KR100781099B1 - Method of estimating lithography system, method of adjusting substrate processing apparatus, lithography system, and exposure apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

In normal exposure, the wafer coated with the photoresist with the resist coater is transferred onto the wafer stage of the projection exposure apparatus, and the exposure is performed. Then, the development is performed by the developing apparatus. In evaluating the characteristics, an image of a predetermined evaluation mark is exposed to each shot region of the photoresist-coated wafer in a narrow area of the effective optical field of the projection optical system, and the state of the resist pattern after development is detected. As a result, the characteristics of the resist coater or the developing apparatus are evaluated. At the time of evaluating the imaging characteristic of the projection exposure apparatus, an image of a plurality of predetermined marks for evaluation is exposed in a wide area of effective field of view. Each characteristic of the resist coater, exposure apparatus, and developing apparatus constituting the lithography system can be independently evaluated.

Resistor Coater, Photoresist, Exposure Equipment

Description

Lithographic system evaluation method, substrate processing apparatus adjustment method, lithography system, and exposure apparatus TECHNICAL FIELD

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS The schematic block diagram which shows the lithographic system which is an example of embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of part of the projection exposure apparatus shown in FIG. 1; FIG.

3A is a plan view showing the evaluation mark plate 33 of FIG. 2, FIG. 3B is an enlarged plan view showing the evaluation mark 48, and FIG. 3C is an enlarged plan view showing the evaluation mark 49. FIG.

Fig. 4A is a plan view showing the short arrangement of the wafer for evaluation of the resist coater and the developing apparatus, and Fig. 4B is an enlarged cross-sectional view used for explaining the measurement method of the resist pattern 49P, and Fig. 4C is a film thickness of the photoresist. An enlarged cross-sectional view showing another example of the measuring method.

5 is an explanatory diagram of a measuring method of a resist pattern having a wedge shape at both ends;

Fig. 6A is a plan view showing a short array of wafers for evaluation of a projection optical system of a projection exposure apparatus, and Fig. 6B is an enlarged plan view showing a resist pattern formed in each shot region on the wafer.                 

FIG. 7A is a plan view showing a short array of wafers for evaluating dynamic control characteristics of a projection exposure apparatus, and FIG. 7B is a plan view showing a test reticle used at this time.

8 is a flowchart showing the first half of the evaluation sequence of the lithographic system of the embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 9 is a flowchart showing the second half of the evaluation sequence of the lithographic packet system.

※ Explanation of code for main part of drawing

1: exposure light source 14B: movable blind

R: Reticle PL: Projection Optical System

W, W1 to W4: Wafer 22: Main control system

27: host computer 31: reticle stage

33: evaluation mark board 36A-36D, 62A-62F: evaluation mark

39: wafer stage 48, 49: marks for evaluation

50: projection exposure apparatus 51: coater developer part

52: conveying line 54: resist coater

55: pre-baking device 56: cooling device

57: post-baking device 58: cooling device

59: developing device

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a method for evaluating a lithography system for manufacturing a device such as a semiconductor device, a liquid crystal display device, a plasma display device, or a thin film magnetic head, and more particularly, to a resist coater, an exposure apparatus, and a developing apparatus (developer). Suitable for use in a lithographic system.

In order to cope with the improvement in the degree of integration and fineness of semiconductor devices, in an exposure apparatus used in a lithography process (typically consisting of a resist coating process, an exposure process and a resist development process) for manufacturing a semiconductor device, resolution and transfer fidelity, etc. Increasing the imaging characteristics of the is required. In order to enhance the imaging characteristics in this manner, the exposure apparatus has been shortening the wavelength of the exposure light as the exposure beam, increasing the numerical aperture of the projection optical system, and developing new illumination methods such as modified illumination.

In order to evaluate how the imaging characteristics are actually improved when the exposure conditions (exposure wavelength, numerical aperture of the projection optical system, illumination method, etc.) are changed in this way, a line-and-space pattern having a line width close to the limit resolution is conventionally used. Image of the photoresist is applied on a photoresist-coated wafer through a projection optical system, and the line width of the resist pattern obtained after developing the wafer is measured by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). It was compared with the measurement data until then. However, this method requires a scanning electron microscope separately from the exposure apparatus, which results in expensive equipment for evaluation, complicated work for evaluation, and long time for evaluation.                         

Therefore, in order to easily evaluate the imaging characteristics of the exposure apparatus, as disclosed in Patent No. 2530080, a plurality of resistance patterns are formed on a semiconductor substrate using an exposure apparatus, an etching apparatus, or the like, and the resistance values of these resistance patterns are formed. The evaluation method which indirectly calculates the dimension of the resistance pattern by measuring is proposed.

As described above, a method of relatively easily evaluating the imaging characteristics of the exposure apparatus alone has been conventionally proposed. However, the final shape of the semiconductor device circuit pattern is not only the imaging characteristics of the exposure apparatus, but also the unevenness of application of the photoresist on the wafer with the resist coater, and the development of the wafer (photoresist) in the developing apparatus. It is also affected by phenomenon unevenness. For this reason, it is not easy to evaluate the imaging characteristics of the exposure apparatus alone after the exposure apparatus is once installed in a device manufacturing line including a resist coater, a developing apparatus, a baking apparatus, a cooling apparatus and the like.

On the other hand, in order to cope with further integration of semiconductor devices, it is necessary to optimize the performance of individual apparatuses such as an exposure apparatus, a resist coater, and a developing apparatus included in the lithography system to improve the precision of device manufacturing as a whole lithography system.

The present invention has been accomplished in view of the above, and its first object is to provide an evaluation method for effectively evaluating the performance of individual devices installed in a lithography system. It is a second object of the present invention to provide a method of evaluating and / or adjusting a lithographic system in order to improve the device manufacturing precision of the lithographic system. It is a third object of the present invention to provide a lithography system capable of effectively evaluating the performance of individual devices installed in a lithography system.

It is also a fourth object of the present invention to provide an adjustment method capable of easily adjusting the characteristics of a substrate processing apparatus constituting a lithography system together with an exposure apparatus. Moreover, an object of this invention is to provide the exposure apparatus which can implement such an evaluation method.

Summary of the Invention

A method for evaluating a first lithography system according to the present invention is a method for evaluating a lithography process including an application process, an exposure process, and a development process of a photosensitive material to form a predetermined development pattern on a substrate on which the photosensitive material is applied: The substrates W1 to W4 coated with the material are exposed through the evaluation patterns 36A to 36D, 48, 49, and 62A to 62F; Developing the exposed substrate to form a developing pattern; The state of the developed pattern formed, for example, thickness, line width, length or position; From the observation results, at least one of the coating factors peculiar to the coating step, the exposure factor peculiar to the exposure step, and the developing factor peculiar to the developing step is obtained independently from other factors. It includes.

According to the present invention, an uneven pattern of the photosensitive material is formed on the substrate by actually exposing the substrate coated with the photosensitive material through a predetermined evaluation pattern and developing the substrate (photosensitive material) after the exposure. In this case, for example, by setting the field of view at the time of exposure of the substrate to a predetermined narrow area, the factors (imaging characteristics, etc.) affecting the development pattern in the exposure step (exposure device) are made substantially constant, and the coating step (coating device) The development pattern of the photosensitive material subjected to the change of the factors affecting the development pattern and the development process (developing device) in the development process is developed. Thus, by measuring, for example, the thickness or the distribution of the line width in the state of the pattern, the coating factor (coating nonuniformity, etc.) or the developing factor (developing nonuniformity, etc.) can be independently evaluated, respectively. In addition, the development of the photosensitive material subjected to the change of the exposure factor by setting the field of view at the time of exposure of the substrate to a region as wide as that of actually exposing the device pattern and exposing the pattern for evaluation at the periphery of the field of view. A pattern is formed. At this time, in order to reduce the influence of the change of the coating factor and the developing factor, for example, by averaging the measured values at a plurality of positions on the substrate, the characteristics (exposure factor) of the exposure step can be independently evaluated. At this time, the state of the pattern of the photosensitive material can be measured by the alignment sensor provided in the exposure apparatus as an example, so that the evaluation can be performed easily and at low cost. In order to carry out the evaluation, the evaluation pattern may include a unique pattern for obtaining the coating factor, developing factor and exposure factor, respectively.

In addition, the evaluation method of the second lithography system according to the present invention includes a coating apparatus 54 for applying a photosensitive material to a substrate, an exposure apparatus 50 for exposing a substrate coated with the photosensitive material, and a developing apparatus for developing the photosensitive material ( 59. A method for evaluating a lithography system having: 59): a first process (step 101, 120, 128) of applying a photosensitive material onto a substrate by the coating device; A second step (steps 105, 123, 131) of exposing the substrate on which the photosensitive material is applied through the pattern for evaluation (36A-36C, 48, 49, 62A-62F) by the exposure apparatus; A third process of developing the photosensitive material of the substrate by the developing apparatus (steps 106, 124, 132); A fourth step (step 107, 110, 125, 133) of measuring a developing pattern of the photosensitive material on the developed substrate; And a fifth step of independently evaluating one of the characteristics of the coating apparatus, the characteristics of the exposure apparatus, and the characteristics of the developing apparatus independently of the other characteristics based on the measurement result of the fourth process. Processes (steps 108, 111, 126, 134).

In the evaluation method of the second lithography system, similarly to the evaluation method of the first lithography system, predetermined characteristics of any one of the coating apparatus, the exposure apparatus, and the developing apparatus can be easily evaluated independently of the characteristics of the other apparatus. .

In this case, if the exposure apparatus is provided with the projection system PL which projects the image of a mask pattern on a board | substrate, in the 2nd process, the image of the evaluation pattern will be prescribed | regulated in the effective field of the projection system. You may project through the narrow area | region 35A on several partition area SA on the board | substrate, and you may make it evaluate the any one characteristic of the coating apparatus or the developing apparatus in the 5th process.

Alternatively, in the second step, the image of the evaluation pattern is projected onto the plurality of partition areas SB on the substrate through the predetermined wide area 35 in the effective field of the projection system, and in the fifth step, You may make it evaluate the characteristic (imaging characteristic etc.) of the projection system of this exposure apparatus.

In addition, when the exposure apparatus is a scanning exposure type exposure apparatus which moves the mask and the substrate synchronously to expose the substrate, in the second step, the image of the evaluation pattern is scanned in a plurality of partition regions (SC) on the substrate. ), And at the fifth step, the dynamic control characteristics of the exposure apparatus may be evaluated.

The evaluation method of the second lithography system includes a sixth step of measuring a deviation of the length of the developing pattern of the photosensitive material in the measurement direction formed in the plurality of partition regions on the substrate, and an evaluation of developing unevenness of the developing apparatus. 7 processes may be further included. The evaluation method includes an eighth step of coating a photosensitive material on a separate substrate by the coating device, and a substrate having the photosensitive material coated thereon with an image having a pattern different from that for the evaluation pattern. The ninth step of exposing the photosensitive material by projecting onto a plurality of compartments on the substrate through a wide area of light; the tenth step of developing the photosensitive material exposed in the ninth step; and the development of the photosensitive material developed in the tenth step. The method may further include an eleventh process of measuring a pattern to evaluate any one characteristic of the projection system of the exposure apparatus. It may also include the step of adjusting the projection system in accordance with the characteristics of the projection system evaluated. In the case where the exposure apparatus is a scanning exposure type exposure apparatus which exposes the substrate by synchronously moving the mask and the substrate, an image of a twelfth step of applying a photosensitive material to the test substrate by the coating apparatus after adjusting the projection system and an image of the evaluation mask Is subjected to scanning exposure to a plurality of partition areas on the substrate to expose the photosensitive material, the 14th step of developing the photosensitive material exposed in the thirteenth step, and the dynamic control characteristics of the exposure apparatus. The fifteenth process of evaluating may further be included.

