Movable body drive method, pattern formation method, exposure method, and device manufacturing method for maintaining position coordinate before and after switching encoder head

• US 8,264,669 B2
• Filed: 07/24/2008
• Issued: 09/11/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Shibazaki, Yuichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Peter B
• Assistant Examiner(s): LIU, CHIA HOW MICHAEL
• Application Number:
  US12/179,144
• Publication Number:
  US 20090040488A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,510 Days
• Field of Search: 355/72, 355 73- 76, 355/52, 355/53, 356/616
• US Class Current: 355/72
• 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 7/70725 control
• 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 9/7088 Alignment mark detection, e.g. TTR, TTL, off-axis detection, array detector, video detection

Abstract

Positional information of a stage within a movement plane is measured, using three encoders which include at least one each of an X encoder and a Y encoder. Based on position measurement values of the stage, the encoder used in position measurement is switched from an encoder (Enc1, Enc2 and Enc3) to an encoder (Enc4, Enc2 and Enc3). On the switching, a coordinate linkage method or a phase linkage method is applied to set an initial value of an encoder (Enc4) which is to be newly used. Accordingly, position measurement values of the stage before and after the switching are stored even though the encoder used in position measurement of the stage is sequentially switched, and the stage can be driven accurately two-dimensionally.

Claims

1. A movable body drive method in which a movable body is driven along a predetermined plane including a first axis and a second axis orthogonal to each other, the method comprising:

a first process in which a position coordinate of the movable body is obtained, based on measurement values of three encoder heads among a plurality of first encoder heads whose position in a direction parallel to the second axis is different and a plurality of second encoder heads whose position in a direction parallel to the first axis is different, with the three encoder heads respectively facing three gratings among a pair of first gratings whose periodic direction is in a direction parallel to the first axis and a pair of second gratings whose periodic direction is in a direction parallel to the second axis that are arranged on a surface parallel to the predetermined plane of the movable body, the first gratings and the second gratings being positioned on a top surface of the movable body; and

a second process in which a measurement value of an encoder head to be newly used is set so that the position coordinate is maintained before and after the switching of the encoder head.

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

in the second process, on switching a set of three encoder heads used in position control of the movable body to a different set of three encoder heads including at least one encoder head which is different from the set of three encoder heads, a measurement value of an encoder head to be newly used is to be set.

3. A pattern formation method, comprising:

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

a 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.

4. 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 3.

5. 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.

6. The movable body drive method according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of encoder heads are positioned above the movable body.

7. A movable body drive method in which a movable body is driven along a predetermined plane including a first axis and a second axis orthogonal to each other, the method comprising:

a first process in which a position coordinate of the movable body is obtained, based on measurement values of three encoder heads among a plurality of encoder heads which are placed at an outside of the movable body and whose positions in a plane parallel to the predetermined plane are different, with the three encoder heads respectively facing three scales among four scales, which are placed parallel to the predetermined plane at the movable body, each scale having a grating placed on a top surface of the movable body; and

a second process in which a measurement value of an encoder head to be newly used is set so that the position coordinate is maintained before and after the switching of the encoder head.

8. The movable body drive method according to claim 7, wherein

in at least one of the first process and the second process, measurement values of the three encoder heads among the four encoder heads that respectively face the four scales are used in position control of the movable body.

9. The movable body drive method according to claim 7, wherein

in at least one of the first process and the second process, only the three encoder heads used in position control of the movable body among the four encoder heads individually face the three scales of the four scales.

10. The movable body drive method according to claim 7, wherein

in the second process, on switching a set of three encoder heads used in position control of the movable body to a different set of three encoder heads including at least one encoder head which is different from the set of three encoder heads, a measurement value of an encoder head to be newly used is to be set.

11. A pattern formation method, comprising:

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

a process in which the movable body is driven by the movable body drive method according to claim 7, to form a pattern on the object.

12. 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 11.

13. 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 7.

14. The movable body drive method according to claim 7, wherein the plurality of encoder heads are positioned above the movable body.