JP2002031896A - Exposure device and exposure method as well as method for manufacturing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an exposure device and exposure method capable of rectilinearly forming individual devices during the course of a manufacturing process step and eventually assuring a high manufacturing yield as well as a method for manufacturing the device. SOLUTION: The exposure device and exposure method for transferring the images of the patterns of a reticle 2 formed in prescribed arraying directions αand β through a projection optical system to plural shot regions SA set on a substrate W consist in performing exposure by calculating the relative rotating quantity of the arraying directions α and β of the patterns with respect to the x-y orthogonal coordinate system preset in the shot regions SA, relatively rotating the reticle R or the substrate W in accordance with the calculated rotating quantity and minimizing the rotating quantity of the arraying directions αand β of the patterns with respect to the x-y orthogonal coordinate system.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an exposure apparatus, an exposure method, and a device manufacturing method, and more particularly to an exposure apparatus, an exposure method, and a device manufacturing method suitable for use in an exposure step in manufacturing a thin film magnetic head. About.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, thin-film magnetic heads, semiconductor elements,
Alternatively, when manufacturing a device such as a liquid crystal display element, a photosensitive agent such as a photoresist is applied on a substrate, and an image of a pattern formed on a mask or a reticle (hereinafter, collectively referred to as a reticle) is projected through a projection optical system. And an exposure step of performing an exposure process using an exposure device that repeatedly transfers the image onto a substrate. In recent years, as a projection exposure apparatus used in this exposure process, a substrate is placed on a two-dimensionally movable stage, and the substrate is stepped by this stage to form a pattern formed on a reticle. A so-called step-and-repeat type exposure apparatus that repeats an operation of sequentially exposing an image to each shot area on a substrate,
For example, a reduction projection type exposure apparatus (stepper) is frequently used.

[0003] The above-mentioned steppers are often used for manufacturing semiconductor elements, but in recent years, they are also often used for manufacturing thin-film magnetic heads. Here, an example of the configuration of a thin-film magnetic head manufactured through the above-described exposure process will be outlined. FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing one configuration example of the thin-film magnetic head. Thin-film magnetic head 1 shown in FIG.
Reference numeral 00 denotes, for example, formed on the upper surface of a substrate W made of ceramics or the like. On the upper surface of the substrate W, a read head 101 and a lower shield layer 102 with the read head 101 sandwiched on the substrate W are formed. An upper shield layer 103 is formed on the upper surfaces of the read head 101 and the lower shield layer 102. Further, the upper shield layer 10
The recording core 104 is formed on the upper surface of the recording medium 3. The recording core 104 and the read head 101 are connected to the upper shield layer 1
03 is magnetically insulated.

The recording core 104 comprises a magnetically permeable portion 104a having a property of transmitting the magnetism generated by the coil 105, and a head portion 104b provided at the tip of the magnetically permeable portion 104a. The height h1 of the head portion 104b is, for example, about 4 to 5 μm.
m. When attaching the thin-film magnetic head shown in FIG. 11 to a storage device such as a hard disk, the head unit 104b is arranged close to a medium such as a magnetic disk. Therefore, the magnetic lines of force generated by the current flowing through the coil 105 are transmitted to the head 1 via the magnetically permeable portion 104a.
The information is guided to the head 104b, and finally, a part of the magnetic pole of the medium close to the head 104b is changed, and predetermined information is stored. Similarly, since the read head 101 is also arranged close to the medium, the signals recorded on the medium are sequentially read by the relative movement of the read head 101 and the medium.

FIG. 12 is a top view of the substrate W on which the thin-film magnetic head shown in FIG. 11 is formed. Note that FIG. 12 is simplified for easy understanding. As shown in FIG. 12, on the substrate W, a plurality of shot areas SA1, SA2,..., And SAn (n is a natural number of 2 or more) in which a number of the thin film magnetic heads shown in FIG. . The outer shape of the thin-film magnetic head shown in FIG. 11 has a length in the y-axis direction including the recording core 104 and the coil 105 of about 1 mm and a width in the x-axis direction of about 0.5.
The thin film magnetic heads 100 shown in FIG. 11 are arranged in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction as shown in FIG. 13 in units of several hundreds in each of the shot areas SA1 to SAn. Have been. FIG. 13 shows the shot area SA.
It is an enlarged view of 1-SA3. In FIG. 13, FIG.
1 schematically shows the recording core 104 and the coil 105.

The thin-film magnetic heads 100 formed in the shot areas SA1 to SAn are finally cut individually using a dicer or the like. FIG. 14 shows a line L shown in FIG.
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a state where the substrate W is cut along the L1 and separated in the y-axis direction. Generally, the dicer cuts the substrate W in a straight line, and therefore cannot be separated into individual thin-film magnetic heads 100 at a time. Therefore, first, the substrate W is cut along a cutting line parallel to the x-axis direction such as the lines L1 and L2 in FIG. 13 to form the substrate W into a strip shape as shown in FIG. When the substrate W is cut into strips, only one thin-film magnetic head 100 is included in the y-axis direction, and the thin-film magnetic heads 100 are arranged only in the x-axis direction. Next, the strip-shaped substrate W
Is cut along the y-axis direction to be separated into individual thin-film magnetic heads 100. After the thin film magnetic heads are formed in the shot areas SA1 to SAn of the substrate W through the exposure process in this manner, the individual thin film magnetic heads 100 are formed by cutting the substrate W.

[0007]

When the substrate W is cut and separated into individual thin-film magnetic heads 100 using a dicer, the substrate W is cut linearly. . As shown in FIG. 13, the shot area SA1
If the thin-film magnetic heads 100 formed in .about.SAn are formed at equal intervals in the x-axis direction and the y-axis direction, the recording core 104 from the cut surface 106 even when cut by the dicer as shown in FIG. Is constant, and the distance from the cut portion to the coil 105 is constant (straight). Similarly, if the thin-film magnetic heads 100 are formed so as to be arranged at equal intervals in the y-axis direction, the substrate W may be cut along the y-axis direction and separated into individual thin-film magnetic heads 100. The thin-film magnetic head 100 is arranged at a constant distance from the cut portions on both sides.

However, in practice, the thin-film magnetic heads 100 are not arranged at equal intervals in the x-axis direction and the y-axis direction as shown in FIG. 13 due to manufacturing errors of the reticle, distortion of the projection optical system, and the like. Each thin film magnetic head 100 may be formed in a state where a position error in the x-axis direction or a position error in the y-axis direction has occurred. In such a case, conventionally, the exposure step is repeated without considering this position error at all, or the reticle and the substrate W are moved so that the position error in the x-axis direction and the position error in the y-axis direction of the thin-film magnetic head become equal. Exposure processing was performed by changing the relative positional relationship between

FIG. 15 is an enlarged view of the shot areas SA1 to SA3 when the thin-film magnetic head 100 is formed in a state where a position error in the x-axis direction or a position error in the y-axis direction has occurred. In FIG. 15, for easy understanding,
The displacement in the x-axis direction and the displacement in the y-axis direction are exaggeratedly illustrated. When the thin-film magnetic head 100 is formed in a state where the position shift occurs, when the substrate W is cut along the lines L1 and L2 in FIG. 15, the thin-film magnetic head 100 is straightened as shown in FIG. do not become. FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating a state where the substrate W is cut along the lines L1 and L2 and separated in the y-axis direction when the thin-film magnetic head 100 is formed in a state where there is a displacement. As shown in FIG. 16, when the substrate W is cut along the lines L1 and L2 shown in FIG. 15 by the dicer, the length of the recording core 104 from the cut surface 106 is not constant, and the recording core 104 is formed straight. Not done.

