JP2007201001A - Exposure device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an exposure device which can achieve highly accurate exposure by cleaning the upper surface of a substrate and the upper surface (work holder) of a work stage on which the substrate is placed for removing foreign substance. <P>SOLUTION: The exposure device PE is provided with a mask stage 10 to hold a mask M, a first work stage 11 which can move between an exposure position EP and a first waiting position WP1, a second work stage 12 which can move between the exposure position EP and a second waiting position WP2, a foreign substance detection sensor 26 which is arranged at the first and second waiting positions WP1 and WP2 and detects foreign substance on the upper surface of a substrate W, and a cleaning device 29 which is arranged at the first and second waiting positions WP1 and WP2 and remove foreign substance on the upper surface of the substrate W. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an exposure apparatus, and more particularly to an exposure apparatus used for manufacturing a semiconductor, a large flat panel display such as a liquid crystal display panel or a plasma display.

  The exposure apparatus exposes and transfers the mask pattern to the substrate by irradiating light for pattern exposure through the mask in a state where the mask and the substrate are brought close to each other. As a conventional exposure apparatus, an apparatus having a single work stage that is movable only in the vertical direction with respect to a mask holder that holds a mask is generally used. In addition, there are known ones provided with a plurality of work stages to improve the efficiency of exposure work (for example, see Patent Documents 1 and 2).

  The exposure apparatus described in Patent Document 1 corresponds to two frames on which a mask is arranged, two work stages on which a substrate is placed corresponding to each of the two frames, and two work stages. There is known a stage moving mechanism that includes two alignment mechanisms arranged in this manner and alternately moves them to an exposure position and exposes and transfers them in a state where the respective frames and work stages are combined. As a result, the stage moving mechanism simultaneously performs alignment and exposure on the two work stages to shorten the tact time.

  The exposure apparatus described in Patent Document 2 detects a plurality of work stages each placing a substrate, a first measurement system that detects the position of the work stage at the exposure position, and a position of the work stage at the observation position E. A second measurement system, and a plurality of work stages are alternately positioned at the exposure position and transferred by exposure. As a result, the position of the mounting means is accurately measured by measuring the position of the work stage with the two measurement systems without interruption.

JP-A 63-87725 Japanese Patent No. 3203719

  An exposure apparatus having a single work stage that is movable only in the vertical direction with respect to the conventional mask holder has a small work space because the work stage is always located below the mask stage, and the glass substrate It is difficult to remove foreign matters such as debris and dust on the glass substrate and the work stage, which may affect the exposure accuracy. Furthermore, maintenance such as replacement of the work holder for holding the substrate is troublesome.

  Moreover, in the exposure apparatuses described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, the tact time is shortened by using two work stages. In either case, the upper surface of the work stage (work holder) before the substrate is placed. ) Is not considered. In other words, if there is foreign matter such as dust or glass substrate fragments on the upper surface of the work stage, the substrate placed on the upper surface of the work stage is tilted with respect to the mask and cannot be placed with high positional accuracy. . If the substrate in such a state is exposed, exposure accuracy may be hindered, and there is room for improvement.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to clean the substrate upper surface and the work stage upper surface (work holder) on which the substrate is placed to remove foreign matter, and to perform high-precision exposure. An object of the present invention is to provide an exposure apparatus that can be used.

The above object of the present invention can be achieved by the following constitution.
(1) A mask stage for holding a mask, a first work stage movable between an exposure position below the mask stage and the first standby position, and a second movable between the exposure position and the second standby position. A work stage, an irradiation device that irradiates the substrate held by the first and second work stages moved to the exposure position with light for pattern exposure through a mask, and the first and second standby positions. An exposure apparatus comprising: a foreign matter detection sensor that detects foreign matter on the upper surface of the substrate; and a cleaning device that is disposed at the first and second standby positions and removes foreign matter on the upper surface of the substrate.
(2) A mask stage for holding a mask, a first work stage movable between an exposure position below the mask stage and a first standby position, and a second movable between the exposure position and the second standby position. A work stage, an irradiation device that irradiates the substrate held by the first and second work stages moved to the exposure position with light for pattern exposure through a mask, and the first and second standby positions. A foreign matter detection sensor for detecting foreign matter on the top surfaces of the first and second work stages on which the substrate is placed, and a foreign matter detection sensor disposed on the first and second standby positions to remove foreign matter on the top surfaces of the first and second work stages. An exposure apparatus comprising: a cleaning device.
(3) The cleaning device is a suction device that sucks and removes foreign matter on the upper surfaces of the first and second work stages, or a blower device that blows off and removes the foreign matter by jet flow (1) or ( The exposure apparatus according to 2).

