JP2002351502A - Temperature controller and exposing device using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a temperature controller for predicting suppressibility when disturbance enters or the like and realizing temperature control of higher performance and to provide an exposing device for improving the temperature controllability of the temperature controller and also improving productivity. SOLUTION: This temperature controller for adjusting gas temperature has a calculating means (step S3 and step S4) for calculating a plant parameter being a parameter of a transfer function of a temperature control feedback system, and a displaying means for displaying the plant parameter.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method of controlling a once-cooled gas into a gas having a desired temperature by controlling the amount of electricity supplied to a re-heating heater based on the output of a temperature measuring means and re-heating the gas. The present invention relates to a temperature controller used for maintaining constant temperature by blowing air into a temperature control space. Further, the present invention relates to an exposure apparatus used for manufacturing a device such as a semiconductor using the temperature controller.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art For example, in an exposure apparatus, an apparatus for reducing a circuit pattern drawn on a reticle as an original by a projection optical system and exposing a semiconductor wafer as a substrate is called a semiconductor exposure apparatus. Called stepper. Recently, a semiconductor exposure apparatus that performs exposure by synchronously driving a reticle stage as an original stage on which a reticle is mounted and a wafer stage as a substrate stage on which a semiconductor wafer is mounted at a predetermined speed ratio in opposite directions to each other. And this is called a scanner. In such a semiconductor exposure apparatus, the entire apparatus is housed in a temperature-controlled constant temperature chamber. In the chamber, the gas once cooled based on the output of the temperature detecting means is reheated by controlling the amount of electricity supplied to the reheating heater in order to keep the temperature of each part of this space constant. . This control is performed by a temperature controller having a PID compensator. Here, P means proportional, I means integral, and D means differential operation.

In most cases, when adjusting the PID of a temperature controller, automatic adjustment (auto tuning) is performed.
Depends on. For only the parts that require meticulous temperature control, the parameters of the PID compensator are adjusted by trial and error based on the result of the automatic adjustment. This is called manual adjustment.

[0004] As the automatic adjustment, a limit cycle method has been known. The outline of this method will be described below. First, the characteristics of the temperature control space, that is, the transfer function G of the plant
_In general, _p (s) is set as “first-order delay + dead time” as in the following equation.

[0005]

(Equation 1)

Here, K _p : process gain, T _p : first-order lag time constant of the process, L _p : dead time, s: Laplace operator.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a conventional temperature control feedback system for performing automatic adjustment. The limit cycle is
It is generated by the feedback configuration of FIG. In FIG. 8, reference numeral 1 denotes a transfer function (G _p (s)) of the temperature control feedback system of the plant expressed by the above-described equation 1.
It is. The transfer function 1 of the temperature control feedback system of the plant is expressed as Expression 1 including the characteristics of the temperature measuring means. The output (r _tmp ) of the temperature measuring means, which is the output of G _p (s), is fed back, and the target temperature set value (r
_The deviation signal obtained by comparison with ( _set ) is guided to the relay element 3. Then, the relay element 3 outputs the transfer function (G _p
(S)) 1 is driven.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a waveform of a limit cycle in the temperature control feedback system of FIG. FIG.
In the feedback system as shown in FIG. 9, oscillation called a limit cycle as shown in FIG. 9 occurs. And by measuring the characteristic amount of the limit cycle,
The parameters of the PID compensator are determined.

This calculation method will be specifically described. First,
Dead time L _p of the plant, can be known by measuring the time point shown in FIG. By measuring L _p , the differential time constant T _d and the integration time constant T _{i of} the PID compensator are determined by Expressions 2 and 3 below.

[0010]

(Equation 2)

[0011]

(Equation 3)

The gain K _g of the PID compensator has been determined by the following equation in view of the fact that the slope of the limit cycle shown in FIG. 9 is proportional to T _p / K _p .

[0013]

(Equation 4)

Here, α, β, and γ are intrinsic constants of the temperature controller for performing optimal temperature control. The form of the transfer function of the PID compensator is generally represented by the following equation.

[0015]

(Equation 5)

Alternatively, the transfer function of the PID compensator may be implemented as in the following equation.

