Stage apparatus, scanning type exposure apparatus, and device produced with the same
AssigneeNikon Corporation
InventorKenji Nishi
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An exposure apparatus has a triangular shaped stage which is movable in a two-dimensional plane while holding a substrate. The stage has a reflecting surface provided on a side face of the stage so that the surface extends in a specific direction intersecting Y axis and X axis. An interferometer radiates a beam onto the reflecting surface to measure a position of the stage in a direction perpendicular to the specific direction. Using the measured position and an angle of the specific direction, a calculator can calculate the position of the stage on rectangular coordinate system defined by X and Y axes. The size and weight of the stage can be reduced, and the throughput of the exposure apparatus is improved.
Claims46
A scanning type exposure apparatus for transferring a pattern on a mask to a substrate via a projection optical system by synchronously moving the mask and the substrate, the scanning type exposure apparatus comprising:
- a mask stage arranged on a side of an object plane of the projection optical system;
- a substrate stage arranged on a side of an image plane of the projection optical system;
- a plurality of corner cubes provided on the mask stage and arranged in a second direction perpendicular to a first direction in which the mask is synchronously moved;
- and
- a first interferometer which radiates a measuring beam to the mask stage in the first direction, and receives the measuring beam reflected by one of the plurality of corner cubes selected depending on a position of the mask stage in the second direction.
A scanning exposure method for transferring a pattern formed on a mask to a substrate, while relatively moving a mask stage which holds the mask and a substrate stage which holds the substrate in a predetermined first direction in synchronization with each other, the method comprising:
- a first scanning exposure step of transferring a pattern in a first area on the mask to a predetermined area on the substrate, while radiating a measuring beam onto a first reflecting surface provided on the mask stage to extend in the first direction and receiving a reflected light beam therefrom to manage a position of the mask stage in a second direction, and radiating a measuring beam onto a first corner cube provided on the mask stage and receiving a reflected light beam therefrom to manage a position of the mask stage in the first direction;
- and
- a second scanning exposure step of transferring a pattern in a second area adjoining the first area in the second direction on the mask to the predetermined area on the substrate, while radiating the measuring beam onto the first reflecting surface and receiving a reflected light beam therefrom to manage the position of the mask stage in the second direction, and radiating the measuring beam onto a second corner cube different from the first corner cube provided on the mask stage and receiving a reflected light beam therefrom to manage the position of the mask stage in the first direction.
A method for producing a scanning type exposure apparatus which transfers a pattern on a mask to a substrate via a projection optical system by synchronously moving the mask and the substrate, the method comprising:
- providing the projection optical system;
- providing a mask stage arranged on a side of an object plane of the projection optical system;
- providing a substrate stage arranged on a side of an image plane of the projection optical system;
- providing a plurality of corner cubes on the mask stage to be arranged in a second direction perpendicular to a first direction in which the mask is synchronously moved;
- and
- providing a first interferometer which radiates a measuring beam to the mask stage in the first direction, and receives the measuring beam reflected by one of the plurality of corner cubes selected depending on a position of the mask stage in the second direction.
A method for producing a scanning type exposure apparatus which transfers a pattern formed on a mask to a substrate via a projection optical system, while relatively moving the mask and the substrate in a first direction in synchronization with each other, the method comprising:
- providing the projection optical system;
- providing a mask stage which is two-dimensionally movable while holding the mask;
- providing a substrate stage which is movable in the first direction while holding the substrate;
- providing a first reflecting surface on the mask stage to extend in the first direction;
- providing a plurality of corner cubes on the mask stage to be arranged at predetermined spacing distances in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction;
- providing a first interferometer which measures a position of the mask stage in the first direction by radiating a measuring beam in the first direction onto one of the plurality of corner cubes depending on a position of the mask stage in the second direction, and receiving a reflected light beam therefrom;
- and
- providing a second interferometer which measures a position of the mask stage in the second direction by radiating a measuring beam in the second direction onto the first reflecting surface, and receiving a reflected light beam therefrom.
A scanning exposure method for transferring a pattern on a mask onto a substrate by reciprocatively moving the mask in a first direction to irradiate, with an illumination light beam, first and second areas respectively arranged in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction on the mask, and moving the substrate in synchronization with the movement of the mask, the method comprising:
- driving a mask stage in the first direction on the basis of an output of an interferometer which radiates a measuring beam to a first mirror provided on the mask stage which holds the mask in order to irradiate the first area on the mask with the illumination light beam;
- and
- driving the mask stage in the first direction while radiating the measuring beam of the interferometer onto a second mirror which is different from the first mirror provided on the mask stage in order to irradiate the second area on the mask with the illumination light beam.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.