CN116482946A - Exposure method, exposure apparatus, and method for manufacturing article - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an exposure method, an exposure apparatus, and a method for manufacturing an article. An exposure method for exposing a pattern of an original plate to a 1 st shot region of a substrate and exposing a pattern of an original plate to a 2 nd shot region overlapping with a part of the 1 st shot region, comprising: a 1 st measurement step of measuring a position of an alignment mark corresponding to the 1 st imaging area; and an exposure step of performing exposure based on the result measured in the 1 st measurement step, wherein in the exposure step, the 1 st imaging region is aligned based on the position information of the alignment mark measured in the 1 st measurement step, and the 2 nd imaging region is aligned using the position information of the alignment mark used for the alignment of the 1 st imaging region.

Description

Exposure method, exposure apparatus, and method for manufacturing article

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an exposure method, an exposure apparatus, and a method for manufacturing an article.

Background

In the production of liquid crystal panels, organic EL displays, and the like, an exposure device is used that exposes a substrate (glass substrate) coated with a sensitizer to light via a projection optical system by using a pattern of a master (mask). In recent years, the demand for large-area panels has increased, and an increase in the area of the area exposed by the exposure device has been demanded.

Japanese patent application laid-open No. 2015-12258 discloses an exposure method called joint exposure in which exposure is performed so that a part of adjacent imaging regions overlap, and a large-area exposure region can be exposed.

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

However, when the upper layer and the lower layer are overlapped in the bonding exposure, a decrease in throughput due to measurement of the alignment mark formed on the lower layer may be a problem. For example, when the upper layer adjacent to the 3 imaging regions is exposed by the joint exposure method, alignment marks formed on the lower layer corresponding to the imaging regions are generally measured. Thus, the deviation amount of the pattern in the underlayer and the pattern in the upper layer is calculated. However, when measuring alignment marks corresponding to the respective imaging areas, it is necessary to drive a measuring unit for measuring the alignment marks to a position where the alignment marks can be measured, and thus throughput may be reduced.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an exposure method advantageous in improving throughput in bonding exposure.

In order to achieve the above object, an exposure method according to an aspect of the present invention is an exposure method for exposing a pattern of a master in a 1 st shot region of a substrate and exposing a pattern of a master in a 2 nd shot region overlapping with a part of the 1 st shot region, the exposure method comprising: a 1 st measurement step of measuring a position of an alignment mark corresponding to the 1 st imaging area; and an exposure step of performing exposure based on the result measured in the 1 st measurement step, wherein in the exposure step, the 1 st imaging region is aligned based on the position information of the alignment mark measured in the 1 st measurement step, and the 2 nd imaging region is aligned using the position information of the alignment mark used for the alignment of the 1 st imaging region.

Further features of the invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments (with reference to the attached drawings).

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an exposure apparatus.

Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of an alignment viewer and an off-axis viewer.

Fig. 3 is a diagram showing the arrangement of the shooting area in embodiment 1.

Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing a determination process of a photographing region in which measurement is omitted.

Fig. 5 is a flowchart showing the flow of the exposure process in embodiment 1.

Fig. 6 is a diagram showing a configuration of 2 photographing regions.

Fig. 7 is a diagram showing the arrangement of 4 or more photographing regions.

Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing the flow of the exposure process in embodiment 2.

(description of the reference numerals)

30: a master; 60: a substrate; 70: a control unit; 100: an exposure device; AM: an alignment mark; s1: 1 st shooting area; s2: a 2 nd photographing region; s3: and 3. The shooting area.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail based on the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the same members are denoted by the same reference numerals, and overlapping description thereof is omitted.

< embodiment 1 >

The configuration of the exposure apparatus in this embodiment will be described. The exposure apparatus in the present embodiment is an apparatus for a photolithography process in manufacturing a device such as a semiconductor device or a Flat Panel Display (FPD). The exposure device transfers the pattern of the original plate (mask) to the substrate coated with the resist, thereby forming a latent image pattern in a photographed area of the substrate. The exposure apparatus in this embodiment irradiates the original pattern, and transfers the original pattern to a plurality of areas in the substrate via the projection optical system. In the present embodiment, the step-and-scan type exposure apparatus is described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and other exposure methods such as a step-and-repeat type exposure apparatus may be used.

