JP4442904B2 - Exposure apparatus and device manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to an exposure apparatus and a device manufacturing method.

  In a manufacturing process of a semiconductor device composed of ultrafine patterns such as LSI or VLSI, a reduction type projection exposure apparatus is used that projects a pattern formed on a mask by reducing projection onto a substrate coated with a photosensitive agent. ing. As the integration density of semiconductor devices has increased, further miniaturization of patterns has been demanded, and at the same time as the development of resist processes, measures for miniaturization of exposure apparatuses have been made.

  As means for improving the resolving power of the exposure apparatus, there are a method of shortening the exposure wavelength and a method of increasing the numerical aperture of the projection optical system. In the latter case, a numerical aperture equivalent to the refractive index of the liquid (1 or more) is realized by interposing a liquid layer between the final surface of the projection optical system and the substrate (for example, wafer) to be exposed. An immersion type exposure apparatus has been proposed. With respect to a conventional immersion type exposure apparatus, for example, Patent Document 1 discloses an immersion exposure apparatus provided with a wafer transfer means and a sodium hydroxide. Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2003-228561 discloses the contents of placing a wafer in an immersion cassette and transporting the cassette.

  FIG. 1 is a view showing a schematic structure of a conventional immersion type exposure apparatus. In the figure, reference numeral 101 denotes an illumination system unit, and an illumination light source that emits exposure light is provided inside the illumination system unit. Reference numeral 102 denotes a reticle stage on which a reticle, which is an original exposure pattern, is mounted. Reference numeral 103 denotes a reduction projection lens, which reduces and projects an original exposure pattern onto a substrate (wafer) at a predetermined reduction exposure magnification ratio. An exposure apparatus body 104 supports the reticle stage 102, the reduction projection lens 103, and the like.

  An exposure stage 105 is a stage for carrying and positioning the wafer chuck 105C holding the wafer in the XY directions on the exposure stage base 105B.

  An alignment scope (microscope) 106 measures the alignment mark on the wafer and the alignment reference mark on the wafer chuck 105C, and measures the alignment of the wafer held on the wafer chuck 105C. Reference numeral 107 denotes a focus scope, which performs focus measurement in the wafer surface shape and optical axis direction. After the alignment measurement and focus measurement are completed, the above-described exposure stage 105 moves to a predetermined liquid immersion position on the exposure stage base 105B to position the wafer chuck 105C.

  A wafer transfer robot 113 supplies the wafer to the wafer chuck 105C on the wafer stage 105 (wafer load), and collects the wafer after the exposure processing from the wafer chuck 105C (wafer unload).

  114 is an immersion liquid tank. The immersion liquid is stored in this tank. The immersion liquid drop recovery unit 115 drops the immersion liquid onto the wafer chuck 105C positioned by the exposure stage 105 before the exposure process. After completion of the exposure process, the immersion liquid drop recovery unit 115 recovers the immersion liquid from the wafer chuck 105C.

  FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining the processing flow of the exposure apparatus in FIG. First, after the wafer is loaded into the exposure area for exposure (S21), alignment measurement and focus measurement are performed (S22). After the measurement in step S22 is completed, the exposure stage 105 is moved to move the exposure stage on the stage. The exposure stage 105 is positioned at an immersion position for the wafer chuck 105C to receive a predetermined immersion liquid drop, and the immersion liquid drop recovery unit 115 drops the immersion liquid upon completion of the positioning (S23).

  Next, when the dropping of the immersion liquid is completed, the exposure stage 105 moves the stage 105 to the exposure position, and the exposure apparatus starts an exposure process in accordance with the completion of the movement of the exposure stage (S24).

  When the exposure process is completed, the exposure stage 105 moves to a position for discharging the wafer in order to discharge (unload) the wafer that has been exposed, and the wafer transfer robot 113 follows the completion of the movement of the exposure stage 105. The wafer held on the wafer chuck 105C is held, and the wafer is discharged (unloaded) from the exposure area (S25). When unloading is completed (S25), the immersion liquid in the wafer chuck 105C is recovered by the immersion liquid drop recovery unit 115, and the wafer is dried (S26).

As described above, in the configuration using the conventional immersion exposure apparatus, a series of operations related to the processing from step S21 to step S26 is a series of processing. As a result, as shown in FIG. The time required for processing the wafer is the sum of the processing times in steps S21 to S25.
JP-A-6-124873 JP-A-6-168866

  However, in the conventional exposure apparatus by immersion, wafer loading, alignment measurement / focus measurement, movement to immersion position and immersion liquid drop, exposure processing, wafer unloading, immersion liquid recovery and drying operations Since a series of processes are proceeded serially, there arises a problem that the throughput (productivity) of the exposure apparatus is lower than that of a normal exposure apparatus that does not use the liquid immersion method.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and an object thereof is to improve the productivity of an exposure apparatus to which a liquid immersion method is applied.

  In order to achieve the above object, an exposure apparatus according to the present invention mainly has the following configuration.

