JP5061904B2 - Connection apparatus and connection method between device manufacturing processing apparatuses, program, device manufacturing processing system, exposure apparatus and exposure method, measurement inspection apparatus and measurement inspection method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a connection apparatus and connection method between device manufacturing processing apparatuses used for device manufacturing, a program, a device manufacturing processing system, an exposure apparatus and an exposure method, and a measurement inspection apparatus and a measurement inspection method.
This application claims priority based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2005-314759 for which it applied on October 28, 2005, and uses the content here.

  Semiconductor devices, liquid crystal display devices, imaging devices (CCD (Charge Coupled Device), etc.), thin-film magnetic heads, and other devices are subjected to various processes on the substrate using device manufacturing processing equipment. Manufactured. Examples of processing performed on the substrate by the device manufacturing processing apparatus include processing such as thin film formation processing, photolithography processing, and impurity diffusion processing. In addition, there is a process for measuring and inspecting a pattern formed on a substrate that has undergone these processes.

  In the above-described thin film forming process, for example, a film forming process for forming a thin film on a substrate is performed using a CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) apparatus which is a kind of device manufacturing processing apparatus. In the photolithography process described above, an exposure process for transferring a predetermined pattern onto a substrate is performed using an exposure apparatus that is a kind of device manufacturing processing apparatus. In the pattern measurement and inspection process, for example, the line width of the pattern formed on the substrate is measured by using a measurement and inspection apparatus which is a kind of device manufacturing processing apparatus, or the pattern defect formed on the substrate is measured. A process for inspecting is performed.

  Generally, a network such as a LAN (Local Area Network) is laid in a device manufacturing factory. The various device manufacturing processing apparatuses and the host computer that controls them are connected to each other by this network. The host computer controls the operation of the device manufacturing processing apparatus by transmitting a control signal to the device manufacturing processing apparatus via the network. Thereby, the various processes with respect to the board | substrate mentioned above are performed in a predetermined order, and a device is manufactured. In addition, since the above content is a publicly known technique, there is no prior art document information to be described.

  By the way, when a device manufacturing processing apparatus described above performs a certain process, information used in another device manufacturing processing apparatus or information indicating a processing result obtained in another device manufacturing processing apparatus may be required. . For example, when measuring the line width or the like of the pattern formed on the substrate exposed by the exposure apparatus using the measurement and inspection apparatus, what kind of information or substrate indicates the pattern to be formed on the substrate Information indicating whether the exposure has been performed in the state is required.

  The device manufacturing processing apparatus is manufactured by many manufacturers, and the format (format) of information handled by the device manufacturing processing apparatus is not uniform. In addition, when information is exchanged between device manufacturing processing apparatuses, it is necessary to use the same communication control information (communication message) and communication procedure (communication protocol) between device manufacturing processing apparatuses that perform communication. Are not unified. For this reason, conventionally, when performing processing that is a certain device manufacturing processing apparatus, when information used by another device manufacturing processing apparatus or information obtained by another device manufacturing processing apparatus is required, an operator must It is necessary to manually acquire necessary information from other device manufacturing processing apparatuses and manually convert the acquired information. Therefore, there has been a problem that information is not effectively used between device manufacturing processing apparatuses.

  The present invention relates to a connection apparatus and a connection method between device manufacturing processing apparatuses capable of effectively using information between device manufacturing processing apparatuses, a program, a device manufacturing processing system, an exposure apparatus and an exposure method, and a measurement and inspection apparatus. An object is to provide a measurement and inspection method.

The present invention adopts the following configuration corresponding to each diagram shown in the embodiment. However, the reference numerals with parentheses attached to each element are merely examples of the element and do not limit each element.
The connection device between the device manufacturing processing apparatuses of the present invention is a connecting device (20, 21) for connecting two or more device manufacturing processing apparatuses (13 to 18), and is connected to the first device manufacturing processing apparatus. A receiving unit (51) for receiving transmission information from the first device manufacturing processing apparatus by a method suitable for receiving transmission information of the first device manufacturing processing apparatus; and the receiving unit connected to the receiving unit; A conversion unit (53, 56) for converting the information received in step 1 into information suitable for information reception in a second device manufacturing processing apparatus different from the first device manufacturing processing apparatus; and the conversion unit and the second device manufacturing A transmission unit (52) connected to the processing apparatus and configured to transmit information converted into information suitable for information reception in the second device manufacturing processing apparatus by the converting unit to the second device manufacturing processing apparatus; It is characterized by a door.
According to the present invention, when information is transmitted from the first device manufacturing processing apparatus, the transmission information is received by the receiving unit of the connection apparatus in a method suitable for the reception. The received information is converted into information suitable for information reception by the second device manufacturing processing apparatus by the conversion unit, and the converted information is transmitted to the second device manufacturing processing apparatus via the transmission unit.
The connection method between device manufacturing processing apparatuses of the present invention is a connecting method for connecting two or more device manufacturing processing apparatuses (13 to 18), and the information transmitted from the first device manufacturing processing apparatus is the first one. It is characterized in that it is received in conformity with one device manufacturing processing apparatus, and the received information is transmitted in conformity with the second device manufacturing processing apparatus as the transmission destination.
The program of the present invention is a program for causing a computer to execute at least a part of information communication processing between two or more device manufacturing processing apparatuses (13 to 18), and information transmitted from the first device manufacturing processing apparatus. Is received in conformity with the first device manufacturing processing apparatus, and the computer realizes processing for transmitting the received information in conformity with the second device manufacturing processing apparatus of the transmission destination.
A device manufacturing processing system of the present invention includes a first device manufacturing processing apparatus, a second device manufacturing processing apparatus, and a connection device (20) for connecting the first device manufacturing processing apparatus and the second device manufacturing processing apparatus. 21), and the connection device is connected to the first device manufacturing processing apparatus, and is suitable for receiving the transmission information from the first device manufacturing processing apparatus and receiving the transmission information from the first device manufacturing processing apparatus. A receiving unit (51) that receives the method and information that is connected to the receiving unit and that is suitable for receiving information received by the receiving unit in a second device manufacturing processing apparatus different from the first device manufacturing processing apparatus Information that is connected to the converter (53, 56) that converts the information into the second device manufacturing processing apparatus and that is connected to the converting unit and the second device manufacturing processing apparatus. The converted information is characterized in that it comprises a transmission section and (52) to be transmitted to the second device manufacturing apparatus.
The exposure apparatus of the present invention is connected to a first device manufacturing processing apparatus and receives transmission information from the first device manufacturing processing apparatus by a method suitable for receiving transmission information of the first device manufacturing processing apparatus. And a conversion unit connected to the reception unit and configured to convert information received by the reception unit into information suitable for information reception by a second device manufacturing processing apparatus different from the first device manufacturing processing apparatus. (53, 56), the information connected to the conversion unit and the second device manufacturing processing apparatus, and converted into information suitable for information reception in the second device manufacturing processing apparatus by the conversion unit, A device is connected to a connection device (20, 21) between device manufacturing processing apparatuses having a transmission unit (52) for transmitting to a two-device manufacturing processing apparatus, and a predetermined pattern is exposed and transferred onto a substrate. .
The exposure method of the present invention is characterized in that exposure transfer of a predetermined pattern (DP) to a substrate (W) is performed using the exposure apparatus described above.
The measurement / inspection apparatus of the present invention is connected to a first device manufacturing processing apparatus, and receives transmission information from the first device manufacturing processing apparatus by a method suitable for receiving transmission information of the first device manufacturing processing apparatus. A receiving unit (51) and a conversion connected to the receiving unit and converting information received by the receiving unit into information suitable for information reception by a second device manufacturing processing apparatus different from the first device manufacturing processing apparatus Information converted into information suitable for information reception in the second device manufacturing processing apparatus by the converting section and the second device manufacturing processing apparatus connected to the converting section and the second device manufacturing processing apparatus, At least one of predetermined measurement and inspection for the substrate (W) is connected to the connection device (20, 21) between the device manufacturing processing apparatuses, which includes a transmission unit (52) for transmitting to the second device manufacturing processing apparatus. It is characterized in that to perform.
The measurement / inspection method of the present invention is characterized in that at least one of predetermined measurement and inspection on the substrate (W) is performed using the above-described measurement / inspection apparatus.

  According to the present invention, information transmitted from a device manufacturing processing apparatus is received in conformity with the device manufacturing processing apparatus that is the transmission source of the information, and the received information is transmitted in conformity with the device manufacturing processing apparatus that is the transmission destination. Therefore, there is an effect that information can be effectively used between the device manufacturing processing apparatuses.

It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the device manufacturing processing system by one Embodiment. It is a side view which shows schematic structure of the exposure apparatus which is 1 type of the device manufacturing processing apparatus by one Embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of the communication server as a connection apparatus between the device manufacture processing apparatuses by one Embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the content of the file format conversion definition file. It is a figure which shows an example of the content of the communication message conversion definition file. It is a figure which shows an example of the content of the communication protocol conversion definition file. It is a figure which shows an example of the content of the conversion recipe file. It is a figure which shows an example of the difference of the measurement result of the alignment sensor with which an inline preliminary measurement inspection apparatus is provided, and the measurement result of the alignment sensor with which exposure apparatus is provided. It is a block diagram which shows the modification of a communication server. It is a figure which shows an example of the content of the conversion recipe file used with a communication server. It is a front view which shows the external appearance of the communication server implement | achieved by computer. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the device manufacturing method using the device manufacturing processing system by one Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

  11: In-factory production management host system, 13: Exposure apparatus, 14: Inline measurement / inspection apparatus, 14a: Inline pre-measurement / inspection apparatus, 14b: Inline post-measurement / inspection apparatus, 15: Truck, 15a: Coater / developer, 16: Offline Measurement / inspection device, 17: analysis system, 18: substrate processing device, 20, 21: communication server, 51, 52: transmission / reception unit, 53: conversion unit, 53a: file format conversion unit, 53b: communication message conversion unit, 53c: Communication protocol conversion unit 54: Conversion definition file registration unit 55: Conversion recipe registration unit 56: Conversion program registration unit 57: Conversion recipe registration unit 56: Conversion unit 56a: File format conversion unit 56b: Communication message Conversion unit, 56c: communication protocol conversion unit, DP: pattern Down, W: wafer

  Hereinafter, with reference to the drawings, a connection apparatus and a connection method between device manufacturing processing apparatuses, a program, a device manufacturing processing system, an exposure apparatus and an exposure method, and a measurement inspection apparatus and a measurement inspection method will be described in detail. explain. In the following description, an overall configuration of a device manufacturing processing system, a configuration of an apparatus constituting the device manufacturing processing system, and a device manufacturing method using the device manufacturing processing system will be described in order.

[Device manufacturing processing system]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a device manufacturing processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the device manufacturing processing system 10 of this embodiment includes an in-factory production management host system 11 as a host computer, an exposure process management controller 12, an exposure apparatus 13, an inline measurement inspection apparatus 14, a track 15, and offline measurement. An inspection apparatus 16, an analysis system 17, a substrate processing apparatus 18, and a communication server 20 are included. This device manufacturing processing system 10 is provided in a device manufacturing factory.