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of an exposure apparatus 100 in the present embodiment. In the present embodiment, a coordinate system is defined by using the surface on which the substrate 60 is placed as the XY plane and the direction perpendicular to the XY plane as the Z direction. The coordinate system is defined by using the scanning direction of the master 30 and the substrate 60 as the Y direction and the direction perpendicular to the Y direction in the XY plane as the X direction.

The exposure apparatus 100 includes an original mount 31 on which the original 30 is mounted, a substrate mount 61 on which the substrate 60 is mounted, an illumination optical system 10 that illuminates the original 30, and a projection optical system 40 that projects a pattern of the original 30 onto the substrate 60. The exposure apparatus 100 further includes: slit imaging system 20, mirrors 32, 62, laser interferometers 33, 63, x-mask 50, control section 70, alignment viewer 80, and off-axis viewer 81. The master 30 and the substrate 60 are disposed at substantially optically conjugate positions (object plane and image plane of the projection optical system 40) via the projection optical system 40. A slit imaging system 20 for shaping the exposure light is disposed between the illumination optical system 10 and the original mount 31. An X-ray shielding plate 50 is disposed between the projection optical system 40 and the substrate stage 61, and the X-ray shielding plate 50 is used to sequentially expose images of the pattern of the master 30 to be partially overlapped with each other (hereinafter, referred to as bonding exposure) in different regions of the substrate 60 when scanning exposure is performed on the substrate 60. The X-ray shielding plate 50 functions as a shielding plate for adjusting the exposure amount of the region of repeated exposure by bonding exposure. The control section 70 controls driving of each part of the exposure apparatus 100.

The illumination optical system 10 is configured by a light source unit such as an ultra-high pressure mercury lamp or an LED light source, a wavelength selective filter, a lens group, a shutter, and the like, which are not shown. The illumination optical system 10 irradiates light of a wavelength suitable for exposure to the slit imaging system 20. The slit imaging system 20 has a slit (not shown), and shapes the incident light from the illumination optical system 10 to an exposure width that satisfies a necessary exposure amount at a certain fixed stage scanning speed (for example, an upper limit value of the scanning speed, etc.).

The original mount 31 on which the original 30 is mounted is scanned in the Y direction by a driving mechanism not shown. A plurality of reflecting mirrors 32 are disposed on the original mount 31, and reflect measurement light from a laser interferometer 33 disposed outside the original mount 31. The laser interferometer 33 receives the reflected measurement light, and constantly monitors and measures the position of the original mount 31. The control unit 70 controls the position and speed of the master stage 31 based on the measurement result of the laser interferometer 33.

The projection optical system 40 has a mirror and a lens, not shown, and reflects and refracts the exposed light to project the pattern formed on the master 30 onto the substrate 60. The mirror and the lens of the projection optical system 40 are driven in the Z direction and the rotation direction by a driving mechanism, not shown, and generate arbitrary magnification and displacement.

In the exposure apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment, the 1 st image is exposed in the imaging region S1 (1 st imaging region) of the substrate 60, and the 2 nd image is exposed in the imaging region S2 (2 nd imaging region) overlapping with a part of the imaging region S1. In addition, the 3 rd image is exposed to an imaging region S3 (3 rd imaging region) overlapping with a part of the imaging region S2. Hereinafter, an exposure method in which the 1 st image and the 2 nd image, and the 2 nd image and the 3 rd image are exposed to each other in this manner is referred to as a joint exposure.

The X-ray shielding plate 50 is driven by a driving mechanism not shown. By horizontally driving the X-ray shielding plate 50 and changing the position where the exposure light is shielded, the exposure light formed by the slit imaging system 20 is shielded obliquely with respect to the scanning direction, whereby the exposure amount accumulated in the region repeatedly exposed by the joint exposure is controlled.

The substrate stage 61 on which the substrate 60 is mounted is scanned in the X, Y and Z directions by a driving mechanism not shown. A plurality of reflecting mirrors 62 are disposed on the substrate stage, and reflect measurement light from a laser interferometer 63 disposed outside the substrate stage 61. The laser interferometer 63 receives the reflected measurement light, and constantly monitors and measures the position of the substrate mounting table 61. The control unit 70 controls the position and speed of the substrate stage 61 based on the measurement result of the laser interferometer 63.

