Alignment method
First Claim
1. A method of aligning each of a plurality of areas on a substrate to a predetermined position in a coordinate system for defining a moving position of said substrate, comprising:
- a first step of measuring coordinate positions, on the coordinate system, of N (N is an integer not less than
2) sample areas selected from the plurality of areas;
a second step of calculating nonlinear deviation amounts of the coordinate positions of the N sample areas on the basis of the coordinate positions measured in the first step;
a third step of calculating nonlinear deviation amounts of coordinate positions of (N-1) sample areas, obtained by rejecting one sample area from the N sample areas, on the basis of the coordinate positions measured in the first step; and
a fourth step of rejecting said one sample area from the plural sample areas for calculating coordinate positions, on the coordinate system, of each of plural sample areas when the variation of said (N-1) nonlinear deviation amounts calculated in the third step is smaller than the variation of said (N) nonlinear deviation amounts calculated in the second step.
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Abstract
An alignment method for achieving accurate alignment by accurately eliminating an isolated area with a large nonlinear component of an alignment error from sample areas. A conversion parameter is calculated by statistical processing on the basis of a result obtained by measuring the position of each sample area on a substrate to be processed in advance, and each area on the substrate is aligned on the basis of arrangement coordinate values calculated using the conversion parameter. This method relates to a method of aligning each of a plurality of areas to be processed arranged on the substrate on the basis of arrangement coordinates on a first coordinate system (x, y) set on the substrate to a predetermined process position in a second coordinate system (X, Y) for defining the moving position of the substrate.
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Citations
34 Claims
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1. A method of aligning each of a plurality of areas on a substrate to a predetermined position in a coordinate system for defining a moving position of said substrate, comprising:
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a first step of measuring coordinate positions, on the coordinate system, of N (N is an integer not less than
2) sample areas selected from the plurality of areas;a second step of calculating nonlinear deviation amounts of the coordinate positions of the N sample areas on the basis of the coordinate positions measured in the first step; a third step of calculating nonlinear deviation amounts of coordinate positions of (N-1) sample areas, obtained by rejecting one sample area from the N sample areas, on the basis of the coordinate positions measured in the first step; and a fourth step of rejecting said one sample area from the plural sample areas for calculating coordinate positions, on the coordinate system, of each of plural sample areas when the variation of said (N-1) nonlinear deviation amounts calculated in the third step is smaller than the variation of said (N) nonlinear deviation amounts calculated in the second step. - View Dependent Claims (3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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2. A method of aligning each of a plurality of areas on a substrate to a predetermined position in a coordinate system for defining a moving position of said substrate, comprising:
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a first step of measuring coordinate positions, on the coordinate system, of N (N is an integer not less than
2) sample areas selected from the plurality of areas;a second step of calculating nonlinear deviation amounts of the coordinate positions of the N sample areas on the basis of the coordinate positions measured in the first step; a third step of calculating nonlinear deviation amounts of coordinate positions of (N-1) sample areas obtained by rejecting one sample area from the N sample areas based on the coordinate positions measured in the first step; and a fourth step of selecting said one sample area as a sample area for calculating coordinate positions, on the coordinate system, of each of plural sample areas when the variation of the (N-1) nonlinear deviation amounts calculated in the third step is not less than the variation of the N nonlinear deviation amounts calculated in the second step.
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14. A method of aligning each of a plurality of areas on a substrate to a predetermined position in a coordinate system for defining a moving position of the substrate, comprising:
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a first step of measuring coordinate positions, on the coordinate system, of N (N is an integer not less than
2) sample areas selected from the plurality of areas;a second step of calculating nonlinear deviation amount of the coordinate positions of the (N-1) sample areas obtained by sequentially rejecting an i-th (i is an integer from 1 to N) sample area from the N sample areas on the basis of the coordinate positions measured in the first step thereby to obtain N variations; a third step of determining sample areas for calculation of the coordinate position, on said coordinate system, of each of the plural areas based on the N variations. - View Dependent Claims (15, 16, 17, 18, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
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19. A method of aligning each of a plurality of areas on a substrate to a predetermined position in a coordinate system for defining a moving position of the substrate, comprising:
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a first step of measuring coordinate positions, on the coordinate system, of N (N is an integer not less than
2) sample areas selected from the plurality of areas;a second step of calculating the variation of nonlinear deviation amounts of the coordinate positions of the N sample areas and the variation of nonlinear deviation amounts of N-1 sample areas in which one sample area is rejected from the N sample area on the basis of the coordinate positions measured in the first step; a third step of rejecting the one sample area from the sample areas for calculating the coordinate positions, on the coordinate system, of the plural areas when the variation of the nonlinear deviation amounts if the N-1 sample areas is smaller than that of the N sample areas.
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20. A method of aligning each of a plurality of areas on a substrate to a predetermined position in a coordinate system for defining a moving position of the substrate, comprising:
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a first step of measuring coordinate positions, on the coordinate system, of N (N is an integer not less than
2) sample areas selected from the plurality of areas;a second step of calculating the variation of nonlinear deviation amounts of the coordinate positions of the N sample areas on the basis of the coordinate positions measured in the first step; a third step of calculating the variation of nonlinear deviation amounts of N-1 sample areas in which one sample area is rejected from the N sample area on the basis of the coordinate positions measured in the first step; a fourth step of rejecting the one sample area from the sample areas for calculating the coordinate positions, on the coordinate system, of the plural areas when the variation of the nonlinear deviation amounts if the N-1 sample areas is smaller than that of the N sample areas; and a fifth step of, when the variation of the N-1 nonlinear deviation amounts is out of a predetermined tolerance region, rejecting the predetermined sample areas from the N sample areas and repeating from the second step to the fourth step. - View Dependent Claims (21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A method of aligning each of a plurality of areas on a substrate to a predetermined position in a predetermined coordinate system, comprising:
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a first step of measuring coordinate positions on said coordinate system of each of N sample areas out of the plurality of areas, N being an integer not less than 2; a second step of calculating nonlinear deviation amounts of the coordinate positions of each of said N sample areas on the basis of said measured coordinate positions; a third step of calculating nonlinear deviation amounts of coordinate positions of (N-1) sample areas, obtained by rejecting one sample area from said N sample areas, on the basis of said measured coordinate positions; and a fourth step of comparing the variation of said (N-1) nonlinear deviation amounts with the variation of said N nonlinear deviation amounts, and judging whether the coordinate positions of said one sample area should be rejected from the calculation of the coordinate positions, on said coordinate system, of each of said plurality of areas on said substrate, on the basis of result of the comparison.
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32. A method of aligning each of a plurality of areas on a substrate to a predetermined position in a coordinate system, comprising the steps of:
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measuring coordinate positions on the coordinate system of each of N sample areas among the plurality of areas; and determining nonlinear deviation amounts of coordinate positions of (N-1) sample areas, obtained by rejecting one sample area from the N sample areas, based on the measured coordinate positions; wherein at least three sample areas for calculation of coordinate positions of the plurality of areas are determined based on the (N-1) nonlinear deviation amounts. - View Dependent Claims (33)
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34. A method of aligning each of a plurality of areas on a substrate to a predetermined position in a coordinate system, comprising the steps of:
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measuring coordinate positions on the coordinate system of each of N sample areas among the plurality of areas; and determining a standard deviation of nonlinear deviation amounts of (N-1) sample areas, obtained by rejecting one sample area from the N sample areas, based on the measured coordinate positions, wherein at least three sample areas for calculation of coordinate positions of the plurality of areas are determined based on the determined standard deviations.
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Specification