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US 8,427,628 B2Granted
Exposure apparatus, exposure method and device fabricating method
AssigneeNikon Corporation
InventorHitoshi Hatada
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An exposure method for exposing a plate with an image of a pattern of a mask comprises: reciprocating the mask along X direction, synchronizing a movement of the mask and a movement of the plate to +X direction, projecting an image of a first pattern of the mask onto the plate as an erected image with respect to +X direction during a first period in which the mask that is reciprocating is moved in +X direction, and projecting an image of a second pattern of the mask onto the plate as an inverted image with respect to +X direction during a second period in which the mask that is reciprocating is moved in −X direction.
Claims34
An exposure method for projecting an image of a pattern of a mask onto a substrate and exposing the substrate, the method comprising:
- reciprocating the mask along a first direction;
- synchronizing a movement of the mask and a movement of the substrate to a second direction along a surface of the substrate;
- illuminating a first illumination area of the mask to illuminate a portion of a first pattern of the mask while closing the first illumination area in areas other than the illuminated portion of the first pattern of the mask;
- projecting an image of the first pattern of the mask with the first illumination area onto the substrate as an erected image with respect to the second direction during a first period in which the mask is moving to one side of the first direction;
- and
- projecting an image of a second pattern of the mask onto the substrate as an inverted image with respect to the second direction during a second period in which the mask is moving to the other side of the first direction.
3 more elements
An exposure method for projecting an image of a pattern of a mask onto a substrate and exposing the substrate, the method comprising:
- reciprocating the mask along a first direction;
- synchronizing a movement of the mask and a movement of the substrate to a second direction along a surface of the substrate;
- projecting an image of a first pattern of the mask onto the substrate as an erected image with respect to the second direction, during a first period in which the mask that is reciprocating is moved to one side of the first direction;
- and
- projecting an image of a second pattern of the mask onto the substrate as an inverted image with respect to the second direction, during a second period in which the mask that is reciprocating is moved to the other side of the first direction,
- wherein an optical path for exposing the substrate during the first period is at least partially different from an optical path for exposing the substrate during the second period, and
- wherein exposure of the substrate is performed by projecting an image of a pattern within a first illumination area or a different second illumination area on the mask onto an exposure area of the substrate, the exposure method comprising:
- opening and closing the first illumination area of the mask or a conjugate area thereof during the first period;
- and
- opening and closing the second illumination area of the mask or a conjugate area thereof during the second period.
7 more elements
An exposure method for projecting an image of a pattern of a mask onto a substrate and exposing the substrate, the method comprising:
- reciprocating the mask along a first direction;
- synchronizing a movement of the mask and a movement of the substrate to a second direction along a surface of the substrate;
- projecting an image of a first pattern of the mask onto the substrate as an erected image with respect to the second direction, during a first period in which the mask that is reciprocating is moved to one side of the first direction;
- and
- projecting an image of a second pattern of the mask onto the substrate as an inverted image with respect to the second direction, during a second period in which the mask that is reciprocating is moved to the other side of the first direction,
- wherein an optical path for exposing the substrate during the first period is at least partially different from an optical path for exposing the substrate during the second period, and
- wherein a first projection optical path for projecting the erected image onto the substrate and a second projection optical path for projecting the inverted image onto the substrate have a common optical path on the mask side, and
- wherein the exposure method comprises switching the first projection optical path to the second projection optical path, in a meantime after exposure of the substrate during the first period ends before exposure of the substrate during the second period starts.
5 more elements
An exposure method for exposing a substrate via a pattern of a mask, the exposure method comprising:
- illuminating a first illumination area of the mask to illuminate a portion of a first pattern of the mask while closing the first illumination area in areas other than the illuminated portion of the first pattern of the mask;
- exposing, with the first illumination area, a first area of the substrate via the first pattern of the mask and a first projection optical system which projects an erected image with respect to a second direction, while synchronizing a movement of the mask to one side along a first direction and a movement of the substrate to the second direction;
- and
- exposing a second area of the substrate via a second pattern of the mask and a second projection optical system which projects an inverted image with respect to the second direction, while synchronizing a movement of the mask to the other side along the first direction and a movement of the substrate to the second direction.
