JP2000252188A - Aligner, lithography system and device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an aligner and a lithography system which can be lessened in necessary floor area. SOLUTION: A laser device 14 is arranged in a region of a floor surface F, which is sufficiently large in width to include a maintenance area located on each side of an exposure system main body 12 constituted in an aligner. The maintenance areas of the aligner main body 12 and the laser device 14 are so arranged in a floor surface F as to overlap partially with each other to be partially used in common. Therefore, extension part of the laser device 14 extending from a maintenance area located on each side of the exposure system main body 12 can be eliminated, so that the necessary floor space can be lessened. A necessary floor area can be made smaller than that in a case where the maintenance areas of the laser device 14 and the exposure system main body 12 are separately provided.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to an exposure apparatus, a lithography system, and a device, and more particularly, to an exposure apparatus used in a lithography process for manufacturing a semiconductor element, a liquid crystal display element, and the like, and a lithography including the exposure apparatus. System and devices manufactured using the lithography system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in a lithography process for manufacturing a semiconductor device or the like, an exposure apparatus such as a so-called stepper or a so-called scanning stepper has been mainly used. KrF excimer laser devices have been used relatively frequently as light sources. Recently, these exposure apparatuses have been installed in Coater / Develope
r: hereinafter, appropriately abbreviated as “C / D”) and a lithography system connected in-line is becoming mainstream. This is because in the lithography process, each process of resist application, exposure, and development is performed as a series of processes, and it is necessary to prevent intrusion of dust and the like into the apparatus in any of the process steps, and to perform the above-described series of processes. Is performed as efficiently as possible.

FIG. 10 is a plan view showing the configuration of a lithography system mainly used in the prior art. The lithography system 300 shown in FIG. 10 includes an exposing apparatus main body in which an excimer laser apparatus 302 such as KrF or ArF as a light source for exposure is connected to the excimer laser apparatus 302 via a drawing optical system 304 called a beam matching unit. 306 and a C / D 308 connected in-line to the exposure apparatus main body 306. The lithography system 300 is also called left in-line because the C / D 308 is arranged on the left side surface of the exposure apparatus main body 306. In FIG. 10, an OHV (Over Head Vehicle) or OH is provided at the front end (the left end in FIG. 10) of the C / D 308.
A plurality of wafer containers 310 to be loaded and unloaded by an automatic transport system for overhead traveling called T (Over Head Transfer) or a self-propelled transport vehicle called AGV (Automatic Guided Vehicle) are installed. As the wafer container 310, an open carrier (Open
Carrier: hereinafter abbreviated as “OC” as appropriate) or Front Opening Unified Pod (Front Opening Un
ified Pod: hereinafter, abbreviated as “FOUP”). Although not shown, the reticle container is a standard mechanical interface (SMIF).
e) Pods and the like are used. In FIG.
w indicates the trajectory of the OHV.

[0004] However, it is rare that a lithography system is installed alone in a crane room. In an actual factory, a plurality of lithography systems are installed in a clean room. In addition, since the clean room in which the lithography system is installed is very expensive, it is desirable to reduce the floor area. Therefore, it is required to efficiently arrange a large number of lithography systems in a limited space. Have been.

However, since the overall plan shape of the above-described left in-line or opposite right in-line lithography system has a complicated shape, as shown in FIG. If they are arranged side by side, the dead space increases and the space efficiency of the clean room decreases.

In FIG. 11, only the left in-line lithography system is arranged, but at present, the right in-line lithography system and the left in-line lithography system are arranged so that C / D faces each other. There are many things. In such a case, too, the dead space increases, and the space efficiency of the clean room decreases.

In order to improve such inconvenience, recently,
As shown in FIG. 12, a lithography system called “in-line” is used before the C / D 308 is connected in-line to the front side of the exposure apparatus main body 306. The overall planar shape of the lithography system 400 of FIG. 12 is substantially rectangular, and as shown in FIG. 13, the dead space when a plurality of such lithography systems are installed in a clean room is more apparent than in FIG. Thus, the space efficiency of the clean room can be improved.

[0008]

However, FIG.
In the in-line lithography system 400, a maintenance area MA having a width of about 1 meter indicated by oblique lines is required on the rear side of the excimer laser device 302, and therefore, from the rearmost end of the maintenance area MA to the front end of the exposure apparatus main body. L1 from the rear end of the maintenance area MA to the front end of the C / D 308.
2 became longer than necessary, and the space efficiency of the clean room was not always sufficient.

The lithography system 40 shown in FIG.
0, the exposure apparatus main body 30 of the excimer laser apparatus 302
Since the dimension W of the right overhang portion with respect to 6 exceeds the width dimension (normally about 1 m) of the maintenance area on both sides of the exposure apparatus main body 306, the space efficiency is insufficient at this point as well. Of course, if the routing optical system is bent intricately, the dimension W can be reduced. However, in such a case, the number of optical elements of the routing optical system increases and the attenuation of laser energy increases. This is not a realistic measure.

Further, in the lithography system 400 shown in FIG. 12, a system employing an OHV as a transfer system on the reticle side can be seen similarly to the wafer side. In such a case, as shown in FIG. The trajectory Hr of the automatic transfer system on the side is set to be parallel to the trajectory Hw. This is because the trajectory Hw and the trajectory Hr do not cross each other, so that the trajectory is easily arranged.

However, in the lithography system shown in FIG. 12, the delivery port of the reticle container indicated by the reference symbol R in FIG. 12 is located on the side opposite to the entrance of the wafer, so that the structure of the reticle transport system becomes complicated. Since the excimer laser device 302 and the associated illumination optical system and the like exist behind the exposure device main body 306, the design of the reticle transport system is restricted.

The present invention has been made under such circumstances, and a first object of the present invention is to provide an exposure apparatus and a lithography system capable of reducing a required floor area.

Further, a second object of the present invention is to provide, in addition to the above-mentioned object, a mask in an exposure apparatus even when a ceiling transport system such as an OHV is employed as a transport system on the mask side with respect to the exposure apparatus from outside. An object of the present invention is to provide an exposure apparatus and a lithography system that can prevent the structure of a transport system from becoming complicated.

[0014]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an exposure apparatus using a laser device (14) as a light source, wherein maintenance of both sides of an exposure apparatus body (12) constituting the exposure apparatus is performed. The laser device is arranged in an area of a floor (F) having a width including an area.

According to this, since the laser device is disposed within the area of the floor surface having a width including the maintenance areas on both sides of the exposure device main body, which must be originally secured, the exposure device main body of the laser device is provided. There is no overhang from both sides of the maintenance area, and the required floor area can be reduced accordingly.

In this case, if the exposure apparatus main body can be maintained also from the rear side (laser apparatus side),
According to a second aspect of the present invention, the exposure apparatus main body (1
It is desirable that both of the maintenance area of 2) and the maintenance area of the laser device (14) are arranged on the floor (F) so that at least a part thereof is common. In such a case, the required floor area can be reduced as compared with the case where the maintenance area of the laser device and the maintenance area of the exposure apparatus main body are separately provided. It is most desirable that the entire maintenance area of the excimer laser apparatus is made common to the maintenance area of the exposure apparatus main body in terms of a reduction in required floor area.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, a laser device (1
4) An exposure apparatus using a light source, wherein the maintenance area of an exposure apparatus main body (12) constituting the exposure apparatus and the maintenance area of the laser apparatus are at least partially common. A main body and the excimer laser device are arranged side by side on a floor along a longitudinal direction of the exposure apparatus main body.

According to this, the exposure apparatus main body and the laser device are arranged side by side on the floor so that at least a part of the maintenance area of the exposure apparatus main body and the maintenance area of the laser device are common. The required floor area can be reduced as compared with a case where the maintenance area of the laser apparatus and the maintenance area of the exposure apparatus main body are separately provided. In this case, as described above, the required floor area can be reduced most by making the entire maintenance area of the excimer laser apparatus common to the maintenance area of the exposure apparatus main body.

