumination fields irradiated with the first and second exposure lights, and a movement of the first substrate relative to the first and second exposure fields and a movement of the second substrate relative to the third and fourth exposure fields, predetermined fields on the first and second substrates being multiply exposed by means of the synchronous movement.

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

an optical system that includes a first system and a second system, the first system forming images of first and second patterns in a first field, the second system forming images of the first and second patterns in a second field different from the first field, a part of the second system being united in the first system, a first substrate being multiply exposed with the images formed in the first field of the first and second patterns, a second substrate being multiply exposed with the images formed in the second field of the first and second patterns.

15. The exposure apparatus according to claim 14, wherein

each of the first and second fields includes a first exposure field in which an image of the first pattern is formed and a second exposure field in which an image of the second pattern is formed, and

at least a part of the first exposure field and at least a part of the second exposure field are overlapped.

16. The exposure apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising an illumination system that illuminates the first pattern with a first exposure light and illuminates the second pattern with a second exposure light, wherein

the illumination system is capable of illuminating the first and second patterns with different conditions.

17. The exposure apparatus according to claim 16, further comprising a movement apparatus that synchronously executes a movement of the first and second patterns relative to first and second illumination fields irradiated with the first and second exposure lights, and a movement of the first and second substrates relative to the first and second fields, the first and second substrates being multiply exposed by means of the synchronous movement.

18. An exposure method for exposing a substrate, the method comprising:

irradiating each of first and second exposure fields with first and second exposure lights corresponding to a first branched light and each of third and fourth exposure fields with the first and second exposure lights corresponding to a second branched light by means of an optical system that has an optical element on which the first and second exposure lights are incident and from which the first and second branched lights each having the first and second exposure lights are exited; and

multiply exposing a predetermined field on a first substrate with the first branched light and a predetermined field on a second substrate with the second branched light.

19. The exposure method according to claim 18, wherein the first and second branched lights are exited from the optical element toward different directions.

20. The exposure method according to claim 18, further comprising:

illuminating a first pattern with the first exposure light and a second pattern with the second exposure light, the first and second exposure lights being incident on the optical element via the first and second patterns.

21. The exposure method according to claim 20, wherein the multiple exposure of the first and second substrates comprises synchronously executing a movement of the first and second patterns relative to first and second illumination fields irradiated with the first and second exposure lights and a movement of the first substrate relative to the first and second exposure fields and a movement of the second substrate relative to the third and fourth exposure fields.

26. The exposure method according to claim 18, wherein at least a part of the multiple exposure of the first substrate and at least a part of the multiple exposure of the second substrate are concurrently executed.

22. An exposure method for exposing a substrate, the method comprising:

forming images of first and second patterns on a first field and images of the first and second patterns on a second field different from the first field; and

multiply exposing a first substrate with the images formed in the first field of the first and second patterns and a second substrate with the images formed in the second field of the first and second patterns.

23. The exposure method according to claim 22, wherein each of the first and second fields includes a first exposure field in which an image of the first pattern is formed and a second exposure field in which an image of the second pattern is formed, and at least a part of the first exposure field and at least a part of the second exposure field are overlapped.

24. The exposure method according to claim 22, further comprising:

illuminating the first pattern with a first exposure light and the second pattern with a second exposure light, an illumination condition of the first exposure light to the first pattern being different from an illumination condition of the second exposure light to the second pattern.

25. The exposure method according to claim 24, wherein the multiple exposure of the first and second substrates comprises synchronously executing a movement of the first and second patterns relative to first and second illumination fields irradiated with the first and second exposure lights and a movement of the first and second substrates relative to the first and second fields.