An alignment viewer 80 (measuring section) measures the alignment mark formed on the substrate 60 via the master 30 and the projection optical system 40. On the other hand, the off-axis observer 81 (measuring section) is disposed below the projection optical system 40, and measures the alignment mark on the substrate 60 without passing through the master 30 and the projection optical system 40. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of an alignment viewer 80 and an off-axis viewer 81. As shown in fig. 2, the alignment viewer 80 and the off-axis viewer 81 are disposed at positions where alignment marks corresponding to the imaging regions on the substrate 60 can be measured. In the present embodiment, the method of measuring the alignment mark by the alignment viewer 80 and the off-axis viewer 81 is described, but the method of measuring the alignment mark by the alignment viewer 80 alone or the off-axis viewer 81 alone may be used.

The control unit 70 functions as a processing unit that performs processing for determining correction amounts related to alignment of exposure in each imaging region using measurement values of alignment marks measured by the alignment viewer 80. The control unit 70 includes a data holding unit 71, a drive amount calculating unit 72, and a drive instructing unit 73. The data holding unit 71 holds the deviation amounts of 1 or more points in the X, Y direction within the shot measured with the marks exposed on the substrate by the exposure device. Further, driving parameters such as driving offsets and sensitivities of the various driving shafts, various measurement data acquired by the exposure device, arrangement coordinates of the imaging region on the substrate 60, and arrangement coordinates of the alignment marks in the imaging region are held. The driving amount calculation unit 72 calculates various correction components such as positional deviation, rotation, and magnification in the X, Y direction from the data held by the data holding unit 71 by using a general statistical means. The drive amount calculation unit 72 determines the drive instruction amount for each axis based on the drive parameter and the calculated correction component. The drive instruction unit 73 outputs a drive instruction for each drive mechanism using the drive instruction amount for each drive mechanism determined by the drive amount calculation unit 72. The control unit 70 is configured as a hardware configuration thereof, for example, by a computer device including a CPU (central processing unit) and a memory. In this case, the data holding unit 71 is realized by a memory, and the drive amount calculating unit 72 and the drive instructing unit 73 are realized by a CPU.

Next, with reference to fig. 3, an imaging region and an alignment mark formed on the substrate 60 in the present embodiment will be described. The exposure device 100 performs overlapping exposure on the imaging region of the underlayer formed on the substrate 60. An imaging region S1 to be a superimposed target of the 1 st imaging exposure (1 st exposure), an imaging region S2 to be a superimposed target of the 2 nd imaging exposure (2 nd exposure), and an imaging region S3 to be a superimposed target of the 3 rd imaging exposure (3 rd exposure) are formed on the substrate 60. In the vicinity of the corners of the imaging region S1, alignment marks AM1, AM2, AM3, AM4 corresponding to the imaging region S1 are formed. Alignment marks AM3, AM4, AM5, AM6 corresponding to the imaging region S2 are formed near the corners of the imaging region S2. In the vicinity of the corners of the imaging region S3, alignment marks AM5, AM6, AM7, AM8 corresponding to the imaging region S3 are formed. The alignment marks AM3 and AM4 are formed in a region where a part of the photographing region S1 and a part of the photographing region S2 overlap. The alignment marks AM5 and AM6 are formed in a region where a part of the photographing region S2 and a part of the photographing region S3 overlap. In the example of fig. 3, the photographing region S1, the photographing region S2, and the photographing region S3 are regions of the same size.

(Exposure method in comparative example)

A comparative example of the present embodiment will be described. In order to perform overlapping exposure on the photographing regions formed at the underlayer, positional information of alignment marks corresponding to the respective photographing regions is measured using an alignment viewer 80 and an off-axis viewer 81.

In the present embodiment, the alignment viewer 80 and the off-axis viewer 81 are disposed at positions where alignment marks of the respective imaging regions can be measured simultaneously.

