TWI596698B - Holding device, lithography apparatus, and method for manufacturing item - Google Patents

Description

Holding device, lithography device, and method of manufacturing the article

The present invention relates to a holding device, a lithography apparatus, and a method for manufacturing an article.

There is a case in which the exposure apparatus used in the process of manufacturing a semiconductor device or the like is provided with a substrate having surface irregularities or curved portions. When the substrate is held by vacuum suction, the suction may be reduced by air leakage caused by the curved portion of the periphery of the substrate. In addition, when the pattern is transferred onto the substrate in a state where the suction force is small and the surface irregularity or the degree of curvature of the substrate is large, the transferred pattern may be deformed, resulting in a low yield of the manufactured device.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-217276 discloses a holding device in which a sealing member is disposed on an outer circumference of a substrate holding surface, which is an elastic body. Since the sealing member is deformed in such a manner as to conform to the shape of the periphery of the substrate, the possibility of air leakage from the space between the substrate and the substrate holding surface is reduced, so that the suction force is increased. maintain The substrate holding surface of the device includes a plate-like member having suction holes having the same size and the same shape and arranged at a specific pitch.

As with the holding device described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-217276, when suction is performed by simultaneously using all the suction holes having the same size and the same shape and arranged at a specific pitch, the negative at the substrate holding surface The pressure distribution is uniform, or the negative pressure at the periphery is smaller than the negative pressure at the other portions. In view of the fact that with the recent increase in various processes for manufacturing devices, in most cases, the substrate which has been greatly deformed (for example, greatly bent) is transported into the exposure apparatus, it may be difficult to correct the substrate due to the small suction force at the periphery of the substrate. The curvature of the circumference.

One aspect of the present invention provides a holding device and a lithography apparatus, in which suction is performed by simultaneously using the same vacuum source and using all the suction holes having the same size and the same shape and arranged at a specific pitch, The holding device and the lithography apparatus are capable of better correcting the curvature of the substrate.

A holding device according to an aspect of the present invention is a holding device configured to hold a substrate and includes: a holding member in which a plurality of suction holes are formed, the suction holes being used for The air in the space between the substrate and the holding member is evacuated; and a sealing member having an annular shape and disposed on a lower surface of the stepped portion of the holding member and defining the space. When with the retaining surface of the retaining member The center of the plane pattern is concentric and the inner region of the pattern obtained by reducing the size of the planar pattern by 2/3 or more and 4/5 or less is set as the first region and the region between the first region and the sealing member is set to In the second region, the plurality of suction holes are formed such that a relationship is satisfied that a ratio of a total area of the suction holes formed in the second region to an area of the second region is larger than that formed in the first region including the second The ratio of the total area of the suction holes in the total area of the area to the area of the total area.

Further features of the present invention will become apparent from the following description of exemplary embodiments.

1‧‧‧Exposure equipment (lithography equipment)

2‧‧‧ mask

3‧‧‧Substrate

4‧‧‧Projection optical system

5‧‧‧Optical optical system

6‧‧‧ illumination light (beam)

7‧‧‧ platform

8‧‧‧Interferometer

9‧‧‧Mirror

10‧‧‧ Keeping device

11‧‧‧Interferometer

12‧‧‧Mirror

13‧‧‧ platform

14‧‧‧Detection system

15‧‧‧Marking station

16‧‧‧ chuck (holding member)

17‧‧ ‧ sales

18‧‧‧Control unit

31‧‧‧Lip seal (sealing member)

32‧‧‧ suction hole (suction hole)

33‧‧‧ tube

33a‧‧‧管

33b‧‧‧vacuum source

34‧‧‧Valves

35‧‧‧ Space

36‧‧ ‧ pinhole

37‧‧‧ suction hole

38‧‧‧ border

39a‧‧‧Step part

39b‧‧‧ side surface

39c‧‧‧ bottom surface

40‧‧‧Area

41‧‧‧Area

42‧‧‧Area

43‧‧‧ highlight

44‧‧‧ highlight

45‧‧‧Lip seals (valves)

46‧‧‧Valves

47‧‧‧Valves

48‧‧‧ suction holes

50‧‧‧ chuck

55‧‧‧Control unit

1 is a diagram illustrating an exposure apparatus according to first to third embodiments; FIGS. 2A and 2B are diagrams each illustrating a holding apparatus according to a first embodiment (a cross-sectional view when viewed from a horizontal direction); 3 is a diagram illustrating a holding device according to a modification of the first embodiment (a cross-sectional view when viewed from a horizontal direction); FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a holding device according to the first embodiment (from directly above FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B are both schematic diagrams illustrating a holding device according to an example; FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a holding device according to a second embodiment; FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating A schematic diagram of a holding device of the third embodiment; FIGS. 8A and 8B are both diagrams illustrating a modified party according to the third embodiment BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 9 is a first explanatory diagram illustrating another shape of a lip seal; Figure 10 is a second explanatory diagram illustrating another shape of the lip seal.