[0017]

(Equation 6) Also in this case, the numerical values of α, β, and γ are slightly different depending on the control strategy.
From the limit cycle waveform
And the slope

[0018]

[Outside 1] There is no difference whatsoever in the situation that the value obtained by multiplying this by the coefficient is used as the parameter of the PID compensator.

The algorithm for automatically determining the parameters of the PID compensator in the temperature controller has been described above. In the field of temperature control, in most cases, the P obtained as a result of activating the automatic adjustment provided in the temperature controller is obtained.
The operation is performed based on the ID parameter. In this case, it is guaranteed that the operation will be performed without loss of stability. Therefore, the user can use the result of the automatic adjustment in the temperature controller with confidence. However, the user of the temperature controller has been most concerned with the stability of the control after the automatic adjustment has been performed, and has been indifferent to the values of the process parameters positioned as intermediate data. The reason is that just because the process parameters have been determined, if the result of the temperature control is abnormal, the control purpose has not been achieved. But,
The greatest reason for being uninterested in the process parameters is that they did not know how to take advantage of the values of these parameters to further improve the temperature control.

In a specific field of the temperature control, the control by the PID parameter based on the automatic adjustment may be unsatisfactory in performance. As described above, since an algorithm that sets a conservative PID parameter is used so as to operate without deteriorating the stability, there are cases where performance is unsatisfactory. It is. In this case, the PID parameter can be adjusted by trial and error while observing the response of the temperature control. At the time of trial and error adjustment, if the type of transfer function of the plant is grasped as a numerical value, the strategy for adjusting the PID parameter becomes rational. Conventionally, however, it is assumed that the transfer function of the temperature control feedback system of the plant is represented by Equation 1, and, although the PID parameters are calculated by automatic adjustment under this assumption, each parameter of Equation 1 is represented as a numerical value. There was no temperature controller having the function of calculating.

In order to meet the demand for higher accuracy of temperature control, that is, to rationally draft an adjustment guideline for further improving the performance of temperature control, or to improve the accuracy of advance prediction of temperature controllability by changing the design. Therefore, it was necessary to grasp the plant parameters as numerical data. Furthermore, "1
In order to obtain a model of a higher-order term that cannot be expressed by “second-order delay + dead time”, it is necessary to first calculate a “first-order delay + dead time” model, which is a framework of a plant model.

Next, an example of how a temperature controller is used in a semiconductor exposure apparatus will be described with reference to FIG.
FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the configuration of an air conditioner provided with the semiconductor exposure apparatus. In FIG. 1, the air conditioner has a chamber 4, in which an arrangement room 6 for housing a projection exposure apparatus 5 is formed. An air conditioning path 7 for blowing air at a predetermined set temperature is formed adjacent to the disposition chamber 6, and air is blown from the air conditioning path 7 to the disposition chamber 6 via a filter 8. Functions to maintain a clean and constant temperature. The air conditioner 7 has a heat exchanger 9 and a blower 1
An air conditioner 12 including a reheater 11 and an air conditioner 11 is provided. Further, an outside air inlet 13 for guiding outside air, a communication port 14 communicating with the installation chamber 6, and an exhaust port 1 for discharging air in the installation chamber 6 to the outside.
5 are formed. The projection exposure apparatus 5 is installed in the installation room 6. Here, the gas as the medium to be temperature-controlled is described as air.

The main components of the projection exposure apparatus 5 are as follows. First, light emitted from a light source (not shown)
To the reticle 16 which is the circuit pattern of the reticle. The light passing through the reticle 16 passes through the projection optical system 17 and
After being reduced to 5 or 1/4, the wafer 18 is irradiated. The wafer 18 has a wafer stage (XY stage) 1
9. The wafer stage 19 is mounted on a stage base (anti-vibration table) 20. Reference numeral 21 denotes an active mount of the active vibration isolator. The function of this unit is to swing the main body structure including the stage base plate 20 generated by the driving reaction force caused by the step-and-repeat operation with rapid acceleration / deceleration of the wafer stage 19 or the high-speed scan operation with rapid acceleration / deceleration. And to prevent the floor vibration on which the projection exposure apparatus 17 is installed from invading the main body structure including the projection optical system 17.

