JP2011142279A - Wavefront aberration measuring method and device, exposing method, and aligner - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To highly accurately measure the wavefront information of an optical system to be expected by suppressing an influence of unwanted diffracted light based on an interference fringe obtained using a two-dimensional diffraction grating. <P>SOLUTION: In a wavefront aberration measuring method of making luminous flux passing through a reticle 4 for measurement and a projection optical system PO incident upon the two-dimensional grating 10 to obtain the wavefront aberration information of the projection optical system PO based on the interference fringe 22 having the luminous flux generated from the diffraction grating 10, the diffraction grating 10 is moved in X and Y directions by mutually different moving amounts to measure the intensity distribution of the interference fringe 22 (L+M) times (L is the number of wavefronts of the order of a measuring object, M is the number of wavefronts of the order of a non-measuring object) to obtain the wavefront information of the order of the measuring object from a result of measurement. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a wavefront aberration measurement technique for measuring wavefront aberration information of a test optical system based on, for example, interference fringes generated by shearing interference, and an exposure technique using the wavefront aberration measurement technique.

  In accordance with the miniaturization of semiconductor devices and the like, in exposure apparatuses, the exposure light has been shortened in order to increase the resolution. Recently, extreme ultraviolet light including soft X-rays having a wavelength of about 100 nm or less as exposure light (Extreme Ultraviolet). An exposure apparatus (EUV exposure apparatus) using a light (hereinafter referred to as EUV light) has also been developed. The measurement accuracy of wavefront aberration of a projection optical system composed of a reflective optical member using EUV light is required to be about 0.1 nm RMS.

  Thus, as a highly accurate wavefront aberration measuring device, one or a plurality of pinholes or one or a plurality of slit patterns are arranged on the object plane of the projection optical system, and spherical waves generated from the pinholes, etc. There is known a shearing interference type measuring apparatus that receives interference fringes of wavefronts shifted laterally due to a plurality of diffracted lights generated from a diffraction grating through an optical projection system and a diffraction grating by an image sensor (see, for example, Patent Document 1). .

  As a conventional method for analyzing interference fringes in such a measuring apparatus, a Fourier transform method for extracting wavefront information using diffracted light of a specific order generated from the interference fringes is known (for example, see Non-Patent Document 1). As another conventional method for analyzing interference fringes, two one-dimensional diffraction gratings each having periodicity in orthogonal directions are used, and the two diffraction gratings are scanned in the periodic direction, respectively. There is known a phase shift method in which a shearing wavefront is obtained from the time change of the above and the original wavefront is restored from these two shearing wavefronts.

JP 2006-269578 A

K. A. Goldberg and J. Bokor, "Fourier-transform method of phase-shift determination": APPLIED OPTICS /Vol.40, No. 17 / pp.2886-2894 (2001)

In the Fourier transform method of the conventional interference fringe analysis methods, there is a problem that if there is uneven luminance in the interference fringes, it becomes a measurement error.
Further, in the conventional phase shift method, it is necessary to scan in two directions using a one-dimensional diffraction grating, and the measurement time becomes long and the height of the diffraction grating slightly changes between the two scans. As a result, there is a problem that an astigmatism error occurs. In addition, when a two-dimensional diffraction grating is simply used, a lot of unnecessary diffracted light is generated, and it is difficult to extract only the light intensity distribution caused by diffracted light necessary for wavefront restoration. .

  In view of such circumstances, the present invention suppresses the influence of unnecessary diffracted light on the basis of interference fringes obtained using a two-dimensional diffraction grating, and measures wavefront information of a test optical system with high accuracy. The purpose is to do.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, the measurement light beam that has passed through the measurement mask and the test optical system is passed through the two-dimensional diffraction grating having periodicity in the first direction and the second direction orthogonal to each other. There is provided a wavefront aberration measuring method for measuring wavefront aberration information of the optical system under test based on interference fringes obtained by dividing and interfering the divided light beams. In this wavefront aberration measuring method, the number of wavefronts of the order of the measurement object among the interference fringes is L (L is an integer of 2 or more), and the number of wavefronts of an order different from the measurement object is M (M is 1 or more). (Integer integer), moving the diffraction grating substantially in the first direction and the second direction with different movement amounts, and measuring the light intensity distribution of the interference fringe (L + M) times, and the interference fringe A step of obtaining the wavefront of the order of the measurement target from the (L + M) measurement results of the light intensity distribution, and a step of obtaining the wavefront aberration information of the optical system to be measured from the wavefront of the order of the measurement target. .

According to the second aspect of the present invention, in the exposure method in which the pattern is illuminated with the exposure light and the substrate is exposed with the exposure light through the pattern and the projection optical system, the wavefront aberration information of the projection optical system In order to measure the above, an exposure method using the wavefront aberration measuring method of the present invention is provided.
According to the third aspect of the present invention, the two-dimensional diffraction grating having periodicity in the first direction and the second direction perpendicular to each other of the measurement light beam that has passed through the measurement mask and the test optical system is provided. And a wavefront aberration measuring apparatus for measuring wavefront aberration information of the optical system under test based on interference fringes obtained by causing the divided light beams to interfere with each other. The wavefront aberration measuring device includes a light receiver that detects the light intensity distribution of the interference fringes, a moving mechanism that moves the diffraction grating in the first direction and the second direction, and a detection result of the light receiver. And a control device for obtaining wavefront aberration information of the optical detection system, wherein the number of wavefronts of the order of the measurement target among the interference fringes is L (L is an integer of 2 or more), and the wavefront of the order different from that of the measurement target The number is M (M is an integer equal to or greater than 1), and the control device moves the diffraction grating through the moving mechanism substantially in the first direction and the second direction with different amounts of movement, The wavefront of the order of the measurement target is obtained from the measurement result of the light intensity distribution of the interference fringe measured (L + M) times through the light receiver, and the wavefront aberration of the optical system to be measured is determined from the wavefront of the order of the measurement target. It seeks information.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, in the exposure apparatus that illuminates the pattern with the exposure light and exposes the substrate with the exposure light through the pattern and the projection optical system, the wavefront aberration information of the projection optical system In order to measure, an exposure apparatus provided with the wavefront aberration measuring apparatus of the present invention is provided.

  According to the present invention, since the intensity distribution of the interference fringes is measured by moving the two-dimensional diffraction grating two-dimensionally (L + M) times, from this measurement result, the wavefronts of the order of L measurement objects are obtained. Wavefront information corresponding to can be obtained. Accordingly, it is possible to measure the wavefront information of the optical system to be measured with high accuracy while suppressing the influence of unnecessary diffracted light.