Here, the magnetic characteristics such as the write characteristics and the read characteristics of the thin-film magnetic head 100 change greatly as the length of the recording core 104 changes. Therefore, in order to manufacture the thin-film magnetic head 100 of a certain quality, the cut surface 1
When the substrate W is cut into strips while keeping the length of the recording core 104 from 06 constant, the thin-film magnetic head 100 needs to be formed straight. If the length of the recording core 104 is not constant as shown in FIG. 16 when the substrate W is cut, the thin-film magnetic head 100 does not exhibit the expected performance, and the yield is reduced in the subsequent process. Occurs. Here, the problem in the case of manufacturing a thin-film magnetic head has been described as an example, but it is important in the process that this problem is arranged at equal intervals in the x-axis direction and the y-axis direction and formed straight. This can be said about general devices.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and allows an individual device to be formed straight in the middle of a manufacturing process, and as a result, an exposure apparatus capable of securing a high manufacturing yield. And an exposure method and a device manufacturing method.

[0012]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, an exposure apparatus according to a first aspect of the present invention provides a pattern (P1) of a mask (R) formed in a predetermined arrangement direction (α, β). ) Is projected onto the substrate (W) via the projection optical system (PL).
An exposure apparatus for transferring images to a plurality of divided areas (SA1 to SAn) set above, comprising:
a rotation amount calculating means (15) for calculating a relative rotation amount in the arrangement direction (α, β) of the pattern (P1) with respect to an orthogonal coordinate system (x, y) preset in n); The mask (R) or the substrate (W) is relatively rotated based on the rotation amount calculated by the calculation means (15), and the rotation amount with respect to the rectangular coordinate system (x, y) is minimized. And a rotation amount control means (15). According to the present invention, the rotation amount between the orthogonal coordinate system set in the divided area of the substrate and the arrangement direction of the pattern formed on the mask is calculated, and the substrate and the mask are relatively moved based on the calculated rotation amount. To minimize the amount of rotation. Therefore, even when the amount of rotation occurs between the arrangement direction of the pattern of the mask and the orthogonal coordinate system set in the partitioned area of the substrate, the amount of rotation can be minimized. It can be formed inside the shot area with straightness. An exposure apparatus according to a second aspect of the present invention is the exposure apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the pattern (P1) has two directions (α, β) orthogonal to each other in the plane of the mask (R).
It is characterized by being arranged in. An exposure apparatus according to a third aspect of the present invention is the exposure apparatus according to the second aspect, wherein the rotation amount control means (15)
It is characterized in that the amount of rotation in one of the directions (α, β) is minimized. An exposure apparatus according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the exposure apparatus according to the first aspect, wherein the rotation amount calculating means (15) is a measuring apparatus (7, 32) for measuring a manufacturing error of the mask (R). ), And the rotation amount is calculated based on the measurement result of the measuring device (7, 32). According to the present invention, the manufacturing error of the mask is measured by the measuring device, and the amount of rotation between the arrangement direction of the pattern of the mask and the rectangular coordinate system set in the partitioned area of the substrate is calculated based on the measurement result. ing.
Therefore, for example, even when the mask pattern itself is formed with a certain amount of rotation, it is possible to minimize the amount of rotation with respect to the rectangular coordinate system set in the partitioned area of the substrate based on the calculated amount of rotation. As a result, the device can be formed inside the shot region with high straightness. An exposure apparatus according to a fifth aspect of the present invention includes:
In the exposure apparatus according to a fourth aspect, the rotation amount calculation means (15) calculates the rotation amount based on a manufacturing error of the mask (R) and a projection error of the projection optical system (PL). And According to the present invention, the amount of rotation between the arrangement direction of the pattern of the mask and the orthogonal coordinate system set in the partitioned area of the substrate is calculated, including the manufacturing error of the mask and the projection error of the projection optical system, Since the amount of rotation between the image of the actual pattern actually projected on the substrate and the rectangular coordinate system set in the partitioned area of the substrate can be obtained, the device is formed inside the shot area with high straightness be able to. An exposure apparatus according to a sixth aspect of the present invention is the exposure apparatus according to the first aspect,
The rotation amount calculating means (15) projects the pattern (P1) of the mask (R) onto a substrate (W), measures the pattern (P1) formed on the substrate (W), and measures the rotation. It is characterized in that the amount is calculated. According to the present invention, the image of the pattern formed on the mask is actually transferred onto the substrate, and the amount of rotation between the arrangement direction of the pattern of the mask and the rectangular coordinate system set in the partitioned area of the substrate is calculated. Therefore, errors caused by factors other than the manufacturing error of the mask and the projection error of the projection optical system, such as the error of the stage on which the substrate is placed, include the actual image of the pattern actually projected on the substrate. Since the amount of rotation between the object and the rectangular coordinate system set in the partitioned area of the substrate can be obtained, the device can be formed inside the shot area with higher straightness. In the exposure method according to the first aspect of the present invention, an image of a pattern (P1) of a mask (R) formed in a predetermined arrangement direction (α, β) is formed on a substrate (W) via a projection optical system (PL). The plurality of divided areas set above (SA1 to SA
n), the exposure method for transferring to the divided area (SA)
1 to SAn), a relative rotation amount in the arrangement direction (α, β) of the pattern (P1) with respect to the orthogonal coordinate system (x, y) preset in advance is calculated, and based on the calculated rotation amount. The mask (R) or the substrate (W) is relatively rotated to adjust the amount of rotation with respect to the rectangular coordinate system (x, y), and an image of the pattern (P1) of the mask (R) is formed. The image is transferred onto the substrate (W) via a projection optical system (PL). Further, in the exposure method according to the second aspect of the present invention, in the exposure method according to the first aspect, the adjustment of the amount of rotation is performed in the arrangement direction (α) of the pattern (P1) with respect to the orthogonal coordinate system (x, y). , Β) is minimized. According to these inventions, similarly to the exposure apparatus according to the first aspect, the amount of rotation between the orthogonal coordinate system set in the divided area of the substrate and the arrangement direction of the pattern formed on the mask is calculated and calculated. The substrate and the mask are rotated relative to each other based on the amount of rotation to minimize the amount of rotation. Therefore, even when the amount of rotation occurs between the arrangement direction of the pattern of the mask and the orthogonal coordinate system set in the partitioned area of the substrate, the amount of rotation can be minimized. It can be formed inside the shot area with straightness. In the device manufacturing method of the present invention, the substrate (W) exposed by the exposure method according to the first aspect or the exposure method according to the second aspect is moved along one coordinate axis of the orthogonal coordinate system (x, y). It is characterized by having a cutting step. According to the present invention, a substrate on which a device is formed in a state in which the amount of rotation between the arrangement direction of the mask pattern and the orthogonal coordinate system set in the divided region of the substrate by the exposure apparatus described above is minimized. On the other hand, since the substrate is cut along one coordinate axis of the rectangular coordinate system, the distance of each device from the cut portion is almost constant, so that a device having a high straightness can be manufactured. Can be manufactured with a high manufacturing yield.