An evaluation method of the third lithography system of the present invention includes an exposure apparatus 50 for exposing a substrate W coated with a photosensitive material, and a substrate processing apparatus for processing the substrate at least one of before and after exposure of the photosensitive material. A method of evaluating a lithography system having (51), comprising: transferring a pattern for evaluation to a photosensitive material by a lithography system to form a transfer image; Measure the state of the transferred image; And a step of independently evaluating the characteristics of the exposure apparatus and the characteristics of the substrate processing apparatus based on this measurement result. According to this evaluation method, the characteristic can be easily evaluated by measuring the state (latent image, etc.) of the photosensitive material after the transfer.

As a third evaluation method, when exposing a substrate through an evaluation pattern in order to independently measure the characteristics of the exposure apparatus and the characteristics of the substrate processing apparatus, the size of the area illuminating the evaluation pattern can be adjusted according to the obtained characteristic. have. The evaluation pattern may include patterns for obtaining characteristics of an exposure apparatus and characteristics of a substrate processing apparatus, respectively, and may develop developing patterns of patterns according to independently obtained characteristics. The substrate processing apparatus may include a coating apparatus for applying the photosensitive material to the substrate and a developing apparatus for developing the photosensitive material on which the transfer image is formed.

A method of adjusting the substrate processing apparatus 51 which forms a lithography system together with an exposure apparatus 50 for exposing a substrate W coated with a photosensitive material, and processes the substrate at least one of before and after exposure of the photosensitive material. In: transfer pattern for evaluation to a photosensitive material on a substrate by a lithography system to form a transfer image; Measure the state of this transfer image; And a step of detecting the characteristics of the substrate processing apparatus independently of the characteristics of the exposure apparatus based on this measurement result. According to this adjustment method, by detecting the state of the photosensitive material after transfer (register pattern, etc.), the characteristics of the substrate processing apparatus can be accurately evaluated based on this detection result. The substrate processing apparatus may include a coating apparatus for applying the photosensitive material to the substrate, and a developing apparatus for developing the photosensitive material on which the transfer image is formed. This adjustment method may include adjusting a substrate processing apparatus, when the detected characteristic does not satisfy | fill a predetermined value.

The lithographic system of the present invention is E1 (claim 10 changed). A lithographic system for forming a predetermined development pattern on a substrate coated with a photosensitive material, comprising: a coating device 54 for applying a photosensitive material to a substrate; An exposure apparatus 50 for exposing a substrate coated with a photosensitive material; A developing device 59 for developing the exposed photosensitive material; A control system (22) for controlling the photosensitive device to expose the substrate coated with the photosensitive material by the coating device through a predetermined evaluation pattern by the exposure device; Sensors (23, 24) for measuring a state of a developing pattern of the photosensitive material obtained by developing the substrate exposed by the exposure apparatus by the developing apparatus; And a determination system for determining one of the characteristics of the coating apparatus, the characteristics of the exposure apparatus, and the characteristics of the developing apparatus independently of the other characteristics based on the measurement information of the sensor (27) ); Has This lithography system can independently measure the characteristics of the individual devices constituting the system, is easy to maintain, and can form a higher precision device pattern. This lithography system enables the evaluation method of the present invention.

The sensor can measure at least one of coating unevenness of the photosensitive material, developing unevenness, and imaging characteristics of the exposure apparatus. The exposure apparatus includes a projection system for projecting an image of the pattern for evaluation on a substrate and a field of view aperture for limiting an illumination field of the pattern for evaluation illuminated by the projection system, wherein the control system comprises the field of view aperture in accordance with the characteristics determined. Can be controlled. By using the sensor provided in the exposure apparatus, the sensor can evaluate the characteristics of the coating apparatus and the developing apparatus in the system without introducing a new sensor into the system. What is necessary is just to return this developed pattern back to an exposure apparatus on the production line of a system by the conveyance system which conveys a board | substrate, for example.

The exposure apparatus of this invention is an exposure apparatus which exposes the board | substrate W on which the photosensitive material was apply | coated through the mask R: Illumination system 1-18 which illuminates the said mask; A substrate stage for positioning a substrate: a variable field stopper 14B for switching a size of an illumination area by the illumination system; A first sensor 24 for measuring a physical quantity corresponding to the pattern shape of the photosensitive material after development on the substrate on the substrate stage; A second sensor 23 for measuring a pattern position of the photosensitive material after development on the substrate on the substrate stage; And a determination system 27 for evaluating the state of the photosensitive material on the substrate using the detection results of the first and second sensors. The exposure apparatus of the present invention can evaluate the characteristics of the coating apparatus and the developing apparatus. Therefore, by putting this exposure apparatus into the lithography system, maintenance of the system becomes easy, the performance of the system can be maximized, and the accuracy of the developing pattern of the device can be further improved. Moreover, this exposure apparatus can implement the evaluation method of this invention.

The exposure apparatus of the present invention may further include a projection system for projecting the illumination light from the illumination system onto the substrate. The determination system can evaluate the imaging characteristics of the projection system using at least one of the first sensor and the second sensor. The physical quantity is the thickness of the photosensitive material, and the state of the photosensitive material may include coating unevenness and developing unevenness of the photosensitive material. The exposure apparatus further includes a control system for controlling the variable field stop, and the control system can control the variable field stop to be narrower than when the imaging characteristics of the projection system are observed when the state of the photosensitive material on the substrate is evaluated. have. The second sensor provided in the exposure apparatus can be used not only to measure the position of the pattern of the photosensitive material after development, but also to align the substrate with respect to the illumination light from the projection system.

A device manufacturing method using the lithographic system of the present invention includes a first step of applying a photosensitive material onto a substrate by the coating device; A second step of exposing the substrate coated with the photosensitive material through the evaluation pattern by the exposure apparatus; A third step of developing the photosensitive material of the substrate by the developing device; A fourth step of measuring a developing pattern of the photosensitive material on the developed substrate; A fifth step of independently evaluating one of the characteristics of the coating apparatus, the characteristics of the exposure apparatus, and the characteristics of the developing apparatus independently of the other characteristics based on the measurement result of the fourth process; A sixth step of adjusting the apparatus having the evaluated characteristic in accordance with the evaluated characteristic; And a seventh step after the adjustment in the sixth step, the first to third steps are executed using the device formation pattern instead of the evaluation pattern to obtain a substrate on which the development pattern for device formation is formed. According to this device manufacturing method, since the characteristics of the individual devices constituting the system are independently evaluated and well adjusted, a high-precision device can be manufactured with high throughput.

According to the present invention, there is provided a method for measuring a photosensitive material coating state of a substrate exposed by an exposure apparatus having an illumination system for illuminating a substrate coated with the photosensitive material and a detector for detecting return light from the illuminated substrate. The photosensitive substrate is exposed to light through an evaluation mark; Using an illumination system and a detector, there is provided a method of measuring a photosensitive material coating state of a substrate comprising observing a photosensitive pattern state of a photosensitive evaluation mark to obtain a coating state of the photosensitive material. By this method, the application state of the photosensitive material can be easily inspected using an exposure apparatus. Therefore, the exposure apparatus in the lithography process or the lithography system can be used more effectively. In this measuring method, the latent image which the mark for evaluation was exposed may be observed, or the diffracted light from a board | substrate may be observed using the board | substrate with which the mark for evaluation of a diffraction grating image was formed. Or the developed evaluation mark may be developed and the developing pattern may be observed. When exposing the substrate as the detector, a detector used for performing alignment with the exposure position of the substrate can be used. Moreover, when photosensitive a board | substrate through the mark for evaluation, the light from the light source which an exposure apparatus has can be used.

According to the present invention, there is also provided a method of measuring a photosensitive material developing state of a substrate exposed by an exposure apparatus having an illumination system for illuminating a substrate coated with the photosensitive material and a detector for detecting return light from the illuminated substrate: The photosensitive material-coated substrate is exposed to light through an evaluation mark; Developing the photosensitive substrate; Using the illumination system and the detector, there is provided a method for measuring the developed state of a photosensitive material of a substrate, including finding the developed state of the photosensitive material by observing the developed pattern of the developed evaluation mark. By this method, the developing state of the photosensitive material can be easily inspected using the exposure apparatus. Therefore, the exposure apparatus in a lithography process or a lithography system can be used more effectively.

Description of Preferred Embodiments

EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION Hereinafter, an example of embodiment of this invention is described with reference to drawings. This example applies the present invention when evaluating various characteristics of a lithography system for manufacturing a semiconductor device having a resist coater, a projection exposure apparatus as an exposure apparatus, and a developing apparatus (developer).

Fig. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram showing a lithography system of the present example, in which a coater developer 51 as a substrate processing apparatus is provided so as to contact the chamber surrounding the projection exposure apparatus 50 in an inline manner. The host computer 27 is provided so as to collectively control the operations of the projection exposure apparatus 50 and the coater developer 51. In the coater developer portion 51, a conveying line 52 for conveying a wafer as a substrate is disposed so as to cross the center portion, and the first uncontaining a plurality of unexposed wafers at one end of the conveying line 52. A wafer cassette 53 and a second wafer cassette 60 for storing a plurality of exposed and developed wafers are disposed, and the other end of the transfer line 52 is attached with a shutter on the side of the chamber of the projection exposure apparatus 50. It is provided just before the conveyance port (not shown).

Further, in the coater developer 51, a resist for applying a photoresist as a photosensitive material to the wafer from the first wafer cassette 53 toward the projection exposure apparatus 50 along one side surface of the conveying line 52. A prebaking device 55 consisting of a coater 54, a hot plate for prebaking the photoresist on the wafer, and a cooling device 56 for cooling the prebaked wafer are provided. As the cooling device 56, a device in which a pipe through which cooling water flows and a temperature sensor is provided inside the base member on which the wafer is mounted, or a device in which a heat absorbing element such as a Peltier element is embedded in the base member. Then, baking the photoresist on the exposed wafer toward the second wafer cassette 60 in the projection exposure apparatus 50 along the other side surface of the conveying line 52, that is, performing a so-called post-exposure bake (PEB). The post-baking apparatus 57 is provided, the cooling apparatus 58 for cooling the wafer on which PEB was given, and the developing apparatus 59 for developing the photoresist on a wafer.

In the projection exposure apparatus 50 of this example, the wafer W to be exposed is supported on the wafer stage 39 via the wafer holder 38, and the wafer stage 39 is supported by the wafer base 40 ( 2) The phase is moved two-dimensionally. And the 1st guide member 42 is arrange | positioned so that the extension line of the center axis of the conveyance line 52 may be nearly, and the slider 43 is arrange | positioned so that it may be driven by the linear motor which is not shown along this 1st guide member 42. FIG. The slider 43 is provided with a first arm 44 that supports the wafer so as to be free to rotate and move up and down. The second guide member 46 is disposed to be orthogonal to the upper end of the first guide member 42, and the second guide member 46 supports the wafer to be driven by a linear motor (not shown) along the second guide member 46. Arm 47 is disposed. The second guide member 46 extends to the wafer loading position of the wafer stage 39, and the second arm 47 is also provided with a mechanism for sliding in the direction orthogonal to the second guide member 46.

