TW202219656A - Exposure apparatus, exposure method, determination method and article manufacturing method providing a substrate station with small footprint and high yield - Google Patents

Abstract

A subject of the present invention is to provide a technique that is advantageous when established with small footprint and high yield. An exposure apparatus comprising: a substrate station, which moves while holding a substrate; a field of view aperture, which is defined in the illumination area of the original plate; and a control unit, which controls the substrate station and the field of view aperture. The plurality of irradiated areas of the substrate includes all of the irradiated areas having a plurality of wafer areas and a partial irradiated area that is located in the peripheral portion of the substrate and lacks a part of the plurality of wafer areas. In the case of exposing all the aforementioned irradiated areas, the control unit: controls the substrate station and the field of view aperture so that the plurality of wafer pattern areas are projected on all the irradiation areas; and in the case of exposing the aforementioned partial irradiated area, controls the substrate station so that the wafer pattern area corresponding to the wafer area of the missing part is projected on the partial irradiated area instead of the wafer pattern area corresponding to the wafer area in the partial irradiated area, and at the same time the aforementioned field of view aperture is controlled so that all the illuminated areas beside the aforementioned partial illuminated area are blocked from light.

Description

Exposure apparatus, exposure method, determination method, and article manufacturing method

The present invention relates to an exposure apparatus, an exposure method, a determination method, and an article manufacturing method.

In the semiconductor manufacturing process, a photolithography process for exposing a pattern on a mask to form a substrate is performed using a photolithography device such as an exposure device. Conventionally, in the case of arranging each imaging area on a substrate, a grid according to the imaging area size is set, and the imaging areas are arranged one by one on the grid (Patent Document 1). [Prior Art Literature] [Patent Literature]

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 8-167565

[The problem to be solved by the invention]

Generally speaking, although the irradiation area has a plurality of wafer areas, there may be a partial irradiation area lacking a part of the plurality of wafer areas in the peripheral portion of the substrate. Conventionally, when exposing this partial shot area, the substrate stage is still controlled and exposed with the same step width as the shot area (full shot area) of the non-local shot area. For this reason, the substrate stage needs to be conveyed outside the exposure range for exposure of the local shot area, and the driving stroke of the substrate stage needs to be increased accordingly. This leads to an increase in the footprint of the substrate stage and a decrease in throughput.

The present invention provides, for example, a technique that is advantageous in terms of the simultaneous establishment of a small footprint and a high yield. [Means for solving problems]

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided an exposure apparatus for exposing the substrate by projecting the pattern of the original plate on each of a plurality of irradiation areas of the substrate, the exposure apparatus including a substrate stage holding a substrate moving the substrate; a field of view aperture, which is defined in the illumination area of the original plate; and a control unit, which controls the substrate stage and the field of view aperture; the original plate has a plurality of wafer pattern areas, and the plurality of wafer pattern areas have mutually For the same pattern, the plurality of shot regions include all shot regions of the size on which the plurality of wafer pattern regions are projected, and the total shot regions have a plurality of shots corresponding to each of the plurality of wafer pattern regions such that one wafer region corresponds to one wafer pattern region. A plurality of wafer regions in the wafer pattern region, the plurality of shot regions further include a partial shot region that is located at a peripheral portion of the substrate and lacks a part of the plurality of wafer regions, and the control unit: exposing all the shot regions In the case, the substrate stage and the field of view aperture are controlled so that the plurality of wafer pattern regions are projected on the entire irradiation region; and in the case of exposing the partial irradiation region, the substrate stage is controlled so as to replace the corresponding The wafer pattern area of the wafer area in the partial irradiation area is projected onto the partial irradiation area, and the field of view aperture is controlled to be all next to the partial irradiation area. The illuminated area is blocked from light. [Compared to the efficacy of the prior art]

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide, for example, an advantageous technique for establishing a small occupied area and a high yield at the same time.

Hereinafter, embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the claims of the inventors. Although a plurality of features are described in the embodiments, all of these features are not necessarily required for the invention, and a plurality of features may be arbitrarily combined. In addition, in the drawings, the same or the same components are denoted by the same reference numerals, and repeated descriptions are omitted.

<First Embodiment> FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of an exposure apparatus 100 in the embodiment. The exposure apparatus 100 projects the pattern of the original plate on each of a plurality of shot regions formed on the substrate to expose the substrate. The exposure light emitted from the light source 1 is shaped into a predetermined beam shape by a shaping optical system (not shown) of the illumination optical system 4 . The shaped beam is further incident on an optical integrator (not shown), and through the optical integrator, a plurality of secondary light sources are formed in order to illuminate the original plate 9 (reduction mask, mask) with a uniform illuminance distribution. On the light path of the illumination optical system 4, there is a field of view aperture 5 defined in the illumination area of the original plate 9, and the position and size of the aperture opening are controlled by the illumination system control unit 8. The field stop 5 is also referred to as a light shield. For example, the light-shielding sheet restricts the illumination area to a square shape, and is configured so that its four sides can move independently. According to this, an arbitrary area on the original plate 9 can be illuminated.

A half mirror 6 is arranged on the optical path of the illumination optical system 4 , and a part of the exposure light for illuminating the original plate 9 passes through the half mirror 6 and is reflected and taken out. A photo sensor 7 for exposure light is arranged on the optical path of the reflected light from the half mirror 6 . The light sensor 7 generates an output corresponding to the intensity (exposure energy) of the exposure light.