[0013]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, an exposure apparatus, an exposure method, and a device manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an exposure apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. In the following description, the XYZ rectangular coordinate system shown in FIG. 1 is set, and the positional relationship of each member will be described with reference to the XYZ rectangular coordinate system. In the XYZ orthogonal coordinate system, the X axis and the Z axis are set to be parallel to the paper surface, and the Y axis is set to a direction perpendicular to the paper surface. In the XYZ coordinate system in the figure, the XY plane is actually set to a plane parallel to the horizontal plane, and the Z axis is set vertically upward.

In FIG. 1, when the exposure light EL is emitted from an illumination optical system (not shown), the exposure light EL irradiates the pattern area PA formed on the reticle R via the condenser lens 1 with a uniform illuminance distribution. I do. The above exposure light EL
For example, g-line (436 nm) and i-line (365n)
m) or KrF excimer laser (248 nm), Ar
Light emitted from an F excimer laser (193 nm) or an F ₂ excimer laser (193 nm) is used.

The reticle R can be finely moved by the motor 2 in the direction of the optical axis AX of the projection optical system PL.
The reticle stage 3 is mounted on a reticle stage 3 capable of two-dimensional movement and minute rotation in a plane perpendicular to X. Reticle stage 3
A movable mirror 5 for reflecting the laser beam from the laser interferometer 4 is fixed to an end of the reticle stage 3.
The dimensional position is, for example, 0.0
It is always detected with a resolution of about 1 μm. Reticle R
Reticle alignment systems 6A and 6B are arranged above the. These reticle alignment systems 6A, 6
B is for detecting two cross-shaped alignment marks formed near the outer periphery of the reticle R. By finely moving reticle stage 3 based on the measurement signals from reticle alignment systems 6A and 6B, reticle R is positioned such that the center point of pattern area PA coincides with optical axis AX of projection optical system PL.

The exposure light EL transmitted through the pattern area PA of the reticle R is incident on, for example, both sides (or one side) of a telecentric projection lens PL and is projected on each shot area on the substrate W. Here, the projection lens PL
Is corrected for aberration with respect to the wavelength of the exposure light EL, and the reticle R and the substrate W are conjugated to each other under the wavelength. The illumination light EL is Keller illumination, and is formed as a light source image at the center of a pupil (not shown) of the projection lens PL. Note that the projection lens PL has an optical element such as a plurality of lenses, and the glass material of the optical element is selected from optical materials such as quartz and fluorite according to the wavelength of the exposure light EL.

The substrate W is placed on a substrate stage 9 via a substrate holder 8. On the substrate holder 8, a reference member 10 used for baseline measurement or the like is provided. The substrate stage 9 is an XY stage for positioning the substrate W two-dimensionally in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis AX of the projection lens PL, and a direction parallel to the optical axis AX of the projection lens PL (Z direction).
Stage for positioning the substrate W at a predetermined angle, a stage for slightly rotating the substrate W, and changing the angle with respect to the Z axis to X
It comprises a stage for adjusting the inclination of the substrate W with respect to the Y plane.

At one end of the upper surface of the substrate stage 9, a photoelectric sensor for measuring a spatial image of a pattern image formed in the pattern area PA of the reticle R projected on the upper surface of the substrate stage 9 via the projection optical system PL. 7 are provided.
The detection result of the photoelectric sensor 7 is output to a main control system 15 described later. The main control system 15 measures a manufacturing error of the reticle R and a projection error of the projection optical system PL based on the detection result of the photoelectric sensor 7.

An L-shaped moving mirror 11 is attached to one end of the upper surface of the substrate stage 9, and a laser interferometer 12 is arranged at a position facing the mirror surface of the moving mirror 11.
Although shown in a simplified manner in FIG. 1, the movable mirror 11 includes a plane mirror having a reflection surface perpendicular to the X axis and a plane mirror having a reflection surface perpendicular to the Y axis. The laser interferometer 12 has two X-axis laser interferometers for irradiating the movable mirror 11 with a laser beam along the X-axis and a Y-axis for irradiating the movable mirror 11 with a laser beam along the Y-axis. The X coordinate and the Y coordinate of the substrate stage 9 are measured by one laser interferometer for the X axis and one laser interferometer for the Y axis. The rotation angle of the substrate stage 9 in the XY plane is measured based on the difference between the measurement values of the two laser interferometers for the X axis.

The two-dimensional coordinates of the substrate stage 9 are always detected by the laser interferometer 12 at a resolution of, for example, about 0.01 μm, and the coordinates in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction are used in the stage coordinate system of the substrate stage 9. (Static coordinate system)
(X, Y) is determined. That is, the coordinate value of the substrate stage 9 measured by the laser interferometer 12 is a coordinate value on the stage coordinate system (X, Y). The position measurement signal PDS indicating the X coordinate, the Y coordinate, and the rotation angle measured by the laser interferometer 12 is output to the main control system 15. Main control system 1
5 outputs a control signal for controlling the position of the substrate stage 9 to the motor 13 while monitoring the supplied position measurement signal PDS. The main control system 15 controls whether or not to emit exposure light from a light source (not shown), the intensity of the exposure light when the exposure light is emitted, and the condenser lens 1 and the projection optical system P.
The exposure light passing through L is controlled. The operation of the main control system 15 will be described later in detail.

Here, the substrate W mounted on the substrate holder 8 will be described. FIG. 2 is a top view illustrating an example of the substrate W. As shown in FIG. 2, a plurality of shot areas SA1 to SAn are set on the substrate W. In FIG. 2, two axes of the XY rectangular coordinate system and the xy rectangular coordinate system are used.
Although two orthogonal coordinate systems are shown, the XY coordinate system is the same coordinate system as the XYZ coordinate system shown in FIG. On the other hand, the xy coordinate system is a coordinate system set on the substrate W. Therefore, when the substrate W is rotating in the XY coordinate system, x
The y coordinate system is rotated with respect to the XY coordinate system. The shot areas SA1 to SAn are arranged at regular intervals in the xy coordinate system.

Each shot area S set on the substrate W
An alignment mark Mx for position measurement in the x-axis direction and an alignment mark My for position measurement in the y-axis direction are formed corresponding to A1 to SAn. FIG. 2 illustrates an example in which the alignment mark Mx for position measurement in the x-axis direction and the alignment mark My for position measurement in the y-axis direction are formed separately. Forming these alignment marks Mx and My in one place is preferable from the viewpoint of improving the throughput because the measurement time can be shortened.

The pattern formed in the pattern area PA of the reticle R described above corresponds to each shot area SA.
Within 1 to SAn, patterns for forming a thin-film magnetic head are formed at equal intervals on the x-axis and the y-axis. Therefore, when there is no manufacturing error in the pattern formed on the reticle R, the projection optical system PL has a characteristic that does not cause distortion or the like, and when the alignment between the reticle R and the substrate W is ideally performed, Each shot area SA
1 to SAn, the x-axis and y
The shafts are arranged at equal intervals, and are formed straight.

