JP2023180035A - Exposure apparatus, exposure method, and method for manufacturing article - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a technology advantageous for measuring a surface position in a height direction of a substrate, and, a relative position of a mark provided on the substrate to a mark provided on an original plate.SOLUTION: A projection exposure apparatus 100 comprises: an alignment measurement system that measures, via a projection optical system 4, a relative position of a mark provided on a substrate 6 held on a substrate stage 5 with respect to a mark provided on an original plate 3 held on an original plate stage 2; a focus measurement system 8 that measures a surface position in a height direction of the substrate held on the substrate stage; and a control unit that changes each position of the original plate stage and the alignment measuring system so that the alignment measurement system can measure the relative position, in a position after changing the substrate stage, when the position of the substrate stage is changed so that the focus measurement system can measure a surface position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to an exposure apparatus, an exposure method, and an article manufacturing method.

2. Description of the Related Art An exposure apparatus that transfers a pattern of an original onto a substrate is known as one of the apparatuses used in the manufacturing process (lithography process) of semiconductor devices and the like. In an exposure apparatus, in order to superimpose a pattern of an original onto an exposure area (shot area) on a substrate with high precision, it is necessary to align the imaging plane (focus plane) of the projection optical system with the surface of the substrate.

A step-and-scan type exposure apparatus (scanner) exposes a substrate held by the substrate stage while driving the substrate stage holding the substrate in a scanning direction. Before exposing the substrate, the scanner uses a focus measurement system to measure the distance between the imaging plane of the projection optical system and the exposure area of the substrate (focus measurement), and images the substrate stage based on the measured value. By driving in a direction perpendicular to the plane, the exposure area is aligned with the imaging plane.

On the other hand, a step may occur on the substrate held by the substrate stage due to a pattern step when the pattern of the original is transferred or a local unevenness of the substrate stage. When performing focus measurement on such a difference in level, there is a possibility that a measurement value cannot be obtained (that is, measurement cannot be performed normally).

Therefore, a technique has been proposed to enable focus measurement even when there is a step on the substrate (see Patent Documents 1 and 2). Patent Document 1 discloses a technique in which the surface shape of a substrate is measured in advance to determine a position where focus measurement is possible, and the focus measurement is performed after driving the substrate stage to the position. Patent Document 2 discloses a technique for correcting the exposure position by performing focus measurement at a position different from the exposure position.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2009-99694 JP2008-277468A

However, in the conventional technology, it is necessary to drive the substrate stage to a position where focus measurement can be performed before alignment measurement, and therefore it takes time to process the substrate, which may lead to a decrease in throughput.

The present invention has been made in view of the problems of the prior art, and is advantageous in measuring the surface position of the substrate in the height direction and the relative position of the mark provided on the substrate with respect to the mark provided on the original. The purpose is to provide techniques for exemplary purposes.

In order to achieve the above object, an exposure apparatus as one aspect of the present invention is an exposure apparatus that projects a pattern of an original onto a substrate via a projection optical system and exposes the substrate, and holds the original. An original stage, a substrate stage that holds the substrate, and a mark provided on the substrate held on the substrate stage relative to a mark provided on the original held on the original stage through the projection optical system. an alignment measurement system that measures the relative position of the substrate, a focus measurement system that measures the surface position in the height direction of the substrate held on the substrate stage, and a focus measurement system that measures the surface position. When changing the position of the substrate stage in The invention is characterized by having a control section for changing the.

Further objects or other aspects of the present invention will become apparent from the embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an advantageous technique for measuring, for example, the surface position of the substrate in the height direction and the relative position of the mark provided on the substrate with respect to the mark provided on the original.

1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an exposure apparatus as one aspect of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining a focus measurement system. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining an exposure method in the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining an exposure method in the first embodiment. It is a flow chart for explaining an exposure method in a 1st embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining an exposure method in a second embodiment. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining an exposure method in a second embodiment. It is a flowchart for explaining the exposure method in 2nd Embodiment.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the claimed invention. Although a plurality of features are described in the embodiments, not all of these features are essential to the invention, and the plurality of features may be arbitrarily combined. Furthermore, in the accompanying drawings, the same or similar components are designated by the same reference numerals, and redundant description will be omitted.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an exposure apparatus 100 as one aspect of the present invention. The exposure apparatus 100 is a lithography apparatus used in a lithography process that is a manufacturing process for devices such as semiconductor elements, liquid crystal display elements, and magnetic storage media as articles. The exposure apparatus 100 performs an exposure process that exposes a substrate through an original and transfers (forms) a pattern formed on the original onto the substrate.