In the original plate 9, a plurality of wafer pattern regions are formed. The number of wafer pattern regions is arbitrary. The plurality of wafer pattern regions have the same pattern as each other. One wafer area corresponds to one wafer (die) to be manufactured. By controlling the position and size of the aperture opening of the field aperture 5 through the illumination system control unit 8 , the wafer pattern area to be illuminated among the plurality of wafer pattern areas of the master plate 9 can be selected.

The projection optical system 10 is, for example, a projection optical system of a refractive type or a catadioptric system, and reduces the image of the pattern of the original plate 9 at a reduced magnification β (for example, in one irradiation area on the photoresist coated photosensitive substrate 15 ). β=1/2) for reduced projection. On the pupil plane (with respect to the Fourier transform plane of the original plate 9 ) of the projection optical system 10 , an aperture diaphragm 11 with an opening portion having a substantially circular opening is arranged. The diameter of the opening portion of the aperture diaphragm 11 can be controlled by the driving portion 12 . The drive unit 13 moves the optical elements constituting a part of the lens system in the projection optical system 10 along the optical axis of the projection optical system 10 . Accordingly, while preventing the increase of various aberrations of the projection optical system 10, the projection magnification is improved, and the distortion error is reduced. The projection system control unit 14 controls the drive unit 12 and the drive unit 13 under the control of the main control unit 3 .

The substrate stage 16 holding the substrate 15 (wafer) is configured to be movable and rotatable at least on a plane perpendicular to the optical axis of the projection optical system 10 . In the present embodiment, the substrate stage 16 can move in three-dimensional directions, and can move in the optical axis direction (Z direction) of the projection optical system 10 and in a plane (X-Y plane) orthogonal to the Z direction. In this specification, the direction parallel to the optical axis of the projection optical system 10 and from the substrate 15 toward the original plate 9 is the Z axis, the X axis is taken as the direction orthogonal to the Z axis, and the direction orthogonal to the Z axis and the X axis is taken as the Z axis. Take the Y axis. The Y-axis is in the paper, and the X-axis is perpendicular to the paper and faces the current of the paper. The position in the X-Y plane of the substrate stage 16 is detected by measuring the distance between the laser interferometer 18 and the movable mirror 17 fixed to the substrate stage 16 . In addition, the alignment measurement system 24 is used to measure the positional deviation between the substrate 15 and the substrate stage 16 .

The stage control unit 20 controls the drive unit 19 based on the measurement result passed through the alignment measurement system 24 under the control of the main control unit 3 to move the substrate stage 16 to a predetermined position in the X-Y plane. The main control unit 3 , the projection system control unit 14 , the stage control unit 20 , and the illumination system control unit 8 constitute the control unit C of the exposure apparatus 100 . The main control unit 3 can be constituted by, for example, a computer device including a CPU 31 and a memory 32 . In addition, an input device 33 (a keyboard, a mouse, a touch panel, etc.) and an output device 34 (a display device, an audio output device, etc.) serving as a user interface are connected to the main control unit 3 . Moreover, the control part C may be arrange|positioned inside the chamber which is not shown in figure in which the exposure apparatus is accommodated, and may be arrange|positioned outside the chamber.

The light projector 21 and the light receiver 22 constitute a focal plane detection device. The light projector 21 projects light that does not expose the photoresist on the substrate 15, and the light is reflected on the substrate. The light reflected by the substrate 15 is incident on the light receiver 22 . A light receiving element (not shown) is arranged in the light receiver 22, and the positional deviation of the substrate surface in the optical axis direction of the projection optical system 10 is measured as the positional deviation of light incident on the light receiving element.

The configuration of the exposure apparatus 100 in the embodiment is substantially as described above. The exposure apparatus 100 can perform exposure by a step-and-repeat (stepper) method or a step-and-scan (scanner) method. In these methods, the substrate 15 is moved stepwise in a direction orthogonal to the optical axis of the projection optical system 10 , and the pattern image of the original plate 9 is sequentially exposed to the irradiation area on the substrate 15 located in the projection field of the projection optical system 10 . (Hereinafter, also referred to only as "photograph area").

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of the field stop 5 . The field stop 5 has four blades that limit the illumination area 205 to a square shape. The four blades include an XL blade 201 and an XR blade 202 that are movable in the X direction, respectively, and a YU blade 203 and a YD blade 204 that are movable in the Y direction, respectively. The lighting system control unit 8 can control each blade independently. In addition, in the case of the structure of FIG. 1, it should be noted that the relationship between the Z-axis and the Y-axis is changed by bending the mirror at the position of the field stop 5. FIG. That is, the YU blade 203 and the YD blade 204 are actually moved in the Z direction in order to perform adjustment in the Y direction in the illumination area of the original plate 9 .