  According to the exposure apparatus of the present invention, the foreign matter on the upper surface of the substrate is detected using the foreign matter detection sensor at the first and second standby positions, and further, the foreign matter is removed by the cleaning device, so that the foreign matter is not affected. High-precision exposure can be performed.

  According to the exposure apparatus of the present invention, foreign substances on the upper surfaces (work holders) of the first and second work stages are removed before the substrate is placed using the foreign substance detection sensor at the first and second standby positions. After the detection and further removing the foreign matter by the cleaning device, the substrate is placed, so that the substrate can be placed with high positional accuracy without being affected by the foreign matter. Thereby, highly accurate exposure can be performed.

  Further, according to the exposure apparatus of the present invention, the cleaning device is a suction device that sucks and removes the foreign matter on the top surfaces of the first and second work stages, or a blow device that blows off and removes the foreign matter by a jet stream. Foreign matters can be reliably removed from the upper surfaces of the first and second work stages. Thereby, it is possible to eliminate the substrate placement failure due to the foreign matter, and to perform highly accurate exposure.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of an exposure apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a plan view for explaining the overall configuration of the exposure apparatus according to the present invention, FIG. 2 is a front view of the main part of the exposure apparatus shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a side view of the work loader shown in FIG.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the exposure apparatus PE includes a mask stage 10, a first work stage 11, a second work stage 12, an irradiation apparatus 13, a pre-alignment unit 14, a first work loader 15, and a second work loader. 16, a mask loader 17, a mask aligner 18, a foreign matter detection sensor 26, and a cleaning device 29, each being placed on a base 21.

  The mask stage 10 is supported by a plurality of support posts 22 provided on the base 21 and is disposed above the base 21 so as to straddle a substantially rectangular base 23 disposed on the base 21. . The plurality of support columns 22 form a space above the base 23 so that the first and second work stages 11 and 12 can move in the X direction (left and right direction in FIG. 1) and advance below the mask stage 10. ing. The mask stage 10 has a rectangular opening 24 formed in the center, and a mask M is held in the opening 24 by a mask holder 25.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the first work stage 11 includes a work holder 31 that holds the substrate W, and a first X-direction feed mechanism 34 that includes a ball screw 32 and a drive motor 33. A nut (not shown) of the ball screw 32 is fixed to the first work stage 11 side, and by driving a drive motor 33 fixed to the base 23, the screw shaft of the ball screw 32 is rotationally driven. Thus, the first work stage 11 is positioned between the first standby position WP1 and the exposure position EP located below the mask stage 10 along a plurality of linear guides (not shown) arranged in the X direction on the base 23. To move in the X direction.

  The first work stage 11 includes a position adjustment mechanism including a Y-direction feed mechanism 35, an elevating mechanism 36, and a parallelism adjustment mechanism 37, and the position of the substrate W held on the first work stage 11 is determined as follows. It is configured such that the position adjustment and parallelism in the XYZ directions can be adjusted with respect to the mask M.

Similarly to the first work stage 11, the second work stage 12 also includes a work holder 41 that holds the substrate W, a second X-direction feed mechanism 44 including a ball screw 42 and a drive motor 43, and a Y-direction feed mechanism 45. A position adjusting mechanism including a lifting mechanism 46 and a parallelism adjusting mechanism 47. Therefore, the second work stage 12 can also move in the X direction between the second standby position WP2 and the exposure position EP along a plurality of linear guides (not shown) by operating the second X-direction feed mechanism 44. In addition, the position adjustment and the parallelism in the XYZ directions with respect to the mask M can be adjusted.
In FIG. 1, reference numerals 38, 39, 48, and 49 denote mirrors fixed to the first and second work stages 11 and 12, respectively, in order to detect the position of the substrate W.