The temperature control of the installation room 6 is performed as described below. First, a circulation path of air as an operation medium will be described. The air cooled by the heat exchanger 9 is sent to the reheater 11 by the blower 10. Here, the reheated air is blown downward from the filter 8 through the duct 22. Part of the air is exhausted from the exhaust port 15 to the outside of the disposition chamber 6. Most of the air in the disposition chamber 6 passes through the communication port 14, mixes with the air taken in from the outside air inlet 13 to supplement the air exhausted from the disposition chamber 6, and returns the air to the air conditioning path 7 again. Is leading. In such a circulation path, since various heat sources exist in the disposition chamber 6, the temperature deviates from a desired temperature. Therefore, an appropriate compensation signal is generated by measuring the temperature of the air at the outlet by the temperature measuring means 23 and guiding the output to the temperature controller 24. The compensation signal is input to a driver 26 that controls the amount of current supplied to the reheater 25, and the amount of power supplied to the reheater 25 is adjusted to control the amount of heating of the cool air sent from the blower 10. Then, the air controlled to a constant temperature is sent out from the outlet to the disposition chamber 6. Here, the temperature controller 24 is also used for temperature control, flow rate control, liquid level control and the like of a plant or the like, and mainly has a function of realizing PID compensation.

[0025]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The above-mentioned temperature controller 2
Reference numeral 4 denotes an instrumentation device that can be easily obtained, and has a function for improving user-friendliness and consideration for safety. However, there has not been a function that has a function of calculating a characteristic of a plant as a numerical value and displaying the numerical value. The problems that led to the creation of the present invention are summarized as follows.

Conventionally, the adjustment of the temperature controller has been realized manually or automatically. In the adjustment, in most cases, only the result is important, so the numerical values of the plant parameters to be temperature-controlled were not mentioned.
Here, the plant parameter is almost always
It is a numerical value expressing the characteristic when “first order delay + dead time” is set. However, in order to realize high-performance temperature control, it is necessary to obtain plant parameters as numerical values and to study and adjust them based on a numerical model. This is to predict the suppression performance in the event of a disturbance or to perform performance prediction corresponding to changes in plant characteristics when realizing more accurate temperature control before actually producing a plant. . That is, in the case of predicting in advance the suppression performance corresponding to the increase or decrease of the heat source as a disturbance and the temperature control performance when the adjustment of the PID parameter is performed, it is necessary to grasp the plant parameters as numerical data. Is needed.

A specific example will be described. Here, it is considered that the temperature setting accuracy in the clean room where the semiconductor exposure apparatus is installed is reduced. Even if the temperature setting accuracy is relaxed, if the temperature accuracy of the constant temperature chamber accommodating the semiconductor exposure apparatus can be maintained, it is preferable because the operation cost of the clean room can be reduced. In this case, the temperature control accuracy of the constant temperature chamber with respect to the temperature fluctuation of the clean room can be estimated based on a numerical model expressing the characteristics of the constant temperature chamber.

More specifically, when the required temperature accuracy in the constant temperature chamber is ± 0.01 [° C.], the temperature stability of the clean room is ± 0.2 [° C.] than ± 0.1 [° C.]. Can operate the clean room at low cost. In this case, it can be analyzed whether or not the PID parameters of the temperature controller of the constant temperature chamber can be reset so as to satisfy the temperature accuracy ± 0.01 [° C.] required for the constant temperature chamber. Of course, it is certain that the PID compensator can be adjusted so as to cleanly provide the actual temperature fluctuation and suppress the fluctuation in the constant temperature chamber within a predetermined accuracy.

However, it is impossible to carry out an experiment of changing the temperature of a clean room in which a production apparatus such as a semiconductor exposure apparatus is operating. This is because the disturbance that the temperature setting fluctuates is given to the clean room where the production equipment operates, and the defective semiconductor IC
This is because continuation of the production of will lead to enormous loss. Therefore, the estimation of the allowable value for the temperature fluctuation in the clean room has to rely on a study based on a numerical model not based on actual measurement.