In the exposure apparatus according to each of the first to third aspects, the laser apparatus may be a YAG laser apparatus using its harmonics as exposure light, or a soft X-ray apparatus having a wavelength of about 5 to 15 nm.
The laser device (14) may be, for example, an excimer laser device, although a high-power laser excited by a semiconductor laser serving as a primitive light source for generating light in a line region may be used. There may be.

In each of the first and third aspects of the present invention, as in the fifth aspect of the present invention, the laser device (1
The case 4) may be arranged close to the case of the exposure apparatus main body. In such a case, the light path (optical path) from the laser device to the exposure apparatus main body is shortened (therefore, the number of optical elements in the optical path is reduced), the influence of the transmittance fluctuation can be reduced, and the purge range can be reduced. , The concentration management and maintenance become easy. Even if the housing of the laser device and the housing of the exposure apparatus main body are directly connected, a drawing optical system is necessary at least (the drawing optical system is not always zero).

In each of the first and third aspects of the present invention, as in the sixth aspect of the present invention, the laser device (1
4) may be connected to the exposure apparatus main body (12) via a routing optical system (BMU). In this case, although the routing optical system is arranged above the floor on which the exposure apparatus is installed, there is no major problem during maintenance or the like, but as in the invention according to claim 7, the routing optical system (BM)
U) may be arranged below the floor (F) on which the exposure apparatus main body (12) is installed. In such a case, since there is no routing optical system (obstacle) on the floor, maintenance work and the like can be performed comfortably and easily.

In each of the inventions according to claims 5 to 7, the laser device according to the invention described in claim 8,
A device that emits laser light in a vacuum ultraviolet region or a soft X-ray region may be used.

[0023] In each of the inventions described in claims 5 to 8, as in the invention described in claim 9, the laser device may include:
The exposure apparatus may be arranged on the floor in a state where its longitudinal direction coincides with the longitudinal direction of the exposure apparatus main body. In this case, as in the invention according to claim 10, the laser device is an ArF excimer laser device having an oscillation wavelength of 193 nm.
F ₂ may be any of a laser apparatus and a laser plasma device. ArF excimer laser device, in such an F ₂ laser device, a laser tube in which a plurality of rare gas is enclosed (the laser cavity) are arranged along the longitudinal direction, unnecessary reflecting optical element for bending the optical path as in the prior art Becomes Further, in the EUV exposure apparatus using the laser plasma apparatus, since the number of reflective optical elements is reduced, it is possible to prevent the energy of the EUV light from being reduced accordingly.

According to an eleventh aspect of the present invention, there is provided an exposure apparatus which uses a laser apparatus (14) as a light source and is connected in-line with a substrate processing apparatus (16). 12) The laser device is arranged in a floor area (F) having a width including the maintenance areas on both sides, and the substrate processing apparatus can be connected to the exposure apparatus main body on the side opposite to the laser apparatus. It is characterized by.

According to this, since the laser device is arranged in the area of the floor surface having the width including the maintenance areas on both sides of the exposure device main body which must be originally secured, the exposure device main body of the laser device is There is no overhang from both sides of the maintenance area, and the required floor area can be reduced accordingly. Further, since the substrate processing apparatus can be connected to the side of the exposure apparatus main body opposite to the laser apparatus, the lithography system configured by connecting the substrate processing apparatus in-line is a so-called front-in-line type, which is almost rectangular. The planar shape of Therefore, when arranging a plurality of such lithography systems in a clean room, the lithography systems can be arranged more efficiently than the left inline or right inline type, and
Since there are no overhangs from the maintenance areas on both sides of the exposure apparatus body, the space efficiency of the clean room can be further improved.

In this case, as in the twelfth aspect of the present invention, the substrate processing apparatus (16) is an in-line
It may be connectable to the exposure apparatus main body (12) via an interface section (18). In such cases,
Since an empty space is created in the area on the side of the inline interface section in front of the exposure apparatus main body, if the exposure apparatus main body can be maintained from the front,
Maintenance can be performed from the front.

In this case, the maintenance area on the rear side of the exposure apparatus main body and the maintenance area of the laser apparatus are both arranged on the floor so that the maintenance area is common to the invention. Is desirable. In such a case, the required rear area outside the exposure apparatus main body can be reduced as compared with the case where the maintenance area on the rear side (rear side) of the exposure apparatus main body and the maintenance area of the laser apparatus are separately set. As a result, a maintenance area from the front can be secured without increasing the required floor area as compared with the conventional pre-inline type lithography system.

In each of the twelfth and thirteenth aspects of the present invention, as in the fourteenth aspect, the inline interface section (18) may be detachable. In such a case, by removing the in-line interface unit, the maintenance area can be expanded to the part to which the in-line interface unit was connected, and the maintenance work of the exposure apparatus main body from the front surface becomes easier.

[0029] In the exposure apparatus according to each of the inventions according to claims 11 to 13, as in the invention according to claim 15,
The substrate processing apparatus (16) of the exposure apparatus body (12)
A ceiling transport system (44) that moves along a track (Hr) extending to the ceiling and transports the mask (R) stored in the mask container (40) near the end on the side to which is connected. )
A delivery port (42) through which the mask container is carried in and out may be arranged. In such cases,
A mask transport system can be arranged on the front side opposite to the rear side of the exposure apparatus main body provided with the laser device and the associated illumination optical system, whereby the mask transport system can be arranged vertically with the substrate transport system. A system can be arranged, and the structure of the mask transport system can be prevented from becoming complicated when the OHV is adopted as the transport system of the mask container. In this case, as the transport system of the mask, a configuration substantially similar to the transport system of the conventional exposure apparatus can be adopted.

In this case, the mask container may be a container for simply storing a mask,
The mask container (40) may be a closed container provided with a door (40B) that can be opened and closed. In such a case, dust and the like can be prevented from entering the mask container, so that the cleanness of the clean room can be set to a class of about 100 to 1000, and the cost of the clean room can be reduced. .

A lithography system according to a seventeenth aspect of the present invention provides an exposure apparatus according to any one of the first to tenth aspects; and an opposite side of the exposure apparatus main body constituting the exposure apparatus from the laser apparatus. And a substrate processing apparatus connected in-line to the exposure apparatus main body. According to this, since the required floor area can be reduced in each of the exposure apparatuses according to claims 1 to 10, it is possible to improve the space efficiency of the clean room when a plurality of the exposure apparatuses are installed in the clean room. Become.

In this case, the substrate processing apparatus may be a coater (resist coating apparatus), a developer (development apparatus), or the like. It may be a developer.
In such a case, a series of processes of resist coating, exposure, and development performed in the lithography process can be efficiently performed by the lithography system in an environment in which dust and the like are almost certainly prevented from entering the apparatus.

A device according to a nineteenth aspect of the present invention is manufactured using the lithography system according to the seventeenth or eighteenth aspect.

[0034]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG.
This will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a lithography system according to an embodiment including an exposure apparatus according to the present invention.

The lithography system 10 of FIG.
The cleanliness is set in a clean room having a class of about 100 to 1,000. This lithography system 1
Reference numeral 0 denotes an exposure apparatus main body 12 disposed on the floor F of the clean room, and a longitudinal direction of the exposure apparatus main body 12 (FIG. 1).
Rear side (rear) side (+ X
Side), an excimer laser device 1 as a laser device serving as an exposure light source disposed on the floor surface F at a predetermined interval.
4. C / D 16 as a substrate processing apparatus disposed at a predetermined interval on the front side (−X side) which is the other side in the longitudinal direction of exposure apparatus main body 12, and in-line exposure apparatus main body 12 and C / D 16 FOUP as a housing for adding a substrate container arranged in parallel with the in-line interface unit 18 and adjacent to the housing (environmental chamber) 12A of the exposure apparatus main body 12 Housing 20, F
A reticle port housing 2 as a mask transport system housing arranged adjacent to the OUP extension housing 20 and in parallel with the in-line interface unit 18
And a beam matching unit BMU or the like as a drawing optical system for optically connecting the exposure apparatus main body 12 and the excimer laser device 14.

