JP2002176092A - Wafer adjustment method and device thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a wafer adjustment method for inhibiting reduction in throughput, and for preventing a device from being complicated, and to provide a wafer adjustment device. SOLUTION: In this wafer adjustment method, the position of a wafer W having alignment marks 30 and 32 is adjusted, and at the same time temperature in the wafer W is controlled. The method should include a process for placing the wafer W on a first rotatable rest 34, a process for detecting the temperature in the wafer W, a process for controlling the temperature in the wafer W, a process for rotating the first rest 34 so that the alignment marks 30 and 32 are arranged at a specific position, and a process for picking the wafer W from the first rest 34.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a semiconductor manufacturing method, and more particularly, to a method and a device for adjusting a wafer in an exposure process.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In manufacturing a semiconductor integrated circuit, an exposure apparatus is used to project a pattern on a semiconductor wafer. Since the electron beam has less blur of the image due to the diffraction phenomenon and can greatly reduce the lens aberration,
An electron beam exposure apparatus can form a fine pattern with high precision. Electron beam exposure is performed under vacuum to prevent electrons from colliding with gas molecules and disturbing the trajectory of the electron beam. However, the electron beam exposure apparatus has a low throughput,
The problem is that the cost is high. In a semiconductor integrated circuit, only a specific layer having a fine pattern that requires electron beam exposure is a specific layer, and the other layers are formed using a less expensive conventional optical exposure apparatus. For example, an electron beam exposure apparatus is used to form a fine pattern of about 0.1 μm, and an optical exposure apparatus is used to form a pattern of about 0.18 μm. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor integrated circuit using such a plurality of exposure apparatuses is called a mix and match method. The problem with the mix-and-match method is that a rotational position shift occurs between patterns formed on a wafer. This rotational position shift is caused by a systematic error related to the alignment mechanism between the devices. When performing overlay exposure on the underlying layer,
It is necessary to correct this rotational position shift.

First, the position of a wafer is adjusted by a position adjustment (alignment) mechanism based on a first alignment mark at an end of the wafer. Then, a first layer pattern having a predetermined position and orientation with respect to the wafer edge is formed on the wafer. At this time, a second alignment mark is also formed. Next, the pattern of the second layer is formed after being accurately positioned with respect to the second alignment mark formed on the first layer. By repeating this, an upper layer pattern is further formed. In order to overlap and expose the pattern on the already processed lower layer region, the second alignment mark is detected by the high-precision alignment mechanism, and the position of the wafer is adjusted based on this. This high precision alignment is performed when the wafer is placed on the wafer stage before exposure. Before performing high-precision alignment, it is necessary to preliminarily adjust the position of the wafer so that the second alignment mark falls within the field of view of the high-precision alignment mechanism. This preliminary alignment is performed before the wafer is transferred to the wafer stage.

[0004]

However, since the accuracy of transferring the wafer to the wafer stage is low, a positional shift occurs during the transfer. As a result, the second alignment mark may not fit within the field of view of the high-precision alignment mechanism, so that the preliminary alignment needs to be performed again on the wafer stage. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a rotation table for adjusting the position of the wafer placed on the wafer stage on the wafer stage, or to provide a plurality of alignment mark detectors near the exposure optical system. For this reason, there is a problem that the device becomes complicated. In addition, since the number of alignment steps increases and it takes time, there is a problem that throughput is reduced.

Further, during exposure, the temperature of the wafer must be stabilized with respect to the temperature of the exposure apparatus.
This temperature control is performed at another location before the preliminary alignment of the wafer. Therefore, it is necessary to provide the temperature control chamber separately from the pre-alignment chamber, and there is a problem that the apparatus becomes complicated. Also, since the number of wafer transfer steps increases,
There is a problem that throughput is low.

[0006] The present invention has been made in view of such problems, and suppresses a decrease in throughput.
An object of the present invention is to provide a wafer adjustment method and a wafer adjustment apparatus that can prevent the apparatus from becoming complicated.

[0007]

In order to solve the above problems, a wafer adjusting method according to the present invention is a method for adjusting the position of a wafer having an alignment mark and controlling the temperature of the wafer. Placing the wafer on a rotatable first table; detecting the temperature of the wafer; controlling the temperature of the wafer; and positioning the alignment mark at a predetermined position. And rotating the first stage as described above, and removing the wafer from the first stage.

