EGA alignment method using a plurality of weighting coefficients
AssigneeNikon Corporation
InventorShigeru Hirukawa
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An alignment method for aligning each of plural process areas arranged on a substrate to a specified point in a fixed coordinate system defining a position of movement of the substrate, comprises measuring the positions of a number of specified areas, selected in advance from the plural process areas on the substrate; determining plural amounts of deformation between the specified areas and one of the process areas; determining plural weighting coefficients corresponding to the plural amounts of distortion, for each of the specified areas; and calculating the coordinate position of the one of the process areas on the fixed coordinate system, by statistical processing of the measured coordinate positions of the specified areas, utilizing the plural weighting coefficients.
Claims18
An alignment method for aligning each of plural process areas arranged on a substrate to a specified position in a fixed coordinate system defining the position of movement of said substrate, comprising steps of:
- measuring coordinate positions of specified areas selected in advance from the plural process areas on said substrate;
- determining plural amounts of distortion between said specified areas and one of said process areas;
- determining plural weighting coefficients, corresponding to said plural amounts of distortion, for each of said specified areas;
- and
- calculating the coordinate position of said one process area on said fixed coordinate system, by statistical processing of the measured coordinate positions of said specified areas, utilizing said plural weighting coefficients.
An alignment method for aligning each of plural process areas arranged on a substrate to a specified position in a fixed coordinate system defining the position of movement of said substrate, comprising steps of:
- measuring coordinate positions of specified areas selected in advance from the plural process areas on said substrate;
- determining, for each of said specified areas, a weighting coefficient corresponding to an amount of distortion between said specified areas on said substrate and one of said process areas;
- and
- calculating the coordinate position of said one of said process areas on said fixed coordinate system, by statistical processing of the measured coordinate positions of said specified areas, utilizing said weighting coefficients.
An exposure method for exposing each of plural exposure areas on a substrate to an image of a pattern of a mask, comprising steps of:
- measuring the positions of specified areas selected in advance from said plural exposure areas on said substrate;
- determining plural amounts of distortion between said specified areas and one of said exposure areas;
- determining weighting coefficients, corresponding to said plural amounts of distortion, for each of said specified areas;
- calculating the coordinate position of said one of said exposure areas by statistical processing of the measured positions of said specified areas, utilizing said plural weighting coefficients;
- and
- moving said substrate based on said one coordinate position and exposing said one exposure area on said substrate.
An alignment method of aligning each of plural process areas on a substrate to a specific position in a static coordinate system defining a position of movement of said substrate, comprising the steps of:
- statistically calculating coordinate positions, on said static coordinate system, of at least three specified areas among said plural process areas, utilizing weighting coefficients corresponding to amounts of distortion between said specified areas and one of said plural process areas, so that a coordinate position of said one process area, on said static coordinate system, is determined;
- and
- moving said substrate based on said determined coordinate position.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.