The configuration of the exposure apparatus (lithography apparatus) 1 according to the first embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1 . The exposure apparatus 1 is a projection exposure apparatus that scans the mask 2 and the substrate 3 while moving the mask 2 and the substrate 3 by a step-and-repeat exposure system as i- of the illumination light (light beam) 6. A line (having a wavelength of 365 nm) is emitted onto the mask 2 and the substrate 3, and a pattern (for example, a circuit pattern or the like) formed on the mask 2 is transferred onto the substrate 3. In Fig. 1, an axis parallel to the direction in which the optical axis of the projection optical system 4 extends (the upright direction in the first embodiment) is the Z axis. In a plane perpendicular to the Z axis, the direction in which the mask 2 moves when the mask 2 is scanned by being illuminated by the illumination light 6 is the X axis, and the non-scanning direction perpendicular to the X axis is the Y axis.

The illumination light 6 formed by the illumination optical system 5 is irradiated onto the substrate 3 via the mask 2 and the projection optical system 4. The substrate 3 is, for example, a single crystal germanium substrate and a resist is applied to the surface of the substrate 3. The mask 2 moves with the platform 7. The interferometer 8 illuminates the laser beam onto the mirror 9 and receives the light that has been reflected by the mirror 9 to detect the position of the stage 7. The platform 7 includes a platform top plate (not shown) for the mask 2 and a moving mechanism (not shown) The moving mechanism causes the platform top to move.

The substrate 3 moves along the six axial directions together with the holding device 10 and the stage 13, which holds the substrate 3 by vacuum suction. The interferometer 11 detects the position of the platform 13 by using a mirror 12 by means similar to the case of detecting the position of the platform 7. The platform 13 includes a platform top plate (not shown) for the substrate 3 and a moving mechanism (not shown) that moves the platform top plate.

The detecting system 14 detects an alignment mark (not shown) formed on the substrate 3 and a reference mark (not shown) formed on the marking table 15, which is mounted on the stage 13. The detection system 14 detects the alignment mark and the reference mark, and the control unit 18, which will be described later, sets the pattern forming position. The detection system 14 is an axis deviation alignment detection system that detects alignment marks and fiducial marks without using the projection optical system 4.

The holding device 10 includes a chuck (holding member) 16 that attracts and holds the substrate 3, and a pin 17 that supports the substrate when the substrate 3 is transported into or out of the exposure apparatus 1. And a lifting mechanism (not shown) that lifts and lowers the chuck 16 in the Z-axis direction. By raising and lowering the operation of the chuck 16, the substrate 3 is transferred from the pin 17 to the chuck 16 when the substrate 3 is transported into the exposure apparatus 1, and the substrate 3 is taken from the card when the substrate 3 is carried out from the exposure apparatus 1. The disk 16 is transferred to the pin 17. The configuration of the holding device 10 will be described in detail below.

Control unit 18 is connected to platforms 7 and 13, detection system 14, interference Meters 8 and 11 and holding device 10 are used to control them integrally. For example, when the exposure processing is performed, the control unit 18 sets the pattern forming position based on the detection result obtained by the detecting system 14 and controls the movement of the stages 7 and 13 based on the position information of the stages 7 and 13 obtained by the interferometers 8 and 11. In addition, the control unit 18 controls the movement of the lifting mechanism of the holding device 10 and the platform 13 when the substrate 3 is transported into or out of the exposure apparatus 1. The control unit 18 may be arranged in a housing in which component components other than the control unit 18 are housed, or the control unit 18 may be arranged in a different housing than the housing.

The operation of attracting the substrate 3 will be described with reference to FIGS. 2A and 2B. 2A and 2B are each a cross-sectional view through the X-Z plane of the center of the chuck 16, which illustrates the chuck 16 and peripheral members.

FIG. 2A illustrates a state in which the conveyance of the substrate 3 has been completed and the substrate 3 has been transferred to the chuck 16. The chuck 16 includes a central portion (first region) and a peripheral portion (second region). The boundary between the central portion and the peripheral portion is represented by an imaginary boundary 38. A plurality of suction holes (suction holes) 32 are formed in the central portion and in the peripheral portion.

Here, in the first embodiment, the central portion in the front surface of the chuck 16 is a region located inside the circle, the front surface being a substrate holding surface (holding surface) facing the substrate 3, the circular shape being Set as boundary 38 and concentric with the center of the substrate holding surface. The peripheral portion is an area outside the boundary 38. The boundary 38 is set such that the area of the central portion and the area of the peripheral portion are equal. The peripheral portion includes a side surface 39b of the stepped portion 39a of the chuck 16. The side surface 39b is oriented and will be described in detail below. The area of the lip seal 31 is also used to arrange the lip seal 31.

All of the suction holes 32 communicate with the tube 33 via a tube 33a as a common tube for all the suction holes 32. The tube 33 is used to merge the tubes 33a into one tube, which branches in such a manner as to be coupled to the respective one of the suction holes 32. Tube 33 is connected to vacuum source 33b. Valve 34 is disposed between tube 33 and vacuum source 33b. By switching the valve 34, it is possible to select whether the gas present in the space between the chuck 16 and the substrate 3 is discharged by being connected to all the suction holes 32 of the vacuum source 33b via the tube 33, or by connecting to the valve via the tube 33. All of the suction holes 32 of 34 send air to the space between the chuck 16 and the substrate 3. The tube 33 is disposed at a position corresponding to the central portion of the chuck 16, that is, a position within the boundary 38 when the chuck 16 is cut at the boundary 38 along the thickness direction of the chuck 16. In particular, as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B and the like, the position of the tube 33 in the XY plane may be close to the center of the central portion in order to suppress the distance between the suction hole 32 and the tube 33 in a shorter position in the XY plane and the suction hole. The difference between the distance between 32 and the tube 33 occurs between the longer positions in the XY plane.

