Mask producing method
AssigneeNikon Corporation
InventorKenji Nishi
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A pattern region of a working reticle is divided into existing pattern portions and newly-forming pattern portions. With respect to the existing pattern portions, already-formed master reticle patterns are reduction-projected while stitching screens using an optical-type projection exposure apparatus. With respect to the newly-forming portions, enlarged patterns are formed by an electron beam drawing apparatus to form new master reticles, and reduced images of the newly formed master reticles are exposed while stitching screens using an optical-type projection exposure apparatus.
Claims14
A producing method of a mask formed with a transfer pattern and to be irradiated with a predetermined exposure beam, comprising:
- making design data of an original pattern obtained by enlarging said transfer pattern, applying photosensitive material into which a coloring matter which absorbs light in a predetermined wavelength region is mixed onto at least one first substrate, and forming at least a portion of said original pattern on said first substrate,
- developing said photosensitive material on said at least one first substrate, and
- with said at least one first substrate being used as a parent mask having a mask pattern made of said photosensitive material remained after developing said photosensitive material, exposing a reduced image of said pattern of said parent mask onto a second substrate while stitching said reduced image using a projection exposure apparatus which carries out reduction projection using illumination light in a wavelength region absorbed by said photosensitive material.
A producing method of a mask formed with a transfer pattern, comprising:
- dividing said transfer pattern into an existing pattern portion and a newly-forming pattern portion based on design data of said transfer pattern,
- forming an original pattern corresponding to a pattern of said newly-forming pattern portion onto a first substrate to prepare a first parent mask, and
- with a mask formed with another original pattern corresponding to a pattern of said existing pattern portion being used as a second parent mask, exposing images of patterns of said first and second parent masks onto a second substrate which is to become said mask while stitching said images.
A producing method of a mask formed with a transfer pattern including a predetermined linear pattern, comprising:
- diving an enlarged pattern of said transfer pattern into a plurality of parent patterns from a position corresponding to an intermediate portion of said linear pattern as a boundary portion, and
- projecting and exposing reduced images of said plurality of parent patterns onto a substrate which is to become said mask while stitching said reduced images, wherein,
- portions of said plurality of parent patterns corresponding to said boundary portion of said linear pattern are provided with overlapped portions each having a predetermined width in its longitudinal direction, and said overlapped portions are respectively provided with tapered portions each having a wide tip end.
A projection exposure method, comprising:
- diving a predetermined pattern into a plurality of mask patterns, and exposing images of said plurality of mask patterns onto a substrate while stitching screens through a projection optical system, thereby transferring an entire image of said predetermined pattern onto said substrate, wherein
- when said predetermined pattern is divided into said plurality of mask patterns, boundary portions of adjacent two mask patterns are respectively provided with overlapping portions of superposed portions,
- when an image of each mask pattern of said plurality mask patterns is exposed onto said substrate through said projection optical system,
- said mask pattern and said substrate are moved in synchronously with a predetermined visual field of said projection optical system such that the pattern of said mask pattern other than said overlapping portion does not come out from said predetermined visual field and a pattern of said overlapping potion goes out from said visual field.
A projection exposure method, comprising:
- diving a predetermined pattern into a plurality of mask patterns, and exposing images of said plurality of mask patterns onto a substrate while stitching screens through a projection optical system, thereby transferring an entire image of said predetermined pattern onto said substrate, wherein
- said predetermined pattern is divided into said plurality of mask patterns along at least a predetermined direction, boundary portions of adjacent two mask patterns in said predetermined direction are provided with overlapping portions of superposed portions,
- when an image of each mask pattern of said plurality of mask patterns is exposed onto said substrate through said projection optical system,
- in a state in which an image of a pattern, of said mask pattern, in a visual field which is fixed to said projection optical system and is elongated in said predetermined direction is exposed onto said substrate through said projection optical system, said mask pattern and said substrate are scanned in synchronously with each other at the same speed ratio as a projection magnification of said projection optical system in a direction intersecting substantially at right angles with said predetermined direction with respect to said visual field, and
- said mask pattern and said substrate are moved in synchronously with each other in said predetermined direction in accordance with exposure time and a width of said overlapping portion of said mask pattern with respect to said visual field.
A projection exposure apparatus which exposes a pattern formed on a mask onto a substrate through a projection optical system, said projection optical system being an optical system which exposes an image of a pattern of said mask within a predetermined visual field onto said substrate, comprising:
- a mask stage capable of holding said mask and moving in predetermined direction,
- a substrate stage capable of holding said substrate and moving two-dimensionally including said predetermined direction, and
- a control system which drives said mask stage and said substrate stage to move said mask and said substrate in synchronous with each other in said predetermined direction such that, when an entire image of the pattern of said mask is exposed onto said substrate through said projection optical system, a portion of the pattern of said mask does not come out from said visual field and a pattern other than said portion goes out from said visual field.
A projection exposure apparatus which exposes a pattern formed on a mask onto a substrate through a projection optical system, said projection optical system being an optical system which exposes an image of the pattern of said mask in a visual field which is longer in a predetermined direction, comprising:
- a mask stage capable of holding said mask and moving in said predetermined direction and in a direction intersecting substantially at right angles with said predetermined direction,
- a substrate stage capable of holding said substrate and moving in a two-dimensional directions including said predetermined direction, and
- a control system which, when an image of a pattern of said mask in said visual field is exposed onto said substrate through said projection optical system, drives said mask stage and said substrate stage to move said mask stage and said substrate stage in synchronous with each other in a direction intersecting said predetermined direction substantially at right angles and to move said mask and said substrate in said predetermined direction in synchronous with each other such that an end of said pattern of said mask goes out from said visual field by a predetermined width.
A projection exposure method, comprising the step of transferring a mask pattern is transferred to a plurality block regions arranged in a first direction on a substrate through a projection optical system to form a predetermined pattern on said substrate, peripheral portions of said block regions being partially overlapped, wherein
- in order to transfer said mask pattern to one block region of said plurality of block regions, said mask pattern and said substrate are moved in synchronous with each other with respect to a predetermined region where energy beam is irradiated within a visual field of said projection optical system, and moving directions of said mask pattern and said substrate are set to a direction which is intersecting with said first direction and with a second direction which intersects with said first direction at right angles such that an irradiating amount of said energy beam is gradually reduced at said peripheral portion in said one block region with respect to said first direction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.