JP5002704B2 - Projection exposure apparatus, projection exposure method, and semiconductor device manufacturing method - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention mainly relates to a projection exposure apparatus, a projection exposure method, and a semiconductor device manufacturing method for forming a semiconductor element.

  Conventionally, as a projection exposure apparatus, a sequential movement type exposure apparatus (so-called stepper) that repeats exposure after positioning a stage on which a wafer is mounted in a plane has been the mainstream. However, in recent years, with the miniaturization of semiconductor circuits, there is a so-called scanning exposure apparatus in which a substrate (reticle) on which a circuit pattern is drawn and a wafer are mounted on corresponding stages, and both are exposed while being synchronously scanned. It has appeared and its introduction into the mass production process has become active. As described above, the reason why scan exposure apparatuses are emerging in place of steppers is that scan exposure apparatuses can take a larger exposure field than steppers and have unique features such as a uniform contrast. This is partly due to the fact that is becoming clear.

A schematic configuration of the scanning exposure apparatus is shown in FIG. As the light source 10, a KrF excimer laser is often used. Irradiation light from the light source 10 is irradiated on a substrate (reticle) 13 which is shaped on the illumination optical system 11 and passed through a slit having a width of about several millimeters and held on the reticle stage 12. Further, the light passing through the projection optical system 14 reaches the wafer 16 held on the wafer stage 15. At this time, an exposure field larger than the slit width can be obtained by moving the wafer stage 15 and the reticle stage 12 in the opposite directions at a constant speed. The reason for moving in the reverse direction is that the projection optical system 14 inverts the image.

  The reticle stage 12 and wafer stage 15 are precisely measured in translational positions using laser length measuring instruments 17 and 18. Regarding the vertical direction, the focus detection system 19 detects the relative distance between the wafer surface and the exposure image plane, and based on the obtained focus measurement value, the wafer stage 15 matches the exposure image plane. Drive. In the region irradiated through the slit, the surface of the wafer 15 needs to coincide with the exposure image plane. Therefore, the wafer stage 15 must be driven in the Z direction (focus) and the tilt direction (leveling). This is one of the features of the scan exposure apparatus, which leads to advantages such as fine focus and leveling in the chip.

  In a scanning exposure apparatus, it is known that a horizontal relative position error between a reticle stage 12 and a wafer stage 15 that perform synchronous scanning, that is, a so-called synchronization error, is greatly related to exposure performance. In addition, the moving average in the slit of the synchronization error corresponds to the deviation of the exposed image, ie, distortion, and the moving standard deviation also corresponds to the contrast of the image. Therefore, in a semiconductor manufacturing process that is becoming finer, one major technical problem is how to reduce this synchronization error.

On the other hand, as described above, the focus / leveling drive during the scan exposure is indispensable in the scan exposure apparatus. However, the drive often deteriorates the synchronization error. In particular, since the leveling drive is performed together with the scan drive on the wafer stage 15, the ω _x direction drive is in the y direction, or the ω _y direction drive is in the X direction. It goes without saying that the control compensator is designed to reduce the influence of other components by making full use of various control technologies, but the actual focus / leveling drive amount depends on the surface accuracy of the wafer to be exposed and the wafer. It largely depends on the flatness of the wafer chuck to be held, and it is difficult to cover all of the wafer chucks only by the control method.

  In particular, the flatness of the wafer varies depending on the semiconductor manufacturing process or production lot, and even if the same exposure apparatus is used, it is extremely difficult to manage the synchronization error to be a certain value or less.

  Further, the productivity in the scanning exposure apparatus is increased as the scanning speed is increased. As a result, the leveling locus to be driven in one chip has a high frequency. In general, in an actuator control system such as a stage, the follow-up performance deteriorates as the frequency increases, and at the same time, the influence on other components must be increased. Therefore, if the scanning speed is high, the synchronization accuracy deteriorates even when a wafer having the same flatness is used.

  In this way, the scan speed has a large influence on the exposure performance using the index of synchronization error as a medium, but the scan speed is usually set based on factors such as resist sensitivity and exposure amount, and so the synchronization error is so called. It became the performance of. For this reason, it takes time to set semiconductor manufacturing process conditions, and it is a factor that degrades yield due to a difference in wafer surface accuracy.