In addition, a male pin 45, which can rotate and move up and down, is provided in the vicinity of the position where the guide members 42 and 46 intersect, and the outer peripheral portion of the wafer around the male pin 45 is provided. The position detection device (not shown) for detecting the position of the notch part (notch part) and the two edge parts of is provided. The wafer loader system is constituted by the guide members 42 and 46, the slider 43, the arms 44 and 47, the male pin 45, and the like.

An example of the basic operation of the lithographic system of FIG. 1 in a normal lithography process will be described. One wafer taken out of the first wafer cassette 53 in accordance with the command of the host computer 27 is a transfer line ( It is conveyed to the resist coater 54 via 52, and a photoresist is apply | coated. The photoresist-coated wafer is delivered to the first arm 44 of the projection exposure apparatus via the prebaking device 55 and the cooling device 56 in turn along the transfer line 52. Then, when the slider 43 reaches the vicinity of the male pin 45 along the first guide member 42, the first arm 44 rotates so that the photoresist-coated wafer is removed from the first arm 44. It is received at position A on the male pin 45, where adjustment of the center position and the rotation angle (prior alignment) is performed based on the outline of the wafer. Thereafter, the wafer is received by the second arm 47 and conveyed along the second guide member 46 to the loading position of the wafer, where it is loaded into the wafer holder 38 on the wafer stage 39. Then, exposure is performed for each shot region on the wafer (called wafer W) through a predetermined device pattern of a reticle as a mask.

After the exposure, the wafer W is conveyed along the guide members 46 and 42 to the conveying line 52 of the coater developer 51, and then sequentially post-baked along the conveying line 52 ( 57) and through the cooling device 58, it is sent to the developing device (59). In the developing device 59, a resist pattern of irregularities corresponding to the device pattern of the reticle is formed in each shot region of the wafer W on which the development is performed. The wafer W thus developed is stored in the second wafer cassette 60 along the transfer line 52. After the end of this lithography process, for example, one lot of wafers in the second wafer cassette 60 are conveyed to a manufacturing line that performs, for example, a pattern forming process such as etching or ion implantation, a resist peeling process, and the like.

In order to form a circuit pattern that conforms to the design data within the allowable range on the wafer W, a resist pattern is formed in each shot region on the wafer W with high resolution and high transfer fidelity using the lithography system of FIG. Needs to be. To this end, it is first necessary to apply the photoresist to a uniform and target thickness as long as possible with the resist coater 54 on the front surface of the wafer. Subsequently, as high as possible the target exposure dose can be achieved by the projection exposure apparatus 50, the deformation (distortion and magnification error) is reduced as much as possible, and the overlapping accuracy as high as possible when overlapping exposure is achieved. It is necessary to pass a pattern of reticles on the wafer and perform exposure. Finally, it is necessary to develop the photoresist on the entire surface of the wafer by the developing apparatus 59 under the target conditions as uniformly as possible. That is, the properties of the resist coater 54 (here, application unevenness), the properties of the projection exposure apparatus 50 (here, imaging characteristics, overlapping accuracy), and the properties of the developing device 59 (here, development unevenness) are respectively. It is necessary to carry out exposure that falls within a predetermined allowable range. For this purpose, the projection exposure apparatus 50 of this example includes a mechanism for evaluating predetermined characteristics of the resist coater 54, the projection exposure apparatus 50 itself, and the developing apparatus 59 independently of those of other apparatuses. It is installed.

Fig. 2 shows a schematic configuration diagram of the projection exposure apparatus 50 of the step-and-scan method of this example, and as the exposure light source 1 in Fig. 2, an ArF excimer laser light source (wavelength 193 nm) is used. However, as the exposure light source 1, KrF excimer laser (wavelength 248 nm), F ₂ laser (wavelength 157 nm), Kr ₂ laser (wavelength 146 nm), harmonic generator of YAG laser, harmonic generator of semiconductor laser or mercury Lamps and the like can be used. The exposure light IL (exposure beam) composed of ultraviolet pulse light having a wavelength of 193 nm in the exposure light source 1 passes through a beam matching unit BMU 2 as a variable photosensitive device as a light attenuator ( 3) is incident. The exposure control unit 21 for controlling the exposure amount to the photoresist on the wafer controls the start, stop, and output (resonant frequency, pulse energy) of light emission of the exposure light source 1, The photosensitivity of is adjusted stepwise or continuously.

The exposure light IL passing through the variable photosensitive device 3 passes through the beam shaping system 5 composed of the lens systems 4A and 4B as an optical integrator (uniformizer or homogenizer) of the first stage. Incident on the first fly's eye lens 6. The exposure light IL emitted from the first fly's eye lens 6 is the optical integrator of the second stage through the first lens system 7A, the optical path bending mirror 8 and the second lens system 7B. Incident on the second fly's eye lens 9 as an image.

The dog-opening plate 10 is driven on the exit surface of the second fly's eye lens 9, that is, on the optical Fourier transform surface (the pupil surface of the illumination system) with respect to the pattern surface (reticle surface) of the reticle R to be exposed. It is arrange | positioned rotatably by 10e. The dog stopper 10 includes a deformed dog stopper (not shown) consisting of a circular dog stop 10a for illumination, a dog dog stop 10b for circular illumination, and an eccentric inlet of a plurality (for example, four). Small circular aperture stops (not shown) for the coherence spectrometer (σ value) and the like are arranged freely for switching. The main control system 22, which collectively controls the overall operation of the projection exposure apparatus 50, rotates the opening and closing board 10 through the drive motor 10e to set the illumination conditions.

In FIG. 2, the exposure light IL emitted from the second fly's eye lens 9 and passed through the aperture stop 10a for normal illumination is incident on the beam splitter 11 having high transmittance and low reflectance. The exposure light reflected by the beam splitter 11 is incident to the integrator sensor 20 made of a photodetector via the condenser lens 19 so that the detection signal of the integrator sensor 20 is transmitted to the exposure control unit 21. ) Is supplied. The relationship between the detection signal of the integrator sensor 20 and the illuminance of the exposure light IL on the wafer W as the substrate to be exposed is measured with high accuracy in advance and stored in a memory in the exposure control unit 21. The exposure control unit 21 is configured to monitor the illuminance (average value) of the exposure light IL with respect to the wafer W and its integrated value indirectly from the detection signal of the integrator sensor 20.

The exposure light IL passing through the beam splitter 11 sequentially passes through the lens system 12 and 13 along the optical axis IAX through the fixed blinds (fixed light field stop) 14A and the movable blinds (movable light field stop). Incident on 14B. The latter movable blind 14B is provided on the conjugated surface with respect to the reticle surface, and the former fixed blind 14A is disposed on the surface defocused by a predetermined amount from the conjugated surface. The fixed blind 14A is a direction orthogonal to the scanning exposure direction at the center in the circular field of the projection optical system PL as disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. Hei 4-196513 and the corresponding US Pat. No. 5,473,410. And an opening arranged to extend in a straight slit or a rectangle (hereinafter collectively referred to as "slit type"). Further, the movable blind 14B corresponding to the variable field stop of the present invention has a width in the scanning direction of the illumination field area in order to prevent unnecessary exposure at the start and end of the scanning exposure to each shot area on the wafer W. It is used to make it variable. The movable blind 14B is also used to vary the width of the pattern area of the reticle R with respect to the direction orthogonal to the scanning direction (non-scanning direction) depending on the evaluation target as described later. Information of the aperture ratio of the movable blade 14B is also supplied to the exposure control unit 21, and the value obtained by multiplying the aperture ratio by the illuminance obtained from the detection signal of the integrator sensor 20 becomes the actual illuminance on the wafer W. .

The exposure light IL passing through the fixed blind 14A during normal exposure is masked through the optical path bending mirror 15, the imaging lens system 16, the sub-condenser lens system 17, and the main capacitor lens system 18. The illumination area (illumination field area) 35 of the pattern surface (lower surface) of the reticle R as is illuminated. The image of the circuit pattern in the illumination region of the reticle R in the vicinity of the exposure light IL is passed through a bilateral telecentric projection optical system PL to a predetermined projection magnification β (β is for example 1/4, 1). Slit exposure area (projection area on the illumination area 35 and the conjugate pattern) of the photoresist layer on the wafer W as the substrate (exposed substrate) disposed on the imaging surface of the projection optical system PL with 35P). The reticle R and the wafer W may be regarded as the first object and the second object, respectively, and the wafer W may be, for example, a circle such as a semiconductor (silicon or the like) or a silicon on insulator (SOI) or the like. It is a plate-shaped substrate. Hereinafter, the Z axis is taken parallel to the optical axis AX of the projection optical system PL, the Y axis is taken in the scanning direction (here, parallel to the paper plane of FIG. 2) in a plane perpendicular to the Z axis, and orthogonal to the scanning direction. It describes by taking the X axis in the non-scanning direction (here, the direction perpendicular to the paper surface of FIG.

In Fig. 2, the reticle R is adsorbed and held on the reticle stage 31, so that the reticle stage 31 can move uniformly in the Y direction on the reticle base 32, and at the same time, rotate in the X direction, Y direction, and rotation. It is installed to be able to move in the direction. The two-dimensional position and rotation angle of the reticle stage 31 (reticle R) are measured in real time by a laser interferometer in the drive control unit 34. Based on this measurement result and the control information from the main control system 22, the drive motor (linear motor, voice coil motor, etc.) in the drive control unit 34 controls the scanning speed and the position of the reticle stage 31. The drive control unit 34 again sets the size of the opening of the movable blade 14B or opens and closes in the scanning direction based on the control information from the main control system 22. Further, an evaluation mark plate 33 made of a glass substrate is fixed in the vicinity of the reticle R of the reticle stage 31.

FIG. 3 (a) is a plan view showing a state where the center of the evaluation mark plate 33 of FIG. 2 almost coincides with the optical axis AX. In FIG. 3 (a), the characteristics of the projection exposure apparatus 50 are shown. At the time of evaluation, the illumination area | region 35 of the exposure light shown by the dashed-dotted line is set so that the whole of the evaluation mark plate 33 may be covered. The illumination area 35 is set so as to be inscribed almost in the circular effective field of the projection optical system PL in Fig. 2, and is an elongated rectangle in the non-scanning direction (X direction) orthogonal to the scanning direction SD (Y direction). Area. In addition, the evaluation mark plate 33 has four two-dimensional identical evaluation marks 36A, 36B, as an example at a position close to the four vertices of the illumination region 35 so as to enter the interior of the illumination region 35. ... 36M) is formed. The mark 36A for evaluation is the mark of the Y axis which consists of the mark 37X of the X-axis which consists of the line and space pattern arrange | positioned by the predetermined pitch in the X direction, and the line and space pattern which is arranged by the predetermined pitch in the Y direction ( 37Y) is a two-dimensional mark combined. The line width of the line and space pattern constituting the evaluation mark 36A is, for example, a line width of about 1 to 2 times the limit resolution of the projection optical system PL of FIG. 2. At this time, for example, each evaluation mark may be constituted by a plurality of line and space patterns having different line widths (pitch, duty, etc.).