  The in-factory production management host system 11 to the substrate processing apparatus 18 are connected to each other via a network (connection network) such as a LAN (Local Area Network) installed in the device manufacturing factory. The exposure apparatus 13, the in-line measurement / inspection apparatus 14, the track 15, the off-line measurement / inspection apparatus 16, the analysis system 17, and the substrate processing apparatus 18 as device manufacturing processing apparatuses constituting the device manufacturing processing system 10 are connected to the communication server 20. Has been.

  The in-factory production management host system 11 includes various device manufacturing processing apparatuses (exposure apparatus 13, in-line measurement / inspection apparatus 14, truck 15, offline measurement) provided in the device manufacturing factory via a network laid in the device manufacturing factory. The inspection apparatus 16, the analysis system 17, and the substrate processing apparatus 18) are collectively managed. The exposure process management controller 12 controls the exposure apparatus 13 under the management of the in-factory production management host system 11. Although simplified in FIG. 1, a plurality of exposure apparatuses 13 are provided in the device manufacturing factory, and the exposure process management controller 12 controls each of these exposure apparatuses 13.

  The exposure device 13 exposes and transfers a predetermined pattern onto a wafer or a substrate such as a glass substrate coated with a photosensitive agent such as a photoresist. As this exposure apparatus 13, for example, a batch exposure type projection such as a stepper for performing exposure in a state where a mask stage holding a mask on which a predetermined pattern is formed and a substrate stage holding a substrate are positioned in a predetermined positional relationship. Examples include an exposure apparatus (static exposure apparatus), or a scanning exposure type projection exposure apparatus (scanning exposure apparatus) such as a scanning stepper that performs exposure while relatively moving (scanning) the mask stage and the substrate stage relatively synchronously. It is done. Details of the exposure apparatus 13 will be described later.

  The inline measurement / inspection apparatus 14 and the track 15 are inlined with respect to each of the exposure apparatuses 13. The inline measurement / inspection apparatus 14 includes an inline pre-measurement / inspection apparatus 14a and an inline post-measurement / inspection apparatus 14b. The in-line pre-measurement / inspection device 14a performs measurement / inspection on the surface state of the substrate to be exposed (for example, a step of a pattern already formed on the substrate) or the like before performing exposure processing by the exposure device 13, or forms on the substrate. Measure the alignment mark (alignment measurement) in advance. The measurement / inspection result of the in-line preliminary measurement / inspection apparatus 14a is sent to the exposure apparatus 13 via the communication server 20, and is used to optimize the exposure conditions for the substrate to be exposed. That is, the measurement / inspection result of the in-line preliminary measurement / inspection apparatus 14a is fed forward to the exposure apparatus 13 to be used for optimizing the exposure conditions of the exposure apparatus 13.

  The in-line post-measurement / inspection device 14b measures and inspects, for example, the overlay and line width of patterns formed on the substrate by the exposure processing of the exposure device 13. The measurement / inspection result of the in-line post-measurement / inspection apparatus 14b is also sent to the exposure apparatus 13 via the communication server 20, and is used for optimizing the exposure conditions for the substrate to be exposed thereafter. That is, the measurement / inspection result of the in-line post-measurement / inspection apparatus 14b is fed back to the exposure apparatus 13 and used to optimize the exposure conditions of the exposure apparatus 13.

  The track 15 is a device that carries the substrate into and out of the exposure device 13. In the present embodiment, the track 15 is provided with a coater / developer 15a. The coater / developer 15 a applies a photosensitive agent such as a photoresist to the substrate to be exposed by the exposure device 13 and develops the substrate subjected to the exposure processing by the exposure device 13. That is, the substrate to be exposed is first coated with a photosensitive agent by the coater / developer 15a and then carried into the exposure device 13 by the track 15. The substrate subjected to the exposure processing is carried out of the exposure device 13 by the track 15 and developed by the coater / developer 15a.

  The off-line measurement / inspection apparatus 16 is an off-line apparatus provided separately from the exposure apparatus 13, and performs, for example, the measurement of the overlay accuracy or line width of the pattern formed by the exposure process of the exposure apparatus 13, or the inspection thereof. . In the off-line measurement and inspection apparatus 16, only various measurements, only various inspections may be performed, or various measurements and various inspections may be performed together. Hereinafter, in this specification, measurement and inspection are collectively referred to as “measurement inspection”. In this specification, “measurement inspection” includes a case where only measurement is performed or a case where only inspection is performed. The analysis system 17 performs various analyzes or simulations using various data obtained from the exposure apparatus 13 or various measurement inspection results obtained from the off-line measurement inspection apparatus 16. For example, the assumed line width of the pattern formed on the substrate is obtained by simulation using various data indicating the exposure conditions obtained from the exposure apparatus 13.

  The substrate processing apparatus 18 performs a predetermined process on the substrate. In FIG. 1, as an example of the substrate processing apparatus 18, a CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) apparatus 18a, a CMP (Chemical Mechanical Polishing) apparatus 18b, an etching apparatus 18c, and an oxidation / ion implantation apparatus are illustrated. 18d is shown. The CVD apparatus 18a is a film forming apparatus that forms a thin film on a substrate. The CMP apparatus 18b is a polishing apparatus that planarizes the surface of a substrate by chemical mechanical polishing. The etching device 18c etches the substrate. The oxidation / ion implantation apparatus 18d forms an oxide film on the surface of the substrate or implants impurities into a predetermined position on the substrate.

  The communication server 20 connects device manufacturing processing apparatuses (exposure apparatus 13, inline measurement / inspection apparatus 14, track 15, offline measurement / inspection apparatus 16, analysis system 17, and substrate processing apparatus 18) to each other. As described above, these device manufacturing processing apparatuses are connected to each other via a network laid in the device manufacturing factory. In the present embodiment, these device manufacturing processing apparatuses are further connected to each other via the communication server 20. .

  In addition to the network laid in the device manufacturing factory, each device manufacturing processing apparatus is connected using the communication server 20 because the device manufacturing processing apparatus is manufactured by many manufacturers and handled by the device manufacturing processing apparatus. This is because the format (format) of communication information, communication control information (communication message), and communication procedure (communication protocol) are not unified. In addition, the amount of data obtained by each device manufacturing processing apparatus has become enormous, and if this data communication is attempted only through the network, the load on the network may increase and the device manufacturing processing may be delayed. Because it is possible.

  The communication server 20 absorbs differences in information format, communication messages, and communication protocols handled by each device manufacturing processing apparatus, and connects the device manufacturing processing apparatuses to each other. Details of the communication server 20 will be described later. The overall configuration of the device manufacturing processing system according to the embodiment of the present invention has been described above. Next, details of the exposure apparatus 13 and the communication server 20 constituting the device manufacturing processing system will be described in order.

[Exposure equipment]
FIG. 2 is a side view showing a schematic configuration of an exposure apparatus which is a kind of device manufacturing processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 2, an exposure apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor device, in which a reticle DP as a mask and a wafer W as a substrate are moved synchronously, and a pattern DP formed on the reticle R is sequentially placed on the wafer W. An example is a step-and-scan type reduction projection type exposure apparatus that performs transfer. In the following description, if necessary, an XYZ orthogonal coordinate system is set in the drawing, and the positional relationship of each member will be described with reference to this XYZ orthogonal coordinate system. In this XYZ orthogonal coordinate system, the XY plane is set to a plane parallel to the horizontal plane, and the Z axis is set to the vertical upward direction. It is assumed that the synchronous movement direction (scanning direction) of reticle R and wafer W during exposure is set in the Y direction.

  The exposure apparatus 13 shown in FIG. 2 illuminates a slit-shaped (rectangular or arc-shaped) illumination area extending in the X direction (second direction) on the reticle R with exposure light EL having uniform illuminance. A reticle stage RST that holds the reticle R, a projection optical system PL that projects an image of the pattern DP of the reticle R onto the wafer W coated with photoresist, a wafer stage WST that holds the wafer W, and Main control system MC to be controlled.

The illumination optical system ILS includes a light source unit, an illuminance uniformizing optical system including an optical integrator, a beam splitter, a condensing lens system, a reticle blind, an imaging lens system, and the like (all not shown). The configuration of the illumination optical system is disclosed in, for example, JP-A-9-320956. Here, as the light source unit, a KrF excimer laser (wavelength 248 nm), an ArF excimer laser (wavelength 193 nm), an F ₂ laser light source (wavelength 157 nm), a Kr ₂ laser light source (wavelength 146 nm), an Ar ₂ laser light source ( Ultraviolet laser light source with a wavelength of 126 nm), copper vapor laser light source, harmonic generator light source of YAG laser, harmonic generator of solid-state laser (semiconductor laser, etc.), mercury lamp (g-line, h-line, i-line, etc.), etc. Can be used.

  The reticle stage RST holds the reticle R by vacuum chucking or electrostatic chucking, and is on the upper surface of a reticle support base (surface plate) 31 disposed horizontally below the illumination optical system (in the −Z direction). It is configured to be movable with a predetermined stroke in the scanning direction (Y direction). In addition, the reticle stage RST is configured to be minutely driven with respect to the reticle support base 31 in the X direction, the Y direction, and the rotation direction (θZ direction) around the Z axis.

  A movable mirror 32 is provided at one end on the reticle stage RST. A laser interferometer (hereinafter referred to as a reticle interferometer) 33 is disposed on the reticle support base 31. The reticle interferometer 33 irradiates the mirror surface of the movable mirror 32 with a laser beam and receives the reflected light, whereby the position of the reticle stage RST in the X direction, the Y direction, and the rotation direction (θZ direction) about the Z axis. Is detected. Position information of the reticle stage RST detected by the reticle interferometer 33 is supplied to a main control system MC that controls the overall operation of the apparatus. The main control system MC controls the operation of the reticle stage RST via a reticle driving device 34 that drives the reticle stage RST.

  The projection optical system PL described above includes a plurality of refractive optical elements (lens elements), both the object plane (reticle R) side and the image plane (wafer W) side are telecentric, and a predetermined reduction magnification β (β is, for example, Refractive optical systems having 1/4, 1/5, etc.) are used. The direction of the optical axis AX of the projection optical system PL is set to the Z direction orthogonal to the XY plane. For example, quartz or fluorite is used as the glass material of the plurality of lens elements provided in the projection optical system PL according to the wavelength of the exposure light EL. In the present embodiment, the projection optical system PL that projects an inverted image of the pattern DP formed on the reticle R onto the wafer W will be described as an example. However, an erect image of the pattern DP may be projected. .

  The projection optical system PL is provided with a lens controller unit 35 that measures temperature and atmospheric pressure and controls optical characteristics such as image formation characteristics of the projection optical system PL according to environmental changes such as temperature and atmospheric pressure. Yes. The measurement results of the temperature and pressure of the lens controller unit 35 are output to the main control system MC. The main control system MC controls the optical characteristics such as the imaging characteristics of the projection optical system PL via the lens controller unit 35 based on the temperature and atmospheric pressure measurement results output from the lens controller unit 35.