A lip seal (sealing member) 31 having a circular shape or a ring shape is disposed on the bottom surface 39c which is a lower surface of the stepped portion 39a of the chuck 16. The lip seal 31 is an elastic member and is fixed to the chuck 16 with an adhesive such as an adhesive sheet. When the substrate 3 is placed on the chuck 16, the lip seal 31 is in contact with a portion near the periphery of the substrate 3. With this configuration, the area of the space 35 between the substrate 3 and the substrate holding surface is defined by the lip seal 31.

Valve 34 is released to the side where atmospheric space is present. Despite the substrate 3 The portion near the circumference and the lip seal 31 are in contact with each other, but the portion and the lip seal 31 are not completely in close contact with each other, and are present between the portion and the lip seal 31 in accordance with the curvature of the periphery of the substrate 3. Small gap.

By switching the valve 34 from the state illustrated in FIG. 2A to the side where the vacuum source 33b is disposed, the air in the space 35 is evacuated by all the suction holes 32. The operation of the switching valve 34 can be performed during the time when the chuck 16 is lifted (i.e., before the substrate 3 is completely transferred from the pin 17 to the chuck 16).

As shown in FIG. 2B, as the negative pressure in the space 35 increases, the substrate 3 is pressed by atmospheric pressure and the substrate 3 is deformed so as to conform to the shape of the substrate holding surface of the chuck 16. In this case, the lip seal 31 starts to deform so as to conform to the shape of the periphery of the substrate 3 and gradually comes into close contact with the substrate 3.

Since the end portion of the lip seal 31 is positioned higher than the substrate holding surface of the chuck 16, even in the case where the edge of the substrate 3 is curved, the curved portion of the substrate 3 and the lip seal 31 are easily in contact with each other. As a result, the space 35 can be easily sealed tightly and the air in the space 35 can be evacuated. The space 35 is more easily sealed tightly than in the case where the lip seal 31 is not provided, and the suction applied to the substrate 3 is increased, so that the substrate 3 can be corrected to become a flat surface.

Therefore, the lip seal 31 can be a flexible member that can be easily deformed and can be expanded and contracted. A polymeric material (elastic polymeric material) comprising a synthetic rubber such as ruthenium rubber or fluororubber may be used, and alternatively, a different soft resin or metallic material may be used.

In a state where the substrate 3 is sucked by the holding device 10 to the chuck 16, the exposure device 1 performs exposure processing. After the exposure processing has been completed, the holding device 10 is controlled and the substrate 3 is brought into a transportable state.

Figure 4 is a view of the chuck 16 when viewed from the direction of the positive Z axis. The suction hole 32 and the pin hole 36 are formed in a circular shape which is concentric with the substrate holding surface.

Each of the pin holes 36 is formed in a manner extending through one of the three portions of the chuck 16. When the lifting mechanism moves the chuck 16 in the negative Z-axis direction, the pin 17 projects relatively from the inside of the pin hole 36. Since the gap between the pin 17 and the corresponding pin hole 36 is always closed by the sealing member (not shown), air leakage does not occur at the time of performing the suction of the substrate 3.

With respect to the suction hole 32, four suction holes 32 are formed in the central portion of the chuck 16, and sixteen suction holes 32 (eight suction holes 32 × 2 circles) are formed in the peripheral portion, the sixteen The suction holes surround the central portion. All suction holes 32 have the same diameter.

When the total cross-sectional area of all the suction holes 32 in the region is the total hole area (the total area of the suction holes), the suction holes 32 are formed such that the total hole area in the peripheral portion is larger than the total hole area in the central portion, That is, the total area of the suction holes formed in the second region is larger than 50% of the total area of the suction holes formed in the region of the sum of the first region and the second region. Therefore, the total pore area per unit area in the peripheral portion is larger than the total pore area per unit area in the region as the sum of the central portion and the peripheral portion.

When formed in the above manner by using the chuck 16 (suction holes 32) In the chuck 16), when the air in the space 35 is evacuated via the tube 33 by using the vacuum source 33b, the suction force in the peripheral portion (the suction hole 32 is formed in the peripheral portion at a higher ratio) is larger than that in the central portion suction.

As a result, even in the case where the amount of bending of the substrate 3 is large and a large gap is formed between the substrate 3 and the lip seal 31 after the substrate 3 has been transported, the gap can be closed immediately, and air leakage can be prevented. . The bending of the substrate 3 can be better corrected as compared with the case where the suction holes having the same shape are arranged at a specific pitch and the substrates have the same amount of bending. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the transferred pattern from being deformed due to deformation (for example, bending) of the substrate 3.

At least one of the suction holes 32 may be formed in at least one of the side surface 39b and the bottom surface 39c. FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary state in which at least one of the suction holes 32 is formed in the side surface 39b.