First, alignment of the shooting area S1 is performed. The alignment marks AM1, AM2, AM3, AM4 corresponding to the imaging region S1 are measured by the alignment viewer 80 and the off-axis viewer 81, and positional information is acquired. At this time, the substrate stage 61 is driven to the measurement position so that the alignment marks AM1, AM2, AM3, AM4 can be measured. Based on the positional information of the alignment marks AM1, AM2, AM3, AM4, correction amounts concerning the alignment of the imaging region S1 are calculated.

Next, alignment of the shooting area S2 is performed. The alignment marks AM3, AM4, AM5, AM6 corresponding to the imaging region S2 are measured by the alignment viewer 80 and the off-axis viewer 81, and positional information is acquired. At this time, the substrate stage 61 is driven to the measurement position so that the alignment marks AM3, AM4, AM5, AM6 can be measured. Based on the positional information of the alignment marks AM3, AM4, AM5, AM6, correction amounts concerning the alignment of the imaging region S2 are calculated.

Next, alignment of the shooting area S3 is performed. The alignment marks AM5, AM6, AM7, AM8 corresponding to the imaging region S3 are measured by the alignment viewer 80 and the off-axis viewer 81, and positional information is acquired. At this time, the substrate stage 61 is driven to the measurement position so that the alignment marks AM5, AM6, AM7, AM8 can be measured. Based on the positional information of the alignment marks AM5, AM6, AM7, AM8, correction amounts concerning the alignment of the imaging region S3 are calculated.

Next, exposure is performed so as to overlap with the underlying pattern while adjusting each part of the exposure apparatus 100 based on the correction amounts calculated for the imaging regions S1, S2, and S3.

Through the above steps, bonding exposure can be performed.

In performing the bonding exposure, as described above, it is necessary to drive the substrate 60 from the positions of the measurement alignment marks AM1, AM2, AM3, AM4 to the positions of the measurement alignment marks AM3, AM4, AM5, AM6. In addition, it is necessary to drive the substrate 60 from the positions of the measurement alignment marks AM3, AM4, AM5, AM6 to the positions of the measurement alignment marks AM5, AM6, AM7, AM8. In order to calculate the correction amount for overlapping each imaging region, the alignment mark group corresponding to each imaging region is measured, and therefore, there is a possibility that the throughput is lowered.

(Exposure method in this embodiment)

In the present embodiment, as in the comparative example, the purpose is also to calculate the correction amount for performing the overlapping exposure for each imaging region. In the present embodiment, the measurement of the alignment marks AM3, AM4, AM5, AM6 corresponding to the imaging region S2 is omitted, and thus the throughput can be improved as compared with the comparative example.

Fig. 4 is a flowchart of a shot region for deciding to omit measurement of alignment marks. Each step in fig. 4 is performed by controlling each part of the exposure apparatus 100 by the control unit 70.

In step S101, the arrangement coordinates of the alignment marks in the respective imaging areas are calculated from the arrangement coordinates of the imaging areas S1, S2, and S3 stored in the data storage unit 71 and the arrangement coordinates of the alignment marks in the respective imaging areas. Then, the alignment marks formed in the areas (repeated areas) where the photographing areas are repeated are determined as common alignment marks. In the present embodiment, the alignment marks AM3 and AM4 are determined to be common alignment marks in the imaging areas S1 and S2, and the alignment marks AM5 and AM6 are determined to be common alignment marks in the imaging areas S2 and S3.

In step S102, an imaging region in which all the alignment marks in the imaging region are common alignment marks between imaging is determined as an imaging region in which measurement of the alignment marks can be omitted (determination step). In the present embodiment, the alignment marks AM3 and AM4 and the alignment marks AM5 and AM6 of the imaging region S2 are determined to be common alignment marks with other imaging regions. Therefore, the imaging region S2 is determined as an imaging region in which the measurement of the alignment mark can be omitted.

Through the above-described processing, a photographing region in which measurement of the alignment mark is omitted is determined.

In the present embodiment, 1 imaging region is omitted from measurement of the alignment mark, but 2 or more imaging regions may be determined from the layout of the imaging regions, as in the example of fig. 7 described later.