In the present embodiment, the exposure apparatus main body 12,
The external dimensions of the excimer laser device 14 and the C / D 16 are the same as those of the above-described conventional example.

As the excimer laser device 14, for example, a KrF excimer laser device that oscillates pulse light in the far ultraviolet region having an oscillation wavelength of 248 nm, an ArF excimer laser device that oscillates pulse light in a vacuum ultraviolet region having an oscillation wavelength of 193 nm, or an oscillation device An F ₂ laser device that oscillates pulsed light in a vacuum ultraviolet region with a wavelength of 157 nm is used.

The exposure apparatus body 12 includes a type for transferring a reticle pattern onto a wafer by a step-and-repeat method, and a type for transferring a reticle pattern onto a wafer by a step-and-scan method. The exposure apparatus according to the present invention is used by the exposure apparatus main body 12, the excimer laser device 14, and the beam matching unit BMU. The exposure apparatus main body 12 has a structure capable of performing maintenance from four directions of front, rear, left, and right.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a clean room in which the lithography system 10 is installed. In FIG. 2, a hatched area on the floor F indicates a maintenance area of the exposure apparatus main body 12, and a double-hatched area WMA also serves as a maintenance area for the excimer laser apparatus 14 and the exposure apparatus main body 12. Indicates the area.

As shown in FIG. 2, in the present embodiment, the area of the floor surface F having a width D including the maintenance areas on both sides (both sides in the Y direction) of the exposure apparatus main body 12 (between the dotted lines in FIG. 2). The excimer laser device 14 is disposed in the exposing device main body 1 of the excimer laser device 14.
There are no overhangs from the maintenance areas on both sides of No. 2. Therefore, in the lithography system 10 and the exposure apparatus constituting the lithography system according to the present embodiment, the required lateral width of the floor surface F can be reduced as compared with the lithography system in FIG.

As is apparent from a comparison between the length L1 'in FIG. 2 and the length L1 in FIG.
It can be seen that in the present embodiment, the required vertical dimension of the floor surface F (the longitudinal direction of the exposure apparatus main body) is reduced by the maintenance area of the excimer laser device.

The maintenance areas on both sides of the exposure apparatus main body 12 are areas that must be originally secured.

The beam matching unit BMU comprises:
As shown in FIG. 3, which is a right side view of the lithography system 10, most of the lithography system 10 is disposed under the floor below the floor F on which the exposure apparatus main body 12 is installed. Normally, the floor of a clean room is formed by laying a large number of columns planted at predetermined intervals on the ground and a rectangular mesh-like floor member on the columns in a matrix. Therefore, the beam matching unit BMU can be easily arranged under the floor by removing some floor members and the pillars below the floor member.

Referring back to FIG. 1, the lower end of the chamber serving as the housing of the C / D 16 on the side opposite to the exposure apparatus main body 12 partially protrudes, and a front opening unified as a substrate container is provided on the upper surface of the protruding portion. Pods (Front Open
ing Unified Pod: hereafter abbreviated as “FOUP”) 2
A mounting table 26 for mounting a plurality of the plurality 4 is formed.
As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, a first guide rail Hw extends from the ceiling in a direction (Y direction) orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the exposure apparatus main body 12 so as to face the mounting table 26. Have been. The first guide rail Hw is moved along the first guide rail Hw, and the wafer is moved to FOUP2.
An OHV 28 is suspended and supported as a first ceiling transport system that transports the paper in a state where it is housed in the container 4. FOUP24
Is an open / close type in which a plurality of wafers are stored at predetermined intervals in the vertical direction, an opening is provided only on one surface, and a door (lid) 25 (see FIG. 6) for opening and closing the opening is provided. This is a container (sealed type wafer cassette), for example, the same as the transport container disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-279546.

In the present embodiment, the FOUP 24 containing the wafer W by the OHV 28 is carried in and out of the mounting table 26.

The inline interface unit 18
Has a housing and a wafer transfer system (not shown) housed in the housing. The wafer transfer system transfers a wafer between the C / D 16 and the exposure apparatus main body 12. In the present embodiment, the inline interface 18 has a structure that can be easily removed. That is, a detachable structure is adopted as the inline interface unit 18.

FIG. 4A is a schematic cross-sectional view of the reticle port housing 22, and FIG. 4B is a schematic vertical cross-sectional view of the reticle port housing 22. I have. 4A corresponds to a cross section taken along line AA in FIG. 4B, and FIG. 4B corresponds to a cross section taken along line BB in FIG. 4A.

Here, FIGS. 4A and 4B
The reticle port housing 22 will be described with reference to FIG.

The reticle port housing 22 has a structure which can be detachably connected to the FOUP extension housing 20 here. The reticle port housing 22 includes a chamber 3 serving as a housing.
0, a horizontal articulated robot (scalar robot) 32 as a transfer system of a mask disposed at one end (+ Y side) in the Y direction inside the chamber 30, and the other side in the Y direction (−Y) in the chamber 30 Side), a carrier mounting portion 34 provided at a height of approximately 900 mm from the floor surface, an ID reader 36 provided above the carrier mounting portion 34, and provided above the ID reader 36. A carrier stock unit 38 and the like are provided.

A transfer port 42 through which a reticle carrier 40 as a mask container is carried in / out by an OHV 44 described later is provided near the corner at the -Y direction end and at the -X direction end of the ceiling of the chamber 30. ing. A second guide rail Hr as a trajectory of the OHV 44 as a second ceiling transport system for transporting the reticle housed in the reticle carrier 40 is provided in a ceiling portion almost directly above the transfer port 42 in the Y direction. (See FIG. 2).

The scalar robot 32 is shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 4 (B), an arm 33A which can freely expand and contract and rotate in the XY plane, and a driving unit 33B for driving the arm 33A are provided. The scalar robot 32 is mounted on an upper surface of a support member 48 that moves up and down along a column guide 46 extending upward from the floor surface at the + Y side end inside the chamber 30. Therefore, the arm 33A of the scalar robot 32 can move up and down in addition to expansion and contraction and rotation in the XY plane.
The vertical movement of the support member 48 is caused by the movement of the movable member 49A and the support guide 46 provided integrally with the support member 48.
This is performed by a linear actuator 50 (see FIG. 4A) including a stator 49B extending in the direction.

A reticle carrier carry-in / out port 52 is formed on the −Y side wall of the chamber 30 so as to correspond to the carrier mounting portion 34. Through this carry-in / out port 52, the reticle carrier 40 is carried into / out of the carrier mounting portion 34 manually by an operator.

In this embodiment, the reticle carrier 4
0, as shown in FIG.
A and a lid 40B, and a closed-type reticle carrier that houses the reticle R therein is used. The lid 40B of the reticle carrier 40 is fixed to the container main body 40A by a lock mechanism 40C, and by releasing the lock mechanism 40C, the lid 40B is moved from the container main body as shown in FIG. It can be removed. Release of lock mechanism 40C and lid 4
The removal of OB is performed by an opening / closing mechanism (not shown) called an opener provided inside the FOUP extension housing 20 arranged adjacent to the reticle port housing 22.

More specifically, as shown in FIG. 4B, a pair of support members capable of supporting both ends of the bottom surface of the reticle carrier 40 are provided near the upper end of the side wall on the + X side of the chamber 30. A shelf 54 made of a member is provided perpendicular to the surface of the side wall. When the reticle carrier 40 is placed on the shelf 54, a rectangular opening 56 slightly larger than the lid 40B is formed in the side wall of the chamber 30 where the lid 40B faces. Correspondingly, an opening / closing member sized to just close the opening 56 is provided in the opening / closing mechanism. In a normal state (a state in which the reticle carrier is not set), the inside of the FOUP extension housing 20 on the back side of the side wall of the chamber 30 is open to the outside, that is, the reticle port housing 22 side. The opening 56 is closed by fitting into the opening 56 so as not to cause the opening.

