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US 6,714,302 B2Granted
Aligning method, aligner, and device manufacturing method
AssigneeCanon Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorsAkiyoshi Suzuki, Minoru Yoshii
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A wafer having a plurality of areas is subjected to multiple exposures or a stitching exposure with a plurality of mask patterns being interchanged. A plurality of wafers are sequentially exposed to the plurality of mask patterns, with one wafer being replaced with a next wafer. When the one wafer is replaced with the next wafer, the next wafer is exposed to the mask pattern last used, prior to the replacement. When one mask pattern is interchanged with a next mask pattern, an area of the one wafer, last exposed to the one mask pattern, is first exposed to the next mask pattern.
Claims78
An aligning method comprising the steps of:
- exposing a wafer having a plurality of areas to a plurality of mask patterns, with one mask pattern being interchanged with a next mask pattern;
- exposing a next wafer to the one mask pattern used immediately prior to a replacement, when one wafer is replaced with the next wafer;
- and
- exposing an area of the one wafer last exposed to the one mask pattern under a first type of illumination, to the next mask pattern under a second type of illumination, when the one mask pattern is interchanged with the next mask pattern,
- wherein one of said first type of illumination and said second type of illumination is an illumination from a direction perpendicular to a surface of the one mask pattern, and the other of said first type of illumination and said second type of illumination is an illumination from a direction inclined to a surface of the next mask pattern.
2 more elements
An aligning method according to claim 12, wherein the multiple exposures include a two-beam interference exposure using a first mask pattern and a standard projection exposure using a second mask pattern, and wherein the wafer is exposed to have a multi-value exposure distribution in at least one of the multiple exposures.
An aligning method comprising the steps of:
- exposing a wafer having a plurality of areas to a plurality of mask patterns, with one mask pattern being interchanged with a next mask pattern, to perform the exposure on a plurality of wafers, with one wafer being replaced with a next wafer;
- exposing the next wafer to the one mask pattern used immediately prior to a replacement, when the one wafer is replaced with the next wafer;
- and
- exposing an area of the one wafer last exposed to the one mask pattern, to the next mask pattern, when the one mask pattern is interchanged with the next mask pattern,
- wherein the plurality of mask patterns are formed in the same mask.
2 more elements
A method of manufacturing devices comprising the steps of:
- exposing a wafer having a plurality of areas to a plurality of mask patterns, with one mask pattern being interchanged with a next mask pattern,
- exposing the next wafer to the one mask pattern used immediately prior to a replacement, when one wafer is replaced with the next wafer;
- first exposing an area of the one wafer last exposed to the one mask pattern under a first type of illumination, to the next mask pattern under a second type of illumination, when the one mask pattern is interchanged with the next mask pattern;
- and
- thereafter, developing the wafers to manufacture devices,
- wherein one of said first type of illumination and said second type of illumination is an illumination from a direction perpendicular to a surface of the one mask pattern, and the other of said first type of illumination and said second type of illumination is an illumination from a direction inclined to a surface of the next mask pattern.
3 more elements
An aligner comprising:
- a mask stage for holding a mask;
- a wafer stage for holding a wafer;
- and
- exposure means for illuminating the mask to expose the wafer, wherein said exposure means exposes a plurality of areas of the wafer to a plurality of masks, with one mask for exposure under one type of illumination being interchanged with a next mask for exposure under a different type of illumination, and when a next wafer on said wafer stage is exposed to the mask, subsequent to the exposure of one wafer, the next wafer is first exposed to the mask held by said mask stage,
- wherein one of said one type of illumination and said different type of illumination is an illumination from a direction perpendicular to a surface of the one mask, and the other of said one type of illumination and said different type of illumination is an illumination from a direction inclined to a surface of the next mask.
2 more elements
An aligner comprising:
- a mask stage for holding a mask;
- a wafer stage for holding a wafer;
- and
- exposure means for illuminating the mask to expose the wafer, wherein said exposure means exposes a plurality of areas of the wafer to a plurality of masks, with one mask being interchanged with a next mask, and when one wafer is exposed to a next mask, subsequent to the exposure of the one wafer to the one mask under a first type of illumination, a last exposed area of the one wafer is first exposed to the next mask under a second type of illumination,
- wherein one of said first type of illumination and said second type of illumination is an illumination from a direction perpendicular to a surface of the one mask, and the other of said first type of illumination and said second type of illumination is an illumination from a direction inclined to a surface of the next mask.
2 more elements
An exposing method comprising the steps of:
- exposing a wafer, having a plurality of areas, to a plurality of mask patterns, with one mask pattern being interchanged with a next mask pattern, wherein the plurality of mask patterns are respectively formed in a plurality of different masks;
- and
- exposing an area of the wafer last exposed to the one mask pattern under a first type of illumination, to the next mask pattern under a second type of illumination, after the one mask pattern is interchanged with the next mask pattern,
- wherein one of said first type of illumination and said second type of illumination is an illumination from a direction perpendicular to a surface of the one mask pattern, and the other of said first type of illumination and said second type of illumination is an illumination from a direction inclined to a surface of the next mask pattern.