Next, with reference to fig. 5, a process (exposure process) from the time when the substrate 60 is carried into the exposure apparatus 100 to the time when the substrate 60 is carried out will be described. Fig. 5 is a flowchart of the exposure process in the present embodiment. Each step in fig. 5 is performed by controlling each part of the exposure apparatus 100 by the control unit 70.

In step S201, measurement of the alignment mark group (alignment marks AM1 to AM 4) corresponding to the imaging region S1 is performed (1 st measurement step). In the 1 st measurement step, the alignment mark group (alignment marks AM1 to AM 4) corresponding to the 1 st imaging region is measured in a state where the relative positional relationship between the measurement unit (alignment viewer 80 and off-axis viewer 81) and the substrate 60 is the 1 st position. In the 1 st measurement step, the alignment marks of the alignment mark group (alignment marks AM1 to AM 4) corresponding to the 1 st imaging region are measured in parallel. Parallel measurement means that it is preferable to measure a plurality of alignment marks at the same time, but at least a part of the timing in measurement of each alignment mark may be repeated.

In step S202, the measurement of the alignment mark group (alignment marks AM3 to AM 6) corresponding to the imaging region S2 is omitted, and the measurement of the alignment mark group (alignment marks AM5 to AM 8) corresponding to the imaging region S3 is performed (measurement step 2). In the 2 nd measurement step, the alignment mark group (alignment marks AM5 to AM 8) corresponding to the 3 rd imaging region is measured in a state where the relative positional relationship between the measurement unit (alignment viewer 80 and off-axis viewer 81) and the substrate 60 is at the 2 nd position. In the 2 nd measurement step, the alignment marks of the alignment mark group (alignment marks AM5 to AM 8) corresponding to the 3 rd imaging region are measured in parallel. Parallel measurement means that it is preferable to measure a plurality of alignment marks at the same time, but at least a part of the timing in measurement of each alignment mark may be repeated.

In step S203, a calculation value showing position information of the alignment mark group (alignment marks AM3 to AM 6) corresponding to the imaging region S2, which omits measurement of the alignment marks, is calculated. The calculated value of the alignment mark corresponding to the imaging region S2 is calculated based on the position information (1 st information) of the alignment marks AM3, AM4 measured at S201 and the position information (2 nd information) of the alignment marks AM5, AM6 measured at S202.

In addition, there is a possibility that the measurement results may be different between the measurement results of the alignment marks AM3, AM4 when the alignment marks AM1 to AM4 are measured and the measurement results of the alignment marks AM3, AM4 when the alignment marks AM3 to AM6 are measured. This is because, in the measurement of both, the substrate stage 61 is driven, and an amount of deviation depending on the stage driving error occurs. Therefore, the amount of deviation of the measurement results of both the measurements (information 3) may be held in advance.

Similarly, there is a possibility that the measurement results may be different between the measurement results of the alignment marks AM5, AM6 when the alignment marks AM3 to AM6 are measured and the measurement results of the alignment marks AM5, AM6 when the alignment marks AM5 to AM8 are measured. Therefore, the amount of deviation of the measurement results of both the measurements (the 4 th information) may be held in advance. This amount of deviation is also referred to as the calibration amount. The measurement value of the alignment mark corresponding to the photographing region S2 can be calculated based on the 1 st information, the 2 nd information, the 3 rd information, and the 4 th information.

In step S204, a correction amount regarding the alignment of the imaging region S1 is calculated based on the positional information of the alignment mark group (alignment marks AM1 to AM 4) measured in the 1 st measurement step. Further, based on the calculated values of the alignment mark groups (alignment marks AM3 to 6) corresponding to the imaging region S2 calculated in step S203, a correction amount related to the alignment of the imaging region S2 in the imaging region S2 is calculated. The correction amount regarding the alignment of the imaging region S3 is calculated based on the positional information of the alignment mark group (alignment marks AM5 to AM 8) measured in the 2 nd measurement step. Steps S203 and S204 are also referred to as calculation steps.

In step S205, overlapping exposure of the respective imaging regions is performed based on the calculation result of the correction amounts of the imaging regions S1 to 3 calculated in the calculation step (exposure step). In the exposure step, exposure is performed while controlling the alignment of the master 30 and the substrate 60.