[0008] The wafer temperature control and preliminary alignment
Since the operations are performed simultaneously in one place, the number of wafer processing chambers can be reduced, and the number of wafer transfer steps can be reduced. Furthermore, since high-precision alignment can be performed as it is following the preliminary alignment performed before the wafer is transferred to the wafer stage, there is no need to provide a rotary table on the wafer stage or a plurality of alignment mark detectors. Therefore, it is possible to suppress a decrease in throughput and prevent the apparatus from becoming complicated.

In the above-described wafer adjustment method, the position of the wafer is preferably adjusted by detecting the position of an alignment mark provided on the surface of the wafer. Further, the temperature control of the wafer is performed, for example, by heating by irradiation of radiant energy.

[0010] A wafer adjustment method according to the present invention is a method for adjusting a position of a wafer having at least one alignment mark, wherein the first wafer is rotatable.
Placing the alignment mark on a predetermined position, rotating the first table so that the alignment mark is positioned at a predetermined position, and positioning a transfer mechanism at a predetermined position to pick up the wafer Detecting the orientation of the transfer mechanism at a position where the transfer mechanism picks up the wafer; and picking up the wafer from the first table with the transfer mechanism and transferring the wafer to a position above the second table. Detecting the direction of the transfer mechanism; and changing the direction of the transfer mechanism so that the direction of the transfer mechanism is the same as the direction of the transfer mechanism detected at the position where the wafer is picked up from the first table. A step of adjusting the position above the second table; and a step of placing the wafer on the second table.

In the above-described wafer adjustment method, the position of the transfer mechanism is adjusted by, for example, detecting the position of a mark provided on the transfer mechanism with a CCD camera. A wafer adjusting apparatus according to the present invention is an apparatus for adjusting a position of a wafer and controlling a temperature of the wafer,
A base that supports the wafer and that can rotate so that the wafer is located at a predetermined position; a temperature detector that detects a temperature of the wafer; and a base on the base in response to the temperature detector. And a temperature control mechanism for controlling the temperature of the placed wafer to a predetermined temperature.

The wafer adjusting apparatus preferably further includes a transfer mechanism for removing the wafer from the support table and transferring the wafer to the wafer stage, and the transfer mechanism can preferably control the direction of the transfer.

[0013]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a view showing one embodiment of a wafer adjusting apparatus according to the present invention, and is a plan view showing a part of a wafer exposure apparatus. In FIG. 1, optical members, covers, and the like of the exposure apparatus are not shown for simplification of the drawing. All chambers are sealed and, if necessary, kept under vacuum. The exposure apparatus 10 controls the wafer W before exposing the wafer W.
Has a loading device 12 that adjusts the position of the device and stabilizes and controls the temperature. The loading device 12 is used in, for example, an electron beam exposure device or a conventional optical exposure device. In the case of a conventional optical exposure apparatus, it is not necessary to maintain a vacuum in the chamber of the loading apparatus 12. An optical exposure apparatus is used for forming a normal pattern, and a highly precise exposure apparatus such as an electron beam exposure apparatus is used for forming a very fine pattern. May be used.

Although the present embodiment describes the case of heating a wafer as an example of wafer temperature control, the present invention can be similarly applied to the case of cooling a wafer. However, generally, the wafer is often heated. Under vacuum, it is easier to heat the wafer than to cool it. When air is exhausted after introducing the wafer into the loading chamber, Joule-Thomson
The effect lowers the temperature of the air and the temperature of the wafer. Therefore, heating is required to stabilize the temperature of the wafer.

As shown in FIG. 1, the exposure apparatus 10 has a wafer exposure chamber 14 and a loading chamber (wafer transfer chamber) 16. The wafer W is loaded in the loading chamber 16 or the loading chamber 16.
Position adjustment and heating are performed in a sub-chamber attached to the wafer exposure chamber 14 where exposure is performed thereafter.
Transported to In the electron beam exposure apparatus, the wafer exposure chamber 14 is maintained at a vacuum in order to prevent electrons from colliding with gas molecules and disturbing the trajectory of the electron beam. A vibration isolation mechanism (bellows) 18 is arranged between the exposure chamber 14 and the loading chamber 16 (not shown in other drawings for simplification of the drawing). The exposure chamber 14 and the loading chamber 16 enter and exit through a conventional gate valve 15. By closing the gate valve 15, the transfer port between the exposure chamber 14 and the loading chamber 16 can be sealed. For example, FIG.
FIG. 4 is a plan view showing a state in which a wafer W is mounted on the wafer 4,
FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a state where the wafer W on the base 34 is picked up by the transfer mechanism 28. At this time, the gate valve 15 is closed. Further, by opening the gate valve 15, the wafer W can be transferred between the chambers. For example, FIG.
FIG. 5 is a plan view showing a state in which the gate valve 15 is placed, and at this time, the gate valve 15 is open. The exposure apparatus 10 further includes
It has one or more loading chambers 22 in which a cassette for storing wafers W is placed, and one or more preliminary alignment chambers 21. The preliminary alignment chamber 21 is provided with a temperature control mechanism and a preliminary alignment mechanism 24. Exposure device 1
When the cassette is taken in and out of the loading chamber 22 from outside, the loading chamber 22 is opened to the atmospheric pressure, so that the gate valve 15 between the loading chamber 22 and the loading chamber 16 is closed. After evacuating the loading chamber 22, the gate valve 15 is opened for wafer exchange. The wafers W are transferred one by one from the cassette into the loading chamber 16. Further, the wafers W can be transferred one by one from the outside of the exposure apparatus 10 into the loading chamber 16 via the loading chamber 22 without using a cassette. After adjusting the position of the wafer W and controlling the temperature, the transfer mechanism (transfer arm) 2
8 picks up the wafer W and transfers it to the exposure chamber 14 through the gate valve 15, where the wafer W is placed on the wafer stage 36.

