JP2002270494A - Position detecting method and exposure method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a position detecting method and an exposure method which executes alignment with high precision and improves the throughput. SOLUTION: The position detecting method comprises a step of detecting the positions and the heights of a plurality of marks formed on a substrate 1 to obtain a first measurement result using a first detecting means (position detector 2), a step of moving the substrate 1 to an aligner 3 and detecting the position and the height of at least one mark to obtain a second measurement result using a second position detecting means, a step of obtaining the position and the height of other mark on the substrate 1 by the aligner 3 based on the first and second measurement results, and a step of determining a plurality of exposure regions on the substrate 1 based on the positions and the heights of the plurality of marks on the substrate 1 by the aligner 3. The exposure method comprises a step of exposing the exposure regions in addition.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a position detecting method and an exposure method, and more particularly, to a position detecting method and an exposure method applied to a lithography process in manufacturing a semiconductor device or the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In a lithography process for forming a desired fine pattern on a sample surface such as a semiconductor substrate or a mask, a reduction projection exposure apparatus (a so-called stepper or scanner) for exposing with ultraviolet rays is used. An EUV (extreme ultraviolet) exposure apparatus that performs exposure with X-rays having a wavelength of 11 to 13 nm for further miniaturization,
EB that performs exposure with an electron beam at an acceleration voltage of 100 keV
An (electron-beam) exposure apparatus is also used in part.

The exposure process using such an exposure apparatus generally includes (1) substrate exchange, (2) search alignment (coarse adjustment), (3) fine alignment (fine adjustment), and (4)
Exposure is roughly divided into four operations. (4)
After the exposure, the substrate is replaced with the next substrate, and the above four operations are repeated again.

[0004] The substrate exchange of (1) is an operation of placing a substrate on a stage of an exposure apparatus by an automated wafer loader. The substrate after the exposure is moved from the stage by the wafer unloader. The search alignment of (2) is an operation for roughly detecting the position of the substrate. This is performed based on the outer shape of the substrate or by detecting a search alignment mark formed on the substrate.

On the other hand, the fine alignment of (3)
This is an operation for accurately obtaining the position (coordinate) of each shot area on the substrate. In general, an enhanced global alignment (EGA) method is employed for fine alignment. For example, as described in JP-A-61-44429, according to the EGA method, a plurality of sample shots on a substrate are selected, and the positions of alignment marks provided on the sample shots are sequentially measured. . Based on the measurement result and the design value of the shot array, a statistical operation is performed by a least square method or the like, and the positions of all shot areas on the substrate are determined.

In the exposure of (4), the exposure position of the exposure apparatus and the shot area on the substrate are aligned based on the coordinates of each shot area obtained by the fine alignment, and the mask pattern is transferred onto the substrate. Operation. The light intensity distribution of the light source is measured in advance, and the exposure amount is appropriately corrected using the distribution as a baseline amount.

[0007] With the miniaturization of patterns, the demand for higher precision in the lithography process is increasing year by year. Accordingly, the time required for fine alignment among the above four operations is particularly long. this is,
For (1) and (2), only one operation is performed for one substrate, but for (3), the required time depends on the number of shot samples and the measurement time of each shot. Is determined.

In order to obtain high alignment accuracy by the EGA method, it is impossible to reduce the number of shots to be sampled or to shorten the measurement time of each shot. However, it is necessary to avoid a decrease in throughput (exposure processing capacity per unit time) due to an increase in the time required for alignment.

To solve such a problem, Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No.
Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 0-163097 discloses a projection exposure apparatus having two stages. According to the projection exposure method using the projection exposure apparatus, while the substrate is exposed on one stage, alignment is performed on the other stage.

[0010]

However, the projection exposure method described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H10-163097 requires a large change in the stage mechanism, so that it is difficult to apply it to an existing exposure apparatus. In addition, the exposure apparatus itself becomes complicated, and the maintenance labor increases.

