Movable body drive method and movable body drive system, pattern formation method and pattern formation apparatus, and device manufacturing method

• US 8,547,527 B2
• Filed: 07/18/2008
• Issued: 10/01/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Kanaya, Yuho
• Primary Examiner(s): Kim, Peter B
• Application Number:
  US12/175,783
• Publication Number:
  US 20090033900A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,901 Days
• Field of Search: 355/53, 355/72, 355/75, 356/401
• US Class Current: 355/72
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70516 Calibration of components of the microlithographic apparatus, e.g. light sources, addressable masks or detectors
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70775 Position control, e.g. interferometers or encoders for determining the stage position

Abstract

First positional information of a stage is measured using an interferometer system, for example, an X interferometer and a Y interferometer. At the same time, second positional information of the stage is measured using an encoder system, for example, one X head and one Y head. A coordinate offset is set by performing a moving average of the difference between the first positional information and the second positional information for over a predetermined measurement time, and the reliability of output signals of the encoder system is verified using the coordinate offset. In the case the output signals are determined to be normal, the stage is servocontrolled using the sum of the first positional information and the coordinate offset. Such servocontrol by a hybrid method makes it possible to perform drive control of the stage having stability of the interferometer and accuracy of the encoder together.

Claims

1. A movable body drive method of driving a movable body along a predetermined plane, the method comprising:

a drive process in which positional information of the movable body is measured using an interferometer system and an encoder system, and the movable body is driven based on measurement information of the interferometer system and also the movable body is driven using measurement information of the encoder system so that a measurement error of the interferometer system is compensated,

the encoder system having a plurality of encoders and measuring the positional information of the movable body using at least one of the encoders; and

a switching process in which at least one of the encoders used in measurement of the positional information of the movable body is switched to a different one of the encoders according to a change of a position of the movable body in a plane parallel to the predetermined plane, wherein

in the switching process, a measurement value of the different one of the encoders is determined so that the position of the movable body in the plane parallel to the predetermined plane is maintained before and after the switching.

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

the compensation of the measurement error of the interferometer system includes correcting the measurement information of the interferometer system using the measurement information of the encoder system.

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

in the drive process, the measurement error is compensated by driving the movable body based on a sum of a first position coordinate of the movable body computed from the measurement information of the interferometer system and coordinate offset information related to a difference between a second position coordinate of the movable body computed from the measurement information of the encoder system and the first position coordinate.

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

the coordinate offset information is a moving average of the difference regarding a predetermined measurement time.

5. The movable body drive method according to claim 3, further comprising:

a verification process in which reliability of the measurement information of the encoder system is verified using the coordinate offset information, wherein

in the drive process, in the case the measurement information of the encoder system is determined to be normal as a result of the verification, the movable body is driven based on a sum of the coordinate offset information after the verification and the first position coordinate, and in the case abnormality of the measurement information of the encoder system is detected as a result of the verification, the movable body is driven based on a sum of the coordinate offset information that has been determined to be normal in previous verification and the first position coordinate.

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

the movable body is driven in directions parallel to a first axis and a second axis that are orthogonal within the predetermined plane, and the encoder system measures positional information of the movable body by a head unit that has a plurality of heads whose positions are different in a direction intersecting a grating section that is arranged on the movable body and has a longitudinal direction in an arrangement direction of a diffraction grating.

7. A pattern formation method of forming a pattern on an object, the method comprising:

driving at least one movable body of a plurality of movable bodies that include a movable body on which the object is mounted, using the movable body drive method according to claim 1, for pattern formation to the object.

8. The pattern formation method according to claim 7 wherein

the at least one movable body that is driven includes at least one of the movable body on which the object is mounted and a movable body on which at least a part of a patterning device that generates a pattern on the object is mounted.

9. The pattern formation method according to claim 7 wherein

the object has a sensitive layer and a pattern is formed on the object by exposure of the sensitive layer by irradiation of an energy beam.

10. A device manufacturing method including a pattern formation process wherein

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

11. A pattern formation method of forming a predetermined pattern on an object held by a movable body, the method comprising:

a drive process in which when the movable body is driven along a predetermined plane while measuring positional information of the movable body using an interferometer system and an encoder system, measurement information of the interferometer system is used as the positional information of the movable body; and

a calibration process in which predetermined calibration processing to improve alignment accuracy of the pattern and the object is performed using measurement information of the encoder system, wherein

the calibration processing includes obtaining and correcting a speed deviation of the movable body, using positional information of the movable body obtained from the measurement information of the encoder system, the speed deviation occurring when performing scanning alignment measurement in which an aerial image of a predetermined mark is measured during constant speed scan of the movable body.