In order to suppress a decrease in throughput, it is preferable that another wafer is transferred to the loading chamber 16 while the wafer placed on the wafer stage 36 is being exposed, and preliminary alignment is performed. Since a process such as transfer of a wafer generates vibration, it is preferable that the loading chamber 16 is mechanically separated from the exposure chamber 14. For example, the loading chamber 16 is disposed on a support table that is mechanically separated from the exposure chamber 14, and the exposure chamber 14 and the loading chamber 1 are separated.
It is preferred that the vibration separation mechanism 18 be connected between the members 6.
However, the transfer arm 28 is
If the position of the loading chamber 16 fluctuates with respect to the position of the exposure chamber 14, the transfer arm 28 will transfer the wafer to a position different from the target position. One of the objects of the present invention is to correct the above-mentioned position fluctuation.

The wafer W is a wafer (for example, a silicon wafer) formed from an appropriately selected material. The wafer W has a substantially circular planar shape, and a first alignment mark 30 is formed on a part of the outer peripheral end (FIG. 2). The alignment mark indicates the crystal direction of the wafer W, and is, for example, an orientation flat (not shown) or a notch 30. The wafer W has already been exposed to the first layer,
A second alignment mark 32 is formed on the surface of the wafer W. An integrated circuit pattern formed on the surface of the wafer W may be used as the alignment mark 32,
A conventional global alignment mark formed for alignment may be used as the alignment mark 32 in some cases. The loading device 12 can handle various sizes and types of wafers.

The loading device 12 of the present embodiment
When performing position adjustment and temperature control of the wafer W, the first stage (base) 34 for supporting the wafer W, the second stage (wafer stage) 36 for supporting the wafer W during exposure, and the wafer 34 from the base 34 Transfer mechanism 2 for transferring wafer W
8 (FIG. 4). The loading device 12 also has a plurality of detectors for adjusting the positions of the wafer W and the transfer mechanism 28.

The base 34 has an upper surface 38 sized to support the wafer W and a temperature detector 4 for detecting the temperature of the wafer W.
Has zero. On or near the base 34, the heater 4
2, the wafer W can be heated to a predetermined temperature in response to the temperature detector 40. Base 34
Is, for example, a simple flat plate or an electrostatic chuck. When heating with radiant energy from the lower part of the wafer W, the upper surface 38 of the base 34 needs to transmit the radiant energy. For example, the upper surface 38 may be a mesh that allows heating radiant energy to pass through. The base 34 can be rotated around an axis A perpendicular to the base surface so that the position of the wafer W can be adjusted. Therefore, the position adjustment of the wafer W and the temperature control can be performed simultaneously. By combining the position adjustment mechanism for the wafer W and the temperature control mechanism, the preparation time until the processing (for example, exposure) of the wafer W can be greatly reduced. The rotation of the base 34 can be performed by a mechanism having a very small size and capable of achieving accurate rotation (for example, ≦ ± 10 μrad), for example, a conventional rotary actuator 39 or the like. The rotation actuator 39 is preferably controlled by a position controller 41 that receives a signal from the position detector 48.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a mechanism for heating the wafer. A heater 42 heats the wafer W and stabilizes the wafer W at a predetermined temperature. The wafer W is heated by, for example, radiant energy using a black body radiator that outputs a constant plane energy flux. When the wafer W is heated under a non-vacuum condition, conduction (for example, placing the wafer W directly on a heating surface) or convection (for example, applying a vapor of heated air or other gas to the wafer W) May be used. The temperature detector 40 detects the temperature of the wafer W and transmits the information to the temperature controller 45. Then, the temperature controller 45 controls the heater 42. Examples of the temperature detector 40 include a thermocouple. Examples of the temperature controller 45 include a manual controller that manually controls the heater 42 according to the temperature of the wafer W, and a thermostat control system that automatically controls the heater 42. The heater 42 is used for the wafer W
Is heated at a predetermined temperature. The heating of the wafer W is preferably performed uniformly over the entire wafer W. In this case, only one temperature detector 40 is required. In order to surely and uniformly heat the entire wafer W,
It is necessary to provide a plurality of temperature detectors 40.