In a state where the substrate holding surface and the substrate 3 are in contact with each other, it is difficult to evacuate air via the suction holes 32 formed in the substrate holding surface. Therefore, there may be a case in which the air in the space between the bottom surface 39c and the substrate 3 will not be sufficiently evacuated, and the bending of the substrate 3 cannot be sufficiently corrected. If at least one of the suction holes 32 is formed in at least one of the side surface 39b and the bottom surface 39c, it is possible to evacuate the air in the space between the bottom surface 39c and the substrate 3 while attracting the substrate 3, so that correction can be made The bending of the substrate 3.

In the case where at least one of the suction holes 32 is formed in the side surface 39b, the number of holes processed in the upright direction is small, and therefore, The processing cost required to form the suction holes 32 is reduced.

The holding device 10 of the first embodiment is capable of not only attracting a substrate that is bent downward into a bowl shape in a convex manner but also capable of attracting a substrate that is bent upward into an inverted bowl shape and an asymmetrically curved substrate in a convex manner. The substrate can be calibrated to become a flat surface.

In Fig. 4 illustrating the arrangement of the suction holes 32, the central portion may be provided as an inner region of a pattern which is concentric with the center of the planar pattern of the substrate holding surface and by reducing the size of the planar pattern 2 It is obtained at /3 or more and 4/5 or less, and the peripheral portion may be provided as a region between the central portion and the lip seal 31.

In this case, the arrangement of the suction holes 32 is satisfied (the total hole area in the peripheral portion / the area of the peripheral portion) > (the total hole area in the total area of the central portion and the peripheral portion / the total of the central portion and the peripheral portion) The relationship of the area of the area, and the total hole area per unit area in the peripheral portion is larger than the total hole area per unit area in the area as the sum of the central portion and the peripheral portion. In other words, the ratio of the total area of the suction holes 32 formed in the peripheral portion to the area of the peripheral portion is larger than the total area and the total area of the suction holes 32 formed in the total area including the central portion plus the peripheral portion. The relationship between the ratios of the areas. As a result, it is possible to increase the suction force in the peripheral portion (the suction hole 32 is formed in the peripheral portion at a higher ratio).

It should be noted that ">" is an inequality sign indicating that the left side expression is greater than the right side table, and "/" means a division number. For example, "(the total pore area in the peripheral portion / the area of the peripheral portion)" means a value obtained by dividing the total pore area in the peripheral portion by the area of the peripheral portion. In this specification, The planar pattern of the substrate holding surface refers to the contour shape of the substrate holding surface when the substrate holding surface is viewed from the side where the substrate 3 is to be conveyed in the upright direction to the exposure apparatus 1.

The arrangement of the suction holes 32 is not limited to the arrangement of the first embodiment, but various modifications can be made. For example, as in the modification of the first embodiment illustrated in FIG. 5A, two suction holes 32 may be formed in the central portion, and the four suction holes 32 may be formed at the periphery in such a manner that the suction holes 32 are in line with each other Part of it.

An example of the first embodiment will now be described. The suction effect is verified by using the chuck 16 illustrated in FIG. 5A, which is obtained by forming the suction holes 32 in such a manner that the suction holes 32 formed in the peripheral portion of the chuck 16 are formed. The number is larger than the number of suction holes 32 formed in the central portion of the chuck 16. The operation of attracting the substrate 3 having a bowl shape and such that the outer peripheral portion of the substrate 3 is positioned to be curved upward in a straight cubic direction higher than the center of the substrate 3 by 1.7 mm is performed. In addition, as shown in FIG. 5B, as a comparative example, the operation of attracting the substrate is performed by using the chuck 50, the amount of bending of the substrate is the same as the degree of bending of the substrate 3, and the chuck 50 has a central portion formed therein. The six suction holes 48 and the lip seals 45 are disposed along the outer circumference of the chuck 50.

The flow meter is disposed near the valve 34, and the flow rate (flow rate of the exhaust gas) required to attract the substrate 3 is measured using a flow meter.

As a result, a flow rate of 2 L/min is required in the case of using the chuck 16 illustrated in FIG. 5A, and in the case of using the chuck 50 illustrated in FIG. 5B A flow rate of 20 L/min is required. In the case of attracting a substrate that is bent to a relatively large amount, the chuck 16 can attract the substrate at a relatively small flow rate compared to the chuck 50.

As is apparent from the results, it was found that the configuration of the chuck 16 according to the first embodiment makes it possible to employ a small-sized vacuum source 33b having low air evacuation performance. This has an advantageous effect of reducing the size of the installation space of the vacuum source 33b and reducing the manufacturing cost of the vacuum source 33b.

The second embodiment will now be described. The difference from the holding device 10 of the first embodiment is the suction holes 37, the size of each suction hole 37 is different from the size of each suction hole 32, and the arrangement of the suction holes 32 and 37 is also different.

Fig. 6 is a view of the holding device 10 according to the second embodiment when viewed from the direction of the positive Z axis. The boundary 38 represents the boundary between the central portion of the chuck 16 and the peripheral portion of the chuck 16, and the central portion is an inner region of a pattern by reducing the size of the planar pattern of the substrate holding surface by 4/5. obtain. In the substrate holding surface, the peripheral portion is a region between the central portion and the lip seal 31.

