JP7278137B2 - Stage apparatus, lithographic apparatus, and method of manufacturing article - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a stage apparatus, a lithographic apparatus, and a method of manufacturing an article.

A lithography apparatus used for manufacturing semiconductor devices, liquid crystal panels, and the like is provided with a stage device having a stage capable of moving while holding a substrate, an original, and the like. In the stage device, there is a demand for improved positioning accuracy of the stage as circuit patterns become finer in recent years.

A laser interferometer is generally used to measure the position of the stage. However, with a laser interferometer, fluctuations in the temperature, pressure, humidity, etc. of the gas on the measurement optical path (sometimes referred to as "fluctuations in the gas") A change in the refractive index on the measurement optical path due to the light beam can be a factor in the measurement error. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-200001 proposes an apparatus that reduces the change in refractive index along the optical path of light (laser beam) emitted from a laser interferometer by causing gas to flow along the optical path.

JP 2011-133398 A

In the method in which the gas flows along the optical path of the light emitted from the laser interferometer, the gas blown in the direction toward the stage collides with the stage, causing changes in the flow of the gas around the stage and fluctuations in the gas. may occur. Such gas fluctuations occurring around the stage become more pronounced as the distance between the gas outlet and the stage decreases, making it difficult to accurately measure the position of the stage.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an advantageous technique for accurately measuring the position of a stage.

In order to achieve the above object, a stage device as one aspect of the present invention includes a movable stage, a measurement unit for measuring the position of the stage by irradiating the stage with light, and an optical path of the light. a supply unit for supplying gas to the optical path so as to form a gas flow along the optical path in a direction along the optical path; and gas supplied from the supply unit to the optical path according to the position of the stage in the direction. a control unit for controlling the supply unit so as to change the flow rate of the supply unit, the supply unit including a temperature adjustment unit for adjusting the temperature of the gas supplied to the optical path, the control unit comprising: The temperature adjusting unit is controlled so as to adjust the temperature of the gas supplied from the supplying unit to the optical path according to the position of the stage in the direction.

Further objects or other aspects of the present invention will be made clear by preferred embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

According to the present invention, for example, it is possible to provide an advantageous technique for accurately measuring the position of the stage.

Overall schematic diagram of exposure equipment FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a stage device according to the first embodiment; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a configuration example of a blowout section of the first supply section; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of control of the first supply section according to the position of the substrate stage in the first embodiment; A diagram showing an arrangement example of the first supply unit and the second supply unit A diagram showing the configuration of the stage device of the second embodiment. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of control of the first supply section according to the position of the substrate stage in the second embodiment; The figure which shows the modification of the blowing part of a 1st supply part.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, the following embodiments do not limit the invention according to the scope of claims. Although multiple features are described in the embodiments, not all of these multiple features are essential to the invention, and multiple features may be combined arbitrarily. Furthermore, in the accompanying drawings, the same or similar configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

In the following embodiments, an example in which a stage device according to the present invention is applied to an exposure apparatus that exposes a substrate will be described, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, in other lithography apparatuses such as a molding apparatus (imprint apparatus, planarization apparatus) that uses a mold to shape a composition on a substrate, or a drawing apparatus that forms a pattern on a substrate using a charged particle beam. , the stage apparatus according to the present invention can be applied. Further, hereinafter, the directions orthogonal to each other in a plane parallel to the surface of the substrate are defined as the X direction and the Y direction, and the direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate is defined as the Z direction.

<First embodiment>
An exposure apparatus 100 of a first embodiment according to the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is an overall schematic diagram of an exposure apparatus 100 of the first embodiment. The exposure apparatus 100 of this embodiment is an apparatus for transferring a pattern of a mask M (original) onto a large substrate W such as a glass substrate for a liquid crystal panel. section), a chamber 30 in which the exposure section 10 is accommodated, and a control section CNT. The control unit CNT is configured by a computer including, for example, a CPU and memory, and controls each unit of the exposure apparatus 100 .

First, the configuration of the exposure section 10 will be described. The exposure unit 10 can include an illumination optical system 11, a projection optical system 12, a mask stage 13, a substrate stage 14, an observation optical system 15, and a measurement unit 20, for example.