However, in a conventional temperature controller,
It did not have a function to calculate plant parameters.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned unsolved problems of the prior art, and predicts suppression performance in the event of a disturbance to achieve higher-performance temperature control. It is an object to provide a controller. It is another object of the present invention to provide an exposure apparatus for improving the temperature controllability and improving the productivity.

[0032]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, a temperature controller according to the present invention has a temperature control feedback system, and is a temperature controller for adjusting the temperature of a gas. And a display means for displaying the plant parameter, which is a parameter of the transfer function.

[0033]

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, a temperature controller incorporating an algorithm for calculating a plant parameter is provided, and a semiconductor exposure apparatus having the temperature controller is provided. An algorithm for calculating the process gain K _p , the first-order lag time constant T _p , and the dead time L _p by capturing the characteristic amount of the waveform in the process of generating a limit cycle when the temperature controller performs the automatic adjustment. And a function capable of displaying this. Then, the above-described temperature controller is used in each part where temperature control is performed in an exposure apparatus used for manufacturing devices such as semiconductors.

Here, the plant parameters include, for example, a process gain, a first-order lag time constant, and a dead time when an object to be temperature-controlled is expressed as a series connection of a first-order lag system and a dead time system. In calculating the plant parameters, the process gain and the first-order lag time constant are calculated by measuring at least two slopes of the response in the response of the limit cycle. Further, the temperature controller is used for partial temperature control of each part of an exposure apparatus for manufacturing a device such as a semiconductor.

The temperature controller of the present embodiment has a function of calculating a new plant parameter and displaying it in addition to the general functions of commercially available products. And
The temperature controller is provided for controlling the temperature of each portion in the exposure apparatus, and the device is manufactured by the exposure apparatus.

[0036]

Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. [First Embodiment] One algorithm for calculating plant parameters in a temperature controller according to one embodiment of the present invention is shown in the flowchart of FIG. Here, plant parameters are calculated using an output waveform when a limit cycle is generated for automatic adjustment. In the figure, step S1 indicates the start of a limit cycle. Step S2 shows capture of an output waveform. Step S3 is to calculate the dead time _Lp and the inclination amount of the output waveform from the output waveform.

[0037]

[Outside 2] The measurement of is shown. Step S4 shows the calculation of the first-order lag time constant T _p and the process gain K _p from the measured slope of the output waveform.

The meaning of each of the above steps will be described in detail below. Here, it is assumed that the plant is represented by Equation 1 described above. As for the dead time L _p ,
The time width of _Lp shown in FIG. 9 is measured. The problem lies in the calculation of the first-order lag time constant T _p and the process gain K _p . Now, when the step input R / s is input to the plant of Equation 1, the response r _tmp (s) is as follows.

[0039]

(Equation 7)

Therefore, the slope of the response at time t = 0 is as follows.

[0041]

(Equation 8)

Then, a time t =
The slope at Δt is:

[0043]

(Equation 9)

Therefore, from the above equations 8 and 9, T
_p can be calculated from the following equation.

[0045]

(Equation 10)

By appropriately selecting Δt, the primary slope of the plant is measured by measuring the slope of the response at the time of t = 0 and t = Δt, for example, during the execution of the automatic adjustment and during the limit cycle. delay time constant T _p is calculated. When T _p is known, K _{p is obtained} from the following equation.
Can be calculated.

[0047]

[Equation 11]

As described above, the plant parameter K
_p, T _p, L _p can be calculated. The above equations 10 and 11 are both simple, and can be easily calculated after or after the end of the limit cycle during the execution of auto tuning. Therefore, it is easy to display this as a function of the temperature controller as needed.

Next, a method of selecting t = Δt will be described. 2A and 2B are output waveforms of a relay element and a limit cycle according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2A shows an output waveform of the relay element with respect to time, and FIG. 2B shows a response output waveform of the limit cycle with respect to time. Show. When FIG. 8 is used to draw the output of the relay element 3 and r _tmp in synchronization, FIG. 2 is obtained. In the illustrated timing, for example, the slope at the time when the output of the relay

[0050]

[Outside 3] And the slope within the period during which the sign of the slope of the response r _tmp does not reverse.