At the same time as detecting and heating the temperature of the wafer W, the position of the wafer W is adjusted (FIG. 2). The position of the wafer W is adjusted before the wafer W is heated, or
Can be performed after the temperature is stabilized, but it is preferable to adjust the position while heating the wafer W in order to shorten the processing time. First, the wafer W is rotated so that the notch 30 (or orientation flat) formed at the outer peripheral end of the wafer W is located at a predetermined position. It is necessary to accurately place the wafer W on the base 34 so that the notch 30 is arranged in a predetermined direction. However, at this stage, since the wafer W has only been temporarily placed, rotation for fine adjustment is required. After placing the wafer W on the base 34, the wafer W is moved so that the notch 30 is arranged at a predetermined position in the first alignment. The position of the notch 30 is detected by the edge detector 46 to determine the direction of the wafer W. It is preferable to provide two edge detectors 46 for detecting the position of the notch 30 and the position of a point on the outer peripheral edge of the wafer W other than the notch 30. Examples of the edge detector 46 include a contact type detector and an image detector. For example, it is conceivable to form an image of the notch 30 using a reflection type optical microscope, send the image information to an image processing device, determine an accurate position of the notch 30, and adjust the position.

Subsequent to the first alignment, the position of the second alignment mark 32 formed on the surface of the wafer W in the lower layer exposure step is detected, and the second alignment is performed. Since a rotation error may have occurred when the lower layer was exposed, the wafer W
It is necessary to perform the second alignment after the position is preliminarily adjusted by the notch 30. This rotation error occurs, for example, at the time of exposure by the mix-and-match method. Second
In the alignment described above, the position of the alignment mark 32 is detected by the position detector 48, and it is determined whether there is a difference between the measured direction and the predicted direction. In order to measure the position and orientation of the wafer W, at least two alignment marks 32 are required. If the two alignment marks 32 are arranged at intervals slightly smaller than the diameter of the wafer W and the positions are measured, the orientation of the wafer W can be measured with high accuracy.

When the position of the wafer W is adjusted by the first alignment using the notch 30, the alignment mark 3
The position detector 48 is arranged so that 2 falls within the field of view of the position detector 48. Various types of detectors can be used to determine the position of the alignment mark 32. The alignment system preferably has an image processing device that captures and analyzes an image of the wafer W. For example, an image of the wafer W is formed using a reflection type optical microscope and a CCD camera, and the image signal is transmitted to an image processing apparatus. Next, the image of the wafer W captured by the camera is compared with a pattern whose orientation is already known. Then, as shown in FIG. 6 which is a block diagram of a mechanism for adjusting the position of the wafer, the rotation actuator 39 is rotated using the position controller 41, and the wafer W is arranged at a predetermined position and orientation.

The alignment system having the microscope, the image processing device, the CCD camera and the like and the method of adjusting the position of the wafer W are not limited to those described above, and various changes can be made. For example, the edge detector 46 for detecting the alignment mark on the outer peripheral edge of the wafer and the position detector 48 for detecting the alignment mark on the wafer surface may transmit information signals to separate controllers.