In the exposure step of the present embodiment, the measurement result of the alignment mark for the alignment of the imaging region S1 measured in the 1 st measurement step is also used for the alignment of the 2 nd imaging region.

(modification)

In the above, the example of the joint exposure of 3 adjacent shooting areas is shown, but the joint exposure of 2 adjacent shooting areas may be also used. Fig. 6 is an example of pattern layout in which the photographing region S1 and the photographing region S2 are adjacent. The alignment marks AM3 and AM4 are arranged in the overlapping areas of 2 adjacent imaging areas, and are common alignment marks.

In addition, the photographing region S2 is smaller than the photographing region S1, and the distance between the alignment marks AM1 and AM3 is different from the distance between the alignment marks AM3 and AM 5.

In the example of fig. 6, the measurement of the common alignment marks may also be omitted. By omitting the measurement of the common alignment mark, throughput can be improved as compared with the case where it is not omitted. Here, the distance between 2 mirrors of the alignment viewer 80 and the distance between 2 mirrors of the off-axis viewer 81 are set to be fixed at the distance between the alignment marks AM1 and AM 3.

The case where measurement of the common alignment mark is not omitted will be described. First, the substrate 60 is driven to a position where the alignment marks AM1 to AM4 can be measured by the alignment viewer 80 and the off-axis viewer 81, and the alignment marks AM1 to AM4 corresponding to the imaging region S1 are measured (1 st measurement step). Next, the substrate 60 is driven to a position where the alignment marks AM3 and AM4 can be measured by the alignment viewer 80 and the off-axis viewer 81, and the alignment marks AM3 and AM4 corresponding to the imaging region S2 are measured. Next, the substrate 60 is driven to a position where the alignment marks AM3 and AM4 can be measured by the alignment viewer 80 and the off-axis viewer 81, and the alignment marks AM5 and AM6 corresponding to the imaging region S2 are measured.

In this modification, by omitting the measurement of the common alignment mark, throughput can be improved as compared with the case where the measurement of the common alignment mark is not omitted. The present modification calculates a correction amount concerning the alignment of the imaging region S2 based on the positional information of the alignment mark formed in the region where the imaging region S1 and the imaging region S2 overlap among the alignment mark groups measured in the 1 st measurement step.

The omission of measurement of the common alignment mark may be performed in the joint exposure of 4 or more adjacent imaging regions. Fig. 7 is an example of a pattern layout in which the imaging regions S1 to S5 are adjacent. The alignment marks AM3 to 10 are common alignment marks and are arranged in the overlapping areas of 2 adjacent imaging areas.

In the example of fig. 6, the measurement of the common alignment marks may also be omitted. For example, only the measurement of the alignment marks corresponding to the imaging areas S1, S3, and S5 may be performed, and the measurement of the alignment marks corresponding to the imaging areas S2 and S4 may be omitted. This can improve throughput as compared with a case where measurement of the common alignment mark is not omitted.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the throughput in the bonding exposure can be improved by omitting the measurement of the common alignment mark.

< embodiment 2 >

In this embodiment, a mode in which the 1 st mode in which measurement of the common alignment mark is not omitted and the 2 nd mode in which measurement of the common alignment mark is omitted can be switched is described. Note that, since the configuration of the exposure apparatus 100 is the same as that of embodiment 1, a description thereof is omitted. Note that, in this embodiment, matters are not mentioned, and embodiment 1 is followed.

In the present embodiment, the 1 st mode in which measurement of the common alignment mark is not omitted and the 2 nd mode in which measurement of the common alignment mark is omitted can be switched. Thus, the measurement accuracy of the alignment mark can be improved as compared with embodiment 1.

By continuously performing the exposure process, heat is generated. The measurement result of the alignment mark may be changed due to the influence of the heat. The off-axis observer 81 may change in position and posture when the alignment mark is measured due to thermal deformation of the projection optical system 40 provided with the off-axis observer 81 and thermal deformation of the support member of the off-axis observer 81.

In this case, since the calibration amount described in embodiment 1 is re-measured, the positional information of the alignment mark can be calculated with high accuracy even if the measurement of the alignment mark is omitted.

