CN117170192A - Scanning exposure device, scanning exposure method, method for manufacturing article, information processing device, information processing method, and storage medium - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a scanning exposure device, a scanning exposure method, a method for manufacturing an article, an information processing device, an information processing method, and a storage medium. A technique for facilitating precise focus/leveling control in scanning exposure is provided. The scanning exposure device is provided with: a measuring unit for measuring the surface height distribution of the substrate; and a control unit that controls, during scanning exposure of the substrate, scanning driving of the substrate based on driving control information that is generated in advance, at least 1 of a height and an inclination of the substrate based on a surface height distribution of the substrate measured by the measurement unit, the driving control information including adjustment information for adjusting at least 1 of the height and the inclination of the substrate during scanning exposure, the control unit updating the driving control information based on the surface height distribution of the substrate measured by the measurement unit during scanning exposure of the substrate.

Description

Scanning exposure device, scanning exposure method, method for manufacturing article, information processing device, information processing method, and storage medium

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a scanning exposure apparatus, a scanning exposure method, a method of manufacturing an article, an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a storage medium.

Background

As one of apparatuses used in a manufacturing process (photolithography process) of a semiconductor device or the like, a scanning exposure apparatus is known that scans a substrate with respect to an exposed light to perform scanning exposure of the substrate. In such a scanning exposure apparatus, in scanning exposure of a substrate, measurement of the surface position of the substrate (focus measurement) is performed before irradiation of exposure light, and control of the height and inclination of the substrate (focus/leveling control) is performed based on the measurement result. Patent document 1 discloses the following method: an offset value (correction value) for correcting a measurement error factor depending on a pattern structure of a photographing region of a substrate is calculated in advance, and focus/leveling control is performed based on a result obtained by correcting a result of focus measurement by the correction value.

Prior art literature

Patent literature

Patent document 1: japanese patent laid-open No. 9-45608

Disclosure of Invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

In a scanning exposure apparatus, if defocus occurs during scanning exposure, exposure failure occurs, and it is difficult to form a pattern on a substrate with good precision, so that focus/leveling control with better precision is required.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a technique that facilitates precise focus/leveling control during scanning exposure.

Solution for solving the problem

In order to achieve the above object, a scanning exposure apparatus according to an aspect of the present invention includes: a measuring unit for measuring the surface height distribution of the substrate; and a control unit that controls, during scanning exposure of the substrate, scanning driving of the substrate based on driving control information that is generated in advance, at least 1 of a height and an inclination of the substrate based on a surface height distribution of the substrate measured by the measurement unit, the driving control information including adjustment information for adjusting at least 1 of the height and the inclination of the substrate during scanning exposure, the control unit updating the driving control information based on the surface height distribution of the substrate measured by the measurement unit during scanning exposure of the substrate.

In order to achieve the above object, a scanning exposure method as another aspect of the present invention is characterized by comprising: a generation step of generating drive control information including adjustment information for adjusting at least 1 of the height and the inclination of the substrate in scanning exposure; an exposure step of performing scanning exposure of the substrate by controlling at least 1 of the height and the inclination of the substrate based on the measured value of the surface height distribution of the substrate while controlling the scanning drive of the substrate based on the drive control information generated in the generation step; and an updating step of updating the drive control information based on the measured value of the surface height distribution of the substrate obtained in the exposure step.

In order to achieve the above object, another aspect of the present invention is an information processing apparatus communicably connected to a scanning exposure apparatus that performs scanning exposure of a substrate, comprising: an acquisition unit that acquires the surface height distribution of the substrate measured by the measurement unit of the scanning exposure apparatus; a generating section that generates drive control information including adjustment information for adjusting at least 1 of a height and an inclination of the substrate in the scanning exposure based on the surface height distribution of the substrate acquired by the acquiring section; and a supply unit configured to supply the drive control information generated by the generation unit to the scanning exposure apparatus, wherein the scanning exposure apparatus controls scanning drive of the substrate based on the drive control information supplied by the supply unit, and controls at least 1 of the height and the inclination of the substrate based on the surface height distribution of the substrate measured by the measurement unit, and wherein the generation unit updates the drive control information based on the surface height distribution of the substrate measured by the measurement unit during scanning exposure of the substrate.

In order to achieve the above object, an information processing method according to another aspect of the present invention is an information processing method for processing information of a scanning exposure apparatus that performs scanning exposure of a substrate, the information processing method including: an acquisition step of acquiring a surface height distribution of the substrate measured by a measurement unit of the scanning exposure apparatus; a generation step of generating drive control information including adjustment information for adjusting at least 1 of a height and an inclination of the substrate in the scanning exposure, based on the surface height distribution of the substrate acquired in the acquisition step; and a supply step of supplying the drive control information generated in the generation step to the scanning exposure apparatus, wherein the scanning exposure apparatus controls scanning drive of the substrate based on the drive control information supplied in the supply step, and controls at least 1 of the height and the inclination of the substrate based on the surface height distribution of the substrate measured by the measurement unit, and the information processing method further includes an update step of updating the drive control information based on the surface height distribution of the substrate measured by the measurement unit during scanning exposure of the substrate.

Further objects and other aspects of the invention will become apparent from the following description of preferred embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.

ADVANTAGEOUS EFFECTS OF INVENTION

According to the present invention, for example, a technique that facilitates precise focus/leveling control during scanning exposure can be provided.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration example of a scanning exposure apparatus.

Fig. 2 is a diagram showing positional relationships between a plurality of measurement points of a measurement unit and a light irradiation region.

Fig. 3 is a diagram showing a control operation unit of the substrate stage included in the control unit.

Fig. 4 is a diagram for explaining a phenomenon in which defocus occurs due to rapid driving of the substrate stage.

Fig. 5A is a flowchart showing the operation of the scanning exposure apparatus according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 5B is a flowchart showing the operation of the scanning exposure apparatus according to embodiment 1.

Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of selection of a sample imaging region.

Fig. 7 is a diagram for explaining the inclination component of the entire substrate.

Fig. 8 is a diagram showing an example of drive control information.

Fig. 9 is a diagram for explaining a focus track when adjustment information is not used in scanning exposure.

Fig. 10 is a diagram for explaining a focus track when adjustment information is used in scanning exposure.

Fig. 11A is a flowchart showing the operation of the scanning exposure apparatus according to embodiment 2.

Fig. 11B is a flowchart showing the operation of the scanning exposure apparatus according to embodiment 2.

Fig. 12 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration example of the system according to embodiment 3.

Description of the reference numerals

1: illumination optical system, 2: original edition, 3: original plate mounting table, 4: projection optical system, 5: a substrate, 6: substrate mounting table, 7: measurement unit, 20: and a control unit.

Detailed Description

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the claims. In the embodiments, a plurality of features are described, but not all of the plurality of features are essential to the invention, and a plurality of features may be arbitrarily combined. In the drawings, the same or similar structures are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description thereof is omitted.

