JPH11340137A - Method and device for exposure, and manufacture of integrated circuit - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To correct tilt of a sensitized substrate most efficiently and accurately according to exposure region of a projection optical system and surface condition of the sensitized substrate, etc., when a pattern formed on a reticule is projected for exposure on the sensitized substrate through a projection optical system. SOLUTION: Leveling detection optical systems 19-22 for measuring tilt of a specified exposure shot position on a surface of a wafer 18 which is to be exposed, an input means 26 for setting a measurement prohibited region on the surface, which is to be exposed, of the wafer 18 where no actual value for tilt is used, and leveling mechanisms 23 and 25 for correcting tilt of exposure shot positions on the surface which is to be exposed according to the measuring result of the leveling detection optical system and its measurement prohibited region, are provided.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an exposure apparatus such as a reduction projection type exposure apparatus for manufacturing an integrated circuit, and more particularly to correcting a local inclination of a photosensitive substrate with respect to a projection image plane of a projection optical system for exposure. The present invention relates to an exposure apparatus having a leveling mechanism.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In general, a projection lens having a large numerical aperture (NA) is used in a reduced projection type exposure apparatus for manufacturing an integrated circuit for reducing and transferring a pattern on a reticle onto a wafer. Therefore, the depth of focus is very shallow. For this reason, the exposure area of the wafer is maintained exactly perpendicular to the optical axis of the projection lens, that is, the wafer surface and the projected image plane are strictly parallel, and the wafer is positioned in the optical axis direction by the autofocus mechanism. Need to do. However, since the flatness of the wafer is not always good, a leveling mechanism for locally correcting the inclination of the surface so that each exposure target surface is perpendicular to the optical axis of the projection lens for each exposure shot. (See, for example, JP-A-58-113706).

In a conventional leveling mechanism, for example, a circular light-sensitive light beam that is inscribed in a rectangular exposed pattern area on a wafer is obliquely irradiated onto the wafer, and the reflected light of the light beam is condensed by a focusing lens. , And is guided to a detector including a light receiving element divided into four parts. Then, the inclination of the current exposure target surface is measured based on the position of the center of gravity of the condensed light on the detector, and the inclination of the surface is corrected so that the inclination becomes a preset value within a predetermined allowable error. Is performed. The inclination of the surface is corrected, for example, by supporting the wafer on a leveling stage at three points and adjusting the height of two of the three points. Thereafter, the projection lens of the wafer is positioned in the optical axis direction by an autofocus mechanism as necessary.

[0004] In the conventional leveling mechanism, the tilt is generally adjusted so that the actually measured value of the tilt of the exposure target surface is returned to a predetermined value irrespective of the exposure shot position in the wafer. In addition, since the peripheral portion of the wafer is generally sagged and the flatness is often deteriorated, a measurement prohibited area is set in the peripheral area, and the measured slope value is used for the exposure target surface in this area. Instead, a method is also used in which the inclination is adjusted, for example, assuming that the inclination is a predetermined value.

[0005]

However, even in the case where such a measurement prohibition region is provided, the measurement and correction of the inclination of the exposure target surface have been conventionally performed under constant conditions regardless of the state of the wafer. When an area with poor flatness at the periphery of the wafer is enlarged, the inclination is measured in the area with poor flatness, and correction may be performed based on the inaccurate actually measured value of the inclination. There was an inconvenience. As a result, the production yield of ICs and the like eventually decreases.

An example of such an area where the flatness of the peripheral portion of the wafer is poor is set to suppress the generation of foreign matter due to the resist applied to the outer peripheral portion of the wafer.
There is a resist removal range at the wafer periphery. That is, FIG.
As shown in FIG. 1A, when the wafer 1 is coated with the resist 2, the resist 2 goes around the outer peripheral portion 1 a of the wafer 1. Therefore, when exposure and development are performed in this state, foreign substances such as dusts due to the resist 2 on the outer peripheral portion 1a are generated. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 5B, a region 1b within a range of a distance r from the outer peripheral portion of the wafer 2 is set as a resist removal range, and the resist in the resist removal range 1b is previously subjected to peripheral exposure (and development). Remove it. However, when such removal is performed and pattern exposure, development, and the like are repeated, the resist removal range 1b becomes as shown in FIG.
As shown in (C), an inclined region 1c is formed via a step. The inclined region 1c may protrude from the surface of the wafer 2 in some cases.

