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US 2011/0299052 A1Published application
Measuring apparatus and method, processing apparatus and method, pattern forming apparatus and method, exposure apparatus and method, and device manufacturing method
AssigneeNikon Corporation
InventorYuichi Shibazaki
Life of this patent
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Abstract
Position information of a movable body within an XY plane is measured with high accuracy by an encoder system whose measurement values have favorable short-term stability, without being affected by air fluctuations, and also position information of the movable body in a Z-axis direction orthogonal to the XY plane is measured with high accuracy by a surface position measuring system, without being affected by air fluctuations. In this case, since both of the encoder system and the surface position measuring system directly measure the upper surface of the movable body, simple and direct position control of the movable body can be performed.
Claims183
A pattern forming apparatus that forms a pattern on an object via an optical system, the apparatus comprising:
- a movable body on which the object is mounted and which moves within a plane that includes a first axis and a second axis intersecting the first axis, holding the object, and on a surface of which a first grating having a grating whose periodic direction is a direction parallel to the first axis and a second grating having a grating whose periodic direction is a direction parallel to the second axis are placed;
- an encoder system that includes a first encoder that has a plurality of first heads whose positions are different in a direction orthogonal to the first axis and measures position information of the movable body in a direction parallel to the first axis by the head facing the first grating, and a second encoder that has a plurality of second heads whose positions are different in a direction orthogonal to the second axis and measures position information of the movable body in a direction parallel to the second axis by the head facing the second grating;
- a surface position measuring system that includes a plurality of surface position sensors that, by irradiating a light to the movable body from a direction orthogonal to the plane and receiving the reflected light, measure position information of a surface of the movable body in a direction orthogonal to the plane at an irradiation point of the light, and measures position information of the movable body in a direction orthogonal to the plane and in a tilt direction with respect to the plane;
- a surface position detecting unit that has a plurality of detection points that are set at a predetermined distance parallel to an array of the plurality of first heads along a straight line in a direction orthogonal to the first axis, and detects surface position information of a surface of a target object at the plurality of detection points by irradiating a detection beam to each of the plurality of detection points set on the target object and individually receiving a reflected light of the detection beam from the target object;
- and
- an adjusting unit that measures surface position information of a surface of the object, using a detection value of the surface position detecting unit and taking, as a datum, surface position information at end portions on one side and the other side of the movable body in a direction orthogonal to the first axis that is detected by the surface position sensor at least one each of which is placed in the vicinity of each of two detection points located near both end portions among of the plurality of detection points of the surface position detecting unit, and when pattern formation is performed, adjusts a position of the object in an optical axis direction of the optical system and in a tilt direction with respect to a plane orthogonal to the optical axis based on the surface position information that has been measured, taking, as a datum, a surface position information that is measured by the two surface position sensors that measure surface position information at end portions on one side and the other side of the movable body in a direction orthogonal to the first axis.
3 more elements
An exposure apparatus that exposes an object with an energy beam via an optical system, the apparatus comprising:
- a movable body that has a surface, which faces the optical system and on part of which a mounting area of the object is arranged, and that is movable in first and second directions within a predetermined plane;
- and
- a measuring unit that has a plurality of sensors having detection points whose positions are each different in at least one of the first and second directions, and can measure position information of the surface of the movable body in a third direction orthogonal to the plane at the plurality of detection points.
An exposure apparatus that exposes an object with an energy beam via an optical system, the apparatus comprising:
- a movable body that is movable in first and second directions within a predetermined plane, holding the object;
- and
- a measuring unit that includes a first detecting system that has a plurality of sensors having detection points whose positions are different in at least one of the first and second directions and can measure position information of a surface of the movable body in a third direction orthogonal to the plane at each of the detection points, and a second detecting system that is different from the first detecting system and measures position information of the object held by the movable body in the third direction.
An exposure method in which an object is exposed with an energy beam via an optical system, the method comprising:
- a process of mounting the object on a movable body that has a surface, which faces the optical system and on part of which a mounting area of the object is arranged, and that is movable in first and second directions within a predetermined plane;
- and
- a process of measuring position information of the surface of the movable body in a third direction orthogonal to the plane by a measuring unit that has a plurality of sensors having detection points whose positions are each different in at least one of the first and second directions.
An exposure method in which an object is exposed with an energy beam via an optical system, the method comprising:
- a process of mounting the object on a movable body that is movable in first and second directions within a predetermined plane;
- and
- a process of measuring position information of a surface of the movable body and the object in a third direction orthogonal to the plane, using a measuring unit that includes a first detecting system that has a plurality of sensors having detection points whose positions are different in at least one of the first and second directions and can measure position information of a surface of the movable body in the third direction at each of the detection points, and a second detecting system that is different from the first detecting system and measures position information of the object held by the movable body in the third direction.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.