After the position adjustment and the temperature control of the wafer W are completed, the wafer W is transferred from the loading chamber 16 to the exposure chamber 14 by the transfer mechanism 28. A wafer chuck 50 for supporting the wafer W is provided on the wafer stage 36 of the exposure chamber 14 (FIG. 4). The transport mechanism 28 is, for example, a movable arm including a plurality of interlocking sections 52, and the interlocking sections 52 are preferably rotatable with each other in a plane parallel to the upper surface 38 of the base 34. FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a mechanism for transferring a wafer. The transfer mechanism 28 is driven by, for example, a transfer actuator 67. In order to support the wafer W, the transfer mechanism 28 has two support portions 54 at a free end of the interlocking portion 52 (FIG. 4). The base 34 and the wafer chuck 50 are preferably provided with grooves so that the support portion 54 can be inserted under the wafer W. The transport mechanism 28 is not limited to the above, and various changes can be made. For example, when the wafer W is placed on the base 34, the transfer mechanism 28
The transfer mechanism 28 may have a support portion 54 (the interval between the support portions is substantially the same as the diameter of the wafer W) for supporting the outer peripheral end of the wafer W. In order to pick up and place the wafer W by the transfer mechanism 28, it is preferable that the support portion 54 be rotatable with respect to its movable arm. However, the wafer W must be prevented from rotating during transfer. It is preferable that the transport mechanism 28 further includes, for example, an electrostatic chuck. This is because a vacuum chuck can be used in an optical exposure apparatus, but a vacuum chuck cannot be used because an electron beam exposure apparatus is used under vacuum conditions.

The transfer mechanism 28 has a mark 60. The mark 60 adjusts the position of the transfer mechanism 28 with respect to the wafer W when the wafer W is mounted on the base 34, and controls the transfer mechanism with respect to the wafer stage 36. It is used to determine the position of 28 (FIGS. 3 and 4). The mark 60 may be any alignment mark formed on the interlocking portion 52 of the transport mechanism 28, and includes various types of marks. For example, two marks 60 are provided on the upper surface side near the free end (the portion where the support portion 54 is located) of the interlocking portion 52 of the transport mechanism 28. A mark detector 62 for detecting a mark 60 formed on the transport mechanism 28 is provided in the loading chamber 1.
6. When the transfer mechanism 28 picks up the wafer W from the base 34, the loading chamber 1
The mark 60 formed on the transfer mechanism 28 is detected by the mark detector 62 arranged in the inside 6, and the direction of the wafer W with respect to the transfer mechanism 28 is obtained. Further, the wafer W is transferred by the transfer mechanism 28.
Before placing the mark on the wafer stage 36, the mark detector 6 for detecting the mark 60 formed on the transfer mechanism 28.
4 is provided in the exposure chamber 14. The mark 60 formed on the transport mechanism 28 is detected by the mark detector 64 disposed in the exposure chamber 14, and the information is transmitted to the transport controller 65. Transfer controller 6
5 determines the position and orientation of the transfer mechanism 28 with respect to the wafer chuck 50. At this time, the position and orientation of the transfer mechanism 28 are determined so that the orientation of the wafer W is the same as the orientation of the wafer W when the wafer W is picked up from the base 34 in the loading chamber 16 (FIGS. 4 and 7). ). As described above, since the position of the wafer W is adjusted in the loading chamber 16 and the wafer W is transferred so as not to be displaced, the wafer W is placed in the exposure chamber 14 for image detection for high precision alignment. Within the field of view of the vessel (not shown). Further, when it is necessary to correct the wafer W by a small angle at the time of high-precision alignment, the following measures can be taken. For example, in the case of a stage in which a fixed mirror for a laser interferometer is provided on a stage and a minute angle can be adjusted, the wafer W is corrected by a minute angle using the minute angle adjusting mechanism. At this time, since the angle correction of the stage is very small, it does not affect the positional relationship between the fixed mirror and the laser beam, and the signal intensity at the detector for the laser interferometer hardly changes. Mark detectors 62 and 6 for detecting the mark 60
For example, there is a CCD camera or the like.

Since the transfer of the wafer W between the loading chamber 16 and the exposure chamber 14 is performed while detecting and correcting the position of the transfer mechanism 28, the transfer mechanism 28
Can be made lower than the conventionally required accuracy. Since the mark detector 64 for detecting the mark 60 formed on the transport mechanism 28 in the exposure chamber 14 and the signal processing device are simpler than the detector for detecting the alignment mark 32 on the surface of the wafer W, The device can be prevented from becoming complicated, and the price of the device can be reduced. Further, the alignment mark 3 on the wafer W
Since the mark 60 formed on the transfer mechanism 28 is detected instead of detecting the mark 2, the mark detector 64 can be arranged at a position away from the wafer W. As a result, the available space increases, and the number of detectors arranged near the electron optical system can be reduced. further,
Since the transfer mechanism 28 is moved instead of moving the wafer chuck 50 when adjusting the position of the wafer W, there is no need to provide a rotary table for rotating the wafer chuck 50. This facilitates the design of the wafer stage 36 and reduces the weight. Further, since it is not necessary to perform the alignment again after transferring the wafer W to the wafer stage 36, the processing time of the wafer W can be shortened.

