Exposure apparatus and method

• US 6,341,007 B1
• Filed: 11/20/2000
• Issued: 01/22/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 11/28/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Nishi, Kenji, Ota, Kazuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Adams, Russell
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, HUNG
• Application Number:
  US09/714,943
• Time in Patent Office: 428 Days
• Field of Search: 355/53, 355/55, 355/67-77, 356/399-401, 250/548
• US Class Current: 355/53
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70216 Mask projection systems
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70358 Scanning exposure, i.e. relative movement of patterned beam and workpiece during imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70425 Imaging strategies, e.g. for increasing throughput or resolution, printing product fields larger than the image field or compensating lithography- or non-lithography errors, e.g. proximity correction, mix-and-match, stitching or double patterning
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70716 Stages
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70733 Handling masks and workpieces, e.g. exchange of workpiece or mask, transport of workpiece or mask
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 9/70 for microlithography measuring printed patterns for monitoring overlay G03F7/70633 or focus G03F7/70641; projection system adjustment G03F7/70258; position control G03F7/70775
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 9/7003 Alignment type or strategy, e.g. leveling, global alignment
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 9/7015 Reference, i.e. alignment of original or workpiece with respect to a reference not on the original or workpiece
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 9/7026 Focusing
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 9/7088 Alignment mark detection, e.g. TTR, TTL, off-axis detection, array detector, video detection

Abstract

Two stages (WS1), (WS2) holding wafers can independently move between a positional information measuring section (PIS) under an alignment system (24a) and an exposing section (EPS) under a projection optical system (PL). The wafer exchange and alignment are performed on the stage (WS1), during which wafer (W2) is exposed on the stage (WS2). A position of each shot area of wafer (WS1) is obtained as a relative position with respect to a reference mark formed on the stage (WS1) in the section (PIS). Relative positional information can be used for the alignment with respect to an exposure pattern when the wafer (WS1) is moved to the section EPS to be exposed. Therefore, it is not necessary that a stage position is observed continuously in moving the stage. Exposure operations are performed in parallel by the two wafer stages (WS1) and (WS2) so as to improve the throughput.

Claims

1. A projection exposure method for exposing sensitive substrates by projecting a pattern formed on a mask through a projection optical system onto the sensitive substrates, comprising:

preparing a mask stage which is movable while holding the mask;

preparing a first substrate stage and a second substrate stage, each of which is movable independently on a two-dimensional plane while holding a sensitive substrate;

measuring positional information of the mask stage by using a mask interferometer system;

measuring positional information of the first substrate stage by using a first interferometer system;

executing a first exposure operation in which the mask stage and the first substrate stage are synchronously moved in respective scanning directions, based on the positional information measured by the mask interferometer system and the first interferometer system;

performing at least one of a substrate exchange operation and a detecting operation by using the second substrate stage during said first exposure operation;

measuring positional information of the second substrate stage by using a second interferometer system during at least one of said substrate exchange operation and said detecting operation;

starting to measure positional information of the second substrate stage by using the first interferometer system; and

executing, after the start, a second exposure operation in which the mask stage and the second substrate stage are synchronously moved in the respective scanning directions, based on the positional information measured by the mask interferometer system and the first interferometer system.

2. A projection exposure method according to claim 1, wherein the mask interferometer system has measuring axes parallel to the scanning direction of the mask stage and measuring axes perpendicular to the scanning direction.

3. A projection exposure method according to claim 2, wherein said mask stage has corner cube mirrors corresponding to said measuring axes parallel to the scanning direction, and said mask interferometer system measures the positional information of said mask stage by using the corner cube mirrors.

4. A projection exposure method according to claim 2, wherein said mask interferometer system measures rotation of the mask stage by using the measuring axes perpendicular to the scanning direction.

5. A projection exposure method according to claim 4, wherein said mask stage has a reflection surface extending along the scanning direction, and said mask interferometer system measures the positional information of the mask stage by using the reflection surface.

6. A projection exposure method according to claim 2, wherein the first interferometer system has five measuring axes.

7. A projection exposure method according to claim 6, wherein the first interferometer system has measuring axes parallel to the scanning direction, and measures tilts of the first substrate stage during the first exposure operation and measures tilts of the second substrate stage during the second exposure operation.