  The irradiation device 13 is disposed above the opening 24, and includes a high-pressure mercury lamp, a concave mirror, an optical integrator, a plane mirror, a spherical mirror, an exposure control shirter, and the like that are light sources for ultraviolet irradiation. . The irradiation device 13 irradiates the substrate W held by the work holders 31 and 41 of the first and second work stages 11 and 12 moved to the exposure position with light for pattern exposure through the mask M. As a result, the mask pattern of the mask M is exposed and transferred onto the substrate W.

  The pre-alignment unit 14 is used when the substrate W transported from the work cassettes (substrate supply units) 50A and 50B installed outside the base 21 is supplied to the first work stage 11 or the second work stage 12. Prior to this, pre-alignment is performed so that the position of the substrate W with respect to the mask M becomes a predetermined position, and the substrate W is disposed on the front side of the mask stage 10 in the drawing. The pre-alignment unit 14 includes an X-direction feed mechanism, a Y-direction feed mechanism, a Z-direction feed mechanism, and a rotation mechanism (not shown), and adjusts the position of the substrate W placed on the pre-alignment unit 14 to a predetermined position. .

  The first work loader 15 is disposed on the right side of the pre-alignment unit 14 in FIG. 1, holds the substrate W supplied from the work cassette 50A, transports it to the pre-alignment unit 14, and also transfers the pre-aligned substrate W. The pre-alignment unit 14 transports the first work stage 11.

  The second work loader 16 is disposed opposite to the first work loader 15 with respect to the pre-alignment unit 14, that is, disposed on the left side of the pre-alignment unit 14 in the drawing, and holds the substrate W supplied from the work cassette 50B. The substrate W transported to the pre-alignment unit 14 and pre-aligned is transported from the pre-alignment unit 14 to the second work stage 12.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the first and second work loaders 15 and 16 are loader robots in which a plurality of transfer units 62 and 63 are swingably disposed on a column 61 fixed to the base 21. The plurality of transport units 62 and 63 are moved up and down along the column 61 by an elevating mechanism (not shown), and each is provided with a servo motor and driven independently of each other. Each of the transfer units 62 and 63 includes first and second arms 64 and 65, and a substrate mounting table 67 in which a plurality of rod-like members 66 are implanted in parallel at the tip of the first arm 64. Then, by controlling and operating each servo motor, the substrate mounting table 67 is moved up, down, rotated, and moved, and the substrate W on the substrate mounting table 67 is transferred.

  Specifically, the first work loader 15 places the substrate W supplied from the work cassette 50 </ b> A on the substrate platform 67 and transports it to the prealignment unit 14, and the prealigned substrate W is delivered to the substrate platform 67. Then, the substrate W after being transferred from the pre-alignment unit 14 to the first work stage 11 and exposed and transferred on the first work stage 11 located at the first standby position WP1 is placed on the substrate platform 67. Place and transport to work cassette 50A.

  The second work loader 16 is supplied from the work cassette 50 </ b> B and places the substrate W on the substrate platform 67 and transports it to the pre-alignment unit 14, and places the pre-aligned substrate W on the substrate platform 67. Then, the substrate W is transported from the pre-alignment unit 14 to the second work stage 12, and the substrate W after exposure transfer on the second work stage 12 located at the second standby position WP2 is placed on the substrate platform 67. Transport to work cassette 50B.