In the case of an EUV exposure apparatus or an EB exposure apparatus, it is necessary to evacuate the environment of the optical system and the stage. This makes it difficult to finely adjust the position as compared with a stage that is used in the air, such as a stepper, and reduces the position accuracy. It is not realistic to provide two such vacuum stages in the apparatus.

In addition, when a plurality of exposure apparatuses are used to perform mix-and-match exposure in which different patterns are sequentially transferred to the same substrate by using the exposure apparatuses, pattern overlay accuracy is important. Therefore, it is necessary to perform alignment with high accuracy in each exposure apparatus, which is a factor of reducing the throughput.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and therefore, the present invention is not limited to the case where an exposure apparatus having a stage with low positional accuracy or a plurality of exposure apparatuses is used. To the alignment, and
An object of the present invention is to provide a position detection method and an exposure method that can improve throughput.

[0014]

In order to achieve the above object, a position detecting method according to the present invention comprises the steps of: fixing a substrate having a plurality of marks to a first substrate holding means; Detecting the first and second heights using a first position detection unit and obtaining a first measurement result, and moving the substrate from the first substrate holding unit and fixing the substrate to the second substrate holding unit. Detecting a position and a height of at least one of the plurality of marks by using a second position detection unit to obtain a second measurement result; and obtaining the second measurement result. Obtaining a position and a height of another mark of the substrate fixed to the second substrate holding means based on the measurement result of Step 2.

In the position detecting method according to the present invention, preferably, the step of obtaining the first measurement result includes: a first search alignment step of detecting the position of the substrate with relatively low accuracy; A first fine alignment step of detecting the position and height of the mark with relatively high accuracy.

In the position detecting method according to the present invention, preferably, the step of obtaining the second measurement result includes a second search alignment step of detecting a position of the substrate, and a step of detecting a position of the substrate. A second fine alignment step of detecting at least one position and height. In the position detecting method according to the present invention, preferably, a position detecting unit having higher position accuracy than the second position detecting unit is used as the first position detecting unit.

Preferably, in the position detecting method according to the present invention, before or after obtaining the first measurement result by fixing the substrate to the first substrate holding means,
Fixing the reference substrate having substantially the same size as the substrate and having a plurality of reference marks to the first substrate holding unit before fixing to the first substrate holding unit; and Detecting the height by using the first position detecting means to obtain a first reference measurement result; and moving the reference substrate from the first substrate holding means; Fixing, and using the second position detecting means to detect the positions and heights of the plurality of fiducial marks to obtain a second fiducial measurement result; Obtaining a position correction amount distribution based on a difference from the second reference measurement result,
A position and a height of the another mark are obtained based on the first measurement result, the second measurement result, and the position correction amount distribution.

As described above, the first measurement result on the first substrate holding means is used for position detection on the second substrate holding means, so that the first measurement result on the second substrate holding means is used. The time required for position detection can be reduced. When desired processing is performed on the substrate on the second substrate holding means, the position of another substrate can be detected on the first substrate holding means in parallel with such processing. Therefore, when the substrate is exposed on the second substrate holding means, the exposure throughput is improved. Further, even when it is difficult to perform position detection with high accuracy on the second substrate holding unit, position control can be performed with high accuracy using the first measurement result on the first substrate holding unit. It is possible to do.

Further, in order to achieve the above object, an exposure method according to the present invention comprises the steps of: fixing a substrate having a plurality of marks to a first substrate holding means; Detecting using a first position detecting means to obtain a first measurement result, moving the substrate from the first substrate holding means and fixing the substrate to a second substrate holding means; By using the position detection means, the position and height of at least one of the plurality of marks is detected,
Obtaining a second measurement result; and obtaining a position and a height of another mark of the substrate fixed to the second substrate holding means, based on the first measurement result and the second measurement result. A step of determining a plurality of exposure regions on the substrate based on positions and heights of a plurality of marks on the substrate fixed to the second substrate holding means; and performing exposure on the exposure regions, respectively. And a process.

