JPH07136784A - Laser beam exposure lithographic device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide correct machining precision by arranging an optical system so that the optical axis of the laser beam flux may be in the horizontal plane to lower the position of the gravity of a device and reduce the effect of the disturbance such as vibration. CONSTITUTION:The laser beam flux 12 generated from a laser beam source 11 is guided through two polarized elements 13A, 13B and two illumination optical systems 14A, 14B. The laser beam flux 12 is formed so that the energy intensity distribution of the laser beam may be uniform. The spherical aberration and the astigmatism of the laser beam flux 1 2 arc corrected through the rectil 15 and the projecting optical system 16. A wafer 31 is arranged to the projecting optical system 16 so that the focal image of the rectil 15 formed by the projecting optical system 16 may be on the irradiated surface of the wafer 31. Each equipment of a laser beam exposure lithographic device is arranged so that the optical axis of the laser beam flux 12 may be on the plane parallel to a base 41.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a laser exposure drawing apparatus for performing fine processing using a laser in manufacturing semiconductor elements, masks, reticles and the like.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In the field of manufacturing semiconductor devices, masks, reticle, etc., a laser exposure drawing apparatus is used for fine processing such as formation of fine patterns. Such a laser exposure drawing apparatus is typically a moving device for moving an optical system including a laser light source and a projection optical system or a reduction optical system, an irradiated body, and an irradiated body in a direction orthogonal to an optical axis. Have and.

[0003]

In the conventional laser exposure drawing apparatus, each device such as an illumination optical system, a projection optical system or a reduction optical system is arranged so that the optical axis of the optical system becomes vertical. Therefore, the conventional laser exposure drawing apparatus has a drawback that the accuracy is lowered due to disturbance such as vibration or secular change because the whole is long in the vertical direction and has a high center of gravity.

[0004]

According to the present invention, in the laser exposure drawing apparatus for forming the exposure drawing on the surface of the irradiated body 31 by scanning the laser light beam 12, the optical axis of the laser light beam 12 is a substantially horizontal plane. The optics are arranged as in.

According to the present invention, in the laser exposure drawing apparatus, the irradiation object 31 is constructed so as to be supported in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis.

According to the present invention, in the laser exposure drawing apparatus, the optical system includes a laser light source 11 and an illumination optical system 14A, 1A.
4B and a projection optical system or a reduction optical system 16.

According to the present invention, in the laser exposure drawing apparatus, the laser light source 11 emits an ultraviolet laser having a wavelength λ = 100 to 300 nm.

According to the present invention, in the laser exposure drawing apparatus, the laser light source 11 is a continuous wave laser.

[0009]

Since the respective devices are arranged so that the optical axis of the laser beam 12 is on the plane parallel to the base 41 (that is, the horizontal plane), the height of the device is lowered and the center of gravity of the device is lowered.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 shows the appearance of a laser exposure drawing apparatus according to the present invention.

The laser exposure drawing apparatus of this example is a laser light source 1.
1 and 1st deflection element or mirror 13A, 1st illumination optical system 14A, 2nd deflection element or mirror 13B, 2nd illumination optical system 14B, reticle 15, projection optical system or reduction optical system 16 and wafer 31. A wafer stage 32 that movably supports the wafer stage 32, a support base 34 that supports the wafer stage 32, and a length measuring device or a laser interference system 33 that detects the amount of movement of the wafer stage 32. These devices are mounted on a base 41. It is arranged.

The wafer stage 32 includes an X wafer stage 32X for moving the wafer 31 in the X axis direction and a Y wafer stage 3 for moving the wafer 31 in the Y axis direction.
2Y, and the length measuring device 33 has X length measuring devices 33X and Y for detecting the movement amount of the X wafer stage 32X in the X axis direction.
It has a Y length measuring device 33Y for detecting the amount of movement of the wafer stage 32Y in the Y-axis direction.