On the other hand, in evaluating the characteristics of the resist coater 54 or the developing device 59 of FIG. 1, the opening of the movable blade 14B of FIG. 2 is narrowed, whereby the evaluation mark plate 33 of FIG. The illumination region 35A is set in a narrow region centered on the optical axis AX at the center, as indicated by a single dashed line. As an example, the illumination area 35A is an area in which the widths of the X direction and the Y direction are about 1/5 with respect to the illumination area 35, respectively, and the evaluation mark plate 33 at the center of the illumination area 35A is 2 Two evaluation marks 48 and 49 are formed adjacent to each other. Since the illumination area 35A is a narrow area centered on the optical axis AX in the field of view of the projection optical system PL, the image of the pattern in the illumination area 35A has almost no aberration through the projection optical system PL. Is projected onto the image plane side.

In this case, one mark 48 for evaluation is a plurality of marks in which the elongated rhombic shape in the measurement direction (here, X direction) is wedge-shaped in the measurement direction (here, X direction), as shown in an enlarged view in FIG. 48a-48e are formed in the predetermined pitch in the direction orthogonal to a measurement direction (Y direction). The line width of the thickest portions of the marks 48a to 48e is about 1 to 2 times the interface resolution of the projection optical system PL of FIG. 2, and the evaluation mark 48 is characteristic of the developing apparatus 59 of FIG. Used for evaluation. The other evaluation mark 49 is a line-and-space pattern arranged at a predetermined pitch in the Y direction, as shown in an enlarged view in Fig. 3C. The line width of each mark of the evaluation mark 49 is a gentle (coarse) line width of about several times the interface resolution of the projection optical system PL, and the evaluation mark 49 is characteristic of the resist coater 54 of FIG. Used for evaluation.

Returning to FIG. 2, the wafer W is adsorbed and held on the wafer stage 39 through the wafer holder 38, and the wafer stage 39 is connected to the image plane of the projection optical system PL on the wafer base 40. Two-dimensional movement along the parallel XY plane. That is, the wafer stage 39 moves on the wafer base 40 at a constant speed in the Y direction and at the same time steps the X and Y directions. The wafer stage 39 also includes a Z leveling mechanism for controlling the position (poker switch) in the Z direction of the wafer W and the inclination angles around the X and Y axes. Further, the projection optical system 25A for projecting a slit image obliquely to a plurality of measurement points of the surface (test surface) of the wafer W on the side surface of the projection optical system PL and received reflected light from the test surface, Multi-point autofocus sensors 25A and 25B, which consist of light receiving optical systems 25B for generating a focus signal corresponding to the focus position, are also provided, and these focus signals are supplied to the focusing control section in the main control system 22.

At the time of scanning exposure, the focusing control unit in the main control system 22 continuously drives the Z leveling mechanism in the wafer stage 39 in an autofocus manner based on the information of those focus signals (focus positions). As a result, the surface of the wafer W is focused on the image plane of the projection optical system PL. In the evaluation of the characteristics, as an example, the focus position of the wafer W can be controlled by an arbitrary amount by driving the Z leveling mechanism based on these focus signals.

The position of the wafer stage 39 in the X and Y directions, and the rotation angles around the X, Y, and Z axes are measured in real time by a laser interferometer in the drive control unit 41. Based on this measurement result and the control information from the main control system 22, the drive motor (linear motor or the like) in the drive control unit 41 controls the scanning speed and the position of the wafer stage 39.

In addition, when scanning exposure is performed, it is necessary to align the reticle R and the wafer W in advance. For this reason, on the reticle stage 31, the reticle alignment microscope (not shown) which measures the position of the alignment mark (reticle mark) of the reticle R is provided. In addition, in order to measure the position of the alignment mark (wafer mark) on the wafer W, the first alignment sensor 23 of the image processing method (FIA method: Field Image Alignment method) is applied to the side of the projection optical system PL by an off-axis method. It is installed. The alignment sensor 23 irradiates a test mark with illumination light of a relatively wide wavelength range from a halogen lamp or the like, and processes an image signal obtained by imaging the image of the test mark together with the indicator mark, thereby processing The measurement value obtained by calculating the positional deviation amounts of the test mark in the X direction and the Y direction and obtaining the line width of each mark constituting the test mark is supplied to the main control system 22.

In addition, the second alignment sensor 24 of the off-axis system is provided on the side surface of the projection optical system PL so that the position measurement of the wafer mark can also be performed in another manner. The alignment sensors 23 and 24 correspond to the second sensor and the first sensor of the present invention, respectively. The alignment sensor 24 irradiates the diffraction grating-shaped test mark with two light beams (or sometimes one light beam) having slightly different frequencies, and interfers the interference light composed of a plurality of diffracted light generated from the test mark. The LIA (Laser Interferometric Alignment) sensor 24a (hereinafter referred to as "LIA sensor 24a") and the laser beam irradiated in a slit shape and a dot string test mark are generated relative to each other and generated from the test mark. It consists of a laser step alignment sensor (24b; hereafter referred to as "LSA sensor 24b") for detecting the diffracted light. As for the LIA sensor 24a, a more detailed configuration is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2-227602 (Japanese Patent No. 2814520 and the corresponding US Patent No. 5,489,986), and for the LSA sensor 24b, for example, A more detailed configuration is disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 60-130742 (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 6-16478 and corresponding US Pat. No. 4,677,301). In this example, instead of the LIA sensor 24a, one coherent beam is irradiated almost perpendicularly to the test mark, and at least one pair of diffracted light generated from the test mark (e.g., ± n-order diffraction light having the same order) You may employ | adopt the sensor of the system which intercepts and receives).

The photoelectric conversion signal (detection signal) of the interference light of the LIA sensor 24a and the photoelectric conversion signal (detection signal) of the diffraction light of the LSA sensor 24b are respectively supplied to the alignment signal processing unit in the main control system 22. The alignment signal processing unit detects the coordinates of the test mark by using the detection signal of the LIA sensor 24a or the LSA sensor 24b and the measured value of the coordinates of the wafer stage 39 at the time of alignment. Further, at the time of evaluating the characteristics of the lithography system, the alignment signal processing unit calculates the thickness of the resist pattern on the test mark from the magnitude of the detection signal of the LIA sensor 24a, and detects the detection signal and wafer stage of the LSA sensor 24b. The length of the measurement direction of a test mark is computed using the coordinate of 39).

After the alignment of the wafer W is performed using the alignment sensor 23 or 24, scanning exposure is performed. That is, the main control system 22 sends various types of information such as the moving position, the moving speed, the moving acceleration, the position offset of the reticle stage 31 and the wafer stage 39 to the drive control units 34 and 41. Accordingly, the reticle R is scanned through the reticle stage 31 through the wafer stage 39 in synchronization with the reticle R being scanned at a speed Vr in the + Y direction (or -Y direction) with respect to the illumination region 35 of the exposure light IL. The wafer W is scanned at a speed β · Vr (β is the projection magnification from the reticle R to the wafer W) in the −Y direction (or + Y direction) with respect to the exposure region 35P in the pattern image of R. In order to prevent exposure to unnecessary portions at the start and end of scanning exposure at this time, the opening and closing operation of the movable blind 14B is controlled by the drive control unit 34. The movement directions of the reticle R and the wafer W are reversed because the projection optical system PL of the present example performs reverse projection.

In addition, the main control system 22 reads from the exposure data file various exposure conditions for scanning and exposing the photoresist of each shot region on the wafer W to an appropriate exposure amount, and the exposure control unit 21 also works in an optimum exposure sequence. Run That is, when a command for starting scanning exposure to one shot region on the wafer W is issued from the main control system 22 to the exposure control unit 21, the exposure control unit 21 starts to emit light of the exposure light source 1. At the same time, the integral value of the illuminance (sum of pulse energy per unit time) of the exposure light IL with respect to the wafer W is calculated via the integrator sensor 20. This integral value is reset to zero at the start of scanning exposure. In the exposure control unit 21, the integral value of the illuminance is sequentially calculated, and according to the result, the output of the exposure light source 1 (oscillation) so as to obtain an appropriate exposure amount at each point of the photoresist on the wafer W after scanning exposure. Frequency and pulse energy) and the photosensitivity of the variable photosensitive device 3 are controlled. At the end of scanning exposure to the shot region, light emission of the exposure light source 1 is stopped.

Next, Fig. 8 and Fig. 8 show an example of an operation (evaluation sequence) for evaluating predetermined characteristics of the resist coater 54, the projection exposure apparatus 50, and the developing apparatus 59 of the lithography system of Fig. 1 of this example. A flowchart of 9 will be described. Although evaluation of such a characteristic may be performed regularly, you may make it perform, for example when changing the kind of photoresist or the developing process.

First, in step 101 of FIG. 8, under the control of the host computer 27, the photoresist is applied to the unexposed wafer W1 using the resist coater 54 of FIG. 1, and then the wafer W1. Is loaded onto the wafer stage 39 (wafer holder 38) of the projection exposure apparatus 50 via the prebaking apparatus 55 and the cooling apparatus 56 (step 102). Next, the reticle stage 31 of FIG. 2 is driven to align the center of the evaluation mark plate 33 with the center of the effective field of view of the projection optical system PL (optical axis AX) (step 103). The blind 14B is controlled to set the illumination region of the exposure light IL to the narrow illumination region 35A at the center of the effective field as shown in Fig. 3A (step 104). In this state, only the evaluation marks 48 and 49 can be illuminated, and the image of the evaluation marks 48 and 49 can be projected in a state where the influence of the aberration of the projection optical system PL is little.

Then, in step 105, the projection exposure apparatus 50 of FIG. 2 is regarded as a batch exposure type projection exposure apparatus, and the evaluation marks 48 and 49 of the illumination area 35A in the step-and-repeat method are used. The image is exposed to each shot area SA on the wafer W1 via the projection optical system PL.

Fig. 4A shows the wafer W1 exposed in this manner. In Fig. 4A, the exposure surface of the wafer W1 is formed by the conjugate image of the illumination region 35A narrow in the X and Y directions. N1 shot areas SA ₁ , SA ₂ ,... SA _N1 having substantially the same size (referred to as "shot areas SA" for their representative purposes) are divided into marks for evaluation 48, respectively. Images 48P and 49P of 49 are exposed. In the next step 106, the wafer W1 after exposure is conveyed to the developing device 59 through the postbaking device 57 and the cooling device 58 of FIG. 1, and the wafer W1 is developed by the developing device 59. ), The photoresist on the ()) is developed, and the developed wafer W1 is again loaded onto the wafer stage 39 of the projection exposure apparatus 50 via the transfer line 52. In this case, in each shot area SA of the wafer W1 in Fig. 4A, uneven resist patterns corresponding to the images 48P and 49P of the evaluation marks 48 and 49, respectively (this is also 48P and 49P). Is formed. The latter resist pattern 49P is a diffraction grating mark of a predetermined pitch in the X direction as shown in Fig. 4 (b), and the former resist pattern 48P is wedge-shaped on both sides as shown in Fig. 5 (a). A plurality of uneven patterns.