The exposure method according to the present invention is preferably arranged such that the second
While exposing the substrate fixed to the substrate holding means, while fixing another substrate having a plurality of marks to the first substrate holding means, the position and height of the mark of the other substrate, Detection is performed using the first position detection means.

The exposure method according to the present invention is preferably arranged such that the first
The step of obtaining the measurement result of the first comprises: a first search alignment step of detecting the position of the substrate with relatively low accuracy; and a first search alignment step of detecting the position and height of the plurality of marks with relatively high accuracy. And a fine alignment step.

In the exposure method according to the present invention, the step of obtaining the second measurement result preferably includes a second search alignment step of detecting a position of the substrate, and at least one of the plurality of marks. A second fine alignment step of detecting one position and height. The exposure method according to the present invention is preferably arranged such that the first position detecting means includes:
A position detecting means having a higher position accuracy than the second position detecting means is used.

The exposure method according to the present invention is preferably arranged such that the second
Obtaining the second measurement result using the position detecting means includes detecting a position and a height of at least one of the plurality of marks in a vacuum. In the exposure method of the present invention, more preferably, the step of performing the exposure includes the step of:
This includes exposure to UV light or exposure to an electron beam.

This makes it possible to perform the fine alignment process in parallel with the exposure in the fine alignment process, which has conventionally been a cause of reducing the throughput of the entire exposure process. Therefore, the throughput of the entire exposure process can be improved.

According to the above-described exposure method of the present invention,
For example, as in the case of performing exposure in a vacuum using an EUV exposure apparatus or an EB exposure apparatus, a significant change in the apparatus configuration such that the alignment position accuracy is not sufficient and two stages are provided in the apparatus. Is difficult, the throughput of the exposure step can be improved.

Preferably, in the exposure method of the present invention, the substrate is fixed to the first substrate holding means or before or after obtaining the first measurement result, and the substrate is fixed to the second substrate holding means. Before fixing to the substrate holding means, the reference substrate having the same size as the substrate and having a plurality of reference marks
Fixing to the substrate holding means, detecting the positions and heights of the plurality of reference marks using the first position detecting means, and obtaining a first reference measurement result; Moving from the first substrate holding means,
Fixing to the substrate holding means, detecting the positions and heights of the plurality of fiducial marks using the second position detecting means, and obtaining a second fiducial measurement result;
Calculating a first position correction amount distribution based on a difference between the reference measurement result and the second reference measurement result, wherein the first measurement result, the second measurement result, and the second The position and height of the other mark are obtained based on the position correction amount distribution of (1).

In the exposure method according to the present invention, preferably, the step of performing the exposure includes a step of sequentially performing exposure in a mutually different pattern using a plurality of exposure means. At least one exposure means having a substrate holding means and a third position detecting means, and moving the substrate subjected to the exposure from the second substrate holding means to the third substrate holding means. Fixing, detecting the position and height of at least one of the plurality of marks using the third position detecting means, and obtaining a third measurement result; Obtaining a position and a height of another mark of the substrate fixed to the third substrate holding means based on the result of the third measurement and the third measurement result; and setting the substrate fixed to the third substrate holding means. Multiple mark locations And based on the height, further comprising determining a plurality of second exposure regions on the substrate, and performing a second exposure to each of the second exposure area.

Preferably, in the exposure method according to the present invention, the step of fixing the reference substrate to the third substrate holding means and the step of determining the positions and heights of the plurality of reference marks by the third position detecting means And a step of obtaining a third reference measurement result, and a step of obtaining a second position correction amount distribution based on a difference between the first reference measurement result and the third reference measurement result. And a position and a height of another mark of the substrate fixed to the third substrate holding means, based on the first measurement result, the third measurement result, and the second position correction amount distribution. Ask for it.

Thus, when performing a mix-and-match exposure by combining a plurality of exposure apparatuses, it is possible to sufficiently increase the pattern overlay accuracy. Further, since the stage positions and heights of the plurality of exposure apparatuses can be calibrated in a short time, the throughput of the entire exposure process can be improved.