The chuck 16 has two suction holes 32 formed in the center portion and four suction holes 37 formed in the peripheral portion. The area of the hole of one of the suction holes 37 formed in the peripheral portion is twice or more the area of the hole of one of the suction holes 32 formed in the central portion. The suction holes 32 are arranged along the Y-axis direction, and the suction holes 37 are arranged along the X-axis direction.

Also in the second embodiment, the total pore area per unit area in the peripheral portion is larger than the total pore area per unit area in the region as the sum of the central portion and the peripheral portion. By arranging the suction holes 32 in the following manner, That is, the above relationship is satisfied even in the case where the central portion is the inner region of the pattern obtained by reducing the size 4/5 of the planar pattern of the substrate holding surface, further increasing the suction force in the end portion of the substrate 3. .

As in the first embodiment, this helps to correct the bending of the substrate 3 as compared with the case where the suction holes having the same size are arranged at a specific pitch. Therefore, deformation of the transferred pattern due to deformation (for example, bending) of the substrate 3 can be prevented. Further, by arranging the vacuum source 33b having a low exhaust rate, the size of the installation space of the vacuum source 33b can be reduced and the manufacturing cost of the vacuum source 33b can be reduced.

The number of suction holes 37 formed in the peripheral portion is reduced by increasing the hole area of each of the suction holes 37 formed in the peripheral portion. The number of tubes formed in the chuck 16 extending from the center of the chuck 16 to the suction holes 37 can be reduced, and thus the processing cost can be reduced.

The suction holes 37 are arranged such that all of the suction holes 37 (at least three of the suction holes 37) are not aligned with each other as described above with reference to FIG. 5A. This prevents the negative pressure in the space 35 from being unevenly distributed in one axial direction.

In both the first embodiment and the second embodiment, even in the case where the suction hole 32 is not formed in the central portion (even if the total hole area in the peripheral portion is 100 as the area of the sum of the central portion and the peripheral portion) In the case of %, the attraction of the substrate 3 can also be performed. However, at least one suction hole 32 may be formed in the central portion because if no suction hole 32 is formed in the central portion, since the substrate 3 is corrected so as to be flattened from the end portion, there is still a curved region. May stay on the substrate At the center of 3.

The third embodiment will now be described. Fig. 7 is a view when the holding device 10 according to the third embodiment is viewed from the positive Z-axis direction. The suction holes 32 of the chuck 16 have the same size and the same shape and are formed to be arranged at a specific pitch. In Fig. 7, the inner region of the pattern obtained by reducing the size 2/3 of the planar pattern of the substrate holding surface is the central portion. However, the central portion may be an inner region of a pattern obtained by reducing the size of the planar pattern of the substrate holding surface by 2/3 or more and 4/5 or less.

A tube connected to the suction hole 32 belonging to the first region of the central portion of the chuck 16 and a tube connected to the suction hole 32 belonging to the second region as the peripheral portion of the chuck 16 are provided with a valve (not shown), The valve can be opened and closed on a zone by region basis. The control unit 55 controls the opening and closing of the valve corresponding to the central region and the valve corresponding to the peripheral region. The control unit 55 controls the flow rate of the air emptied via the suction holes 32 formed in the central portion and the flow rate of the air emptied via the suction holes 32 formed in the peripheral portion at a predetermined timing during the air evacuation, so that the satisfaction is satisfied. (Exhaust flow rate/area of the air venting via the suction holes 32 formed in the peripheral portion)> (Air evacuation via the suction holes 32 formed in the total area of the central portion and the peripheral portion) The relationship between the exhaust flow rate / the area of the central portion and the total area of the peripheral portion). In other words, the relationship is satisfied that the ratio of the exhaust flow rate of the air evacuated by the suction holes 32 formed in the peripheral portion to the area of the peripheral portion is larger than the suction in the total area including the central portion plus the peripheral portion The ratio of the exhaust flow rate of the air evacuation performed by the air holes 32 to the area of the total area.

For example, the control unit 55 attracts the substrate 3 by using only the suction holes 32 formed in the central portion, and then closes the valve connected to the tube of the suction hole 32 formed in the central portion, and thereafter, is formed only by the use at the periphery. The suction holes 32 in the portion attract the substrate 3. Since the control unit 55 performs the control in this manner, air evacuation is temporarily performed only via the suction holes 32 formed in the peripheral portion. In this way, the suction force in the peripheral portion can be increased. Further, by employing the vacuum source 33b having low air evacuation performance, the size of the installation space of the vacuum source 33b can be reduced and the manufacturing cost of the vacuum source 33b can be reduced.

As long as the exhaust flow rate in the first region and the exhaust flow rate in the second region can be controlled in such a manner that the total exhaust flow rate per unit area in the peripheral portion can be sometimes high at a specific time The total exhaust flow rate per unit area when the air is evacuated through all the suction holes 32 can be adjusted by adjusting the degree of opening of the valve corresponding to the central portion and the degree of opening of the valve corresponding to the peripheral portion, respectively. The adjustment of the exhaust flow rate in the first zone and the adjustment of the exhaust flow rate in the second zone are performed.

As another example, the chuck 16 may include annular projecting portions 43 and 44 which are formed in this order along the direction from the center toward the outer side of the chuck 16 as shown in Figs. 8A and 8B. On the chuck 16. Eight suction holes 32 are formed in each of the region 40 surrounded by the protruding portion 43, the region 41 surrounded by the protruding portion 43 and the protruding portion 44, and the region 42 located outside the protruding portion 44.