Referring back to FIG. 1, the exposure apparatus according to the present embodiment includes an imaging characteristic correction unit 14 that can adjust the imaging characteristics of the projection optical system PL.
Is provided. The imaging characteristic correction unit 14 adjusts the lens group included in the projection optical system PL to change the imaging characteristic. The distortion and other characteristics of the projection optical system PL are stored in advance, and the projection optical system PL is stored in the projection optical system PL. An optical characteristic such as distortion that changes when the image forming characteristic of the PL is corrected is output to the main control system 15. Therefore, the main control system 15 can always grasp the imaging characteristics such as the projection magnification and distortion of the projection optical system PL.

The exposure apparatus according to the present embodiment includes an alignment optical system of an off-axis type (hereinafter, referred to as an alignment sensor) on the side of the projection optical system PL. This alignment sensor measures the position information of the substrate W by measuring the alignment marks Mx and My formed on the substrate W.
Alignment) type alignment sensor. The alignment sensor includes a halogen lamp 16 for emitting irradiation light for illuminating the substrate W, a condenser lens 17 for condensing the illumination light emitted from the halogen lamp 16 at one end of an optical fiber 18, and a waveguide for the illumination light. An optical fiber 18 is provided. Here, the reason that the halogen lamp 16 is used as a light source of the illumination light is that the wavelength range of the illumination light emitted from the halogen lamp 16 is 500 to 800 nm, and the wavelength range in which the photoresist applied to the upper surface of the substrate W is not exposed. This is because the wavelength band is wide and the influence of the wavelength characteristic of the reflectance on the surface of the substrate W can be reduced.

The illumination light emitted from the optical fiber 18 passes through a filter 19 for cutting the photosensitive wavelength (short wavelength) region and the infrared wavelength region of the photoresist applied on the substrate W, and passes through the lens system 20. Through the half mirror 21 Here, the illumination light reflected by the half mirror 21 is reflected by the mirror 22 almost in parallel with the X-axis direction, and then enters the objective lens 23, and further around the lower part of the barrel of the projection lens PL. The light is reflected by a prism (mirror) 24 fixed so as not to shield the field of view, and irradiates the substrate W vertically.

Although not shown in FIG. 1, in the optical path from the exit end of the optical fiber 18 to the objective lens 23, an appropriate illumination field stop is located at a position conjugate with the substrate W with respect to the objective lens 23. Is provided. The objective lens 23 is set to a telecentric system, and an image of the exit end of the optical fiber 18 is formed on the surface 23a of the aperture stop (same as the pupil), and Koehler illumination is performed. The optical axis of the objective lens 23 is determined to be vertical on the substrate W, so that the alignment of the optical axis does not cause a displacement of the mark position when the alignment mark is detected.

The reflected light from the substrate W passes through the prism 24, the objective lens 23, the mirror 22, and the half mirror 21 and is imaged on the index plate 26 by the lens system 25.
The index plate 26 is arranged conjugate with the substrate W by the objective lens 23 and the lens system 25, and has linear index marks extending in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction in a rectangular transparent window. Accordingly, the image of the mark of the substrate W is formed in the transparent window of the index plate 36, and the image of the mark of the substrate W and the index mark are transmitted to the image sensor 30 via the relay systems 27 and 29 and the mirror 28. Form an image.

Next, TT is provided on the upper side of the projection optical system PL.
L (through the lens) type alignment sensor 3
1 is also arranged, and the light for position detection from the alignment sensor 31 is guided to the projection optical system PL via the mirrors M1 and M2. The light for position detection is irradiated onto a mark on the substrate W via the projection optical system PL, and reflected light from the mark is reflected by the projection optical system PL, the mirror M2, and the mirror M1.
Is returned to the alignment sensor 31 via The alignment sensor 31 obtains the position of the mark on the substrate W from the signal obtained by photoelectrically converting the returned reflected light. As described above, the exposure apparatus of this embodiment measures the position information of the reticle R and the substrate W by the reticle alignment systems 6A and 6B, and combines the alignment sensor 31 and the above-described FIA type alignment sensor to combine the position information of the substrate W. Is measured. The reason for providing the plurality of alignment sensors and combining them to measure the position information of the substrate W is to keep the measurement accuracy of the alignment mark high even when the surface state of the substrate W changes.

The exposure apparatus of this embodiment includes a manufacturing error measuring device 32 for measuring a manufacturing error of the reticle R and a pattern manufacturing error measuring device for measuring a pattern forming error of a substrate W on which a pattern is formed by performing an exposure process. A device 33 is provided, and these measurement results are input to the main control system 15. As described above, one end of the upper surface of the substrate stage 9 is used to measure the spatial image of the image of the pattern formed on the pattern area PA of the reticle R projected on the upper surface of the reticle R via the projection optical system PL. Photoelectric sensor 7
Is provided, it is possible to measure the manufacturing error of the reticle R and the projection error of the projection optical system PL based on the detection result of the photoelectric sensor 7, but by providing the manufacturing error measuring device 32, only the manufacturing error of the reticle R can be measured. Can be measured. Further, by measuring the error of the pattern formed by actually performing the exposure processing by the pattern manufacturing error measuring device 33, the manufacturing error of the reticle R and the projection optical system P are measured.
Since errors due to factors other than the projection error of L, for example, manufacturing errors including errors of the stage on which the substrate is placed can be taken into account, the positioning error between the reticle R and the substrate W can be accurately measured. It is suitable for.

Here, the relationship between the arrangement direction of the patterns formed in the pattern area PA of the reticle R and the xy orthogonal coordinate system set on the substrate W will be described. FIG.
FIG. 4 is a perspective view illustrating a relationship between an arrangement direction of patterns formed in a pattern area PA of a reticle R and an xy orthogonal coordinate system set on a substrate W. In FIG. 3, only the reticle R and the substrate W are shown in a simplified form for easy understanding, and the pattern area PA of the reticle R is formed in a rectangular shape. Is assumed to be transferred to the shot area SA set to. Now, there is no manufacturing error of the reticle R,
Assume that it was ideally manufactured as shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a top view showing an example of a reticle R ideally manufactured. As shown in FIG. 4, in an example of a reticle R that is ideally manufactured, four sides e1 to e4 forming the outer periphery of the pattern area PA are formed at an angle of exactly 90 degrees with each other. These four sides e1 to e
The longitudinal direction of 4 is d1, d2 as shown in FIG.
Further, the pattern (rectangular shape in the example shown in FIG. 4) P1 formed inside the pattern area PA is formed in a lattice shape at regular intervals, and the two arrangement directions α and β of the pattern P1 are the directions d1 and d1. The direction is parallel to the direction d2.
In FIG. 4, the pattern P is used for simplification of the drawing.
The number of 1 is reduced in the drawing. Therefore, when the ideally manufactured reticle R shown in FIG. 4 is used, assuming that there is no projection error in the projection optical system PL and errors due to other factors are also zero, as shown in FIG. If the shot PA and the shot area SA are accurately aligned, the arrangement directions α and β of the pattern P1 formed on the reticle R coincide with the xy orthogonal coordinate system set on the substrate W in the same plane. Will do.