[0030]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Embodiments of the position detecting method and the exposure method according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. According to the position detection method of this embodiment, pre-alignment is performed prior to exposure using a position detection device having a stage with a position accuracy higher than that of the exposure device, separately from the exposure device. The position and height of the alignment mark on the substrate are measured by the pre-alignment, and the measurement result is sent to the exposure apparatus.

Further, the position and height of a mark formed on a certain reference substrate are detected using a position detecting device and an exposure device, respectively, and the difference between the two measurement results is calculated in advance. When the position and height of the alignment mark of another substrate are detected using the position detection device, the position and height in the exposure device are determined by using the above difference obtained for the reference substrate.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the pre-alignment of the position detecting method according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, a substrate 1 to be exposed is first placed on a stage of a position detection device 2. The position detection device 2 can perform position detection with higher accuracy than the exposure device 3.

The position detecting device 2 detects the position and height of an alignment mark formed on the substrate 1 in advance, and the coordinate data is transferred to the exposure device 3. The substrate 1 for which the detection of the alignment mark has been completed is conveyed from the position detection device 2 to the exposure device 3. On the other hand, the position detection device 2 detects an alignment mark for the next substrate 1.

FIG. 2 shows a flow in the case where exposure is performed after pre-alignment is performed using the position detecting device 2 described above. At least a fine alignment mark is formed on the substrate in advance. If search alignment is possible by using the outer shape of the substrate including the orientation flat, the search alignment mark does not necessarily have to be provided.

First, the substrate provided with the alignment mark is carried into the position detecting device 2. Step 1: Approximate substrate position detection is performed in the same manner as search alignment when exposure is performed using a normal exposure apparatus. This is performed based on the outer shape of the substrate or by detecting a search alignment mark formed on the substrate.

Step 2: Fine alignment is performed based on the coordinates of the search alignment mark or the substrate position data obtained by the search alignment. The position and height of the fine alignment mark provided in advance on the substrate are measured using the position detection device 2.

The type and number of the fine alignment marks to be detected are appropriately selected according to the positional accuracy required in the subsequent exposure step. When detecting the fine alignment mark, the height of the substrate is also measured.
When all the necessary detections of the position and height of the fine alignment mark have been completed, the substrate is carried out of the position detecting device 2 and replaced with the next substrate.

Step 3: Data processing is performed on the coordinate data of the position and height of the fine alignment mark.
The position (coordinates) of each shot area on the substrate is accurately determined. The alignment data obtained by the data processing is transferred to the exposure device 3. At this time, the measurement results of the position and height of these substrates are also transferred to the exposure apparatus 3,
Used in the exposure apparatus 3.

Steps 2 and 3 include, for example, EGA described in JP-A-61-44429.
A method can be used. According to the EGA method, a plurality of sample shots in a substrate are selected, and the positions of fine alignment marks provided on the sample shots are sequentially measured. Based on the measurement result and the design value of the shot array, a statistical operation is performed by a least square method or the like, and the positions of all shot areas on the substrate are determined.

Step 4: The substrate on which fine alignment has been completed in the position detection device 2 is carried into the exposure device 3, and search alignment is performed. This search alignment includes search alignment in a normal exposure process,
Alternatively, similarly to the search alignment using the position detection device 2 in step 1, the search alignment is performed based on the outer shape of the substrate or by detecting a search alignment mark on the substrate.

Step 5: Fine alignment is performed by detecting the position and height of one fine alignment mark. This is for obtaining an offset amount between the exposure result and the measurement result of the position detection device 2 obtained in advance. When high-precision alignment is required, it is desirable to perform fine alignment at two or more points. However, when an alignment correction map between a position detection device and an exposure device described later is created, fine alignment in the exposure device 3 can be omitted altogether.

Step 6: Data processing is performed on the alignment data transferred from the position detecting device 2 and the measurement result of the position and height of the fine alignment mark obtained in Step 5 to adjust the adjustment parameters at the time of exposure. calculate. Examples of the adjustment parameters at the time of exposure include a magnification and a rotation rate. The exposure amount is appropriately corrected using the light intensity distribution of the light source measured in advance as the baseline amount.