1 is a partially cutaway view showing an exposure apparatus provided with a wavefront aberration measuring apparatus 30 according to a first embodiment. FIG. 1A is a view showing the projection optical system PO and the measurement main body 8 in FIG. 1 as a transmission optical system, FIG. 2B is an enlarged view showing a part of the pinhole array 6 in FIG. 2A, and FIG. Is an enlarged view showing a part of another example of the pinhole array, (D) is an enlarged view showing a part of the diffraction grating 10 of FIG. 2 (A), and (E) is an interference fringe in FIG. 2 (A). FIG. (A) is a figure which shows an example of the spectrum of the several diffracted light which generate | occur | produces from the diffraction grating 10 of FIG. 2 (A), (B) is a figure which shows an example of the moving method of the diffraction grating 10, (C) is 1st It is a figure which shows the movement path | route of the diffraction grating 10 of an Example. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the measurement operation | movement of the wavefront aberration of projection optical system PO. It is a figure which shows the movement path | route of the diffraction grating 10 of 2nd Example. (A) is a figure which shows the 1st modification of a measurement main-body part, (B) is a figure which shows the 2nd modification of a measurement main-body part. (A) is a diagram showing the projection optical system PO and the measurement main body 8A of the second embodiment as a transmission optical system, (B) is an enlarged view showing a part of the pinhole array 6A of FIG. (C) is an enlarged view showing a part of another example of the pinhole array, (D) is an enlarged view showing a part of the diffraction grating 10A in FIG. 7 (A), and (E) is in FIG. 7 (A). It is a figure which shows an example of 22 A of interference fringes. (A) is a figure which shows an example of the spectrum of the several diffracted light which generate | occur | produces from the diffraction grating 10A, (B) is a figure which shows an example of the movement path | route of the diffraction grating 10A.

[First Embodiment]
A first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.
FIG. 1 is a view schematically showing the overall configuration of the exposure apparatus 100 of the present embodiment. The exposure apparatus 100 is an EUV exposure apparatus that uses EUV light (Extreme Ultraviolet Light) within a wavelength range of, for example, about 11 to 15 nm as the illumination light EL (exposure light) for exposure. The wavelength of the illumination light EL is 13.5 nm as an example. In FIG. 1, an exposure apparatus 100 illuminates a laser plasma light source that generates illumination light EL and illumination area on a pattern surface (here, the lower surface) of a reticle R (mask) through the mirror 2 with the illumination light EL. An illumination device ILS including an optical system, a reticle stage RST that holds and moves the reticle R, and an image of a pattern in the illumination area of the reticle R on a wafer W (photosensitive substrate) coated with a resist (photosensitive material). And a projection optical system PO that projects onto the upper surface. The exposure apparatus 100 further includes a wafer stage WST that holds and moves the wafer W on the upper surface of the wafer base WB, a main control system 16 that includes a computer that controls the overall operation of the apparatus, and a projection optical system PO. A wavefront aberration measuring device 30 for measuring wavefront aberration and other drive systems are provided. Measurement main body 8 of wavefront aberration measuring apparatus 30 (described later in detail) is attached to wafer stage WST.

  In the present embodiment, since EUV light is used as the illumination light EL, the illumination optical system and the projection optical system PO are configured by reflective optical members such as a plurality of mirrors except for a specific filter or the like (not shown). The reticle R is also of a reflective type. The reflective optical member is obtained by, for example, processing the surface of a member made of quartz (or a metal having high heat resistance) into a predetermined curved surface or plane with high accuracy, and then, for example, molybdenum (Mo) and silicon (Si) on the surface. And a multilayer film (an EUV light reflecting film) is formed as a reflecting surface. The reticle R, for example, forms a multilayer film on the surface of a quartz substrate to form a reflective surface, and then absorbs EUV light such as tantalum (Ta), nickel (Ni), or chromium (Cr) on the reflective surface. A transfer pattern is formed by an absorption layer made of a material to be transferred.

Further, in order to prevent the EUV light from being absorbed by the gas, the exposure apparatus 100 is accommodated in a box-shaped vacuum chamber (not shown) as a whole.
In FIG. 1, the X axis is perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 1 and the Y axis is parallel to the plane of FIG. 1 within the plane (substantially horizontal plane in the present embodiment) on which wafer stage WST moves. The explanation will be given by taking the Z axis. In the present embodiment, the illumination area of the illumination light EL on the pattern surface of the reticle R has an arc shape elongated in the X direction (non-scanning direction), and the reticle R and the wafer W are Y with respect to the projection optical system PO during exposure. Scanning is performed in synchronization with the direction (scanning direction).

First, the illumination optical system in the illumination device ILS includes an optical integrator, a variable aperture stop, a reticle blind, a condenser optical system, and the like. Illumination light EL from the illumination device ILS illuminates a circular arc-shaped illumination area elongated in the X direction on the pattern surface of the reticle R through the mirror 2 with a uniform illuminance distribution obliquely from below.
The reticle R is attracted and held on the bottom surface of the reticle stage RST via the electrostatic chuck RH. Reticle stage RST is driven with a predetermined stroke in the Y direction by a drive system (not shown) based on the measurement value of a laser interferometer (not shown) and control information of main control system 16, and in the X direction and θz direction. Also, it is driven by a minute amount (rotational direction around an axis parallel to the Z axis).

  The illumination light EL reflected by the reticle R forms an image of a part of the pattern of the reticle R on the exposure area (area conjugate to the illumination area) on the upper surface of the wafer W via the projection optical system PO. The projection optical system PO forms a reduced image of the pattern on the object plane (first surface) on the image plane (second surface), and the projection magnification β of the projection optical system PO is, for example, ¼. The numerical aperture NA is, for example, 0.25.

  As an example, the projection optical system PO is configured by holding six aspherical mirrors M1 to M6, for example, by a lens barrel (not shown), and is non-telecentric on the object plane (pattern surface of the reticle R) side. It is a substantially telecentric reflective optical system on the surface (the surface of the wafer W) side. An aperture stop (not shown) is provided in the vicinity of the pupil plane in the projection optical system PO. The projection optical system PO is also provided with an imaging characteristic correction mechanism (not shown) that corrects the wavefront aberration by adjusting the position and inclination of a predetermined mirror. The configuration of the projection optical system PO is arbitrary.

  On the other hand, wafer W is attracted and held on top of wafer stage WST via an electrostatic chuck (not shown). Wafer stage WST performs predetermined strokes in the X and Y directions by wafer stage control system 17 and a drive mechanism (not shown) based on measurement values of a laser interferometer (not shown) and control information of main control system 16. And is also driven in the θz direction or the like as necessary. An alignment system (not shown) for aligning the reticle R and the wafer W is also provided.

  When exposing the wafer W, the illumination light EL is irradiated onto the illumination area of the reticle R by the illumination device ILS, and the reticle R and the wafer W are set to a predetermined magnification according to the projection magnification β (reduction magnification) with respect to the projection optical system PO. It moves synchronously in the Y direction at the speed ratio (synchronized scanning) In this way, the pattern image of the reticle R is exposed to one shot area (die) of the wafer W. Thereafter, the wafer stage WST is driven to move the wafer W stepwise in the X and Y directions, and then the reticle R pattern is scanned and exposed to the next shot area of the wafer W. In this way, a pattern image of the reticle R is sequentially exposed to a plurality of shot areas of the wafer W by the step-and-scan method.