The illumination optical system 11 includes multiple types of optical elements such as lenses, mirrors, and optical integrators, and is an optical system that illuminates the mask M with light from a light source 11a such as a mercury lamp. The projection optical system 12 is an optical system that projects onto the substrate W an image of the pattern of the mask M illuminated by the illumination optical system 11 . In the case of this embodiment, the projection optical system 12 is configured as a mirror projection type equal-magnification imaging optical system including a plane mirror, a concave mirror, a convex mirror, etc. Other types of optics such as demagnifying optics may be applied.

The mask stage 13 includes a mask chuck 13a and a mask drive mechanism 13b, and is configured to hold the mask M and move in the XY directions. The mask chuck 13a holds the mask M with a vacuum chuck, an electrostatic chuck, or the like. The mask drive mechanism 13b supports the mask chuck 13a and can be configured to be movable in the XY directions. Further, the substrate stage 14 includes a substrate chuck 14a and a substrate driving mechanism 14b, and is configured to hold the substrate W and move it. The substrate chuck 14a holds the substrate W using a vacuum chuck, an electrostatic chuck, or the like. The substrate driving mechanism 14b supports the substrate chuck 14a and is configured to be movable on the surface plate 16 in the XY directions.

The observation optical system 15 is arranged above the mask stage 13 and is an optical system for observing the substrate W through the mask M and the projection optical system 12 . In the case of this embodiment, the observation optical system 15 includes, for example, an alignment detection system (alignment scope) that detects marks formed on each of the mask M and the substrate W in order to align the mask M and the substrate W. sell.

The measurement unit 20 is composed of, for example, a laser interferometer, irradiates the mask stage 13 and the substrate stage 14 with measurement light (laser light), and measures the position of each stage in real time. In the case of this embodiment, the measurement unit 20 can include a laser head 21, a beam splitter 22, and bar mirrors 23 and 24, for example. A bar mirror 23 is attached to the mask stage 13 and a bar mirror 24 is attached to the substrate stage 14 . The measurement light ML (laser light) emitted from the laser head 21 is split by the beam splitter 22, a part of the measurement light ML is reflected by the mirror 25 and enters the bar mirror 23 of the mask stage 13, and the remaining measurement light ML is incident on the bar mirror 24 of the substrate stage 14 . The measurement light ML reflected by the bar mirror 23 of the mask stage 13 and the measurement light ML reflected by the bar mirror 24 of the substrate stage 14 interfere with each other by passing through the beam splitter 22 again. Therefore, the measurement unit 20 (laser head 21) can measure the relative position between the mask stage 13 (mask M) and the substrate stage 14 (substrate W) based on the interference pattern.

In the exposure apparatus 100, the mask M held by the mask stage 13 and the substrate W held by the substrate stage 14 are positioned at optically conjugate positions via the projection optical system 12 (object plane and image plane). Then, based on the measurement result of the measurement unit 20, the control unit CNT relatively synchronously scans the mask stage 13 and the substrate stage 14 at a speed ratio corresponding to the projection magnification of the projection optical system 12, so that the mask The pattern of M can be transferred onto the substrate.

Next, the configuration of the chamber 30 in which the exposure section 10 is accommodated will be described. The chamber 30 can be configured as an air conditioning mechanism for adjusting the temperature of the environment (space) in which the exposure section 10 is arranged. For example, the chamber 30 includes a temperature controller 31 that adjusts the temperature of gas (air), a filter box 32 that filters minute foreign matter to form a uniform flow of clean air, and an exposure unit 10 . and a booth 33 for shielding the environment from the outside.

The temperature controller 31 includes, for example, a chemical filter 31a for removing organic substances and inorganic substances, a heater 31b, a blower 31c, and a temperature controller 31d. The temperature control unit 31d controls the heater 31b so that the inside of the booth 33 reaches a predetermined temperature, and also controls the blower 31c so that gas is supplied from the filter box 32 at a predetermined flow rate. Moreover, the filter box 32 is provided above and to the side of the exposure unit 10, and supplies gas into the booth 33 by downflow and sideflow. By supplying the gas into the booth 33 in this way, the influence of the supply of the gas into the booth 33 on the measurement of the positions of the mask stage 13 and the substrate stage 14 by the measurement unit 20 of the exposure unit 10 is reduced. be able to.