If an alignment correction map has been created and the fine alignment in the exposure device 3 is omitted, the alignment data transferred from the position detection device 2 and the measurement results of the search alignment (step 4) in the exposure device 2 Then, an adjustment parameter can be calculated from the alignment correction map.

Further, since the measurement of the substrate height is based on a stage or the like, the flatness of the substrate surface changes according to the substrate holding method. Therefore, when the position detection device 2 and the exposure device 3 use different substrate holding methods, the substrate height necessarily changes. Therefore, using the measurement result of the position and height of the substrate in the position detecting device 2 transferred together with the alignment data from the position detecting device 2, the substrate height in the exposure device 3 is corrected, and Perform processing. However, when the substrate height in the position detection device 2 and the substrate height in the exposure device 3 can be calibrated by the alignment correction map, the measurement of the substrate height in the exposure device 3 and the data processing in step 6 accompanying the measurement are performed. It can be omitted.

Step 7: Exposure is performed on the substrate on which the data processing of Step 6 has been completed. A mask pattern is transferred to each shot area on the substrate based on the coordinates of each shot area obtained by the data processing in step 6 and the exposure adjustment parameters. Through the above steps, the exposure using the position detection device 2 and one exposure device 3 is completed.

According to the above-described position detection method and the exposure method including the same, most of the fine alignment is performed using the position detection device instead of the exposure device. Therefore,
In parallel with performing exposure on other substrates in the exposure apparatus,
Fine alignment can be performed. Conventionally,
Fine alignment, which has been a factor in lowering the throughput of the entire exposure process, can be performed in parallel with the exposure, so that the exposure throughput is improved.

Further, the above-described position detection method and the exposure method including the same do not have sufficient alignment position accuracy as in the case of performing exposure in a vacuum using an EUV exposure apparatus or an EB exposure apparatus, for example. This can be effectively applied when it is difficult to significantly change the configuration of the apparatus such as providing two stages in the apparatus.

The above is a case where exposure is performed using a single exposure apparatus. Mix-and-match exposure in which a plurality of exposure apparatuses are used in one exposure step and different patterns are sequentially transferred and overlapped is performed. Sometimes it is done. According to the mix-and-match exposure, it is possible to improve the resolution, and it is increasingly used as the pattern becomes finer.

Hereinafter, the result of fine alignment by the position detecting device is used by a plurality of exposure devices to mix and
The case where AND match exposure is performed will be described. By transferring the fine alignment result from the position detecting device to each exposure device and using it, the fine alignment conventionally performed by each exposure device can be simplified. As a result, the time required for fine alignment can be reduced and the throughput can be improved without lowering the pattern overlay accuracy in the mix-and-match exposure.

The position detecting device and the exposure device use different stages and employ different position measuring mechanisms. As a result, there is a gap between the measurement result of the position detection device and the measurement result of the exposure device. Therefore, it is necessary to calibrate a plurality of exposure devices based on a measurement result obtained for a reference substrate using a position detection device. FIG. 3 shows a schematic diagram of the calibration process.

A mark is formed on the reference substrate 11 shown in FIG. 3 by engraving a part of the surface or the like. This mark is for comparison between the position detection device 2 and the plurality of exposure devices 3a to 3c, and it is not necessary to particularly increase the position accuracy.
It is desirable to disperse the marks over the entire surface of the reference substrate 11. As shown in FIG. 3, the mark position and height of the created reference substrate 11 are detected by the position detection device 2, and the same mark is detected by using the exposure devices 3a to 3c.

By comparing and comparing the two measurement results, the displacement of each of the exposure devices 3a to 3c with respect to the position detection device 2 is obtained. By using this deviation as an alignment correction map for the substrate coordinates or the exposure apparatus stage coordinates, calibration of both is realized.