  The mask loader 17 and the mask aligner 18 are disposed opposite to the first work loader 15 with respect to the first work stage 11. The mask loader 17 has substantially the same configuration as the first and second work loaders 15 and 16 shown in FIG. 3, carries the mask M from the mask cassette 71 provided outside the base 21, and receives the mask aligner 18. The mask M that has been pre-aligned in step 1 is supplied to the mask stage 10. The mask M may be supplied to the mask stage 10 directly from the mask aligner 18 by the mask loader 17 to the mask stage 10, but once transferred from the mask aligner 18 to the first work stage 11 by the mask loader 17. Then, the first work stage 11 may supply the mask stage 10.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the foreign object detection sensor 26 includes a sensor unit 27 such as a CCD camera and a light 28. The sensor unit 27 and the light 28 are respectively attached to the support columns 30, 30 erected on the end of the base 23, so that the first and second work stages 11, 1 are placed at the first and second standby positions WP 1, WP 2. 12 are arranged above 12 respectively. In the foreign matter detection sensor 26, the light 28 illuminates the upper surface of the substrate W and the upper surfaces (work holders 31, 41) of the first and second work stages 11, 12, and the sensor unit 27 has the upper surface of the substrate W and the substrate W. The presence or absence of foreign matter is detected by sensing the upper surfaces (work holders 31 and 41) of the first and second work stages 11 and 12, which are the mounting surfaces, and a detection signal is transmitted to a control device (not shown). .

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the cleaning device 29 is disposed above the first and second work stages 11 and 12 at the first and second standby positions WP1 and WP2. In the present embodiment, the cleaning device 29 is a suction device, and when the foreign matter detection sensor 26 detects a foreign matter, the cleaning device 29 moves to the position of the foreign matter by a moving device (not shown), and sucks and removes the foreign matter. The upper surface and the upper surfaces (work holders 31, 41) of the first and second work stages 11, 12 are cleaned. In the cleaning device 29 of the present embodiment, the suction device is used to suck and remove the foreign matter. However, the foreign matter may be blown off by a jet flow and removed using a blow device or the like.

  In the exposure apparatus PE configured as described above, the second workpiece stage 11 is located at the second standby position WP2 while the first work stage 11 is moved from the first standby position WP1 to the exposure position EP and the substrate W is exposed and transferred. The substrate W is placed on the work stage 12. When the exposure transfer is completed, the first work stage 11 moves from the exposure position EP to the first standby position WP1, and discharges the exposed and transferred substrate W to the work cassette 50A.

  In synchronization with the movement of the first work stage 11 from the exposure position EP to the first standby position WP1, the second work stage 12 moves from the second standby position WP2 to the exposure position EP to expose and transfer the substrate W. While the substrate W of the second work stage 12 is being exposed and transferred, the substrate W (third substrate W) to be exposed next is placed on the first work stage 11 at the first standby position WP1. Is done.

  As described above, the first work stage 11 and the second work stage 12 are alternately moved to the exposure position EP after the substrate W is placed at the first and second standby positions WP1 and WP2, and the substrate W is moved. Transfer by exposure.

  In the exposure apparatus PE of the present embodiment, when the substrate W is placed on the first and second work stages 11 and 12, the foreign matter detection sensor 26 uses the upper surfaces (workpieces) of the first and second work stages 11 and 12. The state of the holders 31, 41) is inspected. That is, at the first and second standby positions WP1, WP2, the upper surfaces (work holders 31, 41) of the first and second work stages 11, 12 before the substrate W is placed are illuminated by the lights 28, The sensor unit 27 senses the presence or absence of foreign matter by sensing the upper surfaces (mounting surfaces of the substrate W) of the first and second work stages 11 and 12.

  When a foreign object is detected on the upper surface of the first work stage 11 or the second work stage 12, the cleaning device 29 on the side where the foreign object is detected operates to suck and remove the foreign object from a nozzle (not shown). The upper surface of the first work stage 11 or the second work stage 12 is cleaned.

  When the foreign matters on the first and second work stages 11 and 12 are removed, the first and second work loaders 15 and 16 are placed on the substrate W on the first and second work stages 11 and 12 (work holders 31 and 41). Is placed. As a result, the substrate W is placed on the first and second work stages 11 and 12 with high positional accuracy without being affected by foreign matter, so that highly accurate exposure can be performed.

