Exposure apparatus, exposure method and process for producing device

• US 7,023,521 B2
• Filed: 10/24/2002
• Issued: 04/04/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Wakamoto, Shinji
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Peter B.
• Application Number:
  US10/278,972
• Publication Number:
  US 20030058423A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,258 Days
• Field of Search: 355/53, 355/55, 355/62, 355/63, 355/77, 250/548, 356/399, 356/400, 356/401
• US Class Current: 355/53
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70358 Scanning exposure, i.e. relative movement of patterned beam and workpiece during imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 9/7026 Focusing
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 9/7034 Leveling

Abstract

Disclosed is a step-and-scan exposure method improved in exposure at a periphery of a wafer. An area illuminated by an exposure beam is made to relatively scan a shot area positioned at the wafer periphery from the outside of the wafer to the inside. Predetermined measurement points of a sensor for detecting positional information of a wafer with respect to a focal position of a projection optical system in the direction of the optical axis of the projection optical system are made to relatively scan along with the illumination area of the exposure beam. Focus control is performed to make the wafer move in the direction of the optical axis when only part of the selected predetermined measurement positions reach the wafer, and leveling control is performed in addition to adjust the tilt of the wafer when all of the selected predetermined measurement positions reach the wafer.

Claims

1. An exposure apparatus making a mask and a substrate move synchronously with respect to a projection optical system so as to transfer an image of a pattern formed on the mask onto the substrate,

said exposure apparatus comprising:

a sensor that detects positional information of the substrate in a direction of an optical axis of the projection optical system at a plurality of measurement points,

an adjusting device, connected to said sensor, that adjusts a position of the substrate in the direction of the optical axis by focusing control and a tilt condition of the substrate by leveling control based on the detected result of said sensor, and

a control switching device, connected to said adjusting device, that switches control while the image of the pattern is transferred onto the substrate so as to perform only said focusing control since a measurement point of the sensor is positioned inside an effective area of the substrate and so as to additionally perform leveling control when a plurality of measurement points that is less than all of the measurement points is positioned inside the effective area of the substrate.

2. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a determining device, connected to the sensor, that determines a position of the measurement points in a plane perpendicular to the axis of the projection optical system based on position information of a shot area to be exposed in the substrate.

3. The exposure apparatus according to claim 2, which when the shot area of the substrate is at the periphery of the substrate,

defines a length required for leveling control in a non-scanning direction perpendicular to a direction of synchronous movement of the substrate as L1 and a length of the shot area on the substrate in the non-scanning direction as L2,

hypothesizes, inside said shot area, a surface area S1 of a first rectangular shape having a side of a length of the length L1, having a first corner intersect with an edge of the substrate, and having an opposite corner of the first corner overlap with a corner of the shot area close to the center of the substrate,

hypothesizes, inside said shot area, a surface area S2 of a second rectangular shape having a side of a length of the length L2, having a second corner intersect with an edge of the substrate, and having an opposite corner of the second corner overlap with a corner of the shot area close to the center of the substrate, and

said determining device compares the surface area S1 of the first rectangular shape and the surface area S2 of the second rectangular shape and determines the measurement points positioned inside the larger surface area.

4. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said leveling control is performed in only a non-scanning direction perpendicularly intersecting the direction of synchronous movement of the mask and the substrate.

5. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the measurement points are arranged within an illumination area of an exposure beam.

6. An exposure apparatus using an exposure beam to illuminate a substrate through a mask and a projection optical system and making an illumination area of the exposure beam relatively scan the substrate so as to transfer an image of a pattern on the mask onto the substrate, said exposure apparatus comprising:

a detector that detects positional information along a direction of an optical axis of the projection optical system at a plurality of measurement points set at positions in a predetermined relationship with respect to the illumination area, and

a posture controller, connected to said detector, that controls a posture of the substrate with respect to an image plane of the projection optical system based on the positional information during the scanning exposure,

the posture controller includes a switching device that switches between a first control for performing only focusing control for adjusting a position of said substrate in the direction of the optical axis of the projection optical system and a second control for performing both focusing control and leveling control for adjusting a tilt condition of said substrate based on a relative positional relationship between the plurality of measurement points and the substrate during the scanning exposure.

7. The exposure apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the plurality of measurement points are positioned in the illumination area on the substrate.

8. An exposure method making a mask and a substrate move synchronously with respect to a projection optical system so as to make an illumination area of an exposure beam passing through the projection optical system relatively scan a shot area on the substrate to expose the shot area, comprising:

making said illumination area of the exposure beam relatively scan a shot area positioned at a periphery of the substrate from the outside of the substrate to the inside,

starting, during scanning exposure operation for the shot area, only focusing control for adjusting a position of said substrate in a direction of an optical axis of the projection optical system when a measurement point of a plurality of measurement points for detection of positional information of the substrate in the direction of the optical axis of the projection optical system is positioned inside an effective area of the substrate, and

starting, during the scanning exposure operation for the shot area, additionally leveling control for adjusting a tilt condition of said substrate when a plurality of measurement points that is less than all of the measurement points is positioned inside the effective area of the substrate.

9. The exposure method according to claim 8, further determining a position of the measurement points in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis of the projection optical system based on position information of a shot area to be exposed in the substrate.

