Method of dimension measurement for a pattern formed by exposure apparatus, and method for setting exposure conditions and for inspecting exposure precision

A method of measuring exposure conditions for a photosensitive substrate having a photoresist layer thereon, in an exposure apparatus for exposing said photosensitive substrate, maintained in a reference exposure plane, to the pattern of a mask, comprising the steps of:

• exposing each of plural partial areas on said photosensitive substrate to a first linear pattern in succession under different exposure conditions;
• exposing each of said plural partial areas, in superposition, to a second linear pattern which crosses the latent image of said first linear pattern formed in said photoresist layer, with a predetermined angle, in succession under different exposure conditions;
• measuring the dimension of a photoresist image formed in said photoresist layer by the superposed exposures of said first and second linear patterns, in each of said plural partial areas;
• and
• determining said exposure condition based on the difference in thus measured dimensions.

A line width measuring method, comprising the steps of:

• exposing a photoresist layer on a photosensitive substrate to a first linear pattern of a predetermined width;
• exposing the photoresist image of said first linear pattern, in superposition, to a second linear pattern of a predetermined width in such a manner as to cross the photoresist image of said first linear pattern with a predetermined angle;
• measuring the dimension of the photoresist image formed by the superposition of said first and second linear patterns;
• and
• determining the line width of said photoresist image, based on thus measured value and the crossing angle of said two linear patterns.

An inspection method for an exposure apparatus, comprising the steps of:

• exposing a photoresist layer on a photosensitive substrate to a first linear pattern of a predetermined width on a mask by means of said exposure apparatus;
• moving said mask and said photosensitive substrate in relative manner by a predetermined amount in said exposure amount in such a manner that a second linear pattern of a predetermined width, which is formed in a position on said mask different from the position of said first linear pattern and which is so positioned as to cross said first linear pattern with a predetermined angle, is superposed with the photoresist exposed image of said first linear pattern;
• after said relative movement, printing said second linear pattern in superposition with the photoresist image of said first linear pattern by means of said exposure apparatus;
• measuring the dimension of a photoresist image formed by the superposition of said first and second linear images;
• calculating the positional aberration in the superposition of said first and second linear patterns, based on said measured value and the crossing angle of said two linear patterns;
• and
• determining the precision of said exposure apparatus based on said positional aberration.