[0051]

[Outside 4] And Of course, it goes without saying that the slope of the repetitive response as a limit cycle is measured, and statistical processing such as averaging is performed on these.

The temperature controller according to the present embodiment has a function of calculating the plant parameters when the plant is set to “first order delay + dead time”. A temperature controller having this function can be used significantly in a semiconductor exposure apparatus. In the semiconductor exposure apparatus, in addition to the temperature control of the disposition chamber 6 shown in FIG. 10, partial temperature control for the reticle 16, the projection optical system 17, the wafer stage 19, the active mount 21, and the like is performed simultaneously and in parallel. Hung. That is, a set of partial temperature controls can be said to be a temperature control in the semiconductor exposure apparatus. The temperature controller of this embodiment can be applied to each part of these partial temperature controls. First, the temperature control under appropriate PID parameters is set to an equilibrium state, for example, a limit cycle is generated. Then
The plant parameters are calculated using the functions provided in the temperature controller of the present embodiment. By referring to the plant parameters at various locations, it is possible to change the PID parameters at the time of operating in the equilibrium state to the optimum ones.

The partial temperature control is a mutual interference system. Conventionally, the adjustment of the PID parameter of the temperature controller relies on automatic adjustment or manual adjustment by trial and error. However, the adjustment of the temperature control of the mutual interference system has been heuristic, and no knowledge of the mutual interference system has been found. In other words, even if the result of temperature adjustment is good or bad, there is a problem in the temperature control system,
No guidance was provided on what improvement should be made and to what extent. However, when the temperature controller of the present embodiment is used, plant parameters can be obtained for each part of the partial temperature control in the semiconductor exposure apparatus. Also,
The degree of influence of a certain partial temperature control on another partial temperature control can also be obtained as numerical data. Therefore, a set of partial temperature adjustments can be regarded as a mutual interference system, and this can be systematically grasped to perform an adjustment action, an analysis action, and an improvement action.

The case where the temperature controller of this embodiment controls the temperature of air has been described. However, in controlling the temperature of the semiconductor exposure apparatus, the operating medium is not limited to air but may be nitrogen gas, helium gas, or the like. It goes without saying that the temperature controller of this embodiment can be used for temperature control using such a gas. Further, the temperature controller of the present embodiment can be used for control such as flow control and pressure control.

[Embodiment of Semiconductor Production System] Next, a device such as a semiconductor (I) utilizing the above-described exposure apparatus
An example of a production system for semiconductor chips such as C and LSI, liquid crystal panels, CCDs, thin-film magnetic heads, micromachines, etc.) will be described. In this method, maintenance services such as troubleshooting and periodic maintenance of a manufacturing apparatus installed in a semiconductor manufacturing factory or provision of software are performed using a computer network outside the manufacturing factory.

FIG. 3 shows the whole system cut out from a certain angle. In the figure, reference numeral 101 denotes a business establishment of a vendor (apparatus supply maker) that provides a semiconductor device manufacturing apparatus. As an example of a manufacturing apparatus, a semiconductor manufacturing apparatus for various processes used in a semiconductor manufacturing plant, for example,
Pre-process equipment (lithography equipment such as exposure equipment, resist processing equipment, etching equipment, heat treatment equipment, film formation equipment,
A flattening device, etc.) and post-process equipment (assembly device, inspection device, etc.) are assumed. In the business office 101, a host management system 10 for providing a maintenance database of manufacturing equipment
8. It has a plurality of operation terminal computers 110 and a local area network (LAN) 109 connecting these to construct an intranet or the like. Host management system 1
Reference numeral 08 includes a gateway for connecting the LAN 109 to the Internet 105, which is an external network of the business office, and a security function for restricting external access.