In the present specification and the accompanying drawings, directions are expressed by XYZ coordinate systems parallel to the optical axis of the projection optical system in the Z direction, that is, XYZ coordinate systems having the image plane of the projection optical system as the XY plane. Directions parallel to the X-axis, the Y-axis, and the Z-axis in the XYZ coordinate system are the X-direction, the Y-direction, and the Z-direction, and the rotation about the X-axis, the rotation about the Y-axis, and the rotation about the Z-axis are the θx, θy, and θz, respectively. Control and drive (movement) related to the X-axis, the Y-axis, and the Z-axis refer to control or drive (movement) related to a direction parallel to the X-axis, a direction parallel to the Y-axis, and a direction parallel to the Z-axis, respectively. In addition, control or drive related to the θx axis, the θy axis, and the θz axis means control or drive related to rotation about an axis parallel to the X axis, rotation about an axis parallel to the Y axis, and rotation about an axis parallel to the Z axis, respectively.

< embodiment 1 >

Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration example of a scanning exposure apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment. The scanning exposure apparatus 100 performs scanning exposure of the substrate 5 by relatively scanning and driving the master 2 and the substrate 5 with respect to light (slit light) having exposure of a rectangular or circular-arc cross-sectional shape, and transfers the pattern of the master 2 to the substrate 5. Such a scanning exposure apparatus 100 is also called a step-and-scan exposure apparatus or a scanner.

As shown in fig. 1, the scanning exposure apparatus 100 includes an illumination optical system 1, an original mount 3, a projection optical system 4, a substrate mount 6, a measurement unit 7, and a control unit 20. The master stage 3 and the substrate stage 6 can constitute positioning means for positioning the master 2 and the substrate 5 relative to each other.

The illumination optical system 1 illuminates the master 2 with light emitted from a light source (not shown) that generates exposure of pulsed light, such as an excimer laser. The illumination optical system 1 includes, for example, a beam shaping optical system, an optical integrator, a collimator lens, a mirror, and the like, and efficiently transmits or reflects pulsed light in the far ultraviolet region and emits the pulsed light as exposure light (slit light). The beam shaping optical system includes a mechanism (for example, a slit) for shaping the cross-sectional shape (size) of incident light into a predetermined shape (for example, a rectangular shape or an arc shape), and generates exposure light (slit light) using light from an exposure light source. The exposure light has a cross-sectional shape defining an illumination area on the master 2, that is, a light irradiation area on the substrate 5. In the case of the present embodiment, the beam shaping optical system is configured to generate exposure light having a rectangular cross-sectional shape using light from the exposure light source. The optical integrator makes the light distribution characteristics of the light uniform, and illuminates the master 2 with uniform illuminance.

The projection optical system 4 projects an image of the pattern of the master 2 illuminated by the illumination optical system 1 onto the substrate 5. In fig. 1, an optical axis AX of the projection optical system 4 extends in the Z direction, and an image plane of the projection optical system 4 becomes a plane perpendicular to the Z direction (i.e., XY plane). The exposure light emitted from the illumination optical system 1 is irradiated to the original plate 2, and an image of the pattern of the original plate 2 is formed on the image plane of the projection optical system 4 at a magnification (for example, 1/4, 1/2, 1/5) of the projection optical system 4.

The substrate 5 is, for example, a wafer coated with a resist (a photosensitive agent) on its surface. A plurality of imaging regions (exposed regions) having the same pattern structure formed by the previous photolithography process are arranged on the substrate 5. The substrate stage 6 is a stage for holding and moving the substrate 5, and has a chuck for holding (adsorbing and fixing) the substrate 5. The substrate stage 6 may include an XY stage that can be horizontally moved in the X direction and the Y direction, respectively, and a Z stage that can be moved in the Z direction (the height direction of the substrate 5) parallel to the optical axis AX of the projection optical system 4. Further, the substrate stage 6 may include a leveling stage rotatable (tiltable) in the θx direction around the X axis and the θy direction around the Y axis, and a rotation stage rotatable in the θz direction around the Z axis. In this way, the substrate stage 6 can constitute a 6-axis drive system for aligning the image of the pattern of the master 2 with the imaging region of the substrate 5. The positions of the substrate stage 6 in the X direction, the Y direction, and the Z direction can be always measured by the strip mirror 9 and the interferometer 22 disposed on the substrate stage 6.

The master 2 (mask, reticle) has a pattern to be transferred to each of a plurality of imaging regions in the substrate 5, and is held by the master stage 3. The original mount 3 scans in the Y direction in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis AX of the projection optical system 4. At this time, the original mount 3 scans so that the position of the original mount 3 in the Y direction always maintains the target position. The position of the original mount 3 in the X-direction and the Y-direction can be always measured by the strip mirror 8 and the interferometer 21 disposed on the original mount 3.

The measurement unit 7 measures the surface height distribution (surface position, surface shape) of the substrate 5. In the case of the present embodiment, the measurement unit 7 performs so-called pre-reading measurement of measuring the surface height distribution of the substrate 5 before the exposure light is irradiated in a state where the substrate 5 (substrate stage 6) is moving during scanning exposure of the substrate 5. In the example of fig. 1, the measurement unit 7 is a oblique incidence type light source for obliquely irradiating light to the substrate 5, and includes an irradiation system for irradiating light to the substrate 5 and a light receiving system for receiving light reflected by the substrate 5. Hereinafter, the measurement of the surface height distribution of the substrate 5 by the measurement unit 7 may be referred to as "focus measurement", and the measurement value obtained by the focus measurement may be referred to as "focus measurement value".

The irradiation system of the measuring section 7 includes, for example, a light source 70, a collimator lens 71, a slit member 72, an optical system 73, and a reflecting mirror 74. The light source 70 is constituted by, for example, a white lamp, a high-luminance light emitting diode having a plurality of different peak wavelengths, or the like, and emits light for focus measurement (measurement light). As the measurement light emitted from the light source 70, light of a wavelength at which the resist on the substrate does not receive light is preferably used. The collimator lens 71 converts the light emitted from the light source 70 into a parallel light beam having a substantially uniform light intensity distribution in cross section. The slit member 72 is composed of a pair of prisms bonded to face each other with inclined surfaces facing each other, and a light shielding film of chromium or the like having a plurality of openings (for example, 6 pinholes) formed in the bonding surface 72a is provided. The optical system 73 is a two-sided telecentric optical system, and allows a plurality of (for example, 6) light fluxes having passed through a plurality of openings in the slit member 72 (the bonding surface 72 a) to be incident on the substrate via the reflecting mirror 74. The optical system 73 is configured such that a surface on which an opening is formed and a surface including the surface of the substrate 5 satisfy a sham condition. By making a plurality of light fluxes incident on the substrate 5 in this way, focus measurement can be performed independently at each of a plurality of measurement points.