Subsequent to the above, in step 107, all the shot regions on the wafer W1 of FIG. 4A using the LIA sensor 24a in the alignment sensor 24 under the control of the main control system 22 of FIG. 2. The detection signal corresponding to the intensity of the interference light (diffraction light) from the resist pattern 49P of the SA is detected, and the detection result is supplied to the host computer 27. From the LIA sensor 24a, as shown in Fig. 4B, two light beams LA and LB are irradiated to the resist pattern 49P, and the +1 order of the light beam LA from the resist pattern 49P is irradiated. Diffraction light LA1 and -1st-order diffraction light LB1 of the light beam LB generate | occur | produce in parallel as interference light, and this interference light is detected. In this case, since the average value of the intensity of the interference light varies depending on the thickness of the resist remaining in each shot region SA, that is, the step of the resist pattern 49P, for example, the step of the resist pattern 49P has already been experimentally determined. The relationship with the average value of the detected signals of the interference light is obtained as a table and stored in the data file of the host computer 27. The host computer 27 calculates the average value of the detection signals of the interference light in the respective shot regions SA, and the distribution of the film thickness of the resist remaining on the wafer W1 from this table, and at the same time, the film thickness. From the distribution of, the average film thickness when the photoresist is applied to the wafer W1 by the resist coater 54, and the variation (for example, standard deviation) of the film thickness are estimated as the coating nonuniformity.

In the next step 108, the host computer 27 has an abnormality in the resist coater 54, that is, the average film thickness of the photoresist estimated in step 107, and the variation in the film thickness are of this kind. It is checked whether the target value (0 for a deviation) is determined within the allowable range for the photoresist, and if there is an error, the operator issues the alarm information of the resist coater 54. Accordingly, the maintenance of the resist coater 54 is performed in step 109. Thereafter, the evaluation sequence of steps 101 to 108 may be executed again for the other unexposed wafer W2.

In the above embodiment, the resist pattern 49P after development is detected in order to perform evaluation of the resist coater 54. However, as shown in FIG. 4 (c), each shot region (on the wafer W1) ( The uneven diffraction grating mark 61 is formed in SA), the photoresist PH is applied onto the wafer W1, and then the light beams LA and LB are applied to the mark 61 from the LIA sensor 24a. It can also be made to detect interference light LA1, LB1 from this mark 61. Also in this case, since the average value of the intensity of the interference light from this mark 61 changes in accordance with the film thickness of the photoresist PH on the shot region SA, the LIA sensor 24a is not subjected to exposure and development. The film thickness distribution of the photoresist PH on the wafer W1 can be obtained from the detection signal of. In this example, since the exposure process and the development process can be omitted, the evaluation of the resist coater 54 can be performed in a short time. As the light beams LA and LB from the LIA sensor 24a, light having a wavelength that is not absorbed by the photoresist PH, that is, does not expose the photoresist PH, is used.

In addition, instead of detecting the resist pattern 49P after development, the latent image of the evaluation mark 49 formed in the resist is detected using, for example, the LIA sensor 24a, and based on the detection result, The average film thickness and the variation in the film thickness may be obtained. In this case, the developing step of the photoresist can be omitted, and the evaluation of the resist coater 54 can be performed in a short time. As the light beams LA and LB from the LIA sensor 24a, light having a wavelength that is not absorbed by the photoresist PH, that is, does not expose the photoresist PH, is used.

Similarly, the projection exposure apparatus 50 of FIG. 2 is equipped with an interferometer type or an ellipsometer type film thickness meter, so that the film thickness meter can directly measure the thickness distribution of the photoresist on the wafer before exposure. You may. For example, an atomic force microscope or the like may be used to detect the film thickness of the photoresist and its deviation. In addition, when the above-mentioned coating nonuniformity is measured by transferring the evaluation marks 48 and 49 to the photoresist, in this example, the evaluation marks 48 and 49 are moved to the center of the projection field of the projection optical system PL (the optical axis ( AX) is regarded as a state in which the influence of the aberration of the projection optical system PL is little. However, when the aberration of the projection optical system PL cannot be ignored, a so-called spatial image which detects the measurement method which is not affected by the coating unevenness described above, for example, the projection image of the evaluation mark on the image plane side of the projection optical system PL. It is preferable to obtain aberration information (waveform aberration and the like) of the projection optical system PL in advance according to the measurement or the like, and use the aberration information to determine the coating nonuniformity described above.

In addition, the maintenance of the resist coater 54 in step 109 includes the conditions for applying the photoresist (the spin coat method includes the rotational speed and the rotation speed of the wafer, and the scan coat method is the movement speed of the wafer or the nozzle, etc.). It includes a reset (change) and the like. Further, the operator may adjust the resist coater 54 based on the film thickness or the deviation obtained in step 107, or the host computer 27 gives a command to the resist coater 54 to apply the coating. The condition may be changed or the like.

If there is no abnormality in the resist coater 54, the operation shifts from step 108 to step 110, and this time the main controller 22 of FIG. 2 is the LSA sensor 24b in the alignment sensor 24. FIG. ) And the detection signal corresponding to the diffracted light from the resist pattern 48P of all the shot regions SA on the wafer W1 in FIG. 4A is made to correspond to the X coordinate of the wafer stage 39. Enter it. The laser beam LS is irradiated from the LSA sensor 24b in a slit shape extending in the Y direction as shown in the shot region SA _i of FIG. 5A, and the wafer stage 39 is driven in the X direction. When the resist pattern 48P and the laser beam LS are scanned relative to each other, diffraction light is generated from the resist pattern 48P when the laser beam LS is partially irradiated to the resist pattern 48P. Thus, a resist pattern (48P) in the main control system 22 is that the level of diffracted light detected signal to obtain the X coordinate range of the wafer stage 39 is not less than a predetermined value, the range of the shot area (SA _i) Let length be LX1. Similarly, the main control system 22 obtains the lengths of the resist patterns 48P in all the shot regions SA, and supplies the measured values to the host computer 27.

In this case, for example, in the short region SA _j of FIG. 5B, if the developing state is bad, the length LX2 of the resist pattern 48P is smaller than LX1 so that the length of the resist pattern 48 corresponds to the developing state. do. Based on this, the host computer 27 calculates the average value and the deviation (for example, the standard deviation) of the length of the resist pattern 48P in the entire shot area SA on the wafer W1 in the developing device 59. It is assumed that it represents a phenomenon unevenness that occurs when developing.

In the next step 111, the host computer 27 has an abnormality in the developing apparatus 59, that is, the development unevenness (average value and deviation of the length of the resist pattern 48P) obtained in the step 110 is of a kind of photo. It checks whether or not it is accommodated within the allowable range with respect to the target value (0 for the deviation) determined for the resist, and if there is an abnormality, an alarm information of the developing apparatus 59 is issued to the operator. In this way, maintenance of the developing apparatus 59 is performed in step 112. In step 112, the developing condition of the developing apparatus 59 (for example, developing time, etc.) is changed by the operator or the host computer 27 or the like based on the developing unevenness. Thereafter, the evaluation sequence of steps 101 to 106, 110, and 111 may be executed again.                     

And if there is no abnormality also in the developing apparatus 59, an operation transfers from step 111 to step 120 of FIG. 9, and the imaging characteristic of the projection exposure apparatus 50 is evaluated. Therefore, under the control of the host computer 27, the photoresist is applied to the unexposed wafer (W3) using the resist coater 54 of FIG. 1, and then the wafer W3 is prebaked device 55 and It is loaded on the wafer stage 39 of the projection exposure apparatus 50 via the cooling apparatus 56 (step 121). Next, the opening of the movable blind 14B is opened in the state which centered the evaluation mark plate 33 of FIG. 2 on the optical axis AX, and the illumination area of the exposure light IL is shown in FIG. Set to lighting area 35 of size (step 122). In this state, the evaluation marks 36A to 36D of the periphery of the effective field of the projection optical system PL can be illuminated.

Thus, in step 123, the projection exposure apparatus 50 of FIG. 2 is regarded as a batch exposure type projection exposure apparatus, and the image of the evaluation marks 36A to 36D in the illumination region 35 in a step and repeat manner. Is exposed to each shot region Sb on the wafer W3 via the projection optical system PL.

Fig. 6 (a) shows the wafer W3 thus exposed, in which the exposure surface of the wafer W3 is almost identical to the conjugate image of the illumination region 35 elongated in the X and Y directions. divided into the shot area of the N2 of (N2 <N1) of the size _{(SB 1, SB 2, ...} SB N2) ( on behalf of them referred to as "the shot area (SB)"), for each evaluation of each shot area (SB) The images 36AP to 36DP of the marks 36A to 36D are exposed. In the next step 124, the wafer W3 after exposure is conveyed to the developing device 59 through the postbaking device 57 and the cooling device 58 of FIG. 1, and the photo on the wafer W3 is developed by the developing device 59. After the resist is developed and developed, the wafer W3 is loaded onto the wafer stage 39 of the projection exposure apparatus 50 again through the transfer line 52. In this case, each of the shot regions SB of the wafer W3 in FIG. 6A is provided with a resist pattern of irregularities corresponding to the image of the evaluation marks 36A to 36D (this is also referred to as 36AP to 36DP). . Typically, the resist pattern 36AP is constituted by the line and space patterns 37XP and 37YP of irregularities arranged in the X and Y directions, respectively, as shown in Fig. 6B.

Subsequently, in step 125, the resist pattern of the entire shot region SB on the wafer W3 of FIG. 6 (a) is used, using the FIA alignment sensor 23 under the control of the main control system 22 of FIG. The line width and position (X coordinate, Y coordinate) of the 36AP to 36DP are measured, and the measured value is supplied to the host computer 27. For example, in the resist pattern 36AP in Fig. 6B, the widths hX and hY of the convex portions (resist portions) of the line and space patterns 37XP and 37YP are measured. In this case, since the resist coater 54 and the developing device 59 have already been adjusted to obtain good characteristics in this example, the line widths and positions of the resist patterns 36AP to 36DP are formed in the imaging optical system PL. Depend on characteristics (resolution and aberration, etc.). However, in the resist coater 54 and the developing apparatus 59, the coating unevenness and the developing unevenness remain to some extent, so that the host computer 27 has the resist patterns 36AP in all the shot regions SB measured. The line width and the position of the 36DP are averaged to obtain the line width and the position of the resist patterns 36AP to 36DP in the image plane of the projection optical system PL. The host computer 27 evaluates the resolution of the projection optical system PL by comparing the line width with the design value, and compares the positions of the four resist patterns 36AP to 36DP with the measured values, thereby projecting the optical system PL. Evaluate the distortion (including magnification error).

In the next step 126, the host computer 27 checks whether there is an abnormality in the projection optical system PL, that is, whether the resolution and the distortion evaluated in the step 125 are within an allowable range for the target value, If there is a problem, the operator issues alarm information of the projection optical system PL. Accordingly, the adjustment of the projection optical system PL is performed in step 127. In this case, although not shown, the projection optical system PL shown in FIG. 2 is provided with an imaging characteristic adjusting mechanism capable of tilting and simultaneously tilting a plurality of predetermined lenses in the optical axis direction, and this imaging characteristic adjusting mechanism is used. do. Thereafter, the evaluation sequence of steps 120 to 126 may be executed again. The imaging characteristic adjustment mechanism is disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. Hei 6-45217 and corresponding U.S. Patent No. 6,078,380, which are adopted to form part of the main text. In addition, the imaging characteristic adjusting mechanism of the present example can control the wavelength adjusting portion of the exposure light source 1 to shift the center wavelength of the exposure light IL generated by the exposure light source 1, and this wavelength shift also causes the projection optical system to shift. The imaging characteristic of (PL) can be adjusted.