On the other hand, reference numerals 102 to 104 denote semiconductor manufacturers (semiconductor device manufacturers) as users of the manufacturing apparatus.
Is a manufacturing factory. The manufacturing factories 102 to 104 may be factories belonging to different manufacturers or factories belonging to the same manufacturer (for example, a factory for a pre-process, a factory for a post-process, etc.). In each of the factories 102 to 104, a plurality of manufacturing apparatuses 106, a local area network (LAN) 111 connecting them to construct an intranet or the like, and a host as a monitoring apparatus for monitoring the operation status of each manufacturing apparatus 106 are provided. A management system 107 is provided. The host management system 107 provided in each of the factories 102 to 104 includes a gateway for connecting the LAN 111 in each of the factories to the Internet 105 which is an external network of the factory. As a result, access from the LAN 111 of each factory to the host management system 108 on the vendor 101 side via the Internet 105 is possible, and only users limited by the security function of the host management system 108 are permitted to access. Specifically, via the Internet 105,
In addition to the status information indicating the operation status of each manufacturing apparatus 106 (for example, the symptom of the manufacturing apparatus in which the trouble has occurred) is notified from the factory side to the vendor side, the response information corresponding to the notification (for example, an instruction method for the trouble) Information
Software and data for coping), the latest software, and maintenance information such as help information can be received from the vendor. A communication protocol (TCP / IP) generally used on the Internet is used for data communication between each of the factories 102 to 104 and the vendor 101 and data communication with the LAN 111 in each of the factories. In addition,
Instead of using the Internet as an external network outside the factory, it is also possible to use a leased line network (such as ISDN) that is inaccessible from a third party and has high security. Further, the host management system is not limited to the one provided by the vendor, and a user may construct a database and place it on an external network, and permit access from a plurality of factories of the user to the database.

FIG. 4 is a conceptual diagram showing the entire system according to the present embodiment cut out from an angle different from that of FIG. In the above example, a plurality of user factories each having a manufacturing device and a management system of a vendor of the manufacturing device are connected via an external network, and the production management of each factory and at least one device are connected via the external network. Data communication of the information of the manufacturing apparatus. On the other hand, in this example, a factory equipped with manufacturing equipment of a plurality of vendors is connected to a management system of each of the plurality of manufacturing equipments via an external network outside the factory, and maintenance information of each manufacturing equipment is stored. It is for data communication. In the figure, reference numeral 201 denotes a manufacturing plant of a manufacturing apparatus user (semiconductor device manufacturer), and a manufacturing line for performing various processes, for example, an exposure apparatus 202, a resist processing apparatus 203;
A film forming apparatus 204 is introduced. Although FIG. 4 shows only one manufacturing factory 201, a plurality of factories are actually networked in the same manner. Each device in the factory is connected by a LAN 206 to form an intranet or the like, and a host management system 205 manages the operation of the production line. On the other hand, an exposure apparatus maker 210, a resist processing apparatus maker 220, a film forming apparatus maker 230, etc.
Each business establishment of the vendor (device supply maker) is provided with a host management system 211, 221, 231 for remote maintenance of the supplied equipment, and these are provided with the maintenance database and the gateway of the external network as described above. . The host management system 205 that manages each device in the user's manufacturing factory and the vendor management systems 211, 221, and 231 of each device are connected to the external network 20.
0 or a dedicated line network. In this system, if a trouble occurs in any of a series of manufacturing equipment in the manufacturing line, the operation of the manufacturing line is stopped, but remote maintenance is performed from the vendor of the troubled equipment via the Internet 200. As a result, quick response is possible, and downtime of the production line can be minimized.

Each of the manufacturing apparatuses installed in the semiconductor manufacturing factory has a display, a network interface, and a computer that executes network access software and apparatus operation software stored in a storage device. The storage device is a built-in memory, a hard disk, a network file server, or the like. The network access software includes a dedicated or general-purpose web browser, and provides, for example, a user interface having a screen as shown in FIG. 5 on a display. The operator who manages the manufacturing equipment at each factory refers to the screen and refers to the model (4
01), serial number (402), subject of trouble (403), date of occurrence (404), urgency (405), symptom (406), remedy (407), progress (408), etc. on the screen. Fill in the input fields. The entered information is sent to the maintenance database via the Internet,
The resulting appropriate maintenance information is returned from the maintenance database and presented on the display. Further, the user interface provided by the web browser further realizes a hyperlink function (410, 411, 412) as shown in the figure, so that the operator can access more detailed information of each item, and can access from the software library provided by the vendor. The latest version of software used for the manufacturing apparatus can be extracted, and an operation guide (help information) for reference by a factory operator can be extracted. Here, the maintenance information provided by the maintenance database includes the information on the present invention described above, and the software library also provides the latest software for realizing the present invention.

