Lithography system and method of manufacturing devices using the lithography system

A lithography system for exposing a substrate to interference fringes, said system comprising:

• interference fringes producing means;
• interference fringes control means for controlling the interference fringes produced by said interference fringes producing means;
• position-of-interference fringes detecting means for detecting positional information of the interference fringes;
• position-of-substrate detecting means for detecting positional information of the substrate;
• and
• a substrate stage,
• wherein (i) the interference fringes are positioned by said interference fringes control means, based on the positional information of the interference fringes, which is detected by said position-of-interference fringes detecting means, (ii) the substrate is positioned based on the positional information of the substrate detected by said position-of-substrate detecting means, and (iii) the interference fringes are thus positioned in a predetermined place on the substrate.

A lithography system for projecting a pattern drawn on a reticle onto a substrate, said system comprising:

• interference fringes producing means;
• interference fringes control means for controlling interference fringes produced by said interference fringes producing means;
• position-of-interference fringes detecting means for detecting positional information of the interference fringes;
• position-of-substrate detecting means for detecting positional information of the substrate;
• reticle holding means for holding a reticle;
• reticle alignment means;
• a step-and-repeat photolithography unit with demagnification;
• illuminating means for illuminating the reticle held by said reticle holding means so that a pattern drawn on the reticle will be demagnified and projected onto the substrate by said step-and-repeat photolithography unit with demagnification;
• and
• a substrate stage for holding the substrate,
• wherein (i) the interference fringes are positioned by said interference fringes control means, based on positional information of the interference fringes, which is detected by said position-of-interference fringes detecting means, and said reticle alignment means aligns the reticle with said step-and-repeat photolithography unit with demagnification, and (ii) the substrate is positioned relative to the interference fringes according to positional information of the substrate detected by said position-of-substrate detecting means, and exposed to the interference fringes, the substrate is positioned in said step-and-repeat photolithography unit with demagnification according to positional information of the substrate detected by said position-of-substrate detecting means, and then a pattern drawn on the reticle is projected onto the substrate.

A method of manufacturing devices, comprising the steps of:

• aligning interference fringes according to detected light that has passed through an interference fringes production interference optical system;
• producing interference fringes on a photosensitive member using the interference optical system so that the interference fringes will be transferred to the photosensitive member;
• and
• forming circuits according to a pattern drawn on the photosensitive member by transferring the interference fringes.

A method of manufacturing devices, comprising the steps of:

• exposing a substrate using a lithography system, the lithography system comprising interference fringes producing means, interference fringes control means for controlling interference fringes produced by the interference fringes producing means, position-of-interference fringes detecting means for detecting positional information of the interference fringes, position-of-substrate detecting means for detecting positional information of a substrate, and a substrate stage for holding a substrate;
• positioning the interference fringes by the interference fringes control means, based on positional information of the interference fringes, which is detected by the position-of-interference fringes detecting means;
• positioning the substrate based on positional information of the substrate detected by the position-of-substrate detecting means;
• thereafter, positioning the interference fringes in a predetermined place on the substrate;
• and
• forming circuits according to a pattern drawn on the substrate by exposing the substrate, to manufacture devices.

A method of manufacturing devices, comprising the steps of:

• exposing a substrate using a lithography system, the lithography system comprising interference fringes producing means, interference fringes control means for controlling interference fringes produced by the interference fringes producing means, position-of-interference fringes detecting means for detecting positional information of the interference fringes, position-of-substrate detecting means for detecting positional information of the substrate, reticle holding means for holding a reticle, reticle alignment means, a step-and-repeat photolithography unit with demagnification, illuminating means for illuminating a reticle held by the reticle holding means so that a pattern drawn on the reticle will be demagnified and projected onto the substrate by the step-and-repeat photolithography unit with demagnification, and a substrate stage for holding a substrate;
• positioning the interference fringes by the interference fringes control means, based on positional information of the interference fringes, which is detected by the position-of-interference fringes detecting means;
• aligning the reticle with the step-and-repeat photolithography unit with demagnification by the reticle alignment means;
• positioning the substrate relative to the interference fringes according to positional information of the substrate detected by the position-of-substrate detecting means, and exposed to the interference fringes;
• positioning the substrate in the step-and-repeat photolithography unit with demagnification according to positional information of the substrate detected by the position-of-substrate detecting means;
• thereafter, projecting a pattern drawn on the reticle onto the substrate, and
• forming circuits according to the pattern drawn on the substrate by exposing the substrate, to manufacture a device.