The light receiving system of the measuring unit 7 includes, for example, a reflecting mirror 75, a light receiving optical system 76, a correction optical system 77, a photoelectric conversion unit 78, and a processing unit 79. The reflecting mirror 75 guides the plurality of light fluxes reflected by the substrate 5 to the light receiving optical system 76. The light receiving optical system 76 is a two-sided telecentric optical system including a blocking stop provided in common for a plurality of light beams. The high-order diffracted light (noise light) generated by the circuit pattern formed on the substrate is blocked by the blocking stop included in the light receiving optical system 76. The correction optical system 77 has a plurality of (for example, 6) lenses so as to correspond to the plurality of light fluxes, and forms pinhole images on the light receiving surfaces of the photoelectric conversion portions 78 by imaging the plurality of light fluxes. The photoelectric conversion portion 78 includes a plurality of (e.g., 6) photoelectric conversion elements so as to correspond to the plurality of light fluxes. As the photoelectric conversion element, for example, a one-dimensional line sensor or a two-dimensional sensor formed of a CCD sensor, a CMOS sensor, or the like can be used. The processing unit 79 calculates the surface height (surface position) of the substrate at each measurement point on the substrate 5 based on the position of each pinhole image on the light receiving surface of the photoelectric conversion unit 78. Thereby, the measuring section 7 (processing section 79) can measure the surface height distribution of the region (range) of the substrate 5 to which the plurality of light fluxes are irradiated.

The control unit 20 is configured by a computer including a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit ) and a storage unit such as a memory, for example, and controls the scanning exposure of the substrate 5 by comprehensively controlling the respective portions of the scanning exposure apparatus 100. The control unit 20 controls the original mount 3 holding the original 2 and the substrate mount 6 holding the substrate 5 so as to image the light passing through the exposure of the original 2 on a predetermined area (imaging area) of the substrate 5. For example, the control unit 20 adjusts the positions of the master 2 and the substrate 5 in the XY plane (the positions in the XY direction and the rotations in the θz direction) and the positions in the Z direction (the respective rotations in the θx direction and the θy direction) by controlling the master stage 3 and the substrate stage 6. The control unit 20 scans the original mounting table 3 and the substrate mounting table 6 in synchronization with the projection optical system 4. As described above, the control unit 20 controls the exposure process (scanning exposure) of exposing each shot region of the substrate 5 while scanning the substrate 5 with respect to the exposed light by the substrate stage 6. For example, during the scanning exposure of the substrate 5, the control unit 20 performs scanning driving in the direction of arrow A1 while scanning driving the original mount 3 (original 2) in the direction of arrow A2 and performs scanning driving at a speed at which the magnification (reduction magnification) of the projection optical system 4 is corrected in the direction of arrow A2. The scanning speed of the master stage 3 can be determined in a throughput-friendly manner based on the width of the masking blade in the scanning direction in the illumination optical system 1 and the sensitivity of the resist applied to the surface of the substrate 5 (or the intensity of the exposure light irradiated on the substrate 5).

Here, the alignment of the pattern of the original plate 2 in the XY plane can be performed based on the position of the original plate stage 3, the position of the substrate stage 6, and the position of each imaging region on the substrate 5 with respect to the substrate stage 6. As described above, the position of the original mount 3 and the position of the substrate mount 6 are measured by the interferometers 21 and 22, respectively. The position of each imaging region on the substrate 5 with respect to the substrate stage 6 is obtained by detecting the position of a mark provided on the substrate stage 6 and the position of an alignment mark formed on the substrate 5 by an alignment detection unit (not shown).

The control unit 20 can perform focus/leveling control (also referred to as focus/leveling driving) of the substrate 5 based on the measurement result of the measurement unit 7. The focus/leveling control is to control the height (position in the Z direction) and the inclination (inclination in the ωx direction and the ωy direction) of the substrate 5 by the substrate stage 6 so that the surface of the substrate 5 (specifically, the surface of the light irradiation region on the substrate 5) is disposed at the target surface position. The target surface position can be set as the optimum focus position of the projection optical system 4 (the image surface position of the projection optical system 4), for example. In the case of the present embodiment, the control unit 20 performs focus/leveling control of the substrate 5 based on the height distribution of the substrate 5 measured by the measurement unit 7 while causing the measurement unit 7 to measure the surface height distribution of the substrate 5 (light irradiation region) in scanning exposure of the substrate 5 (each imaging region). In the following, an example of focus/leveling control in which both the height and the inclination of the substrate 5 are controlled by the substrate stage 6 during scanning exposure of the substrate 5 will be described, but only one of the height and the inclination of the substrate 5 may be controlled.

Next, focus measurement by the measuring unit 7 will be described. Fig. 2 is a diagram showing the positional relationship between a plurality of (6) measurement points 31 to 32 formed in the imaging region 5a on the substrate by the measurement unit 7 and the light irradiation region 30. As described above, the light irradiation region 30 is a region where the exposure light from the projection optical system 4 is irradiated. In fig. 2, the light irradiation region 30 has a rectangular shape, but may have a circular arc shape. The measurement points 31 to 32 are points at which the surface heights are measured by the measurement unit 7 before the irradiation of the exposure light in the light irradiation region 30, and are switched according to the scanning direction of the substrate 5 (substrate stage 6).

For example, in the case of scanning the drive substrate 5 in the direction of the arrow F to perform scanning exposure of the imaging region 5a, focus measurement using 3 measurement points 31 is discretely performed before irradiation of the exposure light in the light irradiation region 30. In this case, the control unit 20 obtains the surface height distribution of the portion on which the focus measurement is performed based on the results (focus measurement values) of the focus measurement at the 3 measurement points 31, and successively calculates (determines) the focus/leveling driving amount for disposing the portion at the target surface position. Then, the control unit 20 supplies a command value corresponding to the calculated focus/leveling driving amount to the substrate stage 6 so that the command value is placed at the target surface position (image surface position of the projection optical system 4) before reaching the light irradiation region 30. Thus, focusing and leveling control of the substrate 5 is performed. On the other hand, in the case of scanning exposure of the imaging region 5a by scanning the substrate 5 in the direction of the arrow R, focus measurement using 3 measurement points 32 is discretely performed before irradiation of the exposure light in the light irradiation region 30. In this case, the focus/leveling control of the substrate 5 can be performed in the same manner as in the case of scanning the drive substrate 5 in the direction of the arrow F, except that the measurement point 32 is used for focus measurement instead of the measurement point 31.

Next, control of the substrate stage 6 by the control unit 20 will be described. Fig. 3 shows a control operation unit of the substrate stage 6 included in the control unit 20. Positional information of the substrate stage 6 is input to the signal input unit 201. The positional information may include position data outputted from an interferometer 22 that measures the position of the substrate stage 6 in the XY direction, an interferometer (not shown) that measures the relative position of the substrate stage 6 and the stage, and/or a Z sensor (not shown) that measures the position of the substrate stage 6 in the Z direction. The positional information is delivered to the correction processing unit 202, and is processed into data indicating the current position of each axis. The correction processing unit 202 reflects (refers to) the correction information 208, and corrects the position (height) and inclination (posture) of the substrate stage 6 in the Z direction in real time in accordance with the position of the substrate stage 6 in the XY direction. In the correction information 208, the position correction amount and the inclination correction amount of the substrate stage 6 in the Z direction are set as a function or table with the position of the substrate stage 6 in the XY direction as variables.