However, as shown in FIG. 5, if there is a manufacturing error in the reticle R, the arrangement directions α and β of the pattern P1 change. FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining changes in the arrangement directions α and β of the pattern P1 due to a manufacturing error of the reticle R. In FIG. 5, as in FIG. 4, the number of the patterns P1 is reduced and illustrated, and the manufacturing error is exaggerated. In FIG. 5, for the sake of easy understanding, it is assumed that portions other than the pattern P1, for example, four sides e1 to e4 that form the outer periphery of the pattern area PA are ideally formed at an angle of exactly 90 degrees to each other. , Directions d1 and d2 are the same as the directions shown in FIG.

FIG. 5 shows an example in which the pattern P1 formed inside the pattern area PA is formed with a predetermined rotation angle and an arbitrary position error with respect to the pattern P1 shown in FIG. Explain. Since the pattern P1 is formed with an arbitrary position error, the intervals between the patterns P1 are not uniform as shown in FIG. 4, and it is difficult to uniquely determine the arrangement directions α and β of the pattern P1. Therefore, the position (for example, the center position) of each pattern P1 is measured using the photoelectric sensor 7 or the manufacturing error measuring device 32, and an approximate straight line is obtained from the measurement result using an approximation method such as least squares approximation. In the array direction α,
β.

In the example shown in FIG. 5, both the arrangement directions α and β of the pattern P1 have a rotation amount with respect to the directions d1 and d2. Although FIG. 5 illustrates the case where the pattern P1 formed in the pattern area PA is manufactured with a certain rotation amount, the same method as described above is used even when the entire reticle R is manufactured with a manufacturing error. Thus, the arrangement directions α and β of the pattern P1 are determined. In FIG. 5,
Although the case where the arrangement direction α and the arrangement direction β are orthogonal has been described as an example, they are not necessarily orthogonal.

When the reticle R has a manufacturing error as shown in FIG. 5, or when the projection optical system PL has an image forming error such as distortion, the alignment between the shot PA and the shot area SA is accurately performed. However, the image of the pattern P1 transferred in the shot area SA is rotated with respect to the xy orthogonal coordinate system. Therefore, in this embodiment, in order to correct an error such as a rotation error, the main control system 15 rotates the array directions α and β of the pattern P1 formed on the reticle R and the xy orthogonal coordinate system set on the substrate W. The angle is measured, and the reticle R or the substrate W is rotated so that the amount of rotation is minimized. It is most preferable that the rotation angle of the arrangement direction α with respect to the xy rectangular coordinate system and the rotation angle of the arrangement direction β with respect to the xy rectangular coordinate system are both minimized. However, for example, when the arrangement direction α and the arrangement direction β of the pattern P1 are not orthogonal, whether to minimize the amount of rotation in the arrangement direction α or the amount of rotation in the arrangement direction β depends on the device to be manufactured. Set it accordingly.

Next, the operation of the exposure apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention having the above configuration, that is, an exposure method according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the following description, the manufacturing error of the reticle R is measured using the photoelectric sensor 7 or the manufacturing error measuring device 32 without actually exposing the substrate W, and the projection optical system P is
An operation for measuring the image formation error of L and calculating the amount of rotation between the array directions α and β of the pattern P1 formed on the reticle R and the xy orthogonal coordinate system of the substrate W by calculation will be described. FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an exposure method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

First, before mounting the substrate W on the substrate holder 8, a manufacturing error of the reticle R and a projection error of the projection optical system PL are obtained (step S10). Here, when the manufacturing error measuring device 32 is used, only the manufacturing error of the reticle R is measured, and the main control system 15 temporarily stores the measurement result. Next, the main control system 15 includes the imaging characteristic correction unit 14.
, Information indicating the imaging characteristics of the projection optical system PL is obtained. On the other hand, when using the photoelectric sensor 7, the main control system 15 first moves the substrate stage 9 via the motor 13, and arranges the photoelectric sensor 7 near the projection area of the projection optical system PL. Then, the main control system 15 emits the exposure light EL and irradiates it from above the reticle R, and outputs an image of the pattern formed on the reticle R via the projection optical system PL to the substrate stage 9.
In a state where the substrate stage 9 is scanned in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction while the light is irradiated upward, a signal output from the photoelectric sensor 9 is supplied to the position measurement signal PD supplied from the laser interferometer 12.
S stores while sampling. By performing such processing, an intensity signal of an image irradiated on the substrate stage 9 can be obtained. Thereafter, the intensity signal is compared with the reticle design data stored in advance to determine an error reflecting the reticle manufacturing error and the projection error of the projection optical system PL.

Next, a process of calculating the arrangement direction of the pattern P1 formed on the reticle R from the manufacturing error of the reticle R and the projection error of the projection optical system PL measured in the process of step S10 is performed (step S12). . In this process, the arrangement direction of the pattern P1 in the XY plane of the XYZ orthogonal coordinate system is calculated. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a process of calculating the arrangement direction of the pattern P1 in the XY plane of the XYZ orthogonal coordinate system. Regardless of whether the manufacturing error of the reticle R is measured by the manufacturing error measuring device 32 or the case where the aerial image is measured by using the photoelectric sensor 7, the main control system 15 two-dimensionally calculates the manufacturing error of the reticle R. It has gained. In FIG. 7, the range denoted by the symbol K indicates the range in which the measurement was performed. The black circles shown in the range K indicate the center points of the patterns P1 shown in FIG. 5, and the straight lines with the reference signs IL1 to IL3 indicate that the pattern P1 is ideally formed as shown in FIG. This is a line connecting the centers of the patterns P1 in the case where the pattern P1 is set. In FIG. 7, for easy understanding, it is assumed that straight lines denoted by reference numerals IL1 to IL3 are set parallel to the X axis of the XYZ orthogonal coordinate system shown in FIG.

To determine the arrangement direction of the pattern P1,
First, an approximate straight line is obtained for the center point of the pattern P1 within the measurement range K using an approximation method such as least squares approximation, and the longitudinal direction of the approximate curve is determined as the arrangement direction of the pattern P1. In the example shown in FIG. 7, the straight line denoted by the symbol H is an approximate straight line. Although FIG. 5 illustrates and illustrates an example in which the arrangement direction is determined in only one direction of the arrangement direction of the pattern P1 for easy understanding,
Similarly, in other directions, a process of calculating an array direction is first performed after obtaining an approximate straight line.

When the above processing is completed, the main control system 15 transports the substrate 15 to be processed from the loader to the substrate holder 8.
It is placed on the substrate W (step S14), and a process of measuring the position information of the alignment marks formed on the substrate W and calculating the arrangement of the shot areas SA1 to SAn is performed (step S16). Here, the operation when measuring the position information of the alignment mark formed on the substrate W will be outlined. In the present embodiment, a case where the position information of the alignment mark is measured using the FIA type alignment sensor shown in FIG. 1 will be described as an example.

When measuring the alignment marks, mainly from the viewpoint of improving the throughput, a predetermined number of the alignment marks Mx and My shown in FIG. So-called rough measurement for measuring a rough position is performed. In the rough measurement, the magnification of the optical system of the alignment sensor is set low, and the measurement is performed in a state where a wide measurement field of view is secured. Therefore, even if the substrate W is displaced on the substrate holder 8, the measurement is performed within the measurement field of view. It is possible to prevent a situation where the alignment mark is not arranged.