  When the substrate W is placed on the first and second work stages 11, 12, the state of the upper surface of the substrate W is inspected by the foreign matter detection sensor 26. That is, at the first and second standby positions WP1 and WP2, the upper surface of the substrate W is illuminated by the light 28, and the sensor unit 27 senses the upper surface of the substrate W to detect the presence or absence of foreign matter. When a foreign matter is detected on the upper surface of the substrate W, the cleaning device 29 on the side where the foreign matter is detected operates to suck and remove the foreign matter from a nozzle (not shown) to clean the upper surface of the substrate W. Thereby, highly accurate exposure can be performed without being affected by foreign matter.

  Therefore, according to the exposure apparatus PE of the present embodiment, the foreign matter on the upper surface of the substrate W is detected using the foreign matter detection sensor 26 at the first and second standby positions WP1 and WP2, and the foreign matter is removed by the cleaning device 29. Therefore, highly accurate exposure can be performed without being affected by foreign matter.

  Further, according to the exposure apparatus PE of the present embodiment, the first and second work stages 11 are placed at the first and second standby positions WP1 and WP2 before the substrate W is placed using the foreign matter detection sensor 26. , 12, since the foreign substance on the upper surface is detected and the foreign substance is removed by the cleaning device 29, the substrate W is placed. Therefore, the substrate W can be placed with high positional accuracy without being affected by the foreign substance. Thereby, highly accurate exposure can be performed.

  Further, according to the exposure apparatus PE of the present embodiment, the cleaning device 29 is a suction device that sucks and removes the foreign matter on the top surfaces of the first and second work stages 11 and 12, so that the foreign matter is first and second. It can be reliably removed from the upper surface of the work stages 11 and 12. Thereby, the mounting failure of the substrate W due to the foreign matter can be eliminated, and high-precision exposure can be performed.

  Further, according to the exposure apparatus PE of the present embodiment, the cleaning device 29 is a blower that blows off and removes foreign matter on the top surfaces of the first and second work stages 11 and 12 by jet flow. It can be reliably removed from the upper surfaces of the second work stages 11 and 12. Thereby, the mounting failure of the substrate W due to the foreign matter can be eliminated, and high-precision exposure can be performed.

It is a top view for demonstrating the whole structure of the exposure apparatus which concerns on this invention. It is a principal part front view of the exposure apparatus shown in FIG. It is a side view of the work loader shown in FIG.

Explanation of symbols

PE exposure position M mask W substrate WP1 first standby position WP2 second standby position EP exposure position 10 mask stage 11 first work stage 12 second work stage 13 irradiation device 26 foreign matter detection sensor 27 sensor unit 28 light 29 cleaning device (suction) Equipment, blow equipment)

Claims (3)

A mask stage for holding the mask;
A first work stage movable between an exposure position located below the mask stage and a first standby position;
A second work stage movable between the exposure position and a second standby position;
An irradiation apparatus that irradiates the substrate held by the first and second work stages moved to the exposure position with light for pattern exposure through the mask;
A foreign matter detection sensor disposed at the first and second standby positions to detect foreign matter on the upper surface of the substrate;
An exposure apparatus comprising: a cleaning device disposed at the first and second standby positions to remove foreign matter on the upper surface of the substrate. A mask stage for holding the mask;
A first work stage movable between an exposure position located below the mask stage and a first standby position;
A second work stage movable between the exposure position and a second standby position;
An irradiation apparatus for irradiating the substrate held by the first and second work stages moved to the exposure position with light for pattern exposure through the mask;
A foreign matter detection sensor disposed on the first and second standby positions to detect foreign matter on the top surfaces of the first and second work stages on which the substrate is placed;
An exposure apparatus comprising: a cleaning device that is disposed at the first and second standby positions and removes foreign matter on the top surfaces of the first and second work stages.   2. The cleaning device according to claim 1, wherein the cleaning device is a suction device that sucks and removes the foreign matter on the upper surfaces of the first and second work stages, or a blow device that blows and removes the foreign matter by jet flow. 2. The exposure apparatus according to 2.

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