  Therefore, the present invention makes it possible to set an optimum scanning speed with respect to manufacturing process conditions such as wafer flatness, and to realize exposure with a high yield by realizing both high exposure performance and high productivity. Another object of the present invention is to provide a projection exposure method and a semiconductor device manufacturing method.

  Furthermore, in addition to the above object, the present invention suppresses a decrease in the processing capacity of the apparatus, that is, throughput by setting the optimum scanning speed variably for each exposure, and improves both the image performance and productivity. It is an object of the present invention to provide a projection exposure apparatus, a projection exposure method, and a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, which can realize a high yield.

A projection exposure apparatus of the present invention is a projection exposure apparatus that exposes and transfers a predetermined pattern drawn on a reticle surface to a wafer surface, and holds the reticle and scans along a scanning direction; A second drive mechanism that holds the wafer and scans along the scanning direction, and synchronizes the first and second drive mechanisms while performing focus drive and leveling drive based on a wafer surface shape obtained in advance. When the scanning driving is performed, an expected value of synchronization error between the first driving mechanism and the second driving mechanism is calculated for each scanning speed, and the first value at the time of scanning exposure is calculated based on the expected value. And a controller that variably sets the scanning speed of the second drive mechanism for each exposure.
A projection exposure apparatus of the present invention is a projection exposure apparatus that exposes and transfers a predetermined pattern drawn on a reticle surface to a wafer surface, and holds the reticle and scans along a scanning direction; A second drive mechanism that holds the wafer and scans along the scanning direction, and synchronizes the first and second drive mechanisms while performing focus drive and leveling drive based on a wafer surface shape obtained in advance. When the scanning driving is performed, the expected value of the synchronization error between the first driving mechanism and the second driving mechanism is calculated for each scanning speed, and the first and A controller that automatically sets the scanning speed of the second drive mechanism for each exposure.
One aspect of the projection exposure apparatus of the present invention includes a focus detection system that measures the wafer surface shape, and the focus detection system scans and drives the first and second drive mechanisms prior to actual exposure. measure.
In one aspect of the projection exposure apparatus of the present invention, the scanning drive prior to exposure is performed for each wafer or for each of a plurality of wafers.
The projection exposure method of the present invention is a projection exposure method in which a predetermined pattern drawn on a reticle surface is exposed on a wafer surface and transferred, and a first drive mechanism that holds the reticle and scans along a scanning direction; When driving and controlling the second driving mechanism that holds the wafer and scans along the scanning direction, the first and second driving mechanisms are driven while performing focus driving and leveling driving based on a predetermined wafer surface shape. A step of calculating an expected value of a synchronization error between the first drive mechanism and the second drive mechanism for each scanning speed when the drive mechanism is scanned and scanned; and scanning exposure based on the expected value. And a step of variably setting the scanning speed of the first and second drive mechanisms at each time for each exposure.
The projection exposure method of the present invention is a projection exposure method in which a predetermined pattern drawn on a reticle surface is exposed on a wafer surface and transferred, and a first drive mechanism that holds the reticle and scans along a scanning direction; When driving and controlling the second driving mechanism that holds the wafer and scans along the scanning direction, the first and second driving mechanisms are driven while performing focus driving and leveling driving based on a predetermined wafer surface shape. A step of calculating an expected value of a synchronization error between the first drive mechanism and the second drive mechanism for each scanning speed when the drive mechanism is scanned and scanned; and scanning exposure based on the expected value. Automatically setting the scanning speed of the first and second drive mechanisms at each time of exposure.
In one aspect of the projection exposure method of the present invention, in the step of automatically setting the scanning speed for each exposure, the expected value in each exposure is compared with the synchronization error obtained in the actual exposure. Based on this, the scanning speed is set.
One aspect of the projection exposure method of the present invention includes a focus detection system that measures the wafer surface shape, and the focus detection system scans and drives the first and second drive mechanisms prior to actual exposure. measure.
In one aspect of the projection exposure method of the present invention, the scanning drive prior to exposure is performed for each wafer or for each of a plurality of wafers.
The method of manufacturing a semiconductor device according to the present invention includes a step of applying a photosensitive material to a wafer surface, and the steps of the projection exposure method according to any one of claims 5 to 9, wherein the photosensitive material is applied. A step of exposing the wafer surface with a predetermined pattern; and a step of developing the photosensitive material that has been exposed with the predetermined pattern.
The storage medium of the present invention stores a computer-readable program for executing each step of the above projection exposure method.
The storage medium of the present invention stores a computer-readable program for executing each step of the above-described semiconductor device manufacturing method.