In such exposure, the wavefront aberration of the projection optical system PO needs to be within a predetermined allowable range. For this purpose, it is first necessary to measure the wavefront aberration of the projection optical system PO with high accuracy.
Hereinafter, the configuration of the wavefront aberration measuring apparatus 30 of the present embodiment and the wavefront aberration measuring method of the projection optical system PO will be described. The wavefront aberration measuring apparatus 30 includes a measurement main body 8 provided in the vicinity of the wafer W of the wafer stage WST, and an arithmetic unit 12 that processes a detection signal from the measurement main body 8. In the present embodiment, the wafer stage WST (movement mechanism) used for moving the measurement main body 8 with respect to the projection optical system PO also constitutes a part of the wavefront aberration measuring apparatus 30.

  First, the measurement main body 8 detects a fringe of shearing interference caused by a plurality of diffracted lights from the diffraction grating 10 that is arranged substantially parallel to the XY plane and has a two-dimensional grating pattern formed thereon. A two-dimensional imaging element 14 such as a CCD type or a CMOS type, and a holding member 8 a that holds the diffraction grating 10 and the imaging element 14 are provided. A detection signal from the image sensor 14 is supplied to the arithmetic unit 12.

  At the time of measuring the wavefront aberration of the projection optical system PO, the exposure stage of the projection optical system PO is set above the diffraction grating 10 of the measurement main body 8 by driving the wafer stage WST. Further, the reticle R held by the reticle stage RST is exchanged with the measurement reticle 4 via a reticle loader system (not shown), and the pattern surface of the measurement reticle 4 is set in the illumination area of the illumination device ILS. A pinhole array 6 is formed on the pattern surface of the measurement reticle 4. As an example, the pinhole array 6 can be manufactured by forming an absorption layer on the EUV light reflecting film except for a portion serving as a pinhole. The measurement reticle 4 can also be regarded as a part of the wavefront aberration measuring device 30. In the following description, for convenience, the measurement reticle 4 and the projection optical system PO are expressed by a transmission optical system arranged on one optical axis. However, this measurement principle holds true for the reflective optical system as well.

FIG. 2A shows a transmission optical system representing an optical system that is measuring the wavefront aberration of the projection optical system PO in the measurement main body 8 of FIG. The optical system in FIG. 2A is a Talbot interferometer that performs shearing interference. In FIG. 2A, the pinhole array 6 of the measurement reticle 4 is installed on the object plane of the projection optical system PO, and the pinhole array 6 is illuminated with the illumination light EL.
As shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 2B, the pinhole array 6 includes a pinhole group 6S including a plurality of pinholes 6a (actually micromirrors) having a period (pitch) in the X direction and the Y direction. ) Ps / β sequence. In this case, β is the projection magnification of the projection optical system PO, and the period in the X direction and Y direction of the image (the pinhole group image 6SP) obtained by projecting the pinhole array 6 through the projection optical system PO is Ps. . The diameter of each pinhole 6a is about the diffraction limit or less as an example as follows. If the wavelength λ of the illumination light EL and the numerical aperture NAin on the object side of the projection optical system PO are used, the diffraction limit is λ / (2NAin).

Diameter of pinhole 6a ≦ λ / (2NAin) (1)
Here, when the wavelength λ is 13.5 nm and the numerical aperture NAin is 0.0625, the diffraction limit is approximately 108 nm, so the diameter of the pinhole 6a is about 100 nm or smaller.
Moreover, the space | interval of the several pinhole 6a in the pinhole group 6S should just be more than the distance from which the coherence coefficient of illumination light EL becomes 0 as an example. Using the wavelength λ and the numerical aperture NA _IL of the illumination optical system, the shortest distance at which the coherence coefficient becomes 0 is 0.61λ / NA _IL , that is, about 132 nm in this case. By using such a pinhole array 6 in which a large number of pinholes are periodically formed, the amount of interference fringes on the image sensor 14 increases, so shearing interference wavefront measurement can be performed with a high S / N ratio. It can be carried out.

Further, the period Ps / β of the pinhole array 6 is not less than the spatial coherence length of the illumination light EL. When a laser plasma light source with low spatial coherency is used as in this embodiment, the spatial coherence length is at most λ / NA _IL using the numerical aperture NA _IL and wavelength λ on the exit side of the illumination optical system. It is. Therefore, the period Ps / β only needs to satisfy the following condition.
Ps / β ≧ λ / NA _IL ≈λ / NAin (2)
In this case, when the wavelength λ is 13.5 nm and the numerical aperture NAin is 0.0625, the spatial coherence length is approximately 216 nm, and therefore the period Ps / β only needs to be greater than about 200 nm. However, as will be described later, the period Ps of the image of the pinhole array 6 needs to satisfy a predetermined condition and has a problem in manufacturing technology. Therefore, the period Ps is, for example, about 1 μm or more. In this case, if the projection magnification β is ¼, the period Ps / β of the pinhole array 6 is about 4 μm or more, and the condition of the expression (2) is sufficiently satisfied.

In FIG. 2A, an image formed by the projection optical system PO of the pinhole array 6 is formed on the image plane 18, and the diffraction grating 10 is disposed at a distance Lg from the image plane 18 in the −Z direction. Below this, the light receiving surface of the image sensor 14 is disposed at a distance Lc from the image plane 18.
In the diffraction grating 10, as shown in FIG. 2D, a large number of opening patterns 10a through which the illumination light EL passes with a light shielding film (or absorption layer) as a background are formed with a period Pg in the X and Y directions. . The illumination light EL that has passed through the pinhole array 6 enters the diffraction grating 10 via the projection optical system PO, and the 0th-order light (0th-order diffracted light) 20, the + 1st-order diffracted light 20A, and the −1st order generated from the diffraction grating 10. An interference fringe (Fourier image) 22 of shearing interference as shown in FIG. 2 (E) is formed on the light receiving surface of the image sensor 14 by the folded light 20B or the like.

The period Pg of the diffraction grating 10 is set according to a desired lateral shift amount (shear amount) of the diffracted light. However, since there is actually a manufacturing limit, it is about several hundred nm to several μm, for example, about 1 μm. Set to
In this case, in order for the interference fringes 22 to be formed on the light receiving surface of the image sensor 14, the distance Lg from the image surface 18 of the diffraction grating 10 and the distance Lc from the image surface 18 of the light receiving surface of the image sensor 14 are: Using the exposure wavelength λ, the period Pg of the diffraction grating 10, and the Talbot order n, it is necessary to satisfy the following condition (Talbot condition). Details of the Talbot condition (Talbot condition) are described in “Applied Optics 1 (Tsuruta)” (p.178-181, Baifukan, 1990).

なお、ｎ＝０，０．５，１，１．５，２，…である。即ち、タルボ次数ｎは整数又は半整数である。
本実施形態では、Ｌｃ≫Ｌｇが成立するため、式（３）の代わりに次の近似式を使用することができる。

Note that n = 0, 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2,. That is, the Talbot degree n is an integer or a half integer.
In this embodiment, since Lc >> Lg is satisfied, the following approximate expression can be used instead of Expression (3).

Lg = 2n × Pg ² / λ (4)
Further, in order to form interference fringes with high contrast on the image sensor 14, the period Ps of the image of the pinhole array 6 is the period Pg, the distance Lg, the distance Lc, and a predetermined integer m (for example, 2 or 4). ) To satisfy the following conditions: About this condition, it is disclosed by Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 2006-269578, for example.