12. The pattern formation method according to claim 11 wherein

the object has a sensitive layer, and a pattern is formed on the object by exposure of the sensitive layer by irradiation of an energy beam.

13. A device manufacturing method including a pattern formation process wherein

in the pattern formation process, a pattern is formed on a substrate using the pattern formation method according to claim 11.

14. A movable body drive system that drives a movable body along a predetermined plane, the system comprising:

an interferometer system that measures positional information of the movable body;

an encoder system that has a plurality of encoders and measures positional information of the movable body using at least one of the encoders;

a drive device that drives the movable body based on measurement information of the interferometer system, and also drives the movable body using measurement information of the encoder system so as to compensate a measurement error of the interferometer system; and

a switching device that switches at least one of the encoders used in measurement of the positional information of the movable body to a different one of the encoders according to a change of a position of the movable body in a plane parallel to the predetermined plane, wherein

the switching device determines a measurement value of the different one of the encoders so that the position of the movable body in the plane parallel to the predetermined plane is maintained before and after the switching.

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

the compensation of the measurement error of the interferometer system includes correcting the measurement information of the interferometer system using the measurement information of the encoder system.

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

the drive device drives the movable body based on a sum of a first position coordinate of the movable body computed from the measurement information of the interferometer system and coordinate offset information related to a difference between a second position coordinate of the movable body computed from the measurement information of the encoder system and the first position coordinate.

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

the coordinate offset information is a moving average of the difference regarding a predetermined measurement time.

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

the drive device verifies reliability of the measurement information of the encoder system using the coordinate offset information, and in the case the measurement information of the encoder system is determined to be normal as a result of the verification, drives the movable body based on a sum of the coordinate offset information after the verification and the first position coordinate, and in the case abnormality of the measurement information of the encoder system is detected as a result of the verification, drives the movable body based on a sum of the coordinate offset information that has been determined to be normal in previous verification and the first position coordinate.

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

the movable body is driven in directions parallel to a first axis and a second axis that are orthogonal within the predetermined plane, and a grating section having a longitudinal direction in an arrangement direction of a diffraction grating is arranged on the movable body, and

the encoder system measures positional information of the movable body by a head unit that has a plurality of heads whose positions are different in a direction intersecting the grating section.

20. A pattern formation apparatus that forms a pattern on an object wherein

for pattern formation to the object, at least one movable body of a plurality of movable bodies that include a movable body on which the object is mounted is driven, using the movable body drive system according to claim 14.

21. The pattern formation apparatus according to claim 20 wherein

the at least one movable body that is driven includes at least one of the movable body on which the object is mounted and a movable body on which at least a part of a patterning device that generates a pattern on the object is mounted.

22. The pattern formation apparatus according to claim 20 wherein

the object has a sensitive layer and a pattern is formed on the object by exposure of the sensitive layer by irradiation of an energy beam.

23. A pattern formation apparatus that forms a predetermined pattern on an object held by a movable body, the apparatus comprising:

an interferometer system that measures positional information of the movable body;

an encoder system that measures positional information of the movable body; and

a processing device that, when the movable body is driven along a predetermined plane while measuring positional information of the movable body using the interferometer system and the encoder system, uses measurement information of the interferometer system as the positional information of the movable body, and also performs predetermined calibration processing to improve alignment accuracy of the pattern and the object using measurement information of the encoder system,

wherein at least a part of an aerial image measuring device including a pattern plate is arranged on the movable body, the aerial image measuring device being used to measure an aerial image of a predetermined mark during constant speed scan of the movable body, and

wherein as the calibration processing, the processing device obtains and corrects a speed deviation of the movable body using positional information of the movable body obtained from the measurement information of the encoder system, when performing scanning alignment measurement in which an aerial image of a predetermined mark is measured during constant speed scan of the movable body using the aerial image measuring device.

24. The pattern formation apparatus according to claim 23 wherein

the object has a sensitive layer, and a pattern is formed on the object by exposure of the sensitive layer by irradiation of an energy beam.