  In the projection exposure apparatus of the present invention, in addition to parameters such as resist sensitivity and exposure amount, the scanning speed is defined with the relative positional deviation between the first drive mechanism and the second drive mechanism as a constraint. As a result, the synchronization accuracy between the first drive mechanism and the second drive mechanism is one of the criteria for determining the selected scanning speed, and it becomes possible to select an optimum scanning speed suitable for the exposure process. The exposure performance can be maintained at a high level and the maximum productivity can be obtained.

  Furthermore, in the projection exposure apparatus of the present invention, the scanning speed is regulated (variably) automatically for each exposure, whereby an optimum scanning speed can be set for each exposure. As a result, the maximum throughput corresponding to the given conditions can be obtained.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to set an optimum scanning speed for manufacturing process conditions such as wafer flatness, and to realize exposure with a high yield by making exposure performance and productivity compatible at a high level. it can.

  Furthermore, according to the present invention, by setting the optimum scanning speed variably for each exposure, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the processing capacity of the apparatus, that is, the throughput, and to improve both the image performance and the productivity. High yield can be realized.

It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the scan exposure apparatus of 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows a scan exposure method with the function of the scan exposure apparatus of 1st Embodiment. It is a characteristic view which shows the frequency characteristic G (s). It is a line block diagram which shows the order for calculating a translation direction control deviation. It is a characteristic view which shows the relationship between a scanning speed and a synchronous error. It is a flowchart which shows the manufacturing process of the semiconductor device using the scan exposure apparatus which concerns on this invention. 7 is a flowchart showing the wafer process in the process of FIG. 6 in more detail. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the scan exposure apparatus of 4th Embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the scan exposure method with the function of the scan exposure apparatus of 4th Embodiment. It is the schematic which shows the main structures of the conventional scan exposure apparatus.

  Hereinafter, embodiments to which the present invention is applied will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a scan exposure apparatus according to a first embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a reticle stage as a second drive mechanism, and 2 denotes a wafer stage as a first drive mechanism, which are synchronously scanned. Reference numeral 3 denotes a focus detection system that measures the relative distance between the surface of the wafer to be scanned and the image plane within the chip. Reference numeral 4 denotes a stage control system that controls the reticle stage 1 and the wafer stage 2, and includes a synchronization control unit. Reference numeral 5 is a synchronization error estimator, and 6 is a scan speed setter. The system controller 7 including the synchronization error estimator 5 and the scan speed setting unit 6 sets the scan speed and other exposure conditions, and the console 8 is responsible for the user interface with the operator.

  The scan exposure method will be described below together with the function of the scan exposure apparatus of the present embodiment in accordance with the flowchart of FIG.

  Steps S1 to S5: Prior to actual exposure, a scan operation is performed on all shots on the wafer. Here, focus drive is not performed, only focus measurement is performed, and focus measurement values at a plurality of points in the shot are obtained. At this time, the synchronization accuracy and the moving average / moving standard deviation are obtained from the relative position error between the wafer stage and the reticle stage.

  Steps S6 to S8: The wafer surface shape in the shot is obtained from the focus measurement values obtained in S1 to S5. At this time, the wafer surface shape can be obtained more accurately by removing the already exposed resist step by using, for example, a technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 09-045608.

  Subsequently, a focus / leveling trajectory for this shape is obtained from the wafer surface shape obtained in step S6.

  Steps S9 and S10: The synchronous error estimator 5 estimates the relative position error between the reticle stage and the wafer stage 2 when the drive trajectory obtained in Step S7 is used, and further, the moving average / moving standard deviation of the synchronous error. Is obtained for each of a plurality of typical scanning speeds.

  Step S11: In the console 8, a threshold value of synchronization error corresponding to the process is given in advance. The scan speed setting unit 6 obtains the maximum scan speed that satisfies this threshold value for each exposure (shot), and resets the exposure amount and the like accordingly.