In FIG. 3 , an example of the layout of the imaging area of the substrate 15 is shown. Here, it is assumed that the planar shape of the substrate 15 is a rectangle. A plurality of irradiated regions are formed on the substrate 15 . The plurality of irradiated regions may include the entire irradiated region (hereinafter sometimes abbreviated as "FF") located in the center of the substrate and a partial irradiated region (hereinafter sometimes abbreviated as "PF") located in the peripheral portion of the substrate. In the example of FIG. 3 , 9×9=81 FFs are formed in the central portion of the substrate 15 . As described above, in the original plate 9, a plurality of wafer pattern regions having the same pattern as each other are formed. Each of the 81 FFs has the size of the entire plurality of wafer pattern regions on which the original plate 9 is projected. The FF has a plurality of wafer areas corresponding to the plurality of wafer pattern areas of the master 9 . In the example of FIG. 3 , the plurality of wafer areas are 4×4=16 wafer areas.

FIG. 11 shows an example of the correspondence between a plurality of wafer pattern regions of the original plate 9 and a plurality of wafer regions of one shot region of the substrate 15 . In FIG. 11 , 4×4=16 wafer regions are formed on the original plate 9 , and 4×4=16 wafer regions are formed in one entire shot region of the substrate 15 . Here, for example, for each of the wafer pattern regions P1 , P2 , P3 , and P4 of the original plate 9 , the wafer regions C1 , C2 , C3 , and C4 in all the shot regions correspond to them. In this way, all the irradiation regions have a plurality of wafer regions corresponding to a plurality of wafer pattern regions, respectively, such that one wafer region corresponds to one wafer pattern region.

The description returns to FIG. 3 . PF is an area|region which lacks a part of several wafer area|regions because it is located in the peripheral part of a board|substrate. For the purpose of maximizing the effective area of the substrate (the area of the region to which the pattern is transferred), etc., the PF is also subjected to exposure treatment.

In FIG. 4, an example of the exposure method in the exposure apparatus 100 is shown. This action can be controlled by the main control unit 3 .

In S401 , the main control unit 3 controls a conveyance mechanism (not shown) to carry the substrate 15 into the exposure apparatus 100 . The substrate 15 is placed on the substrate stage 16 through the conveyance mechanism, and the substrate 15 is held through the substrate stage 16 .

In S402, the main control unit 3 acquires control information (processing recipe). The control information may include, for example, shot layout information showing the arrangement of a plurality of shot regions of the substrate 15 , wafer layout information showing the arrangement of a plurality of wafer regions in each shot region, and the like. In addition, the control information may also include attribute information that each irradiation area is FF or PF.

The main control unit 3 initializes the variable n indicating the number of the irradiation area to be processed to 0 in S403, and increments the variable n by 1 in S404.

In S405, the main control unit 3 determines that the n-th shot area is FF or PF based on the control information. When the n-th imaging area is FF, the process proceeds to S406, and when the n-th imaging area is PF, the process proceeds to S407.

In S406, the main control unit 3 controls the substrate stage 16 and the field of view aperture 5 to project a plurality of wafer pattern areas of the master 9 in the n-th shot area which is FF.

In S407, the control unit 3 controls the substrate stage 16 to project the wafer pattern area corresponding to the missing part of the wafer area on the PF in place of the wafer pattern area corresponding to the wafer area in the n-th shot area which is the PF . In addition, at this time, the main control unit 3 controls the field diaphragm 5 so that the FF next to the PF is shielded from light.

In addition, S407 may be controlled as follows. That is, when the main control unit 3 performs the same control as in S406 with respect to the substrate stage 16 and the field aperture 5, among the plurality of wafer pattern regions of the original plate 9, the n-th illumination area projected to be the local illumination area is specified. wafer pattern area. Then, the main control unit 3 controls the substrate stage 16 and the field of view aperture 5 so that other wafer pattern regions are projected on the n-th illumination area instead of the specified wafer pattern region.

The control of the substrate stage 16 and the field aperture 5 at the time of exposure of the PF in S407 will be specifically described with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6 . FIG. 5 shows a conventional example in which the PF is exposed in the same manner as the FF of S406. When the same control as in S406 is performed, that is, when the same control as in the FF exposure is performed, the substrate stage 16 is driven to PF, and the area outside the substrate indicated by the dotted line ( FIG. 5( a )) is exposed ( FIG. 5 ). (b)). At this time, the wafer pattern area 9a on the left side of the original plate 9 is projected on the PF (FIG. 5(c)). On the other hand, in the present embodiment, the substrate stage 16 is driven so that another wafer pattern region such as the wafer pattern region 9d on the right side of the original plate 9 shown in FIG. 6(c) (corresponding to one of the missing wafer regions) The wafer pattern area) is projected on the PF (FIG. 6(b)). In addition, at this time, as shown in FIG. 6( a ), the XL blade 201 of the field diaphragm 5 is controlled so that the irradiation area adjacent to the PF is not exposed.

When exposing the first all shot region (1st FF) and then exposing the second all shot region (2nd FF) of the partition walls of the 1st FF, the main control unit 3 sets the step movement width of the substrate stage 16 to The first width corresponding to the size of the entire irradiated area. In addition, at this time, the main control unit 3 controls the field aperture 5 so that a plurality of wafer pattern regions are projected on each of the 1st FF and the 2nd FF.

On the other hand, in the case of exposing the PF next to the FF after exposing the FF, the main control unit 3 corresponds to the missing part of the wafer area instead of the wafer pattern area corresponding to the wafer area in the PF. The wafer pattern area is projected on the PF in a way that controls the step movement width. In this case, the step movement width is changed to the second width which is smaller than the first width. In addition, the main control unit 3 controls the field stop 5 so that the FF next to the PF is shielded from light during exposure of the PF.