In this embodiment, the exposure apparatus 100 is a scanning type exposure apparatus (scanner) that transfers the pattern of the original onto the substrate while scanning the original and the substrate synchronously with each other in the scanning direction (that is, in a step-and-scan method). It is. However, the exposure apparatus 100 may be an exposure apparatus (stepper) that fixes the original (that is, using a step-and-scan method) and transfers the pattern of the original onto the substrate.

As shown in FIG. 1, the exposure apparatus 100 includes an illumination optical system 1, an original stage 2, a projection optical system 4, a substrate stage 5, an alignment measurement system 7, a focus measurement system 8, and a control section 10. , has. Further, the exposure apparatus 100 includes an alignment drive section 70, a focus drive section 80, and a storage section 90.

In this embodiment, a coordinate system is defined with a direction parallel to the optical axis of the projection optical system 4 as a Z direction, and an arbitrary plane perpendicular to the Z direction as an XY plane. In the exposure apparatus 100, the direction in which the substrate 6 is driven (scanned) when performing scanning exposure is defined as the Y direction, and the non-scanning direction orthogonal to the scanning direction is defined as the X direction.

The illumination optical system 1 illuminates an original 3 held on an original stage 2, specifically, a predetermined illumination area on the original with light (exposure light) with a uniform illuminance distribution. As the exposure light, g-line or i-line from an ultra-high pressure mercury lamp, KrF excimer laser, ArF excimer laser, _F2 laser, etc. are used. Furthermore, in order to manufacture finer semiconductor elements, extreme ultraviolet (EUV) light with a wavelength of several nm to several hundred nm may be used as exposure light.

The original stage 2 holds an original 3 on which a pattern to be transferred to a substrate 6 is formed, and drives it in the X direction, the Y direction, and the rotational direction. The substrate stage 5 holds the substrate 6 and drives it in the X direction, Y direction, Z direction, rotation direction, and tilt direction. In this embodiment, the surface of the substrate stage 5 that holds the substrate 6 is defined as a holding surface 5a.

The projection optical system 4 includes a plane mirror 11, a concave mirror 12, and a convex mirror 13, and projects the pattern of the original 3 illuminated by the illumination optical system 1 onto the substrate 6 held on the substrate stage 5. The original 3 is placed on the object plane of the projection optical system 4, and the substrate 6 is placed on the image plane (imaging plane, focus plane) of the projection optical system 4. Light from the pattern on the original plate 3 is reflected by the plane mirror 11 , concave mirror 12 , convex mirror 13 , concave mirror 12 , and plane mirror 11 in this order, and forms an image on the substrate 6 . In this embodiment, the projection optical system 4 may be any one of a same magnification system, an enlargement system, and a reduction system.

The alignment measurement system 7 includes a microscope that detects marks used for alignment between the original 3 and the substrate 6, and the position between the alignment mark 3a of the original 3 and the alignment mark 6a of the substrate 6 in the XY plane. Measure.
In this embodiment, the alignment measurement system 7 measures, via the projection optical system 4, the relative position of the alignment mark 6a of the substrate 6 held on the substrate stage 5 with respect to the alignment mark 3a of the original 3 held on the original stage 2. (positional deviation) is measured (alignment measurement).

The alignment drive section 70 has a function of driving the alignment measurement system 7. The arrangement relationship of the alignment marks 3a provided on the original 3 differs depending on the pattern formed on the original 3. Therefore, the alignment drive section 70 is configured to be able to drive the alignment measurement system 7 in the X direction and the Y direction at least within the range of the irradiation area to which the exposure light of the projection optical system 4 is irradiated.

The focus measurement system 8 measures the position of the surface of the substrate 6 relative to the projection optical system 4 in the optical axis direction of the projection optical system 4, that is, the surface position (in the height direction (Z direction)) of the substrate 6 held on the substrate stage 5. (hereinafter referred to as the "surface position of the substrate 6"). The focus measurement system 8 includes a light projection system 8a and a detection system 8b, as shown in FIG. 2(a). The focus measurement system 8 projects light onto the surface of the substrate 6 from a light projection system 8a, and detects the light reflected by the surface of the substrate 6 (reflected light) with a detection system 8b. Measure the surface position. FIG. 2A is a diagram schematically showing a state in which the focus measurement system 8 measures the surface position of the substrate 6 held on the substrate stage 5.