  Step S12: The scan exposure operation is started under the conditions set in step S11. The console 8 displays the actually set scan speed for each shot.

  The sample shot scanning operation in steps S1 to S5 may be performed for each wafer, or can be freely set such as once for a plurality of wafers or once for each lot.

Steps S9 to S11 will be described in more detail.
In general, the influence on other components, such as the influence on the translation direction when the stage is tilt-driven, is a transfer characteristic from the excitation input when the stage is vibrated to the control deviation in the translation direction, That is, it can be defined as the frequency characteristic G (s). Further, this characteristic usually shows a low-frequency differential / high-frequency integral characteristic as shown in FIG. The frequency characteristic is unique to the stage unit, and can be obtained with extremely high accuracy by an FFT analyzer or a frequency analysis calculation equivalent thereto. Therefore, this characteristic is obtained in advance, and the output when the focus / leveling trajectory obtained in step S7 is input, that is, the translational direction control deviation is accurately calculated according to the order of the block diagram shown in FIG. Can do. The focus / leveling trajectory is defined by the wafer surface shape, and the shape is the same for each scanning speed. Therefore, the focus / leveling trajectory is always similar only by changing its time axis in proportion to the scanning speed. Therefore, the control deviation at each scan speed can be obtained by repeating the same procedure. Although the case where the tilt drive is described is described here, it is needless to say that the same procedure is used for the focus drive. If the expected value of the control deviation when the focus / leveling drive is performed can be obtained, it can be considered as a deterioration due to the synchronization error obtained in steps S1 to S5 without the focus / leveling drive. An expected value of synchronization accuracy at the time of exposure can be obtained.

  As a result, it is possible to accurately predict the synchronization error for each scanning speed. In step S11, the maximum scanning speed satisfying the set synchronization accuracy threshold can be variably set for each shot, so that the maximum throughput corresponding to the given condition can be obtained.

  This is illustrated in FIG. Thus, the synchronization error obtained with respect to the scan speed shows a monotonously increasing tendency. Therefore, if the threshold value of the synchronization accuracy required in the semiconductor manufacturing process is set, the maximum scanning speed V that satisfies this can be selected.

  As described above, according to the scan exposure apparatus of the first embodiment, it is possible to set an optimum scan speed with respect to manufacturing process conditions such as wafer flatness, and a high level of exposure performance and productivity. Therefore, it is possible to realize exposure with a good yield.

  Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, by setting the optimum scanning speed variably for each exposure, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the processing capacity of the apparatus, that is, the throughput, and to improve both the image performance and the productivity. And high yield can be realized.

  Next, an example of a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device (semiconductor device) using the projection exposure apparatus described with reference to FIG. 2 will be described.

FIG. 6 shows a flow of a manufacturing process of a semiconductor device (a semiconductor chip such as an IC or LSI, or a liquid crystal panel or a CCD).
First, in step 1 (circuit design), a semiconductor device circuit is designed. In step 2 (mask production), a mask on which the designed circuit pattern is formed is produced. 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 photolithography using the mask and wafer prepared as described above. The next step 5 (assembly) is referred to as a post-process, and is a process for forming a semiconductor chip using the wafer produced in step 4, and is a process such as an assembly process (dicing, bonding), a packaging process (chip encapsulation), etc. including. In step 6 (inspection), the semiconductor device manufactured in step 5 undergoes inspections such as an operation confirmation test and a durability test. Through these steps, the semiconductor device is completed and shipped (step 7).

FIG. 7 shows a detailed flow of the wafer process.
In step 11 (oxidation), the wafer surface is oxidized. In step 12 (CVD), an insulating film is formed on the wafer surface. In step 13 (electrode formation), an electrode is formed on the wafer by vapor deposition. In step 14 (ion implantation), ions are implanted into the wafer. In step 15 (resist process), a photosensitive agent is applied to the wafer. In step 16 (exposure), the circuit pattern of the mask is printed onto the wafer by the above-described scan exposure apparatus. In step 17 (development), the exposed wafer is developed. In step 18 (etching), portions other than the developed resist image are removed. In step 19 (resist stripping), the resist that has become unnecessary after etching is removed. By repeating these steps, multiple circuit patterns are formed on the wafer.