Alternatively, when the size of the PF can be known based on the control information, the main control unit 3 may control as follows. That is, when exposing the FF and then exposing the PF next to the FF, the main control unit 3 changes the step width from the first width to the second width corresponding to the size of the PF. In addition, the main control unit 3 controls the field stop 5 so that the FF next to the PF is shielded from light during exposure of the PF.

After that, the main control unit 3 exposes the n-th shot area in S408. In S409, the main control unit 3 determines whether there is a shot to be exposed next. When there is a next shot, the process returns to S404 and the process is repeated. When it is determined in S409 that the processing has been completed to the final shot area, in S410, the main control unit 3 controls the transfer mechanism to carry the substrate 15 out of the apparatus.

According to the above exposure operation, the driving stroke of the substrate stage 16 at the time of exposing the partial shot area can be made smaller than the conventional one. The occupied area of the substrate stage can be reduced in accordance with a program that can reduce the driving stroke of the substrate stage 16 when exposing the partial irradiation area.

<Second Embodiment> In the second embodiment, an example of a method for determining the field layout of the substrate in the exposure process of the exposure apparatus 100 of FIG. 1 will be described. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing a method of determining the shot layout of the arrangement of a plurality of shot regions of the display substrate. A program corresponding to this flowchart can be executed by the main control unit 3, for example. Specifically, the program corresponding to this flowchart can be stored in the memory 32 and executed by the CPU 31 . According to this determination method, the number of shot regions, the position of each shot region, and the like are determined with respect to the driving direction of the substrate stage 16 and two axes in the direction orthogonal to the driving direction within the substrate plane.

Here, as in the first embodiment, it is assumed that the substrate has a rectangular shape, and a plurality of irradiation regions arranged in a matrix in the X-Y direction are determined. Hereinafter, the process of planning the field layout of one column along the X direction will be described. The processing of planning the field layout of one column along the Y direction is the same as the planning in the X direction, so the description is omitted.

In S701, the main control unit 3 obtains control information. The control information may include, for example, the following information. ・Board size: The length of one side of the board in the X direction ・Spot size: the length of one side in the X direction of the entire irradiation area ・Wafer size: the length of one side in the X direction of the wafer area ・Number of wafers in a row in the X direction within the imaging area ・1st photo zone: The start photo zone when determining the photo zone layout.

The control information can be acquired from a higher-level control server or the like via a network or the like, or can be acquired by a user's input via the input device 33 .

In S702, the main control unit 3 obtains the number of wafers in one row in the substrate. The number of chips in one row in the substrate, TotalChipNum, is obtained from the following equation (1) using the substrate size, the size of the imaging area, and the number of chips in one row in the imaging area set in S701 . TotalChipNum=floor((WaferSize/FFSize)・FFChipNum)…(1) Among them, WaferSize is the size of the substrate in the X direction, FFSize is the size of the X direction of the 1 total shot area, and FFChipNum is the number of wafers in one row in the 1 total shot area. In addition, floor( ) represents a function for obtaining the nearest integer below the numerical value in parentheses.

Next, in S703, the main control unit 3 calculates the number FFNum of all the irradiated regions in one row of the substrate by the following formula (2). FFNum=floor(WaferSize/FFSize)…(2)

Next, in S704, the main control unit 3 allocates the attention areas based on the control information. In this S704, the allocation of the entire irradiation area and the partial irradiation area is performed with the predetermined position of the substrate as a starting point. The predetermined position to be the starting point is the position of the first imaging area obtained from the control information, and the first imaging area is the center of the substrate here. Starting from the center of the substrate, all the irradiated areas are sequentially allocated so that as shown in FIG. 3 , the partial irradiated areas are dispersed in each of the four sides of the substrate.

Here, the main control unit 3 calculates the stage position (the position of the substrate stage 16 ) at the center of the attention region. Here, the "stage position at the center of the attention area" when the attention area is PF refers to the stage position when the substrate stage is controlled with the same step movement width as FF for the PF. The information of the calculated position is stored in the memory 32 in the arrangement of each image area. Here, it is assumed that the first imaging area is set at the center of the substrate. Also, let N be the attention region separated from the center of the substrate in the X direction. When the attention area is the first area located in the center of the substrate, N=0. The attention region increases from the center of the substrate toward the + side (right side) in the X direction, and decreases toward the - side (left side). The range that N can take is ±(((FFNum+2)/2)+1) when considering that there are two partial shot regions located at the left and right ends of the number of all shot regions FFNum. Here, when the number FFNum of all the irradiation areas is an even number, the range that the irradiation position N can take is ±(((FFNum+2)/2)+0.5).

The stage position StagePos(N) at the center of the attention area N is obtained by equation (3). StagePos(N)=N・FFSize…(3)

Next, in S705, the main control unit 3 determines whether or not the attention region is PF. When the attention-grabbing area is PF, the process proceeds to S706, and when the attention-seeking area is not PF but FF, the process proceeds to S709.