  Wafer stage WST is arranged below projection optical system PL (in the −Z direction), and holds wafer W by vacuum suction or electrostatic suction. Wafer stage WST is configured to be movable with a predetermined stroke in the scanning direction (Y direction) on the upper surface of wafer support table (surface plate) 36, and is configured to be capable of step movement in X and Y directions. In addition, it can be finely moved in the Z direction (including rotation around the X axis and rotation around the Y axis). By this wafer stage WST, the wafer W can be moved in the X direction and the Y direction, and the position and posture (rotation around the X axis and rotation around the Y axis) of the wafer W can be adjusted. .

  A movable mirror 37 is provided at one end on wafer stage WST. A laser interferometer (hereinafter referred to as a wafer interferometer) 38 that irradiates the mirror surface (reflection surface) of the moving mirror 37 with laser light is provided outside the wafer stage WST. The wafer interferometer 38 irradiates the mirror surface of the movable mirror 37 with a laser beam and receives the reflected light, whereby the position and orientation (X axis, Y axis, Z axis) of the wafer stage WST in the X direction and the Y direction. Surrounding rotations θX, θY, θZ) are detected. The detection result of the wafer interferometer 38 is supplied to the main control system MC. Main control system MC controls the position and orientation of wafer stage WST via wafer drive device 39 based on the detection result of wafer interferometer 38.

  In the exposure apparatus 13 of the present embodiment, a multipoint AF sensor 40 is disposed on the side of the projection optical system PL. This AF sensor 40 is composed of a light transmission system 40a, a light reception system 40b, etc., detects the position in the Z direction (optical axis AX direction) of the surface of the wafer W at each of a plurality of detection points, and the light of the projection optical system PL The surface position and orientation of the wafer W in the direction of the axis AX (rotations θX and θY around the X and Y axes) are detected. The plurality of detection points are set in and near the exposure slit area on the wafer W conjugate with the illumination area on the reticle R with respect to the projection optical system PL.

  The detection result of the AF sensor 40 is supplied to the main control system MC. Main control system MC controls the position and orientation of wafer stage WST via wafer drive device 39 based on the detection result of AF sensor 40. Specifically, a reference surface (hereinafter referred to as an AF surface) serving as a reference for aligning the surface of the wafer W is set in advance in the main control system MC. Main control system MC controls the position and orientation of wafer stage WST based on the detection result of AF sensor 40 so that the surface of wafer W coincides with the AF surface.

  In the exposure apparatus 13 of the present embodiment, an image processing type off-axis type alignment sensor 41 is arranged on the side surface in the Y direction of the projection optical system PL. The alignment sensor 41 observes an alignment mark attached to a shot area set on the wafer W. The observation result (measurement result) of the alignment sensor 41 is supplied to the main control system MC. The optical axis of the optical system of the alignment sensor 41 is parallel to the optical axis AX of the projection optical system PL. The detailed configuration of such an alignment sensor 41 is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 9-219354 and US Pat. No. 5,859,707 corresponding thereto. The main control system MC performs EGA measurement using the measurement result of the alignment sensor 41. With EGA measurement, a predetermined statistical calculation (EGA calculation) is performed using the measurement results of several representative alignment marks formed on the wafer W, and an array of all shot areas set on the wafer W is obtained. This is the desired measurement method.

  The main control system MC is connected to the exposure process management controller 12 shown in FIG. 1 via the network N1, and follows the exposure recipe (exposure control information) transmitted from the exposure process management controller 12 via the network N1. Perform exposure processing. The main control system MC is connected to the communication server 20 shown in FIG. 1 via the connection line N2, and the measurement / inspection results of the inline preliminary measurement / inspection device 14a or the inline post-measurement / inspection device 14b are transmitted via the communication server 20. In this case, control for optimizing the exposure condition is performed using the measurement / inspection result.

[Communication server]
FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a communication server as a connection device between device manufacturing processing apparatuses according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, an exposure apparatus 13, an inline preliminary measurement / inspection apparatus 14 a, an inline post-measurement / inspection apparatus 14 b, and an offline measurement / inspection apparatus 16 are connected to the communication server 20. As described above, in addition to the exposure device 13, the inline measurement / inspection device 14 (inline pre-measurement / inspection device 14a, inline post-measurement / inspection device 14b), and the offline measurement / inspection device 16, the communication server 20 includes the track 15, the analysis system 17, The substrate processing apparatus 18 is connected, but these are not shown in FIG. In the following description, for the sake of simplicity, description of connection of the track 15, the analysis system 17, and the substrate processing apparatus 18 is omitted.

  The communication server 20 includes transmission / reception units 51 and 52, a conversion unit 53, a conversion definition file registration unit 54, and a conversion recipe registration unit 55. The transmission / reception unit 51 is connected to the exposure apparatus 13 via the connection line N2 shown in FIG. 2, and receives information transmitted from the main control system MC of the exposure apparatus 13 via the connection line N2. Information to be transmitted to the control system MC is transmitted via the connection line N2. Here, the transmission / reception unit 51 includes a connection interface suitable for connecting the exposure apparatus 13. For example, if the connection line (see FIG. 2) connected to the exposure apparatus 13 has an RJ-45 connector, the connection interface into which this connector is inserted is provided. For this reason, when the transmission / reception part 51 receives the various information transmitted from main control system MC of the exposure apparatus 13, it receives by the method suitable for the reception.

  The transmission / reception unit 52 is connected to the inline preliminary measurement / inspection device 14a, the inline post-measurement / inspection device 14b, and the offline measurement / inspection device 16, receives information transmitted from them, and transmits information to be transmitted to them. Send. Here, the transmission / reception unit 52 includes a connection interface suitable for connecting the inline pre-measurement / inspection apparatus 14a, the inline post-measurement / inspection apparatus 14b, and the off-line measurement / inspection apparatus 16. For example, when the inline pre-measurement / inspection device 14a, the inline post-measurement / inspection device 14b, and the off-line measurement / inspection device 16 have a connection interface of the RS-232C standard, the transmission / reception unit 52 is also provided with this connection interface. Yes. For this reason, when the transmission / reception unit 52 receives various information transmitted from the inline pre-measurement / inspection apparatus 14a, the inline post-measurement / inspection apparatus 14b, and the off-line measurement / inspection apparatus 16, the transmission / reception unit 52 receives the information by a method suitable for the reception. . In FIG. 3, for convenience, the transmission / reception unit 51 to which the exposure apparatus 13 is connected and the transmission / reception unit 52 to which the inline preliminary measurement / inspection apparatus 14a, the inline post-measurement / inspection apparatus 14b, and the offline measurement / inspection apparatus 16 are connected. Although one transmission / reception unit is illustrated, it should be noted that the transmission / reception unit is provided for each device manufacturing processing apparatus connected to the communication server 20, and each transmission / reception unit is connected to the conversion unit 53.

  The conversion unit 53 is connected to the transmission / reception units 51 and 52, converts the information received by the transmission / reception unit 51 into predetermined information and outputs the information to the transmission / reception unit 52, and conversely converts the information received by the transmission / reception unit 52 into the predetermined information. The information is converted into information and output to the transmission / reception unit 51. Here, the information received by the transmission / reception unit 51 or the information received by the transmission / reception unit 52 is converted according to the transmission destination of the information. For example, when the information emitted by the exposure apparatus 13 is transmitted to the inline preliminary measurement / inspection apparatus 14a, the conversion unit 53 is suitable for receiving the information received by the transmission / reception part 51 by the inline preliminary measurement / inspection apparatus 14a. Convert to information. On the other hand, even when the same information is emitted from the exposure apparatus 13, when this information is transmitted to the in-line post-measurement / inspection apparatus 14 b, the conversion unit 53 uses the information received by the transmission / reception unit 51. The information is converted into information suitable for reception by the in-line post-measurement / inspection apparatus 14b.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the conversion unit 53 includes a file format conversion unit 53a, a communication message conversion unit 53b, and a communication protocol conversion unit 53c. The file format conversion unit 53a converts the format of information received by the transmission / reception units 51 and 52 into a format suitable for processing in the device manufacturing processing apparatus that is the transmission destination of the information. The communication message conversion unit 53b converts the communication message used by the device manufacturing processing apparatus that is the information transmission source into a communication message that can be recognized by the device manufacturing processing apparatus that is the information transmission destination.

  Further, the communication protocol conversion unit 53c is suitable for reception of information received using the communication protocol used by the device manufacturing processing apparatus that is the information transmission source, in the device manufacturing processing apparatus that is the transmission destination of the information. It is converted into information that is sent using a communication protocol. For example, the exposure apparatus 13 uses HSMS defined by the SEMI semiconductor manufacturing equipment standard as a communication protocol. In the inline pre-measurement / inspection apparatus 14a, the inline post-measurement / inspection apparatus 14b, and the off-line measurement / inspection apparatus 16, when SECS-I defined by the same standard is used as a communication protocol, these communication protocols are converted. The HSMS is a communication protocol used in Ethernet (registered trademark), and SECS-I is a communication protocol used in the RS-232C standard.

  As described above, the conversion process performed by the conversion unit 53 differs for each combination of the device manufacturing processing apparatus that is the information transmission source and the device manufacturing processing apparatus that is the information transmission destination. For this reason, in this embodiment, the conversion definition file defines conversion rules for information transmitted and received between any two device manufacturing processing apparatuses connected to the communication server 20. A plurality of conversion definition files are registered in the conversion definition file registration unit 54 in a file format.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the conversion definition file registration unit 54 defines the file format conversion definition file F1 in which the conversion rules used in the file format conversion unit 53a are defined, and the conversion rules used in the communication message conversion unit 53b. A communication message conversion definition file F2 and a communication protocol conversion definition file F3 in which conversion rules used in the communication protocol conversion unit 53c are defined are registered. The file format conversion definition file F1, the communication message conversion definition file F2, and the communication protocol conversion definition file F3 are registered in the conversion definition file registration unit 54 using uniquely defined file names.

  For example, the file format conversion definition file F1 is registered with the file names “A1.txt”, “A2.txt”, “A3.txt”,..., And the communication message conversion definition file F2 is “B1.txt”, “B2”. .txt "," B3.txt ", ... are registered with the file names, and the communication protocol conversion definition file F3 is registered with the file names" C1.txt "," C2.txt "," C3.txt ", ... The The file format conversion definition file F1, the communication message conversion definition file F2, and the communication protocol conversion definition file F3 are all text format files, and the user can freely change their contents.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of the file format conversion definition file F1. The file format conversion definition file F1 shown in FIG. 4 is a part of a conversion rule for converting the alignment measurement result of the inline preliminary measurement / inspection apparatus 14a into a format usable by the exposure apparatus 13. As shown in FIG. 4, in the file format conversion definition file F1, the information handled by the transmission source inline pre-measurement inspection apparatus 14a and the information handled by the transmission exposure apparatus 13 are associated for each line. . Each line includes fields f11 to f13 delimited by a colon “:” and a field f14 delimited by a semicolon “;”.