In the case of this embodiment, the chamber 30 is a circulatory system air conditioning mechanism that circulates gas whose temperature and flow rate are adjusted inside the booth 33 in which the exposure unit 10 is housed. Specifically, the gas that has passed through the chemical filter 31 a is temperature-controlled by the heater 31 b , then flow-controlled by the blower 31 c , and supplied from the filter box 32 into the booth 33 . The gas supplied into the booth 33 is again taken into the temperature controller 31 through the intake port 34 and circulated. Here, in the chamber 30, the inside of the booth 33 is kept at a positive pressure with respect to the outside, and about 10% of the amount of circulating air is introduced from the outside air inlet 35 in order to prevent minute foreign matter from entering the booth 33. are doing.

The chamber 30 also includes an interface opening 36 for transferring the substrate W from outside the exposure apparatus 100 and a shutter 37 provided in the interface opening 36 . The opening/closing operation of the shutter 37 is controlled, for example, in accordance with a substrate transfer signal from a robot hand that carries in/out the substrate W from the outside of the chamber 30 .

[Structure of first supply unit and second supply unit]
With the recent miniaturization of circuit patterns, the exposure apparatus 100 is required to improve the positioning accuracy of the mask stage 13 and the substrate stage 14. It is necessary to measure with high accuracy. However, in the laser interferometer that constitutes the measurement unit 20, changes in the refractive index on the measurement optical path due to fluctuations in the temperature, pressure, humidity, etc. of the gas on the measurement optical path (sometimes referred to as "gas fluctuations") can be a factor of measurement error. For example, the measurement unit 20 that measures the positions of the mask stage 13 and the substrate stage 14 is required to have a measurement accuracy (measurement error) of 30 nm or less. The rate should be less than 1 ppm/°C.

Further, in recent years, the size of the substrate W for the liquid crystal panel has increased, and accordingly, the size of the substrate stage 14 in the exposure apparatus 100 has increased, and the movement stroke of the substrate stage 14 has increased. Therefore, the measurement optical path length of the measurement unit 20 also becomes long, reaching, for example, about 3000 mm. In this case, in order to achieve a measurement accuracy of 30 nm or less, it is necessary to suppress the temperature change of the measurement optical path to 0.01° C. or less.

Therefore, in the exposure apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, the gas whose flow rate and temperature are adjusted is supplied to the optical path (measurement optical path) of the measurement light ML emitted from the measurement unit 20 (laser head 21). A supply section 40 and a second supply section 50 are provided. For example, the gas temperature-controlled by the temperature controller 31 is supplied to the first supply unit 40 and the second supply unit 50 . Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the temperature controller 31 is provided with an intake port 38 for taking in compressed gas from factory equipment and a delivery port 39 for delivering temperature-controlled gas. ing. The compressed gas taken into the temperature controller 31 through the intake port 38 passes through the chemical filter 31 a and is sent out from the delivery port 39 after being temperature-controlled by the heater 31 b. The delivery port 39 communicates with the first supply section 40 and the second supply section 50 , and the compressed gas delivered from the delivery port 39 is supplied to the first supply section 40 and the second supply section 50 . The compressed gas supplied from the factory equipment to the intake port 38 of the temperature controller 31 preferably has a gas pressure (air pressure) of about 0.1 MPa to 0.8 MPa.

Next, the configuration of the stage device applied to the exposure apparatus 100 of this embodiment will be described. The stage device can be defined as including, for example, the measurement section 20, the first supply section 40, and the control section CNT, but may also be defined as including the second supply section 50 in addition to them. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the stage device, in which the first supply unit 40 and the second supply unit 50 are arranged with respect to the measurement optical path of the measurement unit 20 (laser head 21) for measuring the position of the substrate stage 14. It is a figure which shows the example provided. An example in which the first supply unit 40 and the second supply unit 50 are provided in the measurement optical path (the optical path between the laser head 21 and the bar mirror 24) for measuring the position of the substrate stage 14 will be described below. It is not limited to this. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the measurement optical path (the optical path between the beam splitter 22 and the bar mirror 23) for measuring the position of the mask stage 13 is similarly provided by the first supply unit 40 and the second supply unit. 50 may be provided.