Air evacuation is performed by the suction holes 32 positioned in the region 40 by switching the valve 45 to the side where the vacuum source is disposed. By switching valve 46 Air evacuation is performed by a suction hole 32 positioned in the region 41 to the side where the vacuum source is disposed. Air evacuation is performed by switching the valve 47 to the side where the vacuum source is disposed, by the suction holes 32 positioned in the region 42. The valves 45, 46 and 47 are connected to the control unit 55, and the control unit 55 controls the switching of the suction holes 32 to be used to attract the substrate 3 according to a predetermined timing.

The third embodiment which has been described above is suitable for the case where the height of the end portion of the lip seal 31 cannot be set to be very high with respect to the height of the substrate holding surface in order to prevent the substrate from being removed 3 A transport hand (not shown) transported to the chuck 16 is in contact with the lip seal 31. In other words, the third embodiment is suitable for the case in which the difference in height between the pin 17 and the end portion of the lip seal 31 is to transport the substrate 3 into the exposure apparatus 1 or to carry out the exposure apparatus 1 hour becomes smaller.

In the case where the height of the lip seal 31 is sufficiently high, the lip seal 31 is easily brought into contact with the curved portion of the edge of the substrate 3. However, in the case where the height of the lip seal 31 is small, there is a possibility that the lip seal 31 will not be in contact with the substrate 3 depending on the amount of bending of the substrate 3, so that the space 35 cannot be sufficiently implemented. Emptying of the air.

By switching the valves 45, 46 and 47 in the order of the valves 45, 46 and 47, the substrate 3 can be attracted in such a manner that the distance between the lip seal 31 and the end of the substrate 3 is gradually reduced. After the lip seal 31 and the substrate 3 have been in contact with each other, the exhaust flow rate per unit area of the suction holes 32 in the region 42 is controlled to be larger than the exhaust flow rate per unit area of the suction holes 32 in the region 40. And the exhaust flow rate per unit area of the suction holes 32 in the region 41.

With this configuration, it is possible to prevent contact between the lip seal 31 and the transporting hand, and in addition, it is possible to correct the bending of the substrate 3.

Other embodiments

In the first to third embodiments, the air in the space between the valve 34 and the vacuum source 33b can be evacuated during the period in which the conveyance of the substrate 3 is performed. In this case, the air in the space 35 can be evacuated in one stroke at the start of the emptying operation, and the attraction of the substrate 3 can be easily performed even if the vacuum source 33b has a low exhaust flow rate.

An embodiment of controlling the release sequence of the suction holes 32 as in the third embodiment may be combined with a chuck 16 in which the suction holes 32 are formed to be arranged in accordance with one of the above embodiments. .

The shape of each of the suction holes 32 is not limited to a circular shape but may be an elliptical shape or a quadrangular shape. The lip seal 31 can be arranged such that the end of the lip seal 31 is positioned more internally than the slit region (eg, formed as a standard notch or orientation plane). The lip seal 31 can be prevented from deteriorating by causing the exposure not to directly illuminate the lip seal 31.

In terms of the arrangement of the suction holes 32, the suction holes 32 may be formed at least symmetrically with respect to an axis passing through the center of the substrate holding surface. In this case, it is possible to prevent the local formation of the region which cannot be corrected to a plane due to the uneven distribution of the suction force applied to the substrate 3.

A plurality of pins (not shown) integrally formed with the chuck 16 may be disposed on the substrate holding surface to reduce the space between the substrate holding surface and the substrate 3. Contact area. By reducing the contact area between the substrate holding surface and the substrate 3, it is possible to prevent dust on the holding surface from adhering to the substrate 3.

In addition, in the case where the ability of the lip seal 31 to seal the space is insufficient, a protruding structure (not shown) formed integrally with the chuck 16 may be formed at a portion of the substrate holding surface which is located further inside than the lip seal 31 on. Since the protruding structure assists in defining the space, the central portion of the substrate 3 can be easily corrected to a plane. However, the suction hole 32 for correcting the curvature of the substrate 3 by evacuating the air in the outer space of the annular protruding structure needs to be formed in a region outside the annular protruding structure, the region being positioned to be larger than the lip seal 31 is located on the inside.

However, even in the case of forming the above-described pin and annular projecting structure, it is considered that in the region of the substrate holding surface, the region of the central portion, and the region of the peripheral portion, the surface area is not increased due to the pin and the annular projecting structure. .

The shape of each of the flat patterns of the chuck 16 and the substrate holding surface is not limited to a circular shape. For example, in the case where the substrate holding surface has a quadrangular shape, the central portion is a similar pattern which is concentric with the center of the quadrilateral and is obtained by reducing the size of the quadrilateral shape by 2/3 or more and 4/5 or less.

The lip seal 31 does not need to be formed in a horizontal plane as in the first to third embodiments. For example, the lip seal 31 may be fixed to the side surface of the chuck 16.

The lip seal 31 may have a shape in which the end of the lip seal 31 faces the center of the chuck 16 (Fig. 9). In this case, the lip seal 31 is easily deformed toward the central portion during the operation of attracting the substrate 3, and thus, the substrate 3 is more likely to closely contact the lip seal 31, so that it is advantageous to correct the circumference of the substrate 3. bending.

