# US 9,519,223 B2 · Surface position detection apparatus, exposure apparatus, and exposure method > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 9,519,223 B2 - Document ID: US9519223B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/712,504 - Filed: 2015-05-14 - Published: 2015-09-03 - Granted: 2016-12-13 - Earliest claimed: 2005-07-08 - Assignees: Nikon Corporation - Applicants: Nikon Corporation - Inventors: Yasuhiro Hidaka; Tadashi Nagayama - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9519223B2 ## CPC - G03F 7/70191: {Optical correction elements, filters or phase plates for controlling intensity, wavelength, polarisation, phase or the like} - G03F 9/7026: {Focusing} - G03F 9/7034: {Leveling} - G03F 9/7065: {Production of alignment light, e.g. light source, control of coherence, polarization, pulse length, wavelength} - G03F 9/7088: {Alignment mark detection, e.g. TTR, TTL, off-axis detection, array detector, video detection} - Y10T 29/49124: On flat or curved insulated base, e.g., printed circuit, etc. - G03F: PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES, e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR; (phototypographic composing devices B41B; photosensitive materials or processes for photographic purposes G03C; electrophotography, sensitive layers or processes therefor G03G) - Y10T: TECHNICAL SUBJECTS COVERED BY FORMER US CLASSIFICATION ## Abstract A surface position detection apparatus capable of highly precisely detecting the surface position of a surface to be detected without substantially being affected by relative positional displacement due to a polarization component occurring in a light flux having passed through a reflective surface. In the apparatus, a projection system has a projection side prism member having first reflective surfaces, and a light receiving system has a light receiving prism member having second reflective surfaces arranged in correspondence with the projection side prism member. The surface position detection apparatus further has a member for compensating relative positional displacement due to a polarization component of a light flux having passed through the first and second reflective surfaces. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An exposure apparatus which exposes a substrate to exposure light, the apparatus comprising: a holder which holds the substrate; and a position detection apparatus which detects a position of a surface of the substrate held by the holder, with respect to a direction intersecting the surface, on the basis of a light receiving result of a light beam which is guided to the surface in a diagonal direction relative to the surface and is reflected by the surface, the position detection apparatus comprising: a first reflection member which reflects the light beam, the first reflection member being arranged in an optical path of the light beam on an incidence side relative to the surface of the substrate held by the holder; a second reflection member which reflects the light beam from the surface, the second reflection member being arranged in the optical path of the light beam on a reflection side relative to the surface of the substrate held by the holder; and a polarizing member arranged in the optical path of the light beam between the first reflection member and the second reflection member, which changes polarization direction of each of a first polarization component and a second polarization component of the light beam from the first reflecting member, the polarization directions of which are perpendicular to each other, to the polarization direction of the respective other polarization component, wherein the polarizing member converts a P-polarized component of the light beam into an S-polarized component and an S-polarized component of the light beam into a P-polarized component. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the polarizing member comprises a half-wave plate or an optical rotation element. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first and second reflection members comprises a prism member arranged such that the light beam is reflected within the prism member. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The exposure apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the prism member is arranged such that the light beam is totally reflected within the prism member. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a first optical system arranged in the optical path on the incidence side relative to the surface and a second optical system arranged in the optical path on the reflection side relative to the surface, wherein the first reflection member is arranged in the optical path on an exit side relative to the first optical system, and the second reflection member is arranged in the optical path on an incidence side relative to the second optical system. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The exposure apparatus according to claim 5, wherein each of the first optical system and the second optical system is arranged such that a position which is optically conjugate to the surface of the substrate held by the holder is formed. ### Claim 7 (depends on 5) The exposure apparatus according to claim 5, comprising a patterned surface on which a predetermined pattern is formed, wherein the first optical system is arranged so as to form a primary image of the predetermined pattern onto the surface of the substrate held by the holder with the light beam arriving from the predetermined pattern, and the second optical system is arranged so as to form a secondary image of the predetermined pattern with the light beam arriving from the surface on which the primary image is formed. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The exposure apparatus according to claim 7, comprising a detection unit which receives the light beam arriving from the secondary image and detects a lateral displacement of the secondary image on the basis of a beam receiving result. ### Claim 9 (depends on 5) The exposure apparatus according to claim 5, wherein each of the first optical system and the second optical system is a both-sides telecentric optical system. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a driving unit which drives the holder on the basis of a detection result obtained by the surface position detection apparatus to change at least one of a position of the substrate held by the holder with respect to a direction crossing the substrate and an inclination of the substrate held by the holder. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, comprising: a projection optical system which projects the exposure light to form a pattern image onto the surface of the substrate held by the holder, and a driving unit which drives the holder on the basis of a detection result obtained by the surface position detection apparatus to change at least one of a position of the substrate held by the holder with respect to a direction parallel to an optical axis of the projection optical system and an inclination of the substrate held by the holder with respect to the optical axis. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The exposure apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the driving unit drives the holder such that the surface of the substrate is located within a focal depth of the projection optical system. ### Claim 13 A surface position detection method which detects a position of a surface of a substrate, with respect to a direction intersecting the surface, on the basis of a light receiving result of a light beam which is guided to the surface in a diagonal direction relative to the surface and is reflected by the surface, the method comprising: reflecting the light beam by a first reflection member arranged in an optical path of the light beam on an incidence side relative to the surface of the substrate; reflecting the light beam from the surface by a second reflection member arranged in the optical path of the light beam on a reflection side relative to the surface of the substrate; and changing a polarization direction of the light beam by a polarizing member arranged in the optical path of the light beam between the first reflection member and the second reflection member such that the polarization direction of each of a first polarization component and a second polarization component of the light beam from the first reflecting member, the polarization directions of which are perpendicular to each other, is changed to the polarization direction of the respective other polarization component, wherein a P-polarized component of the light beam is converted into an S-polarized light by the polarizing member and an S-polarized component of the light beam is converted into a P-polarized component by the polarizing member. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The surface position detection method according to claim 13, wherein the polarizing member comprises a half-wave plate or an optical rotation element. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The surface position detection method according to claim 13, wherein at least one of the first and second reflection members comprises a prism member, and the light beam is reflected within the prism member. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The surface position detection method according to claim 15, wherein the light beam is totally reflected within the prism member. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The surface position detection method according to claim 13, comprising: forming a first position which is optically conjugate to the surface of the substrate by a first optical system arranged in the optical path on the incidence side relative to the surface; and forming a second position which is optically conjugate to the surface of the substrate by a second optical systems arranged in the optical path on the reflection side relative to the surface, wherein the first reflection member reflects the light beam in the optical path on an exit side relative to the first optical system, and the second reflection member reflects the light beam in the optical path on an incidence side relative to the second optical system. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) The surface position detection method according to claim 17, comprising: forming a primary image of a predetermined pattern arranged at the first position onto the surface of the substrate by the first optical system with the light beam arriving from the predetermined pattern; and forming a secondary image of the predetermined pattern onto a plane including the second position by the second optical system with the light beam arriving from the surface on which the primary image is formed. ### Claim 19 (depends on 18) The surface position detection method according to claim 18, comprising: receiving the light beam arriving from the secondary image; detecting a lateral displacement of the secondary image on the basis of the beam receiving result; and detecting the position of the surface on the basis of the lateral displacement of the secondary image. ### Claim 20 (depends on 13) An exposure method which exposes a substrate to exposure light, the method comprising: holding the substrate by a holder; and detecting a position of a surface of the substrate held by the holder by use of the surface position detection method according to claim 13. ### Claim 21 (depends on 20) The exposure method according to claim 20, comprising driving the holder on the basis of a detection result obtained by using the surface position detection method to change at least one of a position of the substrate held by the holder with respect to a direction crossing the substrate and an inclination of the substrate held by the holder. ### Claim 22 (depends on 20) The exposure method according to claim 20, comprising: forming a pattern image onto the surface of the substrate held by the holder by projecting the exposure light by use of a projection optical system; driving the holder on the basis of a detection result obtained by using the surface position detection method to change at least one of a position of the substrate held by the holder with respect to a direction parallel to an optical axis of the projection optical system and an inclination of the substrate held by the holder with respect to the optical axis, wherein the exposure light is projected onto the surface of the substrate of which the at least one of the position with respect to the direction parallel to the optical axis and the inclination with respect to the optical axis has changed on the basis of the detection result. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The exposure method according to claim 22, wherein the holder is driven such that the surface of the substrate is located within a focal depth of the projection optical system. ### Claim 24 (depends on 1) A device manufacturing method of manufacturing a device having a circuit pattern, the method comprising; exposing a substrate to exposure light by using the exposure apparatus according to claim 1; and developing the substrate having exposed to the exposure light. ### Claim 25 (depends on 20) A device manufacturing method of manufacturing a device having a circuit pattern, the method comprising; exposing a substrate to exposure light by using the exposure method according to claim 20; and developing the substrate having exposed to the exposure light.