When the rough measurement is completed, the magnification of the optical system of the alignment sensor is set high for a predetermined number (for example, eight) of the alignment marks Mx and My shown in FIG. 2 to narrow the field of view. The so-called fine measurement is performed in which the measurement is performed with high accuracy in the state of being performed. In the fine measurement, the substrate W is moved in consideration of the measurement result in the rough measurement. When the fine measurement is completed, a process of calculating the arrangement of the shot areas on the substrate W is performed next. In the process of calculating the array of shot areas, from the viewpoint of improving throughput and maintaining high measurement accuracy, a statistical calculation is performed using the measurement result of the fine measurement, and the array coordinates of the shot area obtained by the calculation are measured. It is preferable to use a so-called Enhanced Global Alignment (hereinafter, referred to as “EGA”) method that minimizes the residual error component of the shot area coordinates.

The shot areas SA1 to SA1 set on the substrate W
When the array of SAn is obtained, the amount of rotation between the XY orthogonal coordinate system and the xy coordinate system set on the substrate W can be calculated. In the process of step S12, the arrangement direction of the pattern P1 in the XY plane of the XYZ rectangular coordinate system has already been calculated, and the rotation amount between the XY rectangular coordinate system and the xy coordinate system set on the substrate W is calculated in step S16. Required in processing. Therefore, next, the main control system 15
(Step S18). The processing is performed to determine the amount of rotation between the xy orthogonal coordinate system set in (1) and the arrangement direction of the pattern P1 formed on the reticle R.

When the above processing is completed, the main control system 15 moves the substrate stage 9 via the motor 13, and arranges a shot area for exposure in the projection area of the projection optical system PL (step S20). In addition, FIA system, LIA system and LS
Measurement center of alignment sensor of A system and projection optical system PL
The base line amount, which is the distance from the reference point in the exposure area, is determined in advance. Therefore, the main control system 15
Performs the positioning of the shot area to be exposed based on the calculated coordinate value obtained by correcting the array coordinates calculated in the process of step S16.

Next, the substrate stage 9 is
Is driven to rotate the substrate W with respect to the reticle R, and the amount of rotation between the xy orthogonal coordinate system set on the substrate W and the arrangement direction of the pattern P1 formed on the reticle R (step S18)
(Step S22). Here, the case where the substrate W is rotated has been described. However, the rotation amount may be minimized by rotating the reticle R without rotating the substrate W. Further, it is preferable that the amount of rotation between the xy orthogonal coordinate system set on the substrate W and the arrangement direction of the patterns P1 formed on the reticle R be zero. Controlled to minimize.

After the processing of step S22, reticle R
When the relative alignment between the reticle R and the substrate W is completed, the main control system 15 irradiates the exposure light EL onto the reticle R, and outputs the image of the pattern formed on the reticle R via the projection optical system PL in step S20. Is transferred to the shot area that has been aligned in the processing of. Thus, a series of processing ends. When performing exposure of another shot area, the processing of steps S18 to S24 is repeatedly performed. After the exposure of all the shot areas of one substrate W is completed, the substrate W is unloaded, and thereafter, the same processing as described above is performed on the substrates waiting in the same lot. Is performed.

As described above, the manufacturing error of the reticle R is measured using the photoelectric sensor 7 or the manufacturing error measuring device 32 without actually exposing the substrate W, and the projection optical system PL is The description has been given of the operation in the case where exposure is performed by measuring the imaging error and calculating the amount of rotation between the array directions α and β of the pattern P1 formed on the reticle R by calculation and the xy orthogonal coordinate system of the substrate W. Next, a description will be given of an operation in the case where exposure is performed by calculating the amount of rotation between the array directions α and β of the pattern P1 formed on the reticle R by actually performing the exposure processing and the xy orthogonal coordinate system of the substrate W.

In this case, first, the main control system 15 transports the substrate 15 to be processed from the loader, places it on the substrate holder 8, and measures the position information of the alignment mark formed on the substrate W to measure each position. Processing for calculating the arrangement of the shot areas SA1 to SAn is performed. This processing is the same as the processing in steps S14 and S16 shown in FIG. Next, the main control system 15 moves the substrate stage 9 via the motor 13, and arranges a shot area for exposure in the projection area of the projection optical system PL. At this time, the main control system 15
A shot area to be exposed is accurately aligned with respect to an XY orthogonal coordinate system.

When the relative positioning between the reticle R and the substrate W is completed, the main control system 15 irradiates the exposure light EL onto the reticle R, and outputs the pattern formed on the reticle R via the projection optical system PL. The image is transferred to the aligned shot area. When the above processing is completed, the substrate W that has been subjected to the exposure processing is carried out, and after performing the development processing, an error of the pattern formed in the shot is measured using the pattern manufacturing error measuring device 33. This measurement result is output from the pattern manufacturing error measuring device 33 to the main control system 15. The main control system 15 is formed on the reticle R and the xy rectangular coordinate system set on the substrate W when the shot area is accurately aligned with the XY rectangular coordinate system from the obtained pattern error of the substrate W. The rotation amount of the pattern P1 in the arrangement direction can be understood. By accurately aligning the shot area with the XY rectangular coordinate system, the XY rectangular coordinate system and the xy rectangular coordinate system set on the substrate W can be matched.

Next, the main control system 15 outputs a control signal to the motor 2 so that the amount of rotation between the xy orthogonal coordinate system set on the substrate W and the arrangement direction of the patterns P1 formed on the reticle R is minimized. The reticle R is rotated so that Through the above processing, the amount of rotation between the xy orthogonal coordinate system set on the substrate and the arrangement direction of the patterns P1 formed on the reticle R is set to the minimum. Then, when exposing a new substrate W, the control system 15 gradually increases the substrate 1 to be processed.
5 is transferred from the loader and placed on the substrate holder 8, and the position information of the alignment marks formed on the substrate W is measured to calculate the arrangement of the shot areas SA1 to SAn.

Then, the main control system 15 moves the substrate stage 9 via the motor 13 to exactly position the shot area to be exposed with respect to the XY orthogonal coordinate system.
Transferring the image formed on the reticle R to the shot area of the substrate W in a state where the amount of rotation between the xy orthogonal coordinate system set on the substrate and the arrangement direction of the patterns P1 formed on the reticle R is set to a minimum. Can be. In the above description, the error of the pattern formed by exposing only one shot area of the substrate W is measured, and the xy orthogonal coordinate system set on the substrate W and the array direction of the pattern P1 formed on the reticle R are measured. Was obtained, the exposure of a plurality of shot areas was performed, the error of the pattern formed in each shot area was measured, and an xy orthogonal coordinate system set on the substrate W based on the average value was obtained. The rotation amount of the pattern P1 formed on the reticle R with respect to the arrangement direction may be obtained.