The analyzer 207 is used without applying an acceleration equal to or higher than a predetermined acceleration (upper limit acceleration) of the substrate stage 6 to the substrate stage 6 in order to continuously change the control target position (control target value) with respect to the substrate stage 6. That is, the analyzer 207 is used to move the substrate stage 6 so that the control target position is gradually changed so that the acceleration of the substrate stage 6 does not become equal to or higher than a predetermined acceleration. The difference calculation unit 203 compares the output of the analyzer 207 with the output of the correction processing unit 202, and calculates the amount of deviation between the control target position and the current position. The deviation calculated by the difference calculation unit 203 is supplied to the servo compensation unit 204. The servo compensation unit 204 is provided with a compensation function taking into consideration the mechanical characteristics of the substrate stage 6, for example, a function of a PID regulator, a notch filter, or the like, and outputs a target control amount of the substrate stage 6. The thrust force distribution unit 205 distributes the target control amount output from the servo compensation unit 204 to each of the plurality of actuators provided on the substrate stage 6. Specifically, the thrust force distribution unit 205 determines the target operation amount of each actuator so that the target control amount is generated for the entire plurality of actuators. The target operation amount determined by the thrust force distribution unit 205 is supplied to each actuator of the substrate stage 6 via the drive output unit 206.

However, in the above-described configuration, the substrate stage 6 (substrate 5) may need to be driven rapidly based on the focus/leveling drive amount calculated from the result of the focus measurement in the measuring section 7. That is, before the portion where the focus measurement is performed reaches the light irradiation region, it may be difficult to drive the substrate stage 6 in accordance with the focus/leveling driving amount calculated from the result of the focus measurement. In this case, in the scanning exposure of the substrate 5 (each imaging region), focus/leveling control cannot be performed with high accuracy, and exposure failure due to unwanted defocus may occur. That is, it may be difficult to form a pattern on a substrate with good precision.

Fig. 4 is a diagram for explaining a phenomenon in which defocus occurs by driving the substrate stage 6 rapidly. Fig. 4 (a) shows a change in inclination of the substrate stage 6, and fig. 4 (b) shows a tendency of attenuation of the amount of deviation of the substrate stage 6. As shown in fig. 4, when the substrate stage 6 is driven rapidly, a corresponding time is required until the amount of deviation of the substrate stage 6 stabilizes, and defocusing is likely to occur.

Therefore, in the scanning exposure of the substrate 5, the scanning exposure apparatus 100 of the present embodiment performs focus/leveling control based on the surface height distribution of the substrate 5 measured by the measuring unit 7 while controlling scanning driving of the substrate 5 based on the driving control information generated in advance. The drive control information is information for controlling the drive of the substrate 5 in the scanning exposure, and includes adjustment information for adjusting at least 1 of the height and the inclination of the substrate 5 in the scanning exposure. Here, at least 1 of the height and the inclination of the substrate 5 refers to the height of the substrate 5, the inclination of the substrate 5, or the height and the inclination of the substrate 5. According to such control, at least 1 of the height and the inclination of the substrate 5 is corrected to some extent by the scanning drive of the substrate 5 based on the drive control information (adjustment information). Therefore, the focus/leveling driving amount calculated from the result of the focus measurement in the measuring section 7 can be reduced. That is, abrupt driving of the substrate stage 6 can be reduced. Therefore, the driving of at least 1 of the height and the inclination of the substrate 5 can be made to follow the focus/leveling driving amount, and the focus/leveling control can be performed with high accuracy.

In order to perform focusing and leveling control with higher accuracy, it is preferable to perform correction of at least 1 of the height and the inclination of the substrate 5 by scanning driving of the substrate 5 based on the driving control information (adjustment information) with higher accuracy. Therefore, the scanning exposure apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment updates (corrects or corrects) the drive control information (adjustment information) based on the surface height distribution of the substrate 5 measured by the measuring unit 7 during the scanning exposure of the substrate 5. The drive control information may be understood as information (data) indicating a drive target and/or a track of the substrate stage 6 (substrate 5) during scanning exposure.

An operation example of the scanning exposure apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment will be described below. Fig. 5A to 5B are flowcharts showing the operation of the scanning exposure apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment.

The flowcharts shown in fig. 5A to 5B show examples in which exposure processing (scanning exposure) is performed on each of the plurality of substrates 5 included in 1 lot. The respective steps of the flowcharts shown in fig. 5A to 5B can be executed by the control unit 20.

Fig. 5A shows exposure processing for the 1 st (first, top) substrate 5 out of the plurality of substrates 5 in 1 lot. In the present embodiment, the 1 st substrate 5 is a substrate (specific substrate) used for generating adjustment information included in the drive control information, and hereinafter, the 1 st substrate 5 may be referred to as "1 st substrate".

In step S101, the control unit 20 controls a substrate transport mechanism, not shown, to transport the 1 st substrate onto the substrate stage 6, and holds (adsorbs and fixes) the 1 st substrate on the substrate stage 6. Next, in step S102, the control section 20 performs focus measurement on several imaging regions (sample imaging regions) selected from the plurality of imaging regions in the 1 st substrate by the measurement section 7. The sample imaging region can be arbitrarily selected (can be set), but in the case of the present embodiment, as shown in fig. 6, the imaging regions 5a1 to 5a4 among the plurality of imaging regions 5a in the 1 st substrate (substrate 5) can be selected as the sample imaging region.

In step S103, the control unit 20 calculates an inclination component (primary inclination amount) of the entire 1 st substrate based on the surface height distribution obtained in the focus measurement in step S102, and drives the substrate stage 6 so as to correct the inclination component. For example, the control unit 20 obtains the entire 1 st substrate as a primary plane (hereinafter, may be referred to as a global approximation plane) by performing primary approximation on the surface height distribution obtained in the focus measurement in step S102. Then, the substrate stage 6 is driven so as to correct the inclination component of the global approximate plane. That is, as shown in fig. 7, the control unit 20 drives the substrate stage 6 to reduce the inclination component (the primary inclination amount α) of the entire 1 st substrate (substrate 5) and adjusts the inclination of the 1 st substrate. Here, in the case where the 1 st substrate is a substrate on which a device pattern (pattern structure) has been formed, the alignment process of the 1 st substrate is performed. For example, the control unit 20 causes an alignment detection unit, not shown, to detect the positions of the alignment marks in the sample imaging regions 5a1 to 5a4, and obtains arrangement information of the plurality of imaging regions on the 1 st substrate by performing statistical processing on the detection results. Such alignment process is called global alignment. Thus, the device pattern of each imaging region can be aligned with the measurement site of the focus measurement within the range of alignment accuracy. That is, for each of the plurality of imaging regions, focus measurement can be performed using the same portion of the same pattern structure in the imaging region as a measurement portion.