On the other hand, the lid 40 of the reticle carrier 40
The opening and closing of B is performed as follows. That is, the arm 33A of the scalar robot 32 moves the shelf 54 from the carrier mounting portion 34 or the carrier stock portion 38.
After the reticle carrier 40 is transported upward, the reticle carrier 40 is pressed against the side wall of the chamber 30.
At this time, the lid 40B is pressed against the opening / closing member. Next, an engagement / lock release mechanism (a mechanism for engaging the lid 40B by vacuum suction or mechanical connection and engaging the lid 40B and releasing the lock mechanism 40C provided on the lid 40B) is provided by the opening / closing mechanism. Activated. As a result, the lock mechanism 40C of the reticle carrier 40 is released, and the lid 40B is transported to the storage place inside the FOUP extension housing 20 integrally with the opening / closing member. Thus, the opening operation of the lid 40B is performed. Lid 40B
Is performed in a procedure reverse to the above-described opening operation.
A method similar to the method of opening and closing the lid by the opening and closing mechanism described here is disclosed in detail in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-279546.

The reticle container is a SMIF
(Standard Mechanical Interface) A closed container such as a pod may be used.

The ID reader 36 is attached to the inside of the −Y side wall of the chamber 30 via an attachment member 37 as shown in FIG. 4B. Slightly above the ID reader 36, a shelf 58 made of a pair of support members sandwiches the ID reader 36 in plan view,
It is provided vertically on the side wall. The ID reader 36
This is for reading ID information given as a barcode or a two-dimensional code to the reticle carrier 40 placed on the shelf 58. Here, a barcode reader or a two-dimensional code reader is used. In this case, the ID information of the reticle R housed in the reticle carrier 40 is attached with a bar code on the bottom surface of the container body 40A of the reticle carrier 40. Note that the reticle carrier 40 may be formed of a transparent member, and ID information may be recorded in a portion (including an end surface) outside the pattern region of the reticle R using a barcode. Further, a magnetic head or the like may be used as the ID reader, and the ID information may be recorded on a magnetic tape or the like corresponding to the magnetic head.

The carrier stock section 38 is for temporarily storing the reticle carrier 40, and is constituted by a plurality of shelves arranged at predetermined intervals in the Z direction.

The FOUP extension housing 20 has a structure that can be detachably connected to a housing (environmental chamber) 12A of the exposure apparatus main body 12.
As shown in FIG. 1, the FOUP extension housing 20 is provided with a FOUP extension port 60 on the other side in the Y direction (−Y side). This FOUP expansion port 6
The height of the lower surface from the floor surface is the same as the loading / unloading port 5 described above.
As in the case of No. 2, it is approximately 900 mm. here,
The FOUP extension port 60 is set to be approximately 900 mm from the floor when the wafer is 12 inches in size.
Assuming that an operator carries a FOUP by a PGV (manual type transport vehicle) and carries it in and out of the apparatus, it is generally about 900 mm from the floor from an ergonomic point of view. This is because it is considered most desirable. For the same reason, the above-mentioned carry-in / out port 52 is also about 900 mm from the floor surface.

In the case of this embodiment, the reticle carrier 40
Surface of the chamber 30 provided with the carry-in / out port 52 of
FOUP extension port 6 of FOUP extension housing 20
The surface provided with 0 is substantially the same as the outer surface of the right side wall of the housing (environmental chamber) 12A of the exposure apparatus main body 12.

The FOUP extension housing 20 has a chamber 62 as a housing as shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. This chamber 62 actually contains FOU
The chamber 62 is moved up and down 2 above the P extension port 60.
A partition wall (not shown) for partitioning the portion is provided. A part of the reticle transport system 64 shown in FIG. 3 is arranged in a space above the partition wall. This part of the components includes the opening and closing mechanism of the lid 40B of the reticle carrier 40 described above. Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the space below the partition wall is a partition wall 66.
Is divided into two parts. In a space surrounded by the partition wall 66 and the side wall of the chamber 62, the FOUP 24
A FOUP table 68 for installing the FOUP is provided. F
On the OUP table 68, the FOUP 24 carried in via the additional port 60 is installed.

In order to take out the wafer from the FOUP 24, it is necessary to press the FOUP 24 against the opening 66a of the partition wall 66 and open and close the door 25 through the opening 66a. For this reason, in the present embodiment, an opening / closing mechanism (opener) 70 for the door 25 is disposed at the + Y side portion of the partition wall 66. The opening 66a is formed at a position substantially facing the additional port 60 described above.

Further, inside the opening / closing mechanism 70, an opening / closing member having a mechanism for releasing a key (not shown) provided on the door 25 is housed while the door 25 is engaged by vacuum suction or mechanical connection. ing. The opening and closing of the door 25 by the opening and closing mechanism 70 is performed in the same manner as the lid 40B of the reticle carrier 40 described above. Such details are disclosed in the above-mentioned Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-279546. In a normal state (a state in which the FOUP is not set), the opening / closing member fits into the opening 66a so that the inside of the partition wall 66 does not open to the outside.
6a is closed.

On the + Y side of the opening / closing mechanism 70 in the chamber 62, a horizontal articulated robot (scalar robot) 72 is disposed so as to face the FOUP table 68. This horizontal articulated robot (hereinafter, abbreviated as “robot” as appropriate) 72 includes an arm 73A that can freely expand and contract, rotate (turn) in the XY plane, and move up and down within a predetermined stroke range. And a driving unit 73B for driving.

Next, a series of operations until a wafer is taken out from the FOUP 24 on the FOUP table 68 will be briefly described. Although the operation of each unit in the following description of the operation is performed under the control of a main control device (not shown), a description of the main control device will be omitted below to avoid complication of the description.

When the FOUP 24 transported by the PGV or AGV (self-propelled transport vehicle) is set on the FOUP table 68, the FOUP table 68 is driven in the + Y direction by a slide mechanism (not shown). The FOUP 24 is pressed against the partition wall. This is because F is not changed even after the door 25 is opened.
Because it is necessary to maintain a high degree of cleanness in the OUP, the door 25
After the FOUP 24 is opened, the inside of the FOUP 24 may be less clean than the inside of the partition wall 66.
This is to prevent direct contact with the space outside of 6.

Next, the door 25 of the FOUP 24 is opened by the opening / closing mechanism 70 using the opening / closing member.

Next, the arm 73A is driven up and down by the drive unit 73B of the robot 72 according to the height of the wafer to be accessed. That is, the wafer to be accessed and the obstacles underneath (wafer or FOUP)
The arm 73A is driven up to a height at which the arm 73A can be inserted into the gap (bottom of 24).

Next, in the driving section 73B of the robot 72, the arm 73A is rotated and expanded and contracted to insert the arm 73A under the target wafer, and then slightly raised to place the wafer on the arm 73A and contract the arm 73A. FO the wafer
The wafer is taken out of the UP 24 and transferred to a predetermined position (position of a virtual line W4) of a wafer loader system described later provided in the environmental chamber 12A of the exposure apparatus main body 12. This transfer is performed by rotating and expanding / contracting the arm 73A of the robot 72. Therefore, an opening 62a is formed at a predetermined height from the floor surface, for example, at a position of approximately 600 mm from the side wall in the + X direction of the chamber 62, and a side wall portion of the environmental chamber 12A of the exposure apparatus main body 12 facing the opening 62a. The opening 12b is also formed. The operation after the wafer is taken out of the FOUP 24 will be described later.

Returning to FIG. 1, on the right side wall of the environmental chamber 12A of the exposure apparatus main body 12, a display operation unit 74 having a monitor display, a touch panel, and the like is provided at a position substantially corresponding to the height of human eyes. Is provided.

The environmental chamber 12A
As shown in FIG. 3, an illumination optical system IOP for illuminating a reticle R as a mask with a laser beam introduced by a beam matching unit BMU, and a reticle stage RST as a mask stage for holding the reticle R, as shown in FIG. , A projection optical system PL, a wafer stage WST as a substrate stage that holds the wafer W as a substrate and moves two-dimensionally in XY, a wafer loader system 76, and the like.