In S706 , the main control unit 3 calculates the number of wafers PFChipNum in one row in the focused partial shot region (see FIG. 5( a )) when the focused shot region (the focused partial shot region) of the PF is treated as the FF (see FIG. 5( a )). and the number of chips ExChipNum in a row outside the substrate. The calculated number of chips PFChipNum in the localized area of interest and the number of chips ExChipNum outside the substrate are used in the following S707. The number of wafers PFChipNum in the region of interest is obtained by equation (4). PFChipNum=(TotalChipNum-(FFNum・FFChipNum))/2…(4)

In addition, the number of wafers ExChipNum outside the substrate is obtained by Equation (5). ExChipNum=FFChipNum-PFChipNum…(5)

Next, in S707, the main control unit 3 calculates the stage position of the focused local shot. For example, the stage position of the focused partial shot is set to a position returned to the inside from the stage position PosFF when the focused partial shot is controlled in the same manner as the entire shot. When the stage position of the focused local shot is PosPF, and the X-direction size of one wafer area is set to ChipSize, the stage position of the focused local shot is obtained by Equation (6). PosPF=PosFF-ExChipNum・ChipSize…(6) Through this S707, based on the size of the PF obtained from the control information, a PF is allocated to an area that partially overlaps with all the adjacent irradiation areas.

Next, in S708 , the main control unit 3 calculates the movement width (control amount) of the field diaphragm 5 . Here, when exposing the PF, the control amount of the field stop 5 is determined so that the FF next to it is shielded from light. The movement width SW of the field stop 5 (XL blade 201 ) with respect to the stage position PosFF when the same control as the whole of the field of interest is performed is obtained through equation (7). SW=ExChipNum・ChipSize…(7)

In addition, this description has been made with respect to the movement amount of the XL blade 201 in the partial illumination area at the right end of the substrate, but the other blades are also the same. Specifically, each of the following is also obtained according to Equation (7). ・The movement width of the XR blade 202 in the partial illumination area at the left end of the substrate, ・The movement width, ・The movement width of the YU blade 203 in the local illumination area at the lower end of the substrate.

Next, in S709, the main control unit 3 determines whether or not the calculation of the stage position of the full-illumination area and the movement width of the field stop 5 is completed. When the calculation of the full-illumination area is completed, the process proceeds to S710. In the case where the calculation of the full-photograph area has not been completed, the process returns to S704, and the process is repeated for the next photographic area.

In S710 , the control unit 3 configures, as control information (processing recipe), the field layout data including the field layout obtained by the above processing, the stage position of each field, and the information on the field aperture. Here, the information of the constituted field layout data can be displayed on the output device 34 .

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing an exposure method in the exposure apparatus 100 according to the field layout data prepared as described above. This exposure method can be controlled by the main control section 3 .

In S801 , the main control unit 3 controls a conveyance mechanism (not shown) to carry the substrate 15 into the exposure apparatus 100 . The substrate 15 is placed on the substrate stage 16 through the conveyance mechanism, and the substrate 15 is held through the substrate stage 16 .

In S802, the main control unit 3 acquires the control information (processing recipe) created by the method in accordance with the above-mentioned flow of FIG. 7 . After that, the main control unit 3 initializes the variable n indicating the number of the irradiation area to be processed to 0 in S803, and increments the variable n by 1 in S804.

In S805, the main control unit 3 controls the substrate stage 16 and the field aperture 5 for exposure of the n-th shot area in accordance with the control information. After that, the main control unit 3 exposes the n-th shot area in S806. In S807, the main control unit 3 determines whether there is a shot to be exposed next. When there is the next shot, the process returns to S804 and the process is repeated. When it is determined in S807 that the processing has been completed to the final shot area, in S808, the main control unit 3 controls the conveyance mechanism to carry the substrate 15 out of the apparatus.

<Third Embodiment> In the second embodiment, the description has been given assuming that the first imaging area, which is the initial imaging area when determining the imaging area layout on the substrate, is set at the center of the substrate. However, in the following description, the first imaging area is set at The case of the corners of the substrate. Starting from the corner of the substrate, the irradiated areas are sequentially allocated, so that the partial irradiated areas are concentrated on two sides separated from the corner of the substrate.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the layout of the imaging area prepared when the first imaging area is set at the upper left end of the substrate. The first illumination area is set at the upper left end illumination area 61, and the illumination areas are sequentially allocated from there, so that the partial illumination areas are concentrated on the right side (right end) and the lower side (lower end) of the substrate. According to the conventional method, the partial irradiation area on the right side of the substrate is allocated as the irradiated area 62, but according to the present embodiment, it is allocated as the irradiated area 62a shown below. Hereinafter, some examples of the case where the first imaging area is set at the corner of the substrate will be shown.

(Example 1) In Example 1, the first imaging area was set at the upper left end of the substrate. Here, the above-mentioned formula (3) for calculating the stage position and formula (4) for calculating the number of wafers in one row in the localized area of interest are changed to the following formulas (8) and (9), respectively. As a result, it is possible to create a layout in which the local irradiation area is concentrated on the right end and the lower end of the substrate. Here, let N be the attention shot region separated from the first shot region at the upper left end of the substrate in the X direction. Also, let the stage position at the upper left end of the substrate be POS_LU. When the attention shot area is the entire shot area, the stage position StagePos(N) at the center of the attention shot area N is obtained by the following equation (8). StagePos(N)=POS_LU+(N+0.5)・FFSize…(8)