The process of the present embodiment will be described with reference to the pattern layout shown in fig. 3. Fig. 8 is a flowchart of the processing in the present embodiment. Each step in fig. 8 is performed by controlling each part of the exposure apparatus 100 by the control unit 70.

In S301, measurement of an alignment mark corresponding to the imaging region S1 is performed.

In S302, it is determined whether or not measurement of the alignment mark corresponding to the imaging region S2 is necessary (determination step). As a determination method of whether to perform measurement of the alignment mark of the imaging region S2, determination is made based on at least 1 of the number of processed substrates, time, and energy of the exposure light to the projection optical system 40. In S302, when it is determined that measurement is necessary, the process proceeds to step S303, and when it is determined that measurement is not necessary, the process proceeds to step S304.

In the method of determining the number of processed substrates, the measurement of the alignment mark corresponding to the imaging region S2 is omitted when the number of processed substrates is less than the predetermined number, starting from the last substrate on which the alignment mark corresponding to the imaging region S2 was measured. Then, when the number of substrates equal to or greater than the predetermined number of substrates are processed, measurement of the alignment mark corresponding to the imaging region S2 is performed.

In the method of determining the time, the measurement of the alignment mark corresponding to the imaging region S2 is omitted when the specified time has not elapsed since the last time the alignment mark corresponding to the imaging region S2 was measured. Then, when a predetermined time elapses, measurement of the alignment mark corresponding to the photographing region S2 is performed.

In the method of determining with the energy of the light of the exposure, it is considered that the temperature change of the projection optical system 40 is caused by the exposure energy. Then, when the temperature of the projection optical system 40 at the time of measuring the alignment mark of the imaging region S2 from the previous time is lower than the change amount of the specified temperature, the measurement of the alignment mark corresponding to the imaging region S2 is omitted. When the amount of change is higher than the specified temperature, measurement of the alignment mark corresponding to the imaging region S2 is performed.

In S302, when it is determined that measurement is necessary, the process proceeds to step S303, and when it is determined that measurement is not necessary, the process proceeds to step S304. In step S303, measurement of the alignment mark corresponding to the imaging region S2 is performed.

In step S304, measurement of the alignment mark corresponding to the imaging region S3 is performed.

In step S305, overlapping exposure of each imaging region is performed based on the measurement result measured in the above step. In addition, when it is determined in step S302 that measurement of the alignment mark corresponding to the imaging region S2 is not necessary, the calculation step of step S203 described with the flowchart of fig. 5 of embodiment 1 is performed before the exposure is performed in step S305.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the 1 st mode in which measurement of the common alignment mark is not omitted and the 2 nd mode in which measurement of the common alignment mark is omitted can be switched. Thus, even when the measurement result of the off-axis observer 81 changes with the exposure process, the measurement process of the alignment mark corresponding to the imaging region S2 can be omitted while maintaining the overlay accuracy of the exposure.

< embodiment of method for producing article >

The method for manufacturing an article according to an embodiment of the present invention is suitable for manufacturing an article such as a Flat Panel Display (FPD), a semiconductor device, a sensor, or an optical element. The method for manufacturing an article according to the present embodiment includes: a step of forming a latent image pattern on a photosensitive material coated on a substrate by exposure using the exposure device described above (exposure step) to obtain an exposed substrate, and a step of developing the exposed substrate on which the latent image pattern is formed by the exposure step (development step) to obtain a developed substrate. The production method further includes other known steps (oxidation, film formation, vapor deposition, doping, planarization, etching, resist stripping, dicing, bonding, packaging, and the like). The method for producing an article according to the present embodiment is advantageous over conventional methods in terms of at least 1 of performance, quality, productivity, and production cost of the article.

While the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications and changes can be made within the scope of the gist thereof.

According to the present invention, an exposure method advantageous in improving throughput in bonding exposure can be provided.

Claims (15)

1. An exposure method, characterized in that,

the exposure method exposes a pattern of an original plate in a 1 st photographing region of a substrate and exposes a pattern of an original plate in a 2 nd photographing region overlapping with a part of the 1 st photographing region, the exposure method comprising:

a 1 st measurement step of measuring a position of an alignment mark corresponding to the 1 st imaging area; and

an exposure step of performing exposure based on the result measured in the 1 st measurement step,

in the exposure step, the 1 st imaging region is aligned based on the positional information of the alignment mark measured in the 1 st measurement step, and the 2 nd imaging region is aligned using the positional information of the alignment mark used for the alignment of the 1 st imaging region.