The first supply unit 40 includes, for example, a flow rate adjustment unit 41 (motorized valve), a temperature adjustment unit 42, and a blowout unit 43, and is provided in a first direction along the optical path of the measurement light ML from the measurement unit 20 (optical axis direction, For example, the gas is supplied to the measurement optical path so as to form a flow of the gas in the -X direction) in the measurement optical path. The flow rate adjusting unit 41 includes, for example, a mass flow controller, and adjusts the flow rate of the compressed gas supplied from the delivery port 39 of the temperature controller 31 of the chamber 30 through the tube 46a under the control of the control unit CNT. The temperature adjustment unit 42 includes, for example, a heater and a cooling mechanism, and adjusts the temperature of the gas supplied from the flow rate adjustment unit 41 through the tube 46b under the control of the control unit CNT. Here, in the example shown in FIG. 2 , the temperature adjustment section 42 is arranged downstream of the flow rate adjustment section 41, but the flow rate adjustment section 41 may be arranged downstream of the temperature adjustment section 42 without being limited thereto. . In addition, the flow rate adjusting unit 41 and the temperature adjusting unit 42 are preferably provided near the blowout unit 43, but may be provided at arbitrary positions, for example, may be provided inside the temperature controller 31. .

The blowout part 43 uses the Coanda effect to blow the gas supplied from the temperature adjustment part 42 through the tube 46c so as to form a gas flow along the measurement optical path in the first direction along the measurement optical path. Blow out into the measurement optical path. Specifically, the blowout part 43 can include a blowout port 44 and a guide member 45, as shown in FIG. The blowout port 44 communicates with the temperature adjustment unit 42, and blows out the gas (indicated by arrow α) supplied from the temperature adjustment unit 42 through the tube 46c in a direction (eg, -Z direction) that crosses the measurement optical path. . The guide member 45 has a guide surface 45a for guiding the gas blown out from the outlet 44 to flow in the first direction (eg, -X direction) along the measurement optical path using the Coanda effect. With such a configuration of the guide member 45, the gas blown out from the outlet 44 can flow along the guide surface 45a due to the Coanda effect, and can be converted into a flow in the first direction along the measurement optical path. Further, when the gas is blown out from the blowing part 43, the gas existing around the blowing part 43 (indicated by the arrow β) is drawn into the gas blown out from the blowing part 43 by the Bernoulli effect. In other words, the gas blown out from the blowing part 43 is supplied to the measurement optical path after its flow rate is amplified several times to several tens of times.

The second supply unit 50 supplies gas to the measurement optical path so as to form a flow of gas in the measurement optical path in a second direction (eg, -Z direction) across the measurement optical path. For example, the second supply unit 50 has a plurality of outlets arranged along the measurement optical path (for example, the -X direction), and supplies the gas from the outlet 39 of the temperature controller 31 of the chamber 30 through the tube 51. The compressed gas is blown out in a direction (for example, -Z direction) crossing the measurement optical path. Further, in the case of the present embodiment, the second supply unit 50 supplies the gas to a portion closer to the measurement unit (laser head 21 side) than the portion to which the gas is supplied by the first supply unit 40 in the measurement optical path. can be placed in

[Gas flow rate and temperature control]
In the configuration of the first supply unit 40 in this embodiment, the gas supplied (blown off) from the first supply unit 40 to the measurement optical path collides with the substrate stage 14 (or the bar mirror 24). Therefore, in the measurement optical path around the substrate stage 14, the flow of the gas supplied from the first supply unit 40 can change. In this case, a gas heated by the substrate stage 14 or its surrounding heat source is involved, causing fluctuations in the temperature, pressure, humidity, etc. of the gas on the measurement optical path (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "fluctuations in the gas"). can occur. Such gas fluctuations change the refractive index on the measurement optical path, and thus can cause measurement errors in the measurement unit 20 . In addition, since such gas fluctuations become more pronounced as the distance A between the substrate stage 14 and the blowout portion 43 (blowout port 44) of the first supply portion 40 decreases, the position of the substrate stage 14 can be accurately measured. can make things difficult.