In step S104, the control unit 20 drives the substrate stage 6 to place the 1 st substrate at a start position of scanning drive for an imaging region (hereinafter, may be referred to as a target imaging region) of the subject to be subjected to the exposure process. That is, the 1 st substrate is moved stepwise. When the step movement is completed, the control unit 20 starts scanning driving of the 1 st substrate (the object imaging region) in step S105, and performs scanning exposure of the object imaging region in step S106. In the scanning exposure, the control unit 20 sequentially performs focus measurement of the target imaging region by the measurement unit 7 before the exposure light (light irradiation region) approaches in step S107, and sequentially performs focus/leveling control of the 1 st substrate based on the result of the focus measurement. Then, in step S108, the control unit 20 sequentially stores the focus measurement values (i.e., the surface height distribution of the subject imaging region) in the scanning exposure in association with the position of the 1 st substrate (e.g., the position of the light irradiation region in the subject imaging region). When the scanning exposure of the target imaging region is completed, the control unit 20 ends the scanning drive of the 1 st substrate (target imaging region) in step S109. Here, as described above, in the case of the present embodiment, the 1 st substrate is used as a specific substrate for generating adjustment information, and therefore, in the scanning exposure of the 1 st substrate, at least 1 of the height and the inclination of the substrate based on the adjustment information is not controlled.

In step S110, the control unit 20 determines whether or not scanning exposure is performed on all of the plurality of imaging regions in the 1 st substrate. If there is an unprocessed imaging region for which scanning exposure is not performed, steps S104 to S109 are performed with the unprocessed imaging region as a target imaging region. On the other hand, when scanning exposure is performed on all the imaging areas, the process advances to step S111, where the control unit 20 controls a substrate transport mechanism, not shown, to transport the 1 st substrate out of the substrate stage 6.

In step S112, the control section 20 generates drive control information (adjustment information) based on the focus measurement value (i.e., the surface height distribution of the 1 st substrate) stored in step S108. For example, the control unit 20 obtains the difference between the surface height distribution of the 1 st substrate stored in step S108 and the target surface position (image surface position of the projection optical system 4). Then, a driving curve for driving (adjusting) at least 1 of the height and the inclination of the substrate in such a manner as to correct the difference is generated as driving control information (adjustment information). The drive control information (adjustment information) can be generated for each imaging region. The drive control information (adjustment information) can be generated with reference to the global approximation plane obtained in step S103.

Fig. 8 shows an example of drive control information. The range RG shown by the broken line in fig. 8 represents a photographing region (i.e., a range of scanning exposure). The drive control information includes, for example, information of a target speed "V" of the substrate 5 in scanning exposure (fig. 8 (a)), information of a target height "Z" (target position in the Z direction) (fig. 8 (b)), and information of a target inclination "Leveling" (fig. 8 (c)). As shown in fig. 8 (a), in the scanning exposure of the present embodiment, the substrate 5 is driven at a constant speed from the start to the end of the exposure light irradiation to the imaging region. In addition, the information of the target height shown in fig. 8 (b) and the information of the target inclination shown in fig. 8 (c) can constitute adjustment information for adjusting at least 1 of the height and the inclination of the substrate in the scanning exposure.

Based on the position of the 1 st substrate (the positions Xij, yij of the substrate stage 6) and the focus measurement value (the Z-direction positions Zjk (k=1 to p) of the surface) stored in step S108, drive control information is generated as a substrate surface shape function Fnp (x, y) as follows.

N×p substrate surface shape functions Fnp (x, y) are determined from focus measurement values Zjk at measurement points within the imaging region. The number of data points of each surface shape function is m points of the sample shot Si (i=1 to m). The degree and expansion of the curved surface of the substrate surface shape function Fnp (x, y) are predetermined in the form of a predetermined polynomial. For example, if n×p is 7 or more, the approximation may be performed using a6 th degree polynomial. In this case, the information of the target height (the orbit of the focus correction drive) shown in fig. 8 (b) can be calculated by using a0 to a6 as coefficients of a polynomial, based on the following equation. The information of the target inclination (inclination correction driven trajectory) shown in fig. 8 (c) can be similarly calculated.

Z＝a6×y ⁶ +a5×y ⁵ +a4×y ⁴ +a3×y ³ +a2×y ² +a1×y+a0

The coefficients of the polynomial are obtained by using the measured value Zjk as the surface position data and obtaining coefficients satisfying the following expression by the least square method or the like. From the result of the calculation, information of the target height (orbit of focus correction drive) and information of the target inclination (orbit of inclination correction drive) can be obtained as adjustment information. The adjustment information thus obtained is set as correction information 208 in fig. 3. In the above description, the number of times of the curved surface of the substrate surface shape function Fnp (x, y) is set to 6 times, but is not limited to 6 times.

∫∫(Fjk(x，y)-Zjk(x，y)) ² dxdy＝0，

(j＝1～n，k＝1～p)

Fig. 5B shows an exposure process for the 2 nd and subsequent substrates 5 in the same batch as the 1 st substrate. Hereinafter, the substrate 5 after the 2 nd may be referred to as "the 2 nd substrate".

In step S113, the control unit 20 controls a substrate transport mechanism, not shown, to transport the 2 nd substrate onto the substrate stage 6, and holds (adsorbs and fixes) the 2 nd substrate on the substrate stage 6. Next, in step S114, the control section 20 performs focus measurement on several imaging regions (sample imaging regions) selected from the plurality of imaging regions in the 2 nd substrate by the measurement section 7. In step S115, the control unit 20 obtains a global approximate plane of the 2 nd substrate, and drives the substrate stage 6 so as to correct the inclination component of the global approximate plane. Steps S113 to S115 are similar to steps S101 to S103 described above, and therefore detailed description thereof is omitted.

In step S116, the control unit 20 drives the substrate stage 6 to place the 2 nd substrate at the start position of the scanning drive for the target imaging region. Namely, the 2 nd substrate was moved stepwise. When the step movement is completed, the control unit 20 starts scanning driving of the 2 nd substrate (target imaging region) in step S117, and performs scanning exposure of the target imaging region in step S118. In the scanning exposure of the 2 nd substrate, the control section 20 controls the scanning drive (drive of at least 1 of the height and the inclination of the 2 nd substrate) of the 2 nd substrate based on the drive control information (adjustment information) generated in step S112 of fig. 5A. In the scanning exposure, the control unit 20 sequentially performs the focus measurement of the target imaging region and the focus/leveling control of the 2 nd substrate according to the result of the focus measurement, before the exposure light (light irradiation region) approaches in step S119. Then, in step S120, the control unit 20 sequentially stores the measurement values (i.e., the surface height distribution of the subject imaging region) obtained by the focus measurement in the scanning exposure in association with the position of the 2 nd substrate (e.g., the position of the light irradiation region in the subject imaging region). When the scanning exposure of the subject imaging region is completed, the control unit 20 ends the scanning drive of the 1 st substrate (subject imaging region) in step S121.

Here, the difference in the focal track between the case where the adjustment information included in the drive control information is used as the correction information 208 of fig. 3 in the scanning exposure and the case where the adjustment information is not used will be described with reference to fig. 9 to 10. In a state where the adjustment information is not used in the scanning exposure, as indicated by an arrow 40 in fig. 9, the focus correction drive and the inclination correction drive are not performed, and therefore the substrate 5 is scan-driven at a certain Z-direction position in the plurality of imaging regions 5a with respect to the XY plane. Therefore, according to the imaging region, the measurement value obtained in the focus measurement in the scanning exposure becomes large, and it is difficult to drive the substrate 5 so as to follow the focus/leveling driving amount corresponding to the measurement value. On the other hand, when the adjustment information is used in the scanning exposure, as indicated by arrows 41 to 43 in fig. 10, the substrate 5 is scan-driven with a drive track set for each imaging region 5a with respect to the XY plane. That is, the substrate 5 is scan-driven in a track corresponding to the surface shape of each imaging region 5 a. Therefore, the focus measurement value obtained during the scanning exposure becomes smaller, and the substrate 5 can be driven so as to follow the focus/leveling driving amount corresponding to the focus measurement value.

