Exposure apparatus, exposure method, and method for producing device

• US 8,027,020 B2
• Filed: 02/16/2007
• Issued: 09/27/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/16/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Nagasaka, Hiroyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Glick; Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): Asfaw; Mesfin T
• Application Number:
  US11/707,027
• Publication Number:
  US 20070273854A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,684 Days
• Field of Search: 355/30, 355/53
• US Class Current: 355/53
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70208 Multiple illumination paths, e.g. radiation distribution devices, microlens illumination systems, multiplexers or demultiplexers for single or multiple projection systems
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70275 Multiple projection paths, e.g. array of projection systems, microlens projection systems or tandem projection systems
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70283 Mask effects on the imaging process
• 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

An exposure apparatus includes a projection optical system which forms an image of a first pattern in a first exposure area and which forms an image of a second pattern in a second exposure area; and an adjusting device which adjusts a surface positional relationship between a surface of the substrate and a first image plane for forming the image of the first pattern thereon and which adjusts a surface positional relationship between the surface of the substrate and a second image plane for forming the image of the second pattern thereon when a shot area on the substrate is subjected to multiple exposure with the image of the first pattern and the image of the second pattern via the projection optical system. The substrate can be subjected to the multiple exposure satisfactorily and efficiently.

Claims

1. An exposure apparatus which exposes a substrate, comprising:

an optical system which forms an image of a first pattern in a first exposure area and which forms an image of a second pattern in a second exposure area by illumination of the first pattern and illumination of the second pattern, the second pattern being different from the first pattern;

an adjusting device which adjusts a surface positional relationship between a surface of the substrate and a first image plane for forming the image of the first pattern thereon and which adjusts a surface positional relationship between the surface of the substrate and a second image plane for forming the image of the second pattern thereon when a predetermined area on the substrate is subjected to multiple exposure with the image of the first pattern and the image of the second pattern via the optical system;

an illumination system that illuminates the first pattern and the second pattern; and

a control unit that is configured to control the illumination system,

wherein the substrate is moved in a scanning direction with respect to the first exposure area and the second exposure area to make the predetermined area on the substrate pass across the first exposure area and the second exposure area during the multiple exposure for the predetermined area on the substrate, and

the first pattern and the second pattern are moved in scanning directions respectively and the control unit controls the illumination system such that one of the illumination of the first pattern and the illumination of the second pattern is started and then the other of the illuminations is started before the one of the illuminations is completed during the multiple exposure for the predetermined area on the substrate.

2. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the adjusting device adjusts at least one of positions of the first pattern and the second pattern to adjust at least one of positions of the first image plane and the second image plane.

3. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the adjusting device adjusts the optical system to adjust at least one of positions of the first image plane and the second image plane.

4. The exposure apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the adjustment of at least one of the positions of the first image plane and the second image plane includes adjustment of at least one of inclinations of the first image plane and the second image plane.

5. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the adjusting device adjusts a position of the substrate, and the adjustment of the position includes adjustment of an inclination of the substrate.

6. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the adjusting device adjusts the surface positional relationship between the surface of the substrate and the first image plane and the surface positional relationship between the surface of the substrate and the second image plane, based on a surface information about the substrate.

7. The exposure apparatus according to claim 6, further comprising a surface detecting system which is capable of obtaining the surface information about the substrate, wherein the adjusting device adjusts the surface positional relationship between the surface of the substrate and each of the first and second image planes based on a detection result of the surface detecting system.

8. The exposure apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the surface detecting system obtains the surface information about the substrate concurrently with the multiple exposure operation performed for the predetermined area.

9. The exposure apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the surface detecting system is arranged away from the optical system, and obtains the surface information about the substrate before the exposure operation for the substrate is started.

10. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the adjusting device adjusts the surface positional relationship between the surface of the substrate and the first image plane in the first exposure area only by positional adjustment of the first image plane, and the adjusting device adjusts the surface positional relationship between the surface of the substrate and the second image plane in the second exposure area only by positional adjustment of the substrate.

11. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the adjusting device adjusts the surface positional relationship between the surface of the substrate and the first image plane in the first exposure area and adjusts the surface positional relationship between the surface of the substrate and the second image plane in the second exposure area only by positional adjustment of the substrate, without performing positional adjustment of the first image plane and the second image plane.

12. The exposure apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the adjusting device performs the positional adjustment of the substrate to match the first image plane in the first exposure area to an exposure surface on the substrate.

13. The exposure apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the adjusting device performs the positional adjustment of the substrate to make an error between an exposure surface on the substrate and the first image plane in the first exposure area to be substantially same as an error between the exposure surface on the substrate and the second image plane in the second exposure area.

14. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the adjusting device performs positional adjustment of each of the surface of the substrate, the fist image plane and the second image plane to match the first image plane in the first exposure area to an exposure surface on the substrate, and to match the second image plane in the second exposure area to the exposure surface on the substrate.

15. The exposure apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the adjusting device performs the positional adjustment of the substrate to make an amount of positional adjustment of the first image plane to be substantially equal to an amount of positional adjustment of the second image plane.

16. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the adjusting device adjusts the surface positional relationship between the surface of the substrate and the first image plane in the first exposure area and adjusts the surface positional relationship between the surface of the substrate and the second image plane in the second exposure area only by positional adjustment of the first image plane and the second image plane, without performing positional adjustment of the substrate.

17. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the adjusting device moves at least one of the first image plane, the second image plane, and the substrate to dispose the first image plane and the surface of the substrate in a predetermined positional relationship in the first exposure area, and to dispose the second image plane and the surface of the substrate in a predetermined positional relationship in the second exposure area.

18. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the adjusting device adjusts the surface positional relationship during the multiple exposure for the predetermined area.

19. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a mask stage which is capable of moving a first mask having the first pattern and a second mask having the second pattern in the scanning directions respectively; and

a substrate stage which is capable of moving the predetermined area on the substrate in the scanning direction with respect to the first exposure area and the second exposure area,

wherein the mask stage and the substrate stage are controlled to move the first mask and the second mask in synchronization with movement of the substrate.

20. The exposure apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the mask stage has a main stage which is capable of moving the first mask and the second mask in substantially same scanning directions while holding the first mask and the second mask.

21. The exposure apparatus according to claim 20, wherein the mask stage has a first driving device which is capable of moving the first mask with respect to the main stage and a second driving device which is capable of moving the second mask with respect to the main stage.

22. The exposure apparatus according to claim 21, wherein the adjusting device adjusts at least one of positions of the first and second image planes by moving at least one of the first and second masks with the first and second driving devices.

23. The exposure apparatus according to claim 19, further comprising a first measuring system which is capable of measuring position information about the first mask and position information about the second mask.

24. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the optical system has one optical element which is arranged to opposite to the substrate, and the image of the first pattern and the image of the second pattern are formed in the first exposure area and the second exposure area respectively via the one optical element.

25. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first exposure area and the second exposure area are set at different positions.

26. The exposure apparatus according to claim 25, wherein the optical system has a first reflecting surface which is arranged in the vicinity of a position optically conjugate with the first exposure area and the second exposure area;

a second reflecting surface which is arranged in the vicinity of a position optically conjugate with the first exposure area and the second exposure area;

a first optical system which guides an exposure light beam from the first pattern to the first reflecting surface;

a second optical system which guides an exposure light beam from the second pattern to the second reflecting surface; and

a third optical system which guides the exposure light beam from the first reflecting surface and the exposure light beam from the second reflecting surface to the first exposure area and the second exposure area respectively.

27. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a second measuring system which measures a position of the first image plane and a position of the second image plane.

28. The exposure apparatus according to claim 27, wherein the second measuring system has a light-receiving section arrangeable in each of the first exposure area and the second exposure area.

29. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a liquid immersion area of a liquid is formed on the substrate, and an exposure light beam from the first pattern and an exposure light beam from the second pattern are radiated onto the predetermined area on the substrate through the liquid of the liquid immersion area.

30. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the substrate is a wafer.

31. A method for producing a device, comprising using the exposure apparatus as defined in claim 1.

32. An exposure method for performing multiple exposure for a predetermined area on a substrate with an image of a first pattern and an image of a second pattern by illumination of the first pattern and illumination of the second pattern, the exposure method comprising:

adjusting surface positional relationship between a surface of the substrate and a first image plane on which the image of the first pattern is to be formed;

adjusting surface positional relationship between the surface of the substrate and a second image plane on which the image of the second pattern is to be formed;

forming the image of the first pattern and the image of the second pattern in a first exposure area and a second exposure area respectively to perform the multiple exposure for the predetermined area on the substrate with the image of the first pattern and the image of the second pattern; and

controlling the illumination of the first pattern and the second pattern, and

during the multiple exposure performed for the predetermined area on the substrate with the image of the first pattern and the image of the second pattern, the substrate, a first mask on which the first pattern is formed and a second mask on which the second pattern is formed are synchronously moved and, during the controlling, one of the illumination of the first pattern and the illumination of the second pattern is started and then the other of the illuminations is started before the one of the illuminations is completed.

33. The exposure method according to claim 32, wherein the predetermined area on the substrate is subjected to the multiple exposure with the image of the first pattern and the image of the second pattern by synchronously moving the first and second masks and the substrate for one time.

34. The exposure method according to claim 32, wherein the substrate is moved in a scanning direction relative to the first and second exposure areas during the multiple exposure;

and the first and second exposure areas are located at mutually different positions in the scanning direction.

35. The exposure method according to claim 32, further comprising adjusting a surface positional relationship between the first image plane and the second image plane.

36. The exposure method according to claim 32, wherein a liquid immersion area of a liquid is formed on the substrate, and an exposure light beam from the first pattern and an exposure light beam from the second pattern are radiated onto the predetermined area on the substrate through the liquid of the liquid immersion area.

37. A method for producing a device, comprising:

performing multiple exposure for a substrate by using the exposure method as defined in claim 32;

developing the exposed substrate; and

processing the developed substrate.