  In the field f11, a tag name (tag name) attached to information handled by the in-line pre-measurement / inspection apparatus 14a as the transmission source is described. In the field f12, the name of the tag attached to the information handled by the exposure apparatus 13 at the transmission destination is described. Information described in the in-line pre-measurement / inspection apparatus 14a as the transmission source and information handled in the exposure apparatus 13 as the transmission destination are associated with the description contents of the fields f11 and f12. In the field f13, an information conversion formula is described. The field f13 is omitted when there is no need to convert information. In the field f14, a comment having the contents described in the line is described.

  For example, in the field f11 on the first line shown in FIG. 4, “L1” is described as the tag name, “MEAS_DATE” is described as the tag name in the field f12, and the field f13 is omitted. Yes. In the field f14, “measurement date and time” is described as a comment. That is, in this first line, the information indicating the measurement date and time handled by the in-line preliminary measurement and inspection device 14a as the transmission source is attached with the tag “L1”, and the measurement date and time handled by the exposure device 13 as the transmission destination is indicated. The information to be shown is attached with a tag “MEAS_DATE”, and when the information indicating the measurement date and time is transmitted from the inline preliminary measurement and inspection apparatus 14a to the exposure apparatus 13, only the tag name is converted without changing the value. The contents of transmission are described.

  Further, in the field f11 on the seventh line in FIG. 4, “W4” is described as the tag name, “MAP_OFFSET (1)” is described as the tag name in the field f12, and the field f13 is described in the field f13. The conversion formula “W4 + 1” is described. In the field f14, “map offset X” is described as a comment. That is, in this seventh line, the information indicating the map offset X handled by the in-line pre-measurement / inspection apparatus 14a of the transmission source is attached with the tag “W4”, and the map offset handled by the exposure apparatus 13 of the transmission destination. The information indicating X is attached with a tag “MAP_OFFSET (1)”, and when the information indicating the map offset X is transmitted from the inline preliminary measurement inspection apparatus 14a to the exposure apparatus 13, the value is incremented (the tag W4 is In addition, “1” is added to the value of the attached information) and the tag name is converted and transmitted.

  Note that the conversion expression of the field f13 is not limited to a simple expression of incrementing the value of information to be transmitted, but an expression using a function can also be described. For example, when the alignment mark formed on the wafer W is measured by the alignment sensor 41 (see FIG. 2), waveform image data whose signal intensity varies depending on the position in the X direction or the position in the Y direction is obtained. However, a function for changing the offset of the waveform image data according to the position in the X direction or the position in the Y direction can be used. As this function, a multi-order polynomial for X or Y, a trigonometric function, or the like can be used. An arithmetic expression for obtaining one information value from a plurality of information values can also be used.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of the contents of the communication message conversion definition file F2. The communication message conversion definition file F2 shown in FIG. 5 is a part of a conversion rule for converting a communication message used in the inline preliminary measurement / inspection apparatus 14a into a communication message used in the exposure apparatus 13. As shown in FIG. 5, in the communication message conversion definition file F2, the communication message used in the transmission source inline pre-measurement inspection apparatus 14a and the communication message used in the transmission apparatus 13 of the transmission destination are associated for each line. ing. Each line includes fields f21 and f22 separated by a colon “:” and a field f23 separated by a semicolon “;”.

  In the field f21, a communication message used in the in-line preliminary measurement / inspection apparatus 14a as the transmission source is described, and in the field f22, a communication message used in the exposure apparatus 13 as the transmission destination is described. In the field f23, a comment having the contents described in the line is described. As shown in FIG. 5, in each line of the communication message conversion definition file F2, there is a correspondence between a communication message used in the transmission source inline pre-measurement inspection apparatus 14a and a communication message used in the transmission apparatus 13 of the transmission destination. However, it is not always necessary to describe all correspondences of communication messages used in the inline pre-measurement / inspection apparatus 14a and the exposure apparatus 13, and only communication messages that need to be converted need be described.

  The communication message “S6, F1” is described in the field f21 on the first line shown in FIG. 5, and the communication message “S6, F11” is described in the field f22. In the field f23, “Data Collection Trace Data Send” is described as a comment. In other words, in the first line, for the communication message “Trace Data Send” for data collection, the inline pre-measurement / inspection device 14a uses the stream number “6” and the function number “1”. In the exposure apparatus 13, the content that the stream number “6” should be converted to the function number “11” is described.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of the contents of the communication protocol conversion definition file F3. A communication protocol conversion definition file F3 shown in FIG. 6 is a part of a conversion rule for converting a communication protocol used in the inline preliminary measurement and inspection apparatus 14a into a communication protocol used in the exposure apparatus 13. As shown in FIG. 6, in the communication protocol conversion definition file F3, the communication protocol used in the transmission source inline pre-measurement inspection apparatus 14a is associated with the communication protocol used in the transmission apparatus 13 of the transmission destination. Each line includes fields f31 and f32 separated by a colon “:” and a field f33 separated by a semicolon “;”.

  In the field f31, a communication protocol used in the transmission source inline preliminary measurement / inspection apparatus 14a is described, and in the field f32, a communication protocol used in the transmission destination exposure apparatus 13 is described. In the field f33, a comment having the contents described in the line is described. The communication protocol “SECS-I” is described in the field f31 on the first line shown in FIG. 5, and the communication protocol “HSMS” is described in the field f32. In the field f33, “communication protocol” is described as a comment. That is, in the first line, the communication protocol “SECS-I” is used when communicating with the inline preliminary measurement and inspection apparatus 14 a, and communication is performed when communicating with the exposure apparatus 13. The content of using the protocol “HSMS” is described.

  In the conversion recipe registration unit 55, a conversion recipe in which information specifying which of a plurality of conversion definition files registered in the conversion definition file registration unit 54 is used is registered in a file format. The conversion recipe is registered for each combination of any two device manufacturing processing apparatuses among the plurality of device manufacturing processing apparatuses connected to the communication server 20. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 3, three conversion recipe files R1 to R3 are registered in the conversion recipe registration unit 55, but the conversion recipe file R1 connects the exposure apparatus 13 and the inline pre-measurement inspection apparatus 14a. The conversion recipe file R2 is set to connect the exposure apparatus 13 and the in-line post measurement inspection apparatus 14b, and the conversion recipe file R3 is the exposure apparatus 13 and the offline measurement inspection apparatus 16 Is set between and. This conversion recipe file is a text format file, and the user can freely change its contents.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of the contents of the conversion recipe file. As shown in FIG. 7, in the conversion recipe file R1, the conversion recipe file number uniquely determined between the conversion recipe files is described in the first line, and the connected device name is described in the second line. In the example shown in FIG. 7, the exposure apparatus 13 and the inline preliminary measurement / inspection apparatus 14a are described as connection apparatus names. Further, the format file conversion definition file name is described in the third line, the communication message conversion definition file name is described in the fourth line, and the communication protocol conversion definition file name is described in the fifth line. .

  As the format file conversion definition file name, the file name of the file format conversion definition file F1 (for example, “A1.txt”) is described. As the communication message conversion definition file name, the file name of the communication message conversion definition file F2 (for example, “A2.txt”) is described. Furthermore, the file name (for example, “C1.txt”) of the communication protocol conversion definition file F3 is described as the communication protocol conversion definition file name.

  That is, the file format conversion definition registered in the conversion definition file registration unit 54 for each combination of any two device manufacturing processing apparatuses connected to the communication server 20 by this conversion recipe file. One file F1, one communication message conversion definition file F2, and one communication protocol conversion definition file F3 are designated.

  Note that a plurality of format file conversion definition file names, communication message conversion definition file names, and communication protocol conversion definition file names can be described in the conversion recipe file. When a plurality of format file conversion definition file names, communication message conversion definition file names, or communication protocol conversion definition file names are described in the conversion recipe file, the conversion unit 53 uses each of the plurality of conversion definition files described. Conversion processing is performed according to a conversion rule obtained by combining the conversion rules to be defined.

  Assume that there is a communication protocol conversion definition file with a file name “C11.txt” and a communication protocol conversion definition file with a file name “C12.txt”. A communication protocol conversion rule between the exposure apparatus 13 and the inline preliminary measurement / inspection apparatus 14a is defined in a communication protocol conversion definition file with a file name "C11.txt", and a communication with a file name "C12.txt". It is assumed that the protocol conversion definition file defines a communication protocol conversion rule between the exposure apparatus 13 and the inline post-measurement / inspection apparatus 14b.

  As the communication protocol conversion definition file name in the conversion recipe file for connecting between the inline pre-measurement / inspection device 14a and the inline post-measurement / inspection device 14b, both of the above "C11.txt" and "C12.txt" are If it is described, the communication protocol conversion unit 53c of the conversion unit 53 combines these conversion rules and uses the communication protocol used in the inline preliminary measurement and inspection apparatus 14a without using the communication protocol of the exposure apparatus 13. And a communication protocol used in the in-line post-measurement / inspection apparatus 14b. By enabling the above description method, it is possible to save time and labor for creating a conversion recipe file and a conversion definition file by the user.

  When using the communication server 20 having the above configuration, the user first uses a connection cable to use a device manufacturing processing apparatus (exposure apparatus 13, inline measurement inspection apparatus 14, track 15, offline measurement inspection apparatus 16, analysis system 17, and The substrate processing apparatus 18) is connected to the communication server 20. At this time, the device manufacturing processing apparatus and the communication server 20 are connected using a connection cable suitable for the connection interface provided in the device manufacturing processing apparatus. Specifically, when connecting the exposure apparatus 13, for example, an Ethernet (registered trademark) cable having an RJ-45 connector is used, and when connecting the in-line measurement and inspection apparatus 14, an RS-232C cable. Connect using.

  Next, the user creates a file format conversion definition file F1, a communication message conversion definition file F2, and a communication protocol conversion definition file F3 in accordance with the device manufacturing processing apparatus connected to the communication server 20, and stores them in the conversion definition file registration unit 54. sign up. In addition, the user creates a conversion recipe file for each combination of device manufacturing processing apparatuses connected to the communication server 20 and registers the conversion recipe file in the conversion recipe registration unit 55.

  Note that it is extremely troublesome for the user to create all of the file format conversion definition file F1, the communication message conversion definition file F2, and the communication protocol conversion definition file F3. For this reason, for example, it is desirable to be able to download from a server device that provides these conversion definition files via the Internet. By making the conversion definition file downloadable, the user only needs to edit the minimum necessary conversion definition file.

  When the communication server 20 is turned on after performing the above operations, the conversion recipe files registered in the conversion recipe registration unit 55 are sequentially read out by the conversion unit 53. When the conversion recipe file is read by the conversion unit 53, a conversion definition file having a file name described in the conversion recipe file is read from the conversion definition file registration unit 54, and the conversion rule defined in the conversion definition file is changed. The conversion unit 53 is sequentially applied. Since conversion rules may be different for each combination of device manufacturing processing apparatuses, a plurality of conversion rules are applied to the conversion unit 53. When the above processing is completed, communication via the communication server 20 becomes possible between the device manufacturing processing apparatuses connected to the communication server 20. In the above, the case of newly connecting the communication server 20 has been described as an example, but it is also possible to add a device manufacturing processing apparatus to the existing communication server 20.