When the exposure apparatus including the exposure apparatus main body 12 and the laser apparatus 14 is of a static exposure type such as a stepper, the reticle stage RST is configured to be capable of minutely driving in the XY plane. In the case of a scanning type such as a stepper, in addition to the fine driving in the XY plane, it is configured to be able to be driven within a predetermined stroke range in a predetermined scanning direction, for example, the X direction (or Y direction).

A wafer holder 100 is mounted on the wafer stage WST as shown in FIG.
The wafer W is held by the wafer holder 100 by vacuum suction or the like. As shown in FIG. 6, a stage delivery arm 98, which will be described later, is provided at both ends in the Y direction on the upper surface (wafer mounting surface) side of the wafer holder 100.
X into which the claw at the tip of the unload X-axis arm 96 can be inserted.
Notches 102a, 10a of a predetermined depth extending in
2b is formed.

As shown in the cross sectional view of FIG. 6, the wafer loader system 76 includes an environmental chamber 1.
-X side in 2A (inline interface unit 18
6) in the Y direction (FIG. 6) at a predetermined interval in the X direction.
The first and second Y guides 78 and 80 extend in the left and right directions in FIG. 6, respectively, and the X guide 82 located above (on the front side in FIG. 6) and extends in the X direction (vertical direction in FIG. 6). It is provided as a transport guide. Among them, the first Y guide 78 forms an unloading side conveyance guide, and the second Y guide 80 forms a loading side conveyance guide.

On the upper surface of the first Y guide 78, a slider 84 driven along a Y guide 78 by a linear motor (not shown) is mounted. The axis table 86 is fixed.

On the + Y side (left side in FIG. 6) of the second Y guide 80, a horizontal articulated robot (scalar robot) 88 is arranged. This horizontal articulated robot (hereinafter abbreviated as “robot” as appropriate) 88 includes an arm 89A that can freely expand and contract and rotate in the XY plane and can move up and down by a predetermined amount, and drives this arm 89A. And a driving unit 89B. The robot 88 exchanges the wafer W with the in-line interface unit 18. For exchanging the wafer W, an opening 19a is formed in the housing 19 of the in-line interface section 18 on the side wall of the exposure apparatus body 12 on the side of the connection with the environmental chamber 12A, as shown in FIG. An opening 12c is also formed in the side wall of the environmental chamber 12A opposed to the opening.

A slider 90 driven along a Y guide 80 by a linear motor (not shown) is mounted on the upper surface of the second Y guide 80. A table 92 is provided.

The X guide 82 is driven by a vertical movement / sliding mechanism (not shown) including a mover of a linear motor to move along the X guide.
4. An unloading X-axis arm 96 is provided.

The load X-axis arm 94 is driven by a vertical movement / sliding mechanism (not shown).
It is movable from a position near the end in the -X direction of the X guide 82 near the position indicated by 4 'to a predetermined loading position (wafer transfer position) indicated by a solid line 94, and is movable within a predetermined range in the vertical direction. ing. A stage transfer arm 98 is arranged near the loading position. The unloading X-axis arm 96 is
The load X-axis arm 94 is driven by a vertical movement / sliding mechanism (not shown) from the position indicated by a virtual line 96 ′ to the position of the stage transfer arm 98 described above in FIG.
It is movable along a moving surface below the moving surface of, and is also movable in a predetermined range in the vertical direction.

The environmental chamber 12
A partition wall (not shown) is provided above the first and second Y guides 78 and 80 inside A, and the reticle is transported in a space above the partition wall as shown in FIG. The remaining portion of the system 64 (the portion other than the above-mentioned part including the opening / closing mechanism of the lid of the reticle carrier) is arranged. As the reticle transport system 64, for example,
A known reticle transport system having a configuration similar to that of the reticle loader system disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 240366 is partially used.

Next, the operation of the exposure apparatus according to this embodiment configured as described above will be described with reference to FIG. 6, focusing on a wafer transfer sequence by a wafer loader system.

First, the operation when exchanging a wafer with the C / D 16 via the in-line interface unit 18 will be described. Although the operation of each unit in the following description of the operation is performed under the control of a main control device (not shown), a description of the main control device will be omitted below to avoid complication of the description. For the same reason, the description of the ON / OFF operation of the vacuum chuck and the like at the time of transferring the wafer is omitted.

It is assumed that the wafer W on which the resist application has been completed has been transferred to a predetermined delivery position by the wafer transfer system in the in-line interface unit 18.

The driving unit 89 B of the robot 88
When the arm 89A is extended and retracted and driven to rotate, the opening 12c,
It enters the housing 19 of the in-line interface unit 18 via 19a, and reaches below the wafer W held by a holding member (not shown) at a predetermined transfer position. next,
The arm 89A is driven upward by the driving unit 89B, and the wafer W is transferred from the holding member to the arm 89A.

Next, in the drive section 89B, the arm 89A holding the wafer W is extended and retracted and turned to transfer the wafer W to a position indicated by a virtual line W2. At this time, the load Y-axis table 92 has moved to the position indicated by the virtual line 92 '.

Next, the arm 89 is driven by the driving unit 89B.
A is driven downward and the wafer W is loaded from the arm 89A to the load Y.
It is passed to the axis table 92. The transfer of the wafer W may be performed by raising the load Y-axis table 92.

Next, the slider 90 is driven in the −Y direction integrally with the load Y-axis table 92 by a linear motor (not shown) or the like, and the wafer W is transferred to the position indicated by the imaginary line W3. At the time when the wafer W is transferred to the virtual line W3, the load X-axis arm 94 is in a range that does not interfere with the wafer W at the position of the virtual line W3 (for example, the virtual line W8).
(To the vicinity of the position indicated by the dotted line)) and stands by at a position near the position indicated by the virtual line 94 '. Next, the load X-axis arm 94 is driven by a vertical movement / slide mechanism (not shown) toward the position indicated by the imaginary line 94 ′, and the center of the wafer W substantially coincides with the center of the claw portion of the load X-axis arm. Stop at

Next, the load X-axis arm 94 is driven upward by the vertical movement / sliding mechanism, and the wafer W is transferred from the load Y-axis table 92 to the load X-axis arm 94. The transfer of the wafer W may be performed by lowering the load Y-axis table 92.

Load X-axis Arm 9 for Wafer W
After the completion of the transfer to the load 4, the load X-axis arm 94 is driven from the position of the imaginary line 94 'in FIG.
As a result, the wafer W is transferred to the position indicated by the virtual line W5.

In this case, when the load X-axis arm starts moving toward the loading position, the load Y-axis table 92 is moved by the linear motor (not shown) to the left end indicated by a virtual line 92 'for carrying the next wafer. Moved to position.

When the load X-axis arm 94 moves to the loading position, it is driven downward by the vertical movement / slide mechanism, and the wafer W is transferred from the load X-axis arm 94 to the stage transfer arm 98. In addition,
The transfer of the wafer W is performed by a stage transfer arm 9.
8 may be performed.

When the transfer is completed, the load X-axis arm 94 starts to move to the position indicated by the imaginary line 94 'for the next wafer transfer by the vertical movement / slide mechanism.

When the load X-axis arm 94 retracts from the loading position, the stage transfer arm 98 is driven upward by a predetermined amount by a vertical movement mechanism (not shown). Next, the unloading X-axis arm 96 is moved up and down (not shown).
The slide mechanism is driven to a position directly below the stage transfer arm 98 at the loading position. Then, the stage transfer arm 98 and the unload X-axis arm 96 wait at that position.

On the other hand, the above-described load X-axis arm 94,
While the operations (including the standby operation) of the stage transfer arm 98 and the unload X-axis arm 96 are being performed, the wafer stage WS
Exposure processing (alignment, exposure) of another wafer W transferred onto T is performed.