Next, a manufacturing process of a semiconductor device using the above-described production system will be described. FIG.
1 shows a flow of an overall semiconductor device manufacturing process. In step 1 (circuit design), the circuit of the semiconductor device is designed. Step 2 is a process for making a mask on the basis of the circuit pattern design. On the other hand, in step 3 (wafer manufacturing), a wafer is manufactured using a material such as silicon. Step 4 (wafer process) is called a pre-process, and an actual circuit is formed on the wafer by lithography using the prepared mask and wafer. The next step 5 (assembly) is called a post-process, and is a process of forming a semiconductor chip using the wafer produced in step 4, and an assembly process (dicing, dicing,
Bonding), an assembly process such as a packaging process (chip encapsulation) and the like. In step 6 (inspection), inspections such as an operation confirmation test and a durability test of the semiconductor device manufactured in step 5 are performed. Through these steps, a semiconductor device is completed and shipped (step 7). The pre-process and the post-process are performed in separate dedicated factories, and maintenance is performed for each of these factories by the above-described remote maintenance system. Also, between the pre-process factory and the post-process factory,
Information and the like for production management and device maintenance are communicated via the Internet or a dedicated line network.

FIG. 7 shows a detailed flow of the wafer process. Step 11 (oxidation) oxidizes the wafer's surface. Step 12 (CVD) forms an insulating film on the wafer surface. Step 13 (electrode formation) forms electrodes on the wafer by vapor deposition. In step 14 (ion implantation), ions are implanted into the wafer. Step 1
In 5 (resist processing), a photosensitive agent is applied to the wafer. Step 16 (exposure) uses the above-described exposure apparatus to print and expose the circuit pattern of the mask onto the wafer. Step 17 (development) develops the exposed wafer. In step 18 (etching), portions other than the developed resist image are removed. In step 19 (resist stripping), unnecessary resist after etching is removed. By repeating these steps, multiple circuit patterns are formed on the wafer. Since the manufacturing equipment used in each process is maintained by the remote maintenance system described above, troubles can be prevented beforehand, and if troubles occur, quick recovery is possible. Productivity can be improved.

[0062]

The effects of the present invention are as follows. (1) The conventional temperature controller calculates a plant parameter although the object (plant) to be temperature-controlled is regarded as “first-order delay + dead time” as a series connection of a first-order delay system and a dead time system. Without doing so, the PID parameters were calculated and controlled. Therefore, the present invention provides a temperature controller having, for example, a calculating means for calculating a plant parameter in the process of executing automatic adjustment and a display means for displaying the plant parameter. Therefore, it is possible to quantitatively understand the plant under control, and it is possible to easily adjust the PID parameter for obtaining a better temperature control state based on the result of the control by the automatic adjustment. .

(2) The temperature controller of the present invention has a calculation means for calculating plant parameters, so that the characteristics of the temperature control system can be grasped as numerical values. Predict the stability analysis, the performance limit when adjusting PID parameters, the degree of performance improvement obtained as a result of improving the plant, and the accuracy of temperature control in the event of disturbance. be able to.

(3) An improvement in the temperature controllability of the exposure apparatus using the temperature controller of the present invention can be expected. As a result, it is possible to contribute to the improvement of the productivity of the IC produced by the exposure apparatus.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing functions of a temperature controller according to one embodiment of the present invention.

2A and 2B are output waveforms of a relay element and a limit cycle according to one embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 2A shows an output waveform of the relay element with respect to time, and FIG. Shown respectively.

FIG. 3 is a conceptual view of a semiconductor device production system including an exposure apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention as viewed from a certain angle.

