Movable body drive method and movable body drive system, pattern formation method and apparatus, exposure method and apparatus, and device manufacturing method for continuous position measurement of movable body before and after switching between sensor heads

• US 8,237,919 B2
• Filed: 08/21/2008
• Issued: 08/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/24/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Shibazaki, Yuichi, Kanaya, Yuho
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Peter B
• Assistant Examiner(s): LIU, CHIA HOW MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US12/196,133
• Publication Number:
  US 20090059198A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,447 Days
• Field of Search: 355/72, 355 73- 76, 355/53, 356/616
• US Class Current: 355/72
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70775 Position control, e.g. interferometers or encoders for determining the stage position
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/7085 Detection arrangement, e.g. detectors of apparatus alignment possibly mounted on wafers, exposure dose, photo-cleaning flux, stray light, thermal load
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 9/7026 Focusing
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 9/7034 Leveling

Abstract

A controller uses two Z heads, which are positioned above a reflection surface installed on the ±X ends of the upper surface of a table, to measure the height and tilt of the table. According to the XY position of the table, the Z heads to be used are switched from ZsR and ZsL to ZsR′ and ZsL. On the switching of the heads, the controller applies a coordinate linkage method to set an initial value of the Z heads which are to be newly used. Accordingly, although the Z heads to be used are sequentially switched according to the XY position of the table, measurement results of the height and the tilt of the table are stored before and after the switching, and it becomes possible to drive the table with high precision.

Claims

1. A movable body drive method in which a movable body is driven substantially along a two-dimensional plane, the method comprising:

a first process comprising;

measuring a position in a direction perpendicular to the two-dimensional plane and a tilt with respect to the two-dimensional plane of the movable body using a detection device that has a plurality of detection positions and has a plurality of sensor heads which detect, at each of the detection positions, positional information of a surface of the movable body substantially parallel to the two-dimensional plane, in the direction perpendicular to the two-dimensional plane with a reference plane parallel to the two-dimensional plane serving as a reference; and

a second process comprising;

switching a first set of sensor heads used to control the position and attitude of the movable body to another set of sensor heads which include at least one sensor head different from the first set of sensor heads so that the position in the direction perpendicular to the two-dimensional plane and the tilt with respect to the two-dimensional plane of the movable body are continuous before and after the switching;

specifying a second set of sensor heads used to control the position and the attitude of the movable body based on positional information of the movable body in the two-dimensional plane;

when the second set of sensor heads does not match the first set of sensor heads currently used to control the position and the attitude of the movable body, determining a measurement value of a specific sensor head, of a plurality of sensor heads belonging to the second set of sensor heads, that is currently not used to control the position and the attitude of the movable body based on the position and the attitude of the movable body; and

correcting an actual measurement value of the specific sensor head based on the determined measurement value so that the position and the attitude of the movable body match before and after the switching.

2. The movable body drive method according to claim 1 wherein

the second process includes performing a return processing of the specific sensor head, in the case when the second set of sensor heads does not match the first set of sensor heads.

3. The movable body drive method according to claim 2 wherein

each of the plurality of sensor heads includes a first sensor including a movable member which moves to maintain an optical positional relation with a measurement subject according to a position change in the direction perpendicular to the two-dimensional plane of the movable body and a second sensor which detects displacement of the movable member from a reference point, and

the return processing includes a processing in which the specific sensor head is made to wait in a first state where the movable member of the specific sensor head is driven, so that a measurement value of the second sensor of the specific sensor head matches a value obtained based on the position and attitude of the movable body.

4. The movable body drive method according to claim 3 wherein

the return processing includes a processing in which the specific sensor head is switched from the first state to a second state where the movable member is moved so that the movable member of the specific sensor head maintains an optical positional relation with the measurement subject, after confirming that the movable member of the specific sensor head in the first state moves into a state where the optical positional relation of the movable member with the measurement subject can be maintained by the movement of the movable body.

5. The movable body drive method according to claim 1 wherein

in the second process, coordinate linkage is performed in which the position and the attitude of the movable body match before and after the switching by deciding an offset of the specific sensor head so as to reproduce the determined measurement value the specific sensor head based on the position and the attitude of the movable body.

6. The movable body drive method according to claim 1 wherein

the switching of the set of sensor heads is performed during a period from when the sensor head, used only after the switching, faces a detection area until when the sensor head, that will not be used after the switching, moves off of the detection area.

