Exposure system, method of testing exposure apparatus, and method of manufacturing device

• US 8,180,473 B2
• Filed: 03/23/2010
• Issued: 05/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/25/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha (Canon Inc.)
• Inventors: Ito, Takashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Masinick, Michael D
• Application Number:
  US12/729,541
• Publication Number:
  US 20100249980A1
• Time in Patent Office: 784 Days
• Field of Search: 700/87, 700/121, 717/168
• US Class Current: 700/121
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70483 Information management; Active and passive control; Testing; Wafer monitoring, e.g. pattern monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70508 Data handling in all parts of the microlithographic apparatus, e.g. handling pattern data for addressable masks or data transfer to or from different components within the exposure apparatus
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70525 Controlling normal operating mode, e.g. matching different apparatus, remote control or prediction of failure

Abstract

An exposure system is configured to update control software installed on an exposure apparatus to new control software. The exposure system comprises: at least one exposure apparatus; a simulator configured to test an operation of the exposure apparatus; an output unit configured to output configuration information of the exposure apparatus, which includes information representing a temporal change of the exposure apparatus; a reflecting unit configured to reflect the temporal change of the exposure apparatus on the simulator based on the configuration information output from the output unit; and an updating unit configured to update control software installed on the simulator to new control software.

Claims

1. An exposure system configured to update control software installed on an exposure apparatus to new control software, the system comprising:

at least one exposure apparatus;

a simulator configured to test an operation of said exposure apparatus;

an output unit configured to output configuration information of said exposure apparatus, which includes information representing a temporal change of said exposure apparatus;

a reflecting unit configured to reflect the temporal change of said exposure apparatus on said simulator based on the configuration information output from said output unit; and

an updating unit configured to update control software installed on said simulator to new control software.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the information representing the temporal change includes at least one of an optical performance of a projection optical system, an expansion coefficient of a piezoelectric element which drives the projection optical system, an operating speed of a conveyance mechanism which conveys one of a substrate and an original, and an amount of light emitted by a light source, in said exposure apparatus.

3. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a second updating unit configured to update control software installed on said exposure apparatus to the new control software determined using said simulator to operate normally.

4. The system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a first obtaining unit configured to obtain a log of an exposure operation of said simulator having the control software updated to the new control software;

a second obtaining unit configured to obtain a log of an exposure operation of said exposure apparatus before the control software thereof is updated to the new control software; and

a comparison unit configured to compare the log obtained by said first obtaining unit with the log obtained by said second obtaining unit to confirm whether said simulator having the control software updated to the new control software has performed an exposure operation which is determined in advance not to be influenced by the updating to the new control software.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the logs obtained by said first obtaining unit and said second obtaining unit each include at least one of an exposure operation content, an exposure operation parameter, an exposure operation result, and an exposure operation time.

6. The system according to claim 4, wherein the exposure operation of said exposure apparatus and the exposure operation of said simulator are performed under identical conditions.

7. A method of testing updating of control software installed on an exposure apparatus to new control software, the method comprising:

outputting configuration information of the exposure apparatus, which includes information representing a temporal change of the exposure apparatus;

reflecting the temporal change of the exposure apparatus on a state of one of a simulator and a test exposure apparatus, which tests an operation of the exposure apparatus, based on the configuration information output in the outputting the configuration information;

updating control software installed on one of the simulator and the test exposure apparatus to new control software; and

testing the updating to the new control software by exposure operations of one of the simulator and the test exposure apparatus, which has the control software updated to the new control software and on which the temporal change is reflected.

8. A method of manufacturing a device, the method comprising:

exposing a substrate using an exposure apparatus included in an exposure system;

developing the exposed substrate; and

processing the developed substrate to manufacture the device, wherein

the exposure system is configured to update control software installed on the exposure apparatus to new control software, and

the exposure system comprises

a simulator configured to test an operation of the exposure apparatus,

an output unit configured to output configuration information of the exposure apparatus, which includes information representing a temporal change of the exposure apparatus,

a reflecting unit configured to reflect the temporal change of the exposure apparatus on the simulator based on the configuration information output from the output unit, and

an updating unit configured to update control software installed on the simulator to new control software.