1 more element
An exposure apparatus comprising:
- a mask stage which holds a mask having a first pattern and a second pattern and reciprocates in a first direction;
- an exposure light source configured to illuminate a first illumination area of the mask to illuminate a portion of the first pattern while closing the first illumination area in areas other than the illuminated portion of the first pattern;
- a substrate movement mechanism which holds a substrate and moves the substrate to a second direction along a surface of the substrate;
- a control system which synchronously drives the mask stage and the substrate movement mechanism;
- a first projection optical system which projects an image of the first pattern of the mask, which is moved to one side of the first direction by the mask stage, onto the substrate as an erected image with respect to the second direction;
- and
- a second projection optical system which projects an image of the second pattern of the mask, which is moved to the other side of the first direction by the mask stage, onto the substrate as an inverted image with respect to the second direction.
4 more elements
An exposure apparatus comprising:
- a mask stage which holds a mask having a pattern and reciprocates in a first direction;
- a substrate movement mechanism which holds a substrate and moves the substrate to a second direction along a surface of the substrate;
- a control system which synchronously drives the mask stage and the substrate movement mechanism;
- a first projection optical system which projects an image of a first pattern of the mask, which is moved to one side of the first direction by the mask stage, onto the substrate as an erected image with respect to the second direction;
- and
- a second projection optical system which projects an image of a second pattern of the mask, which is moved to the other side of the first direction by the mask stage, onto the substrate as an inverted image with respect to the second direction,
- wherein the first and second projection optical systems project images of patterns within a first illumination area and a different second illumination areas on the mask onto the substrate, the exposure apparatus comprising a first field diaphragm which opens and closes the first illumination area of the mask or a conjugate area thereof, and a second field diaphragm which opens and closes the second illumination area of the mask or a conjugate area thereof;
- and
- wherein the control system switches and drives the first field diaphragm and the second field diaphragm.
6 more elements
An exposure apparatus comprising:
- a mask stage which holds a mask having a pattern and reciprocates in a first direction;
- a substrate movement mechanism which holds a substrate and moves the substrate to a second direction along a surface of the substrate;
- a control system which synchronously drives the mask stage and the substrate movement mechanism;
- a first projection optical system which projects an image of a first pattern of the mask, which is moved to one side of the first direction by the mask stage, onto the substrate as an erected image with respect to the second direction;
- and
- a second projection optical system which projects an image of a second pattern of the mask, which is moved to the other side of the first direction by the mask stage, onto the substrate as an inverted image with respect to the second direction,
- wherein the first and second projection optical systems include a common optical system, first and second optical systems, and a switching optical system which guides a luminous flux from the common optical system to the first optical system or the second optical system;
- wherein the control system guides the luminous flux from the common optical system to the first optical system via the switching optical system, while the first projection optical system is used;
- and
- wherein the control system guides the luminous flux from the common optical system to the second optical system via the switching optical system, while the second projection optical system is used.
7 more elements
An exposure method for projecting an image of a pattern of a mask onto a substrate and exposing the substrate, the method comprising:
- reciprocating the mask along a first direction, wherein the mask includes first and second pattern areas disposed along or orthogonal to the first direction;
- synchronizing a movement of the mask and a movement of the substrate to a second direction along a surface of the substrate;
- projecting an image of the first pattern area of the mask onto the substrate as an erected image with respect to the second direction during a first period in which the mask is moving to one side of the first direction so as to locate a portion of the first pattern area in a first illumination area;
- and
- projecting an image of the second pattern area of the mask onto the substrate as an inverted image with respect to the second direction during a second period in which the mask is moving to the other side of the first direction so as to locate a portion of the second pattern area in a second illumination area,
- wherein an illumination light is alternatively provided to the first illumination area on the mask during the first period and to the second illumination area on the mask during the second period.
3 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.