The operation of the loading device 12 will be described below. First, the wafer W is transferred from the loading chamber 22 to the loading chamber 16, and is placed on the base 34 (first table) (FIG. 2). For this transfer, a transfer mechanism 28 for transferring the wafer W from the loading chamber 16 to the exposure chamber 14 may be used, or another transfer means may be used. At this time, notch 30 (or orientation flat)
Is placed on the base 34 so that
Place on. When the wafer W is placed on the base 34, the temperature detector 40 detects the temperature of the wafer W and sends a signal to the temperature controller 45, and the temperature controller 45 controls the heater 42 (FIG. 5). The wafer W is uniformly heated until the wafer W is stabilized at a predetermined temperature (for example, 21 ° C.). This heating takes about 20 seconds. While the heater 42 is heating the wafer W, the edge detector 46 disposed above the outer peripheral edge of the wafer W detects the position of the notch 30 and sends a signal to the position controller 41. The position controller 41 determines that the notch 30
The base 34 is rotated until it is located within the range of 10 μm (FIGS. 2 and 6). When this first preliminary alignment is performed, the alignment marks 3 formed on the surface of the wafer W
2 (global alignment mark or circuit pattern)
Is a position detector 48 (CC
D camera). Next, a second preliminary alignment for correcting a rotation error between the position of the notch 30 on the wafer W and the position of the alignment mark 32 is performed using the alignment mark 32. The accuracy of the second pre-alignment is preferably within ± 5 μm. When the interval between the alignment marks 32 is 200 mm, this accuracy corresponds to a rotation accuracy of ± 25 μrad.

When the wafer W is heated, the wafer W may be deformed due to thermal expansion, but this effect is considered to be relatively small. For example, if the thermal expansion coefficient of silicon is 2.
^Assuming 1 × 10 ⁻⁶ , 300 when temperature rises by 1 ° C.
The outer edge of the mm wafer is 0.315μ
m (150 mm × 2.1 × 10 ⁻⁶ ).

After the adjustment of the position of the wafer W and the temperature control, the wafer W is picked up from the base 34 and transferred to the wafer stage 36 in the exposure chamber 14, and the process proceeds to a step of forming a pattern of the next layer on the wafer W. The transport mechanism 28 is moved to a position where the mark 60 formed on the transport mechanism 28 falls within the field of view of the mark detector 62 (CCD camera) (FIG. 3). Information from the mark detector 62 is transmitted to the transport mechanism 2
8 and the image processing apparatus that stores the position and orientation of the wafer W. Since the position and direction of the transfer mechanism 28 with respect to the wafer W and the distance and direction between the detectors 62 and 48 are known, the position and direction of the wafer W when the wafer W is moved are determined by detecting the position and direction of the transfer mechanism 28. You can ask.

The transfer mechanism 28 lifts the wafer W and transfers the wafer W to the exposure chamber 14 via the gate valve 15 and the vibration separating mechanism 18 (FIG. 4). The wafer W is disposed above the wafer stage 36 and the wafer chuck 50 (the second table), and the transfer mechanism 28 is located at a position where the mark 60 formed on the transfer mechanism 28 falls within the field of view of the mark detector 64 (CCD camera). To move. And the mark detector 6
The position of the transfer mechanism 28 is determined so that the position of the transfer mechanism 28 relative to the mark detector 62 when the wafer W is picked up from the base 34 is the same as that of the transfer mechanism 28. The wafer stage 36 is arranged at a fixed position with respect to the mark detector 64, and can place the wafer W on the wafer chuck 50 without substantially changing the direction of the wafer W. If necessary,
The direction of the wafer W may be checked to confirm that the position adjustment is correctly performed. For example, a detector for detecting the alignment mark 32 may be newly provided to confirm the direction of the wafer W. Further, when a small rotation error occurs, it can be corrected by a minute angle adjustment mechanism provided on the wafer stage 36. If the rotation error is large, the wafer W is returned to the loading chamber 16 to adjust the position of the wafer W again. After the wafer W is placed on the wafer chuck 50 at a predetermined position in the exposure chamber 14, the wafer W is exposed.

Although the wafer adjustment method and wafer adjustment apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to this, and various changes can be made.

