Semiconductor light exposure device

• US 5,473,409 A
• Filed: 09/20/1994
• Issued: 12/05/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/1993
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kubota, Shigeo, Takeda, Minoru, Ogawa, Tohru, Oka, Michio
• Primary Examiner(s): Wintercorn, Richard A.
• Application Number:
  US08/309,874
• Time in Patent Office: 441 Days
• Field of Search: 355/53, 355/67, 355/71
• US Class Current: 355/53
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70575 Wavelength control, e.g. control of bandwidth, multiple wavelength, selection of wavelength or matching of optical components to wavelength

Abstract

An exposure device in which a reticle having a circuit pattern of a semiconductor device formed on it is irradiated with light beam emanated from a light source, such as a laser light source, for exposing the circuit pattern formed on the reticle on a semiconductor wafer. The exposure device includes a light beam generator for illuminating the reticle having a semiconductor circuit pattern formed on it, an image-forming optical system for forming an image on a wafer of a light image produced on radiating a light beam on the reticle from the light beam generator. The exposure device also includes a movement unit for moving the wafer relative to the image-forming optical system, and an alignment unit for detecting the position on the wafer of the image formed on the wafer by the image-forming optical system for position matching the image by the image-forming optical system relative to the wafer. The light beam generator includes a light source for excitation, a first resonator and a second resonator. The first resonator is illuminated by the light beam from the light source for excitation and outputs the light beam from the light source for excitation after waveform conversion. The second resonator is illuminated by the light beam from the first resonator and outputs the light beam from the first resonator after waveform conversion.

Claims

1. A semiconductor exposure device comprising

light beam generating means for illuminating a reticle having a semiconductor circuit pattern formed thereon, said light beam generating means including a light source for excitation, a first resonator and a second resonator, said first resonator being illuminated with a light beam from said light source for excitation and wavelength-converting and outputting the light beam from said light source for excitation, said second resonator being illuminated with the light beam from said first resonator and wavelength-converting and outputting the light beam from said first resonator,

an image-forming optical system for forming on a wafer a light image produced on illuminating said reticle with the light beam from said light beam generating means,

movement means for moving said wafer relative to said image-forming optical system, and

alignment means for detecting the position of the image formed on said wafer by said image-forming optical system with respect to said wafer for position matching the image formed by said image-forming optical system with respect to the wafer.

2. The semiconductor exposure device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said alignment means comprises a detection optical system for radiating a beam at an offset position from the optical axis of a light beam radiated on said wafer from the light source means by said image-forming optical system for detecting the position of the image formed on said wafer by said image-forming optical system with respect to the wafer.

3. The semiconductor exposure device as claimed in claim 2 wherein said alignment means comprises a first photodetector for detecting a 0th order diffracted light of the return light from the wafer of the light beam outputted by said first resonator of said light beam generating means, and a second photodetector for detecting the first order diffracted light of the return light from the wafer of the light beam radiated by said first resonator, and wherein the alignment means calculates the positional deviation relative to the wafer of the image formed on said wafer by said image-forming optical system based on detection signals of said first and second photodetectors and supplying the results of calculation to said movement means.

4. The semiconductor exposure device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said first resonator comprises a laser medium illuminated by a light beam radiated from said excitation light source and a first non-linear optical crystal device illuminated by a light beam from said laser medium and wherein said second resonator comprises a second non-linear optical crystal device illuminated by a light beam radiated by said first resonator, a pair of reflective surfaces on either sides of said second non-linear optical crystal device, and control means for causing one of said reflective surfaces along the optical axis of the light beam radiated by said second resonator for controlling the resonator length of said second resonator.

5. The semiconductor exposure device as claimed in claim 1 further comprising

a combining optical system for combining light beams from a plurality of said light beam generating means and radiating a combined light beam on said reticle.

6. A semiconductor exposure device comprising

light beam generating means for illuminating a reticle having a semiconductor circuit pattern formed thereon, said light beam generating means including a light source for excitation, a first resonator and a second resonator, said first resonator being illuminated with a light beam from said light source for excitation and wavelength-converting the light beam from said light source for excitation for outputting a first light beam, said second resonator being illuminated with the first light beam from said first resonator and wavelength-converting the first light beam for outputting a second light beam,

an image-forming optical system for radiating said second light beam from said light beam generating means on said reticle for generating an illuminated light image on said wafer,

movement means for moving said wafer relative to said image-forming optical system, and

alignment means for detecting the position relative to said wafer of the image formed on said wafer by said image-forming optical system on the basis of a return beam from the wafer of said first light beam for position matching the image formed by said image-forming optical system with respect to the wafer.

7. The semiconductor exposure device as claimed in claim 6 wherein said first light beam is radiated at a position on said wafer offset from the optical axis of said second light beam.

8. The semiconductor exposure device as claimed in claim 7 wherein said alignment means comprises a first photodetector for detecting a 0th order diffracted light of the return light from the wafer of said first light beam and a second photodetector for detecting the first order diffracted light of the return light from the wafer of the first light beam, and wherein the alignment means calculates the positional deviation relative to the wafer of the image formed on said wafer by said image-forming optical system based on detection signals of said first and second photodetectors and transmits the results of calculation to said movement means.

9. The semiconductor exposure device as claimed in claim 7 wherein said light beam generating means comprises an optical splitting device interposed between said first and said second resonators for separating a portion of the first light beam from said first resonator.

10. The semiconductor exposure device as claimed in claim 7 further comprising

a detection light source for detecting the position relative to the wafer of the image illuminated and formed on said wafer by said image-forming optical system along with the first light beam outputted by said first resonator.

11. The semiconductor exposure device as claimed in claim 10 wherein said detection light source is a He--Ne laser source.

12. The semiconductor exposure device as claimed in claim 6 wherein said light beam generating means comprises phase modulation means interposed between said first and second resonators for phase modulating the first light beam from said first resonator.

13. A semiconductor exposure device comprising

light beam generating means for illuminating a reticle having a semiconductor circuit pattern formed thereon, said light beam generating means including a light source for excitation, a first resonator and a second resonator, said first resonator being illuminated with a light beam from said light source for excitation and wavelength-converting and outputting the light beam from said light source for excitation, said second resonator being illuminated with the light beam from said first resonator and wavelength-converting and outputting the light beam from said first resonator,

an image-forming optical system for forming on a wafer an illuminated light image produced on illuminating said reticle with the light beam from said light beam generating means,

movement means for moving said wafer relative to said image-forming optical system, and

alignment means for radiating a light beam offset from the optical axis of the light beam illuminated from the light beam generating means by said image-forming means on the wafer for detecting the position relative to the wafer of the image formed on said wafer by said image-forming optical system for position matching the image formed by said image-forming optical system with respect to the wafer.

14. The semiconductor exposure device as claimed in claim 13 wherein said alignment means comprises a first photodetector for detecting a 0th order diffracted light of the return light from the wafer of the light beam outputted by said first resonator of said light beam generating means, and a second photodetector for detecting the first order diffracted light of the return light from the wafer of the light beam radiated by said first resonator, and wherein the alignment means calculates the positional deviation relative to the wafer of the image formed on said wafer by said image-forming optical system based on detection signals of said first and second photodetectors and transmits the results of calculation to said movement means.

15. The semiconductor exposure device as claimed in claim 13 wherein said first resonator comprises a laser medium illuminated by a light beam radiated from said excitation light source and a first non-linear optical crystal device illuminated by a light beam from said laser medium and wherein said second resonator comprises a second non-linear optical crystal device illuminated by a light beam radiated by said first resonator, a pair of reflective surfaces on either sides of said second non-linear optical crystal device, and control means for causing one of said reflective surfaces to be moved along the optical axis of the light beam radiated by said second resonator for controlling the resonator length of said second resonator.

16. A semiconductor exposure device comprising

light beam generating means for illuminating a reticle having a semiconductor circuit pattern formed thereon, said light beam generating means including a light source for excitation for radiating a light beam having a wavelength of 810 nm, a first resonator and a second resonator, said first resonator including a laser medium illuminated by a light beam of a wavelength of 810 nm from said light source for excitation and a first non-linear optical crystal device illuminated by the light beam of a wavelength of 1064 nm from said light medium for excitation for outputting a light beam of a wavelength of 532 nm, said second resonator including a second non-linear optical crystal element illuminated by the light beam of a wavelength of 532 nm from said first resonator for outputting a light beam of a wavelength of 266 nm,

an image-forming optical system for radiating said light beam of the wavelength of 266 nm from said light beam generating means on said reticle for generating a light image on said wafer,

movement means for moving said wafer relative to said image-forming optical system, and

alignment means for detecting the position relative to said wafer of the image formed on said wafer by said image-forming optical system for position matching the image formed by said image-forming optical system with respect to the wafer.

17. The semiconductor exposure device as claimed in claim 16 further comprising

an integrator arranged between said light beam generating means and said reticle.

18. The semiconductor exposure device as claimed in claim 16 wherein said second resonator further comprises a pair of reflecting surfaces arranged on either sides of said second non-linear optical crystal device, and control means for causing one of the reflecting surfaces to be moved along the optical axis of the light beam of the wavelength of 266 nm for controlling the resonator length of said second resonator.

19. The semiconductor exposure device as claimed in claim 18 wherein the reflecting surface on the output side of said second resonator outputs the light beam with the wavelength of 532 nm from said first resonator and the light beam with the wavelength of 266 nm from said second resonator.

20. The semiconductor exposure device as claimed in claim 16 wherein said alignment means comprises a detection optical system for radiating a beam at an offset position from the optical axis of the light beam with the wavelength of 266 nm from the light source means by said image-forming optical system for detecting the position of the image formed on said wafer by said image-forming optical system with respect to the wafer.

21. The semiconductor exposure device as claimed in claim 20 wherein said alignment means comprises a first photodetector for detecting a 0th order diffracted light of the return light from the wafer of the light beam of the wavelength of 532 nm outputted by said first resonator of said light beam generating means, and a second photodetector for detecting the first order diffracted light of the return light from the wafer of the light beam with the wavelength of 532 nm, and wherein the alignment means calculates the positional deviation relative to the wafer of the image formed on said wafer by said image-forming optical system based on detection signals of said first and second photodetectors and transmits the results of calculation to said movement means.

22. The semiconductor exposure device as claimed in claim 16 wherein said light beam generating means comprises an optical device interposed between said first and said second resonators for separating a portion of the light beam with the wavelength of 532 nm from said first resonator.

23. The semiconductor exposure device as claimed in claim 16 further comprising

a detection light source for detecting the position relative to the wafer of the image formed on said wafer by said image-forming optical system, said image being radiated on said wafer along with the light beam with the wavelength of 532 nm outputted by said first resonator.

24. The semiconductor exposure device as claimed in claim 23 wherein said detection light source is a He--Ne laser source.