Alternatively, the cross-sectional shape of the lip seal 31 may be accordion-like (Fig. 10). The lip seal 31 can have low rigidity because, in this case, the degree of contact between the lip seal 31 and the substrate 3 can be improved. However, due to the technical limitations of manufacturing the lip seal 31, it is difficult to form the lip seal 31 to have a thickness not greater than a predetermined thickness. Therefore, if the rigidity of a portion where the lip seal 31 is in contact with the substrate 3 is reduced by using the lip seal 31 having an accordion shape, the substrate 3 easily comes into close contact with the lip seal 31, and is advantageous for correcting the substrate. The curvature of the circumference of 3. This configuration is particularly suitable for the case of attracting the substrate 3 which is symmetrically curved with respect to one axis passing through the center of the substrate 3 and the substrate 3 having an asymmetrical shape.

In the holding device 10 including the lip seal 31, the substrate 3 may sometimes move in a predetermined direction before and after the operation of attracting the substrate 3 due to individual differences or mounting errors occurring in the process of manufacturing the lip seal 31 It is about 10 μm to about 1,000 μm. In this case, the positional shift of the substrate 3 is measured by using the detecting system 14 before starting the exposure, and the amount of correction is calculated by an operation circuit included in the control unit 18 or the like. The platforms 7 and 13 are then moved to be scanned for the amount of correction. This can reduce the positional displacement of the substrate 3 due to the lip seal 31 and prevent the deterioration of the overlay accuracy.

The angle of the lip seal 31 is not limited to the angle shown in FIG. 2A and may be appropriately changed within a range of 0 to 180 degrees. If the portion of the substrate 3 that is more difficult to correct than the substrate 3 and the lip seal 31 is positioned closer to the side on which the outer circumference of the substrate 3 is provided to planarize the portion, the angle of the lip seal 31 is set. In the smaller case, the substrate 3 and the lip seal 31 are easily brought into close contact with each other.

In FIG. 4, the lip seal 31 is directly secured to the chuck 16. However, it may be helpful to replace the lip seal 31 by using the other components by securing the lip seal 31 in place. The lip seal 31 may have a configuration in which the worn seal 31 can be individually worn by dividing the lip seal 31 into an end portion and other portions that are in contact with the substrate 3. End part.

Although the case where the air release operation is performed by the switching valve 34 when the substrate 3 is carried out of the exposure apparatus 1 after performing the exposure processing has been described in the above embodiment, it is not connected to the vacuum source 33b but is connected to the small space of the atmosphere. The holes may be formed independently of the suction holes 32 to allow air to enter the space 35.

The light irradiated onto the substrate 3 from the lithography apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to the i-line (wavelength: 365 nm) but may be light in the far ultraviolet region, such as KrF light (wavelength: 248 nm) or ArF light ( The wavelength is 193 nm), or may be a g-line (wavelength of 436 nm), which is light in the visible region.

Further, the lithography apparatus according to the present invention is not limited to the exposure apparatus. The invention can be applied to irradiate a charged particle beam onto a substrate and on the substrate A device on which a latent image pattern is formed or a device that forms a pattern on a substrate by an imprint method.

Method for manufacturing articles

An article for manufacturing an article (a semiconductor integrated circuit element, a liquid crystal display element, an image pickup element, a magnetic head, a reproducible recording optical disc [CD-RW], an optical element, a light mask, or the like) according to an embodiment of the present invention. The method includes the steps of exposing a substrate (wafer, glass plate or the like) to form a pattern on the substrate by using a lithography apparatus and performing at least one of an etching operation and an ion implantation operation on the already exposed substrate. The method may also include other well known processing steps (development, oxidation, film formation, vapor deposition, flattening, resist separation, cutting, bonding, encapsulation, etc.).

While the invention has been described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed exemplary embodiments. A broad understanding of the appended claims is provided to cover all modifications and equivalent structures and functions.

16‧‧‧ chuck (holding member)

17‧‧ ‧ sales

31‧‧‧Lip seal (sealing member)

32‧‧‧ suction hole (suction hole)

36‧‧ ‧ pinhole

38‧‧‧ border

Claims (16)

