摘要:
In a projection exposure apparatus wherein a stage is moved in the direction of optic axis when a mask formed with a predetermined pattern is projected by a shutter onto a photosensitive substrate placed on the stage through a projection optical system, the operations of control means for the shutter and control means for the stage are interlocked with each other on the basis of the operational characteristic of the shutter and the operational characteristics (particularly the speed characteristic) of the stage so that the distribution of the existence probability with respect to movement of the photosensitive substrate from the opening operation starting point of time till the closing operation completing point of time of the shutter, with respect to the direction of the optic axis, may assume substantially equal maximum values at at least two locations in the direction of the optic axis.
摘要:
In a projection exposure apparatus wherein a stage is moved in the direction of optic axis when a mask formed with a predetermined pattern is projected by a shutter onto a photosensitive substrate placed on the stage through a projection optical system, the operations of control means for the shutter and control means for the stage are interlocked with each other on the basis of the operational characteristic of the shutter and the operational characteristics (particularly the speed characteristic) of the stage so that the distribution of the existence probability with respect to movement of the photosensitive substrate from the opening operation starting point of time till the closing operation completing point of time of the shutter, with respect to the direction of the optic axis, may assume substantially equal maximum values at at least two locations in the direction of the optic axis.
摘要:
A mark for position detection formed on a substrate has a first pattern disposed near the center of the mark and having periodicity in a Y-axis direction, and second patterns respectively disposed near both sides of the first pattern in an X-axis direction and each having periodicity in the X-axis direction. The position of the first pattern is detected by aligning the detection center of a detecting optical system, that is, the minimal aberration point of the detecting optical system, with the center of the first pattern. The positions of the second patterns are detected at respective points symmetric with respect to the minimal aberration point, and the detected values for the positions of the second patterns are averaged. An apparatus for detecting the mark for position detection detects the first and second patterns by image processing when the mark is in a stationary state.
摘要:
An exposure apparatus is used for reproducing a mask pattern of a semiconductor device or the like onto a photosensitive substrate using a holography. The holography is utilized also in a process for alignment between a mask pattern hologram and an exposure region of the substrate. The pattern hologram is recorded to a recording medium by interference between an object wave from the pattern and a reference wave, and a second hologram is formed to the medium by diffraction light from an alignment mark formed on the mask. Prior to reconstruction of the pattern image, reconstruction light from the second hologram, illuminated with a reconstruction wave, is irradiated onto the substrate arranged in place of the mask. A reproduction image of the alignment mark on the substrate surface illuminated with the reconstruction light is measured, and relative displacement between the medium and the substrate is detected from a result of the measurement. The relative positional relationship between the medium and the substrate is corrected in accordance with the displacement information, and, thereafter, the surface is exposed with a reconstruction image of the pattern hologram.
摘要:
An adjusting method capable of accurately forming a mark for measuring optical characteristics of an optical system, such as an alignment sensor of an exposure system to be used in manufacturing semiconductor devices or the like and correcting an aberration or the like of the optical system with a high precision. A first mark (DM1) having a recess pattern (31a) with a width a provided at a pitch P in a measuring direction and a second mark (DM2) having a recess pattern (32a) with a width c provided at a pitch P have been formed in the vicinity of each other on a wafer (11) for adjustment, and the duty ratio (=a/P) of the recess pattern (31a) of the first mark and the duty ratio (=c/P) of the recess pattern (32a) of the second mark are different. The distance of the images of the two marks (DM1, DM2) is measured, an error in this measured value with respect to a designed value is determined, and the detecting optical system is adjusted in such a way as to reduce this error.
摘要翻译:一种能够精确地形成用于测量光学系统的光学特性的标记的调整方法,例如用于制造半导体器件等的曝光系统的对准传感器,并且用光学系统的像差等来校正光学系统的像差等 高精准度。 具有在测量方向上以间距P设置的宽度为a的凹槽图案(31a)和具有以节距P设置的具有宽度c的凹陷图案(32a)的第二标记(DM2)的第一标记(DM1) 在用于调节的晶片(11)上彼此附近形成第一标记的凹部图案(31a)的占空比(= a / P)和第一标记的占空比(= c / P) 第二标记的凹部图案(32a)不同。 测量两个标记(DM1,DM2)的图像的距离,确定该测量值相对于设计值的误差,并且以减少该误差的方式调整检测光学系统。
摘要:
In a projection exposure apparatus and method, the intensity distribution of illumination light for detecting an imaging characteristic of a projection optical system is set substantially equal to the intensity distribution of exposure illumination light. The intensity distribution of a secondary light source in an exposure illumination optical system is changed in accordance with a pattern of a mask. Magnification and aberration of the projection optical system are adjusted in accordance with the changed intensity distribution of the secondary light source. A substrate stage is moved along an optical axis of the projection optical system to compensate movement of the image plane of the projection optical system caused by a change in the intensity distribution of the secondary light source. An exposure operation is interrupted when a light amount distribution is changed. Exposure control is also responsive to thermal accumulation in the projection optical system.
摘要:
An exposure apparatus for reproducing a mask pattern onto a photo-sensitive surface of a substrate using holographic techniques. The apparatus comprises support means for holding a hologram recording plate at a predetermined position both during recording operation and reconstructing operation, a first illuminating optical system for introducing a light beam from a coherent light source to a mask and irradiating a subject beam produced from the mask into the recording plate, a second illuminating optical system for irradiating the light beam from the coherent light source as a reference beam into the recording plate, a carrier apparatus for disposing during reconstructing operation a substrate at the position of the mask in place of the mask, a third illuminating optical system for irradiating a conjugate beam with the reference beam into the recording plate, in which a hologram has been formed by recording operation, to form an image of the hologram on the photo-sensitive surface of the substrate, and a controller for selectively controlling the first, second and third illuminating optical systems to put an at least selected one of them into an operative condition so as to irradiate a fixing light beam into the recording plate in order to fix the hologram.
摘要:
A photomask producing method according to the present invention segments a parent pattern which is an &agr;-magnification of an original pattern which is a &bgr;-magnification of a circuit pattern into &agr; lengthwise and breadthwise, thereby forming parent patterns on data. The parent patterns are written on a substrate at equal magnification by using an electron beam lithography system, thereby producing master reticles. Reduced images of the parent patterns of the master reticles are transferred on a substrate while performing screen linking, thereby producing working reticle. This photomask producing method can form an original pattern with a high precision and in a short period of time.
摘要:
A photo mask for lithography process form a high contrast image. The photo mask includes a light transparent portion and a light shielding portion, at least a part of which has a multilayer construction, wherein an the edge portion of the shielding portion has a different light transmissivity than a central portion surrounded by the edge portion.
摘要:
A projection exposure apparatus which can perform superior observation or projection of a selected mark when the mark is observed or projected through a projection optical system in which a pupil filter is set. The projection exposure apparatus which projects a pattern on a mask through a projection optical system onto a photosensitive substrate held on a substrate stage movable in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis of the projection optical system and which has a pupil filter (optical correction plate) placed on or near the pupil plane of the projection optical system, a reference mark formed on the substrate stage in a scale factor according to the shape of the pupil filter, illuminating means for illuminating the reference mark with illumination light, and light-receiving means for receiving the illumination light having emerged from the reference mark and thereafter having passed the projection optical system.