  Next, a specific operation when waveform image data is transmitted from the inline preliminary measurement / inspection apparatus 14a shown in FIGS. 1 and 3 to the exposure apparatus 13 will be described. This waveform image data is an alignment measurement result of the inline preliminary measurement / inspection apparatus 14a, and it is assumed that the signal intensity changes according to the position in the X direction (X position). When transmitting the waveform image data to the exposure apparatus 13, the inline premeasurement / inspection apparatus 14 a uses the communication protocol “SECS-I” with the communication server 20 and is incorporated in the inline premeasurement / inspection apparatus 14 a in advance. Communication is performed using the received communication message, and waveform image data is transmitted. The waveform image data transmitted from the inline pre-measurement / inspection apparatus 14 a is received by the transmission / reception unit 52 of the communication server 20.

  The waveform image data received by the transmission / reception unit 52 is output to the conversion unit 53. When the waveform image data is input to the conversion unit 53, the file format conversion unit 53a of the conversion unit 53 converts the file format specified by the conversion recipe file that defines the connection between the inline preliminary measurement inspection device 14a and the exposure device 13. The input waveform image data is converted according to the contents of the definition file F1. The conversion rules defined in the file format conversion definition file F1 are applied in advance to the file format conversion unit 53a when the communication server 20 is turned on or reset.

  Here, it is assumed that it is known in advance that there is a difference between the measurement result of the alignment sensor provided in the inline preliminary measurement / inspection apparatus 14a and the measurement result of the alignment sensor 41 (see FIG. 2) provided in the exposure apparatus 13. FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of a difference between a measurement result of the alignment sensor provided in the inline preliminary measurement / inspection apparatus 14 a and a measurement result of the alignment sensor 41 provided in the exposure apparatus 13. In FIG. 8, the waveform image data denoted by reference symbol K1 is obtained by measuring a certain alignment mark with an alignment sensor provided in the in-line preliminary measurement and inspection device 14a. The waveform image data denoted by reference symbol K2 is the same as that shown in FIG. It is assumed that the alignment mark is obtained by measuring with an alignment sensor 41 provided in the exposure apparatus 13.

  When there is a difference in measurement results as shown in FIG. 8, it is difficult to use the waveform image data obtained by the inline preliminary measurement and inspection apparatus 14a as it is in the exposure apparatus 13. For this reason, conversion rules for absorbing differences in measurement results that are known in advance are defined in the file format conversion definition file F1, and the file format conversion unit 53a uses the conversion rules from the inline preliminary measurement and inspection device 14a. If this waveform image data is converted, the converted waveform image data can be used in the exposure apparatus 13.

  For example, if the waveform image data K1 shown in FIG. 8 is subjected to a conversion process in which a different offset is applied for each X position, the waveform image data K1 can be converted into the waveform image data K2. Therefore, a conversion rule for adding such an offset is defined in advance in the file format conversion definition file F1, and this file format conversion definition file is a conversion recipe file that defines the connection between the inline preliminary measurement inspection apparatus 14a and the exposure apparatus 13. If F1 is designated, the difference in the measurement results described above can be absorbed, and can be converted into waveform image data suitable for processing in the exposure apparatus 13. Here, the waveform image data whose signal intensity changes according to the X position is taken as an example. However, the waveform image data whose signal intensity changes according to the Y position, or the signal intensity changes according to the time position. Waveform image data can also be converted by the same method. The waveform image data can be converted by the same method whether it is one-dimensional data, two-dimensional data, or three-dimensional data.

  Further, the communication message conversion unit 53b of the conversion unit 53 performs the inline preliminary measurement inspection according to the content of the communication message conversion definition file F2 specified by the conversion recipe file that defines the connection between the inline preliminary measurement inspection device 14a and the exposure device 13. Waveform image data along the communication message used in communication with the apparatus 14a is converted into waveform image data along the communication message that the exposure apparatus 13 can recognize. Furthermore, the communication protocol conversion unit 53c of the conversion unit 53 performs the inline preliminary measurement inspection according to the content of the communication protocol conversion definition file F3 specified by the conversion recipe file that defines the connection between the inline preliminary measurement inspection device 14a and the exposure device 13. Information received by the communication protocol (“SECS-I”) used for communication with the apparatus 14 a is converted into information transmitted by a communication protocol (“HSMS”) suitable for communication with the exposure apparatus 13. To do. Note that the conversion rules specified in the communication message conversion definition file F2 and the conversion rules specified in the communication protocol conversion definition file F3 are also set in advance when the communication server 20 is powered on or reset. And the communication protocol conversion unit 53c.

  The waveform image data subjected to the above conversion processing is output from the conversion unit 53 to the transmission / reception unit 51 and transmitted from the transmission / reception unit 51 to the exposure apparatus 13. Through the above processing, the communication server 20 receives the waveform image data from the in-line pre-measurement / inspection apparatus 14a as the transmission source in conformity with the in-line pre-measurement / inspection apparatus 14a, and adapts the received information to the exposure apparatus 13 as the transmission destination. And send it. When a plurality of conversion definition files are described in the conversion recipe file, processing similar to the above processing is performed except for processing for combining conversion rules, and data is transmitted and received between the two device manufacturing processing apparatuses. Done. As described above, in the present embodiment, device manufacturing processing apparatuses can be connected to each other via the communication server 20 without modifying the device manufacturing processing apparatus connected to the communication server 20.

  Next, a modified example of the communication server will be described. FIG. 9 is a block diagram illustrating a modification of the communication server. In FIG. 9, the same components as those shown in FIG. 3 are denoted by the same reference numerals. The communication server 21 shown in FIG. 9 replaces the conversion unit 53, the conversion definition file registration unit 54, and the conversion recipe registration unit 55 included in the communication server 21 shown in FIG. 3, and includes a conversion unit 56, a conversion program registration unit 57, and The difference is that a conversion recipe registration unit 58 is provided.

  The conversion unit 56 includes a file format conversion unit 56a and a communication message conversion unit 56b that perform the same conversion processing as the file format conversion unit 53a, the communication message conversion unit 53b, and the communication protocol conversion unit 53c included in the conversion unit 53 illustrated in FIG. And a communication protocol converter 56c. The file format conversion unit 53a, the communication message conversion unit 53b, and the communication protocol conversion unit 53c shown in FIG. 3 perform conversion processing based on the contents of the conversion definition file specified by the conversion recipe. The file format conversion unit 56a, the communication message conversion unit 56b, and the communication protocol conversion unit 56c included in 56 perform conversion processing according to the conversion program by calling and executing the conversion program specified by the conversion recipe. Is different.

  The conversion program registration unit 57 includes a file format conversion program P1, a communication message conversion program P2 called from the file format conversion unit 56a, communication message conversion unit 56b, and communication protocol conversion unit 56c included in the conversion unit 56, and A plurality of communication protocol conversion programs P3 are registered in a file format. Although the various conversion definition files shown in FIG. 3 describe conversion rules in text format, the various conversion programs shown in FIG. 9 are called from the conversion unit 56 and actually perform conversion processing.

  The file format conversion program P1, the communication message conversion program P2, and the communication protocol conversion program P3 are preferably created in, for example, a DLL (dynamic link library) format. These conversion programs are also registered in the conversion program registration unit 57 using uniquely defined file names. Since these are programs, the user cannot basically change the contents, but operational mistakes are reduced accordingly.

  In the conversion recipe registration unit 58, a conversion recipe in which information designating which of a plurality of conversion programs registered in the conversion program registration unit 57 is used is registered in a file format. The conversion recipe files R11 to R13,... Are registered for each combination of any two device manufacturing processing apparatuses among the plurality of device manufacturing processing apparatuses connected to the communication server 21. These conversion recipe files R11 to R13,... Are text format files, and the contents can be freely changed by the user.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the contents of a conversion recipe file used in the communication server 21. As shown in FIG. 10, the conversion recipe files R11 to R13,... Used in the communication server 21 have substantially the same contents as the conversion recipe files R1 to R3,. That is, the conversion recipe file number uniquely determined among the conversion recipe files is described on the first line, and the connected device name is described on the second line. In the example shown in FIG. 10, the exposure apparatus 13 and the inline preliminary measurement / inspection apparatus 14a are described as connection apparatus names. However, the difference is that the format file conversion program name, the communication message conversion program name, and the communication protocol conversion program name are described in the third to fifth lines, respectively. In the conversion recipe files R11 to R13,... Used in the communication server 21, a plurality of format file conversion program names, communication message conversion program names, and communication protocol conversion program names can be described.

  Also in the communication server 21 configured as described above, almost the same conversion processing as that of the communication server 20 shown in FIG. 3 is performed. Therefore, even when the communication server 21 is used, the device manufacturing processing apparatuses can be connected to each other via the communication server 21 without modifying the device manufacturing processing apparatus connected to the communication server 21. Become. In this embodiment, it is not impossible for a user to create a conversion program, but it requires a great deal of labor. For this reason, for example, it is desirable to enable download from a server device that provides a conversion program via the Internet. By making the conversion program downloadable, the user need only create and edit the conversion recipe file.

  The communication servers 20 and 21 described above can also be realized using a computer. FIG. 11 is a front view showing the appearance of the communication servers 20 and 21 realized by a computer. As shown in FIG. 11, the computer in which the communication servers 20 and 21 are realized includes an input device such as a keyboard 61 and a mouse 62, a display device 63 such as a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube) or a liquid crystal display device, and a main body 64. .

  Inside the main body 64, an internal storage device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a RAM (Random Access Memory) and a ROM (Read Only Memory), and an external storage device such as a hard disk (all not shown) are provided. Yes. The main unit 64 is provided with a drive device 65 such as a CD-ROM drive or a DVD (registered trademark) -ROM drive. Further, a plurality of connection interfaces (for example, RJ-45 connectors, etc.) for connecting device manufacturing processing apparatuses such as the exposure apparatus 13, the inline preliminary measurement / inspection apparatus 14a, and the inline post-measurement / inspection apparatus 14b are provided on the back surface of the main body 64. A connection interface to which an RS-232C connector is connected is provided.

  Further, the main body 64 includes a program that realizes the functions of the conversion unit 53 (file format conversion unit 53a, communication message conversion unit 53b, and communication protocol conversion unit 53c) shown in FIG. 2, or the conversion unit 56 shown in FIG. A program that realizes the functions of (file format conversion unit 56a, communication message conversion unit 56b, and communication protocol conversion unit 56c) is installed. This program is stored in a computer-readable recording medium 66 such as a CD-ROM or a DVD (registered trademark) -ROM, for example, and the program recorded on the recording medium 66 is read by using the drive device 65 and the main body. Installed in the unit 64.

  The server device capable of transmitting the above program may be connected to a network installed in the device manufacturing factory, and the communication servers 20 and 21 may be connected to the network and installed online. Alternatively, the communication servers 20 and 21 may be connected to the Internet, and the above program may be downloaded and installed via the Internet.