That is, an exposure apparatus that has a projection optical system, exposes the substrate through the original and the projection optical system by interposing a liquid between the projection optical system and the substrate,
A measuring area which alignment measurement and focus measurement to the base plate is performed, a first switch Yanba comprising an exposure area where an exposure of board is carried out,
Includes a drying area in which the drying of the board is carried out, a second switch Yanba that is isolated from the first switch Yanba,
First transport means for transporting the substrate to the measurement area;
A second conveying means for conveying the substrate to the exposure area from the measurement area, a third conveying means for conveying the substrate to the second switch Yanba before Symbol first switch Yanba,
Transporting an unprocessed substrate to the measurement area, transporting the measured substrate from the measurement area to the exposure area, transporting the exposed substrate from the exposure area to the drying area, and Control means for performing synchronized control of the first to third transport means so that
It is characterized by having.

Alternatively, the exposure has a projection optical system and exposes the substrate through the original and the projection optical system by supplying the liquid to the substrate chuck and interposing the liquid between the projection optical system and the substrate. The device
A measuring area which alignment measurement and focus measurement to the base plate is performed, a first switch Yanba comprising an exposure area where an exposure of board is carried out,
Includes a dry area Drying of board is carried out, a second switch Yanba that is isolated from the first switch Yanba,
A first transfer means for transferring a substrate chuck holding a substrate to the measurement area;
A second transfer means for transferring a substrate chuck holding a substrate from the measurement area to the exposure area;
A third conveying means for conveying the second switch Yanba the board chuck holding the board from the first switch Yanba,
Transfer of the substrate chuck holding an unprocessed substrate to the measurement area, transfer of the substrate chuck holding the measured substrate from the measurement area to the exposure area, and holding the exposed substrate Control means for performing synchronized control of the first to third transport means so that the transport of the substrate chuck from the exposure area to the drying area is performed in parallel;
It is characterized by having.

  As an effect of the present invention, the productivity of an exposure apparatus using a liquid immersion method can be improved.

  The exposure apparatus of the present invention is useful for, for example, any exposure method and exposure apparatus to which an immersion method is used in which ultraviolet light is used as exposure light and a liquid is interposed between a reduction projection lens and a substrate (for example, a wafer). . Such exposure apparatuses include, for example, an exposure apparatus that projects and transfers an original pattern onto a substrate while the substrate is stationary, and an exposure that scans and exposes the original pattern onto the substrate with slit light while synchronously scanning the substrate and the original plate. A device may be included.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be exemplarily described. Here, FIG. 4A is a diagram schematically showing a configuration of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4B is a diagram illustrating a substrate (for example, wafer) loading, alignment measurement, under an immersion droplet, and from an alignment measurement area. FIG. 4C is a diagram showing a configuration of a transfer robot and a stage that unloads a wafer that has been transferred to the exposure area, exposed, and exposed, and FIG. 4C is a control block diagram for controlling the mechanism.

<Overall structure of exposure apparatus>
4A, the exposure apparatus is provided with an exposure area for performing an exposure process, and an alignment measurement area for performing alignment measurement, immersion liquid dropping, and the like. The exposure stage 5 and the alignment stage 6 that mount a wafer to be processed and position it at a predetermined position are driven in each area, and the processes in each area can be executed in parallel.

  Focus measurement and alignment measurement in the alignment measurement area are performed as a process in the atmosphere with no immersion liquid, and immersion liquid is dropped during exposure of the wafer chuck from the alignment measurement area to the exposure area. A wafer chuck containing immersion liquid is transported to the area. In the exposure area, an exposure process is performed in which an immersion liquid is interposed between the wafer placed on the wafer chuck and the projection optical system. By performing the processing in the alignment measurement area and the processing in the exposure area in parallel, it is possible to realize immersion-type exposure with high throughput.

Hereinafter, the configuration of an exposure apparatus using a liquid immersion method will be described with reference to the drawings. An illumination system unit 1 is provided with an exposure light source that emits exposure light. In this illumination system unit, the light emitted from the exposure light source is converted into the original (hereinafter referred to as `` reticle '').
That's it. ) The exposure light is masked so as not to illuminate other than the above exposure pattern area, and the exposure light is shaped, and the reticle is irradiated with the shaped exposure light. The illumination control unit 401 (FIG. 4C) controls the exposure light source and controls exposure light exposure at a predetermined timing.

  Reference numeral 2 denotes a reticle stage on which a reticle which is an original of an exposure pattern is mounted. Reference numeral 3 denotes a reduction projection lens, which reduces and projects an original exposure pattern onto a substrate (for example, a wafer) at a predetermined reduction exposure magnification ratio. An exposure apparatus main body 4 supports the reticle stage 2, the reduction projection lens 3, and the like.