When a photosensitive coating film or the like is formed on a substrate having the same type and size as the reference substrate 11 to actually perform exposure, the above-described alignment correction map is registered in the exposure apparatuses 3a to 3c. deep. In the position detection device 2, fine alignment of the substrate to be exposed is performed, and the measurement result is transferred to the exposure devices 3a to 3c.
In the exposure devices 3a to 3c, alignment correction is performed on the measurement results (alignment data) in the position detection device 2 using the respective alignment correction maps.

Alternatively, the alignment correction map can be registered in the position detecting device 2 instead of the exposure devices 3a to 3c. In this case, in the position detection device 2, after performing fine alignment of the substrate to be exposed, alignment correction using the alignment correction map is performed, and the corrected measurement result is transferred to each of the exposure devices 3a to 3c. In the exposure devices 3a to 3c, exposure is performed based on the transferred correction data. In both the case where the alignment correction map is registered in the exposure devices 3a to 3c and the case where the alignment correction map is registered in the position detection device 2, a sufficiently high pattern overlay accuracy can be obtained in the mix-and-match exposure.

This alignment correction map may be in a correction table format using substrate coordinates or exposure apparatus stage coordinates as input variables, or may be based on a correction formula. If this alignment correction map is created for all the exposure apparatuses, the measurement results (position and height) of all the exposure apparatuses can be calibrated based on the measurement results of the position detection apparatuses.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the position detecting device. This apparatus generally corresponds to an existing exposure apparatus in which an optical system for exposure is removed. As shown in FIG. 4, the position detecting device 21 includes a stage 22, a stage position measuring mechanism 23, a substrate holding mechanism 24, and a mark detecting mechanism 2.
5 The mark detection mechanism 25 includes a substrate imaging mechanism 26. The position detecting device 21 has a main control mechanism 27.

The stage 22 can be moved two-dimensionally independently on the gantry 28. The substrate 1 is fixed on the stage 22 by the substrate holding mechanism 24. The substrate holding mechanism 24 fixes the substrate 1 on the stage 22 by, for example, vacuum suction. In the case of the above-mentioned reference substrate 11 (see FIG. 3), it is similarly fixed.

The mark detection mechanism 25 detects the position and height of the substrate 1 based on the position and height of the mark formed on the substrate 1. The mark detection mechanism 25 includes a mirror 2
9 may be included. The board imaging mechanism 26 captures a mark on the board 1 as an image. The main control mechanism 27 controls each of the above units.

It is desirable that the stage 22 and the stage position measuring mechanism 23 of the position detecting device 21 be of high accuracy regardless of the stage position accuracy of the exposure device. For example, those having an air bearing (air guide), a linear motor, a laser interferometer, a linear encoder, and the like can be given.

The mark detection mechanism 25 is, for example, an LSA (la
ser step alignment), FIA (filed image alignm)
ent) system or LIA (laser interferometric alig)
nment) -based sensors. Further, a plurality of sensors can be used in combination. The LSA-based sensor is a sensor that irradiates a mark with a laser beam and measures the position of the mark by using diffracted and scattered light. FIA sensors are
This sensor measures the mark position by irradiating a mark with broadband light such as a halogen lamp and processing the mark image.

The LIA sensor irradiates a laser beam having a slightly changed frequency on a diffraction grating mark from two directions.
This is a sensor that makes the two generated diffracted lights interfere with each other and detects the position information of the mark from its phase. The LIA sensor is effectively used especially for a substrate having a step on the surface. These sensors measure the position of the mark on the reference substrate or the alignment mark on the substrate to be exposed in the two-dimensional direction on the substrate surface.

On the other hand, since the measurement of the substrate height is based on the stage 22 and the like, the flatness of the substrate surface changes according to the substrate holding method of the substrate holding mechanism 24, and the substrate height naturally changes. In order to prevent this, it is desirable to use the same substrate holding mechanism 24 as the exposure apparatus. However,
If an alignment correction map of the substrate height between the position detection device and the exposure device has been created in advance, it is possible to correct the deviation of the substrate height based on the difference in the substrate holding mechanism 24.