The focus drive section 80 has a function of driving the focus measurement system 8. The focus drive unit 80 includes a guide rail 81, a ball screw 82, a coupling 83, and a motor 84, as shown in FIG. 2(b). FIG. 2(b) is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of a focus drive section 80 that drives the focus measurement system 8 in one axis direction, for example, in the X direction. A ball screw 82 functioning as a drive mechanism, a coupling 83 functioning as a joint, and a motor 84 are connected to the guide rail 81. The guide rail 81 is provided below the projection optical system 4 so as to face downward. By rotating the motor 84 and driving the ball screw 82 under the control of the control unit 10, the focus measurement system 8 can be driven in the X direction (the position of the focus measurement system 8 is changed in the X direction). be able to). Regarding the Y direction, by providing a configuration similar to the configuration shown in FIG. 2(b), it is possible to drive the focus measurement system 8 in two axial directions, for example, in the X direction and the Y direction. In this way, the focus drive unit 80 can drive the focus measurement system 8 in the direction (X direction and Y direction) along the holding surface 5a (XY plane) of the substrate stage 5. Further, the focus drive unit 80 is configured to be able to drive the focus measurement system 8 at least within a region on the substrate onto which the pattern of the original 3 is projected, depending on the size of the pattern of the original 3. There is.

The control unit 10 is configured of a computer (information processing device) including, for example, a CPU and a memory, and operates the exposure apparatus 100 by controlling each part of the exposure apparatus 100 in an integrated manner according to a program stored in a storage unit 90 or the like. let In this embodiment, the control unit 10 controls an exposure process in which the substrate 6 is exposed through the original 3. Note that in addition to the program for operating the exposure apparatus 100, the storage unit 90 can store various data regarding the exposure apparatus 100.

In the exposure apparatus 100, there may be a specific position on the surface of the substrate 6 where the focus measurement system 8 cannot measure the surface position (focus measurement). Note that, for example, a position of a step existing on the surface of the substrate 6 can be considered as a specific position where focus measurement cannot be performed. FIG. 2C is a diagram schematically showing a state in which the focus measurement system 8 cannot measure the surface position. Referring to FIG. 2C, there is a step 6b on the surface of the substrate 6, which is a specific position where focus measurement cannot be performed. When such a step 6b is measured by the focus measurement system 8, the reflected light emitted from the light projection system 8a and reflected by the substrate 6 is not detected by the detection system 8b (detection), as shown in FIG. 2(c). (outside the detection range of the system 8b), no measurement value can be obtained and focus measurement will fail. In other words, when focus measurement is performed on the step 6b on the surface of the substrate 6, focus measurement cannot be performed normally, and focus measurement becomes impossible (focus measurement NG).

Therefore, in this embodiment, even if there is a step 6b on the surface of the substrate 6, a technique for measuring the surface position (enabling focus measurement) with the focus measurement system 8, and furthermore, We provide technology for simultaneously performing alignment measurement and alignment measurement.

<First embodiment>
Exposure processing (exposure method) of the exposure apparatus 100 in the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 3A, 3B, and 4. Such exposure processing is performed by the control section 10 controlling each section of the exposure apparatus 100 in an integrated manner, as described above.

In S101, the original stage 2, substrate stage 5, alignment measurement system 7, and focus measurement system 8 are driven to measurement positions (for example, initial (default) measurement positions) registered in the exposure recipe for exposure processing. Note that, as described above, the alignment measurement system 7 is driven by the alignment drive section 70, and the focus measurement system 8 is driven by the focus drive section 80. FIG. 3A shows a state in which the original stage 2 (original 3 (alignment mark 3a)), substrate stage 5 (substrate 6 (alignment mark 6a)), alignment measurement system 7, and focus measurement system 8 are driven to initial measurement positions. It is a figure showing the positional relationship of. The initial measurement positions of the original stage 2, substrate stage 5, alignment measurement system 7, and focus measurement system 8 are set so that the focus measurement system 8 can perform focus measurement and the alignment measurement system 7 can perform alignment measurement at the same time. is set to Specifically, it is calculated from the arrangement of shot areas on the substrate 6 (shot layout), the arrangement relationship between the alignment marks 3a on the original 3 and the alignment marks 6a on the substrate 6, and is registered as an exposure recipe. Further, the exposure recipe is stored in the storage unit 90, for example.

In S102, focus measurement is performed. Specifically, as described above, the surface position of the substrate 6 (the surface position of the substrate 6 in the height direction) is measured by the focus measurement system 8.