Therefore, the control unit CNT of the present embodiment adjusts the flow rate of the gas supplied (blown off) from the first supply unit 40 to the measurement optical path according to the position of the substrate stage 14 in the first direction along the measurement optical path. It controls the flow rate adjusting section 41 of the first supply section 40 so as to change. For example, the control unit CNT controls the gas supplied from the first supply unit 40 to the measurement optical path as the distance between the substrate stage 14 and the first supply unit 40 (blowing unit 43) in the first direction along the measurement optical path becomes shorter. The flow rate adjusting section 41 of the first supply section 40 is controlled so that the flow rate of the liquid is reduced.

Specifically, for each of a plurality of states in which the position of the substrate stage 14 in the first direction is different from each other, the measurement error of the measurement unit 20 is equal to or less than the allowable value when the gas is supplied from the first supply unit 40 to the measurement optical path. The gas flow rate is obtained in advance by experiment or the like. Accordingly, information indicating the correspondence relationship between the position of the substrate stage 14 in the first direction and the flow rate of the gas to be supplied from the first supply unit 40 to the measurement optical path (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "first information") is obtained. The control unit CNT determines the flow rate of the gas to be supplied from the first supply unit 40 to the measurement optical path based on the first information acquired in advance and the position information of the substrate stage 14, and determines the flow rate of the gas based on the determined flow rate of the gas. to control the flow rate adjustment unit 41 of the first supply unit 40 . In the case of this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the control unit CNT uses the measurement result of the measurement unit 20 as the information indicating the position of the substrate stage 14, but is not limited to this. A signal value obtained from mechanism 14b may be used.

Further, if the flow rate of the gas supplied from the first supply unit 40 to the measurement optical path is changed, the temperature of the gas may change due to adiabatic expansion. For example, as the flow rate of the gas supplied from the first supply unit 40 to the measurement optical path decreases, the temperature of the gas may decrease due to adiabatic expansion. Therefore, the control unit CNT of the present embodiment adjusts the temperature of the first supply unit 40 so as to compensate for the change in the temperature of the gas caused by the change in the flow rate of the gas supplied from the first supply unit 40 to the measurement optical path. 42 can be controlled.

Specifically, for each of a plurality of states in which the flow rate of the gas supplied from the blowout portion 43 (the blowout port 44) of the first supply portion 40 is different from each other, the blowout portion The temperature of the gas supplied from 43 is measured in advance by an experiment or the like. Then, for each state, the amount of heating (or the amount of cooling) required to compensate for the difference between the measured value of the temperature of the gas blown out from the blowing part 43 and the reference temperature is calculated. Although the reference temperature can be set arbitrarily, it is preferably set to the set temperature of the temperature controller 31 of the chamber 30, for example. As a result, information indicating the correspondence relationship between the flow rate of the gas supplied from the first supply unit 40 to the measurement optical path and the amount of heating in the temperature adjustment unit 42 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “second information”) is obtained. can get. The control unit CNT determines the heating amount of the gas in the temperature adjustment unit 42 based on the second information acquired in advance and the flow rate of the gas adjusted in the flow adjustment unit 41, and based on the determined heating amount It controls the temperature control unit 42 .

A specific example of the configuration of the control unit CNT for performing the above control will now be described. It is assumed that an electric valve is used as the flow rate adjusting section 41 and a heater is used as the temperature adjusting section 42 . In this case, the control unit CNT has a pulse controller for controlling the opening degree of the motor-operated valve, and controls the opening degree of the motor-operated valve by driving the pulse motor mounted on the motor-operated valve. The flow rate of gas supplied from the unit 40 to the measurement optical path can be controlled. Further, the control unit CNT has a solid-state relay circuit and can control the temperature of the gas supplied from the first supply unit 40 to the measurement optical path by controlling switching of the heater at high speed.

Next, an example of control of the first supply section 40 according to the position of the substrate stage 14 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of control of the first supply section 40 according to the position of the substrate stage 14. As shown in FIG. 4(a) shows the distance A between the substrate stage 14 and the blowing part 43 of the first supply part 40, and FIG. 4(b) shows the gas flow rate to be adjusted by the flow rate adjusting part 41. FIG. 4(c) shows the amount of heating to be applied by the temperature control section 42. As shown in FIG.