2. An exposure method, characterized in that,

the exposure method exposes a pattern of an original plate in a 1 st photographing region of a substrate and exposes a pattern of an original plate in a 2 nd photographing region overlapping with a part of the 1 st photographing region, the exposure method comprising:

a 1 st measurement step of measuring a position of an alignment mark corresponding to the 1 st imaging area;

an exposure step of performing exposure based on the result measured in the 1 st measurement step; and

a determination step of determining whether or not to measure an alignment mark corresponding to the 2 nd imaging region,

in the course of the exposure process,

performing alignment of the 1 st photographing region based on the positional information of the alignment mark measured in the 1 st measuring step,

when it is determined in the determination step that the measurement of the alignment mark corresponding to the 2 nd imaging region is performed, the 2 nd imaging region is aligned without using the position information for alignment of the 1 st imaging region,

when it is determined in the determination step that the measurement of the alignment mark corresponding to the 2 nd imaging region is not performed, the 2 nd imaging region is aligned using the position information for alignment of the 1 st imaging region.

3. The exposure method according to claim 2, wherein,

the determination step determines whether or not to measure the alignment mark group corresponding to the 2 nd imaging region based on at least 1 of the number of processing pieces of the substrate, the time, and the energy of the light to be exposed.

4. The exposure method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that,

the alignment mark for the alignment of the 1 st photographing region and the 2 nd photographing region is an alignment mark formed at a region where the 1 st photographing region and the 2 nd photographing region overlap.

5. The exposure method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that,

in the exposure step, the substrate is exposed while the position of the master and the position of the substrate are controlled based on the correction amount related to the alignment of the imaging region.

6. The exposure method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that,

in the 1 st measurement step, the alignment mark corresponding to the 1 st imaging region is measured in a state where the relative positional relationship between the substrate and the measurement unit that measured the alignment mark in the 1 st measurement step is the 1 st position.

7. The exposure method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that,

in the 1 st measurement step, the alignment marks of the alignment mark group corresponding to the 1 st imaging region are measured in parallel.

8. The exposure method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that,

the exposure method further performs exposure of the original pattern to a 3 rd photographing region repeated with a part of the 2 nd photographing region, the exposure method further comprising:

a 2 nd measuring step of measuring a position of an alignment mark corresponding to the 3 rd imaging region,

in the exposure step, the 2 nd shot region is aligned based on the position information of the alignment mark measured in the 2 nd measurement step, and the 2 nd shot region is aligned using the position information of the alignment mark for the alignment of the 1 st shot region and the position information of the alignment mark for the alignment of the 3 rd shot region.

9. The exposure method according to claim 8, wherein,

the alignment mark for the alignment of the 2 nd photographing region and the alignment of the 3 rd photographing region is an alignment mark formed at a region where the 2 nd photographing region and the 3 rd photographing region overlap.

10. The exposure method according to claim 8, wherein,

in the 2 nd measuring step, the alignment mark group corresponding to the 3 rd imaging region is measured in a state where the relative positional relationship between the substrate and the measuring unit for measuring the alignment mark in the 2 nd measuring step is the 2 nd position.

11. The exposure method according to claim 8, wherein,

in the 2 nd measuring step, the alignment marks of the alignment mark group corresponding to the 3 rd imaging region are measured in parallel.

12. The exposure method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that,

the 1 st photographing region is a region of the same size as the 2 nd photographing region.

13. The exposure method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that,

the 1 st photographing region is a region of a different size from the 2 nd photographing region.

14. An exposure apparatus, characterized in that,

comprising a projection optical system for irradiating light from a light source to an original plate, transferring the original plate pattern to a substrate,

the substrate is exposed using the exposure method according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

15. A method for manufacturing an article, comprising:

an exposure step of exposing a substrate by using the exposure method according to any one of claims 1 to 3 to obtain an exposed substrate; and

a developing step of developing the exposed substrate to obtain a developed substrate,

an article is manufactured from the developing substrate.