By measuring the position and height of the reference substrate using the position detecting device of the present embodiment, it is possible to calibrate the stage positions and heights of a plurality of exposure devices in a short time. Further, according to the position detection method of the present embodiment and the exposure method including the same, it is possible to calibrate the position accuracy of a plurality of exposure apparatuses, so that a mix and <"> The overlay accuracy of match exposure is improved.

Embodiments of the position detection method and the exposure method of the present invention are not limited to the above description. For example, the stage position measuring mechanism 23 and the mark detecting mechanism 25 of the position detecting device 21 shown in FIG. In addition, various changes can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0065]

According to the position detecting method of the present invention, high-precision alignment can be performed even when using an exposure apparatus having a stage with low positional accuracy or when using a plurality of exposure apparatuses. . According to the exposure method of the present invention,
The time required for fine alignment can be reduced, and the throughput of the entire exposure process can be improved. Further, according to the exposure method of the present invention, when performing exposure using a plurality of exposure apparatuses, it is possible to improve throughput while maintaining pattern overlay accuracy.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing an exposure method of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a flow of a position detection method and an exposure method of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing an exposure method of the present invention;
The case where a plurality of exposure apparatuses are used will be described.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of an apparatus used for the position detection method of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Substrate, 2, 21 ... Position detection device, 3, 3a-3c ...
Exposure apparatus, 11: reference substrate, 22: stage, 23: stage position measurement mechanism, 24: substrate holding mechanism, 25: mark detection mechanism, 26: substrate imaging mechanism, 27: main control mechanism,
28 ... stand, 29 ... mirror.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 2F069 AA03 AA42 AA64 BB15 DD12 DD15 FF01 GG04 GG07 GG45 GG72 HH09 HH14 MM02 PP01 5F031 CA02 CA07 CA11 HA13 HA53 JA02 JA04 JA06 JA07 JA17 JA27 JA32 JA34 JA36 JA38 MA03 LA05 DB05 DB10 FC04 FC05

Claims (16)