Referring to FIG. 6, a description will be given of a case where the inclination of the wafer 1 having the inclined region 1c as shown in FIG. 5C is measured. In FIG. 6, the exposure area of the wafer 1 by the projection lens 3 is a square area 4, and this exposure area 4 is located at the periphery of the wafer 1. A laser beam emitted from a laser diode 5 as a point light source is collimated by a collimator lens 6 into a parallel light beam L1.
The parallel light flux L1 is radiated obliquely with respect to the optical axis of the projection lens 3 onto a circle 7 inscribed on the wafer 1 on the exposure area 4. Then, the reflected light from the circle 7 is condensed by the condenser lens 8 and irradiated on the detector 9.

[0008] In the example of FIG.
If only the reflected light from d is used, an accurate inclination is measured. However, actually, the reflected light from the stepped inclined region 1c is mixed, and the inclination obtained by processing the output signal of the detector 9 has a different value from the inclination of the region 1d. There is a disadvantage that accurate leveling cannot be performed. In this case, if the inclined area 1c resulting from the resist removal range is fixed, erroneous measurement can be prevented by designating the vicinity of the area 1c as the measurement prohibited area. However, since the resist removal range changes depending on the wafer and the process, erroneous measurement cannot be prevented even if a certain predetermined area is designated as a measurement prohibited area in advance.

In addition, when a certain measurement prohibition area is set and the area that can be exposed by the projection lens (area corresponding to the exposure area 4 in FIG. 6) is enlarged, the exposure shot area The arrangement may change, and a situation may occur in which the inclination is measured in a state where a part of the measurement light beam is in the measurement prohibited area.

Further, conventionally, the exposure area required for the projection lens changes depending on whether the type of the pattern transferred from the reticle to the wafer is, for example, a memory or a central processing unit (CPU). The field of view to be illuminated by the reticle is limited by an illumination field stop. Therefore, if the field of view is limited to a small value by the blind, the exposure area on the wafer may deviate from the measurement prohibited area.However, even in such an exposure shot, the measurement of the tilt is uniformly prohibited, and the accurate leveling cannot be performed. was there.

In view of the above, the present invention provides an apparatus for exposing a pattern formed on a reticle onto a photosensitive substrate via a projection optical system, according to an exposure area of the projection optical system and a surface condition of the photosensitive substrate. And to correct the inclination of the photosensitive substrate most efficiently and accurately.

[0012]

According to an exposure apparatus of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, for example, a pattern formed on a reticle (16) is projected onto a photosensitive substrate (18) via a projection optical system (17). In the exposure apparatus, the photosensitive substrate (1
8) The inclination measuring means (19 to 22) for measuring the inclination of the designated exposure shot position on the surface to be exposed, and the measurement restriction not using the actual measured value of the inclination on the surface to be exposed of the photosensitive substrate (18). An input means (26) for setting an area, and a drive mechanism (23) for correcting the inclination of each exposure shot position on the surface to be exposed according to the measurement results of the inclination measuring means (19-22) and the measurement restricted area. , 25), the drive mechanism (23, 25) measures the inclination at the exposure shot position in the measurement limited area near the exposure shot position and at the exposure shot position outside the measurement limited area. Alternatively, the inclination is corrected in accordance with a preset inclination.

Then, the input means (2) in the present invention
In 6), the measurement limited area may be set based on information on the maximum exposure range of the projection optical system (17). . Also,
A blind (13) for limiting an illumination range is provided in an illumination optical system for illuminating the reticle (16), and the input means (16) uses the information on the illumination range limited by the blind (13) to limit the measurement. An area may be set.

Further, as the photosensitive substrate (18), a photosensitive substrate whose peripheral portion is exposed to remove the photosensitive material at the peripheral portion is used, and the input means (26) is used for the peripheral substrate from which the photosensitive material is removed. The measurement restriction area may be set based on the information of the unit. Further, as shown in FIG. 4, for example, a step measuring means (31-34) for measuring a step at the peripheral portion (30a) of the photosensitive substrate (30) is provided, and the input means (3
5) may set the measurement restricted area based on the measurement results of the step measuring means (31-34).