この条件は、図２（Ａ）において、撮像素子１４上の干渉縞２２上の或る点２２ａに、ピンホールアレー６の一つのピンホール群の像６ＳＰからの光束Ｅ１が到達する場合に、他のピンホール群の像６ＳＰからの光束Ｅ２も達する条件である。言い換えると、この条件によって、高いコントラストの干渉縞２２が形成される。

This condition is shown in FIG. 2A when a light beam E1 from an image 6SP of one pinhole group of the pinhole array 6 reaches a certain point 22a on the interference fringe 22 on the image sensor 14. This is a condition that the light beam E2 from the image 6SP of the other pinhole group also reaches. In other words, the high-contrast interference fringes 22 are formed under this condition.

Since Lg / Lc is a value considerably smaller than 1, the following approximate expression may be used instead of Expression (5).
Ps = Pg × m (5A)
In this equation, when the period Pg is 1 μm and m is 2, the period Ps of the image of the pinhole array 6 is 2 μm. In this case, the projection magnification β is 1/4, and the period of the pinhole array 6 is 8 μm.

For example, information on the intensity distribution of the interference fringes 22 formed on the light receiving surface of the imaging device 14 under the conditions of the expressions (4) and (5A) is taken into the arithmetic unit 12 in FIG. , The shearing wavefront (hereinafter referred to as the shear wavefront in the X direction) ΔW _X between the wavefront of the projection optical system PO and the wavefront shifted in the X direction, and the wavefront of the projection optical system PO and Y A shearing wavefront (Y-direction shear wavefront) ΔW _Y with the wavefront shifted in the direction can be obtained. Further, the arithmetic unit 12 obtains the wavefront of the projection optical system PO and thus the wavefront aberration from these shear wavefronts ΔW _X and ΔW _Y, and outputs information on the wavefront aberration to the main control system 16.

As shown in the first modification of FIG. 6A, the diffraction grating 10 can also be disposed at a distance Lg above the image plane 18 of the projection optical system PO. In this case, the distance Lg may be handled as a negative value.
Further, particularly when ultraviolet light such as ArF excimer laser light (wavelength 193 nm) is used as illumination light EL, the optical system is used as a transmission system, as shown in the second modification of FIG. It is also possible to arrange the diffraction grating 10 on the image plane 18 of the projection optical system PO. In this case, it is not necessary to satisfy the above Talbot condition.

Further, the spectrum of main diffracted lights generated from the diffraction grating 10 of FIG. 2A is as shown in FIG. 3A, 0th-order light L0 generated from the diffraction grating 10, ± first-order diffracted light LX1, LX (-1) in the X direction, ± second-order diffracted light LX2, LX (-2), and ± third-order diffracted light LX3. , LX (-3), ± 1st order diffracted light LY1, LY (-1) in the Y direction, ± 2nd order diffracted light LY2, LY (-2), ± 3rd order diffracted light LY3, LY (-3), and X direction, There are 17 diffracted lights of ± 1st order diffracted light L (1,1), L (-1,1), L (1, -1), L (-1, -1) in both Y directions. It is represented. Of these 17 diffracted lights, the diffracted lights of the order (order of measurement object) effective for obtaining the shear wave fronts ΔW _X and ΔW _Y are ± 1st order diffracted lights LX1, LX (−1), and ± 1. There are four pieces of next diffracted light LY1, LY (-1).

Therefore, the number L of the wavefronts of the order of the measurement target when obtaining the shear wavefronts in the X direction and the Y direction (L is an integer of 2 or more) is 4. Furthermore, when all the contributions of the 17 diffracted lights in FIG. 3A are considered, the sum of the number L and the number M of wavefronts of orders different from the measurement target (M is an integer of 1 or more) is as follows: 17 and the number M is 13.
L + M = 17 (6A)
In FIG. 3A, it is also possible to consider only the contribution of nine diffracted lights surrounded by a dotted line frame LXY, assuming that the amount of diffracted light of orders exceeding ± 1st order is small. is there. Also in this case, if the shear wavefronts in the X direction and the Y direction are to be obtained, the number L of wavefronts of the order of the measurement target is 4. The sum of the number L and the number M of wavefronts of orders different from the measurement target is 9, and the number M is 5.

L + M = 9 (6B)
Further, within the dotted frame LXY in FIG. 3A, the ± first-order diffracted lights L (1,1), L (-1,1), L (1, -1), Assuming that the light quantity of L (-1, -1) is small, only the contribution of the 0th order light L0, ± 1st order diffracted light LX1, LX (-1), and ± 1st order diffracted light LY1, LY (-1) It is also possible to consider. In this case, the number L of wavefronts of the order of the measurement target effective for obtaining the shear wavefront is 4, and the number M of wavefronts of the order different from the measurement target (here, the 0th-order light L0) is 1. The sum of the number L and the number M is 5 as follows.

L + M = 5 (6C)
For example, it is possible to obtain only the shear wave front ΔW _{X in the} X direction. In this case, the number L of wave fronts of the order of the measurement target (± first-order diffracted light LX1, LX (−1)) is 2. .
Hereinafter, an example of the operation of measuring the wavefront aberration of the projection optical system PO using the wavefront aberration measuring apparatus 30 in the exposure apparatus 100 of the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. This measurement operation is controlled by the main control system 16.

  First, in step 102, the measurement reticle 4 is loaded onto the reticle stage RST of FIG. 1, and the pinhole array 6 of the measurement reticle 4 is moved to the illumination area of the illumination device ILS. In the next step 104, wafer stage WST is driven via wafer stage control system 17, and as shown in FIG. 2A, the center of diffraction grating 10 of measurement main body 8 is centered on the image of pinhole array 6. Move to the center.

In the next step 106, the main control system 16 sets (initializes) the value of the control parameter k to 1. In the next step 108, the illumination light EL is irradiated from the illumination device ILS to the pinhole array 6, and the intensity distribution of the interference fringes 22 of the k-th shearing interference due to a plurality of diffracted lights including the zeroth order light generated from the diffraction grating 10 is obtained. I _k is detected by the image sensor 14. The detection result is stored in a storage device in the arithmetic device 12 (step 110).

In the next step 112, the main control system 16 determines whether or not the parameter k has reached N indicating a predetermined number of measurements. The number N of times of measurement is set equal to the sum of the number L of wavefronts of the order of the measurement target and the number M of wavefronts of a different order from the measurement target as follows.
N = L + M (6D)
At this stage, since the parameter k is smaller than N and the parameter k is not N, the operation shifts to step 114, and the main control system 16 adds 1 to the value of the parameter k.