8. A projection exposure method according to claim 6, wherein the first interferometer system has measuring axes perpendicular to the scanning direction, and measures rotation and tilts of the first substrate stage during the first exposure operation and measures rotation and tilts of the second substrate stage during the second exposure operation.

9. A projection exposure method according to claim 1, wherein alignment information of the sensitive substrate held on the second substrate stage is detected during said detecting operation.

10. A projection exposure method according to claim 1, wherein a moving region of the first substrate stage which performs the first exposure operation overlaps a moving region of the second substrate stage which executes at least one of the substrate exchange operation and the detecting operation.

11. A projection exposure method according to claim 1, wherein the first substrate stage which performs the first exposure operation is prevented from vibration when the second substrate is moved during at least one of the substrate exchange operation and the detecting operation.

12. A projection exposure method according to claim 1, wherein said second interferometer system measures rotation and tilts of the second substrate stage during at least one of the substrate exchange operation and the detecting operation.

13. A device manufacturing method including an exposure process utilizing the method defined in claim 1.

14. A projection exposure apparatus for exposing sensitive substrates by projecting a pattern image of a mask onto the sensitive substrates, comprising:

a projection system, disposed in a path of an exposure beam, which projects the pattern image onto the substrate, the mask being provided on one side of the projection system and a sensitive substrate being provided on the other side of the projection system;

a mask stage, disposed on the one side of the projection system, which is movable while holding the mask;

a mask interferometer system, associated with the mask stage, which monitors the mask stage;

a substrate stage system, disposed on the other side of the projection system, which has a first substrate stage and a second substrate stage, each of which is movable independently on a two-dimensional plane while holding a sensitive substrate;

a first interferometer system which monitors the first substrate stage during a first exposure operation in which the mask stage and the first substrate stage are moved synchronously in respective scanning directions based on information obtained by the mask interferometer system and the first interferometer system to expose each of areas on the substrate held on the first substrate stage;

a second interferometer system which monitors the second substrate stage to perform at least one of a substrate exchange operation and a detecting operation of the second substrate stage during the first exposure operation; and

wherein, after the first exposure operation, the first interferometer system monitors the second substrate stage to execute a second exposure operation in which the mask stage and the second substrate stage are moved synchronously in the respective scanning directions based on the information measured by the mask interferometer system and the first interferometer system to expose each of areas on the substrate held on the second substrate stage.

15. A projection exposure apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the mask interferometer system has measuring axes parallel to the scanning direction of the mask stage and measuring axes perpendicular to the scanning direction.

16. A projection exposure apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said mask stage has corner cube mirrors corresponding to said measuring axes parallel to the scanning direction, and said mask interferometer system measures positional information of said mask stage by using the corner cube mirrors.

17. A projection exposure apparatus according to claim 15, wherein said mask interferometer system measures rotation of the mask stage by using the measuring axes perpendicular to the scanning direction.

18. A projection exposure apparatus according to claim 17, wherein said mask stage has a reflection surface extending along the scanning direction, and said mask interferometer system measures positional information of the mask stage by using the reflection surface.

19. A projection exposure apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the first interferometer system has five measuring axes.

20. A projection exposure apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the first interferometer system has measuring axes parallel to the scanning direction, and measures tilts of the first substrate stage during the first exposure operation and measures tilts of the second substrate stage during the second exposure operation.

21. A projection exposure apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the first interferometer system has measuring axes perpendicular to the scanning direction, and measures rotation and tilts of the first substrate stage during the first exposure operation and measures rotation and tilts of the second substrate stage during the second exposure operation.

22. A projection exposure apparatus according to claim 14, wherein a moving region of the first substrate stage which performs the first exposure operation overlaps a moving region of the second substrate stage which executes at least one of the substrate exchange operation and the detecting operation.

23. A projection exposure apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the first substrate stage which performs the first exposure operation is prevented from vibration when the second substrate is moved during at least one of the substrate exchange operation and the detecting operation.

24. A projection exposure apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the first and second interferometer systems have respective measuring axes, each of which intersects with an optical axis of the projection system.

25. A projection exposure apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising:

a detecting system, disposed apart from the projection system, which detects alignment information of the substrate held on the second substrate stage; and

wherein the first and second interferometer systems have respective measuring axes, each of which intersects with a detecting axis of the detecting system.