[0015]

According to the present invention, it is possible to arbitrarily set a measurement limited area that does not use the actually measured value of the inclination of the photosensitive substrate (18) on the surface to be exposed by the input means (26). In order to accurately correct the tilt over a wider range, it is desirable to limit the measurement limited area to the minimum necessary area. In the present invention, the measurement limited area is changed according to, for example, the exposure shot area of the projection optical system to be used and the arrangement state thereof, and the measurement limited area is changed to the photosensitive substrate (1).
6) It can be limited to a region where the surface accuracy is poor, and the inclination can be corrected accurately in a wider range. In this case, at the exposure shot position in the measurement limited area, the inclination is corrected in accordance with a measurement result of an accurate inclination close to the exposure shot position or a constant inclination known in advance empirically. Therefore, the inclination can be accurately corrected in the measurement limited area.

Further, the measurement limited area is defined by the projection optical system (1).
When the information is set based on the information on the maximum exposure range 7), even if the maximum exposure range changes, the measurement limited area can be set to the narrowest range accordingly. Similarly, when the measurement limited area is set based on the information on the illumination range limited by the blind (13), even if the illumination range changes, the measurement limited area can be set to the narrowest range accordingly. it can.

Similarly, when the measurement limited area is set based on information on the removal range of the photosensitive material on the photosensitive substrate (18), the measurement limited area can be suppressed to the minimum necessary according to the removal range. it can. Further, when a step measuring means for measuring a step at the peripheral portion of the photosensitive substrate (30) is provided, for example, an area outside the step obtained by the measurement by the step measuring means is set as a measurement restriction area. Thereby, the measurement restriction area can be set more accurately.

[0018]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS One embodiment of the exposure apparatus according to the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 shows the overall configuration of the exposure apparatus of this embodiment. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 10 denotes a lamp house. Exposure light emitted from a light source in the lamp house 10 irradiates a blind 13 with a uniform intensity distribution via a fly-eye lens 11 and a condenser lens 12, and exposure light whose unnecessary portions are blocked by the blind 13 is The light is applied to the reticle 16 via the mirror 14 and the illumination lens 15. A pattern such as a circuit pattern to be transferred is formed on the reticle 16, and a reduced image of this pattern is formed on a wafer 18 by a projection lens 17.

A leveling detection optical system is arranged around the projection lens 17. To explain the leveling detection optical system, light emitted from a light source 19 such as a light emitting diode or a laser diode is converted into a parallel light beam L2 by a collimator lens 20, and the parallel light beam L2 is irradiated onto a wafer 18. As the wavelength of the parallel light beam L2, a light beam having a low photosensitivity to the resist coated on the wafer 18 is selected. The parallel light beam L2 is obliquely incident on the optical axis 17a of the projection lens 17, and on the wafer 18, the outer shape of the parallel light beam L2 is a circle substantially inscribing the exposure area of the projection lens 17. The reflected light of the parallel light beam L2 from the wafer 18 is divided into four light receiving elements or a position detecting light receiving element (two-dimensional position sensor) by the condenser lens 21.
And the like. The detector 22 outputs a detection signal S1 indicating the position of the center of gravity of the detection light.
Since the center of gravity of the detection light on the detector 22 changes in accordance with the inclination of the surface of the wafer 18 on which the parallel light beam L2 is irradiated, the inclination angle of the surface with respect to the optical axis 17a can be measured.

Although not shown, a focusing detection optical system for auto-focusing is arranged together with the leveling detection optical system. As a method of detecting the focusing, there is a method in which the current exposure shot area on the wafer 18 is detected.
There is a method of detecting points or multiple points in the direction of the optical axis 17a. This focusing detection optical system may share the lenses 20 and 21 of the leveling detection optical system, or may be provided completely independently.

23 is a leveling stage, 24 is XYZ
The stage is shown, and the wafer 18 is
The leveling stage 23 is fixed on the XYZ stage. The leveling stage 23 is, for example, 3
The exposure target surface of the wafer 18 is leveled by raising and lowering two of the support points. In the present embodiment, focusing on the exposure target surface on the wafer 18 is performed on the Z stage, whereby the current exposure target surface of the wafer 18 coincides with the imaging plane of the projection lens 17. That is, the XY stage among the XYZ stages 24 causes the leveling stage 23 to perform parallel movement or minute rotation in a plane substantially perpendicular to the optical axis 17a of the projection lens 17, and
Among the stages 24, the Z stage performs focusing by moving the leveling stage 23 in the direction of the optical axis 17a.