<Stage mechanism and control>
An exposure stage 5 positions the wafer at a predetermined exposure position in the exposure area. Reference numeral 6 denotes an alignment stage which is positioned at a predetermined measurement position in order to measure the position of the wafer held by the wafer chuck 6C in the alignment measurement area. The two-dimensional positions of the exposure stage 5 and the alignment stage 6 in the XY plane are the X bar mirror (18, 16, FIG. 4B), the Y bar mirror (19, 17, FIG. 4B), and laser interference (not shown), respectively. It is measured in real time by the meter. Based on this measurement value, the drive control unit 402 (FIG. 4C) performs positioning control of the exposure stage 5 and the alignment stage 6. Similarly, the position measurement is performed for the reticle stage 2, and based on the result, the drive control unit 402 positions the reticle stage 2 and controls the reticle stage 2 and the exposure stage 5.

  The drive control unit 402 (FIG. 4C) not only controls the drive of the single stage, but can also perform drive control synchronized between the stages, and further communicate with the transfer control unit 403 to convey the chuck. Control for realizing driving of the stage synchronized with the robot (11, 12, 13) is performed.

  For example, when loading a wafer held by a wafer chuck onto an alignment measurement area, the chuck transfer robot 11 and the alignment stage 6 are synchronized, and the alignment stage 6 is positioned at a predetermined loading position to newly In order to receive the loaded wafer chuck 6 </ b> C from the chuck transport robot 11, the drive control unit 402 controls the positioning of the alignment stage 6. Further, the transfer control unit 403 controls the chuck transfer robot 11 in order to place the wafer chuck 6 </ b> C on the alignment stage 6 whose position is controlled.

  When the wafer chuck 6C is transferred from the alignment measurement area to the exposure area, the drive control unit 402 communicates with the transfer control unit 403 to synchronize with the movement of the chuck transfer robot 12, and the alignment stage 6 and the exposure stage 5 Execute positioning control. The alignment stage 6 is positioned at a predetermined position, the wafer chuck is transferred to the chuck transfer robot 12, and the chuck transfer robot 12 transfers the wafer chuck and places the wafer chuck on the exposure stage 5 in the exposure area. .

  When the wafer chuck is transferred from the alignment measurement area to the exposure area, the transfer control unit 403 that controls the chuck transfer robot 12 and the immersion control unit 404 that controls the dropping of the immersion liquid communicate with each other, and The control units (403, 404) execute control to synchronize the movement of the chuck transport robot and the operation for dropping and injecting the immersion liquid.

<Processing of alignment measurement area>
In the alignment measurement area, the alignment of the wafer 20 held on the alignment stage 6 positioned at a predetermined measurement position is performed using the alignment scope 7 (for example, a microscope) using a reference mark 14 provided on the wafer chuck 6C. ). A focus scope 8 measures the surface shape of the wafer 20 held on the wafer chuck 6C and the depth of focus in the optical axis direction (Z direction). The measurement control unit 407 controls measurement processing in the alignment measurement area, and these measurement results are provided to the overall control unit 405 and stored in the memory 408.

  The exposure stage 5 and the alignment stage 6 incorporate a drive device for adjusting the position in the in-plane direction (XY direction) and the angle in the vertical direction (Z direction) of the wafer 20, and the drive control unit 402 is a memory. The drive control unit 402 that controls the exposure stage 5 in the exposure rear refers to the measurement result stored in the memory, and the position in the plane (XY plane) of the exposure stage 5 and the angle in the height direction (Z direction). Can be adjusted so that the exposure area of the wafer 20 always coincides with the focal plane of the exposure light with high accuracy.

<Mechanism and control for immersion liquid>
Reference numeral 9 denotes an immersion liquid tank, in which the immersion liquid is stored. This tank includes a pressure feeding device 410 for sending out the immersion liquid, a flow rate control device 411 for controlling the supply flow rate of the liquid, and a temperature control device 412 for controlling the temperature of the immersion liquid to be stored. It is controlled by the control unit 404 (FIG. 4C). As the liquid for immersion, a liquid that absorbs less exposure light is preferable in order to ensure a constant irradiation amount on the wafer that is the object to be exposed, and further, no bubbles are present in the liquid due to the dripping of the immersion liquid. As described above, those that have been previously deaerated are more preferable. In addition, it is preferable that after the exposure process is finished, the quick-drying property is excellent so that the drying can be completed in a short time.

  In FIG. 4A, reference numeral 10 denotes an immersion liquid drop unit, which can supply the immersion liquid from the immersion liquid tank 9 to the wafer chuck through the transfer pipe 30. Under the control of the immersion control unit 404, the dripping start and the dropping flow rate of the immersion liquid in the immersion liquid tank 9 are controlled by the pressure feeding device 410 and the flow rate control device 411. The liquid immersion control unit 404 communicates with the transfer control unit 403 to control the start of dropping and the dropping flow rate in synchronization with the transfer operation by the chuck transfer robot 12.

  The transfer control unit 403 generates a trajectory of the chuck transfer robot 12 immediately below the immersion liquid drop unit 10 and performs positioning control for filling the wafer chuck with the immersion liquid dropped from the immersion liquid drop unit 10. Do. Further, the transfer control unit 403 receives the wafer chuck after completion of all predetermined exposure processes in the exposure area from the exposure stage 5 and transfers the wafer chuck to the immersion liquid recovery drying chamber 301 (see FIG. 4E). The chuck transfer robot 13 is controlled.