FIG. 4 is a conceptual view of a semiconductor device production system including an exposure apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from another angle.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a specific example of a user interface in a semiconductor device production system including an exposure apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a flow of a device manufacturing process by an exposure apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a wafer process by an exposure apparatus according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a temperature control feedback system for performing automatic adjustment according to a conventional example.

9 is a diagram showing a waveform of a limit cycle in the temperature control feedback system of FIG.

FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a configuration of an air conditioner provided with the semiconductor exposure apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

1: transfer function of temperature control feedback system, 3: relay element, 4: chamber, 5: projection exposure apparatus, 6: installation room,
7: air conditioning path, 8: filter, 9: heat exchanger, 10: blower, 11: reheater, 12: air conditioner, 13: outside air inlet, 14: communication port, 15: exhaust port, 16: reticle, 1
7: Projection optical system, 18: Wafer, 19: Wafer stage (XY stage), 20: Stage surface plate (anti-vibration table), 2
1: active mount, 22: duct, 23: temperature measuring means, 24: temperature controller, 25: reheat heater, 2
6: Driver.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 5F046 DA26 DB02 5H004 GA07 GB15 HA01 HB01 KA48 KB02 KB04 KB06 KB22 KB24 LA03 MA49 5H323 AA05 BB01 CA01 CB04 CB25 CB32 CB35 FF04 KK05 LL01 LL02 LL05 PP04

Claims (11)

[Claims] 1. A temperature controller having a temperature control feedback system for adjusting a temperature of a gas, comprising: a calculating means for calculating a plant parameter which is a parameter of a transfer function of the temperature control feedback system; A temperature controller having display means for displaying. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the plant parameters are a process gain, a first-order lag time constant, and a dead time when an object to be temperature-controlled is expressed as a series connection of a first-order lag system and a dead time system. The temperature controller according to claim 1. 3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the process gain and the first-order lag time constant are calculated by measuring at least two slopes of response of a limit cycle in the temperature control feedback system. Item 3. The temperature controller according to Item 2. 4. An exposure apparatus for exposing a pattern of an original onto a substrate, wherein the temperature controller according to claim 1 is used. 5. The exposure apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a display, a network interface, and a computer executing network software, and performing data communication of maintenance information of the exposure apparatus via a computer network. Exposure equipment that enabled 6. The network software is connected to an external network of a factory in which the exposure apparatus is installed, and provides a user interface on the display for accessing a maintenance database provided by a vendor or a user of the exposure apparatus. 6. The exposure apparatus according to claim 5, wherein information can be obtained from the database via the external network. 7. A step of installing a group of manufacturing apparatuses for various processes including the exposure apparatus according to claim 4 in a semiconductor manufacturing plant, and performing a plurality of processes using the group of manufacturing apparatuses. A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device. 8. A step of connecting the group of manufacturing apparatuses via a local area network, and data communication between at least one of the group of manufacturing apparatuses between the local area network and an external network outside the semiconductor manufacturing plant. 8. The method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 7, further comprising the step of: 9. A semiconductor manufacturing factory different from the semiconductor manufacturing factory by accessing a database provided by a vendor or a user of the exposure apparatus via the external network to obtain maintenance information of the manufacturing apparatus by data communication. 9. The method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 8, wherein data is communicated with said device via said external network to perform production management. 10. A manufacturing apparatus group for various processes including the exposure apparatus according to claim 4, a local area network connecting the manufacturing apparatus group, and a local area network connected to the outside of the factory. A semiconductor manufacturing plant, comprising: a gateway that makes it possible to access an external network according to (1), wherein information on at least one of the manufacturing apparatus groups is made available for data communication. 11. The semiconductor device according to claim 4, which is installed in a semiconductor manufacturing plant.
7. The maintenance method for an exposure apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein a vendor or a user of the exposure apparatus provides a maintenance database connected to an external network of the semiconductor manufacturing plant; Permitting access to the maintenance database from the inside via the external network, and transmitting maintenance information stored in the maintenance database to the semiconductor manufacturing factory via the external network. Maintenance method of the exposure apparatus.