Reference numeral 25 denotes a leveling processing system for controlling the operation of the leveling stage 23 using the drive signal DR1;
Denotes an input means formed by a computer or the like, a leveling processing system 25 inputs a detection signal S1 of the detector 22, and an input means 26 outputs information IND such as a maximum exposure range of the projection lens 17 via a bus line 27. Supply. Reference numeral 28 denotes a control system for controlling the operation of the entire apparatus. The control system 28 controls the operation of the XYZ stage 23 using the drive signal DR2, and also outputs a position signal indicating the position of the XYZ stage 23 (for example, for coordinate measurement). Is supplied to the input means 26.

The input means 26 obtains a measurement prohibited area on the wafer 18 based on the input information IND. When the exposure shot area of the wafer 18 is included in the measurement prohibited area, the level detection processing system 25 uses the control signal S2 to detect the area. The detection signal S1 obtained from the detector 22 is ignored. Therefore, in the measurement prohibition area, the leveling processing system 25 uses, for example, an effective inclination angle one shot before as the inclination angle of the exposure shot area, or a predetermined constant inclination angle (for example, when the value of the ideal plane is 0). , The leveling of the leveling stage 23 is performed so as to cancel the difference between the tilt angle and the target tilt angle. Further, in the measurement prohibited area, the XYZ stage 24 is moved by the control system 28, and the area where the measurement result is effective on the wafer 18 close to the measurement prohibited area is irradiated with the parallel light beam L2 for leveling, and the result is obtained. The tilt may be corrected using the tilt angle as the tilt angle in the measurement prohibited area.

To describe the exposure operation of this embodiment, it is assumed that there is no resist removal area on the wafer 18.
Even in this case, in general, the vicinity of the outer edge portion of the wafer 18 is often drooped. Therefore, when the inclination angle is measured including the reflected light from the portion and the leveling operation is performed based on the measurement result, the surface to be exposed (accurately, the portion which is not exactly slanted) becomes the projection lens 17. May deviate from the image plane. Therefore, first, when the exposure range of one shot by the projection lens 17 is a relatively small square area as shown in FIG. 2A, the information of the exposure range of one shot is input information IND as input information IND. The input means 26 designates a hatched area of 16 blocks including the edge of the wafer 18 in each exposure shot range as a measurement prohibited area.

In the area excluding the measurement prohibited area, the XYZ stage 24 is moved by the drive signal DR2 from the control system 28 in FIG. 1, and a predetermined exposure shot area of the wafer 18 is set below the projection lens 17 to perform focusing. Is performed. Thereafter or simultaneously with the focusing, the leveling processing system 25 drives the leveling stage 23 so that the inclination angle obtained from the detection signal S1 from the detector 22 becomes a predetermined angle, performs leveling of the wafer 18, and performs leveling. Is completed, the pattern of the reticle 16 is
8 is transferred (exposed). Then, XYZ stage 2
By the stepping operation of No. 4, the next exposure shot area of the wafer 18 is set below the projection lens 17, and leveling and exposure are performed similarly.

However, as shown in FIG. 2A, when the exposure shot area of the wafer 18 is the exposure shot area PR1 in the measurement prohibited area, for example, the exposure shot area PR2 which is the closest in the valid measurement area. Is used instead.

On the other hand, when the exposure range of one shot by the projection lens 17 is a relatively large square area as shown in FIG. 2B, the input means 26 of FIG.
An area of 12 blocks including the edge of 8 and indicated by hatching in FIG. 2B is designated as a measurement prohibited area. As the tilt angle of the shot area PR3 in the measurement prohibited area, for example, the tilt angle of the shot area PR4 closest to the area where the measurement result is valid is used. In addition, a method is also conceivable in which the XYZ stage 24 is shifted to, for example, a region PR5 that does not overlap the edge portion of the wafer 18, and a measurement result of the tilt there is regarded as a tilt of the region PR3.

The input information I to the input means 26 shown in FIG.
As the ND, information on the outer shape of the pattern formed on the reticle 16 outside the maximum exposure range of the projection lens 17 or information indicating the degree of opening and closing of the blind 13 can be used. Since the exposure area limited by the outer shape of the pattern of the reticle 16 and the blind 13 is smaller than the maximum exposure range (maximum field of view) of the projection lens 17, the measurement prohibited area can be set more finely. Therefore, the area where the measurement result is effective can be expanded, and leveling of the wafer 16 can be performed more accurately as a whole.