  At this time, the drive control unit 402 that controls the exposure stage 5 and the transfer control unit 403 that controls the chuck transfer robot 13 communicate with each other, and the positioning of the stage 5 and the drive of the transfer robot 13 are synchronized. To be able to

<Wafer chuck>
FIG. 4D is a diagram schematically showing a cross-sectional shape of the wafer chuck 6C (5C), which has a concave shape with respect to the XZ cross-section. The wafer chuck 6 </ b> C (5 </ b> C) holds the wafer to be exposed by immersing the wafer 20 with the immersion liquid 409 while the wafer 20 is held on the substrate holding member 408. Can do.

<Transfer and transfer of wafer chuck>
Next, a chuck transfer robot for transferring a wafer in the alignment measurement area and the exposure area will be described. 4B, reference numeral 11 denotes a chuck transfer robot that supplies a wafer chuck 6C on which a wafer 20 is placed to an alignment stage 6 in an alignment measurement area (see FIG. 4A), and 12 denotes an alignment measurement area and an exposure area (see FIG. 4A). The wafer chuck 6C, which has been subjected to the alignment measurement, is discharged from the alignment measurement area, and the wafer chuck filled with the immersion liquid is supplied to the exposure stage 5 in the exposure area. Can do. Here, the wafer chuck 5 </ b> C in FIG. 4B is a wafer chuck supplied by the chuck transfer robot 12.

  In the transfer from the alignment measurement area to the exposure area, the chuck transfer robot 12 positions the wafer chuck 6C immediately below the liquid immersion droplet lowering unit 10 and the liquid immersion control unit 404 follows the completion of the positioning. Start dripping. When the dropping injection of the immersion liquid is completed, the transfer control unit 403 drives the chuck transfer robot 12 again to supply the wafer chuck filled with the immersion liquid to the exposure stage 5.

  Reference numeral 13 denotes a chuck transport robot that transports the wafer chuck 5C holding the wafer after the exposure processing from the exposure area to the immersion liquid recovery drying chamber 301. The chuck transport robots (11, 12, 13) are configured by link mechanisms (44a, 45a, 44b, 45b, 44c, 45c), and by controlling the turning of each link, the chuck gripping mechanisms (41, 42). 43) can be moved in the translational direction. The chuck transport robot (11, 12, 13) is provided with a vertical drive mechanism (not shown), and the chuck gripping mechanism (41, 42, 43) is raised and lowered in the Z direction to move the stage (5, 6). Positioning for gripping the upper wafer chuck (5C, 6C) can be performed.

<Exposure processing>
When a wafer chuck 6C (hereinafter referred to as “wafer chuck 5C” in the exposure area) is set on the exposure stage 5 in the exposure area, an illuminance sensor 15 provided on the wafer chuck 5C applies 15 before exposure. The illuminance of the exposure light is calibrated and the exposure light corrected by the calibration is irradiated (1, 401). While the exposure light illuminates the reticle (original), the reticle stage (original stage) 2 holding the reticle and the exposure stage 5 holding the wafer (substrate) 20 operate in synchronism, and through this synchronization The entire exposure pattern on the reticle is imaged on the wafer 20, and the resist applied to the surface of the wafer 20 is exposed.

  The exposure control unit 406 (FIG. 4C) controls the exposure process according to the set exposure conditions, for example, conditions such as the wafer size and exposure time (exposure amount of exposure light).

  The exposure stage 5 after the exposure process is moved to a predetermined position on the exposure stage base 5B under the control of the drive control unit 402. After the positioning of the exposure stage 5 is completed, the chuck transport robot 13 holds the wafer chuck 5C. Then, the wafer chuck 5C is discharged from the exposure area, and the wafer chuck 5C is transferred to the immersion liquid recovery / drying chamber 301 (FIG. 4E).

  The above is a description paying attention to each mechanism constituting the exposure apparatus. Next, an operation flow in the alignment measurement area and the exposure area will be described with reference to FIGS.

<Operation sequence>
FIGS. 5A to 5G show the chuck transfer robot (11, 12, 13) in the alignment measurement area and the exposure area shown in FIG. 4A, the alignment stage base 6B, the alignment stage 6, and the exposure stage in the XY plane. It is a figure which shows the relationship of operation | movement of the base 5B, the exposure stage 5, and the immersion liquid dropping unit 10.

  First, FIG. 5A shows a state where the wafer chuck 6C is set on the alignment stage 6 by the chuck transport robot 11 and the wafer chuck 5C is set on the exposure stage 5 by the chuck transport robot 12, and each stage is at the home position. Thus, movement can be started in parallel for alignment measurement and exposure processing. During alignment measurement in one area, the exposure process can be performed in the other exposure area, so that the processing time can be shortened by the amount that both processes can be performed in parallel.