[Claims] A step of fixing a substrate having a plurality of marks to a first substrate holding means; detecting a position and a height of the plurality of marks by using a first position detecting means; Obtaining a measurement result; moving the substrate from the first substrate holding means;
Fixing to at least one substrate holding means, detecting a position and a height of at least one of the plurality of marks using a second position detecting means, and obtaining a second measurement result; Obtaining a position and a height of another mark of the substrate fixed to the second substrate holding means, based on the measurement result of (1) and the second measurement result. 2. The step of obtaining the first measurement result includes: a first search alignment step of detecting a position of the substrate with relatively low accuracy; and a relative position and height of the plurality of marks. 2. The position detecting method according to claim 1, further comprising a first fine alignment step of detecting with high accuracy. 3. The step of obtaining a second measurement result includes a second search alignment step of detecting a position of the substrate, and a second search alignment step of detecting a position and a height of at least one of the plurality of marks. 2. The position detecting method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of: 4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first position detecting means includes
2. The position detection method according to claim 1, wherein a position detection unit having a higher position accuracy than the position detection unit is used. 5. Before or after fixing the substrate to the first substrate holding means and obtaining the first measurement result, and before fixing the substrate to the second substrate holding means, Fixing a reference substrate having substantially the same size as the substrate and having a plurality of reference marks to the first substrate holding means; and detecting the positions and heights of the plurality of reference marks by the first position detection. Detecting using a means to obtain a first reference measurement result; moving the reference substrate from the first substrate holding means;
Fixing to the second substrate holding means, detecting the positions and heights of the plurality of fiducial marks using the second position detecting means, and obtaining a second fiducial measurement result; Obtaining a position correction amount distribution based on a difference between a first reference measurement result and the second reference measurement result, wherein the first measurement result, the second measurement result, and the position correction 2. The position detecting method according to claim 1, wherein a position and a height of the another mark are obtained based on a quantity distribution. 6. A step of fixing a substrate having a plurality of marks to a first substrate holding means, detecting the positions and heights of the plurality of marks using a first position detecting means, Obtaining a measurement result; moving the substrate from the first substrate holding means;
Fixing to at least one substrate holding means, detecting a position and a height of at least one of the plurality of marks using a second position detecting means, and obtaining a second measurement result; Obtaining a position and a height of another mark of the substrate fixed to the second substrate holding means based on the measurement result of Step 1 and the second measurement result; and fixing the mark to the second substrate holding means. An exposure method, comprising: determining a plurality of exposure regions on the substrate based on the positions and heights of the plurality of marks on the substrate, and exposing the exposure regions respectively. 7. While exposing the substrate fixed to the second substrate holding means, another substrate having a plurality of marks is fixed to the first substrate holding means, and the other substrate is fixed to the first substrate holding means. 7. The exposure method according to claim 6, wherein a position and a height of the mark are detected by using the first position detecting means. 8. The step of obtaining the first measurement result includes: a first search alignment step of detecting the position of the substrate with relatively low accuracy; and a step of relatively determining the positions and heights of the plurality of marks. The exposure method according to claim 6, further comprising: a first fine alignment step of detecting with high accuracy. 9. A step of obtaining the second measurement result includes a second search alignment step of detecting a position of the substrate, and a second search alignment step of detecting a position and a height of at least one of the plurality of marks. 7. The exposure method according to claim 6, further comprising the step of: 10. An exposure method according to claim 6, wherein said first position detecting means uses a position detecting means having higher position accuracy than said second position detecting means. 11. The step of obtaining the second measurement result using the second position detecting means includes detecting a position and a height of at least one of the plurality of marks in a vacuum. The exposure method according to claim 10. 12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the step of performing the exposure is an EUV (extrem
The exposure method according to claim 11, which comprises exposing to ultraviolet light. 13. The exposure method according to claim 11, wherein the step of performing the exposure includes exposure to an electron beam. 14. Before or after obtaining the first measurement result by fixing the substrate to the first substrate holding means,
Before fixing the substrate to the second substrate holding unit, fixing a reference substrate having substantially the same size as the substrate and having a plurality of reference marks to the first substrate holding unit; Detecting the position and height of the reference mark by using the first position detection means to obtain a first reference measurement result; and moving the reference substrate from the first substrate holding means;
Fixing to the second substrate holding means, detecting the positions and heights of the plurality of fiducial marks using the second position detecting means, and obtaining a second fiducial measurement result; A step of obtaining a first position correction amount distribution based on a difference between the first reference measurement result and the second reference measurement result, wherein the first measurement result, the second measurement result, and 7. The exposure method according to claim 6, wherein a position and a height of the another mark are obtained based on the first position correction amount distribution. 15. The step of performing exposure includes a step of sequentially performing exposure in a mutually different pattern using a plurality of exposure units, wherein the plurality of exposure units includes a third substrate holding unit and a third substrate holding unit.
Moving at least one of said exposure means having position detection means, moving said exposed substrate from said second substrate holding means, and fixing said substrate to said third substrate holding means; The position and height of at least one of the marks are detected by using the third position detecting means,
Obtaining a measurement result of: and obtaining a position and a height of another mark of the substrate fixed to the third substrate holding means based on the first measurement result and the third measurement result. Determining a plurality of second exposure regions on the substrate based on positions and heights of a plurality of marks on the substrate fixed to the third substrate holding means; The exposure method according to claim 14, further comprising a step of performing a second exposure. 16. A step of fixing the reference substrate to the third substrate holding means, and detecting the positions and heights of the plurality of reference marks using the third position detection means, Obtaining a reference measurement result; and obtaining a second position correction amount distribution based on a difference between the first reference measurement result and the third reference measurement result, wherein the first measurement 16. The exposure according to claim 15, wherein a position and a height of another mark of the substrate fixed to the third substrate holding unit are obtained based on the result, the third measurement result and the second position correction amount distribution. Method.