  The conversion definition file registration unit 54 for registering the file format conversion definition file F1, the communication message conversion definition file F2, and the communication protocol conversion definition file F3 shown in FIG. 3, and the conversion recipe registration unit 58 for registering the conversion recipe file, or FIG. The conversion program registration unit 57 for registering the file format conversion program P1, the communication message conversion program P2, and the communication protocol conversion program P3, and the conversion recipe registration unit 58 for registering the conversion recipe file shown in FIG. It can be realized by using an external storage device such as a hard disk or an internal storage device provided inside. In particular, since most OSs (operating systems) record information on a hard disk in a file format, it is extremely suitable for registering the above-mentioned various conversion definition files and conversion recipe files.

  In the above description, a single communication server 20, 21 has a plurality of device manufacturing processing apparatuses (the exposure apparatus 13, the inline measurement inspection apparatus 14, the track 15, the offline measurement inspection apparatus 16, the analysis system 17, and the substrate processing shown in FIG. An example of connection with the device 18) has been described. However, a wide variety of device manufacturing processing apparatuses are provided in the device manufacturing factory, and it is rare that one communication server is provided in the device manufacturing factory.

  The communication server can be connected to a wide variety of device manufacturing processing apparatuses. However, the communication server is often used for connection between specific device manufacturing processing apparatuses (for example, between the exposure apparatus 13 and the inline measurement / inspection apparatus 14). Conceivable. For this reason, it is considered that many communication servers having similar connection forms are arranged in the device manufacturing factory. The user creates a file format conversion definition file F1, a communication message conversion definition file F2, a communication protocol conversion definition file F3, and conversion recipe files R1 to R3,... Shown in FIG. However, it takes a lot of labor and time to create the conversion recipe files R11 to R13,... Shown in FIG.

  For this reason, for example, each of the communication servers provided in the device manufacturing factory is connected to a network laid in the device manufacturing factory, and the file format conversion definition file F1 shown in FIG. The message conversion definition file F2, the communication protocol conversion definition file F3, and the conversion recipe files R1 to R3,..., Or the conversion recipe files R11 to R13,. It is desirable that P2 and the communication protocol conversion program P3 can be acquired from another communication server. Thus, if the above-mentioned various files are created by one communication server in the device manufacturing factory, and these files are acquired from other communication servers in the device manufacturing factory, the device manufacturing processing apparatus can be installed on many communication servers. It becomes possible to connect, and the labor of the user can be reduced.

[Device manufacturing method]
FIG. 12 is a flowchart for explaining a device manufacturing method using a device manufacturing processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. Here, the device manufacturing method shown in FIG. 12 can be applied to any case of manufacturing a semiconductor chip such as an IC or LSI, a liquid crystal panel, a CCD, a thin film magnetic head, a micromachine, or the like. An example of the case of manufacturing will be described. In FIG. 12, a white arrow represents a transition of processing performed on the wafer W, and a solid line arrow represents a flow of information between the respective processes. It is assumed that the following device manufacturing process is performed in lot units with a plurality of (for example, 25) wafers W as a unit. In the following, a case where a device is manufactured using the device manufacturing processing system provided with the communication server 20 shown in FIG. 1 will be described as an example.

  When the process is started, first, a film forming process is performed in which the wafer W for one lot is transferred to the CVD apparatus 18a shown in FIG. In this process, the same semiconductor film is formed on all the wafers W for one lot (step S11). When the film forming process is completed, one lot of wafers W is transferred to a coater / developer 15 a provided in the track 15. Then, a photoresist is sequentially applied onto the wafer W by the coater / developer 15a. The wafer W coated with the photoresist is transferred to the in-line preliminary measurement / inspection apparatus 14a and subjected to the preliminary measurement / inspection process (step S12).

  In this pre-measurement / inspection processing, measurement of alignment marks formed on the wafer W, step measurement on the surface of the wafer W, inspection of defects / foreign matter on the wafer W, and the like are performed. Then, from these measurement / inspection results, optimization of parameters for alignment processing (positioning processing) performed during exposure by the exposure apparatus 13 and optimization of parameters used for autofocus control performed during exposure by the exposure apparatus 13 are performed. Is called.

  That is, as described above, the exposure apparatus 13 performs EGA measurement for obtaining the arrangement of all shot areas set on the wafer W from the measurement results of several representative alignment marks formed on the wafer W. Here, when the alignment mark to be measured is deformed or foreign matter is adhered when performing the EGA measurement with the exposure apparatus 13, the arrangement of the shot areas cannot be accurately determined, and as a result, during exposure, This causes an alignment error. In order to prevent this, measurement of the alignment mark and defect / foreign matter inspection on the wafer W are performed in advance with the inline preliminary measurement and inspection apparatus 14a, selection of the alignment mark to be used in EGA measurement, and alignment mark 41 is measured with the alignment sensor 41. The parameters of the alignment process, such as the determination of the measurement algorithm that should be used when doing this, are optimized.

  When the exposure apparatus 13 is a step-and-scan type reduction projection type exposure apparatus shown in FIG. 2, the exposure process is performed while the wafer W is moved. At the time of exposure, autofocus control is performed so that the surface of the wafer W is aligned with the image plane of the projection optical system PL based on the detection result of the AF sensor 40. However, the optimal control method differs depending on the surface state of the wafer W. For this reason, the in-line pre-measurement / inspection apparatus 14a measures the level difference on the surface of the wafer W in advance and optimizes the parameters used for focus control.

  When the pre-measurement / inspection process is performed by the in-line pre-measurement / inspection apparatus 14a, the alignment mark formation position on the wafer W, various parameters used in the EGA measurement of the exposure apparatus 13 are inlined from the exposure apparatus 13 via the communication server 20. It is transmitted to the pre-measurement inspection device 14a. Further, the various parameters and various measurement results obtained by the preliminary measurement / inspection processing of the inline preliminary measurement / inspection apparatus 14a are transmitted from the inline preliminary measurement / inspection apparatus 14a to the exposure apparatus 13 via the communication server 20 (step SC1). ). As a result, various parameters for optimizing the exposure conditions of the exposure apparatus 13 are fed forward to the exposure apparatus 13.

  When the above processing is completed, the exposure processing of the wafer W is performed by the exposure apparatus 13 (step S13). When the exposure process is started, the reticle R according to the exposure recipe is held on the reticle stage RST, and the wafer W that has been subjected to the preliminary measurement inspection process by the preliminary measurement inspection apparatus 14a is transferred to the exposure apparatus 13. It is held on wafer stage WST. Next, the main control system MC of the exposure apparatus 13 moves the wafer stage WST in the XY plane and puts an alignment mark indicated by the parameter transmitted from the inline preliminary measurement / inspection apparatus 14a within the measurement visual field of the alignment sensor 41. Place and measure the alignment mark. When the measurement of the alignment mark indicated by the above parameters is completed, the main control system MC performs an EGA calculation to obtain the arrangement of all shot areas on the wafer W.

  When the EGA measurement is completed, exposure is performed on each shot area set on the wafer W. When exposing the shot area, the main control system MC drives the wafer driving device 39 to move the wafer stage WST in the XY plane so that the shot area to be exposed first is arranged at the movement start position. At the same time, the reticle driving device 34 is driven by the main control system MC, and the reticle stage RST is also arranged at the start of movement. When the above arrangement is completed, the main control system MC starts to move the reticle stage RST and the wafer stage WST, and the settling time (reticle stage RST and wafer stage WST after the reticle stage RST and wafer stage WST reach a predetermined speed). The control signal is output to the illumination optical system ILS and the exposure light EL is emitted after the elapse of time (provided to contain the vibration generated by the acceleration). Thereby, the exposure light EL is irradiated onto the reticle R, and exposure of the shot area is started.

  Main control system MC moves reticle stage RST and wafer stage WST in the Y direction at a constant speed during exposure of the shot area. In addition, during exposure of the shot area, the main control system MC performs autofocus control according to the parameters transmitted from the inline preliminary measurement and inspection apparatus 14a and the detection result of the AF sensor 40, and the wafer W Is aligned with the image plane of the projection optical system PL. When the exposure of one shot area is completed, the main control system MC moves the wafer stage WST in the XY plane and places the shot area to be exposed next at the movement start position. Thereafter, the exposure of all shot areas on the wafer W is similarly performed.

  When the exposure of all shot areas on the wafer W is completed, the wafer W held on the wafer stage WST is unloaded, and a new wafer W that has been subjected to the preliminary measurement and inspection processing of the inline preliminary measurement and inspection apparatus 14a is exposed. It is transported to apparatus 13 and held on wafer stage WST. The main control system MC performs various measurement results such as execution parameters and alignment measurement results used when performing exposure processing when exposure for each shot area, exposure processing for each wafer W, or exposure processing for each lot is completed. And various trace data indicating the exposure results are temporarily recorded. Here, the trace data includes, for example, synchronization accuracy trace data indicating the accuracy of synchronization between wafer stage WST and reticle stage RST during exposure, and control of the surface position and orientation of wafer W with respect to the image plane of projection optical system PL during exposure. There is focus trace data indicating an error for each position of the wafer W.

  After the exposure process is completed, the wafer W unloaded from the exposure apparatus 13 is transferred to a coater / developer 15a provided in the track 15 and subjected to a development process (step S14). The wafer W that has been subjected to the development processing is transferred to the in-line post-measurement / inspection apparatus 14b and subjected to post-measurement / inspection processing (step S15). In this post-measurement inspection process, overlay measurement, line width measurement, and the like are performed. In addition, you may perform this post-measurement process after the below-mentioned etching process as needed.

  Further, the in-line post-measurement / inspection apparatus 14b uses the communication server 20 for the exposure apparatus 13 or the in-line pre-measurement / inspection apparatus 14a, parameters used for alignment measurement, alignment measurement results, autofocus, synchronization accuracy, exposure amount, and the like. The control data transmission request is transmitted, and the data is acquired via the communication server 20 (step SC2). When the main control system MC of the exposure apparatus 13 transmits the above data to the in-line post-measurement / inspection apparatus 14b, the temporarily recorded data may be quickly deleted.

  The in-line post-measurement / inspection apparatus 14b analyzes the measurement result obtained by the overlay measurement, the line width measurement, or the like using the data acquired from the exposure apparatus 13 or the like. If the result of this analysis is that the overlay or line width is abnormal, a change in the processing parameters of the exposure apparatus 13 or the inline preliminary measurement / inspection apparatus 14a is notified via the communication server 20 (step SC3). As a result, various parameters for optimizing the exposure conditions of the exposure apparatus 13 are fed back to the exposure apparatus 13. Further, the in-line post-measurement / inspection apparatus 14b records an overlapping portion or an abnormal portion of the line width.

  The photoresist coating process S11, the pre-measurement inspection process S12, the exposure process S13, the development process S14, and the post-measurement inspection process S15 are not sequentially performed in units of one wafer W, but in units of wafers W. Are performed sequentially. When each of the above-described processes for one lot of wafers W is completed, the lot is transferred to the substrate processing apparatus 18 shown in FIG. 1, etched by an etching apparatus 18c, and subjected to an impurity diffusion process by an oxidation / ion implantation apparatus 18d. Further, an aluminum vapor deposition wiring process is performed by a vapor deposition apparatus (not shown) (step S16). In this step, chemical mechanical polishing using a CMP apparatus 18b is performed as necessary.