In S103, it is determined whether the focus measurement performed in S102 was successfully performed. For example, in S102, it is determined whether the surface position of the substrate 6 has been measured based on a measurement value obtained by measuring the surface position of the substrate 6 with the focus measurement system 8. As shown in FIG. 3A, when (a part of) the focus measurement system 8 measures the step 6b and the focus measurement cannot be performed normally, the process moves to S104. On the other hand, if focus measurement has been successfully performed, the process moves to S105.

In S104, the position of the focus measurement system 8 that cannot normally perform focus measurement is changed. In other words, the position of the focus measurement system 8 is changed so that the measurement range of the focus measurement system 8 with respect to the substrate 6 held on the substrate stage 5 is changed. Specifically, the position of the focus measurement system 8 is changed by driving the focus measurement system 8 in at least one of the X direction and the Y direction via the focus drive unit 80.

S102, S103 and S104 are repeated, and the position of the focus measurement system 8 (measurement position ) change. FIG. 3B is a diagram showing the positional relationship among the original stage 2, the substrate stage 5, the alignment measurement system 7, and the focus measurement system 8 in a state in which it is determined that the focus measurement has been successfully performed. As shown in FIG. 3B, in this embodiment, the focus measurement system 8 is driven to avoid the step 6b existing on the surface of the substrate 6, that is, the measurement range of the focus measurement system 8 does not include the step 6b. The position of the focus measurement system 8 is changed as follows.

In S105, the measurement position (initial measurement position) of the focus measurement system 8 registered in the exposure recipe is updated to the current position (measurement position) of the focus measurement system 8. As a result, focus measurement can be performed normally (that is, focus measurement system 8 can measure the surface position of substrate 6), and the position of focus measurement system 8 (position after change) is changed to the new measurement It is registered as a position in the exposure recipe and stored in the storage unit 90.

In S106, alignment measurement is performed. Specifically, as described above, the alignment measurement system 7 measures the relative position (positional shift) of the alignment mark 6 a on the substrate 6 with respect to the alignment mark 3 a on the original 3 via the projection optical system 4 .

In S107, the substrate 6 is exposed to light to transfer the pattern of the original plate 3 onto the substrate 6. At this time, the exposure area of the substrate 6 is adjusted to the projection optical system 4 by driving the substrate stage 5 in the Z direction based on the measurement value (surface position of the substrate 6) obtained in the focus measurement performed in S102. Align to the image plane. Furthermore, the original 3 and the substrate 6 are aligned by driving the substrate stage 5 in the X direction and the Y direction based on the measured value (relative position) obtained in the alignment measurement performed in S107. .

As described above, according to the present embodiment, even if there is a step 6b on the surface of the substrate 6, the focus measurement system 8 is driven so that the measurement range of the focus measurement system 8 does not include the step 6b. This allows the focus measurement system 8 to measure the surface position of the substrate 6. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the measurement position of the focus measurement system 8 registered in the exposure recipe is updated to a position (measurement position) of the focus measurement system 8 where focus measurement can be performed normally. As a result, when exposing the next shot area of the substrate 6 or the next substrate 6, focus measurement (S102) and alignment measurement (S106) can be performed simultaneously without changing the position of the focus measurement system 8. It becomes possible to implement it. Therefore, in the exposure apparatus 100 of this embodiment, there is no need to drive the substrate stage to a position where focus measurement can be performed before alignment measurement, as in the prior art, and thus a decrease in throughput can be avoided.

<Second embodiment>
In the first embodiment, by driving the focus measurement system 8 and changing the position (measurement position) of the focus measurement system 8, a technique for enabling focus measurement, and focus measurement and alignment measurement are performed simultaneously. The technology for this was explained. In this embodiment, a technique for performing focus measurement and alignment measurement simultaneously by driving the original stage 2, substrate stage 5, alignment measurement system 7, and focus measurement system 8 to change their positions will be described.

Exposure processing (exposure method) of the exposure apparatus 100 in the second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 5A, 5B, and 6. Such exposure processing is performed by the control section 10 controlling each section of the exposure apparatus 100 in an integrated manner, as described above.

In S201, similarly to S101, the original stage 2, substrate stage 5, alignment measurement system 7, and focus measurement system 8 are set to measurement positions registered in the exposure recipe for exposure processing (for example, initial (default) measurement positions). Drive to.

In S202, focus measurement is performed similarly to S102.