[0033]

As described above, when the wafer adjusting method and the wafer adjusting apparatus according to the present invention are used, the temperature control and the position adjustment of the wafer are performed at the same time, so that the preparation until the wafer processing (for example, exposure) is performed. The time can be significantly reduced. In addition, the final preliminary alignment of the wafer is performed before the wafer is transferred to the wafer stage, and the alignment on the wafer stage is performed based on the transfer mechanism instead of the wafer itself. There is no need to provide an extra detector, and no device for rotating the wafer chuck is required. In addition, since the transport mechanism is detected by the detector located in the exposure chamber, the displacement of the transport mechanism due to the vibration of the loading chamber can be easily corrected, and a less accurate transport mechanism is used. You can also. For this reason, it is possible to suppress a decrease in throughput and prevent the apparatus from becoming complicated.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a view showing one embodiment of a wafer adjusting apparatus according to the present invention, and is a plan view showing a part of a wafer exposure apparatus.

FIG. 2 is a view showing one embodiment of a wafer adjusting device according to the present invention, and is a plan view showing a state where a wafer is placed on a base of a loading device.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing an embodiment of the wafer adjusting apparatus according to the present invention, in which a wafer on a base is picked up by a transfer mechanism.

FIG. 4 is a view showing one embodiment of a wafer adjusting device according to the present invention, and is a plan view showing a state where a wafer is mounted on a wafer stage.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram of a mechanism for heating a wafer.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of a mechanism for adjusting a position of a wafer.

FIG. 7 is a block diagram of a mechanism for transferring a wafer.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Exposure apparatus 12 ... Loading apparatus 14 ... Exposure chamber 15 ... Gate valve 16 ... Loading chamber (wafer transfer chamber) 18 ... Vibration separation mechanism (bellows) 21 ... Reserve Alignment chamber 22 Loading chamber 24 Temperature control mechanism and preliminary alignment mechanism 28 Transport mechanism (transfer arm) 30 First alignment mark (notch) 32 Second alignment mark 34 first base (base) 36 second base (wafer stage) 38 top surface of base 34 rotary actuator 40 temperature detector 41 position controller 42 ... heater 45 ... temperature controller 46 ... edge detector 48 ... position detector 50 ... wafer Chuck 52 ・ ・ ・ Interlocking part 54 ・ ・ ・ Support part 60 ・ ・ ・ Mark 62, 64 ・ ・ ・ Mark detector 65 ・ ・ ・ Transport controller 67 ・ ・ ・ Transport actuator

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) H01L 21/027 H01L 21/30 520A 516E F term (Reference) 5F031 CA02 FA01 FA07 FA12 FA15 GA02 GA09 GA35 GA47 GA49 HA09 HA16 HA32 HA37 HA53 HA59 JA01 JA04 JA06 JA15 JA17 JA28 JA34 JA35 JA38 JA46 KA08 KA10 KA12 KA13 KA14 KA15 KA20 MA04 MA27 NA05 NA07 PA16 5F046 CC01 CC13 DA26 DB02 FC08

Claims (30)