When there is no abnormality in the imaging characteristic of the projection optical system PL, the operation moves from step 126 to step 128, and this time, the final dynamic characteristics of the projection exposure apparatus 50 are evaluated. Therefore, under the control of the host computer 27, the photoresist is applied to the unexposed wafer (referred to as W4) using the resist coater 54 of FIG. 1, and then the wafer W4 is prebaked ( 55 and the cooling device 56 are loaded onto the wafer stage 39 of the projection exposure apparatus 50 (step 129). Next, the test reticle R1 shown in FIG. 7B is loaded on the reticle stage 31 of FIG. 2 (step 130). As shown in Fig. 7B, in the pattern region of the test reticle R1, three pairs of two-dimensional evaluation marks 62A to 62C and 62D to 62F at predetermined intervals along the scanning direction SD (Y direction). ) Is formed. The evaluation marks 62A to 62F are formed of, for example, two line-and-space patterns identical to those of the evaluation mark 36A in Fig. 3A.

In step 131, the image of the evaluation marks 62A to 62F of the test reticle R1 is obtained by the step-and-scan method (scanning exposure method) using the projection exposure apparatus 50 of FIG. It exposes to each shot area | region SC on the wafer W4 via the projection optical system PL. In this case, in FIG. 7B, the test reticle R1 is scanned in the columnar direction SD with respect to the illumination region 35, and as a result, as shown in FIG. 7A, the slit-type exposure region 35P. ), Each shot region on the wafer W4 is scanned.

Fig. 7 (a) shows the wafer W4 exposed as such, and in Fig. 7 (a), the exposure surface of the wafer W4 is a device to be manufactured at a predetermined pitch in the X direction and the Y direction; N3 pieces (N3 &lt; N2) of substantially the same size are divided into shot regions SC ₁ , SC ₂ ,... SC _N3 (they are referred to as &quot; short regions SC &quot;), respectively, in each shot region SC. The images 62AP to 62FP of the marks 62A to 62F for evaluation are exposed. In the next step 132, the wafer W4 after exposure is conveyed to the developing device 59 through the postbaking device 57 and the cooling device 58 of FIG. 1, and in the developing device 59, the wafer W4. ), And the developed wafer W4 is loaded on the wafer stage 39 of the projection exposure apparatus 50 through the transfer line 52 again. In this case, in each shot area SC of the wafer W4 in Fig. 7A, the uneven resist pattern (this is also referred to as (62AP to 62FP)) for the image of the evaluation marks 62A to 62F, respectively. Formed.

In a subsequent step 133, the resists of all the shot regions SC on the wafer W4 of FIG. 7 (a), using the FIA alignment sensor 23 under the control of the main control system 22 of FIG. The line widths and positions (X coordinate, Y coordinate) of the patterns 62AP to 62FP are measured, and the measured values are supplied to the host computer 27. The host computer 27 calculates the line widths of the resist patterns 62AP to 62FP and the average values and deviations (for example, standard deviations) of the positions in all the measured shot regions SC, and compares the measured values with the design values to project the exposure apparatus. Dynamic control characteristics (synchronization characteristics of the reticle stage and the wafer stage, etc.) at the scanning exposure of 50 are evaluated. In addition, imaging characteristics such as distortion of the projection optical system PL may be detected similarly by the dynamic control characteristics.

In the next step 134, the host computer 27 checks whether there is an error in the dynamic control characteristic, and if there is an error, gives the operator alarm information of the dynamic control characteristic. As a result, in step 135, the stage systems such as the reticle stage 31, the wafer stage 39, and these laser interferometers for position measurement are adjusted. Thereafter, the evaluation sequence of steps 128 to 134 may be executed again. If there is no abnormality in the dynamic control characteristic in step 134, the process proceeds to step 136, where an exposure process of a normal device pattern is performed.

In addition, when checking the resolution, the imaging characteristic, etc. of the projection optical system PL in step 126 mentioned above, evaluation mark 36A-(formed) formed in the photoresist on a wafer, without developing a photoresist. The latent image of 36D) may be detected by the alignment sensor 23 to obtain the line width and the positional information, and the resolution or the imaging characteristic may be obtained based on the detection result. In this case, the development treatment is not performed, and thus, the development treatment is not affected by the evaluation of resolution or imaging characteristics.

Therefore, it is possible to evaluate the resolution and the like in a short time without finding the development unevenness in step 110 or the like. When evaluating the dynamic control characteristic in step 133, the latent image may be detected instead of the resist pattern of the evaluation marks 62A to 62F. Thus, when evaluating the resolution or imaging characteristics and the dynamic control characteristics, it is not necessary to use the characteristics of the development unevenness, but the evaluation of the developing apparatus 59 which is part of the coater developer portion 51 (substrate processing apparatus) is evaluated. In order to do this, the characteristics of the phenomenon unevenness are required, so that the phenomenon unevenness may be separately detected as necessary.

In the above-described embodiment, both the coating nonuniformity and the development nonuniformity of the photoresist are determined. However, in the case of using latent image detection as described above, only the coating nonuniformity may be obtained, or the influence of the application nonuniformity is considered to be small. In the step (layer), only the development unevenness may be obtained. In addition, although the imaging characteristic of the projection exposure apparatus 50 was calculated | required in embodiment mentioned above, you may obtain | require at least one of application | coating nonuniformity and image development nonuniformity, without calculating | requiring the imaging characteristic.

As described above, in the evaluation sequence of the lithography system of this example, since the image of the evaluation marks 48 and 49 is exposed on the evaluation wafer with a narrow field of view using the movable blind 14B as the variable field aperture, the projection exposure is performed. The characteristics of the apparatus 50 and the characteristics of the resist coater 54 or the developing apparatus 59 can be easily evaluated by dividing them. And since the two types of evaluation marks 48 and 49 are used, the characteristics of the resist coater 54 and the characteristics of the developing device 59 can be easily divided and evaluated. For this reason, the adjustment of the lithography system can be performed easily and quickly. In addition, in the above-described embodiment, when the coating unevenness or development unevenness exceeds the allowable range, that is, when abnormality is recognized in the resist coater 54 or the developing apparatus 59, the resist coater 54 in steps 109 and 111. B) The developing apparatus 59 is supposed to be maintained (change of coating conditions, developing conditions, etc.). However, even with this maintenance, the coating unevenness or development unevenness may not be accommodated within the allowable range. Therefore, the projection exposure apparatus is used to compensate for the line width change of the circuit pattern formed on the wafer due to, for example, unevenness or uneven development. You may change the exposure conditions (exposure amount etc.) of the wafer by (50). In one example, the exposure dose is partially varied on the wafer in accordance with the coating unevenness or the development unevenness. This makes it possible to substantially match the line width, the shape, and the like of the circuit pattern formed on the wafer even if the coating unevenness or development unevenness is not accommodated within the allowable range. In addition, when changing the exposure conditions mentioned above according to application | coating nonuniformity or image development nonuniformity, it is not necessary to perform step 109, 112 of FIG. 8 in the above-mentioned embodiment. And even if application | coating nonuniformity or image development nonuniformity is in tolerance, you may make it change the exposure conditions mentioned above etc. as needed.

In the above-described embodiment, for example, when it is recognized that there is an abnormality in the resist coater 54, after the maintenance of the resist coater 54 is performed, photoresist is applied to the wafer again, and the evaluation mark is transferred. This transfer image may be detected to determine a development nonuniformity, or the detection result of the development nonuniformity in step 110 may be corrected based on the application nonuniformity. In addition, when abnormality is recognized in at least one of the resist coater 54 and the developing apparatus 59, the measurement result of the imaging characteristic of the projection exposure apparatus 50 is similarly measured based on at least one of application | coating nonuniformity and image development nonuniformity. The correction may be performed, or after the maintenance of the at least one device, the transfer of the evaluation mark may be performed again.

In the above embodiment, the movable blind 14B is used when projecting the image of the evaluation mark onto the photoresist in order to detect the characteristics (coating or developing unevenness) of the resist coater 54 or the developing apparatus 59. Since it was set as the narrow field of view, application | coating nonuniformity and image development nonuniformity can be evaluated at a small space | interval on the exposure surface on a wafer. However, when it is not necessary to evaluate application | coating nonuniformity and image development nonuniformity by the minute interval by that much, on the contrary, you may transfer a some evaluation mark to each shot area by one exposure operation with a wide field of view. In this case, for example, the influence of the imaging characteristic can be avoided by measuring the image of the evaluation mark at the same position in each shot area.

In addition, in the above embodiment, in order to evaluate the projection exposure apparatus 50, the resist pattern of the image of the predetermined evaluation mark is measured by the alignment sensor 23. In addition, it is disclosed in Japanese Patent No. 2530080. As described above, a predetermined conductor pattern may be formed using the projection exposure apparatus 50 and the resistance value of the conductor pattern may be measured to perform calibration of, for example, imaging characteristics of the projection exposure apparatus 50.

Incidentally, the alignment sensors 23 and 24 and various evaluation marks in Fig. 2 are not limited to the configuration of the above embodiment, but may be any configuration. In addition, when detecting the transfer image (resist image or latent image, etc.) of an evaluation mark in order to evaluate the characteristics of at least one of the resist coater 54, the projection exposure apparatus 50, and the developing apparatus 59, for example, A registration measuring apparatus or the like mounted on the lithography system may be used.

In addition, although the coater developer 51 and the projection exposure apparatus 50 are connected in-line in FIG. 1, even if a conveying apparatus (for example, AGV etc.) is formed between both apparatuses, and the lithographic system is made into an offline structure, do. Moreover, the kind and number of apparatuses which are attached to the coater developer part 51 are not limited to the structure of FIG. 1, and may be arbitrary structures. For example, the resist coater 54 and the developing device 59 may be configured as an integrated device. Alternatively, instead of the coater developer 51, a part of the substrate treating apparatus having only the resist coater 54 or the developing device 59 may be used. Since the projection exposure apparatus 50 and the coater developer 51 are each configured to be independently controlled by a main controller (minicomputer or the like) not shown, the host computer 27 of FIG. Note that the transfer operation of the wafers may be controlled by mutually transmitting and receiving the operation status and the like between the two. In this example, at least one apparatus other than the projection exposure apparatus 50 is used as the substrate processing apparatus among the apparatuses (that is, used in the lithography process) constituting the lithography system described above.

Incidentally, in the above embodiment, a scanning exposure type projection exposure apparatus is used as the exposure apparatus, but in the present invention, a projection exposure apparatus (stepper) of a step and repeat method (batch exposure method) and a proximity without using a projection system are used. It is also applicable to the case of using an exposure apparatus such as a system. In addition, exposure light (exposure beam) is not limited to the said ultraviolet light, For example, even if EUV light of the soft X-ray area (wavelength 5-50 nm) generate | occur | produces in a laser plasma light source or SOR (Synchrotron Orbital Radiation) ring is used, do. In the EUV exposure apparatus, the illumination optical system and the projection optical system are each composed of only a plurality of reflective optical elements. Moreover, you may use hard X-rays, charged particle beams, such as an electron beam and an ion beam, as exposure light.                     