A section 101 is a section in which the substrate stage 14 (bar mirror 24) moves away from the blowout section 43 of the first supply section 40 and the distance A increases. In this section 101, the control unit CNT controls the flow rate adjustment unit 41 so that the flow rate of the gas supplied from the first supply unit 40 to the measurement optical path increases as the distance A increases, and the heating amount of the gas increases. Control the temperature adjustment unit 42 to increase the temperature. A section 102 is a section in which the distance A remains constant at the maximum. In this section 102, the control unit CNT controls the flow rate adjusting unit 41 and the temperature adjusting unit 42 so that the flow rate of the gas and the amount of heating of the gas are constant.

A section 103 is a section where the substrate stage 14 moves closer to the blowout section 43 of the first supply section 40 and the distance A is reduced. In this section 103, the control unit CNT controls the flow rate adjustment unit 41 so that the flow rate of the gas supplied from the first supply unit 40 to the measurement optical path decreases as the distance A decreases, and the heating amount of the gas increases. Control the temperature adjustment unit 42 to decrease. Here, the control unit CNT may stop the gas supply from the first supply unit 40 to the measurement optical path when the substrate stage 14 is arranged below the blowout unit 43 of the first supply unit 40. .

[Arrangement example of the first supply unit and the second supply unit]
Next, an arrangement example of the first supply section 40 and the second supply section 50 in the exposure section 10 will be described. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an arrangement example of the first supply section 40 and the second supply section 50 in the exposure section 10. As shown in FIG. The first supply section 40 (blowing section 43) and the second supply section 50 are arranged below the structure 17, as shown in FIG. The structure 17 is a member for covering the substrate W held by the substrate stage 14 when the substrate stage 14 is arranged on the most +X direction side, and for example, a member constituting a part of the projection optical system 12. may be Further, a detection system 18 can be provided between the first supply section 40 (blowing section 43) and the projection optical system 12 in the optical axis direction of the measurement light ML. The detection system 18 can include, for example, a so-called off-axis scope that detects marks formed on the substrate W. FIG.

As described above, the exposure apparatus 100 of this embodiment changes the flow rate of the gas supplied (blown off) from the first supply unit 40 to the measurement optical path according to the position of the substrate stage 14. 1 controls the flow rate adjustment unit 41 of the supply unit 40 . In addition, the exposure apparatus 100 controls the temperature adjuster 42 of the first supply unit 40 so as to compensate for the temperature change of the gas caused by the change in the flow rate of the gas supplied from the first supply unit 40 to the measurement optical path. I can. As a result, in the exposure apparatus 100, fluctuations in the gas on the measurement optical path due to changes in the distance A between the substrate stage 14 and the first supply unit 40 (blowing unit 43) are reduced, and the position of the substrate stage 14 is adjusted. Accurate measurement is possible.

<Second embodiment>
An exposure apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The exposure apparatus of this embodiment basically inherits the configuration of the exposure apparatus 100 of the first embodiment, but differs in that a plurality of first supply units 40 are provided. In this embodiment, two first supply units 40a and 40b are provided to supply gas to different positions on the measurement optical path in the first direction along the measurement optical path. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing the configuration of the stage device of this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the example which provided the 2nd supply part 50. FIG. The configuration of each of the first supply units 40a and 40b is as described in the first embodiment, and can include the flow rate adjustment unit 41, the temperature adjustment unit 42, and the blowout unit 43, respectively. In the following description, the right first supply section 40a and the left first supply section 40b in FIG. 6 are referred to as the "right supply section 40a" and the "left supply section 40b," respectively, for the sake of clarity of explanation. do.

Next, an example of control of the right supply section 40a and the left supply section 40b according to the position of the substrate stage 14 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of control of the right supply section 40a and the left supply section 40b according to the position of the substrate stage 14. As shown in FIG. FIG. 7A shows the distance A between the substrate stage 14 and the blowout portion 43a of the right supply portion 40a and the distance B between the substrate stage 14 and the blowout portion 43b of the left supply portion 40b. Further, FIG. 7(b) shows the gas flow rate to be adjusted by the flow rate adjusting section 41a of the right supply section 40a, and FIG. It shows the gas flow rate.

