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US RE37,309 E1Granted
Scanning exposure apparatus
AssigneeNikon Corporation
InventorsToshiharu Nakashima, Masato Hamatani, Ken Ozawa
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A projection exposure apparatus for transferring a pattern formed on a mask onto a photosensitive substrate by a scanning exposure method, includes a light source for generating a light beam having a predetermined spatial coherence, an illumination optical system for receiving the light beam from the light source and illuminating a local area on the mask with the light beam, and a device for synchronously moving the mask and the photosensitive substrate so as to transfer the pattern on the mask onto the photosensitive substrate. A direction, corresponding to a higher spatial coherence of the light beam, is made to coincide with the direction of relative scanning an illumination area and the mask in the illumination area.
Claims60
A scanning exposure apparatus comprising:
- a light source for emitting a spatially coherent light beam;
- an illumination optical system for radiating the light beam from said light source onto a mask so as to form an illumination area on a local area of the mask, said light beam having higher spatial coherence in one direction than in another direction of a cross-section of the beam in the illumination area;
- and
- a device for synchronously moving the mask and a photosensitive substrate so as to transfer a pattern formed on the mask onto the photosensitive substrate,
- wherein a direction of relative scanning of the illumination area and the mask upon movement of the mask substantially coincides with the direction with higher spatial coherence of the light beam.
2 more elements
A scanning exposure apparatus comprising:
- a light source for emitting a spatially coherent light beam;
- an illumination optical system for radiating the light beam from said light source onto a mask so as to form an illumination area on a local area of the mask;
- a device for synchronously moving the mask and a photosensitive substrate so as to transfer a pattern formed on the mask onto the photosensitive substrate;
- and
- a device for shifting an interference pattern in the illumination area in accordance with a moving speed of the mask and an intensity distribution of the interference pattern while the mask and the photosensitive substrate are being synchronously moved.
2 more elements
A scanning exposure apparatus comprising:
- a light source for emitting spatially coherent pulsed light;
- an illumination optical system for radiating the light from said light source onto a mask so as to form an illumination area locally on the mask;
- a device for synchronously moving the mask and a photosensitive substrate so as to transfer a pattern formed on the mask onto the photosensitive substrate;
- and
- a device for shifting an interference pattern formed in the illumination area in a moving direction of the mask,
- wherein an accumulated light amount on the mask or the photosensitive substrate, upon radiation of a plurality of light pulses from said light source onto said mask, is uniformed by operation of said moving device and said shifting device.
3 more elements
A scanning exposure apparatus comprising:
- a light source;
- an illumination optical system for illuminating a mask with a light beam from said light source, said light beam having higher spatial coherence in one direction than in another direction of a cross-section of the beam in an illumination area on the mask;
- a projection optical system for projecting an image of a pattern formed on the mask onto a photosensitive substrate;
- a mask stage which holds the mask to be substantially perpendicular to an optical axis of said projection optical system, and which moves substantially along the direction with higher spatial coherence of the light beam;
- a substrate stage which holds the photosensitive substrate and moves in a direction substantially perpendicular to the optical axis of said projection optical system;
- and
- a device for synchronously driving said mask stage and said substrate stage so as to transfer the pattern on the mask onto the photosensitive substrate.
4 more elements
A scanning exposure apparatus comprising:
- a projection optical system for projecting an image of a pattern formed on a mask onto a photosensitive substrate;
- a device for synchronously moving the mask and the photosensitive substrate along a direction substantially perpendicular to an optical axis of said projection optical system so as to transfer the pattern on the mask onto the photosensitive substrate;
- and
- a device for illuminating a local area on the mask with light beam having higher spatial coherence in one direction than in another direction of a cross-section of the beam, such that the direction with higher spatial coherence of the light beam substantially coincides with a moving direction of the mask.
1 more element
An apparatus for illuminating a mask having a pattern to be transferred onto a photosensitive substrate by a scanning exposure method, comprising:
- a light source;
- a device for radiating the light beam from said light source onto the mask via an aperture of a field stop arranged on a plane substantially conjugate with a pattern surface of the mask, said light beam having higher spatial coherence in one direction than in another direction of a cross-section of the beam in an illumination area on the mask;
- and
- an optical member for substantially aligning the direction with higher spatial coherence of the light beam with a scanning direction of the mask.
1 more element
A scanning exposure method comprising:
- radiating a spatially coherent light beam onto a mask so as to form an illumination area;
- and
- synchronously moving the mask and a substrate so as to transfer a pattern formed on the mask onto the substrate;
- and
- shifting an interference pattern formed in the illumination area in a moving direction of the mask.