In step S122, the control unit 20 determines whether or not scanning exposure is performed on all of the plurality of imaging regions in the 2 nd substrate. If there is an unprocessed imaging region for which scanning exposure is not performed, steps S116 to S121 are performed with the unprocessed imaging region as a target imaging region. On the other hand, when scanning exposure is performed on all the imaging areas, the process advances to step S123, where the control unit 20 controls a substrate transport mechanism, not shown, to transport the 2 nd substrate out of the substrate stage 6.

In step S124, the control section 20 updates the drive control information (adjustment information) based on the focus measurement value (i.e., the surface height distribution of the 2 nd substrate) stored in step S120. For example, the control unit 20 obtains the difference between the surface height distribution of the 2 nd substrate stored in step S120 and the target surface position (image surface position of the projection optical system 4). Then, the driving amount of at least 1 of the height and the inclination of the substrate in the adjustment information is corrected (corrected) in such a manner that the difference is reduced (corrected), thereby updating the driving control information (adjustment information). The drive control information (adjustment information) can be updated for each imaging region. The drive control information (adjustment information) can be updated with reference to the global approximation plane obtained in step S115.

Here, when 2 or more substrates have been subjected to the scanning exposure before, the control unit 20 may update the drive control information based on the surface height distribution obtained by the focus measurement in the scanning exposure of each of the 2 or more substrates in step S124. For example, the control unit 20 may newly generate adjustment information based on the surface height distribution obtained by the scanning exposure of the 1 st substrate and the surface height distribution obtained by the scanning exposure of the 2 nd substrate. Specifically, the control unit 20 performs statistical processing using the surface height distribution obtained for each imaging region by the scanning exposure of the 1 st substrate and the surface height distribution obtained for each imaging region by the scanning exposure of the 2 nd scanning exposure. Then, adjustment information for driving (adjusting) at least 1 of the height and the inclination of the substrate is newly generated in such a manner that the difference between the value obtained by the statistical processing and the target surface position (image surface position of the projection optical system 4) is reduced. In the present embodiment, the new drive control information (adjustment information) is also included in "update of drive control information".

The control unit 20 may update the drive control information based on the surface height distribution obtained by scanning exposure of 2 or more 2 nd substrates. Specifically, the control unit 20 obtains representative values of the surface height distribution obtained for each imaging region in the scanning exposure of the 2 nd substrate or more. Then, the driving amount of at least 1 of the height and the inclination of the substrate in the adjustment information is corrected (corrected) so as to reduce the difference between the representative value and the target surface position (image surface position of the projection optical system 4), thereby updating the driving control information (adjustment information). As the representative value, any one of a minimum value, a maximum value, and an average value (moving average value) can be applied, but it is preferable to apply the average value.

Thus, for example, in the case of performing scanning exposure on each of a plurality of substrates having the same pattern structure in the same batch, the drive control information (adjustment information) is updated every time scanning exposure is performed.

Further, when the exposure process is continued by increasing the number of substrates, the control unit 20 may compare the drive control information for each imaging region averaged by the statistical process with the focus measurement values in the N-th substrate (n=1 to N substrates) to determine an abnormality in the measurement values in the imaging region. For example, the control unit 20 compares the focus measurement value in the imaging region of the nth substrate with the focus measurement value in the imaging region of the same position up to the (n-1) th substrate, and can determine that the imaging region is abnormal when the change amount is larger than a predetermined pass/fail determination reference value (allowable value). When an abnormal value is generated, defocus can be reduced by excluding the abnormal value from calculation of the correction position of the substrate (that is, calculation of the focus/leveling drive amount) in scanning exposure of the substrate. Alternatively, the drive may be performed within a predetermined range using the criterion of whether or not the drive is acceptable. If the drive upper limit value is set in advance for the focus/leveling drive amount, abrupt drive of the substrate 5 (substrate stage 6) can be avoided, and therefore, an effect of reducing the occurrence of defocus can be expected.

In step S125, the control unit 20 determines whether or not scanning exposure is performed on all of the plurality of substrates in the batch. If there is an unprocessed substrate that has not been subjected to scanning exposure, steps S113 to S124 are performed using the unprocessed substrate as the 2 nd substrate. In the scanning exposure in this case, the scanning drive of the 2 nd substrate is controlled based on the drive control information (adjustment information) updated for the last substrate in step S124. On the other hand, the process is ended when all substrates in the lot are subjected to scanning exposure.

As described above, in the scanning exposure of the substrate 5, the scanning exposure apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment performs the focus/leveling control based on the surface height distribution of the substrate 5 measured by the measuring unit 7 while controlling the scanning drive of the substrate 5 based on the drive control information generated in advance. In addition, the drive control information (adjustment information) is updated based on the surface height distribution of the substrate 5 measured by the measuring section 7 in the scanning exposure of the substrate 5. This reduces the phenomenon that the driving of the substrate cannot follow the focus/leveling driving amount corresponding to the focus measurement value in the scanning exposure, and enables stable exposure processing. That is, defocusing in scanning exposure can be reduced, and the original pattern can be transferred onto the substrate with good accuracy.

< embodiment 2 >

Embodiment 2 of the present invention will be described. In embodiment 1 described above, an example was described in which the 1 st substrate (1 st substrate) in a lot was used as a specific substrate for generating adjustment information, and drive control information (adjustment information) was generated based on focus measurement values obtained by scanning exposure of the 1 st substrate. In this embodiment, the following example is described: the substrate to be subjected to scanning exposure is used, and before the scanning exposure, focus measurement is performed while scanning driving is performed on the substrate without irradiation of exposure light, and driving control information (adjustment information) is generated based on the surface height distribution obtained by the focus measurement. Note that this embodiment basically inherits embodiment 1, and can follow embodiment 1 except for the matters mentioned below.

Fig. 11A to 11B are flowcharts showing the operation of the scanning exposure apparatus 100 according to the present embodiment. Fig. 11A to 11B are flowcharts showing examples of exposure processing (scanning exposure) performed on each of the plurality of substrates 5 included in 1 lot. The respective steps of the flowcharts shown in fig. 11A to 11B can be executed by the control unit 20.

Fig. 11A shows a process of generating adjustment information. In the case of the present embodiment, the adjustment information can be generated using the 1 st (first, second) substrate among the plurality of substrates 5 in 1 lot.