And a semiconductor device can be manufactured from the wafer W of FIG. The semiconductor device comprises the steps of designing the function and performance of the device, manufacturing a reticle based on this step, manufacturing a wafer from a silicon material, and applying the pattern of the reticle to the wafer by the projection exposure apparatus of the above-described embodiment. And a step of exposing, a device assembling (including a dicing step, a bonding step, a package step), an inspection step, and the like.

In addition, the use of the lithography system is not limited to the manufacture of semiconductor devices, for example, lithography systems for display devices such as liquid crystal display devices or plasma displays formed on rectangular glass plates, imaging devices (CCDs, etc.), micromachines, or thin films. It is also widely applicable to lithography systems for manufacturing various devices such as magnetic heads. The present invention can also be applied to manufacturing masks (photomasks, reticles, etc.) on which mask patterns of various devices are formed using a photolithography step. Details of each apparatus and process used in the lithographic system are disclosed, for example, in US Pat. No. 4,900,939, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

In addition, this invention is not limited to embodiment mentioned above, Of course, various structures can be taken in the range which does not deviate from the summary of this invention.

According to the present invention, the characteristics of the resist coating step, the exposure step and the resist developing step performed by the lithography system can be easily evaluated independently from each other. In addition, the characteristics of the resist coater, exposure apparatus, and developing apparatus constituting the lithography system can be easily independent of each other.

According to the present invention, if necessary, some basic processing apparatuses of the lithography system can be easily evaluated independently of the characteristics of the exposure apparatus.

Claims (84)