In S203, similarly to S103, it is determined whether the focus measurement performed in S202 was successfully performed. If the focus measurement has not been performed normally, the process moves to S204. On the other hand, if focus measurement can be performed normally, the process moves to S205.

In S204, the position of the substrate stage 5 is changed by driving the substrate stage 5 in at least one of the X direction and the Y direction. In other words, the position of the substrate stage 5 is changed so that the measurement range of the focus measurement system 8 with respect to the substrate 6 held on the substrate stage 5 is changed.

S202, S203, and S204 are repeated until the position of the substrate stage 5 (measurement position) is determined in S203 that the focus measurement has been successfully performed (that is, the surface position of the substrate 6 has been measured). change. FIG. 5A shows the original stage 2 (original 3 (alignment mark 3a)), substrate stage 5 (substrate 6 (alignment mark 6a)), alignment measurement system 7, and focus measurement in a state in which it is determined that focus measurement has been successfully performed. 7 is a diagram showing the positional relationship of system 8. FIG. As shown in FIG. 5A, in this embodiment, the substrate stage 5 is driven so as to avoid the step 6b existing on the surface of the substrate 6 with respect to the measurement range of the focus measurement system 8. The position of the substrate stage 5 is changed so that the step 6b is not included in the measurement range. This allows the focus measurement system 8 to perform focus measurement. On the other hand, by driving the substrate stage 5, the alignment measurement system 7 becomes unable to detect the alignment mark 3a of the original 3 and the alignment mark 6a of the substrate 6 at the same time, as shown in FIG. 5A.

In S205, it is determined whether the position of the substrate stage 5 has been changed (or not after S204). If the position of the substrate stage 5 has been changed, the process moves to S206. On the other hand, if the position of the substrate stage 5 has not been changed, the process moves to S209.

In S206, the substrate stage 5 is driven to change the position of the substrate stage 5 to the position before changing the position of the substrate stage 5 in S204 (the position before the change), that is, the measurement position registered in the exposure recipe. return.

In S207, alignment measurement is performed. Specifically, as described above, the alignment measurement system 7 measures the relative position (positional deviation) of the alignment mark 6a of the substrate 6 with respect to the alignment mark 3a of the original 3 via the projection optical system 4, and performs the first measurement. Get the value. Note that here, each of the substrate stage 5, original stage 2, and alignment measurement system 7 is at the measurement position (position before change) registered in the exposure recipe in S201.

In S208, the substrate stage 5 is driven to change the position of the substrate stage 5 to the position after changing the position of the substrate stage 5 in S204 (post-change position).

In S209, the positions of the original stage 2 and the alignment measurement system 7 are changed. Specifically, the positions of the original stage 2 and alignment measurement system 7 are changed by driving the original stage 2 and alignment measurement system 7 by the same amount as the amount by which the substrate stage 5 was driven in S204 (driving amount). do. Note that, as described above, the alignment measurement system 7 is driven by the alignment drive section 70. FIG. 5B is a diagram showing the positional relationship of the original stage 2, the substrate stage 5, and the alignment measurement system 7 after their positions have been changed. By driving the original stage 2 and the alignment measurement system 7, it becomes possible for the alignment measurement system 7 to simultaneously detect the alignment mark 3a of the original 3 and the alignment mark 6a of the substrate 6.

In S210, the measurement positions (initial measurement positions) of the original stage 2, substrate stage 5, and focus measurement system 8 registered in the exposure recipe are changed to the current positions of the original stage 2, substrate stage 5, and focus measurement system 8 ( measurement position). As a result, the positions of the original stage 2, the substrate stage 5, and the alignment measurement system 7, which can perform focus measurement and alignment measurement at the same time (position data indicating the positional relationship after the change), are set as new measurement positions in the exposure recipe. and stored in the storage unit 90.

In S211, alignment measurement is performed. Specifically, as described above, the relative position (positional deviation) of the alignment mark 6a of the substrate 6 with respect to the alignment mark 3a of the original 3 is measured by the alignment measurement system 7 via the projection optical system 4, and the second measurement is performed. Get the value. Note that here, each of the substrate stage 5, original stage 2, and alignment measurement system 7 is at the position after changing the position in S204 (S208) or S209 (post-change position).

In S212, it is determined whether the position of the substrate stage 5 has been changed (or not after S204). If the position of the substrate stage 5 has been changed, the process moves to S213. On the other hand, if the position of the substrate stage 5 has not been changed, the process moves to S214.