Next, a device manufactured through the above-described exposure process will be described. FIG. 8 is a view showing an example of a device manufactured by using the exposure method according to the embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 8, the manufactured device is a thin-film magnetic head, and only the shot areas SA1 to SA3 of the substrate W shown in FIG. 2 are shown. As shown in FIG. 8, the thin-film magnetic head 40 formed in the shot areas SA1 to SA3 is rotated by a predetermined amount with respect to the shot areas SA1 to SA3 by using the exposure method according to the embodiment of the present invention. It is formed with

When the substrate W is cut along the lines L1 and L2 shown in FIG. 8 for the thin film magnetic head 40 formed by the exposure method according to one embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of thin film magnetic heads 40 The arrangement shown in FIG. FIG. 9 shows a state where the substrate W is cut along the lines L1 and L2 in FIG. 8 and separated in the y-axis direction when the thin film magnetic head 40 is formed using the exposure apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. As shown in FIG. 9, the lines L1 and L2 shown in FIG.
When the substrate W is cut along the line, the thin-film magnetic head 40
The recording core 41 is formed at a certain angle with respect to the axis and the y-axis, but the length of the recording core 41 from the cut surface 50 is substantially constant.
It can be seen that the thin-film magnetic head 40 is formed straight.

As described above, in the exposure apparatus, the exposure method, and the device manufacturing method according to the embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 9, the thin film magnetic head 40 is formed in a state rotated with respect to the shot area. However, in the case of the thin-film magnetic head 40, even if it is formed by being rotated at a certain angle with respect to the shot
It is preferable to form the recording core 41 straight with the length of the recording core 41 being substantially constant from 0 for mass production having uniform characteristics. Therefore, even if the recording core 41 is formed at a certain angle with respect to the shot area, there is no inconvenience.

Although the exposure apparatus, the exposure method, and the device manufacturing method according to one embodiment of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and can be freely changed within the scope of the present invention. . For example, in the above embodiment, the case where a thin-film magnetic head is manufactured as a device has been described as an example, but the present invention can be used in general manufacturing of a device in which straightness is important. For example, not only an exposure apparatus used for manufacturing a semiconductor device and a liquid crystal display device, but also a plasma display and an image pickup device (such as a CCD).
The present invention can also be applied to an exposure apparatus used for manufacturing a lithography apparatus and an exposure apparatus for transferring a circuit pattern onto a glass substrate, a silicon wafer, or the like in order to manufacture a reticle or a mask. That is, the present invention is applicable irrespective of the exposure method and application of the exposure apparatus. The calculation using the EGA method described above is not limited to the one described in the above embodiment. For example, a so-called weighted enhanced global alignment method in which the calculation is performed by performing weighting according to the shot distance, May be used.

The exposure apparatus of the present invention is not limited to the exposure apparatus shown in FIG. 1. For example, besides a step-and-repeat type reduction projection type exposure apparatus, a step-and-scan type exposure apparatus and a mirror The present invention can be applied to an exposure apparatus such as a projection system, a proximity system, and a contact system.

The exposure apparatus (FIG. 1) according to the above-described embodiment of the present invention can accurately control the position of the substrate W at high speed, and can perform exposure with high exposure accuracy while improving throughput. As described above, the illumination optical system, the motor 2, the reticle stage 3, the laser interferometer 4, the moving mirror 5, the mask alignment system including the reticle alignment systems 6A and 6B, the photoelectric sensor 7, the substrate holder 8, the substrate stage 9,
The components shown in FIG. 1 such as a substrate alignment system including a reference member 10, a moving mirror 11, a laser interferometer 12, and a motor 13, and a projection optical system PL are electrically, mechanically, or optically connected. After being assembled, it is manufactured by performing comprehensive adjustments (electrical adjustment, operation confirmation, etc.). 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.

Next, the manufacture of a device using the exposure apparatus and the exposure method according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 10 is a flowchart of production of devices (semiconductor chips such as ICs and LSIs, liquid crystal panels, CCDs, thin-film magnetic heads, micromachines, etc.) using the exposure apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG.
First, in step S30 (design step), device function design (for example, circuit design of a semiconductor device) is performed, and pattern design for realizing the function is performed. Subsequently, in step S31 (mask manufacturing step), a mask on which the designed circuit pattern is formed is manufactured. On the other hand, in step S32 (substrate manufacturing step), a substrate is manufactured using a material such as silicon.

Next, in step S33 (substrate processing step), an actual circuit or the like is formed on the substrate by lithography using the mask and the substrate prepared in steps S30 to S32. Next, in step S34 (assembly step), chips are formed using the substrate processed in step S33. Step S34 includes processes such as an assembly process (dicing and bonding) and a packaging process (chip encapsulation). Finally, in step S35 (inspection step), inspections such as an operation confirmation test and a durability test of the device manufactured in step S35 are performed. After these steps, the device is completed and shipped.

The exposure apparatus of the present embodiment can be applied to a scanning exposure apparatus (US Pat. No. 5,473,410) for exposing a mask pattern by synchronously moving a mask and a substrate. Further, the exposure apparatus of the present embodiment can be applied to a proximity exposure apparatus that exposes a mask pattern by bringing a mask and a substrate into close contact without using a projection optical system. Further, the application of the exposure apparatus is not limited to an exposure apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor. For example, an exposure apparatus for a liquid crystal that exposes a liquid crystal display element pattern to a square glass plate, or a thin film magnetic head is manufactured. Widely applicable to the exposure apparatus. The light source of the exposure apparatus of the present embodiment includes g-line (436 nm), i-line (365 nm), Kr
Not only an F excimer laser (248 nm), an ArF excimer laser (193 nm), and an F ₂ laser (157 nm) but also a charged particle beam such as an X-ray or an electron beam can be used. For example, when an electron beam is used, a thermionic emission type lanthanum hexaborite (LaB ₆ ) or tantalum (Ta) can be used as an electron gun.

The magnification of the projection optical system may be not only a reduction system but also any one of a unity magnification and an enlargement system. As the projection optical system,
When far ultraviolet rays such as an excimer laser are used, a material that transmits far ultraviolet rays such as quartz or fluorite is used as the glass material.
_{2 When} using a laser or X-ray, use a catadioptric or refracting optical system (use a reflective type mask). When using an electron beam, use an electron lens and deflector as the optical system. An electron optical system may be used. It goes without saying that the optical path through which the electron beam passes is in a vacuum state.

When a linear motor (see US Pat. No. 5,623,853 or US Pat. No. 5,528,118) is used for the substrate stage or the mask stage, either an air levitation type using an air bearing or a magnetic levitation type using Lorentz force or reactance force is used. May be used. The stage may be of a type that moves along a guide or a guideless type that does not have a guide. As the stage driving device,
A planar motor may be used in which a magnet unit in which magnets are arranged two-dimensionally and an armature unit in which coils are arranged two-dimensionally face each other to drive a stage by electromagnetic force. In this case, one of the magnet unit and the armature unit may be connected to the stage, and the other of the magnet unit and the armature unit may be provided on the moving surface side of the stage.

The reaction force generated by the movement of the substrate stage is disclosed in JP-A-8-166475 (US Pat. Nos. 5,528,118).
As described in the above, a frame member may be used to mechanically escape to the floor (ground). The reaction force generated by the movement of the mask stage is mechanically released to the floor (ground) by using a frame member, as described in JP-A-8-330224 (US S / N 08 / 416,558). Is also good.