  By performing the processes in steps S11 to S16 described above, a single layer (one layer) pattern is formed on the wafer W. That is, it can be said that the steps S11 to S16 are the layer forming step S1. The lot that has finished the above step S16 is conveyed again to the CVD apparatus 18a or the coater / developer 15b. Then, the layer forming step S1 is repeated by the number of layers to be formed on the wafer W.

  Thereafter, the lot that has undergone the above steps is transported to a probing device (not shown) and subjected to a probing (inspection) process (step S17). At this time, since an abnormal portion of the overlay or line width is known by the post-measurement inspection process performed in step S15 in advance, omitting the inspection of the chip having the abnormal portion improves the manufacturing efficiency of the device. Is preferable. In order to use the information indicating the abnormal part obtained by the inline post measurement inspection apparatus 14b in the probing apparatus, the probing apparatus is connected to the communication server 20, and the information on the abnormal part obtained by the inline post measurement inspection apparatus 14b is transmitted to the communication server 20. It is desirable to transmit to the probing device via (step SC4).

  When the probing process is finished, a repair process is performed (step S18). Repair processing means that when forming a circuit on a substrate, a redundant part is formed in parallel with the original element part. If the original element part is defective, a laser repair device or the like is used. This is a process of repairing a circuit by burning out the element portion with a laser beam and using a redundant portion in place of the defective element portion. Here, since an abnormal portion of the overlay or line width is known by the post-measurement inspection process performed in step S15 in advance, omitting the repair processing of the chip having the abnormal portion improves the manufacturing efficiency of the device. Preferred above (step SC4).

In order to realize such repair processing, it is desirable to connect a repair device (not shown) to the communication server 20 and transmit information on the abnormal part obtained by the inline post-measurement and inspection device 14b to the repair device via the communication server 20. . Next, dicing processing is performed on the wafer W (step S19), packaging processing is performed on each chip separated by dicing, and bonding processing is performed (step S20).
A device is manufactured through the above steps.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, various types of information are transmitted and received between the exposure apparatus 13, the inline preliminary measurement / inspection apparatus 14a, and the inline post-measurement / inspection apparatus 14b via the communication server 20, and the exposure conditions of the exposure apparatus 13 are determined. Various parameters for optimization are fed forward or fed back to the exposure apparatus 13. For this reason, the information obtained by each device manufacturing processing apparatus can be effectively used between the device manufacturing processing apparatuses.

  In the above embodiment, the case where various types of information are transmitted / received among the exposure apparatus 13, the inline preliminary measurement / inspection apparatus 14a, and the inline post-measurement / inspection apparatus 14b connected to the communication server 20 has been described as an example. However, transmission / reception of information to / from other device manufacturing processing apparatuses (track 15, analysis system 17, and substrate processing apparatus 18) connected to the communication server 20 is also possible. Therefore, information can be used effectively between these.

  For example, an alignment result obtained by the exposure apparatus 13 is transmitted to the analysis system 17 via the communication server 20 to obtain a simulation result of overlaying patterns formed on the wafer W. Then, by transmitting this simulation result to the exposure apparatus 13 via the communication server 20, the main control system MC of the exposure apparatus 13 can also perform an operation such as selecting an alignment mark to be measured during alignment. is there.

  As mentioned above, although embodiment of this invention was described, this invention is not restrict | limited to the said embodiment, It can change freely within the scope of the present invention. For example, in the above embodiment, the conversion unit 53 of the communication server 20 shown in FIG. 3 includes the file format conversion unit 53a, the communication message conversion unit 53b, and the communication protocol conversion unit 53c, and the communication server 21 shown in FIG. The case where the conversion unit 56 includes the file format conversion unit 56a, the communication message conversion unit 56b, and the communication protocol conversion unit 56c has been described as an example. However, when only one or two of the information format, communication message, and communication protocol received by the communication server need to be converted, the conversion units 53 and 56 have a function of performing necessary conversion. It only has to be. For each conversion unit, the conversion definition file method and the conversion program method may be used in combination.

  Further, the file format conversion definition file F1, the communication message conversion definition file F2, and the communication protocol conversion definition file F3 shown in FIG. 3 and the conversion recipe files R1 to R3,..., Or the conversion recipe files R11 to R13 shown in FIG. ,..., And the file format conversion program P1, the communication message conversion program P2, and the communication protocol conversion program P3 may be provided with a charging system capable of charging according to the number of downloads.

  In addition, the exposure apparatus 13 in the above embodiment may be an exposure apparatus that uses an immersion method as disclosed in International Publication No. 99/49504, and is an exposure apparatus that does not use an immersion method. Also good. An exposure apparatus using an immersion method is an immersion exposure apparatus that locally fills the space between the projection optical system PL and the wafer W with a liquid, such as a substrate to be exposed as disclosed in JP-A-6-124873. An immersion exposure apparatus for moving a held stage in a liquid tank, a liquid tank having a predetermined depth is formed on a stage as disclosed in JP-A-10-303114, and a substrate is held therein. Any of the immersion exposure apparatuses may be used.

  The exposure apparatus 13 is used for manufacturing a display including a liquid crystal display element (LCD), an exposure apparatus used for manufacturing a semiconductor element, and transferring a device pattern onto a semiconductor wafer. Any of an exposure apparatus for transferring up, an exposure apparatus used for manufacturing a thin film magnetic head to transfer a device pattern onto a ceramic wafer, an exposure apparatus used for manufacturing an imaging device such as a CCD, and the like may be used. Furthermore, an exposure apparatus that transfers a circuit pattern onto a glass substrate or a silicon wafer to manufacture a reticle or mask used in an optical exposure apparatus, EUV exposure apparatus, X-ray exposure apparatus, electron beam exposure apparatus, or the like. There may be. Further, instead of an exposure apparatus that transfers a pattern formed on a reticle or mask, an exposure apparatus that transfers a predetermined pattern without a mask may be used.

Claims (37)

