US 7,256,869 B2Granted

Exposure apparatus and an exposure method

AssigneeNikon Corporation

InventorKenji Nishi

Life of this patent

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Abstract

A scanning exposure apparatus includes a projection system, a stage system, a first detector and a control system. The stage system has first and second stages, each of which is movable independently in a plane while holding a substrate. The first detector detects focusing information of a vicinity of an outer circumference of the substrate during a detecting operation. The control system controls the stage system to perform the detecting operation with the first stage, while performing a first exposure operation on the substrate held by the second stage. After the first exposure operation, a second exposure operation for the substrate held on the first stage is performed, in which a shot area in the vicinity of the outer circumference of the substrate is exposed by moving the first stage while adjusting a position of the substrate surface held by the first stage using the detected focusing information.

Claims40

Dependent claims

An exposure apparatus which forms a pattern on an object, comprising:

a first holding member which holds an object;
a second holding member which holds an object;
a driving system which independently moves the first and second holding members in a two-dimensional plane;
an exposure portion, in which the first and second holding members are alternately provided so as to perform an exposure for the object held by each of the first and second holding members, including:
an exposure optical system of which a first portion is arranged in a first direction parallel to the two-dimensional plane and of which a second portion is arranged in a second direction perpendicular to the two-dimensional plane, and which irradiates onto the object an exposure beam from the first portion via the second portion;
and a first interferometer system which obtains positional information of one of the first and second holding members provided in the exposure portion;
a measurement portion, in which the first and second holding members are alternately provided so as to perform a measurement for the objects held by the first and second holding members, respectively, including a measurement system which is arranged apart from the second portion of the exposure optical system with respect to the first direction, and a second interferometer system which obtains positional information of the other of the first and second holding members provided in the measurement portion;
wherein each of the first and second holding members has a reflective surface used for the first and second interferometer systems;
and
the other of the first and second holding members in the measurement portion is provided in the exposure portion in exchange for the one of the first and second holding members after the measurement of the object held by the other of the first and second holding members.

7 more elements

An exposure method of forming a pattern on an object, comprising:

providing a first holding member which holds an object in an exposure portion including an exposure optical system of which a first portion is arranged in a first direction parallel to a two-dimensional plane and a second portion is arranged in a second direction perpendicular to the two-dimensional plane, and a first interferometer system;
exposing the object with an exposure beam via the exposure optical system, while moving the first holding member on the two-dimensional plane by a driving system and measuring positional information of the first holding member by the first interferometer system;
providing a second holding member which holds an object in a measurement portion including a second interferometer system, and a measurement system arranged apart from the second portion of the exposure optical system with respect to the first direction;
measuring alignment information of the object by the measurement system, while moving the second holding member by the driving system and measuring positional information of the second holding member by the second interferometer system;
providing the second holding member in the exposure portion in exchange for the first holding member which holds the exposed object after the measurement of the alignment information;
and
exposing the object held by the second holding member with the exposure beam via the exposure optical system based on the alignment information, while moving the second holding member on the two-dimensional plane by the driving system and measuring positional information of the second holding member by the first interferometer system;
wherein each of the first and second holding members has a reflective surface used for the first and second interferometer systems.

5 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 11/647,492Filed 29 Dec 2006 · division
Priority: JP 8-33284328 Nov 1996
Published: US 2007/0109515 A117 May 2007
Granted: 14 Aug 2007
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification11 codes

G03F 7/70216
Microphotolithographic exposure; Apparatus therefor: mask projection systems
G03F 7/70358
Mask projection systems: scanning exposure, i.e. relative movement of patterned beam and workpiece during imaging
G03F 7/70425
Microphotolithographic exposure; Apparatus therefor: imaging strategies, e.g. for increasing throughput or resolution, printing product fields…
G03F 7/70716
Handling of masks or workpieces: stages

Family

Application60/060,677Us provisional application · filed 25 Sep 1997
Application60/060,076Us provisional application · filed 25 Sep 1997
Application60/060,022Us provisional application · filed 25 Sep 1997
Application60/059,992Us provisional application · filed 25 Sep 1997
Application60/059,989Us provisional application · filed 25 Sep 1997
Application08/980,315Parent of this continuation · filed 28 Nov 1997
Application09/666,407Parent of this division · filed 20 Sep 2000
Application10/024,147Parent of this division · filed 21 Dec 2001
Application10/879,144Parent of this division · filed 30 Jun 2004
US 2007/0109515 A1Pre-grant publication · published 17 May 2007
US 7,177,008 B2Parent of this division
US 6,798,491 B2Parent of this division
US 6,400,441 B1Parent of this division
Application09/666,407Parent of this continuation
US 2004/0032575 A1Published application
US 2004/0233407 A1Published application
US 7,256,869 B2This patent

From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.