Next, as an example of the case where the measurement prohibited area changes depending on the state of the wafer, a case where the resist removal processing is performed on the wafer will be described. As described above, the resist removal is performed in order to suppress the generation of foreign matter due to the resist or the like wrapped around the outer periphery of the wafer. However, in the area where this processing is performed, the inclination of the wafer surface is locally reduced. Often changing. First, assuming that the resist removal is performed on a region 18a which is hatched by a distance r1 from the outer peripheral portion of the wafer 18 as shown in FIG. 3A, the information of the region 18a is input information IND.
Is supplied to the input means 26 of FIG.
Is designated as the measurement prohibited area. When the exposure shot area is the area PR6 covering the measurement prohibited area 18a, for example, the inclination angle in the exposure shot area PR7 closest to the effective measurement area is used as the inclination angle.

In recent years, there are a dedicated machine for performing a resist removing process, an apparatus having an exposure processing section for removing a resist in an exposure apparatus, and the like. Further, the width of the resist removal can be adjusted. Therefore, as in the case of the wafer 29 shown in FIG. 3B, the width r2 of the resist removal range may be wider than the width r1 in FIG. When exposing such a wafer 29, the information of the resist removal range is supplied to the input means 26 in FIG. 1, and the area 29a having the width r2 is designated as the measurement prohibited area, thereby preventing erroneous measurement of the tilt angle. Is done. As the tilt angle of the exposure shot region PR8 over the region 29a, for example, the tilt angle of a region PR9 close to the same is used.

In general, there is a step between the resist removal range and the other range. By detecting the step, the resist removal range or the range where the state of the surface is locally changed is detected and measured. The prohibited area may be automatically set. A focus detection mechanism can be used for measuring such a step.

FIG. 4 shows an example of an exposure apparatus provided with such a focus detecting mechanism. In FIG. 4, portions corresponding to FIG. 1 are denoted by the same reference numerals. In FIG. 4, 30
Is a wafer from which peripheral resist has been removed in the wafer process up to that point, and a step 3
0a remains. The wafer 30 is placed on the leveling stage 23. Reference numeral 31 denotes a point light source such as a light emitting diode or a laser diode having a low sensitivity to the photosensitive material, and the light emitted from the light source 31 is obliquely inclined with respect to the optical axis 17a of the projection lens 17 by the condenser lens 32.
Focus on top. The light reflected from the focal point is focused by a condenser lens 33 on a detector 34 for detecting a light receiving position, and a detection signal S4 of the detector 34 is supplied to input means 35 as input information IND. The input means 35 obtains a measurement prohibited area from the detection signal S4, and notifies the leveling processing system 25 of the measurement prohibited area using the control signal S2. Other configurations are the same as those in FIG.

In FIG. 4, when the XYZ stage 24 is moved, the wafer 30 moves below the projection lens 17,
When the focal point of the light by the condenser lens 32 crosses the step 30a, the position of the center of gravity of the detection light on the detector 34 changes.
Therefore, the input means 35 can detect the step 30a of the wafer 30 from the detection signal S4, and at that time, the area outside the coordinate position of the XY stage is designated as the measurement prohibited area. This makes it possible to automatically and accurately set the measurement prohibited area even when the width of the resist removal changes depending on the process, for example. It should be noted that even when the peripheral resist is already removed as shown in FIG. 5B at the time when the resist is held on the stage 23, the measurement can be similarly performed as a step.

It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, but can adopt various configurations without departing from the gist of the present invention.

[0035]

According to the present invention, the measurement-limited area can be arbitrarily set by the input means, so that the most efficient and accurate measurement can be made according to the exposure area of the projection optical system and the surface condition of the photosensitive substrate. There is an advantage that the inclination of the photosensitive substrate can be corrected.

When the measurement limited area is set based on the maximum exposure range of the projection optical system, the illumination range limited by the blind, or the range in which the photosensitive material is removed,
Each of the measurement restriction areas can be set as narrow as possible, and the inclination of the photosensitive substrate can be corrected more accurately. Further, when the step measuring means is provided, there is an advantage that the measurement limited area can be set accurately even when the width of the photosensitive material removal changes.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an overall configuration of an embodiment of an exposure apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a wafer 18 when an exposure area of a projection lens 17 in FIG. 1 changes.

FIG. 3 is a plan view showing wafers having different resist removal widths.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a main part when a focus detection mechanism is added to the exposure apparatus of FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view for explaining a resist removal range of a wafer;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a main part showing a case where the inclination of a wafer surface near a resist removal range is measured by a conventional exposure apparatus.