  In FIG. 5B, in order to perform alignment measurement and focus measurement on the wafer 20-1 transferred to the alignment stage 6, the drive control unit 402 controls the alignment stage 6 to align it at a predetermined measurement position. The stage 6 is positioned, and alignment measurement and focus measurement are performed by the alignment scope 7 and the focus scope 8. If there is immersion liquid during alignment measurement and focus measurement, the difference in refractive index between the resist and the immersion liquid and the difference in reflectance between the immersion liquid surface and the resist surface are small, making focus measurement detection difficult. Therefore, in the alignment measurement region, alignment measurement and focus measurement are performed without dripping the immersion liquid.

  On the other hand, in the exposure area, the alignment measurement is completed and the wafer chuck 5C onto which the immersion liquid has been dropped is set on the exposure stage 5, and the stage is sequentially moved to a predetermined exposure position to expose an exposure pattern on the reticle. The entire image is formed on the wafer, and an exposure process is performed in which the resist applied on the surface of the wafer is exposed. The alignment measurement and the exposure process in FIG. 5B are processes that can be executed in parallel, and each control unit (401 to 404) and the overall control unit 405 perform the parallel process. The movable timing of the chuck transfer robot (11, 12, 13), alignment stage 6, exposure stage 5, and immersion liquid drop unit 10 is controlled, and the wafers to be processed in each area do not stay in each area. Controls each mechanism (5, 6, 10, 11, 12, 13, etc.) so as not to delay the processing in the next process.

  Next, FIG. 5C shows a state in which the alignment measurement and the exposure processing are completed, and the drive control unit 402 collects the processed wafer chucks (6C, 5C) by the chuck transfer robots 12, 13, respectively. Then, the alignment stage 6 and the exposure stage 5 are moved to predetermined positions.

  FIG. 5D shows a state where the chuck transport robots 12 and 13 hold the wafer chucks 6C and 5C that have been subjected to the measurement process and the exposure process in the respective areas. From this state, the chuck transfer robot 12 transfers the wafer chuck 6C to a position directly below the immersion liquid drop unit 10, and the chuck transfer robot 13 transfers the wafer chuck 5C from the exposure area of the exposure apparatus to the immersion liquid recovery and drying area. To the chamber 301.

  At this time, the chuck transfer robot 11 holds the wafer chuck 6e on which the new wafer 20-3 is placed. The conveyance control unit 403 communicates with other control units (401, 402, 404, 405), and performs other drive mechanisms (5, 6), an immersion liquid drop unit (10), an exposure processing unit (1). 3, 401), loading and unloading of the wafers (20-1, 20-2, 20-3) can be performed.

<Drip treatment of immersion liquid>
Here, the immersion liquid droplets performed on the wafer chuck 6C in the state shown in FIG. 5E will be described with reference to FIG.

  6A shows a state in which the chuck transfer robot 12 grips the wafer chuck 6C in the alignment measurement region, and FIG. 6B shows the wafer chuck 6C that has moved directly below the immersion liquid dropping unit 10. Shows the state in which the immersion liquid is dripped. The transfer control unit 403 and the liquid immersion control unit 404 that control the positioning of the chuck transfer robot 12 can communicate with each other and execute synchronized control. Based on the completion of positioning of the chuck transfer robot 12, the immersion liquid is pumped (410, 411) under a predetermined flow rate control (410, 411), and the immersion liquid is transferred from the immersion liquid drop unit 10 via the transfer pipe 30 to the wafer chuck. It is dripped at 6C. The upper surface of the wafer 20-1 is filled with an immersion liquid having a refractive index of 1 or more with a certain depth.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 6C, the wafer chuck 6C into which the immersion liquid has been injected is transferred into the exposure area by the chuck transfer robot 12 and set on the exposure stage 5.

  The height of the wafer chuck 6C (corresponding to 5C in FIG. 4A) set on the exposure stage 5 is controlled by the positioning of the exposure stage 5, and reduced projection as shown in FIG. 6 (d). The space between the final surface of the lens 3 and the wafer 20-1 to be exposed on the wafer chuck 6C (5C) is filled with the immersion liquid. When it is assumed that the maximum incident angle of the light beam that forms an image on the wafer is the same by the immersion method and the non-immersion method, even if the same wavelength light source is used, the resolution of the exposure method by immersion is The refractive index (n> 1) of the immersion liquid is improved by a factor compared to the conventional method that does not depend on immersion. This is equivalent to setting the numerical aperture (NA) of the conventional projection optical system to the refractive index n. According to the immersion method exposure, a resolution of NA> 1 or more, which was impossible with the conventional method, is achieved. It becomes possible to obtain.

  Returning to FIG. 5F, the wafer chuck 5 </ b> C that has been exposed is transferred from the exposure stage 5 to the immersion liquid recovery drying chamber 301 by the chuck transfer robot 13. Further, the wafer chuck 6C onto which the immersion liquid has been dropped is set on the exposure stage 5 by the chuck transport robot 12 for the next wafer exposure. Further, the wafer chuck 6 e on which the new wafer 20-3 is placed is set on the alignment stage 6 for the next alignment measurement by the chuck transfer robot 11.

  In FIG. 5G, when the wafer chuck 6C onto which the immersion liquid has been dropped is set on the exposure stage 5, the drive control unit 402 controls the exposure stage 5 for exposure processing in the exposure area. The movement and positioning of the exposure stage 5 are controlled. On the other hand, when the wafer chuck 6e is newly set on the alignment stage 6, the drive control unit 402 controls the alignment stage 6 to control the movement and positioning of the alignment stage 6 for measurement processing in the alignment measurement area. .

  The above is a flow of processing when alignment measurement and exposure processing are performed in parallel. In order to compare a series of operations of these processing with those in the conventional example (FIGS. 2 and 3), a flowchart and one wafer A timing chart focusing on the process is shown in FIGS. 7 and 8. FIG.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an operation flow for performing exposure by immersion according to the present embodiment. FIG. 8 shows a distribution of processing time required for each step in the flowchart of FIG. It is a figure shown as a timing chart which paid its attention to a process.

  According to the exposure apparatus of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the process related to alignment measurement / focus measurement (S703) and the process related to exposure (S704) are divided into two areas and processed in parallel. Thus, the time required for processing can be shortened. In order to perform these two processes in parallel, the wafer to be processed and the transfer of the wafer chuck must be synchronized between the processes (S710, S711, S712, and S713). Corresponding transport mechanisms and their controls are essential. In the case of this embodiment, the exposure stage 5, the alignment stage 6, the chuck transport robot (11, 12, 13), the immersion liquid dropping unit 10, and the control unit (402, 403, 404) for synchronizing their operations. Thus, the supplied wafer (S701) is held on the wafer chuck (6C) (S702), alignment measurement / focus measurement is performed (S703), the immersion liquid is dropped (S704), and the exposure process (S705) is performed. Then, the wafer chuck 5C holding the wafer 20 subjected to the exposure process is transferred to the immersion liquid recovery / drying chamber 301 to recover the immersion liquid (S706), and after drying (S707), the wafer and the like are recovered (S708). , S709).

  In the timing chart of FIG. 8, the process of supplying an unprocessed (N + 1) th wafer to the alignment measurement area (S701, S702: see FIG. 7 for step numbers), and the Nth wafer after the measurement process. Is transferred from the alignment measurement area to the exposure area (S711, S704, S712), and the N-1th wafer subjected to the exposure process is transferred from the exposure area to the immersion liquid recovery drying chamber 301 (S713). And are processed in parallel by synchronous transport control.

  By synchronizing the time required for conveyance, it is possible to prevent the throughput from being delayed due to the waiting state for the next process.

  In the timing chart of FIG. 8, it is necessary to complete the measurement process of the (N + 1) th wafer within the time for exposing the Nth wafer. This is to prevent the throughput of the exposure process from being reduced due to the processing delay in the measurement process as a constraint.

  Therefore, the overall control unit 405 of the apparatus generates a plan for overall control of the operation of each control unit (401 to 404, 406, 407) according to the flowchart shown in FIG. 9A and satisfies this plan. As described above, each control unit executes specific control. For example, in step S901, when exposure conditions such as the wafer size and exposure time (exposure light irradiation amount) are set, the overall control unit 405 displays each control unit (401 to 404, 406, 407) shown in FIG. 4C. ) Is generated (for example, process A is processed at time T1, process B is processed at time T2, etc.) (S902), and each control unit (401 to 404, 406, 407) is received in response to this. Is a condition for executing specific control in accordance with the operation plan generated in step S902 (for example, for accelerating and decelerating the stage and positioning the stage in order to process process A at time T1). Specific setting conditions).

  9A, as shown in FIG. 9B, the information processing apparatus 905 and the overall control unit 405 communicate with each other via the network 900, and the operation plan of the exposure apparatus and the specific operation of each control unit. A pattern can also be received and set as data. Further, in a production line composed of a plurality of exposure apparatuses (901 to 904), an operation plan of each exposure apparatus and a specific operation pattern of each control unit in each exposure apparatus are transmitted as data from the information processing apparatus 905, and each exposure is performed. It may be set in the apparatus.

  As described above, according to the exposure apparatus using the immersion liquid according to the present embodiment, alignment measurement and exposure processing can be performed in parallel, and this configuration improves sleep of the exposure apparatus. It becomes possible.

  In the exposure apparatus according to the present embodiment, the immersion liquid dropping unit 10, the pressure feeding device 410, the flow rate control device 411, and the temperature control device 412 are arranged in an atmospheric environment other than the exposure area, so Maintenance of liquid-related equipment can be easily performed.

<Modification 1>
FIG. 10 shows a first modification of the configuration in which the wafer 20 to be exposed is immersed in an immersion liquid. In the configuration shown in the embodiment (FIG. 4A: description of components having the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 4A is omitted), when the wafer chuck 6C is transferred from the alignment measurement area to the exposure area, The configuration in which the immersion liquid is dropped onto the wafer chuck from the submerged droplet unit 10 and the wafer is immersed in the immersion liquid has been shown. For example, the moving unit mechanism of the exposure stage 5 is sealed for waterproofing, and is exposed in the exposure area. An immersion liquid tank 21 for immersing the wafer chuck may be provided, and the wafer chuck may be immersed in the immersion liquid in a state where the wafer chuck is immersed in the immersion liquid in the immersion liquid tank 21. . At this time, the immersion droplet lower unit 10 is controlled by the immersion control unit 404 so as to replenish the immersion liquid tank 21. In the first modification, by preparing the immersion liquid in the exposure area in advance, it is not necessary to drop the immersion liquid for each wafer, and the time required for dropping the immersion liquid is shortened compared to the embodiment. It becomes possible to do.

<Modification 2>
FIG. 11 shows a second modification of the configuration in which the wafer 20 to be exposed is immersed in the immersion liquid. An immersion liquid supply pump 27 for supplying the immersion liquid to the wafer is connected to the immersion liquid tank 9, and is set in the exposure area from the immersion liquid supply nozzle 22 via the immersion liquid supply pipe 25. An immersion liquid may be supplied onto the wafer that has been formed to form a liquid film on the wafer surface. In this case, the supplied immersion liquid is recovered from the immersion liquid recovery nozzle 23 by the immersion liquid recovery pump 28 via the immersion liquid recovery pipe 26 and returned to the immersion liquid tank 9.

  In the second modification, only the portion to be exposed is immersed in the immersion liquid, so that the time required for the immersion can be shortened as compared with the embodiment in which the entire wafer is immersed in the immersion liquid. .

<Modification 3>
FIG. 12 shows a third modification of the configuration in which the wafer 20 to be exposed is immersed in the immersion liquid. In Modification 2 described above, the wafer chuck 6C is transported by the chuck transport robot 12 and the wafer is supplied to the exposure area. However, as shown in FIG. 12, the exposure stage 50 and the alignment stage 60 alternately measure the alignment. You may make it move between an area and an exposure area.

  FIG. 12A illustrates the configuration related to the supply and recovery of the immersion liquid in the configuration shown in Modification 2 in FIG. 11. However, the configuration for moving the wafer chuck and the immersion liquid are illustrated. The combination with the configuration for supplying is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 12B, when the alignment stage 60 is moved from the alignment measurement area to the exposure area, the immersion liquid is used. The immersion liquid may be dropped from the dropping unit 10 onto the wafer chuck 60C on the alignment stage 60.

  In this modified example, the alignment stage 60 and the exposure stage 50 that hold the wafer chuck are alternately moved between the respective areas, thereby moving the wafer chuck that also serves as the transfer operation of the chuck transfer robot 12. enable.

<Modification 4>
In the above-described embodiment and Modifications 1 to 3, in order to eliminate the influence on the processing in the alignment measurement area and the exposure area as a disturbance due to a temperature rise during immersion liquid drying and a humidity increase due to vaporization of the immersion liquid The alignment measurement area and the exposure area are provided in the temperature adjustment chamber 29 as a shielded temperature adjustment space, and the immersion liquid drying / recovery area is provided in the immersion liquid recovery / drying chamber 301. Therefore, the environment is managed so that the effects of the recovery of the immersion liquid and the increase in temperature and humidity during drying do not affect the processing in the alignment measurement area and the exposure area. FIG. 13).

<Manufacture of semiconductor devices>
Next, a semiconductor device manufacturing process using the above-described exposure apparatus will be described. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a flow of an entire manufacturing process of a semiconductor device. In step 1 (circuit design), a semiconductor device circuit is designed. In step 2 (exposure control data creation), exposure control data for the exposure apparatus is created based on the designed circuit pattern.

  On the other hand, in step 3 (wafer manufacture), a wafer is manufactured using a material such as silicon. Step 4 (wafer process) is called a pre-process, and an actual circuit is formed on the wafer by lithography using the prepared mask and wafer. The next step 5 (assembly) is called a post-process, and is a process for forming a semiconductor chip using the wafer produced in step 4, and is an assembly process (dicing, bonding), packaging process (chip encapsulation), etc. Process. In step 6 (inspection), inspections such as an operation confirmation test and a durability test of the semiconductor device manufactured in step 5 are performed. Through these steps, the semiconductor device is completed and shipped (step 7).

  The wafer process in step 4 includes the following steps. A step of oxidizing the surface of the wafer, a CVD step of forming an insulating film on the surface of the wafer, an electrode forming step of forming an electrode on the wafer by vapor deposition, an ion implantation step of implanting ions on the wafer, a resist for applying a photosensitive agent to the wafer Processing step, exposure step for transferring the circuit pattern to the wafer after the resist processing step by the exposure apparatus described above, development step for developing the wafer exposed in the exposure step, etching step for scraping off portions other than the resist image developed in the development step A resist stripping step that removes the resist that has become unnecessary after etching. By repeating these steps, multiple circuit patterns are formed on the wafer.

  The present invention can be used for an exposure apparatus using an immersion liquid and for controlling the exposure apparatus.