In addition, the number of wafers PFChipNum in one row in the focused local shot region when the focused shot region (the focused shot region) of the partial shot region is treated as the entire shot region is obtained by the following equation (9). PFChipNum=TotalChipNum-FFNum・FFChipNum…(9)

(Example 2) In Example 2, the first imaging region was set to the upper right end of the substrate. Here, the formula (8) in Example 1 is changed to the following formula (10). As a result, it is possible to create a layout in which the local irradiation area is concentrated on the left end and the lower end of the substrate. Here, let N be the attention shot region separated from the first shot region at the upper right end of the substrate in the -X direction. Also, let the stage position at the upper right end of the substrate be POS_RU. When the attention shot area is the entire shot area, the stage position StagePos(N) at the center of the attention shot area N is obtained by the following equation (10). StagePos(N)=POS_RU-(N+0.5)・FFSize…(10)

(Example 3) In Example 3, the first imaging area was set at the lower left end of the substrate. Here, the formula (8) in Example 1 is changed to the following formula (11). As a result, it is possible to create a layout in which the local irradiation area is concentrated on the left end and the lower end of the substrate. Here, let N be the attention shot region separated from the first shot region at the lower left end of the substrate in the X direction. Also, let the stage position at the lower left end of the substrate be POS_LB. When the attention shot area is the entire shot area, the stage position StagePos(N) at the center of the attention shot area N is obtained by the following equation (11). StagePos(N)=POS_LB+(N+0.5)・FFSize…(11)

(Example 4) In Example 4, the first imaging region was set to the lower right end of the substrate. Here, the formula (8) in Example 1 is changed to the following formula (12). As a result, it is possible to create a layout in which the local irradiation area is concentrated on the right end and the lower end of the substrate. Here, let N is the attention shot region separated from the first shot region at the lower right end of the substrate in the -X direction. Also, let the stage position at the lower right end of the substrate be POS_RB. When the attention shot area is the entire shot area, the stage position StagePos(N) at the center of the attention shot area N is obtained by the following equation (12). StagePos(N)=POS_RB-(N+0.5)・FFSize…(12)

(Example 5) In Example 5, the first imaging area was set in each of the four corners of the substrate. Here, the substrate is divided into four areas, and the stage position of each imaging area is calculated using a separate calculation formula for each divided area. Specifically, the stage position of each imaging area in the upper left region of the substrate can be obtained using the formula (8) shown in Example 1. The stage position of each imaging area in the region on the upper right of the substrate can be obtained using the formula (10) shown in Example 2. The stage position of each imaging area in the lower left region of the substrate can be obtained using the formula (11) shown in Example 3. The stage position of each imaging area in the lower right region of the substrate can be obtained using the equation (12) shown in Example 4.

The number of each imaging area for which the stage position is calculated in each area is as follows.

When the number FFNum of all irradiated regions in one row of the substrate calculated through the formula (2) is an odd number, the acceptable range for all irradiated regions N is (FFNum+1)/2 of the irradiated region at the center of the substrate. When FFNum is an even number, the range that can be taken with respect to all the irradiation areas N is 1 to (FFNum/2) of the irradiation area in the center of the substrate.

Next, the first shot region is set to the right end of the substrate, and the stage position of the center of the focused shot region N is obtained by using the formula (10) with respect to the entire shot region. When the number FFNum of all irradiated areas in one row of the substrate calculated through the formula (2) is an odd number, the range of all irradiated areas N that can be taken is 1 to (FFNum+1)/2 of the irradiated area at the center of the substrate. When FFNum is an even number, the range that can be taken with respect to the entire irradiation area N is 1 to (FFNum/2).

Next, using the aforementioned formula (9), the number of wafers PFChipNum in one row in the localized region of interest is obtained. Next, the movement width SW of the blades of the field diaphragm 5 is obtained through the following equation (13). SW=PFChipNum・ChipSize…(13)

(Example 6) FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of the layout of the illumination area for a circular substrate. According to the conventional method of performing the same control as that of the whole irradiation area with respect to the partial irradiation area, the partial irradiation area is allocated as the irradiation area 72 as shown in FIG. 10 . On the other hand, according to the present embodiment, the stage position comparison area 72 is placed on the center side of the substrate like the imaging area 73, and the field aperture 5 is controlled so that the area that has already been exposed is not exposed again. The indicated region 73a is shielded from light. Calculation of the movement amount of the illumination area with respect to the circular substrate and the movement width of the field diaphragm 5 can be performed by referring to each of the X direction and the Y direction, and can be performed in the same manner as in the above-described embodiment.

(Example 7) Here, the case of exposing the substrate on which the base pattern has been formed is considered. In this case, when the stage position is obtained by applying the equation (8) of the first embodiment, POS_LU representing the stage position of the upper left end of the substrate in equation (8) is replaced by "the position of the upper left illumination area of the base". Similarly, by changing the position of the first imaging area, the imaging area layout can be made for Embodiments 2 to 6.

(Example 8) As for a part of the layout prepared in Example 7, when the shot areas are arranged in accordance with the ends of the ground pattern, a layout in which the number of shot areas is reduced can be prepared.

<About the case of using a substrate with a larger driving range than the stage> Conventionally, the same control as that of the entire irradiation area has been performed also for the partial irradiation area. On the other hand, according to the various embodiments described above, in the partial irradiation area, the stage is positioned more inside the substrate than before, and the field aperture 5 is controlled so that the exposed area is not exposed again. According to the above exposure operation, the driving stroke of the substrate stage 16 at the time of exposing the local shot region can be reduced compared to the conventional one.