[Explanation of symbols]

 Reference Signs List 17 projection lens 18 wafer 19 light source 20 collimator lens 21 condenser lens 22 detector 23 leveling stage 25 leveling processing system 26 input means 30 wafer 32, 33 condensing lens 35 input means

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[Procedure amendment]

[Submission date] May 26, 1999

[Procedure amendment 1]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] Name of invention

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

Exposure apparatus, exposure method, and integrated circuit manufacturing method

[Procedure amendment 2]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] Claims

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[Claims]

[Procedure amendment 3]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0012

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[0012]

According to the present invention, a pattern image of a mask (16) is projected onto a substrate (18) as shown in the drawings of the present specification, for example, by a projection optical system (1).
7) and projecting through a plurality of partitioned areas (PR
1, PR2, PR3, PR4, PR6, PR7, PR
8, PR9) in an exposure apparatus for sequentially exposing, a step detecting means (35) for obtaining information relating to a step present in the divided area, and a control means for controlling a tilt state of the substrate at the time of exposure based on the information relating to the step. (23, 25)
And characterized in that: Further, according to the present invention, a mask (1) is provided on the substrate (18).
The pattern image of 6) is projected via the projection optical system (17), and a plurality of partitioned areas (PR1, PR2, PR) on the substrate are projected.
(3, PR4, PR6, PR7, PR8, PR9), in an exposure method for sequentially exposing, information on a step present in the divided area is obtained, and based on the information on the step,
It is characterized in that the tilt state of the substrate at the time of exposure is controlled. Further, the present invention described in claim 22 is characterized in that an integrated circuit is manufactured by using the exposure method according to any one of claims 9 to 21. The exposure apparatus according to the present invention, as shown in FIG. 1, for example, exposes a pattern formed on a reticle (16) onto a photosensitive substrate (18) via a projection optical system (17). A tilt measuring means (19 to 22) for measuring a tilt of a designated exposure shot position on a surface to be exposed of the substrate (18), and an actual measured value of the tilt on the surface to be exposed of the photosensitive substrate (18) is not used Input means (26) for setting a measurement limited area, and its inclination measuring means (19-22)
A drive mechanism (2) that corrects the inclination of each exposure shot position on the surface to be exposed according to the measurement result of
3, 25), and the driving mechanism (23, 25)
At the exposure shot position in the measurement restricted area, the inclination is corrected according to a measurement result of the inclination at the exposure shot position outside the measurement restricted area near the exposure shot position or a preset inclination.

[Procedure amendment 4]

[Document name to be amended] Statement

[Correction target item name] 0035

[Correction method] Change

[Correction contents]

[0035]

According to the present invention, since the step detecting means obtains information on the steps existing in the divided area, the tilt state of the substrate can be controlled most efficiently and accurately according to the information on the steps. . Further, according to the present invention, the measurement limited area can be set arbitrarily by the input means, so that the photosensitive substrate can be most efficiently and accurately adjusted according to the exposure area of the projection optical system and the surface condition of the photosensitive substrate. There is an advantage that inclination can be corrected.

Claims (5)

[Claims] 1. An apparatus for exposing a pattern formed on a reticle onto a photosensitive substrate via a projection optical system, wherein a tilt measurement for measuring a tilt of a designated exposure shot position on a surface to be exposed of the photosensitive substrate is performed. Means, an input means for setting a measurement restricted area that does not use an actual measured value of the inclination on the exposed surface of the photosensitive substrate; and an input means for setting the measurement restricted area on the exposed surface according to the measurement result of the inclination measuring means and the measurement restricted area. A drive mechanism that corrects the tilt of each exposure shot position, wherein the drive mechanism is configured such that, at the exposure shot position in the measurement restricted area, the inclination at the exposure shot position outside the measurement restricted area in the vicinity of the exposure shot position. An exposure apparatus for correcting an inclination according to a measurement result of the above or an inclination set in advance. 2. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the input unit sets the measurement limited area based on information on a maximum exposure range of the projection optical system. 3. An illumination optical system for illuminating the reticle, wherein a blind for limiting an illumination range is provided, and the input means sets the measurement limited area based on information on the illumination range limited by the blind. 2. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the exposure apparatus is provided. 4. A photosensitive substrate having a peripheral portion exposed to remove a photosensitive material at a peripheral portion as the photosensitive substrate, wherein the input means performs the measurement based on information on the peripheral portion from which the photosensitive material is removed. 2. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the exposure apparatus sets a restricted area. 5. A step measuring means for measuring a step at a peripheral portion of the photosensitive substrate, wherein the input means sets the measurement limited area based on a measurement result of the step measuring means. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein