Scanning exposure apparatus and method
First Claim
1. A scanning exposure apparatus, which is arranged to illuminate a mask, to project an image of said mask through a projection optical system onto a photosensitive substrate, and to move said mask and said photosensitive substrate relative to said projection optical system, thereby effecting exposure of an entire surface of said mask on said photosensitive substrate, and which comprises:
- a holding member which holds said mask and said photosensitive substrate integrally;
a position detector which detects a relative positional relation between said mask and said photosensitive substrate while said mask and said photosensitive substrate are carried by driving said holding member past a projection region of said projection optical system to an exposure start position;
a position correcting device which corrects the relative positional relation between said mask and said photosensitive substrate; and
a controller which is connected to said position correcting device and controls said position correcting device to correct the relative positional relation between said mask and said photosensitive substrate, based on positional information obtained by said position detector, while said mask and said photosensitive substrate are stopped at said exposure start position and/or during said exposure.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A scanning exposure apparatus is arranged to illuminate a mask, to project an image of the mask through a projection optical system onto a photosensitive substrate, and to move the mask and the photosensitive substrate relative to the projection optical system, thereby effecting exposure of an entire surface of the mask on the photosensitive substrate, and the exposure apparatus comprises a position detector which detects a relative positional relation between the mask and the photosensitive substrate; a memory which stores positional information obtained by the position detector; a position correcting device which corrects the relative positional relation between the mask and the photosensitive substrate, based on the positional information read out from the memory device; and a controller which makes the position detector detect the relative positional relation between the mask and the photosensitive substrate while the mask and the photosensitive substrate are carried past a projection region of the projection optical system to an exposure start position, and makes the position correcting device correct the relative positional relation between the mask and the photosensitive substrate, based on the positional information read out from the memory, while the mask and the photosensitive substrate are stopped at the exposure start position and/or during the exposure.
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Citations
34 Claims
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1. A scanning exposure apparatus, which is arranged to illuminate a mask, to project an image of said mask through a projection optical system onto a photosensitive substrate, and to move said mask and said photosensitive substrate relative to said projection optical system, thereby effecting exposure of an entire surface of said mask on said photosensitive substrate, and which comprises:
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a holding member which holds said mask and said photosensitive substrate integrally; a position detector which detects a relative positional relation between said mask and said photosensitive substrate while said mask and said photosensitive substrate are carried by driving said holding member past a projection region of said projection optical system to an exposure start position; a position correcting device which corrects the relative positional relation between said mask and said photosensitive substrate; and a controller which is connected to said position correcting device and controls said position correcting device to correct the relative positional relation between said mask and said photosensitive substrate, based on positional information obtained by said position detector, while said mask and said photosensitive substrate are stopped at said exposure start position and/or during said exposure. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 15, 16, 26, 27)
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9. A scanning exposure apparatus, which is arranged to illuminate a plurality of regions on a mask, to project respective images of said plurality of regions through a plurality of projection optical systems onto a photosensitive substrate, and to move said mask and said photosensitive substrate relative to said plurality of projection optical systems, thereby effecting exposure of an entire surface of said mask on said photosensitive substrate, and which comprises:
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a measuring device which measures a relative separation between said mask and said photosensitive substrate at each of arbitrary positions on said mask and said photosensitive substrate while said mask and said photosensitive substrate are synchronously carried in the same direction to an exposure start position; a position correcting device which drives said mask and/or said photosensitive substrate to correct a relative positional relation between said mask and said photosensitive substrate; and a controller which is connected to said position correcting device and controls said position correcting device during said exposure, based on measurement results of said measuring device, so that the relative separations between said mask and said photosensitive substrate, related to said plurality of regions from which an image of said mask is projected, satisfy a predetermined relation. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 17, 18, 28, 29)
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12. A scanning exposure apparatus, which is arranged to successively transfer patterns of a mask onto a photosensitive substrate through a projection optical system while synchronously moving the mask and the photosensitive substrate in a predetermined scan direction, and which comprises:
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a first position detector which detects a relative positional relation between said mask and said photosensitive substrate in two-dimensional directions perpendicular to the optical axis of the projection optical system; a second position detector which detects a relative positional relation between said mask and said photosensitive substrate in the direction of said optical axis; a first adjuster which adjusts the relative positional relation between said mask and said photosensitive substrate in the two-dimensional directions perpendicular to the optical axis; a second adjuster which adjusts the relative positional relation between said mask and said photosensitive substrate with respect to the direction of the optical axis; a first controller which is connected to said first position detector and said second position detector and controls said second adjuster to adjust the relative positional relation between said mask and said photosensitive substrate with respect to the direction of the optical axis at a predetermined alignment point while monitoring an output of said second position detector while said mask and said photosensitive substrate are synchronously carried past a projection region of said projection optical system to an exposure start position and thereafter makes said first position detector detect the relative positional relation between said mask and said photosensitive substrate in the two-dimensional directions perpendicular to said optical axis; and a second controller which is connected to said first position detector and controls said first adjuster to adjust the relative positional relation between said mask and said photosensitive substrate in the two-dimensional directions perpendicular to the optical axis, based on the relative positional relation, detected by said first position detector, between said mask and said photosensitive substrate in the two-dimensional directions perpendicular to said optical axis, after said mask and said photosensitive substrate are carried to the exposure start position and before the exposure starts. - View Dependent Claims (13, 14, 30, 31, 32)
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19. A scanning exposure method for exposing patterns of a mask onto a photosensitive substrate, by holding said mask and said photosensitive substrate in such a manner that they face each other, and by moving them synchronously relative to a plurality of projection optical systems, the method comprising the steps of:
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adjusting relative positional relation between said mask and said photosensitive substrate with respect to the directions of optical axes of said projection optical systems, at a predetermined alignment point while carrying said mask and said photosensitive substrate to an exposure start position; detecting, after said adjusting, positional relation between said mask and said photosensitive substrate with respect to directions perpendicular to said optical axes, at said predetermined alignment point; and adjusting the positional relation between said mask and said photosensitive substrate with respect to the directions perpendicular to said optical axes. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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33. A scanning exposure method for moving a mask and a photosensitive substrate synchronously, and effecting scanning exposure of an image of patterns of said mask on said photosensitive substrate, the method comprising the steps of:
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detecting relative positional relation between said mask and said photosensitive substrate while carrying said mask and said photosensitive substrate integrally in a direction opposite to the direction in which said scanning exposure is effected; and correcting the relative positional relation between said mask and said photosensitive substrate, based on the relative positional relation between said mask and said photosensitive substrate obtained by said detecting step, while said mask and said photosensitive substrate are stopped at an exposure start position where said exposure is effected and/or during said exposure. - View Dependent Claims (34)
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Specification