  By using this manufacturing method, coupled with various effects produced by the scanning exposure apparatus, it is possible to easily and reliably manufacture a highly integrated semiconductor device that has been difficult to manufacture with high yield.

(Second Embodiment)
Subsequently, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. Here, step S13 which exhibits a learning function is added to the exposure method described in the first embodiment.

Step S12 ′:
The scan exposure operation is started under the conditions set in step S11. The console 8 displays the actually set scan speed for each shot, and simultaneously records the synchronization error for each shot when it is actually exposed.

Step S13:
When one wafer process is completed, the expected value of the synchronization error calculated before exposure in each shot is compared with the synchronization error actually obtained by exposure. When the value falls below the expected value, the scanning speed is increased by an amount corresponding to the expected value, and the setting is made so as to lower the scanning speed when the value is deteriorated below the expected value in the next wafer processing.

  By having such a learning function, once the scan speed is set for the wafer at the head of the lot, if a plurality of wafers are processed, the wafer gradually approaches the optimum value.

  Alternatively, a conservative scan speed is set first, the actual exposure is started by omitting the preprocessing corresponding to steps S1 to S5, and then the scan speed is automatically updated by the learning function. Is possible.

  According to the second embodiment, in addition to the effects exhibited by the first embodiment, the maximum productivity can be obtained extremely efficiently while maintaining the exposure performance.

(Third embodiment)
As described above, the synchronization accuracy is the horizontal relative position of the stage, and attention is paid to this in the first embodiment. However, the same idea can be applied to the vertical direction. It is known that the control deviation that appears in the vertical direction when focus / leveling drive is performed defines the contrast of the image to be exposed, and the allowable value is also defined by the line width of interest in the semiconductor manufacturing process. Because.

  For this purpose, as described in the first embodiment, the control deviation in the Z direction from the focus / leveling trajectory is obtained in the same manner as obtaining the expected value of the synchronization accuracy from the focus / leveling trajectory from the transfer characteristic of FIG. Is obtained by a similar method, and a scan speed that satisfies the threshold defined by the process may be set, and the details can be easily derived from the first embodiment.

  According to the scan exposure apparatus of the third embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, it is possible to set an optimum scan speed with respect to manufacturing process conditions such as wafer flatness, exposure performance and productivity. Can be achieved at a high level and exposure with a high yield can be realized.

Furthermore, according to the present embodiment, by setting the optimum scanning speed variably for each exposure, it is possible to suppress a decrease in the processing capacity of the apparatus, that is, the throughput, and to improve both the image performance and the productivity. And high yield can be realized.

(Fourth embodiment)
FIG. 8 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a scan exposure apparatus according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.
In FIG. 8, 31 is a reticle stage as a second drive mechanism, and 32 is a wafer stage as a first drive mechanism, both of which are synchronously scanned. Reference numeral 33 denotes a focus detection system that measures the relative distance between the surface of the wafer to be scanned and the image plane within the chip. Reference numeral 34 denotes a stage control system that controls the reticle stage 31 and the wafer stage 32, and includes a synchronization control unit. Reference numeral 35 denotes a synchronization error estimator, and 36 denotes a scan speed calculator. The system controller 37 including the synchronization error estimator 35 and the scan speed calculator 36 sets the scan speed and other exposure conditions, and the console 38 takes charge of the user interface with the operator.

  The scan exposure method will be described below together with the functions of the scan exposure apparatus of the present embodiment in accordance with the flowchart of FIG.

Steps S31 to S35:
Prior to actual exposure, a scanning operation is performed by paying attention to a plurality of shots (sample shots) on the wafer. Here, focus drive is not performed, only focus measurement is performed, and focus measurement values at a plurality of points in the shot are obtained. At this time, the synchronization accuracy and the moving average / standard deviation are obtained from the relative position error between the wafer stage and the reticle stage.

Steps S36 to S38:
The wafer surface shape in the shot is obtained from the focus measurement values obtained in S31 to S35. At this time, the wafer surface shape can be obtained more accurately by removing the already exposed resist step by using, for example, a technique disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 09-045608.