In the section 104, the substrate stage 14 (bar mirror 24) moves away from the right supply section 40a (blowing section 43a), and the distance A increases. is a section in which is not yet arranged. In this section 104, the control unit CNT controls the flow rate adjustment unit 41a so as to increase the flow rate of the gas supplied to the measurement optical path as the distance A increases with respect to the right supply unit 40a. On the other hand, for the left supply unit 40b, the flow rate adjustment unit 41b is controlled so as to stop the gas supply to the measurement optical path.

The section 105 is separated from the right supply section 40a (blowout section 43a) and the left supply section 40b (blowout section 43b) in a state where the measurement optical path is arranged below the blowout section 43b of the left supply section 40b. is a section in which the distance A and the distance B are widened due to the movement of . In this section 105, the distance of the measurement optical path (the measurement optical path between the blowout part 43a and the blowout part 43b) in which the right supply part 40a takes charge of gas supply does not change. Therefore, the control unit CNT controls the flow rate adjustment unit 41a of the right supply unit 40a so that the flow rate of the gas supplied to the measurement optical path is constant. On the other hand, for the left supply unit 40b, the flow rate adjustment unit 41b is controlled so as to increase the flow rate of the gas supplied to the measurement optical path as the distance B increases.

A section 106 is a section in which the distance A and the distance B remain constant at maximum. In this section 106, the control unit CNT controls the flow rate adjustment sections 41a and 41b of the right supply section 40a and the left supply section 40b, respectively, so that the flow rate of the gas supplied to the measurement optical path is constant.

The section 107 is arranged on the substrate stage 14 so as to approach the right supply section 40a (blowout section 43a) and the left supply section 40b (blowout section 43b) in a state where the measurement optical path is arranged below the blowout section 43b of the left supply section 40b. is moved and the distance A and the distance B are shortened. In this section 107, the control unit CNT controls the flow rate adjusting unit 41a for the right supply unit 40a so that the flow rate of the gas supplied to the measurement optical path is constant. On the other hand, for the left supply unit 40b, the flow rate adjustment unit 41b is controlled so as to decrease the flow rate of the gas supplied to the measurement optical path as the distance B decreases.

In the section 108, the substrate stage 14 moves closer to the right supply section 40a (blowing section 43a) in a state where the measurement optical path is no longer arranged below the left feeding section 40b (blowing section 43b), and the distance A is reduced. This is the section where In this section 108, the control unit CNT controls the flow rate adjustment unit 41a so as to decrease the flow rate of the gas supplied to the measurement optical path as the distance A decreases with respect to the right supply unit 40a. On the other hand, for the left supply unit 40b, the flow rate adjustment unit 41b is controlled so as to stop the gas supply to the measurement optical path.

As described above, even when a plurality of first supply units 40 are provided, the flow rate of gas supplied from each first supply unit 40 to the measurement optical path is changed according to the position of the substrate stage 14 . By providing a plurality of first supply units 40 in this way, even when the movement stroke of the substrate stage 14 is large, the change in gas fluctuation in the measurement optical path is reduced, and the position of the substrate stage 14 can be accurately measured. be able to. Here, also in the present embodiment, as described in the first embodiment, each of the first supply units 40 may be controlled.

<Third Embodiment>
An exposure apparatus according to a second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The exposure apparatus of the present embodiment basically inherits the configuration of the exposure apparatus 100 of the first embodiment, but the direction in which the gas is blown from the blowout portion 43 (blowout port 44) of the first supply portion 40 is the measurement light. It differs in that it is not perpendicular to the optical axis direction of ML. As shown in FIG. 8, even if the flow of the gas blown out from the blowing part 43 and formed in the measurement optical path is not parallel to the first direction (for example, the -X direction) along the measurement optical path, the blowing part The gas blown out from 43 may collide with the substrate stage 14 (bar mirror 24). Specifically, the gas flow F blown from the blowing part 43 consists of a component Fx perpendicular to the first direction and a component Fy parallel to the first direction. The component Fy collides with the substrate stage 14 and causes a change in gas fluctuation in the measurement optical path. Therefore, in the present embodiment as well, as described in the first embodiment, by controlling the flow rate of the gas according to the position of the substrate stage 14, fluctuations in the gas in the measurement optical path can be reduced and the substrate stage 14 position can be measured with high accuracy.