1 more element
A device manufacturing method comprising the steps of:
- exposing a wafer, having a plurality of areas, to a plurality of mask patterns, with one mask pattern being interchanged with a next mask pattern, wherein the plurality of mask patterns are respectively formed in a plurality of different masks;
- exposing an area of the wafer last exposed to the one mask pattern under a first type of illumination, to the next mask pattern under a second type of illumination, after the one mask pattern is interchanged with the next mask pattern;
- and
- thereafter, developing the wafer to manufacture devices,
- wherein one of said first type of illumination and said second type of illumination is an illumination from a direction perpendicular to a surface of the one mask pattern, and the other of said first type of illumination and said second type of illumination is an illumination from a direction inclined to a surface of the next mask pattern.
2 more elements
An exposing method comprising the steps of:
- exposing a wafer, having a plurality of areas, to a plurality of mask patterns, with one mask pattern being interchanged with a next mask pattern;
- exposing an area of the wafer last exposed to the one mask pattern, to the next mask pattern, after the one mask pattern is interchanged with the next mask pattern;
- and
- performing multiple exposure by using the plurality of mask patterns by exposing the wafer to the one mask pattern under coherent illumination, and to the next mask pattern under partially coherent illumination.
1 more element
An exposing method comprising the steps of:
- exposing a wafer, having a plurality of areas, to a plurality of mask patterns, with one mask pattern being interchanged with a next mask pattern;
- exposing an area of the wafer last exposed to the one mask pattern under a first type of illumination, to the next mask pattern under a second type of illumination, after the one mask pattern is interchanged with the next mask pattern;
- and
- performing multiple exposure by using the plurality of mask patterns, wherein the multiple exposures include a two-beam interference exposure using the one mask pattern and a standard projection exposure using the next mask pattern,
- wherein one of said first type of illumination and said second type of illumination is an illumination from a direction perpendicular to a surface of the one mask pattern, and the other of said first type of illumination and said second type of illumination is an illumination from a direction inclined to a surface of the next mask pattern.
2 more elements
An exposing method comprising the steps of:
- exposing a wafer, having a plurality of areas, to a plurality of mask patterns, with one mask pattern being interchanged with a next mask pattern;
- exposing an area of the wafer last exposed to the one mask pattern, to the next mask pattern, after the one mask pattern is interchanged with the next mask pattern;
- and
- performing multiple exposure by using the plurality of mask patterns, wherein the multiple exposures include a two-beam interference exposure using the one mask pattern and a standard projection exposure using the next mask pattern,
- wherein the plurality of mask patterns are formed in a same mask.
2 more elements
A device manufacturing method comprising the steps of:
- exposing a wafer, having a plurality of areas, to a plurality of mask patterns, with one mask pattern being interchanged with a next mask pattern and performing multiple exposures by using the plurality of mask patterns;
- exposing an area of the wafer last exposed to the one mask pattern, to the next mask pattern, after the one mask pattern is interchanged with the next mask pattern;
- exposing the wafer to the one mask pattern under coherent illumination, and to the next mask pattern under partially coherent illumination;
- and
- thereafter, developing the wafer to manufacture devices.
2 more elements
A device manufacturing method comprising the steps of:
- exposing a wafer, having a plurality of areas, to a plurality of mask patterns, with one mask pattern being interchanged with a next mask pattern and performing multiple exposures by using the plurality of mask patterns, wherein the multiple exposures include a two-beam interference exposure using the one mask pattern and a standard projection exposure using the next mask pattern;
- and
- exposing an area of the wafer last exposed to the one mask pattern under a first type of illumination, to the next mask pattern under a second type of illumination after the one mask pattern is interchanged with the next mask pattern;
- and
- thereafter, developing the wafer to manufacture devices,
- wherein one of said first type of illumination and said second type of illumination is an illumination from a direction perpendicular to a surface of the one mask, and the other of said first type of illumination and said second type of illumination is an illumination from a direction inclined to a surface of the next mask.
3 more elements
A device manufacturing method comprising the steps of:
- exposing a wafer, having a plurality of areas, to a plurality of mask patterns, with one mask pattern being interchanged with a next mask pattern and performing multiple exposures by using the plurality of mask patterns, wherein the multiple exposures include a two-beam interference exposure using the one mask pattern and a standard projection exposure using the next mask pattern;
- and
- exposing an area of the wafer last exposed to the one mask pattern, to the next mask pattern, after the one mask pattern is interchanged with the next mask pattern;
- and
- thereafter, developing the wafer to manufacture devices,
- wherein the plurality of mask patterns are formed in a same mask.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.