In S213, the difference between the first measurement value obtained in the alignment measurement in S207 and the second measurement value obtained in the alignment measurement in S211 is determined as an offset, and this offset is stored in the storage unit 90. Note that if the offset is already stored in the storage unit 90, the already stored offset is updated to the offset determined in S213.

The reason why the difference between the first measurement value obtained in the alignment measurement in S207 and the second measurement value obtained in the alignment measurement in S211 is determined as an offset is because the second measurement value includes an error (measurement error) due to the image shift. This is because there is a possibility that the The image shift occurs when the measurement position in the projection optical system 4 changes by driving the alignment measurement system 7. In order to correct the measurement error included in such a second measurement value, it is necessary to obtain and store the shift amount of the measurement value as an offset.

In S214, the second measurement value obtained in the alignment measurement in S211 is corrected using the offset stored in the storage unit 90. Thereby, measurement errors due to image shift included in the second measurement value are reduced, and the relative position (positional deviation) of the alignment mark 6a of the substrate 6 with respect to the alignment mark 3a of the original 3 can be determined with high precision.

In S215, the substrate 6 is exposed to light to transfer the pattern of the original plate 3 onto the substrate 6. At this time, by driving the substrate stage 5 in the Z direction based on the measurement value (surface position of the substrate 6) obtained by the focus measurement performed in S202, the exposure area of the substrate 6 is adjusted to the focus of the projection optical system 4. Align to the image plane. Further, the original 3 and the substrate 6 are aligned by driving the substrate stage 5 in the X direction and the Y direction based on the second measurement value (relative position) corrected in S214.

In this embodiment, when the position of the substrate stage 5 is changed so that focus measurement can be performed, the original stage 2 and alignment measurement system 7 are arranged so that alignment measurement can be performed at the changed position of the substrate stage 5. Change the position of each. As a result, when exposing the next shot area of the substrate 6 or the next substrate 6, focus measurement (S202) and alignment measurement (S211) can be performed simultaneously without changing the position of the substrate stage 5. It becomes possible to do so. Therefore, in the exposure apparatus 100 of this embodiment, there is no need to drive the substrate stage to a position where focus measurement can be performed before alignment measurement, as in the prior art, and thus a decrease in throughput can be avoided.

Furthermore, in the present embodiment, position data indicating the positional relationship between the changed position of the substrate stage 5 and the changed positions of the original stage 2 and the alignment measurement system 7 is stored in the storage unit 90 ( S210). Therefore, focus measurement and alignment measurement can be performed simultaneously by simply changing the respective positions of substrate stage 5, original stage 2, and alignment measurement system 7 based on such position data.

The article manufacturing method according to the embodiment of the present invention is suitable for manufacturing articles such as flat panel displays, liquid crystal display elements, semiconductor elements, MEMS, etc., for example. This manufacturing method includes a step of exposing a substrate coated with a photosensitive agent using the exposure apparatus 100 described above, and a step of developing the exposed photosensitive agent. Further, using the developed photosensitive material pattern as a mask, an etching process, an ion implantation process, etc. are performed on the substrate to form a circuit pattern on the substrate. By repeating these steps of exposure, development, etching, etc., a circuit pattern consisting of a plurality of layers is formed on the substrate. In a post-process, the substrate on which the circuit pattern has been formed is subjected to dicing (processing), and chip mounting, bonding, and inspection steps are performed. Such manufacturing methods may also include other well-known steps (oxidation, deposition, vapor deposition, doping, planarization, resist stripping, etc.). The method for manufacturing an article according to the present embodiment is advantageous in at least one of the performance, quality, productivity, and production cost of the article compared to the conventional method.

The disclosure of this specification includes the following exposure apparatus, exposure method, and article manufacturing method.

(Item 1)
An exposure apparatus that projects a pattern of an original onto a substrate via a projection optical system and exposes the substrate,
an original stage that holds the original;
a substrate stage that holds the substrate;
an alignment measurement system that measures, via the projection optical system, the relative position of the mark provided on the substrate held on the substrate stage with respect to the mark provided on the original plate held on the original stage;
a focus measurement system that measures a surface position in a height direction of the substrate held on the substrate stage;
When the position of the substrate stage is changed so that the focus measurement system can measure the surface position, the alignment measurement system may measure the relative position at the changed position of the substrate stage. a control unit that changes the respective positions of the original stage and the alignment measurement system so that the original stage and the alignment measurement system can be moved;
An exposure apparatus characterized by having:

(Item 2)
further comprising a storage unit that stores position data indicating a positional relationship between the changed position of the substrate stage and the changed position of each of the original stage and the alignment measurement system,
The control unit controls the substrate stage based on the position data stored in the storage unit when the focus measurement system measures the surface position and the alignment measurement system measures the relative position. , changing the respective positions of the original stage and the alignment measurement system;
The exposure apparatus according to item 1, characterized in that:

(Item 3)
The control unit performs a process of determining the relative position,
In the above processing,
a first measurement value obtained by measuring the relative position with the alignment measurement system in a state where each of the substrate stage, the original stage, and the alignment measurement system is in the position before change, and the substrate stage and the original Determining a difference from a second measurement value obtained by measuring the relative position with the alignment measurement system in a state where each of the stage and the alignment measurement system is at the changed position,
determining the relative position by correcting the second measurement value using the difference;
The exposure apparatus according to item 1 or 2, characterized in that:

(Item 4)
The surface of the substrate includes a specific position where the surface position cannot be measured by the focus measurement system,
The control unit changes the position of the substrate stage so that the specific position is not included in the measurement range of the focus measurement system.
The exposure apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 3, characterized in that:

(Item 5)
5. The exposure apparatus according to item 4, wherein the specific position includes a position of a step existing on the surface of the substrate.

(Item 6)
The control unit includes:
Determining whether the surface position could be measured based on a measurement value obtained by measuring the surface position with the focus measurement system,
changing the position of the substrate stage until it is determined that the surface position can be measured;
The exposure apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 5, characterized in that:

(Item 7)
An exposure apparatus that projects a pattern of an original onto a substrate via a projection optical system and exposes the substrate,
a substrate stage that holds the substrate;
a focus measurement system that measures a surface position in a height direction of the substrate held on the substrate stage;
a drive unit that drives the focus measurement system in a direction along a holding surface of the substrate stage that holds the substrate;
An exposure apparatus characterized by having:

(Item 8)
8. The exposure apparatus according to item 7, wherein the drive unit drives the focus measurement system so that a measurement range of the focus measurement system with respect to the substrate held on the substrate stage is changed.

(Item 9)
The surface of the substrate includes a specific position where the surface position cannot be measured by the focus measurement system,
further comprising a control unit that controls driving of the focus measurement system by the drive unit so that the specific position is not included in the measurement range of the focus measurement system;
The exposure apparatus according to item 7 or 8, characterized in that:

(Item 10)
10. The exposure apparatus according to item 9, wherein the specific position includes a position of a step existing on the surface of the substrate.

(Item 11)
Determining whether the surface position could be measured based on a measurement value obtained by measuring the surface position with the focus measurement system, and when determining that the surface position could not be measured. , further comprising a control unit that controls driving of the focus measurement system by the drive unit so that a measurement range of the focus measurement system with respect to the substrate held on the substrate stage is changed. The exposure apparatus according to any one of items 7 to 10.

(Item 12)
an original stage that holds the original;
an alignment measurement system that measures, via the projection optical system, the relative position of the mark provided on the substrate held on the substrate stage with respect to the mark provided on the original plate held on the original stage;
The positional relationship between the original stage, the substrate stage, the alignment measurement system, and the focus measurement system is such that the alignment measurement system can measure the relative position, and the focus measurement system can measure the relative position. a control unit that controls driving of the focus measurement system by the drive unit so that the positional relationship is such that the position can be measured;
The exposure apparatus according to any one of items 7 to 11, further comprising:

(Item 13)
a projection optical system that projects the pattern of the original held on the original stage onto a substrate held on the substrate stage; It has an alignment measurement system that measures the relative position of a mark provided on the substrate held on the substrate stage, and a focus measurement system that measures the surface position of the substrate held on the substrate stage in the height direction. An exposure method of exposing the substrate to light using an exposure device, the method comprising:
When the position of the substrate stage is changed so that the focus measurement system can measure the surface position, the alignment measurement system may measure the relative position at the changed position of the substrate stage. changing the respective positions of the original stage and the alignment measurement system so that
An exposure method characterized by:

(Item 14)
a step of exposing the substrate using the exposure apparatus described in any one of items 1 to 12;
Developing the exposed substrate;
manufacturing an article from the developed substrate;
A method for manufacturing an article characterized by having the following.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the following claims are hereby appended to disclose the scope of the invention.