In addition, in recent years, the shapes and sizes of the substrates used have been increasingly diversified, and for example, larger substrates than originally thought are sometimes used. When a substrate larger than originally assumed is used, the drive range of the substrate stage cannot cover the size of the substrate, and the conventional method sometimes fails to expose the peripheral region of the substrate (ie, the local irradiation region). In such a case, the partial irradiation area can be exposed by applying the aforementioned embodiments.

For example, in S405 of FIG. 4 , instead of judging that the n-th imaging area is FF or PF, it is determined that the position of the substrate stage at the center of the n-th imaging area is within or outside the driving range of the substrate stage. When the position of the substrate stage at the center of the n-th illuminating area is outside the driving range of the substrate stage, the n-th illuminating area is regarded as PF, and the same process as S407 is performed.

In addition, in S705 of FIG. 7 , in the image area layout creation process, instead of determining whether the attention area is FF or PF, it is determined that the position of the substrate stage at the center of the attention area is within or outside the drive range of the substrate stage. When the focus area is PF, the "position of the substrate stage at the center of the focus area" may be outside the drive range of the substrate stage. When the position of the substrate stage at the center of the attention area is outside the driving range of the substrate stage, the attention area is regarded as PF, and S706 to S708 are executed.

<Embodiment of article manufacturing method> The article manufacturing method according to the embodiment of the present invention is suitable for manufacturing articles such as micro devices such as semiconductor devices, elements having a fine structure, and the like, for example. The article manufacturing method of the present embodiment includes: a process of forming a latent image pattern on a photosensitive agent applied to a substrate using the aforementioned exposure device (a process of exposing the substrate); and developing the substrate on which the latent image pattern was formed by the process. program of. Furthermore, the manufacturing method includes other well-known procedures (oxidation, film formation, vapor deposition, doping, planarization, etching, resist stripping, dicing, bonding, packaging, etc.). The article manufacturing method of the present embodiment is advantageous in at least one of the performance, quality, productivity, and production cost of the article compared to the conventional method.

<Other Embodiments> In the present invention, a program for realizing one or more functions of the above-mentioned embodiments may be provided to a system or device through a network or a storage medium, and the program may be read by one or more processors in the computer of the system or device. This is achieved by the processing that is output and executed. In addition, it can also be realized by a circuit (eg, ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the scope of the patent application is written to disclose the scope of the invention.

100: Exposure device 1: Light source 3: Main control part 4: Lighting optical system 9: Shrinking mask 10: Projection Optical System 15: Substrate 16: Substrate stage

[ Fig. 1] Fig. 1 is a diagram illustrating a configuration of an exposure apparatus. [ Fig. 2 ] A diagram illustrating the configuration of the field stop. [ FIG. 3 ] A diagram showing an example of the layout of the imaging area of the substrate. [ Fig. 4] Fig. 4 is a flowchart showing an exposure method in an exposure apparatus. [ Fig. 5] Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating the control of the substrate stage and the field aperture at the time of exposure of the local shot region in the prior art. [ Fig. 6] Fig. 6 is a diagram explaining the control of the substrate stage and the field stop at the time of exposure of the partial shot region in the embodiment. [ Fig. 7 ] A flowchart of a method for determining the layout of the photographic area. [ Fig. 8] Fig. 8 is a flowchart of an exposure method in accordance with the created field layout data. [ Fig. 9] Fig. 9 is a diagram showing an example of the layout of the imaging area prepared when the first imaging area is set at the upper left end of the substrate. [ Fig. 10 ] A diagram showing an example of the layout of the illumination area on a circular substrate. 11 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of the correspondence between a plurality of wafer pattern regions of an original and a plurality of wafer regions in one shot region of the substrate.

1: Light source

3: Main control part

4: Lighting optical system

5: Field of view aperture

6: Half mirror

7: Light sensor

8: Lighting system control department

9: Shrinking mask

10: Projection Optical System

11: Open aperture

12: Drive Department

13: Drive Department

14: Projection System Control Department

15: Substrate

16: Substrate stage

17: Moving mirror

18: Laser Interferometer

19: Control the drive part

20: Stage control section

21: Emitter

22: Optical receiver

24: Alignment measurement system

31: CPU

32: Memory

33: Input device

34: Output device

100: Exposure device

C: Control Department

Claims (8)