2 more elements
A scanning exposure method comprising:
- synchronously moving a mask and a substrate so as to transfer a pattern formed on the mask onto the substrate;
- and
- illuminating the mask with a light beam having higher spatial coherence in one direction than in another direction of a cross-section of the beam, such that the direction with higher spatial coherence of the light beam substantially coincides with a moving direction of the mask.
A scanning exposure method comprising:
- moving, during a scanning exposure, a mask and an object relative to an exposure beam to expose the object with a pattern formed on the mask;
- and
- directing the exposure beam to an irradiation area during the scanning exposure, the mask moving relative to the irradiation area, in a scanning direction during the scanning exposure,
- wherein the exposure beam has higher spatial coherence in one direction than in another direction, and wherein said one direction substantially coincides with the scanning direction.
1 more element
A scanning exposure apparatus in which a work-piece is moved in a scanning direction relative to an exposure beam during a scanning exposure, comprising:
- a projection system, disposed in a path of said exposure beam, which projects a pattern image onto the work-piece, the exposure beam having higher spatial coherence in one direction than in another direction;
- and
- an optical system, disposed in the path of said exposure beam, which directs said exposure beam to said work-piece such that said one direction substantially coincides with the scanning direction.
A scanning exposure method comprising:
- moving, during a scanning exposure, a mask and an object relative to an exposure beam to expose the object with a pattern formed on the mask;
- directing the exposure beam to an irradiation area during the scanning exposure, the mask moving relative to the irradiation area in a scanning direction during the scanning exposure;
- and
- shifting an interference pattern formed in the irradiation area during the scanning exposure.
1 more element
A scanning exposure method in which a work-piece to be exposed and an exposure beam are moved relatively during scanning exposure, comprising:
- determining an exposure condition of the work-piece based on information concerning a divergent angle of said exposure beam;
- and
- effecting scanning exposure based on the determined exposure condition.
A scanning exposure method comprising:
- moving a mask and an object synchronously to expose the object with a pattern formed on the mask during a scanning exposure;
- and
- directing a plurality of exposure beams to an irradiation area during the scanning exposure, the mask moving relative to the irradiation area in a scanning direction during the scanning exposure,
- wherein the plurality of exposure beams have illuminance distributions in the scanning direction that are different from each other.
1 more element
A scanning exposure method comprising:
- directing an exposure beam to an irradiation area;
- relatively moving an object and the irradiation area for scanning exposure;
- and
- determining whether or not an interference pattern formed with said irradiation area is to be shifted during said scanning exposure.
1 more element
A scanning exposure method comprising:
- directing an exposure beam to an irradiation area;
- relatively moving an object and the irradiation area in a first direction for scanning exposure;
- and
- shifting an interference pattern formed within the irradiation area in a first direction and a second direction which is transverse to said first direction, during the scanning exposure;
- wherein a way of controlling the shift of the interference pattern in said first direction is different from a way of controlling the shift of the interference pattern in said second direction.
2 more elements
A method of manufacturing a device using an object, comprising:
- moving, during a scanning exposure, a mask and the object relative to an exposure beam to expose the object with a pattern formed on the mask;
- and
- directing the exposure beam to an irradiation area during the scanning exposure, the mask moving relative to the irradiation area in a scanning direction during the scanning exposure,
- wherein the exposure beam has higher spatial coherence in one direction than in another direction, and wherein said one direction substantially coincides with the scanning direction.
1 more element
A method of manufacturing a device using a work-piece, comprising:
- providing a scanning exposure apparatus in which a work-piece is moved in a scanning direction relative to an exposure beam during a scanning exposure, and in which a projection system and an optical system are disposed in the path of the exposure beam;
- using the projection system to project a pattern image onto the work-piece, the exposure beam having higher spatial coherence in one direction than in another direction;
- and
- using the optical system to direct the exposure beam to the work-piece such that said one direction substantially coincides with the scanning direction.
1 more element
A method of manufacturing a device using an object, comprising:
- moving, during a scanning exposure, a mask and the object relative to an exposure beam to expose the object with a pattern formed on the mask;
- directing the exposure beam to an irradiation area during the scanning exposure, the mask moving relative to the irradiation area in a scanning direction during the scanning exposure;
- and
- shifting an interference pattern formed in the irradiation area during the scanning exposure.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.