A holding device configured to hold a substrate, the holding device comprising: a holding member in which a plurality of suction holes are formed, the plurality of suction holes for evacuating the substrate and Air in the space between the holding members; and a sealing member that is annular and disposed on a lower surface of the stepped portion of the holding member that includes the outer periphery and is configured for when The space is sealed when the space is emptied, wherein the center of the planar pattern of the holding surface of the holding member is concentric and by reducing the size of the planar pattern by 2/3 or more and decreasing by 4/5 or less When the inner region of the obtained pattern is set as the first region, and the region between the first region and the sealing member is set as the second region, the plurality of suction holes are satisfied in such a manner as to satisfy the following relationship Forming: a ratio of a total area of the getter holes formed in the second region to an area of the second region is greater than an inhalation formed in a total region including the first region plus the second region Total area of the hole Ratio of the total area of the region, and wherein, in said second area of said plurality of suction holes so as to face at least one of the sealing member is formed in a side surface of the stepped portion. A holding device configured to hold a substrate, the holding device comprising: a holding member in which a plurality of suction holes are formed, a plurality of suction holes for evacuating air in a space between the substrate and the holding member; a sealing member that is annular and arranged at a step portion of the holding member including an outer periphery And a lower surface is configured to seal the space when the space is emptied; and a control unit that controls an exhaust flow rate of air venting by the plurality of suction holes Wherein the inner area of the figure obtained by concentricity with the center of the planar figure of the holding surface of the holding member and by reducing the size of the planar figure by 2/3 or more and decreasing by 4/5 or less is set as a first region, when a region between the first region and the sealing member is set as a second region, and at least one of the plurality of suction holes is in the first region and the second region In each of the above, the control unit controls the exhaust flow rate in such a manner as to satisfy the following relationship: an exhaust flow rate of the air evacuation performed by the intake holes formed in the second region and the first The ratio of the area of the two regions is greater than by the inclusion Than the first area plus the area of the air intake holes the total area of the second region in the embodiment of the exhaust gas flow rate of evacuation of the total area. The holding device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the suction holes is formed in the first region. The holding device according to claim 3, wherein a hole area of one of the suction holes in the second region is one of the suction holes in the first region Hole area Twice or more times. The holding device according to claim 2, wherein the first region is an inner region of a figure obtained by reducing a size of the planar pattern by 4/5. The holding device according to claim 2, wherein the plurality of suction holes formed in the holding member are three or more suction holes, and at least one of the suction holes The three suction holes are not in line with each other. The holding device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of suction holes communicate with a vacuum source via a common pipe to evacuate the space. The holding device according to claim 2, wherein at least one of the suction holes is formed in a side surface of the stepped portion in a manner facing the sealing member. The holding device according to claim 2, wherein the sealing member is made of an elastic polymer material. A holding device configured to hold a substrate, the holding device comprising: a holding member in which a plurality of suction holes are formed, the plurality of suction holes for evacuating the substrate and the holding Air in a space between the members; and a sealing member that is annular and disposed on a lower surface of the stepped portion of the holding member that includes the outer periphery and is configured to be arranged when the space is Seal the space when empty, Wherein a circle concentric with a center of the holding surface of the holding member is set such that an area of the first region of the holding member located inside the circle and an outer side of the holding member are located outside the circle When the areas of the second regions are equal to each other, the plurality of suction holes are formed in such a manner that a total area of the suction holes formed in the second region is larger than that formed in the first region and 50% of the total area of the suction holes in the region of the sum of the second regions, and at least one of the plurality of suction holes in the second region is formed in such a manner as to face the sealing member Within the side surface of the stepped portion. The holding device according to claim 10, wherein the plurality of suction holes are formed in such a manner that a total area of the suction holes formed in the second region is formed in the first 100% or less of the total area of the suction holes in the area of the sum of one area and the second area. A holding device configured to hold a substrate, the holding device comprising: a holding member in which a plurality of suction holes are formed, the plurality of suction holes for emptying Air in a space between the substrate and the holding member; a sealing member which is annular and disposed on a lower surface of the stepped portion of the holding member including the outer periphery and is constructed for use in The space is sealed when the space is emptied; and the control unit controls the plurality of suction holes An exhaust flow rate of the air venting, wherein the center of the plane pattern of the holding surface of the holding member is concentric and by reducing the size of the plane pattern by 2/3 or more and decreasing by 4/5 or less The inner region of the obtained pattern is set as the first region, and the region between the first region and the sealing member is set as the second region, and the plurality of suctions in the second region At least one of the air holes is formed in a side surface of the stepped portion in such a manner as to face the sealing member, and the control unit controls an exhaust flow rate in a manner to satisfy the following relationship: by being formed in the second region The ratio of the exhaust flow rate of the air evacuation performed by the suction holes in the area to the area of the second area is greater than that by the suction holes in the total area including the first area plus the second area The ratio of the exhaust flow rate of the air venting to the area of the total area. A holding device configured to hold a substrate, the holding device comprising: a holding member in which a plurality of suction holes are formed, the plurality of suction holes for evacuating the substrate and Air in the space between the holding members; and a sealing member that is annular and disposed on a lower surface of the stepped portion of the holding member that includes the outer periphery and is configured for when The space is sealed when the space is emptied, wherein at least one of the plurality of suction holes in the second region is formed in a side surface of the stepped portion in a manner facing the sealing member. a retaining device constructed to hold a substrate, said The holding device includes: a holding member in which a plurality of suction holes are formed, the plurality of suction holes for evacuating air in a space between the substrate and the holding member; and sealing a member, the sealing member being annular and disposed on a lower surface of the stepped portion of the retaining member including the outer periphery and configured to seal the space when the space is emptied, wherein At least one of the plurality of suction holes in the second region is formed in the lower surface of the stepped portion, and at least one of the plurality of suction holes is used to evacuate the space Air in the partial space surrounded by the side surface of the stepped portion, the substrate, and the sealing member. A lithography apparatus, comprising: the holding device according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the lithography apparatus irradiates a light beam onto a substrate held by the holding device and in the A pattern is formed on the substrate. A method for manufacturing an article, the method comprising: irradiating a light beam onto a substrate by using a lithography apparatus according to claim 15; and performing an etching operation and ion implantation on the substrate At least one operation in operation to manufacture the article.