[Claims] 1. A method for adjusting a position of a wafer having an alignment mark and controlling a temperature of the wafer, comprising: mounting the wafer on a first rotatable table; Detecting the temperature of the wafer; controlling the temperature of the wafer; rotating the first platform so that the alignment mark is arranged at a predetermined position; and positioning the wafer on the first platform. A wafer adjusting method, comprising the steps of: 2. The wafer adjustment method according to claim 1, wherein the alignment mark is a first alignment mark formed on an outer peripheral edge of the wafer. 3. The wafer adjustment method according to claim 1, wherein the alignment mark further includes at least two second alignment marks formed on a surface of the wafer. A method comprising: detecting the second alignment mark; and detecting the second alignment mark based on a detection result of the second alignment mark.
Rotating the first stage to adjust the orientation of the wafer. 4. The wafer adjusting method according to claim 3, wherein the step of detecting the second alignment mark includes a step of detecting the second alignment mark.
A method for adjusting a wafer, comprising transmitting an image signal using a D camera. 5. The wafer adjustment method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of disposing a transfer mechanism at a predetermined position to pick up the wafer. Method. 6. The wafer adjusting method according to claim 5, wherein the step of disposing the transfer mechanism at a predetermined position includes a step of detecting a mark formed on the transfer mechanism. Adjustment method. 7. The wafer adjusting method according to claim 6, wherein: a step of lifting the wafer using the transfer mechanism; a step of moving the wafer using the transfer mechanism; A wafer adjusting method, further comprising the steps of: 8. The wafer adjusting method according to claim 7, wherein the step of arranging the wafer above the second table includes a step of detecting a mark formed on a transfer mechanism. Wafer adjustment method. 9. The wafer adjusting method according to claim 8, wherein the direction of the wafer is the same as the direction of the wafer when the wafer is picked up from the first table. A wafer adjusting method, further comprising the step of mounting the wafer on a second table. 10. The wafer adjustment method according to claim 1, wherein controlling the temperature of the wafer includes irradiating the wafer with radiant energy. 11. A method for adjusting a position of a wafer having at least one alignment mark, comprising: mounting the wafer on a rotatable first table; and arranging the alignment mark at a predetermined position. Rotating the first table so that the transfer mechanism is disposed, positioning the transfer mechanism at a predetermined position to pick up the wafer, and detecting the orientation of the transfer mechanism at a position where the transfer mechanism picks up the wafer. Picking up the wafer from the first table by the transfer mechanism,
A step of transferring the wafer to a position above the second table; a step of detecting the direction of the transfer mechanism; and a step of detecting the direction of the transfer mechanism, wherein the direction of the transfer mechanism is detected at a position where the wafer is picked up from the first table. Adjusting the direction of the transfer mechanism above the second table so as to be the same as the direction, and placing the wafer on the second table. Method. 12. The wafer adjusting method according to claim 11, wherein the step of detecting the direction of the transfer mechanism includes a step of detecting a mark formed on the transfer mechanism. . 13. The wafer adjusting method according to claim 12, wherein the step of detecting a mark formed on the transfer mechanism includes the step of:
A method for adjusting a wafer, comprising transmitting an image signal using a CD camera. 14. The wafer adjustment method according to claim 11, wherein the alignment mark is a first alignment mark formed on an outer peripheral edge of the wafer. Adjustment method. 15. The wafer adjustment method according to claim 11, wherein the alignment mark is a notch formed at an outer peripheral edge of the wafer. 16. The wafer adjusting method according to claim 11, wherein the wafer has a substantially circular shape, and the alignment mark is formed on an outer peripheral edge of the wafer. A wafer adjustment method, which is an orientation flat. 17. The wafer adjustment method according to claim 11, wherein the alignment mark further includes at least two second alignment marks formed on a surface of the wafer. Characteristic wafer adjustment method. 18. The wafer adjusting method according to claim 17, wherein the step of rotating the first table includes: a step of detecting the second alignment mark using a CCD camera; A wafer adjustment method, comprising: transmitting an image signal to a controller; and rotating the first table in response to a control signal from the controller. 19. The wafer adjusting method according to claim 11, wherein the alignment mark is a first alignment mark formed on an outer peripheral edge of the wafer. Having at least two second alignment marks formed on the surface of the wafer, wherein the step of rotating the first stage includes the step of preliminarily adjusting the position of the wafer using the first alignment marks And a step of adjusting the position of the wafer using the second alignment mark. 20. The wafer adjusting method according to claim 11, wherein the second stage is disposed in a vacuum chamber. 21. The wafer adjusting method according to claim 11, wherein the wafer is heated until the wafer is picked up from the first table after the wafer is placed on the first table. A wafer adjustment method characterized by the above-mentioned. 22. The wafer adjustment method according to claim 21, wherein the wafer is heated while the first stage is rotating. 23. An apparatus for adjusting the position of a wafer and controlling the temperature of the wafer, the base supporting the wafer and being rotatable so that the wafer is arranged at a predetermined position. A temperature detector that detects a temperature of the wafer; and a temperature control mechanism that controls a temperature of the wafer mounted on the base to a predetermined temperature in response to the temperature detector. Wafer adjustment device. 24. The wafer adjustment device according to claim 23, wherein the wafer has a first alignment mark formed on an outer peripheral edge of the wafer, and wherein the wafer adjustment device has a first alignment mark. A wafer adjustment device having a detector for detecting the pressure. 25. The wafer adjusting apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the wafer has at least two wafers formed on a surface of the wafer.
The wafer adjustment apparatus further comprising: a plurality of second alignment marks; and the wafer adjustment apparatus further includes at least two CCD cameras for detecting the second alignment marks. 26. The wafer adjustment apparatus according to claim 23, further comprising a transfer mechanism that picks up the wafer from a base and transfers the wafer to a wafer stage. 27. The wafer adjusting apparatus according to claim 26, wherein the transfer mechanism has a mark for adjusting a position of the transfer mechanism. 28. The wafer adjusting apparatus according to claim 27, further comprising: a CCD camera provided near a base for detecting a mark position of the transport mechanism. . 29. The wafer adjusting device according to claim 27, further comprising a CCD camera provided near a wafer stage for detecting a mark position of the transfer mechanism. Wafer adjustment device. 30. The wafer adjustment apparatus according to claim 23, wherein the temperature control mechanism is a heater capable of heating the wafer in response to the temperature detector. apparatus.