The laser light source 11 may be any laser, but an ultraviolet laser having a wavelength λ = 100 to 300 nm is preferably used.

The laser light source 11 may be of any type, but a continuous wave type is preferably used. However, more preferably the second harmonic of the YAG laser (wavelength λ = 266 nm) is used.

Laser beam 1 generated from laser light source 11
2 is guided via two deflection elements 13A and 13B and two illumination optical systems 14A and 14B. Laser beam 12
Is shaped such that the laser energy intensity distribution becomes uniform by passing through the two illumination optical systems 14A and 14B. The laser light flux 12 is guided onto the wafer 31 via the reticle 15 and the projection optical system 16.
The laser light flux 12 is corrected for its spherical aberration and astigmatism by passing through the projection optical system 16.

The wafer 31 is arranged with respect to the projection optical system 16 so that the focus image of the reticle formed by the projection optical system 16 is on the irradiated surface of the wafer 31.

When a predetermined exposure drawing pattern is formed on the surface of the wafer 31, the relative position of the wafer 31 in the direction orthogonal to the optical axis is changed by using the wafer stage 32. Wafer 3 in a direction orthogonal to the optical axis of laser beam 12
The position 1 is detected by the length measuring device, that is, the laser interference system 33. In this way, the focus image of the reticle is irradiated to a predetermined position on the irradiated surface of the wafer 31.

According to the present example, as shown in the drawing, the respective devices are arranged so that the optical axis of the laser beam 12 lies on a plane parallel to the base 41. That is, each device of the laser exposure drawing apparatus is arranged such that the optical axis of the laser light flux 12 is in the horizontal plane when the base 41 is arranged horizontally.

The wafer 31 is arranged on the wafer stage 32 along a plane perpendicular to the optical axis, that is, a vertical plane. By operating the wafer stage 32, the wafer 31 is moved along a plane perpendicular to the optical axis, that is, a vertical plane.

Thus, the laser exposure drawing apparatus of this example has a vertically low configuration, and its center of gravity is lower. Therefore,
The influence of disturbance such as vibration can be reduced.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, those skilled in the art will understand that the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments and various other configurations can be adopted without departing from the gist of the present invention. Easy to understand.

[0022]

According to the present invention, since the position of the center of gravity of the apparatus is low, the influence of disturbance such as vibration is small, and there is an advantage that more accurate processing accuracy can be maintained.

According to the present invention, since the position of the center of gravity of the device is low, there is an advantage that each device does not generate distortion due to aging and the like, and it is possible to always maintain high machining accuracy.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of a laser exposure drawing apparatus according to the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 11 light source 12 laser beam 13A, 13B deflection element or mirror 14A, 14B illumination optical system 15 reticle 16 projection optical system or reduction optical system 31 wafer 32 wafer stage 32X X wafer stage 32Y Y wafer stage 33 length measuring device or laser interference system 33X X length measuring device or laser interference system 33Y Y length measuring device or laser interference system 34 Support 41 Base

Front page continuation (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification number Office reference number FI Technical indication location H01L 21/027 (72) Inventor Hiroaki Tanaka 6-735 Kitashinagawa, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo Within Sony Corporation

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. A laser exposure drawing apparatus for forming an exposure drawing on the surface of an object to be irradiated by scanning a laser light beam, wherein an optical system is arranged such that the optical axis of the laser light beam lies in a substantially horizontal plane. A laser exposure drawing apparatus characterized in that 2. The laser exposure drawing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the object to be irradiated is configured to be supported in a plane perpendicular to the optical axis. 3. The laser exposure drawing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the optical system has a laser light source, an illumination optical system, and a projection optical system or a reduction optical system. 4. The laser exposure drawing apparatus according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the laser light source has a wavelength λ = 100 to 30.
A laser exposure drawing apparatus characterized by generating an ultraviolet laser of 0 nm. 5. The laser exposure drawing apparatus according to claim 1, 2, 3 or 4, wherein the laser light source is a continuous wave laser.