2: Original stage 3: Original 3a: Alignment mark 4: Projection optical system 5: Substrate stage 6: Substrate 6a: Alignment mark 7: Alignment measurement system 8: Focus measurement system 10: Control unit 70: Alignment drive unit 80: Focus drive Section 100: Exposure device

Claims (14)

An exposure apparatus that projects a pattern of an original onto a substrate via a projection optical system and exposes the substrate,
an original stage that holds the original;
a substrate stage that holds the substrate;
an alignment measurement system that measures, via the projection optical system, the relative position of the mark provided on the substrate held on the substrate stage with respect to the mark provided on the original plate held on the original stage;
a focus measurement system that measures a surface position in a height direction of the substrate held on the substrate stage;
When the position of the substrate stage is changed so that the focus measurement system can measure the surface position, the alignment measurement system may measure the relative position at the changed position of the substrate stage. a control unit that changes the respective positions of the original stage and the alignment measurement system so that the original stage and the alignment measurement system can be moved;
An exposure apparatus characterized by having: further comprising a storage unit that stores position data indicating a positional relationship between the changed position of the substrate stage and the changed position of each of the original stage and the alignment measurement system,
The control unit controls the substrate stage based on the position data stored in the storage unit when the focus measurement system measures the surface position and the alignment measurement system measures the relative position. , changing the respective positions of the original stage and the alignment measurement system;
The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that: The control unit performs a process of determining the relative position,
In the above processing,
a first measurement value obtained by measuring the relative position with the alignment measurement system in a state where each of the substrate stage, the original stage, and the alignment measurement system is in the position before change, and the substrate stage and the original Find a difference from a second measurement value obtained by measuring the relative position with the alignment measurement system in a state where the stage and the alignment measurement system are each in the changed position,
determining the relative position by correcting the second measurement value using the difference;
The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that: The surface of the substrate includes a specific position where the surface position cannot be measured by the focus measurement system,
The control unit changes the position of the substrate stage so that the specific position is not included in the measurement range of the focus measurement system.
The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that: 5. The exposure apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the specific position includes a position of a step existing on the surface of the substrate. The control unit includes:
Determining whether the surface position could be measured based on a measurement value obtained by measuring the surface position with the focus measurement system,
changing the position of the substrate stage until it is determined that the surface position can be measured;
The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that: An exposure apparatus that projects a pattern of an original onto a substrate via a projection optical system and exposes the substrate,
a substrate stage that holds the substrate;
a focus measurement system that measures a surface position in a height direction of the substrate held on the substrate stage;
a drive unit that drives the focus measurement system in a direction along a holding surface of the substrate stage that holds the substrate;
An exposure apparatus characterized by having: The exposure apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the drive unit drives the focus measurement system so that a measurement range of the focus measurement system with respect to the substrate held on the substrate stage is changed. . The surface of the substrate includes a specific position where the surface position cannot be measured by the focus measurement system,
further comprising a control unit that controls driving of the focus measurement system by the drive unit so that the specific position is not included in the measurement range of the focus measurement system;
The exposure apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that: 10. The exposure apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the specific position includes a position of a step existing on the surface of the substrate. Determining whether the surface position could be measured based on a measurement value obtained by measuring the surface position with the focus measurement system, and when determining that the surface position could not be measured. , further comprising a control unit that controls driving of the focus measurement system by the drive unit so that a measurement range of the focus measurement system with respect to the substrate held on the substrate stage is changed. Item 7. Exposure apparatus according to item 7. an original stage that holds the original;
an alignment measurement system that measures, via the projection optical system, the relative position of the mark provided on the substrate held on the substrate stage with respect to the mark provided on the original plate held on the original stage;
The positional relationship between the original stage, the substrate stage, the alignment measurement system, and the focus measurement system is such that the alignment measurement system can measure the relative position, and the focus measurement system can measure the relative position. a control unit that controls driving of the focus measurement system by the drive unit so that the positional relationship is such that the position can be measured;
8. The exposure apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising: a projection optical system that projects the pattern of the original held on the original stage onto a substrate held on the substrate stage; It has an alignment measurement system that measures the relative position of a mark provided on the substrate held on the substrate stage, and a focus measurement system that measures the surface position of the substrate held on the substrate stage in the height direction. An exposure method of exposing the substrate to light using an exposure device, the method comprising:
When the position of the substrate stage is changed so that the focus measurement system can measure the surface position, the alignment measurement system may measure the relative position at the changed position of the substrate stage. changing the respective positions of the original stage and the alignment measurement system so that
An exposure method characterized by: A step of exposing the substrate using the exposure apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 12;
Developing the exposed substrate;
manufacturing an article from the developed substrate;
A method for manufacturing an article characterized by having the following.

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