A connection device for connecting two or more device manufacturing processing devices,
A receiving unit connected to the first device manufacturing processing apparatus and receiving the transmission information from the first device manufacturing processing apparatus in a method suitable for receiving the transmission information of the first device manufacturing processing apparatus;
A second device manufacturing processing apparatus connected to the receiving unit and having a file for optimizing at least one of an exposure condition and a measurement / inspection condition included in the information received by the receiving unit different from the first device manufacturing processing apparatus Is converted into a file format suitable for information reception at the same time , and one-dimensional, two-dimensional, or three-dimensional image data included in the file is converted into image data suitable for processing in the second device manufacturing processing apparatus. A conversion unit;
A file format that is connected to the conversion unit and the second device manufacturing processing apparatus, includes image data converted by the conversion unit, and is suitable for receiving information in the second device manufacturing processing apparatus by the conversion unit. And a transmission unit that transmits information including the converted file to the second device manufacturing processing apparatus. The conversion unit converts the file included in the information received by the reception unit into a file format suitable for processing in the second device manufacturing processing apparatus, and includes one-dimensional and two-dimensional included in the file. Or in addition to a first conversion unit that converts three-dimensional image data into image data suitable for processing in the second device manufacturing processing apparatus ,
A second conversion unit that converts data in accordance with a communication message system used in the first device manufacturing processing apparatus into data in accordance with a communication message system recognizable by the second device manufacturing processing apparatus;
The information received by the receiving unit using a communication protocol suitable for receiving outgoing information from the first device manufacturing processing apparatus is converted into information transmitted using a communication protocol suitable for receiving information by the second device manufacturing processing apparatus. The connection device according to claim 1, further comprising at least one of a third conversion unit for conversion. In at least one of the file format and image data conversion processing by the first conversion unit, the conversion processing according to the communication message system by the second conversion unit, and the conversion processing according to the communication protocol by the third conversion unit The connection device according to claim 2, further comprising a registration unit in which conversion processing information related to the conversion processing is registered.   The connection device according to claim 3, wherein the conversion processing information is registered in the registration unit in a file format. Conversion processing information related to the file format and image data conversion processing by the first conversion unit, conversion processing information related to conversion processing according to the communication message system by the second conversion unit, and communication by the third conversion unit The connection device according to claim 3, further comprising: a recipe registration unit that registers a conversion recipe that associates at least two pieces of conversion processing information related to conversion processing according to a protocol.   6. The connection apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the information registered in the recipe registration unit is registered in a file format. A conversion recipe that associates a plurality of conversion processing information related to the file format and image data conversion processing by the first conversion unit, and a plurality of conversion processing information related to the conversion processing according to the communication message system by the second conversion unit. And a recipe registration unit that registers at least one of the conversion recipes associated with a plurality of conversion processing information related to the conversion processing according to the communication protocol according to the communication protocol by the third conversion unit. The connection device according to claim 3. A registration unit in which conversion processing information related to the conversion processing in the conversion unit is registered;
A file suitable for reception in the second device manufacturing processing apparatus is a file for optimizing at least one of the exposure condition and the measurement inspection condition included in the information received from the first device manufacturing processing apparatus in the registration unit. First conversion processing information for converting into a format and converting one-dimensional, two-dimensional, or three-dimensional image data contained in the file into image data suitable for processing in the second device manufacturing processing apparatus ; ,
Converting a file for optimizing at least one of an exposure condition and a measurement inspection condition included in the information received from the second device manufacturing processing apparatus into a file format suitable for reception by the third device manufacturing processing apparatus ; Second conversion processing information for converting one-dimensional, two-dimensional, or three-dimensional image data included in the file into image data suitable for processing in the third device manufacturing processing apparatus is registered,
An exposure condition included in information received from the first device manufacturing processing apparatus is generated by combining the first conversion processing information and the second conversion processing information, and using the combined conversion processing information. And the file for optimizing at least one of the measurement and inspection conditions is suitable for reception by the third device manufacturing processing apparatus without converting the file into a file format suitable for reception by the second device manufacturing processing apparatus. The third device is converted into a file format and the one-dimensional, two-dimensional or three-dimensional image data included in the file is not converted into image data suitable for processing in the second device manufacturing processing apparatus. The connection device according to claim 1, wherein the connection device converts image data suitable for processing in a manufacturing processing device.   The connection device according to claim 3, wherein the conversion processing information is at least a part of a conversion program used in the conversion unit. The conversion unit adds a predetermined offset to the image data from the first device manufacturing processing apparatus, and the transmitting unit transmits the image data to which the predetermined offset has been added to the second device manufacturing processing apparatus. The connection device according to claim 1, wherein: The image data is data indicating a result of the predetermined measurement, and is measured by the relationship between the position information of the object measured by the predetermined measurement and the measurement result at each position of the object, or by the predetermined measurement. Shows the relationship between the measured time information and the measurement results at each time,
  The connection device according to claim 10, wherein the conversion unit adds an offset to the measurement result for each position or for each time. The two or more device manufacturing processing apparatuses are an exposure apparatus that exposes and transfers a predetermined pattern onto a substrate, a pre-measurement inspection apparatus that performs at least one of measurement and inspection of the substrate that performs the exposure in advance, and the exposure is completed. The connection device according to any one of claims 1 to 11, further comprising at least one post-measurement inspection device that performs at least one of measurement and inspection of a substrate. The two or more device manufacturing processing apparatuses include a coater / developer, a CVD apparatus for forming a thin film layer on a substrate, a CMP apparatus for planarizing the surface of the substrate, an etching apparatus, and an oxide film layer on the surface of the substrate. The connection device according to claim 1, comprising at least one of an oxidation / ion implantation device for implanting impurities at a predetermined position. A connection method for connecting two or more device manufacturing processing apparatuses,
  A file for optimizing at least one of an exposure condition and a measurement inspection condition included in the received information is received by adapting the information transmitted from the first device manufacturing processing apparatus to the first device manufacturing processing apparatus. It is converted into a file format suitable for the second device manufacturing processing apparatus of the transmission destination, and one-dimensional, two-dimensional or three-dimensional image data included in the file is suitable for processing in the second device manufacturing processing apparatus. A method for connecting between device manufacturing processing apparatuses, comprising: converting to image data; and transmitting information including the converted file to the second device manufacturing processing apparatus. The file included in the information transmitted from the first device manufacturing processor is converted into a file format suitable for processing in the second device manufacturing processor, and one-dimensional and two-dimensional included in the file Or in addition to the first step of converting three-dimensional image data into image data suitable for processing in the second device manufacturing processing apparatus,
  A second conversion step of converting data conforming to a communication message system used with the first device manufacturing processing apparatus into data conforming to a communication message system recognizable by the second device manufacturing processing apparatus;
  Third information for converting information received by a communication protocol suitable for receiving outgoing information from the first device manufacturing processing apparatus into information transmitted by a communication protocol suitable for receiving information by the second device manufacturing processing apparatus. Conversion step and
  The connection method according to claim 14, wherein at least one conversion step is performed. A file format and image data conversion process according to the first step, a conversion process according to a communication message system according to the second step, and a conversion process according to a communication protocol according to the third step, which are stored in advance in a storage device. 16. The connection method according to claim 15, wherein conversion processing information related to at least one conversion processing is read from the storage device, and the conversion processing is executed based on the read conversion processing information. . Conversion processing information relating to the file format and image data conversion processing in the first step, conversion processing information related to the conversion processing according to the communication message system in the second step, and the third step, stored in advance in the storage device A conversion recipe that associates at least two pieces of conversion processing information related to conversion processing according to a communication protocol according to the method is read from the storage device, and the conversion processing is executed based on the read conversion recipe. The connection method according to claim 16. A program for causing a computer to execute at least a part of information communication processing between two or more device manufacturing processing apparatuses,
  A file for optimizing at least one of an exposure condition and a measurement inspection condition included in the received information is received by adapting the information transmitted from the first device manufacturing processing apparatus to the first device manufacturing processing apparatus. It is converted into a file format suitable for the second device manufacturing processing apparatus of the transmission destination, and one-dimensional, two-dimensional or three-dimensional image data included in the file is suitable for processing in the second device manufacturing processing apparatus. A program for causing a computer to perform processing for converting to image data and transmitting information including the converted file to the second device manufacturing processing apparatus. The file included in the information transmitted from the first device manufacturing processor is converted into a file format suitable for processing in the second device manufacturing processor, and one-dimensional and two-dimensional included in the file Or in addition to a first conversion function for converting three-dimensional image data into image data suitable for processing in the second device manufacturing processing apparatus,
  A second conversion function for converting data in accordance with a communication message system used with the first device manufacturing processing apparatus into data in accordance with a communication message system recognizable by the second device manufacturing processing apparatus;
  Third information for converting information received by a communication protocol suitable for receiving outgoing information from the first device manufacturing processing apparatus into information transmitted by a communication protocol suitable for receiving information by the second device manufacturing processing apparatus. Conversion function and
  19. The program according to claim 18, which causes a computer to realize at least one conversion function. Pre-stored file format and image data conversion process by the first conversion function, conversion process according to the communication message system by the second conversion function, conversion according to the communication protocol by the third conversion function The conversion process information related to the conversion process in at least one of the processes is read from the storage device, and the computer is caused to execute the conversion process based on the read conversion process information. The listed program. Conversion processing information related to the conversion processing according to the communication message system using the second conversion function, conversion processing information related to the file format and image data conversion processing using the first conversion function, stored in advance in the storage device, A conversion recipe that associates at least two pieces of conversion process information related to the conversion process according to the communication protocol according to the third conversion function is read from the storage device, and the conversion process is performed based on the read conversion recipe. The program according to claim 20, wherein the program is executed by a computer. A first device manufacturing processing apparatus;
  A second device manufacturing processing apparatus;
  A connection device for connecting between the first device manufacturing processing apparatus and the second device manufacturing processing apparatus;
  The connection apparatus is connected to a first device manufacturing processing apparatus, and receives a transmission information from the first device manufacturing processing apparatus by a method suitable for receiving the transmission information of the first device manufacturing processing apparatus; ,
  A file format that is connected to the receiving unit and that optimizes at least one of an exposure condition and a measurement / inspection condition included in the information received by the receiving unit is suitable for information reception by the second device manufacturing processing apparatus A conversion unit that converts one-dimensional, two-dimensional, or three-dimensional image data included in the file into image data suitable for processing in the second device manufacturing processing apparatus;
  A file format that is connected to the conversion unit and the second device manufacturing processing apparatus, includes image data converted by the conversion unit, and is suitable for receiving information in the second device manufacturing processing apparatus by the conversion unit. A transmission unit for transmitting information including the converted file to the second device manufacturing processing apparatus;
  A device manufacturing processing system comprising: The conversion unit of the connection device converts the file included in the information received by the reception unit into a file format suitable for processing in the second device manufacturing processing apparatus, and includes a one-dimensional file included in the file. In addition to the first conversion unit that converts two-dimensional or three-dimensional image data into image data suitable for processing in the second device manufacturing processing apparatus,
  A second conversion unit that converts data in accordance with a communication message system used in the first device manufacturing processing apparatus into data in accordance with a communication message system recognizable by the second device manufacturing processing apparatus;
  The information received by the receiving unit using a communication protocol suitable for receiving outgoing information from the first device manufacturing processing apparatus is converted into information transmitted using a communication protocol suitable for receiving information by the second device manufacturing processing apparatus. A third conversion unit for conversion and
  The device manufacturing processing system according to claim 22, comprising at least one of the following. In at least one of the file format and image data conversion processing by the first conversion unit, the conversion processing according to the communication message system by the second conversion unit, and the conversion processing according to the communication protocol by the third conversion unit 24. The device manufacturing processing system according to claim 23, further comprising a registration unit in which conversion processing information related to the conversion processing is registered. A plurality of the connection devices are provided,
  The conversion processing information unregistered in the registration unit of a specific connection device among the plurality of connection devices can be acquired from another connection device different from the specific connection device via a network. Item 25. A device manufacturing processing system according to Item 24. Conversion processing information related to the file format and image data conversion processing by the first conversion unit, conversion processing information related to conversion processing according to the communication message system by the second conversion unit, and communication by the third conversion unit 25. The device manufacturing processing system according to claim 24, further comprising: a recipe registration unit that registers a conversion recipe that associates at least two pieces of conversion processing information related to conversion processing according to a protocol. A plurality of the connection devices are provided,
  The conversion recipe that is not registered in the recipe registration unit of a specific connection device among the plurality of connection devices can be acquired from another connection device different from the specific connection device via a network. Item 27. The device manufacturing processing system according to Item 26. The device manufacturing processing apparatus includes an exposure apparatus that exposes and transfers a predetermined pattern onto a substrate, a pre-measurement inspection apparatus that performs at least one of measurement and inspection of the substrate that performs the exposure, and measurement of the substrate that has completed the exposure. The device manufacturing processing system according to any one of claims 22 to 27, further comprising at least one post-measurement inspection apparatus that performs at least one of inspection and inspection. A host computer that comprehensively controls a plurality of device manufacturing processing apparatuses including at least the first device manufacturing processing apparatus and the second device manufacturing processing apparatus;
  The host computer is connected to the first device manufacturing processing apparatus and the second device manufacturing processing apparatus through a connection network which is provided separately from a connection network including the connection apparatus and does not pass through the connection apparatus. The device manufacturing processing system according to any one of claims 22 to 28. A receiving unit connected to the first device manufacturing processing apparatus and receiving transmission information from the first device manufacturing processing apparatus in a method suitable for receiving the transmission information of the first device manufacturing processing apparatus; and Information reception at a second device manufacturing processing apparatus different from the first device manufacturing processing apparatus for a file for optimizing at least one of an exposure condition and a measurement inspection condition included in the information received by the receiving unit A conversion unit that converts the one-dimensional, two-dimensional, or three-dimensional image data included in the file into image data suitable for processing in the second device manufacturing processing apparatus, Image data that is connected to the conversion unit and the second device manufacturing processing apparatus and converted by the conversion unit is included, and the conversion unit includes the second device. Connected to a connection device between device manufacturing processing apparatuses, including a transmission unit for transmitting information including a file converted into a file format suitable for information reception at the device manufacturing processing apparatus to the second device manufacturing processing apparatus. ,
  An exposure apparatus that exposes and transfers a predetermined pattern onto a substrate. 31. The exposure apparatus according to claim 30, wherein information received by a receiving unit of the connection apparatus is transmitted. 32. The exposure apparatus according to claim 30, wherein information transmitted from a transmission unit of the connection apparatus is received, and exposure processing is executed based on the received information. An exposure method comprising performing an exposure process using the exposure apparatus according to any one of claims 30 to 32. A receiving unit connected to the first device manufacturing processing apparatus and receiving transmission information from the first device manufacturing processing apparatus in a method suitable for receiving the transmission information of the first device manufacturing processing apparatus; and Information reception at a second device manufacturing processing apparatus different from the first device manufacturing processing apparatus for a file for optimizing at least one of an exposure condition and a measurement inspection condition included in the information received by the receiving unit A conversion unit that converts the one-dimensional, two-dimensional, or three-dimensional image data included in the file into image data suitable for processing in the second device manufacturing processing apparatus, Image data that is connected to the conversion unit and the second device manufacturing processing apparatus and converted by the conversion unit is included, and the conversion unit includes the second device. Connected to a connection device between device manufacturing processing apparatuses, including a transmission unit for transmitting information including a file converted into a file format suitable for information reception at the device manufacturing processing apparatus to the second device manufacturing processing apparatus. ,
  A measurement and inspection apparatus that performs at least one of predetermined measurement and inspection on a substrate. 35. The measurement / inspection apparatus according to claim 34, wherein information received by a receiving unit of the connection apparatus is transmitted. 36. The measurement / inspection apparatus according to claim 34 or 35, wherein information transmitted from a transmission unit of the connection apparatus is received, and at least one of the measurement and the inspection is performed based on the received information. 37. A measurement / inspection method for performing at least one of predetermined measurement and inspection on a substrate using the measurement / inspection apparatus according to claim 34.

Images