  In the next step 116, the main control system 16 drives the wafer stage WST via the wafer stage control system 17, and moves the diffraction grating 10 of the measurement main body 8 in the X direction as shown in FIG. Move by ΔYk in ΔXk and Y direction. In this case, as an example, the movement amounts ΔX1 and ΔY1 during the first measurement are regarded as (0, 0). However, the movement amounts ΔX1 and ΔY1 at the time of the first measurement can be set to values other than (0, 0). For this purpose, the initial value of the parameter k is set to 0, and the first measured value is set to 0. Ignore it. Further, the movement amount ΔXk and the movement amount ΔYk at the time of each measurement are usually different from each other, but the movement amount ΔXk and the movement amount ΔYk may coincide with each other during N times of movement. In other words, the movement amount ΔXk and the movement amount ΔYk may be substantially different from each other. Furthermore, one of the movement amounts ΔXk and ΔYk during the second and subsequent measurements may be zero.

Thereafter, returning to step 108, the detection of the intensity distribution I _k of the interference fringe 22 of the k-th shearing interference by the diffracted light generated from the diffraction grating 10 and the storage of the light intensity distribution (step 110) are repeated. Steps 108 and 110 are repeated N times.
Thereafter, when the parameter k has reached N in step 112, the operation proceeds to step 118. Then, the arithmetic unit 12 reads the information of the intensity distributions I _k (k = 1 to N) of N interference fringes from the internal storage device, and calculates the movement amounts ΔXk and ΔYk of the diffraction grating 10 for each measurement. Using k k coefficient coefficients A _k , B _k , A ′ _k , B ′ _k (k = 1 to N) and the intensity distribution I _k that are obtained in advance according to the combination (movement path). The X direction shear wave front ΔW _X and the Y direction shear wave front ΔW _Y are calculated from the following equations. This shear wavefront is a phase distribution calculated for each detection signal (light intensity) of each pixel of the image sensor 14.

次のステップ１２０において、演算装置１２は、Ｘ方向及びＹ方向のシア波面より投影光学系ＰＯを通過する照明光の波面を求め、さらにこの波面から波面収差を求める。ここで求められた波面収差の情報は主制御系１６に供給される。次のステップ１２２において、主制御系１６は、必要に応じて、図示しない結像特性補正機構を用いて投影光学系ＰＯの波面収差を補正する。この後、ステップ１２４においてレチクルステージＲＳＴに実際の露光用のレチクル４をロードし、ステップ１２６においてウエハステージＲＳＴに順次載置されるウエハの複数のショット領域にレチクル４のパターン像を走査露光する。
次に、上記の計測動作における回折格子１０の移動量ΔＸｋ，ΔＹｋ（ｋ＝１〜Ｎ）の組み合わせ（移動経路）、及びこの移動経路に対する係数の組（Ａ_k，Ｂ_k，Ａ’_k，Ｂ’_k）（ｋ＝１〜Ｎ）の複数の実施例につき説明する。

In the next step 120, the arithmetic unit 12 obtains the wavefront of the illumination light that passes through the projection optical system PO from the shear wavefronts in the X direction and the Y direction, and further obtains the wavefront aberration from the wavefront. The information on the wavefront aberration obtained here is supplied to the main control system 16. In the next step 122, the main control system 16 corrects the wavefront aberration of the projection optical system PO using an imaging characteristic correction mechanism (not shown) as necessary. Thereafter, in step 124, the reticle 4 for actual exposure is loaded on the reticle stage RST, and in step 126, the pattern image of the reticle 4 is scanned and exposed on a plurality of shot areas of the wafer sequentially placed on the wafer stage RST.
Next, a combination (movement path) of the movement amounts ΔXk and ΔYk (k = 1 to N) of the diffraction grating 10 in the above measurement operation, and a set of coefficients (A _k , B _k , A ′ _k , A plurality of embodiments of B ′ _k ) (k = 1 to N) will be described.

[First embodiment]
In the first embodiment, among the diffracted light in FIG. 3A, the number L of wavefronts of the order of the measurement object is 4, and the number M of wavefronts of the order different from the measurement object is 13, and the equation (6A) Since (6D) is established, the number of measurements N in step 112 is 17. Further, changes in the shear wavefront phase in the X and Y directions according to the movement amounts ΔXk and ΔYk of the diffraction grating 10 in the X direction and the Y direction in step 116 at each measurement of N times are denoted by δ _Xk and δ _Yk . (K = 1 to N). In this case, if the phase of the interference fringes between the + 1st order diffracted light and the −1st order diffracted light in the X direction and the Y direction are ΔW _Xn1 and ΔW _Yn1 , and the phase changes of these interference fringes are δ _Xn1k and δ _Yn1k The changes are as follows.

δ _Xn1k = 2δ _Xk , δ _Yn1k = 2δ _Yk (8A)
Further, X-direction, each of the 0 order light and third-order the phase of the interference fringes between diffracted light [Delta] W _Xn2 in the Y direction, [Delta] W _Yn2, a change in the phase of their fringe [delta] _Xn2k, when the [delta] _Yn2k, this phase The changes are as follows:
δ _Xn2k = 3δ _Xk , δ _Yn2k = 3δ _Yk (8B)
Also, if the phase of the interference fringes between the first-order diffracted light in the X direction and the ± first-order diffracted light in the Y direction are ΔW _XYn1 and ΔW _XYn2 , and the phase changes of these interference fringes are δ _XYn1k and δ _XYn2k Is as follows.

_{δ XYn1k = δ Xk -δ Yk,} δ XYn2k = δ Xk + δ Yk ... (8C)
At this time, the k-th measured intensity distribution I _k of the interference fringes 22 in FIG. 2A is expressed as follows. The DC component DC of the interference fringes and the amplitudes a to h of the interference fringes are unknown constants.
_{I k = DC + acos (ΔW} X + δ Xk) + bcos (ΔW Y + δ Yk) + ccos (ΔW Xn1 + δ Xn1k) + dcos (ΔW Yn1 + δ Yn1k) + ecos (ΔW Xn2 + δ Xn2k) + fcos (ΔW Yn2 + δ Yn2k ) + Gcos (ΔW _XYn1 + δ _XYn1k ) + hcos (ΔW _XYn2 + δ _XYn2k ) (9)
Using the equations (8A) to (8C), the equation (9) can be rewritten by the following matrix and vector arithmetic expression.

この式（１０）を解くことによって、ＤＣ，ａcos(ΔＷ_X)，ａsin(ΔＷ_X)，ｂcos(ΔＷ_Y)，ｂcos(ΔＷ_Y)をそれぞれ算出できる。従って、計測対象とは異なる次数の回折光（ノイズ回折光）の影響を受けることなく、シア波面ΔＷ_Xとシア波面ΔＷ_Yとを分離した形で求めることができる。

By solving the equation (10), DC, acos (ΔW _X ), asin (ΔW _X ), bcos (ΔW _Y ), and bcos (ΔW _Y ) can be calculated. Therefore, the shear wave front ΔW _X and the shear wave front ΔW _Y can be obtained in a separated form without being affected by diffracted light of a different order (noise diffracted light) from the measurement target.

Further, in this embodiment, the ratio of the movement amount ΔXk and the movement amount ΔYk of the diffraction grating 10 at the time of the second and subsequent measurements in step 116 is the ratio of the movement direction of the diffraction grating 10 as shown in FIG. The angle θ with respect to the X axis is set as follows. Note that tan θ = A.
ΔXk: ΔYk = 1: tan θ = 1: A (8D)
In this case, the angle θ (rad) is selected so as not to be an integral multiple of π, π / 2, and π / 4 as follows. Note that k1 is an arbitrary integer.

