Reticle protection member, reticle carrying device, exposure device and method for carrying reticle

• US 7,453,549 B2
• Filed: 09/27/2005
• Issued: 11/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Original Assignee: Nikon Corporation
• Inventors: Okubo, Yukiharu, Suzuki, Motoko
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, KIET TUAN
• Application Number:
  US11/235,198
• Publication Number:
  US 20070206173A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,148 Days
• Field of Search: 355/30, 355/53, 355/75
• US Class Current: 355/30
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 1/66 Containers specially adapted for masks, mask blanks or pellicles; Preparation thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 7/70741 Handling masks outside exposure position, e.g. reticle libraries
• CPC Class Codes: G03F 9/7084 Position of mark on substrate, i.e. position in (x, y, z) of mark, e.g. buried or resist covered mark, mark on rearside, at the substrate edge, in the circuit area, latent image mark, marks in plural levels
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/027 Making masks on semiconductor bodies for further photolithographic processing not provided for in group H01L21/18 or H01L21/34 photographic masks or originals per se G03F1/00; registration or positioning of photographic masks or originals G03F9/00; photographic cameras G03B; control of position G05D3/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67353 specially adapted for a single substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 21/67359 specially adapted for containing masks, reticles or pellicles

Abstract

A position measurement device 29 measures the position of a position measurement mark 26 formed on the lower surface of a reticle 1, thereby measuring the position of the reticle 1. A position measurement device 30 measures the position of the position measurement mark 27 formed on the lower surface of a lower lid 2b, thereby measuring the position of the lower lid 2b. The relative displacement of the reticle 1 and lower lid 2b is known when the position of the reticle 1 and the position of the lower lid 2b are known. Therefore, when the lower lid 2b having the reticle 1 loaded thereon is carried with a carrying device and set in an exposure device, the stop position of the lower lid 2b is determined by taking this displacement into account. As a result, the reticle 1 can be correctly set in the exposure device.

Claims

1. A reticle protection member for protecting at least part of a reticle to be used in an exposure device, the reticle protection member comprising an alignment mark indicating the position of the reticle protection member.

2. The reticle protection member as described in claim 1, wherein the reticle is a reflective-type reticle having a pattern on one surface, wherein the reticle protection member comprises a first member for protecting the surface of the reticle having the pattern and a second member for protecting a surface opposite to the surface having the pattern, and wherein the first and second members each include an alignment mark.

3. The reticle protection member as described in claim 1, wherein the reticle is a reflective-type reticle having a pattern on one surface, and wherein the reticle protection member protects at least the pattern.

4. A reticle carrying device for carrying a reticle, comprising reticle-carrying means for carrying a reticle at least partly protected by a reticle protection member, first position measurement means for measuring the position of the reticle, and second position measurement means for measuring the position of the reticle protection member.

5. The reticle carrying device according to claim 4, wherein the reticle is a reflective-type reticle having a pattern on one surface, wherein the reticle protection member comprises a first member for protecting the surface of the reticle having the pattern and a second member for protecting a surface opposite to the surface having the pattern, and wherein the second position measurement means independently measures the positions of the first member and the second member.

6. The reticle carrying device according to claim 5, further comprising position correction means for correcting the positions of the first member and the reticle based on the position of the reticle and the position of the reticle protection member measured by the first position measurement means and the second position measurement means.

7. The reticle carrying device according to claim 6, wherein the reticle carrying means is configured to carry the reticle protected by the reticle protection member to a reticle stage and to carry the reticle protection member from the reticle stage to another location after the reticle has been loaded on the reticle stage, and is configured to correct the position of the reticle and the reticle protection member or the first member with the position correction means before the reticle is loaded on the reticle stage.

8. The reticle carrying device according to claim 5, having a function of measuring the positions of the first member and the second member and then aligning the first member and the second member and combining them based on the measurement results.

9. The reticle carrying device according to claim 4, wherein the reticle is a reflective-type reticle having a pattern on one surface, and wherein the reticle protection member protects at least the pattern.

10. The reticle carrying device according to claim 4, further comprising position correction means for correcting the positions of the reticle protection member and the reticle based on the position of the reticle and the position of the reticle protection member measured by the first position measurement means and the second position measurement means.

11. The reticle carrying device according to claim 10, wherein the reticle carrying means is configured to carry the reticle protected by the reticle protection member to a reticle stage and to carry the reticle protection member from the reticle stage to another location after the reticle has been loaded on the reticle stage, and is configured to correct the position of the reticle and the reticle protection member or the first member with the position correction means before the reticle is loaded on the reticle stage.

12. The reticle carrying device according to claim 4, wherein the reticle carrying means is configured to carry the reticle protection member to a reticle stage, protecting the reticle with the reticle protection member, and then to carry the reticle protection member and the reticle to recover the reticle from the reticle stage, and is configured to measure the position of the reticle protection member with the second measurement means before the reticle protection member is carried to the reticle stage.

13. An exposure device comprising the reticle-carrying device of claim 4.

14. A method for carrying a reticle to be used in an exposure device, comprising the steps of:

protecting at least part of the reticle with a protection member;

measuring the position of the reticle and the position of protection member while the protection member protects at least part of the reticle; and

removing the reticle from the protection member.