An exposure apparatus for exposing the substrate by projecting the pattern of the original plate on each of a plurality of irradiation areas of the substrate, The aforementioned exposure apparatus has: a substrate stage that moves while holding the aforementioned substrate; the field of view aperture, which is defined in the illuminated area of the aforementioned master; and a control unit, which controls the substrate stage and the field of view aperture; The original plate has a plurality of wafer pattern regions, and the plurality of wafer pattern regions have the same pattern as each other, The plurality of shot regions include all shot regions of the size on which the plurality of wafer pattern regions are projected, and the total shot regions include one wafer pattern region corresponding to one wafer pattern region, respectively, corresponding to the plurality of wafer pattern regions. a plurality of wafer areas, The plurality of irradiated regions further include a partial irradiated region that is located at the peripheral portion of the substrate and lacks a part of the plurality of wafer regions, The aforementioned control unit: In the case of exposing all the irradiation areas, the substrate stage and the field of view aperture are controlled so that the plurality of wafer pattern areas are projected on the all irradiation areas; and When exposing the partial irradiation area, the substrate stage is controlled so that the wafer pattern area corresponding to the missing part of the wafer area is projected on the wafer pattern area corresponding to the wafer area in the partial irradiation area. The local illumination area is controlled so that the entire illumination area next to the local illumination area is shielded from light at the same time as the aperture diaphragm. The exposure apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The aforementioned control unit: When exposing the first all shot regions and then exposing the second all shot regions next to the first all shot regions, the step width of the substrate stage is set to a size corresponding to the size of the all shot regions a first width of , and the field of view aperture is controlled such that the plurality of wafer pattern regions are projected on each of the first total irradiation area and the second total irradiation area; and When exposing the entire shot area and then exposing the partial shot area next to the total shot area, the missing part of the wafer is replaced with the wafer pattern area corresponding to the wafer area in the partial shot area. The wafer pattern area of the area is projected on the local irradiation area, the step movement width of the substrate stage is changed from the first width to the second width smaller than the first width, and the field aperture is controlled to be The entire irradiation area is shielded from light during exposure of the partial irradiation area. The exposure apparatus of claim 1, wherein, The aforementioned control unit: When exposing the first all shot regions and then exposing the second all shot regions next to the first all shot regions, the step width of the substrate stage is set to a size corresponding to the size of the all shot regions a first width of , and the field of view aperture is controlled such that the plurality of wafer pattern regions are projected on each of the first total irradiation area and the second total irradiation area; and When exposing the entire shot region and then exposing the partial shot region next to the full shot region, the step movement width of the substrate stage is changed from the first width to a size corresponding to the size of the partial shot region. The second is wide, and the field aperture is controlled so that the entire irradiation area is shielded from light when the partial irradiation area is exposed. An exposure method for exposing the aforementioned substrate by projecting a pattern of an original onto each of a plurality of irradiation areas of a substrate, The original plate has a plurality of wafer pattern regions, and the plurality of wafer pattern regions have the same pattern as each other, The plurality of shot regions include all shot regions of the size on which the plurality of wafer pattern regions are projected, and the total shot regions include one wafer pattern region corresponding to one wafer pattern region, respectively, corresponding to the plurality of wafer pattern regions. a plurality of wafer areas, The plurality of irradiated regions further include a partial irradiated region that is located at the peripheral portion of the substrate and lacks a part of the plurality of wafer regions, The aforementioned exposure method includes the following procedures: In the case of exposing the entire irradiation area, the substrate stage that moves while holding the substrate and the field of view aperture defined in the illumination area of the original plate are controlled so that the plurality of wafer pattern areas are projected on the entire irradiation area; as well as When exposing the partial irradiation area, the substrate stage is controlled so that the wafer pattern area corresponding to the missing part of the wafer area is projected on the wafer pattern area corresponding to the wafer area in the partial irradiation area. The local illumination area is controlled so that the entire illumination area next to the local illumination area is shielded from light at the same time as the aperture diaphragm. A determination method for determining an area layout of the substrate in an exposure process in which a pattern of an original plate is projected on a substrate to expose the substrate, The original plate has a plurality of wafer pattern regions, and the plurality of wafer pattern regions have the same pattern as each other, The plurality of irradiated areas of the substrate include all irradiated areas of the size to which the plurality of wafer pattern areas are projected, and the above all irradiated areas have the plurality of wafer patterns corresponding to each of the plurality of wafer pattern areas such that one wafer area corresponds to one wafer pattern area a plurality of wafer regions of the region, The plurality of irradiated regions further include a partial irradiated region that is located at the peripheral portion of the substrate and lacks a part of the plurality of wafer regions, The determining method includes an allocation procedure in which all the irradiated areas and the wafer area are performed based on control information including the size of the substrate, the size of the entire irradiated area, and the size of the wafer area, with a predetermined position of the substrate as a starting point. The aforementioned allocation of local irradiation areas, The aforementioned allocation procedure: In the case of allocating the partial irradiation area, based on the size of the partial irradiation area obtained from the control information, the partial irradiation area is allocated to an area that partially overlaps with all the irradiation areas next to it; and When exposing the partial illumination area, the control amount of the field of view aperture defined in the illumination area of the original plate is determined so that the entire illumination area beside the illumination area is shielded from light. The determination method according to claim 5, wherein, in the allocation procedure, the center of the substrate having a rectangle is set as the predetermined position, and the irradiation areas are sequentially allocated with the predetermined position as a starting point, so that the partial irradiation areas are dispersed in the above-mentioned each of the four sides of the substrate. The determination method of claim 5, wherein, in the allocating procedure, the corners of the substrate having a rectangle are set as the predetermined positions, and the irradiation areas are sequentially allocated from the predetermined positions, so that the partial irradiation areas are concentrated from the predetermined positions. The two sides separated by the aforementioned corners of the substrate. A method of making an article, comprising: A procedure for exposing a substrate using the exposure apparatus of any one of claims 1 to 3; and a procedure for developing the aforementioned exposed substrate; Articles are fabricated from the aforementioned developed substrates.

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