<Embodiment of method for manufacturing article>
The method for manufacturing an article according to the embodiment of the present invention is suitable for manufacturing an article such as a microdevice such as a semiconductor device or an element having a fine structure. The method for manufacturing an article according to the present embodiment includes a formation step of forming a pattern on a substrate using the above-described lithography apparatus (exposure apparatus) on a photosensitive agent applied to a substrate, and a substrate on which the pattern is formed in the formation step. and a processing step of processing. In addition, such manufacturing methods include other well-known steps (oxidation, deposition, deposition, doping, planarization, etching, resist stripping, dicing, bonding, packaging, etc.). The article manufacturing method of the present embodiment is advantageous in at least one of article performance, quality, productivity, and production cost compared to conventional methods.

The invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and various modifications and variations are possible without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the claims are appended to make public the scope of the invention.

10: exposure unit, 11: illumination optical system, 12: projection optical system, 13: mask stage, 14: substrate stage, 20: measurement unit, 30: chamber, 40: first supply unit, 50: second supply unit

Claims (13)

a movable stage,
a measurement unit that irradiates the stage with light and measures the position of the stage;
a supply unit that supplies a gas to the optical path so as to form a gas flow in the optical path in a direction along the optical path;
a control unit that controls the supply unit so as to change the flow rate of the gas supplied from the supply unit to the optical path according to the position of the stage in the direction;
including
The supply unit includes a temperature adjustment unit that adjusts the temperature of the gas supplied to the optical path,
The stage device, wherein the control section controls the temperature adjustment section so as to adjust the temperature of the gas supplied from the supply section to the optical path according to the position of the stage in the direction. . The control unit controls the temperature adjustment unit so as to adjust the temperature of the gas supplied from the supply unit to the optical path according to the flow rate of the gas supplied from the supply unit to the optical path. The stage device according to claim 1, characterized by: The supply unit has a blowout unit for blowing gas,
3. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control section controls the supply section so as to change the flow rate of the gas blown from the blowing section according to the position of the stage in the direction. Stage apparatus as described. The control unit controls the supply unit such that the shorter the distance between the stage and the supply unit in the direction, the smaller the flow rate of the gas supplied from the supply unit to the optical path. 4. The stage device according to any one of claims 1 to 3 . The control unit controls the supply unit so as to change the flow rate of the gas supplied from the supply unit to the optical path based on the measurement result of the position of the stage by the measurement unit. 5. The stage device according to any one of claims 1 to 4 . 6. The control unit controls the supply unit so as to stop the gas supply from the supply unit to the optical path according to the position of the stage in the direction. The stage device according to any one of 1. 2. The control unit controls the temperature adjustment unit so as to compensate for a change in temperature of the gas caused by a change in the flow rate of the gas supplied from the supply unit to the optical path. 7. The stage apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 6 . a movable stage,
a measurement unit that irradiates the stage with light and measures the position of the stage;
a supply unit that supplies a gas to the optical path so as to form a gas flow in the optical path in a direction along the optical path;
a control unit that controls the supply unit so as to change the flow rate of the gas supplied from the supply unit to the optical path according to the position of the stage in the direction;
including
The stage device, wherein the control section controls the supply section so as to stop the gas supply from the supply section to the optical path according to the position of the stage in the direction. 9. The stage apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8 , further comprising a plurality of supply units that supply gas to positions on the optical path that are different from each other in the direction. 10. The apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9 , further comprising a second supply unit that supplies gas to the optical path so as to form a gas flow in the optical path in a direction transverse to the optical path. Stage apparatus as described. 11. The stage device according to claim 10 , wherein the second supply section supplies the gas to a portion of the optical path closer to the measuring section than a portion to which gas is supplied by the supply section. A lithographic apparatus for forming a pattern on a substrate, comprising:
A lithographic apparatus, comprising the stage apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11 , comprising a stage capable of holding and moving the substrate. forming a pattern on a substrate using a lithographic apparatus according to claim 12 ;
a processing step of processing the substrate on which the pattern is formed in the forming step;
A method for manufacturing an article, comprising manufacturing an article from the substrate processed in the processing step.

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