When the transfer of the pattern of reticle R to each shot area of wafer W on wafer stage WST, that is, when the exposure is completed, wafer stage WST is moved to the end of exposure shown in FIG. The wafer W is moved from the position to the loading position, and the exposed wafer W is transferred to the unloading position (that is, the loading position).

When moving wafer stage WST to the loading position, unload X-axis arm 96
The claw provided with the suction portion at the tip engages the notches 102a and 102b of the wafer holder 100.

When the movement of wafer stage WST is completed, unloading X-axis arm 96 is driven up by a predetermined amount by a vertical movement / sliding mechanism (not shown), and exposed wafer W from wafer holder 100 on wafer stage WST. Is transferred to the unload X-axis arm 96 and unloaded from above the wafer holder 100.

Next, the unloading X-axis arm 96 is driven to the position indicated by the imaginary line 96 'in FIG. 6 by the vertical movement / slide mechanism. As a result, the wafer W is transferred from the loading position indicated by the imaginary line W5 to the position indicated by the imaginary line W8 by the unload X-axis arm 96.

However, if the unloading Y-axis table 86 is not at the position shown by the solid line before the operation of the previous sequence is completed, the unloading X-axis arm 96 is made to stand by at the position shown by the solid line in FIG.

When the unloading X-axis arm 96 retracts from the loading position, the stage transfer arm 98 is driven downward by a vertical movement mechanism (not shown), and the unexposed wafer W is transferred from the stage transfer arm 98 onto the wafer holder 100. (Loaded). When the stage transfer arm 98 is lowered, the claw provided with the suction portion at the tip of the stage transfer arm 98 engages with the notches 102a and 102b of the wafer holder 100.

When stage transfer arm 98 is lowered to a position separated by a predetermined distance from the back surface of wafer W, wafer stage WST is moved toward the exposure sequence start position by a stage controller (not shown). After that, an exposure sequence (search alignment, fine alignment such as EGA, exposure) for the wafer W on the wafer holder 100 is started. Since this exposure sequence is the same as that of a normal scanning stepper or stepper, a detailed description is omitted.

When moving wafer stage WST to the start position of the above-mentioned exposure sequence,
Since the notches 102a and 102b are formed in the wafer stage WST, the wafer stage WST is smoothly moved without the wafer holder 100 coming into contact with the claw portion of the stage transfer arm 98.

As described above, in this embodiment, when the wafer on the wafer holder 100 is replaced, the wafer stage W
Since the high-speed movement operation of the ST is efficiently used, the wafer exchange time can be reduced, and the throughput can be improved.

When the wafer stage WST is retracted from the loading position, the stage transfer arm 98 is driven up by the vertical movement mechanism (not shown) to the wafer transfer position with the load X-axis arm 94 at the loading position.

On the other hand, when the wafer W is transported to the position indicated by the imaginary line W8, the unloading X-axis arm 96 is driven downward by the vertical movement / sliding mechanism, and is moved from the unloading X-axis arm 96 to the unloading Y-axis. The wafer W is transferred to the table 86. When the transfer is completed, the unloading X-axis arm 96 is driven to the loading position by the vertical movement / sliding mechanism, and is put on standby for unloading the next wafer.

The unloading X-axis arm 96 is unloaded Y
When the unloading Y-axis table 86 is moved to a position on the axis table 86 which does not interfere with the wafer W, the unloading Y-axis table 86 is driven integrally with the slider 84 to a position indicated by a virtual line 86 'in FIG. You. Thereby, the wafer W is transferred from the position of the virtual line W8 to the position indicated by the virtual line W1.

Next, the driving unit 89B of the robot 88
The arm 89A is rotated and expanded / contracted by the
After being inserted below the exposed wafer W supported by the shaft table 86, the wafer W is driven upward by a predetermined amount. This allows
The wafer W is unloaded from the Y-axis table 86 to the arm 89.
Passed to A. When the transfer is completed, the unloading Y-axis table 86 is moved to the position indicated by the solid line in FIG. 6 by a linear motor (not shown) for carrying the next wafer.

The unloading Y-axis table 86 has the virtual line 8
When the arm 89A is retracted from the position 6 ', the arm 89A is extended and retracted and rotated by the drive unit 89B, and the exposed wafer W is returned to a predetermined transfer position in the in-line interface unit 18, and thereafter, the arm 89A is moved to the environmental chamber. Return to the standby position in 12A.

The exposed wafer W returned to the inside of the in-line interface unit 18 is transferred to the inside of the C / D 16 by a wafer drive system (not shown).

As described above, the operation sequence for exchanging a wafer with the C / D 16 via the in-line interface unit 18 is performed.

Next, the wafer is stored and stored by the FOUP 24.
An operation sequence when transporting and using will be described.

In this case, first, as described above,
The unexposed wafer W taken out of the FOUP 24 on the FOUP table 68 is transferred by the arm 73A of the robot 72 to the position of the virtual line W4, and is transferred to the standby Y-axis table 92 at the position of the virtual line 92 ″. Passed.

Thereafter, the same transfer operation sequence as in (1) above (when exchanging a wafer with the C / D 16) is performed, and the exposed wafer W is moved to the position indicated by the imaginary line W11 in FIG. Transported to

When the wafer W is transferred to the position W11,
In the driving unit 73B of the robot 72, the arm 73A is inserted below the wafer W held on the unloading Y-axis table 86 at the position of the virtual line 86 ", and is driven upward by a predetermined amount.
As a result, the wafer W is transferred from the unloaded Y-axis table 86 to the arm 73A of the robot 72. Then
The arm 73A of the robot 72 is extended, retracted, rotated and raised by the driving unit 73B, and the wafer W is moved from the position W11 to the position W.
Conveyed to 10. Specifically, the wafer W is transported by the arm 73A to a height at which the wafer W is to be stored, and the arm 73A is extended so that the wafer W is slightly above the storage step in the FOUP 24.
Then, the arm 73A is lowered to transfer the wafer W to the storage stage, and the arm 73A is contracted and retracted out of the FOUP.

As described above, when the processing of all the wafers in the FOUP 24 is completed, the opening / closing mechanism 70
The door 25 of the OUP 24 is closed and locked. Then, the FOUP table 68 is-
Driven in Y direction, FOUP2 by PGV / AGV, etc.
Wait for the transfer of No. 4.

As described in detail above, according to the present embodiment, the laser device 14 is located within the area of the floor F having a width including the maintenance areas on both sides of the exposure apparatus main body 12 which must be originally secured. Is arranged, the portions of the laser device 14 that protrude from the maintenance areas on both sides of the exposure apparatus main body 12 are eliminated, and the required floor area can be reduced accordingly.

In the present embodiment, the exposure apparatus main body 12 has a structure capable of performing maintenance from four directions, that is, left, right, front and rear, and a part of the maintenance area on the rear side of the exposure apparatus main body 12 and the maintenance area of the laser device 14. WMA
And the exposure apparatus body 12 and the laser apparatus 1 so that
4 are arranged on the floor F, the laser device 1
The required floor area can be reduced as compared with the case where the maintenance area 4 and the maintenance area of the exposure apparatus main body 12 are separately provided.

In this embodiment, the laser device 14
Is connected to the exposure apparatus main body 12 via the beam matching unit BMU, and the beam matching unit BM
U is arranged under the floor F on which the exposure apparatus main body 12 is installed, so that the beam matching unit B
Since there is no MU (obstacle), maintenance work and the like can be performed comfortably and easily. However, the beam matching unit BMU (routing optical system) may be arranged above the floor F on which the exposure apparatus main body 12 is installed. Even in such a case, there is no big trouble at the time of maintenance or the like.

In this embodiment, the exposure apparatus main body 12
Since the C / D 16 as a substrate processing apparatus can be connected to the opposite side of the laser apparatus 14 via the in-line interface unit 18, the lithography is configured by connecting the C / D 16 to the exposure apparatus main body 12 in-line. The system 10 is of the so-called front-in-line type and has a generally rectangular planar shape as a whole. Therefore, when a plurality of such lithography systems 10 are arranged in a clean room, the lithography systems 10 can be arranged more efficiently than the left inline or right inline type. As a result, the space efficiency of the clean room can be further improved.