10. The exposure method according to claim 9, which, when the shot area of the substrate is at the periphery of the substrate,

defines a length required for leveling control in a non-scanning direction perpendicular to a direction of synchronous movement of the substrate as L1 and a length of the shot area on the substrate in the non-scanning direction as L2,

hypothesizes, inside said shot area, a surface area S1 of a first rectangular shape having a side of a length of the length L1, having a first corner intersect with an edge of the substrate, and having an opposite corner of the first corner overlap with a corner of the shot area close to the center of the substrate,

hypothesizes, inside said shot area, a surface area S2 of a second rectangular shape having a side of a length of the length L2, having a second corner intersect with an edge of the substrate, and having an opposite corner of the second corner overlap with a corner of the shot area close to the center of the substrate,

compares the surface area S1 of the first rectangular shape and the surface area S2 of the second rectangular shape and determines the measurement points positioned inside the larger surface area.

11. The exposure method according to claim 8, wherein during said leveling control, leveling control is performed in only a non-scanning direction perpendicularly intersecting the direction of synchronous movement of the mask and the substrate.

12. The exposure apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the measurement points are arranged within the illumination area.

13. An exposure method using an exposure beam to illuminate a substrate through a mask and a projection optical system and making an illumination area of the exposure beam relatively scan the substrate so as to transfer an image of a pattern on the mask onto the substrate, said method comprising the steps of:

detecting positional information along a direction of an optical axis of the projection optical system at a plurality of measurement points set at positions in a predetermined relationship with respect to the illumination area, and

controlling a posture of the substrate with respect to an image plane of the projection optical system based on the positional information during the scanning exposure,

the step of controlling the posture including a step of switching between a first control for performing only focusing control for adjusting a position of the substrate in the direction of the optical axis of the projection optical system and a second control for performing both focusing control and leveling control for adjusting a tilt condition of the substrate based on relative positional relationship between the plurality of measurement points and the substrate during the scanning exposure.

14. The exposure method according to claim 13, further comprising a step of obtaining positional information of measurement points positioned in an effective area of said substrate based on relative positional information of said substrate and said plurality of measurement points during said scanning exposure.

15. The exposure method according to claim 13, wherein said leveling control includes at least one of leveling control in a scanning direction of said substrate and leveling control in a non-scanning direction perpendicularly intersecting said scanning direction.

16. The exposure method according to claim 13, which, when making said illumination area relatively scan a shot area positioned at a periphery of said substrate from an outside of the substrate in an inside, performs the first control until two measurement points separated by at least a predetermined length in said scanning direction or said non-scanning direction reach an effective area of said substrate and performs said second control from when said two measurement points reach said effective area.

17. The exposure method according to claim 13, wherein the plurality of measurement points are positioned in the illumination area on the substrate.

18. A process for production of a device comprising:

making an illumination area of an exposure beam passing through a projection optical system relatively scan a shot area positioned at a periphery of a substrate from the outside of the substrate to the inside,

starting, during scanning exposure operation for the shot area, only focusing control for adjusting a position of said substrate in a direction of an optical axis of the projection optical system when a measurement point of a plurality of measurement points for detection of positional information of the substrate in the direction of the optical axis of the projection optical system is positioned inside an effective area of the substrate,

starting, during the scanning exposure operation for the shot area, additionally leveling control for adjusting a tilt condition of said substrate when a plurality of measurement points that is less than all of the measurement points is positioned inside the effective area of the substrate, and

exposing the shot area by transferring an image of a pattern on a mask on to the substrate.

19. A process for production of a device comprising the steps of:

detecting positional information of a substrate along a direction of an optical axis of a projection optical system at a plurality of measurement points set at positions in a predetermined relationship with respect to an illumination area of an exposure beam passing through the projection optical system,

controlling a posture of the substrate with respect to an image plane of the projection optical system based on the positional information during scanning exposure,

switching between a first control for performing only focusing control for adjusting a position of the substrate in the direction of an optical axis of the projection optical system and a second control for performing both focusing control and leveling control for adjusting a tilt condition of the substrate based on relative positional relationship between the plurality of measurement points and the substrate during the scanning exposure, and

using the exposure beam to illuminate the substrate through a mask and the projection optical system and making the illumination area of the exposure beam relatively scan the substrate so as to transfer an image of a pattern on the mask onto the substrate.

20. A process for production of an exposure apparatus for making a mask and a substrate move synchronously with respect to a projection optical system so as to transfer an image of a pattern formed on the mask on to the substrate, comprising the steps of;

providing a sensor that detects positional information of the substrate in a direction of an optical axis of the projection optical system at a plurality of measurement points,

providing an adjusting device, connected to said sensor, that adjusts a position of the substrate in the direction of the optical axis by focusing control and a tilt condition of the substrate by leveling control based on a result of detection of said sensor, and

providing a control switching device, connected to said adjusting device, that switches control while the image of the pattern is transferred onto the substrate so as to perform only said focusing control since a measurement point of the sensor is positioned inside an effective area of the substrate and so as to additionally perform leveling control when a plurality of measurement points that is less than all of the measurement points is positioned inside the effective area of the substrate.

21. A process for production of an exposure apparatus using an exposure beam to illuminate a substrate through a mask and a projection optical system and making an illumination area of the exposure beam relatively scan the substrate so as to transfer an image of a pattern on the mask onto the substrate, comprising the steps of:

providing a detector that detects positional information along a direction of an optical axis of the projection optical system at a plurality of measurement points set at positions in a predetermined relationship with respect to the illumination area, and

providing a posture controller, connected to said detector, that controls the posture of the substrate with respect to an image plane of the projection optical system based on the positional information during the scanning exposure and includes a switching device that switches between a first control for performing only focusing control for adjusting a position of said substrate in the direction of the optical axis of the projection optical system and a second control for performing both focusing control and leveling control for adjusting a tilt condition of said substrate based on a relative positional relationship between the plurality of measurement points and the substrate during the scanning exposure.