It is a figure which shows the schematic structure of the conventional exposure apparatus of a liquid immersion system. 2 is a flowchart for explaining a processing flow of the exposure apparatus in FIG. 1. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a time required for processing one wafer in an exposure area of the exposure apparatus in FIG. 1. It is a figure which shows schematically the structure of suitable embodiment of this invention. It is a figure which shows the structure of the conveyance robot and stage which perform unloading of the wafer which completed loading of substrate loading, alignment measurement, immersion liquid droplets, conveyance from an alignment measurement area to an exposure area, exposure, and exposure processing. It is a control block diagram for controlling a mechanism. It is a figure which shows roughly the cross-sectional shape of wafer chuck | zipper 6C (5C). It is a figure which shows an alignment measurement area, an exposure area, and immersion liquid collection | recovery / drying area. (A) to (g) show the chuck transfer robot in the alignment measurement area and exposure area shown in FIG. 4A, the alignment stage base 6B, the alignment stage 6, the exposure stage base 5B, the exposure stage 5, and the liquid in the XY plane. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a relation of operation of the immersion liquid dropping unit 10. It is a figure explaining the dripping process of immersion liquid. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the operation | movement for performing exposure by the liquid immersion concerning this embodiment. It is a figure which shows distribution of the processing time which each step in the flowchart of FIG. 7 requires as a timing chart which paid its attention to the process per wafer. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the process regarding the determination of the operation plan and operation pattern for controlling an exposure apparatus. It is a figure explaining the structure of the exposure apparatus connected to a network. It is a figure which shows the modification 1 of the structure which immerses the wafer 20 used as exposure object in immersion liquid. It is a figure which shows the modification 2 of the structure which immerses the wafer 20 used as exposure object in immersion liquid. It is a figure which shows the modification 3 of the structure which immerses the wafer 20 used as exposure object in immersion liquid. It is a figure which shows the structural example of a temperature control chamber and an immersion liquid collection | recovery drying chamber. It is a figure which shows the flow of the whole manufacturing process of a semiconductor device.

Explanation of symbols

1: Illumination system unit 2: Reticle stage 3: Reduction projection lens 4: Exposure apparatus body 5: Exposure stage 5C: Wafer chuck 6: Alignment stage 6C: Wafer chuck 7: Alignment scope 8: Focus scope 9: Immersion liquid tank
10: Immersion liquid drop unit
11: Chuck transfer robot
12: Chuck transfer robot
13: Chuck transfer robot
14: Reference mark
15: Illuminance sensor
16: X bar mirror
17: Y bar mirror
18: X bar mirror
19: Y bar mirror
20: Wafer
21: Immersion bath
22: Immersion liquid supply nozzle
23: Immersion liquid recovery nozzle
24: Immersion liquid
25: Immersion liquid supply piping
26: Immersion liquid recovery piping
27: Immersion liquid supply pump
28: Immersion liquid recovery pump
29: Temperature control chamber
30: Immersion recovery drying chamber

Claims (3)

An exposure apparatus that has a projection optical system, interposes a liquid between the projection optical system and the substrate, and exposes the substrate through the original and the projection optical system,
A measuring area which alignment measurement and focus measurement to the base plate is performed, a first switch Yanba comprising an exposure area where an exposure of board is carried out,
Includes a drying area in which the drying of the board is carried out, a second switch Yanba that is isolated from the first switch Yanba,
First transport means for transporting the substrate to the measurement area;
A second conveying means for conveying the substrate to the exposure area from the measurement area, a third conveying means for conveying the substrate to the second switch Yanba before Symbol first switch Yanba,
Transporting an unprocessed substrate to the measurement area, transporting the measured substrate from the measurement area to the exposure area, transporting the exposed substrate from the exposure area to the drying area, and Control means for performing synchronized control of the first to third transport means so that
An exposure apparatus comprising: An exposure apparatus that has a projection optical system and exposes the substrate through an original plate and the projection optical system by supplying the liquid to the substrate chuck and interposing the liquid between the projection optical system and the substrate. There,
A measuring area which alignment measurement and focus measurement to the base plate is performed, a first switch Yanba comprising an exposure area where an exposure of board is carried out,
Includes a dry area Drying of board is carried out, a second switch Yanba that is isolated from the first switch Yanba,
A first transfer means for transferring a substrate chuck holding a substrate to the measurement area;
A second transfer means for transferring a substrate chuck holding a substrate from the measurement area to the exposure area;
A third conveying means for conveying the second switch Yanba the board chuck holding the board from the first switch Yanba,
Transfer of the substrate chuck holding an unprocessed substrate to the measurement area, transfer of the substrate chuck holding the measured substrate from the measurement area to the exposure area, and holding the exposed substrate Control means for performing synchronized control of the first to third transport means so that the transport of the substrate chuck from the exposure area to the drying area is performed in parallel;
An exposure apparatus comprising: Exposing the substrate using the exposure apparatus according to claim 1;
Developing the substrate exposed in the step;
A device manufacturing method comprising:

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