In step S201, the control unit 20 controls a substrate transport mechanism, not shown, to transport a substrate onto the substrate stage 6, and holds (adsorbs and fixes) the substrate on the substrate stage 6. Next, in step S202, the control section 20 performs focus measurement on several imaging regions (sample imaging regions) selected from the plurality of imaging regions in the substrate by the measurement section 7. In step S203, the control unit 20 obtains a global approximate plane of the substrate, and drives the substrate stage 6 so as to correct the inclination component of the global approximate plane. Steps S201 to S203 are similar to steps S101 to S103 of fig. 5A described in embodiment 1, and therefore detailed description thereof is omitted.

In step S204, the control unit 20 drives the substrate mounting table 6 to place the substrate at a start position of scanning drive for an imaging region (hereinafter, may be referred to as an imaging region) of the subject to which focus measurement is performed. That is, the substrate is moved stepwise. When the stepping movement is completed, the control unit 20 starts scanning driving of the substrate (subject imaging region) in step S205, and causes the measuring unit 7 to sequentially perform focus measurement of the subject imaging region in step S206. Then, in step S207, the control unit 20 sequentially stores the measurement values (i.e., the surface height distribution of the subject imaging region) obtained by the focus measurement in association with the positions of the substrates. When the focus measurement of the subject imaging region is completed, the control section 20 ends the scanning drive of the substrate (subject imaging region) in step S208.

In step S209, the control unit 20 determines whether focus measurement is performed on all of the plurality of imaging regions in the substrate. If there is an imaging region in which focus measurement is not performed, steps S204 to S208 are performed with the imaging region as a target imaging region. On the other hand, when scanning exposure is performed on all the imaging regions, the process advances to step S210. In step S210, the control section 20 generates drive control information (adjustment information) based on the focus measurement value (i.e., the surface height distribution of the substrate) stored in step S207. This step S210 is the same step as step S112 of fig. 5A described in embodiment 1, and therefore, detailed description thereof is omitted.

Fig. 11B shows exposure processing for each of a plurality of substrates in a batch. Hereinafter, the substrate to be subjected to the exposure process among the plurality of substrates 5 in the batch may be referred to as "target substrate". In the case of the present embodiment, the first exposure process in fig. 11B is performed using the substrate used for generating the adjustment information in fig. 11A as the target substrate.

In step S211, the control unit 20 performs focus measurement on several imaging regions (sample imaging regions) selected from the plurality of imaging regions in the target substrate by the measurement unit 7. In step S212, the control unit 20 obtains a global approximate plane of the target substrate, and drives the substrate stage 6 so as to correct the inclination component of the global approximate plane. Steps S211 to S212 are similar to steps S114 to S115 of fig. 5B described in embodiment 1, and therefore detailed description thereof is omitted. In addition, when it is previously known that the variation in at least 1 of the height and the inclination of the substrate based on the process of fig. 11A is small, steps S211 to S212 may be omitted.

Steps S213 to S218 are steps of performing scanning exposure of the target substrate. Steps S213 to S218 are similar to steps S116 to S121 of fig. 5B described in embodiment 1, and therefore detailed description thereof is omitted. Next, in step S219, the control unit 20 determines whether or not scanning exposure is performed on all of the plurality of imaging regions in the target substrate. If there is an unprocessed imaging region for which scanning exposure is not performed, steps S213 to S218 are performed with the unprocessed imaging region as a target imaging region. On the other hand, when scanning exposure is performed on all the imaging areas, the process advances to step S219, where the control unit 20 controls a substrate transport mechanism, not shown, to transport the 1 st substrate out of the substrate stage 6.

In step S221, the control section 20 updates the drive control information (adjustment information) based on the focus measurement value (i.e., the surface height distribution of the target substrate) stored in step S217. Step S221 is the same process as step S124 of fig. 5B described in embodiment 1, and therefore, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In step S222, the control unit 20 determines whether or not scanning exposure is performed on all of the plurality of substrates in the batch. If there is an unprocessed substrate that has not been subjected to scanning exposure, the flow advances to step S223, where the unprocessed substrate is carried into the substrate stage 6 as a target substrate, and the target substrate is held (adsorbed and fixed) on the substrate stage 6. Then, steps S211 to S221 are performed on the target substrate. In the scanning exposure in this case, the scanning drive of the target substrate is controlled based on the drive control information (adjustment information) updated for the last substrate in step S221. On the other hand, the process is ended when all substrates in the lot are subjected to scanning exposure.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the drive control information (adjustment information) is generated based on the result of performing focus measurement while scanning the drive substrate without performing irradiation of the exposure light. According to the present embodiment, as in embodiment 1, the phenomenon that the driving of the substrate cannot follow the focus/leveling driving amount corresponding to the focus measurement value in the scanning exposure can be reduced, and stable exposure processing can be performed. That is, defocusing in scanning exposure can be reduced, and the original pattern can be transferred onto the substrate with good accuracy.

< embodiment 3 >

Embodiment 3 of the present invention will be described. In the above embodiments 1 and 2, an example of generating drive control information (adjustment information) in the scanning exposure apparatus 100 is described. In this embodiment, an example will be described in which generation and update of drive control information are performed in an external information processing apparatus communicably connected to the scanning exposure apparatus 100. The present embodiment basically inherits embodiments 1 and 2, and can follow embodiments 1 and 2 except for the following matters.

Fig. 12 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration example of the system S according to the present embodiment. The system S of the present embodiment may include the scanning exposure apparatus 100 and the information processing apparatus 200. Since the scanning exposure apparatus 100 is the same as that of embodiment 1, a detailed description thereof is omitted.

The information processing apparatus 200 is communicably connected to the scanning exposure apparatus 100 (control unit 20), and may include a processing unit 13, a display unit 17, and an input unit 18. The processing unit 13 is configured by a computer including a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit ) and a storage unit such as a memory. The processing unit 13 of the present embodiment may include: an acquisition unit 14 that acquires information from the scanning exposure apparatus 100; a generating section 15 that generates (updates) drive control information based on the information acquired by the acquiring section 14; and a supply unit 16 that supplies (transmits and supplies) drive control information to the scanning exposure apparatus 100. The acquisition unit 14 and the supply unit 16 may be understood as means constituting a communication unit that communicates with the scanning exposure apparatus 100 to transmit and receive information.

The acquisition unit 14 acquires information such as the surface height distribution of the substrate obtained by the focus measurement performed by the measurement unit 7 of the scanning exposure apparatus 100.

The generating unit 15 obtains a difference between the surface height distribution of the substrate obtained by the obtaining unit 14 and the target surface position (image surface position of the projection optical system 4). Then, the generating section 15 generates (updates) a driving curve for driving (adjusting) at least 1 of the height and the inclination of the substrate in such a manner as to correct the difference as driving control information (adjustment information). The generation (update) of the drive control information (adjustment information) is similar to embodiment 1, and thus a detailed description thereof is omitted.

The supply unit 16 supplies (transmits and supplies) the drive control information generated (updated) by the generation unit 15 to the scanning exposure apparatus 100.

The information processing apparatus 200 may be communicably connected to the plurality of scanning exposure apparatuses 100, acquire information such as the surface height distribution of the substrate from each of the plurality of scanning exposure apparatuses 100, and supply drive control information to each of the plurality of scanning exposure apparatuses 100.

In addition, the information processing apparatus 200 may generate (update) drive control information for a plurality of lots to which the substrates 5 having the same pattern structure belong.