As a method of evaluating a lithography process including a photosensitive material coating step, an exposure step and a developing step, in order to form a predetermined development pattern on a substrate on which the photosensitive material is applied, Exposing the substrate coated with the photosensitive material through an evaluation pattern; Developing the exposed substrate to form a development pattern, Observing the formed development pattern, From the observation results, one or more factors independent of the other coating factors specific to the application process, the exposure factors specific to the exposure process, and the development factors specific to the development process, each of which affects the development pattern, are independent of the other factors. Evaluation method, including obtaining with. The method of claim 1, And an area for illuminating the evaluation pattern when the substrate is exposed through the evaluation pattern so as to obtain the coating factor and the developing factor independently of the exposure factor, respectively. The method of claim 2, The pattern for evaluation includes a pattern for obtaining the coating factor, the developing factor, and the exposure factor, respectively, and for obtaining the one factor independently of the other factor, Evaluation method which observes a phenomenon pattern. The method of claim 1, The evaluation method, wherein the coating factor, the developing factor, and the exposure factor are each independently obtained. The method of claim 1, And evaluating the developing factor after obtaining the coating factor from the developing pattern. The method of claim 1, And wherein said coating factor is coating unevenness and said developing factor is developing unevenness. An evaluation method of a lithography system having a coating apparatus for applying a photosensitive material to a substrate, an exposure apparatus for exposing a substrate coated with the photosensitive material, and a developing apparatus for developing the photosensitive material, A first step of applying a photosensitive material onto a substrate by the coating device; A second step of exposing the substrate coated with the photosensitive material through the evaluation pattern by the exposure apparatus; A third step of developing the photosensitive material of the substrate by the developing device; A fourth step of measuring a developing pattern of the sensitive material on the developed substrate, and A fifth step of independently evaluating one of the characteristics of the coating apparatus, the characteristics of the exposure apparatus, and the characteristics of the developing apparatus independently of the other characteristics based on the measurement result of the fourth process; A method of evaluating a lithography system, comprising the process. The method of claim 7, wherein The exposure apparatus has a projection system for projecting a pattern image on a substrate, In the second step, the image of the evaluation pattern generated in the predetermined narrow area in the effective field through the projection system is respectively transferred to the plurality of partition areas on the substrate, In the fifth step, evaluating the characteristics of the coating apparatus or the characteristics of the developing apparatus. The method of claim 8, In the fourth step, the physical quantity corresponding to the thickness variation of the developing pattern of the photosensitive material formed in the plurality of partition areas on the substrate, The evaluation method of the lithographic system, wherein in the fifth step, the coating unevenness of the photosensitive material by the coating device is evaluated. The method of claim 9, The evaluation pattern is a plurality of wedge-shaped patterns arranged in a direction crossing the measurement direction, In the fourth step, measuring the length deviation in the measurement direction of the development pattern of the photosensitive material formed in the plurality of partition regions on the substrate, The evaluation method of the lithographic system, wherein in the fifth step, development unevenness of the developing apparatus is evaluated. The method of claim 7, wherein The exposure apparatus has a projection system for projecting a pattern image on a substrate, In the second step, the image of the evaluation pattern generated in the predetermined wide area in the effective field through the projection system is respectively transferred to a plurality of partition areas on the substrate, In the fifth step, evaluating characteristics of the projection system of the exposure apparatus. The method of claim 8, In the second step, the exposure apparatus transfers the image of the evaluation pattern to the plurality of partition areas on the substrate by scanning exposure method. In the fifth step, evaluating the dynamic characteristics of the exposure apparatus. The method of claim 9, And evaluating the physical quantity by means of a first sensor provided in the exposure apparatus. The method of claim 10, The evaluation method of the lithographic system of which the deviation of the length of the said development pattern of the said measurement direction is measured by the 2nd sensor with which the said exposure apparatus was equipped. The method of claim 9, A sixth step of measuring a deviation of the length in the measurement direction of the developing pattern of the photosensitive material formed in the plurality of partition regions on the substrate, and And a seventh step of evaluating developing unevenness of the developing apparatus. The method of claim 15, An eighth step of coating the photosensitive material on a separate substrate by the coating device; A ninth image for exposing the photosensitive material by projecting the substrate coated with the photosensitive material onto a plurality of partition areas on the substrate through a predetermined wide area within the effective field of view of the projection system; fair, A tenth step of developing the photosensitive material exposed in the ninth step, and And an eleventh step of evaluating any characteristic of the projection system of the exposure apparatus by measuring the development pattern of the photosensitive material developed in the tenth step. The method of claim 16, Adjusting the projection system according to the characteristics of the projection system evaluated. The method of claim 17, In addition, the twelfth step of applying the photosensitive material to the test substrate by the coating device, A thirteenth step of exposing the photosensitive material by projecting an image of the mask for evaluation by the exposure apparatus onto a plurality of partition regions on the substrate, respectively, in a scanning exposure method; A fourteenth step of developing the photosensitive material exposed in the thirteenth step, and And a fifteenth step of observing and evaluating the dynamic characteristics of the exposure apparatus. An evaluation method of a lithography system having an exposure apparatus for exposing a substrate coated with a photosensitive material and a substrate processing apparatus for processing the substrate at least one of before and after exposure of the photosensitive material, The lithography system transfers the evaluation pattern to the photosensitive material to form a transfer image, Measure the state of the transferred image, Based on the measurement result, independently evaluating the characteristics of the exposure apparatus and the characteristics of the substrate processing apparatus. The method of claim 19, In order to independently obtain the characteristics of the exposure apparatus and the characteristics of the substrate processing apparatus, when the substrate is exposed through the evaluation pattern, the evaluation of the lithography system, in which the size of the area illuminating the evaluation pattern is adjusted according to the obtained characteristic. Way. The method of claim 20, And the pattern for evaluation includes a pattern for determining characteristics of the exposure apparatus and characteristics of the substrate processing apparatus, respectively, and observes a developing pattern of the pattern according to independently obtained characteristics. The method of claim 19, And the transfer image is a latent image formed by photosensitizing the photosensitive material. The method of claim 19, Wherein the substrate processing apparatus includes a coating apparatus for applying the photosensitive material to the substrate and a developing apparatus for developing the photosensitive material on which the transfer image is formed. The method of claim 19, And the characteristic of the exposure apparatus is the imaging characteristic of the projection system provided in the exposure apparatus, and the characteristic of the substrate processing apparatus is an uneven coating of photosensitive material. An adjustment method of a substrate processing apparatus for forming a lithography system together with an exposure apparatus for exposing a substrate coated with a photosensitive material, and processing the substrate at least one of before and after exposure of the photosensitive material, A lithography system transfers the evaluation pattern to the photosensitive material on the substrate to form a transfer image, Measure the state of the transferred image, And adjusting the characteristics of the substrate processing apparatus independently of the characteristics of the exposure apparatus, based on the measurement results. The method of claim 25, And adjusting the substrate processing apparatus when the detected characteristic does not satisfy a predetermined value. The method of claim 25, And the transfer image is a latent image formed by photosensitive material. The method of claim 25, And a developing device for developing the photosensitive material on which the transfer image is formed, and the coating device for applying the photosensitive material to the substrate. The method of claim 25, And the characteristic of the exposure apparatus is the imaging characteristic of the projection system provided in the exposure apparatus, and the characteristic of the substrate processing apparatus is uneven coating of the photosensitive material. The method of claim 25, And the pattern for evaluation includes a pattern for obtaining the characteristics of the substrate processing apparatus independently of the characteristics of the exposure apparatus. A lithography system for forming a predetermined development pattern on a substrate coated with a photosensitive material, An applicator for applying a photosensitive material to a substrate, An exposure apparatus for exposing a substrate coated with a photosensitive material, A developing apparatus for developing the exposed photosensitive material, A control system for controlling the exposure apparatus so that the substrate on which the photosensitive material is applied by the coating apparatus is exposed through a predetermined evaluation pattern by the exposure apparatus; A sensor for measuring a state of a developing pattern of the photosensitive material obtained by developing the substrate exposed by the exposure apparatus by the developing apparatus, and On the basis of the measurement information of the sensor, a determination system for determining one of the characteristics of the coating apparatus, the characteristics of the exposure apparatus, and the characteristics of the developing apparatus, each of which affects the development pattern, independently of the other characteristics. Lithography system. The method of claim 31, wherein And the sensor measures at least one of unevenness of application of photosensitive material, developmental unevenness, and image formation of the exposure apparatus. The method of claim 32, And the determination system compares the one characteristic with a predetermined characteristic. The method of claim 33, wherein The exposure apparatus includes a projection system for projecting an image of the evaluation pattern onto the substrate and a viewing aperture for limiting an illumination field of the evaluation pattern illuminated by the projection system, And the control system controls the field of view according to the determined characteristic. The method of claim 31, wherein A lithographic system in which the sensor is provided in an exposure apparatus. The method of claim 31, wherein A lithographic system, further comprising a transport system for transporting the substrate. The method of claim 31, wherein And said pattern for evaluation comprises a pattern for measuring application unevenness of the photosensitive material, development unevenness, and imaging characteristics of said exposure apparatus, respectively. An exposure apparatus for exposing a substrate coated with a photosensitive material through a mask, An illumination system for illuminating the mask, A substrate stage for performing positioning of the substrate, Variable viewing aperture for changing the size of the illumination area by the illumination system, A first sensor for measuring a physical quantity corresponding to the pattern shape of the photosensitive material after development on the substrate on the substrate stage; A second sensor for measuring a pattern position of the photosensitive material after development on the substrate on the substrate stage; And a determination system for evaluating the state of the photosensitive material on the substrate using the detection results of the first sensor and the second sensor. The method of claim 38, And a projection system for projecting the illumination light from the illumination system onto the substrate, wherein the determination system evaluates formation characteristics of the projection system using at least one of the first sensor and the second sensor. The method of claim 38, And the physical quantity is the thickness of the photosensitive material, and the state of the photosensitive material includes coating unevenness and developing unevenness of the photosensitive material. The method of claim 39, And a control system for controlling the variable viewing aperture, wherein the control system controls the variable viewing aperture to be narrower than when the imaging characteristics of the projection system are observed when the state of the photosensitive material on the substrate is evaluated. The method of claim 39, And the second sensor is also used to perform alignment of the substrate with respect to the illumination light from the projection system. A device manufacturing method using a lithography system, A first step of applying a photosensitive material onto a substrate by a coating device, A second step of exposing the substrate coated with the photosensitive material through an evaluation pattern by an exposure apparatus; A third step of developing the photosensitive material of the substrate by a developing apparatus, A fourth step of measuring a developing pattern of the photosensitive material on the developed substrate, A fifth step of independently evaluating one of the characteristics of the coating apparatus, the characteristics of the exposure apparatus, and the characteristics of the developing apparatus, independently of the other characteristics, based on the measurement result of the fourth process; fair, A sixth process of adjusting the device having the evaluated characteristic, according to the evaluated characteristic, and And a seventh step of carrying out the first to third steps using the pattern for device formation instead of the pattern for evaluation after the adjustment in the sixth step to obtain a substrate on which the development pattern for device formation is formed. Manufacturing method. A method of measuring a coating state of a photosensitive material of a substrate exposed by an exposure apparatus having an illumination system for illuminating the substrate coated with the photosensitive material, The photosensitive material-coated substrate is exposed to light through an evaluation mark, Application of the photosensitive material of the substrate, comprising detecting a state of the photosensitive pattern of the photosensitive evaluation mark and obtaining a coating state of the photosensitive material except at least a factor related to the photosensitive, which affects the photosensitive pattern. How to measure your condition. The method of claim 44, A method for measuring a coating state of a photosensitive material of a substrate, wherein a mark for evaluation is formed on the substrate. The method of claim 44, The method of measuring the coating state of the photosensitive material of the substrate further comprising the step of developing the photosensitive material after the photosensitive through the evaluation mark, and detecting the state of the photosensitive pattern of the developed evaluation mark to obtain a coating state of the photosensitive material. . The method of claim 44, A method of measuring a coating state of a photosensitive material of a substrate, wherein the state of the photosensitive pattern is detected using a detector of the exposure apparatus used to perform alignment with respect to the exposure position of the substrate when exposing the substrate. The method of claim 44, A method of measuring the application state of the photosensitive material of the substrate using light from a light source of the exposure apparatus when the substrate is exposed through the evaluation mark. A method for measuring a developing state of a photosensitive material of a substrate exposed by an exposure apparatus having an illumination system for illuminating a substrate coated with the photosensitive material, The photosensitive material-coated substrate is exposed to light through an evaluation mark, Developing the photosensitive substrate, The developing state of the photosensitive material of the board | substrate which detects the developing pattern of the developed evaluation mark, and calculate | requires the developing state of the photosensitive material except at least the factor related to the said photosensitive which affects the developing pattern. How to measure it. The method of claim 49, And a developing state of the photosensitive material of the substrate is detected by detecting a state of the developing pattern using a detector of the exposure apparatus used to perform alignment with respect to the exposure position of the substrate when exposing the substrate. The method of claim 49, A method of measuring a developing state of a photosensitive material of a substrate, using light from a light source of an exposure apparatus when the substrate is exposed through an evaluation mark. The exposure conditions of the photosensitive second object through the first object having the device pattern in the exposure apparatus based on the coating state measured using the method of measuring the coating state of the photosensitive material of the substrate according to claim 44. Exposure method including the process of adjusting. An exposure condition of a photosensitive second object through a first object having a device pattern in the exposure apparatus based on the developed state measured using the method for measuring the developed state of the photosensitive material of the substrate according to claim 49. Exposure method including the process of adjusting. The method of claim 19, Detect the characteristics of the substrate processing apparatus based on the measurement result, and adjust the substrate processing apparatus according to the detected characteristics; A lithographic system in which the substrate processing apparatus transfers an evaluation pattern to a photosensitive material to form a transfer image by an adjusted lithography system, and detects the characteristics of the exposure apparatus based on a measurement result of the state of the transfer image. Method of evaluation. The method of claim 19, And detecting the characteristic of the exposure apparatus based on the measurement result and the detected characteristic of the substrate processing apparatus while detecting the characteristic of the substrate processing apparatus based on the measurement result. The method of claim 55, The exposure apparatus transfers the device pattern onto the second object in a scanning exposure method in which a first object having a device pattern and a second photosensitive object are synchronously moved during device manufacture, and when the transfer image is formed. An evaluation method of a lithographic system, wherein the pattern for evaluation is transferred onto a substrate by a stationary exposure method. The method of claim 56, wherein Evaluating the lithographic system according to the detected characteristic of the exposure apparatus. The method of claim 57, Apart from the formation of the transfer image by the still exposure method, the evaluation pattern is transferred onto the substrate by the scanning exposure method to form a transfer image, and the exposure apparatus is based on the measurement result of the state of the transfer image. A method of evaluating a lithography system, detecting the dynamic characteristics of a. The method of claim 58, And the exposure apparatus has a projection system for forming a projection image of each pattern, wherein the characteristics of the exposure apparatus include at least optical characteristics of the projection system. The method of claim 1, At least one of the coating factor and the developing factor corresponding to the step of changing the substrate processing condition is determined independently of the exposure factor in accordance with the change of the substrate processing condition in at least one of the coating step and the developing step. , Assessment Methods. The method of claim 1, An evaluation method in which at least one of the coating factor and the developing factor is determined independently of the exposure factor, and the substrate processing conditions in at least one of the corresponding coating step and the developing step are adjusted based on the obtained factor. . The method of claim 1, At least one of the said application | coating factor and the said development factor is calculated | required independently of the said exposure factor, and the evaluation method of adjusting the substrate processing conditions in the said exposure process based on the calculated | required factor. A device manufacturing method comprising a lithography process, Using the evaluation method according to claim 1, at least one of the coating factor, the exposure factor, and the developing factor is determined independently of other factors, Adjusting substrate processing conditions in the lithographic process based on the at least one factor; A device manufacturing method, wherein a substrate having a pattern is obtained by a lithography process in which the substrate processing conditions are adjusted. The method of claim 63, wherein A substrate manufacturing method in at least one of the coating step, the exposure step, and the developing step corresponding to the one or more factors is adjusted. The method of claim 7, wherein The evaluation method of the lithographic system according to the change of the substrate processing conditions in at least one of the said coating apparatus and the said developing apparatus, the characteristic of the apparatus by which the substrate processing conditions are changed is evaluated independently of the characteristic of the said exposure apparatus. The method of claim 7, wherein Evaluating substrate processing conditions in the lithographic system based on the at least one characteristic. A device manufacturing method using a lithography system, Using the evaluation method of the lithographic system according to claim 7, at least one characteristic of the coating apparatus, the exposure apparatus, and the developing apparatus is evaluated independently of the other characteristics, Adjusting substrate processing conditions in the lithographic system based on the at least one characteristic, And a substrate having a pattern formed by a lithography system in which the substrate processing conditions are adjusted. The method of claim 19, And evaluating the characteristics of the substrate processing apparatus independently of the characteristics of the exposure apparatus in accordance with the change of substrate processing conditions in the substrate processing apparatus. The method of claim 19, An evaluation method of a lithographic system, based on characteristics of the substrate processing apparatus, to adjust substrate processing conditions in one of the substrate processing apparatus and the exposure apparatus. The method of claim 19, The transfer image is a developing pattern obtained by developing the photosensitive material, wherein the characteristics of the substrate processing apparatus include at least one characteristic of a coating apparatus for applying the photosensitive material to a substrate and a developing apparatus for developing the photosensitive material. Evaluation method of the system. The method of claim 19, And the transfer image is a latent image obtained by exposing the photosensitive material, wherein the characteristics of the substrate processing apparatus include the characteristics of a coating apparatus for applying the photosensitive material to the substrate. A device manufacturing method using a lithography system, Using the evaluation method of the lithography system according to claim 19, the characteristics of the exposure apparatus and the characteristics of the substrate processing apparatus are evaluated, Adjusting substrate processing conditions in the lithography system based on at least one of the evaluated characteristics, And a substrate having a pattern formed by a lithography system in which the substrate processing conditions are adjusted. The method of claim 25, And the characteristics of the substrate processing apparatus are detected independently of the characteristics of the exposure apparatus in accordance with the change of substrate processing conditions in the substrate processing apparatus. The method of claim 25, And a substrate processing apparatus for adjusting substrate processing conditions in one of the substrate processing apparatus and the exposure apparatus based on the detected characteristic. The method of claim 25, The transfer image is a developing pattern obtained by developing the photosensitive material, wherein the characteristics of the substrate processing apparatus include at least one of a coating device for applying the photosensitive material to the substrate and a developing device for developing the photosensitive material. How to adjust your processing device. 76. The method of claim 75 wherein The characteristics of the developing apparatus are evaluated based on the measurement result of the developing pattern, and the characteristics of the coating apparatus are evaluated in a process different from the process of evaluating the characteristics of the developing apparatus. The method of claim 25, And the transfer image is a latent image obtained by exposing the photosensitive material, and the characteristics of the substrate processing apparatus include characteristics of a coating apparatus for applying the photosensitive material to a substrate. A device manufacturing method using a lithography system, Using the adjusting method of the substrate processing apparatus of Claim 25, the characteristic of the said substrate processing apparatus is detected independently of the characteristic of the said exposure apparatus, Adjusting substrate processing conditions in the lithographic system based on the detected characteristics, And a substrate having a pattern formed by a lithography system in which the substrate processing conditions are adjusted. The method of claim 44, A method of measuring a coating state of a photosensitive material of a substrate, wherein the substrate processing conditions of a lithography system comprising the coating apparatus and the exposure apparatus are coated with the photosensitive material on the basis of the obtained coating state. 80. The method of claim 79 wherein And the substrate processing condition to be adjusted is different from the coating condition of the coating apparatus. A device manufacturing method using a lithography system, Using the method of measuring the coating state of the photosensitive material of the board | substrate of Claim 44, the coating state of the said photosensitive material is calculated | required, Adjusting substrate processing conditions of a lithographic system including a coating device for applying the photosensitive material to a substrate and the exposure device based on the obtained coating state; And a substrate having a pattern formed by a lithography system in which the substrate processing conditions are adjusted. The method of claim 49, And a substrate processing condition of a lithography system including the developing apparatus for developing the photosensitive material and the exposure apparatus, based on the obtained developing state. 83. The method of claim 82, And the substrate processing condition to be adjusted is different from the developing condition of the developing apparatus. A device manufacturing method using a lithography system, A developing state of the photosensitive material is obtained by using the method of measuring the developing state of the photosensitive material of the substrate according to claim 49, Adjusting substrate processing conditions of a lithographic system including the developing apparatus for developing the photosensitive material and the exposure apparatus based on the obtained developing state, And a substrate having a pattern formed by a lithography system in which the substrate processing conditions are adjusted.

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