  Subsequently, a focus / leveling trajectory for this shape is obtained from the wafer surface shape obtained in step S36.

Steps S39 to S41:
The synchronization error estimator 35 estimates the relative position error between the reticle stage and the wafer stage 2 when the driving trajectory obtained in step S7 is used, and the scan speed calculator 36 further calculates the moving average / movement of the synchronization error. Expected values of standard deviation are obtained for each of a plurality of typical scan speeds.

Step S42:
The calculation results of steps S39 to S41 are displayed on the console 38. Based on the scan speed and the expected value of the synchronization error obtained in that case, the operator selects a scan speed that matches the process. After setting the exposure amount and the like based on the selected scan speed, the scan exposure operation is started.

  The sample shot scanning operation in steps S31 to S35 may be performed for each wafer, or can be freely set such as once for a plurality of wafers or once for each lot.

  Note that steps S39 to S41 affect the so-called other components such as the influence on the translational direction when the stage is tilt-driven, for example, in the same manner as the description using FIGS. 3 and 4 in the first embodiment. Is defined as the transfer characteristic from the vibration input when the vibration is applied in the tilt direction to the control deviation in the translation direction, that is, the frequency characteristic G (s) in FIG. The output when the focus / leveling trajectory obtained in the above is input, that is, the translational direction control deviation can be accurately calculated according to the order of the block diagram shown in FIG.

  As a result, it is possible to accurately predict the synchronization error for each scanning speed. In the selection of the scan speed in step S12, for example, in view of conditions such as the exposure line width, the scan speed is selected so that the synchronization error becomes smaller in the case of a thin line width. It is possible to perform exposure that is well suited to the process conditions.

  As described above, according to the scan exposure apparatus of the present embodiment, it is possible to set an optimum scan speed for manufacturing process conditions such as wafer flatness, and to achieve both exposure performance and productivity at a high level. Thus, it is possible to realize exposure with a high yield.

  Further, similarly to the description using FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 in the first embodiment, various effects exhibited by the scan exposure apparatus can be achieved by manufacturing a semiconductor device (semiconductor device) using the projection exposure apparatus of FIG. In combination with this, it is possible to easily and reliably manufacture a highly integrated semiconductor device that has been difficult to manufacture with a high yield.

(Fifth embodiment)
Subsequently, a fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described. Here, in step S42 of the exposure method described in the fourth embodiment, this is automatically performed instead of the speed setting by the operator. The required synchronization accuracy is set in advance as a threshold value for each exposure lot, and after the synchronization accuracy prediction described in the fourth embodiment is performed, the set synchronization accuracy threshold value is satisfied. The system controller 37 shown in FIG. 8 may be configured to automatically select the largest scan speed. Thereby, in addition to the effects exhibited by the fourth embodiment, the maximum productivity can be obtained extremely efficiently while maintaining the exposure performance.

  Note that the program code itself for operating various devices and means for supplying the program code to the computer and each step of the scan exposure method so as to realize the function of the scan exposure apparatus described in each embodiment (For example, step S1 to step S12 in FIG. 2, step S31 to step S42 in FIG. 9) and each step of the semiconductor device manufacturing method (for example, step 1 to step 7 in FIG. 6, step 11 to step 19 in FIG. 7) The program code itself for realizing the above and the means for supplying the program code to the computer, for example, a storage medium storing the program code belong to the category of the present invention.

  In this case, the program code stored in the storage medium is read out by a predetermined storage / reproduction device, and the EEPROM operates. As a storage medium for storing the program code, for example, a floppy (registered trademark) disk, a hard disk, an optical disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-ROM, a magnetic tape, a nonvolatile memory card, a ROM, or the like can be used.

  Further, by executing the program code supplied by the computer, not only the functions of the present embodiment are realized, but also the OS (operating system) or other application software running on the computer. Such a program code is also included in the present invention when the functions of the present embodiment are realized jointly.