The information processing apparatus 200 may be connected to a larger-capacity external storage unit (not shown) and store information such as the height distribution of the substrate measured by the scanning exposure apparatus 100 and the generated (updated) drive control information. In this way, the information processing apparatus 200 can perform statistical processing using a large amount of information while storing more information in the external storage unit, and the reliability of the generated (updated) drive control information can be improved.

As described above, in the present embodiment, the drive control information is generated (updated) by the information processing apparatus 200. Thus, the process for generating (updating) the drive control information is distributed, and the processing delay of the control unit 20 in the scanning exposure apparatus 100 is suppressed.

In the scanning exposure of the substrate 5, the scanning exposure apparatus 100 performs focus/leveling control based on the surface height distribution of the substrate 5 measured by the measuring unit 7 by the scanning exposure apparatus 100 while controlling the scanning drive of the substrate 5 based on the generated drive control information. The information processing apparatus 200 updates the drive control information (adjustment information) based on the surface height distribution of the substrate 5 measured by the measuring unit 7 during the scanning exposure of the substrate 5, and supplies the updated drive control information to the scanning exposure apparatus 100. This reduces the phenomenon that the driving of the substrate cannot follow the focus/leveling driving amount corresponding to the focus measurement value in the scanning exposure, and enables stable exposure processing. That is, defocusing in scanning exposure can be reduced, and the original pattern can be transferred onto the substrate with good accuracy.

< embodiment of method for producing article >

The method for manufacturing an article according to the embodiment of the present invention is suitable for manufacturing an article such as a microdevice such as a semiconductor device or an element having a microstructure. The method for manufacturing an article according to the present embodiment includes: a step of forming a latent image pattern on a photosensitive agent applied to a substrate (a step of exposing the substrate) using the scanning exposure apparatus; a step of processing (developing) the substrate on which the latent image pattern is formed; and a step of manufacturing an article from the processed 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 in at least 1 of performance, quality, productivity, and production cost of the article as compared with the conventional method.

< other examples >

The present invention can also be realized by supplying a program that realizes 1 or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or an apparatus via a network or a storage medium, and reading and executing the processing of the program by 1 or more processors in a computer of the system or the apparatus. Further, the present invention can be realized by a circuit (for example, ASIC) that realizes 1 or more functions.

Other embodiments

The embodiments of the present invention can also be realized by a method in which software (program) that performs the functions of the above embodiments is supplied to a system or apparatus, a computer of the system or apparatus or a Central Processing Unit (CPU), and a Micro Processing Unit (MPU) reads out and executes the program, through a network or various storage mediums.

The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the claims are appended to disclose the scope of the invention.

Claims (14)

1. A scanning exposure device is characterized by comprising:

a measuring unit for measuring the surface height distribution of the substrate; and

a control unit that controls at least 1 of a height and an inclination of the substrate based on the surface height distribution of the substrate measured by the measurement unit while controlling scanning driving of the substrate based on driving control information generated in advance during scanning exposure of the substrate,

The driving control information includes adjustment information for adjusting at least 1 of a height and an inclination of the substrate in scanning exposure,

the control section updates the drive control information based on the surface height distribution of the substrate measured by the measurement section in the scanning exposure of the substrate.

2. The scanning exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein,

the control unit updates the drive control information based on the surface height distribution measured by the measurement unit in each of the 2 or more substrates in the case where the 2 or more substrates are subjected to scanning exposure.

3. The scanning exposure apparatus according to claim 2, wherein,

the control section updates the drive control information based on the representative value of the surface height distribution measured by the measurement section in the scanning exposure of the 2 or more substrates,

the representative value is any one of a maximum value, a minimum value, and an average value.

4. A scanning exposure apparatus according to claim 2 or 3, wherein,

the more than 2 substrates are contained in the same batch.

5. The scanning exposure apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein,

The substrate includes a plurality of photographing regions respectively performing scanning exposure,

the drive control information is generated for each imaging region and updated for each imaging region.

6. The scanning exposure apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein,

the control section generates the drive control information based on a surface height distribution of the specific substrate measured by the measurement section in scanning exposure of the specific substrate performed before the scanning exposure of the substrate.

7. The scanning exposure apparatus according to claim 6, wherein,

the scanning exposure of the specific substrate is performed by scanning driving the substrate without using the driving control information.

8. The scanning exposure apparatus according to claim 6, wherein,

the specific substrate and the substrate are included in the same batch.

9. The scanning exposure apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein,

the control section generates the drive control information based on a result of causing the measurement section to measure the surface height distribution of the substrate before the scanning exposure of the substrate.

10. A scanning exposure method, characterized in that the scanning exposure method comprises:

A generation step of generating drive control information including adjustment information for adjusting at least 1 of the height and the inclination of the substrate in scanning exposure;

an exposure step of performing scanning exposure of the substrate by controlling at least 1 of the height and the inclination of the substrate based on the measured value of the surface height distribution of the substrate while controlling the scanning drive of the substrate based on the drive control information generated in the generation step; and

and an updating step of updating the drive control information based on the measured value of the surface height distribution of the substrate obtained in the exposure step.

11. A method for manufacturing an article, comprising the steps of:

performing scanning exposure of a substrate using the scanning exposure method of claim 10;

processing the substrate subjected to the scanning exposure; and

an article is manufactured from the processed substrate.

12. An information processing apparatus communicably connected to a scanning exposure apparatus that performs scanning exposure of a substrate, the information processing apparatus comprising:

an acquisition unit that acquires the surface height distribution of the substrate measured by the measurement unit of the scanning exposure apparatus;

A generating section that generates drive control information including adjustment information for adjusting at least 1 of a height and an inclination of the substrate in the scanning exposure based on the surface height distribution of the substrate acquired by the acquiring section; and

a supply unit configured to supply the drive control information generated by the generation unit to the scanning exposure apparatus,

the scanning exposure apparatus controls at least 1 of the height and the inclination of the substrate based on the surface height distribution of the substrate measured by the measuring section while controlling the scanning drive of the substrate based on the drive control information supplied by the supplying section,

the generating section updates the drive control information based on the surface height distribution of the substrate measured by the measuring section in scanning exposure of the substrate.

13. An information processing method for processing information of a scanning exposure apparatus that performs scanning exposure of a substrate, the information processing method comprising:

an acquisition step of acquiring a surface height distribution of the substrate measured by a measurement unit of the scanning exposure apparatus;

a generation step of generating drive control information including adjustment information for adjusting at least 1 of a height and an inclination of the substrate in the scanning exposure, based on the surface height distribution of the substrate acquired in the acquisition step; and

A supply step of supplying the drive control information generated in the generation step to the scanning exposure apparatus,

the scanning exposure apparatus controls scanning driving of the substrate based on the driving control information supplied in the supplying step, and controls at least 1 of a height and an inclination of the substrate based on the surface height distribution of the substrate measured by the measuring section,

the information processing method further includes an updating step of updating the drive control information based on the surface height distribution of the substrate measured by the measuring section in the scanning exposure of the substrate.

14. A storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute the information processing method according to claim 13.