7. A pattern formation method, comprising:

a mount process in which an object is mounted on a movable body that can move along a movement plane; and

a drive process in which the movable body is driven by the movable body drive method according to claim 1, to form a pattern on the object.

8. A device manufacturing method including a pattern formation process, wherein

in the pattern formation process, a pattern is formed on an object using the pattern formation method according to claim 7.

9. An exposure method in which a pattern is formed on an object by an irradiation of an energy beam wherein

for relative movement of the energy beam and the object, a movable body on which the object is mounted is driven, using the movable body drive method according to claim 1.

10. A movable body drive system in which a movable body is driven substantially along a two-dimensional plane, the system comprising:

a detection device that has a plurality of detection positions, and has a plurality of sensor heads which detect, at each of the detection positions, positional information of a surface of the movable body substantially parallel to the two-dimensional plane, in a direction perpendicular to the two-dimensional plane with a reference plane parallel to the two-dimensional plane serving as a reference; and

a controller which measures a position in the direction perpendicular to the two-dimensional plane and a tilt with respect to the two-dimensional plane of the movable body, based on the output of the plurality of sensor heads of the detection device, and also switches a first set of sensor heads used to control the position and attitude of the movable body from the first set of sensor heads to another set of sensor heads including at least one different sensor head from the first set of sensor heads so that the position in the direction perpendicular to the two-dimensional plane and the tilt with respect to the two-dimensional plane of the movable body become successive before and after the switching, during the movement of the movable body, wherein

the controller specifies a second set of sensor heads used to control the position and the attitude of the movable body based on positional information of the movable body in the two-dimensional plane, and in the case when the second set of sensor heads does not match the first set of sensor heads currently used to control the position and the attitude of the movable body, determines a measurement value of a specific sensor head, of a plurality of sensor heads belonging to the second set of sensor heads, that is currently not used to control the position and the attitude of the movable body, based on the position and the attitude of the movable body, and corrects an actual measurement value of the specific sensor head based on the determined measurement value so that the position and the attitude of the movable body match before and after the switching.

11. The movable body drive system according to claim 10 wherein

the controller performs a return processing of the specific sensor head in the case when the second set of sensor heads does not match the first set of sensor heads.

12. The movable body drive system according to claim 11 wherein

each of the plurality of sensor heads includes a first sensor including a movable member which moves to maintain an optical positional relation with a measurement subject according to a position change in the direction perpendicular to the two-dimensional plane of the movable body and a second sensor which detects displacement of the movable member from a reference point.

13. The movable body drive system according to claim 12 wherein

the return processing includes a processing in which the specific sensor head is made to wait in a first state where the movable member of the specific sensor head is driven, so that a measurement value of the second sensor of the specific sensor head matches a value obtained based on the position and attitude of the movable body.

14. The movable body drive system according to claim 13 wherein

the return processing includes a processing in which the specific sensor head is switched from the first state to a second state where the movable member of the specific sensor head is moved so that the movable member maintains an optical positional relation with the measurement subject, after confirming that the movable member of the specific sensor head in the first state moves into a state where the optical positional relation of the movable member with the measurement subject can be maintained by the movement of the movable body.

15. The movable body drive system according to claim 12 wherein

the controller performs coordinate linkage in which the position and the attitude of the movable body match before and after the switching, by deciding an offset of the specific sensor head so as to reproduce the determined measurement value of the specific sensor head based on the position and the attitude of the movable body.

16. The movable body drive system according to claim 15 wherein

the controller constantly computes a difference between an output of the second sensor of the individual sensor heads and a coordinate linkage result and updates a target value to which the movable body should be positioned, using measurement results of the detection device when successively performing the coordinate linkage between a plurality of sensor heads.

17. The movable body drive system according to claim 10 wherein

the controller performs switching of the set of sensor heads during a period from when the sensor head, used only after the switching, faces a detection area until when the sensor head, that will not be used after the switching, moves off of the detection area.

18. A pattern formation apparatus, comprising:

a movable body drive system according to claim 10 which drives the movable body on which an object is mounted for pattern formation to the object; and

a pattern generation system which generates a pattern on the object.

19. An exposure apparatus that forms a pattern on an object by an irradiation of an energy beam, the apparatus comprising:

a patterning device that irradiates the energy beam on the object; and

a movable body drive system according to claim 10, wherein

the movable body drive system drives the movable body on which the object is mounted for relative movement of the energy beam and the object.