  Further, after the supplied program code is stored in the memory provided in the function expansion board of the computer or the function expansion unit connected to the computer, the CPU provided in the function expansion board or function expansion unit based on the instruction of the program code A system in which the functions of the present embodiment are realized by performing part or all of the actual processing and the processing is also included in the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1,31 ... Reticle stage 2, 32 ... Wafer stage 3, 33 ... Focus detection system 4, 34 ... Stage control system 5, 35 ... Synchronization error estimator 6, 36 ... Scan speed calculation means 7, 37 ... System controller 8, 38 ... Console

Claims (12)

In a projection exposure apparatus that exposes and transfers a predetermined pattern drawn on a reticle surface to a wafer surface,
A first drive mechanism that holds the reticle and scans along the scanning direction;
A second drive mechanism for holding the wafer and scanning along a scanning direction;
In the case of scan driving synchronously the first and second drive mechanism while the focus driving and leveling driven on the basis of previously obtained wafer surface shape, the first driving mechanism and the second drive An expected value of the synchronization error with the mechanism is calculated for each scanning speed, and the scanning speeds of the first and second drive mechanisms at the time of scanning exposure are variably set for each exposure based on the expected value. A controller,
A projection exposure apparatus comprising: In a projection exposure apparatus that exposes and transfers a predetermined pattern drawn on a reticle surface to a wafer surface,
A first drive mechanism that holds the reticle and scans along the scanning direction;
A second drive mechanism for holding the wafer and scanning along a scanning direction;
In the case of scan driving synchronously the first and second drive mechanism while the focus driving and leveling driven on the basis of previously obtained wafer surface shape, the first driving mechanism and the second drive The expected value of the synchronization error with the mechanism is calculated for each scanning speed, and the scanning speed of the first and second drive mechanisms at the time of scanning exposure is automatically set for each exposure based on the expected value. A controller to
A projection exposure apparatus comprising: A focus detection system for measuring the wafer surface shape ;
3. The projection exposure apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the focus detection system performs measurement while scanning and driving the first and second drive mechanisms prior to actual exposure.   4. The projection exposure apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the scanning drive prior to exposure is performed for each wafer or for each of a plurality of wafers. In a projection exposure method for exposing and transferring a predetermined pattern drawn on a reticle surface to a wafer surface,
A first drive mechanism that holds the reticle and scans along the scanning direction;
A second drive mechanism that holds the wafer and scans along the scanning direction;
When controlling the drive,
In the case of scan driving synchronously the first and second drive mechanism while the focus driving and leveling driven on the basis of previously obtained wafer surface shape, the first driving mechanism and the second drive Calculating an expected value of the synchronization error with the mechanism for each scanning speed ;
A step of variably setting the scanning speed of the first and second drive mechanisms during scanning exposure based on the expected value for each exposure;
A projection exposure method comprising: In a projection exposure method for exposing and transferring a predetermined pattern drawn on a reticle surface to a wafer surface,
A first drive mechanism that holds the reticle and scans along the scanning direction;
A second drive mechanism that holds the wafer and scans along the scanning direction;
When controlling the drive,
In the case of scan driving synchronously the first and second drive mechanism while the focus driving and leveling driven on the basis of previously obtained wafer surface shape, the first driving mechanism and the second drive Calculating an expected value of the synchronization error with the mechanism for each scanning speed ;
Automatically setting the scanning speed of the first and second drive mechanisms at the time of scanning exposure based on the expected value for each exposure;
A projection exposure method comprising: Wherein in the step of automatically set the scanning speed for each single exposure, set with the expected value at each exposure, the scanning speed compared to to have based Dzu the actual synchronization errors obtained by exposure The projection exposure method according to claim 6 . A focus detection system for measuring the wafer surface shape ;
The projection exposure method according to any one of claims 5 to 7 , wherein the focus detection system performs measurement while scanning and driving the first and second drive mechanisms prior to actual exposure. 9. The projection exposure method according to claim 8 , wherein the scanning drive prior to exposure is performed for each wafer or for each of a plurality of wafers. Applying a photosensitive material to the wafer surface;
A step of exposing a predetermined pattern to the wafer surface coated with the photosensitive material by each step of the projection exposure method according to any one of claims 5 to 9 ,
Developing the photosensitive material that has been exposed to the predetermined pattern;
A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising: A storage medium storing a computer-readable program for causing a computer to execute each step of the projection exposure method according to any one of claims 5 to 9 . A storage medium storing a computer-readable program for causing a computer to execute each step of the method for manufacturing a semiconductor device according to claim 10 .

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