Further, since an empty space is formed in the area on the side of the in-line interface section 18 in front of the exposure apparatus main body 12, the space is effectively used as a maintenance area, so that the space from the front side of the exposure apparatus main body 12 can be obtained. Maintenance can be performed easily,
The advantage that maintenance can be performed from the front can be effectively utilized.

In the lithography system 10 according to the present embodiment, the length in the vertical direction is longer than that of the conventional in-line lithography system by the length of the in-line interface section 18. 2 are arranged on the floor F so that a part of the maintenance area on the rear surface side and the maintenance area of the laser device 14 are common, the length L2 ′ in FIG.
As is clear from the comparison with the length L2 in FIG. 12 described above, as a result, the maintenance area from the front side is secured with almost no increase in required floor area as compared with the conventional pre-inline type lithography system. You can see that it is done.

Further, in this embodiment, since the inline interface section 18 is detachable, the inline interface section 18 can be easily removed, and the space generated after the inline interface section 18 is removed, That is, the maintenance area can be expanded to the portion where the inline interface unit was connected, and the exposure apparatus
2 makes the maintenance work easier.

Further, in the exposure apparatus according to the present embodiment, the exposure apparatus moves along the track Hr extending from the ceiling near the end of the exposure apparatus main body 12 on the C / D 16 side, and is housed in the reticle carrier 40. Since the delivery port 42 through which the reticle carrier 40 is carried in and out by the OHV 44 that transports the reticle is provided, the rear side of the exposure apparatus main body 12 provided with the laser device 14 and the associated illumination optical system IOP. A reticle transport system can be arranged on the front side opposite to the above, and the structure of the reticle transport system can be prevented from becoming complicated when an OHV is employed as the reticle transport system. In this case, the wafer loader system 76
The reticle transport system 64 can be arranged vertically above and below, and in this case, the reticle transport system can employ substantially the same configuration as the transport system of the conventional exposure apparatus.

In this embodiment, since the C / D 16 is used as the substrate processing apparatus, the lithography system 10 of the above embodiment performs a series of processes of resist application, exposure, and development performed in the lithography process. Efficient operation can be achieved in an environment in which dust and the like are almost certainly prevented from entering the apparatus. However, not limited to this,
The lithography system according to the present invention may be configured by connecting a coater (resist coating apparatus), a developer (developing apparatus), and the like as a substrate processing apparatus to the exposure apparatus body inline.

In the above embodiment, the case where an excimer laser device is used as the laser device has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, a YA that uses its harmonics as exposure light as a laser device is described.
A G laser device, a laser plasma device that irradiates a EUV light generating substance such as a copper tape with laser light to generate light in the soft X-ray region (EUV light) having a wavelength of about 5 to 15 nm, or a high-power laser excited by laser. An apparatus or the like can also be used.

In the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the case where the entire maintenance area WMA of the laser device 14 is common to the maintenance area on the rear side of the exposure apparatus main body 12 has been described. Not limited,
The exposure apparatus main body 12 and the laser device 14 are placed on the floor along the longitudinal direction of the exposure apparatus main body 12 so that at least a part of the maintenance area of the exposure apparatus main body 12 and at least a part of the 14 maintenance area of the laser apparatus are common. What is necessary is just to arrange them side by side. Also in this case, the required floor area can be reduced as compared with the case where the maintenance area of the laser device and the maintenance area of the exposure apparatus main body are separately provided.

Further, in the above embodiment, the laser device 14
Is arranged on the floor F at a predetermined distance from the exposure apparatus main body 14, and the two are optically connected by the beam matching unit BMU. However, the present invention is not limited to this. You may arrange | position in close proximity to the housing | casing (environmental chamber) of a main body. In such a case, for example, as shown in FIG.
May be arranged on the floor surface F in a state where the longitudinal direction thereof coincides with the longitudinal direction of the exposure apparatus main body 12. In FIG. 7, reference numeral WMA indicates a maintenance area common to the laser apparatus and the exposure apparatus main body.

In the exposure apparatus shown in FIG.
The path (optical path) of the light from the light source to the exposure apparatus main body 12 is shortened (therefore, the number of optical elements in the optical path is reduced),
The influence of the transmittance fluctuation can be reduced, and the purge range is shortened, so that the concentration control and maintenance become easy. In this case, the laser device 14 may be a krF excimer laser device or the like, but a device that emits laser light in a vacuum ultraviolet region, particularly an ArF excimer laser device having an oscillation wavelength of about 120 to 200 nm, for example, an oscillation wavelength of 193 nm. Or an F ₂ laser device having an oscillation wavelength of 157 nm is more desirable.

In the case of FIG. 7, the laser device 14 is arranged so that the longitudinal direction of the exposure apparatus main body 12 (the arrangement direction of the lithography system 10) coincides with the longitudinal direction. Laser tube to be enclosed,
That is, the laser resonator is arranged along the longitudinal direction, and a reflective optical element that bends the optical path as in the related art is not required.

The laser device 14 has a wavelength of 5-1.
A lithography system such as that shown in FIG. 7 can be configured using a laser plasma device that generates light (EUV light) in the soft X-ray region of about 5 nm, or a high-power laser device that is excited by a semiconductor laser. in this case,
Since the number of reflective optical elements on the optical path of the EUV light from the laser device 14 to the exposure apparatus main body is reduced, the energy of the EUV light can be prevented from lowering accordingly.

In the above embodiment, the exposure apparatus body 1
Although the case where 2 has a structure capable of performing maintenance from four directions of left, right, front and back has been described, the present invention is not limited to this. In other words, the exposure apparatus main body only needs to be a structure that can be maintained from at least both sides,
Even in such a case, by arranging the laser device in the area of the floor surface including the maintenance area on both sides thereof, it is possible to reduce the required floor area, and when arranging a plurality of units in a clean room, The space efficiency of the clean room can be improved. Also, the exposure apparatus main body 1
In the case where 2 has a structure capable of maintenance from only both sides, the exposure apparatus (exposure apparatus main body) and the C / D 16 may be connected without the intermediary of the inline interface unit 18. Alternatively, the exposure apparatus (the exposure apparatus body) and C /
When the D16 is connected via the inline interface unit, the inline interface unit 18, F
The OUP extension housing 20, the reticle port housing 22, and the like do not need to have a detachable structure.

In the above embodiment, a closed reticle carrier 40 having an openable / closable lid (door) 40B is used as a mask container, and a closed FOUP 24 having an openable / closable door 25 is used as a substrate container. However, if such a container is used, even if the cleanliness of the clean room is set to a class of about 100 to 1000, the container (reticle carrier and F
This is because dust and the like can be prevented from entering the OUP), and thereby the cost of the clean room can be reduced. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, when the lithography system is installed in a clean room having a degree of cleanness of about class 1, an open carrier such as an open carrier is used as a substrate container. The reticle carrier may not be a closed type.

The illumination optical system and the projection optical system composed of a plurality of lenses are incorporated in the main body of the exposure apparatus for optical adjustment, and a reticle stage and a wafer stage composed of a number of mechanical parts are mounted on the body of the exposure apparatus. The exposure apparatus according to the present embodiment can be manufactured by connecting wires and pipes and performing overall adjustment (electrical adjustment, operation confirmation, and the like). It is desirable that the manufacture of the exposure apparatus be performed in a clean room in which the temperature, cleanliness, and the like are controlled.

The exposure apparatus is not limited to an exposure apparatus for manufacturing semiconductors. For example, an exposure apparatus for a liquid crystal for exposing a liquid crystal display element pattern to a square glass plate, a thin film magnetic head, Devices (such as CCD),
Further, the present invention can be widely applied to an exposure apparatus for manufacturing a mask or a reticle.

The magnification of the projection optical system may be not only a reduction system but also any one of an equal magnification and an enlargement system. Further, as the projection optical system, when an excimer laser is used, quartz or fluorite is used as a glass material, and when an EUV light is used, a reflection type optical system is used, and a reticle of a reflection type may be used.