[0065]

As described above, according to the exposure apparatus according to the first aspect of the present invention, the rotation between the orthogonal coordinate system set in the divided area of the substrate and the arrangement direction of the pattern formed on the mask is performed. The amount is calculated, and the substrate and the mask are relatively rotated based on the calculated amount of rotation to minimize these amounts of rotation. Therefore, even when the amount of rotation occurs between the arrangement direction of the pattern of the mask and the orthogonal coordinate system set in the partitioned area of the substrate, the amount of rotation can be minimized. There is an effect that the film can be formed inside the shot area with straightness.
According to the exposure apparatus of the fourth aspect of the present invention, the manufacturing error of the mask is measured by the measuring apparatus, and based on the measurement result, the arrangement direction of the pattern of the mask and the orthogonal coordinates set in the partitioned area of the substrate. The amount of rotation with the system is calculated. Therefore, for example, even when the mask pattern itself is formed with a certain amount of rotation, it is possible to minimize the amount of rotation with respect to the rectangular coordinate system set in the partitioned area of the substrate based on the calculated amount of rotation. Therefore, there is an effect that the device can be formed inside the shot region with high straightness. According to the exposure apparatus of the fifth aspect of the present invention, the alignment direction of the pattern of the mask, including the manufacturing error of the mask and the projection error of the projection optical system, and the orthogonal coordinate system set in the partitioned area of the substrate. Since the amount of rotation between them is calculated and the amount of rotation between the image of the actual pattern actually projected on the substrate and the rectangular coordinate system set in the partitioned area of the substrate can be obtained, the device can be used. There is an effect that it can be formed inside the shot area with high straightness. Further, according to the exposure apparatus of the sixth aspect of the present invention, the image of the pattern formed on the mask is actually transferred onto the substrate, and the arrangement direction of the pattern of the mask and the orthogonal coordinates set in the partitioned area of the substrate. Since the amount of rotation with respect to the system is calculated, errors due to factors other than the manufacturing error of the mask and the projection error of the projection optical system, such as the error of the stage on which the substrate is mounted, are included on the substrate. Since the amount of rotation between the image of the actual pattern actually projected and the rectangular coordinate system set in the partitioned area of the substrate can be obtained, it is possible to form the device inside the shot area with higher straightness. There is an effect that can be. According to the exposure method according to the first aspect of the present invention and the exposure method according to the second aspect of the present invention, similarly to the exposure apparatus according to the first aspect, an orthogonal coordinate system and a mask set in a partitioned area of a substrate are provided. The amount of rotation of the pattern formed in the array direction is calculated, and the substrate and the mask are relatively rotated based on the calculated amount of rotation to minimize these amounts of rotation. Therefore, even when the amount of rotation occurs between the arrangement direction of the pattern of the mask and the orthogonal coordinate system set in the partitioned area of the substrate, the amount of rotation can be minimized. There is an effect that the film can be formed inside the shot area with straightness. Further, according to the device manufacturing method of the present invention, the device is operated in a state where the amount of rotation between the arrangement direction of the pattern of the mask and the orthogonal coordinate system set in the partitioned area of the substrate is minimized by the above-described exposure apparatus. Since the substrate is cut along one coordinate axis of the orthogonal coordinate system with respect to the formed substrate, the distance of each device from the cut portion is almost constant, and a device having high straightness is manufactured. As a result, there is an effect that the device can be manufactured with a high manufacturing yield.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an exposure apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a top view illustrating an example of a substrate W.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view illustrating a relationship between an arrangement direction of a pattern formed in a pattern area PA of a reticle R and an xy orthogonal coordinate system set on a substrate W;

FIG. 4 is a top view showing an example of a reticle R that is ideally manufactured.

FIG. 5 shows a pattern P caused by a manufacturing error of the reticle R.
FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining changes in arrangement directions α and β of No. 1;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart illustrating an exposure method according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining a process of calculating an arrangement direction of a pattern P1 in an XY plane of an XYZ orthogonal coordinate system.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing an example of a device manufactured by using the exposure method according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 9 illustrates a case where a thin-film magnetic head 40 is formed using the exposure apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a state where the substrate W is cut along the L1 and separated in the y-axis direction.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart when manufacturing a device using the exposure apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view showing a configuration example of a thin-film magnetic head.

12 is a top view of a substrate W on which the thin-film magnetic head shown in FIG. 11 is formed.

FIG. 13 is an enlarged view of shot areas SA1 to SA3.

14 is a diagram showing a state where the substrate W is cut along the lines L1 and L2 shown in FIG. 13 and separated in the y-axis direction.

FIG. 15 is an enlarged view of shot areas SA1 to SA3 when the thin-film magnetic head 100 is formed in a state where a position error in the x-axis direction or a position error in the y-axis direction has occurred.

FIG. 16 shows a state in which the thin-film magnetic head 10 is displaced.
FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating a state where the substrate W is cut along the lines L1 and L2 and separated in the y-axis direction when 0 is formed.

[Explanation of symbols]

7 Photoelectric sensor (measurement device) 15 Main control system (rotation amount calculation means, rotation amount control means) 32 Manufacturing error measurement device (measurement device) P1 Pattern PL Projection optical system R Reticle (mask) SA1 to SAn Shot area (partition area) ) Xx axis (orthogonal coordinate system) y y axis (orthogonal coordinate system) W substrate α array direction (predetermined array direction) β array direction (predetermined array direction)

Claims (9)

[Claims] 1. An exposure apparatus for transferring an image of a pattern of a mask formed in a predetermined arrangement direction to a plurality of divided areas set on a substrate via a projection optical system, wherein the exposure apparatus sets the image in advance in the divided areas. A rotation amount calculating unit that calculates a relative rotation amount of the pattern in the arrangement direction with respect to the orthogonal coordinate system, and the mask or the substrate is relatively positioned based on the rotation amount calculated by the rotation amount calculation unit. An exposure apparatus comprising: a rotation amount control unit configured to rotate the rotation amount and minimize the rotation amount with respect to the rectangular coordinate system. 2. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the patterns are arranged in two directions orthogonal to each other in a plane of the mask. 3. An exposure apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said rotation amount control means minimizes a rotation amount in one of said two directions. 4. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the rotation amount calculating means includes a measuring device for measuring a manufacturing error of the mask, and calculates the rotation amount based on a measurement result of the measuring device. Exposure equipment. 5. The exposure apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the rotation amount calculating means calculates the rotation amount based on a manufacturing error of the mask and a projection error of the projection optical system. 6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the rotation amount calculating unit calculates the rotation amount by projecting the pattern of the mask onto a substrate and actually measuring a pattern formed on the substrate. Exposure equipment. 7. An exposure method for transferring an image of a pattern of a mask formed in a predetermined arrangement direction to a plurality of divided areas set on a substrate via a projection optical system, wherein the preset pattern is set in the divided areas. Calculating a relative rotation amount of the pattern in the arrangement direction with respect to the calculated rectangular coordinate system, and rotating the mask or the substrate relatively based on the calculated rotation amount to perform the rotation with respect to the rectangular coordinate system. An exposure method, wherein an amount of the mask pattern is adjusted, and an image of the pattern of the mask is transferred onto the substrate via the projection optical system. 8. The exposure method according to claim 7, wherein the adjustment of the amount of rotation minimizes the amount of rotation of the pattern in the arrangement direction with respect to the rectangular coordinate system. 9. A device manufacturing method, comprising a step of cutting a substrate exposed by the exposure method according to claim 7 or 8 along one coordinate axis of the rectangular coordinate system.