θ ≠ k1 · π, θ ≠ k1 · π / 2, θ ≠ k1 · π / 4 (8E)
In the range of k = 2 to 9, the movement amount ΔXk = Pg / 8 and the movement amount ΔYk = A × Pg / 8 with respect to the period Pg of the diffraction grating 10. In this case, the phase shift amount δXk (rad) corresponding to the movement amount Pg / 8 in the X direction of the interference fringe 22 and the phase shift amount δYk (rad) corresponding to the movement amount A × Pg / 8 in the Y direction are as follows. become.

δXk = π / 4, δYk = A × π / 4 (k = 2 to 9) (8F)
Accordingly, the integrated values of the phase shift amounts (δXk, δYk) due to the movement of the diffraction grating 10 from the first measurement to the ninth measurement are (0, 0), (π / 4, A × π / 4), ( π / 2, A × π / 2),..., (4π, A × 4π). FIG. 3C is a diagram in which the integrated value of the phase shift amounts in the X direction and the Y direction is expressed in units of the period Pg.

As an example, as shown in FIG. 3C, when A = 1.25, the above equation (10) is solved to obtain acos (ΔW _X ), asin (ΔW _X ), bcos (ΔW _Y ), bcos. By obtaining (ΔW _Y ), the shear wave front ΔW _{X in the X} direction and the shear wave front ΔW _{Y in the} Y direction are as follows.

この場合、式（７Ａ）における係数Ａ₁＝−０．０００２，…，Ａ₁₇＝０．０００２，Ｂ₁＝０．０００６，…，Ｂ₁₇＝０．０００６であり、式（７Ｂ）における係数Ａ’₁＝−０．０００２，…，Ａ’₁₇＝−０．０００２，Ｂ’₁＝−０．０００１，…，Ｂ’₁₇＝０．０００１である。

In this case, the coefficients A ₁ = −0.0002,..., A ₁₇ = 0.0002, B ₁ = 0.0006,..., B ₁₇ = 0.0006 in the expression (7A), and the coefficients in the expression (7B) _{a '1 = -0.0002, ...,} a' 17 = -0.0002, B '1 = -0.0001, ..., B' is ₁₇ = 0.0001.

[Second Embodiment]
In the second embodiment, among the diffracted light in FIG. 3A, the number L of wavefronts of the order of the measurement object is 4, and the number M of wavefronts of the order different from the measurement object is 5, and the equation (6B) Since (6D) is established, the number of measurements N in step 112 is 9. Therefore, it is assumed that only the diffracted light of ± 1st order or less within the dotted line frame LXY is dominant among the diffracted light in FIG. Further, assuming that changes in the shear wavefront phase in the X and Y directions according to the movement amounts ΔXk and ΔYk of the diffraction grating 10 in the X and Y directions in step 116 are δ _Xk and δ _Yk (k = 1 to N). The above equation (8A) is established with respect to changes δ _Xn1k and _δYn1k of interference fringes between the + 1st order diffracted light and the −1st order diffracted light in the X direction and the Y direction, respectively. _Further , the above equation (8C) is established with respect to the phase variations δ _XYn1k and δ _XYn2k of the interference fringes between the first-order diffracted light in the X direction and the ± first-order diffracted light in the Y direction.

At this time, the k-th measured intensity distribution I _k of the interference fringe 22 in FIG. 2A is expressed by an expression in which constants e and f are 0 in Expression (9), and Expression (10). , An arithmetic expression of a 9 × 9 matrix and a vector with 9 elements is established. By solving this arithmetic expression, the functions acos (ΔW _X ), asin (ΔW _X ), bcos (ΔW _Y ), bcos (ΔW _Y ) of the shear wavefront in the X direction and Y direction can be calculated. The shear wavefront can be calculated from

Also in this embodiment, the ratio of the movement amount ΔXk and the movement amount ΔYk of the diffraction grating 10 at the time of the second and subsequent measurements in step 116 is set as follows similarly to the equation (8D).
ΔXk: ΔYk = 1: tan θ = 1: A (12A)
Regarding the angle θ (rad), the relationship of Expression (8E) is established. In the range of k = 2 to 9, the movement amount ΔXk = Pg / 8 and the movement amount ΔYk = A × Pg / 8 with respect to the period Pg of the diffraction grating 10 in the X direction and the Y direction. At this time, the phase shift amount δXk (rad) corresponding to the movement amount Pg / 8 in the X direction of the interference fringe 22 and the phase shift amount δYk (rad) corresponding to the movement amount A × Pg / 8 in the Y direction are as follows. become.

δXk = π / 4, δYk = A × π / 4 (k = 2 to 9) (12B)
Accordingly, the integrated values of the phase shift amounts (δXk, δYk) due to the movement of the diffraction grating 10 from the first measurement to the ninth measurement are (0, 0), (π / 4, A × π / 4), ( π / 2, A × π / 2),..., (2π, A × 2π). FIG. 5 shows an integrated value of the phase shift amounts in the X direction and the Y direction in units of the period Pg.

Further, as an example, as shown in FIG. 5, when A = 0.8, the equation corresponding to the above equation (10) is solved to obtain acos (ΔW _X ), asin (ΔW _X ), bcos (ΔW _Y ), By obtaining bcos (ΔW _Y ), the shear wave front ΔW _{X in the X} direction and the shear wave front ΔW _{Y in the} Y direction are as follows.

The effects and the like of this embodiment are as follows.
(1) The wavefront aberration measuring method by the wavefront aberration measuring apparatus 30 of the present embodiment is based on the X direction (first direction) in which the light beams that have passed through the measurement reticle 4 and the projection optical system PO (test optical system) are orthogonal to each other; This is a method in which the wavefront aberration of the projection optical system PO is measured based on the interference fringes 22 generated by the division by the two-dimensional diffraction grating 10 having the period (pitch) Pg in the Y direction (second direction). . In this method, steps 108 to 116 for measuring the light intensity distribution of the interference fringe 22 (L + M) times by moving the diffraction grating 10 substantially in the X direction and the Y direction with different movement amounts ΔXk and ΔYk, and (L Is the number of wavefronts of the order of the measurement object, M is the number of wavefronts of the order different from that of the measurement object), and (L + M) measurement results of the light intensity distribution of the interference fringes 22 are the diffracted light of the order of the measurement object. A step 118 for obtaining wavefronts (shear wavefronts ΔW _X , ΔW _Y ) of the ± 1st order diffracted light in the X direction and the ± 1st order diffracted light in the Y direction, and a step 120 for obtaining the wavefront aberration of the projection optical system PO from the shear wavefront; Have

  The wavefront aberration measuring apparatus 30 includes an imaging element 14 (detector) that detects the intensity distribution of the interference fringes 22, a wafer stage WST (movement mechanism) that moves the diffraction grating 10 in the X direction and the Y direction, and a diffraction grating. 10 is measured from the intensity distribution of the interference fringes 22 measured (L + M) times through the image sensor 14 while moving the wafer 10 in the X direction and the Y direction through the wafer stage WST with substantially different movement amounts. And an arithmetic unit 12 for obtaining the wavefront aberration of the projection optical system PO from the wavefront of the order to be measured.

According to the present embodiment, since the intensity distribution of the interference fringes 22 is measured by moving the two-dimensional diffraction grating 10 two-dimensionally (L + M) times, from this measurement result, L measurement objects are measured. Wavefront information corresponding to the order wavefront can be obtained. Therefore, the influence of unnecessary diffracted light can be suppressed and the wavefront aberration of the projection optical system PO can be measured with high accuracy.
Further, in the present embodiment, wavefront measurement can be performed by performing phase shift analysis using the above measurement method from one-time scanning data of the two-dimensional diffraction grating 10. As a result, it is possible to perform measurement that is not affected by luminance unevenness due to foreign matter or the like adhering to the diffraction grating 10 or the like. Further, since only one type of diffraction grating 10 needs to be scanned once, wavefront measurement can be performed in a state where no astigmatism error occurs.

(2) In this embodiment, since the periods of the diffraction grating 10 in the X direction and the Y direction are equal to each other, it is easy to calculate the wavefront of the order to be measured. May be different from each other.
(3) Further, in the exposure method of the present embodiment, the pattern of the reticle R is illuminated with illumination light EL (exposure light), and the wafer W (substrate) is exposed with the illumination light EL via the pattern and the projection optical system PO. In this exposure method, the wavefront measuring method of this embodiment is used to measure the wavefront aberration of the projection optical system PO.

In addition, the exposure apparatus 100 of this embodiment includes a wavefront aberration measuring device 30 for measuring the wavefront aberration of the projection optical system PO.
Therefore, the wavefront aberration of the projection optical system PO of the exposure apparatus can be evaluated with high accuracy at the exposure wavelength. Further, by using this measurement result for alignment of each optical member of the projection optical system PO, it is possible to manufacture a projection optical system with excellent performance. In addition, the interferometer data in the full field of the projection optical system PO is acquired on-body, and the wavefront aberration of the optical member of the projection optical system PO is measured to optimize the monitoring of important parameters of the exposure apparatus. A solution can be provided.

  In the above embodiment, the wavefront analysis in the interferometer in the case where the pinhole array 6 (light source) is formed on the measurement reticle 4 has been described. However, the present invention provides incoherent illumination using a periodic surface light source. It can also be applied to measurement systems. The present invention can also be applied to a coherent illumination measurement system using a single pinhole.

[Second Embodiment]
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. The basic configuration of the wavefront aberration measuring apparatus of the present embodiment is the same as that of the wavefront aberration measuring apparatus 30 of FIG. 1, but in this embodiment, the measurement reticle pattern (light source) and diffraction grating pattern are checkered gratings. There are some differences. In the following, in FIGS. 7A to 7D, portions corresponding to those in FIGS. 2A to 2D are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted or simplified.

  FIG. 7A is a diagram showing the measurement main body 8A, the measurement reticle 4 and the projection optical system PO of the wavefront aberration measurement apparatus of the present embodiment as a transmission optical system. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7B, the measurement reticle 4 includes a pinhole array in which pinhole groups 6S are arranged in a checkered pattern with a period (pitch) Ps / β in the X and Y directions. 6A is formed. Also in this case, the checkered pinhole array 6AH of FIG. 7C can be used instead of the pinhole array 6A.

Further, as shown in FIG. 7D, the opening pattern 10a is formed in the diffraction grating 10A of the measurement main body 8A in a checkered pattern with a period Pg in the X direction and the Y direction. Accordingly, interference fringes 22A (see FIG. 7E) due to the 0th-order light 20A, the + 1st-order diffracted light 20AA, the -1st-order diffracted light 20AB, and the like are formed on the light receiving surface of the imaging element 14 of the measurement main body 8A.
As shown in FIG. 8 (A), the spectrum of the plurality of diffracted lights from the diffraction grating 10A includes a zero-order light L0, two diffracted lights LA and LB on the X axis, and two diffracted lights LC on the Y axis. , LD is dominant. Therefore, the number L of wavefronts of the order of the measurement target is 4, and the number M of wavefronts of the order different from the measurement target is 1.

Also in this embodiment, the shear wave front ΔW _{X in} the X direction and the shear wave front ΔW _Y in the Y direction of the projection optical system PO are obtained by the same operation as the measurement operation in FIG. In this case, the number N (= L + M) of measurement of the intensity distribution I _k of the interference fringes 22A in the process corresponding to step 112 in FIG. Further, the phase changes of the shear wave fronts ΔW _X and ΔW _Y corresponding to the movement amounts (ΔXk, ΔYk) of the first to fifth diffraction gratings 10A in the X- and Y-directions in the process corresponding to Step 116 are (0, 0), (δ _2X , δ _2Y ), ..., (δ _5X , δ _5Y ). At this time, the intensity distribution I _k (k = 1 to 5) measured at the k-th time of the interference fringe 22A is as follows using the unknown DC component DC and the coefficients a and b.

I ₁ = DC + acos (ΔW _X ) + bcos (ΔW _Y ) (21A)
I ₂ = DC + acos (ΔW _X + δ _2X ) + bcos (ΔW _Y + δ _2Y ) (21B)
I ₃ = DC + acos (ΔW _X + δ _3X ) + bcos (ΔW _Y + δ _3Y ) (21C)
I ₄ = DC + acos (ΔW _X + δ _4X ) + bcos (ΔW _Y + δ _4Y ) (21D)
I ₅ = DC + acos (ΔW _X + δ _5X ) + bcos (ΔW _Y + δ _5Y ) (21E)
These equations (21A) to (21E) can be expressed by the following arithmetic expressions of matrices and vectors.

この式（２２）からａcos(ΔＷ_X)，ａsin(ΔＷ_X)を算出できるため、これらを用いて、Ｘ方向のシア波面ΔＷ_Xは次の式（２３Ａ）となる。同様に式（２２）からｂcos(ΔＷ_Y)，ｂcos(ΔＷ_Y)を算出できるため、これらを用いて、Ｙ方向のシア波面ΔＷ_Yは次の式（２３Ｂ）となる。

Since acos (ΔW _X ) and asin (ΔW _X ) can be calculated from this equation (22), the shear wave front ΔW _{X in the} X direction is expressed by the following equation (23A). Similarly, since bcos (ΔW _Y ) and bcos (ΔW _Y ) can be calculated from the equation (22), the shear wave front ΔW _{Y in the} Y direction is expressed by the following equation (23B).

一例として、図４のステップ１１６に対応する工程における１回目の計測時の回折格子１０ＡのＸ方向、Ｙ方向の移動量（ΔＸｋ，ΔＹｋ）を（０，０）とする。また、２回目以降の計測時における回折格子１０Ａの移動量ΔＸｋと移動量ΔＹｋとの比を１：ｔａｎθと一定とする（ｋ＝２〜５）。ｔａｎθ（＝Ａ）については式（８Ｅ）が成立している。

As an example, the amount of movement (ΔXk, ΔYk) in the X direction and Y direction of the diffraction grating 10A at the first measurement in the process corresponding to step 116 in FIG. 4 is (0, 0). Further, the ratio of the movement amount ΔXk and the movement amount ΔYk of the diffraction grating 10A in the second and subsequent measurements is constant at 1: tan θ (k = 2 to 5). For tan θ (= A), equation (8E) holds.

In the range of k = 2 to 5, the movement amount ΔXk = Pg / 4 and the movement amount ΔYk = A × Pg / 4 with respect to the period Pg in the X direction and the Y direction of the diffraction grating 10A. Further, assuming that the phase change (phase shift amount) of the interference fringes corresponding to the movement amount (ΔXk, ΔYk) is δ _X , δ _Y , δ _X = π / 2, δ _Y = A × π / 2, The phase change in the equations (21A) to (21E) is as follows.

_{δ kX = (k-1)} δ X, δ kY = (k-1) δ Y ... (24)
FIG. 8B is a diagram (movement path of the diffraction grating 10A) in which the integrated values of these phase shift amounts are expressed in units of the period Pg. Further, as shown in FIG. 8B, when A = 1/2, the expression (24) is applied to the expression (22) to correspond to the expressions (23A) and (23B). The shear wave fronts ΔW _X and ΔW _{Y in the} X direction and the Y direction are as follows.

The present invention can be applied to the case where an interference fringe due to shearing interference or the like is detected using an arbitrary interferometer other than the Talbot interferometer and the wavefront aberration of the optical system to be measured is measured.
In the above-described embodiment, the laser plasma light source is used as the EUV light source. However, the present invention is not limited to this, but a SOR (Synchrotron Orbital Radiation) ring, a betatron light source, a discharged light source (discharge excitation plasma light source, rotary discharge) Any of an excitation plasma light source or the like) or an X-ray laser may be used.

  In the embodiment of FIG. 1, the case where EUV light is used as exposure light and an all-reflection projection optical system including a plurality of mirrors is used is described as an example. For example, the present invention can be applied to measure the wavefront aberration even when a projection optical system composed of a catadioptric system or a refractive system using ArF excimer laser light (wavelength 193 nm) or the like as exposure light.

Furthermore, the present invention can also be applied to measuring wavefront aberration of an optical system other than the projection optical system of the exposure apparatus, for example, an objective lens of a microscope or an objective lens of a camera.
In addition, this invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, A various structure can be taken in the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention.

  ILS ... illumination device, R ... reticle, RST ... reticle stage, PO ... projection optical system, W ... wafer, WST ... wafer stage, WB ... wafer base, 4 ... reticle for measurement, 6 ... pinhole array, 8 ... measuring body , 10 ... diffraction grating, 12 ... arithmetic unit, 14 ... imaging device, 16 ... main control system, 17 ... wafer stage control system, 30 ... wavefront aberration measuring device, 100 ... exposure device

Claims (13)

A measurement light beam that has passed through a measurement mask and a test optical system is divided through a two-dimensional diffraction grating having periodicity in a first direction and a second direction orthogonal to each other, and the divided light beam is caused to interfere. A wavefront aberration measuring method for measuring wavefront aberration information of the test optical system based on an obtained interference fringe,
Of the interference fringes, the number of wavefronts of the order of the measurement object is L (L is an integer of 2 or more), and the number of wavefronts of an order different from the measurement object is M (M is an integer of 1 or more).
Measuring the light intensity distribution of the interference fringes (L + M) times by moving the diffraction grating substantially in the first direction and the second direction with different movement amounts;
Obtaining a wavefront of the order of the measurement object from (L + M) measurement results of the light intensity distribution of the interference fringes;
Obtaining wavefront aberration information of the optical system under test from the wavefront of the order of the measurement object;
A wavefront aberration measuring method comprising:   The wavefront aberration measuring method according to claim 1, wherein the number L of wavefronts of the order of the measurement target is 4, and the number M of wavefronts of a different order from the measurement target is 1.   The wavefront aberration measuring method according to claim 1, wherein the number L of wavefronts of the order of the measurement target is 4, and the number M of wavefronts of a different order from the measurement target is 13. The measurement mask is formed with a first checkered lattice having periodicity in a direction corresponding to the first direction and the second direction,
The diffraction grating is a second checkered grating;
The wavefront aberration measuring method according to claim 1, wherein the number L of wavefronts of the order of the measurement target is 4, and the number M of wavefronts of a different order from the measurement target is 1.   5. The wavefront aberration measuring method according to claim 1, wherein periods of the diffraction grating in the first direction and the second direction are equal to each other. In an exposure method of illuminating a pattern with exposure light and exposing the substrate with the exposure light through the pattern and a projection optical system,
An exposure method using the wavefront aberration measuring method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, in order to measure wavefront aberration information of the projection optical system. The exposure light is EUV light;
The exposure method according to claim 6, wherein the exposure light is used as the measurement light beam. A measurement light beam that has passed through a measurement mask and a test optical system is divided through a two-dimensional diffraction grating having periodicity in a first direction and a second direction orthogonal to each other, and the divided light beam is caused to interfere. A wavefront aberration measuring apparatus for measuring wavefront aberration information of the test optical system based on an obtained interference fringe,
A light receiver for detecting the light intensity distribution of the interference fringes;
A moving mechanism for moving the diffraction grating in the first direction and the second direction;
A control device for obtaining wavefront aberration information of the optical system to be detected from a detection result of the light receiver;
With
Of the interference fringes, the number of wavefronts of the order of the measurement object is L (L is an integer of 2 or more), and the number of wavefronts of an order different from the measurement object is M (M is an integer of 1 or more).
The controller is
The light of the interference fringes measured by (L + M) times through the light receiver, respectively, by moving the diffraction grating substantially differently in the first direction and the second direction through the moving mechanism. A wavefront aberration measuring apparatus, wherein a wavefront of the order of the measurement target is obtained from a measurement result of the intensity distribution, and wavefront aberration information of the optical system to be measured is obtained from the wavefront of the order of the measurement target.   9. The wavefront aberration measuring apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the number L of wavefronts of the order of the measurement object is 4, and the number M of wavefronts of an order different from the measurement object is 1.   The wavefront aberration measuring apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the number L of wavefronts of the order of the measurement target is 4, and the number M of wavefronts of a different order from the measurement target is 13. The measurement mask is formed with a first checkered lattice having periodicity in a direction corresponding to the first direction and the second direction,
The diffraction grating is a second checkered grating;
9. The wavefront aberration measuring apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the number L of wavefronts of the order of the measurement object is 4, and the number M of wavefronts of an order different from the measurement object is 1.   The wavefront aberration measuring device according to any one of claims 8 to 11, wherein the periods of the diffraction grating in the first direction and the second direction are equal to each other. In an exposure apparatus that illuminates a pattern with exposure light and exposes the substrate through the pattern and the projection optical system with the exposure light,
An exposure apparatus comprising the wavefront aberration measuring device according to any one of claims 8 to 12 for measuring wavefront aberration information of the projection optical system.

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