<< Device Manufacturing Method >> Next, an embodiment of a device manufacturing method using the above-described lithography system in a lithography process will be described.

FIG. 8 shows a flowchart of an example of manufacturing devices (semiconductor chips such as ICs and LSIs, liquid crystal panels, CCDs, thin-film magnetic heads, micromachines, and the like). As shown in FIG. 8, first, step 201
In the (design step), a function / performance design of the device (for example, a circuit design of a semiconductor device) is performed, and a pattern design for realizing the function is performed. Continued
In step 202 (mask manufacturing step), a mask on which the designed circuit pattern is formed is manufactured. on the other hand,
In step 203 (wafer manufacturing step), a wafer is manufactured using a material such as silicon.

Next, in step 204 (wafer processing step), using the mask and the wafer prepared in steps 201 to 203, an actual circuit or the like is formed on the wafer by lithography or the like, as described later. . Next, in step 205 (device assembly step), device assembly is performed using the wafer processed in step 204. Step 205 includes processes such as a dicing process, a bonding process, and a packaging process (chip encapsulation) as necessary.

Finally, step 206 (inspection step)
In step, inspections such as an operation confirmation test and a durability test of the device manufactured in step 205 are performed. After these steps, the device is completed and shipped.

FIG. 9 shows a detailed flow example of step 204 in the case of a semiconductor device. 9, in step 211 (oxidation step), the surface of the wafer is oxidized. Step 212
In the (CVD step), an insulating film is formed on the wafer surface. In step 213 (electrode formation step), electrodes are formed on the wafer by vapor deposition. Step 2
At 14 (ion implantation step), ions are implanted into the wafer. Steps 211 to 214 described above
Each of them constitutes a pre-processing step in each stage of wafer processing, and is selected and executed according to a necessary process in each stage.

At each stage of the wafer process, when the above-described pre-processing step is completed, a post-processing step is executed as follows. In this post-processing step, first, in step 2
In 15 (resist forming step), a photosensitive agent is applied to the wafer. Subsequently, in step 216 (exposure step), the circuit pattern of the mask is transferred onto the wafer by the lithography system (exposure apparatus) described above. Next, in step 217 (development step), the exposed wafer is developed, and in step 218 (etching step), the exposed members other than the portion where the resist remains are removed by etching. Then, in step 219 (resist removing step), unnecessary resist after etching is removed.

By repeating these pre-processing and post-processing steps, multiple circuit patterns are formed on the wafer.

When the above-described device manufacturing method of the present embodiment is used, the lithography system 10 is used in the exposure step (step 216). Therefore, in particular, an ArF excimer laser device and an F ₂ laser device are used as the laser device.
When an excimer laser device or the like is used, highly integrated devices can be produced with high yield.

[0144]

As described above, the exposure apparatus according to each of the first to fourteenth aspects has the effect that the required floor area can be reduced.

According to the exposure apparatus of the present invention, in addition to the above-mentioned effects, a ceiling transport system such as an OHV is employed as a transport system on the mask side from the outside to the exposure apparatus. Even so, there is an effect that the structure of the mask transport system in the exposure apparatus can be prevented from becoming complicated.

Further, according to the lithography systems according to the seventeenth and eighteenth aspects of the present invention, the space efficiency can be improved when a plurality of units are installed in a clean room by reducing the required floor area. is there.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a lithography system according to an embodiment including an exposure apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a clean room in which the lithography system of FIG. 1 is installed.

FIG. 3 is a right side view of the lithography system of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4A is a transverse sectional view showing a reticle port housing, and FIG. 4B is a longitudinal sectional view showing a reticle port housing.

5 (A) is a longitudinal sectional view showing a structure of a reticle carrier, and FIG. 5 (B) is a view showing a state where a lid of the reticle carrier of FIG. 5 (A) is removed.

FIG. 6 is a partially omitted horizontal cross-sectional view showing an exposure apparatus main body and a FOUP extension housing connected thereto.

FIG. 7 is a plan view showing a modification.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating an embodiment of a method for manufacturing a device according to the present invention.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a process in step 204 of FIG. 8;

FIG. 10 is a plan view showing a conventional pre-in-line lithography system.

11 is a diagram showing a layout of a clean room in which a plurality of lithography systems of FIG. 10 are arranged.

FIG. 12 is a plan view showing a conventional pre-in-line lithography system.

13 is a diagram showing a layout of a clean room in which the lithography system of FIG. 12 is arranged in a plurality of units.

[Explanation of symbols]

Reference Signs List 10: lithography system, 12: exposure apparatus main body (part of exposure apparatus), 14: excimer laser apparatus (laser apparatus, part of exposure apparatus), 16: C / D (substrate processing apparatus), 18: in-line interface Section, 40: reticle carrier (mask container), 40B: lid (door), 42: delivery port, 44: OHV (ceiling transport system), F: floor surface, BMU: beam matching unit (routing optical system, exposure device Part), Hr: second guide rail (track).

Claims (19)

[Claims] 1. An exposure apparatus using a laser apparatus as a light source, wherein the laser apparatus is arranged in a floor area having a width including maintenance areas on both sides of an exposure apparatus main body constituting the exposure apparatus. Exposure equipment characterized. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the maintenance area of the exposure apparatus main body and the maintenance area of the laser apparatus are both disposed on the floor surface so that at least a part thereof is common. Exposure apparatus according to the above. 3. An exposure apparatus using a laser apparatus as a light source, wherein the maintenance area of an exposure apparatus body constituting the exposure apparatus and the maintenance area of the laser apparatus are at least partially common. An exposure apparatus, wherein an exposure apparatus main body and the laser device are arranged side by side on a floor along a longitudinal direction of the exposure apparatus main body. 4. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the laser device is an excimer laser device. 5. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a housing of the laser device is directly connected to a housing of the exposure apparatus main body. 6. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the laser device is connected to the exposure apparatus main body via a drawing optical system. 7. The exposure apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the routing optical system is disposed below the floor on which the exposure apparatus main body is installed. 8. The laser device according to claim 1, wherein the laser device is a vacuum ultraviolet region or a soft X
The exposure apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the exposure apparatus is an apparatus that emits laser light in a line region. 9. The laser device according to claim 5, wherein the laser device is disposed on a floor surface in a state where its longitudinal direction coincides with the longitudinal direction of the exposure apparatus main body. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1. 10. The laser device has an oscillation wavelength of 193n.
m ArF excimer laser device, an exposure device according to claim 9, characterized in that either F ₂ laser device and a laser plasma device. 11. An exposure apparatus using a laser apparatus as a light source and connected in-line with a substrate processing apparatus, the floor area having a width including maintenance areas on both sides of an exposure apparatus main body constituting the exposure apparatus. An exposure apparatus, wherein the substrate processing apparatus is connectable to a side of the exposure apparatus main body opposite to the laser apparatus. 12. The exposure apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the substrate processing apparatus is connectable to the exposure apparatus main body via an in-line interface unit. 13. The exposure apparatus according to claim 12, wherein both the maintenance area of the exposure apparatus main body and the maintenance area of the laser device are arranged on the floor so as to be common. 14. The exposure apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the in-line interface unit is detachable. 15. A mask that is moved along a track extending from a ceiling near an end of the exposure apparatus main body to which the substrate processing apparatus is connected, and conveys a mask stored in a mask container. The exposure apparatus according to any one of claims 11 to 13, wherein a delivery port through which the mask container is carried in and out by a ceiling transport system is arranged. 16. The exposure apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the mask container is a closed container provided with a door that can be opened and closed. 17. An exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the exposure apparatus is arranged on a side of the exposure apparatus main body that is opposite to the laser apparatus, and is inline with the exposure apparatus main body. And a substrate processing apparatus connected to the lithography system. 18. The lithography system according to claim 17, wherein the substrate processing apparatus is a coater / developer. 19. A device manufactured using the lithography system according to claim 17. Description: