TWI597582B - Inspection method and inspection apparatus - Google Patents

Description

Inspection method and inspection device

The present invention relates to a technique for inspecting a diffractive spatial light modulator.

When the photosensitive material coated on the substrate forms a pattern such as a circuit, spatial modulation corresponding to the pattern material representing the pattern is performed on the light emitted from the light source, and the photosensitive material on the substrate is scanned by the spatially modulated light. A direct-drawing type drawing device (direct drawing device) that does not use a mask is attracting attention in recent years.

As a spatial light modulator, a registered trademark of a GLV (Grating Light Valve) (a calender (Sanhe, California)), which is a diffractive ribbon diffraction element, is known. The diffraction type spatial light modulator is formed by a light modulation element comprising a fixed color ribbon having a fixed reflection surface and a movable color ribbon having a movable reflection surface movable relative to the fixed reflection surface. The specific direction is configured in plural numbers (for example, refer to Patent Document 1).

In the diffraction type spatial light modulator, a movable voltage is applied to a movable color band of each of the light modulation elements, and the movable reflection surface moves to a position of a recess with respect to the fixed reflection surface. The size of the recess is set to be adjustable by the amount of voltage applied to each of the movable ribbons. Each of the light modulation elements switches the incident light to a diffracted light of a number of times other than 0 or 0 times according to the size of the recess, thereby controlling the amount of reflected light (the amount of reflected light).

[Previous Technical Literature] [Patent Literature]

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2003-140355

After the assembly of the direct drawing device is completed, the operation of adjusting the incident position of the light beam by the light source such as the laser unit through the illumination optical system to the reflective surface of the diffraction type spatial light modulator is performed. Previously, the operator took the amount of reflected light while repeatedly adjusting the illumination optical system, and searched for the region with the highest and most stable reflected light amount, that is, a region with high reflection performance.

Further, when the light beam is intermittently irradiated to the same position of the reflecting surface, the amount of reflected light may change with time due to deterioration or the like. Therefore, in the diffraction type spatial light modulator, generally, the incident position of the light beam is shifted in a direction perpendicular to the arrangement direction (the direction in which the respective light modulation elements extend), and the next use is continued. As described above, since the diffraction type spatial light modulator is set to be shifted from the incident position, it is determined that a plurality of candidate regions are determined.

However, the search for areas with higher reflection performance relies on a larger portion of the skill of each operator. Therefore, there is a problem in that the position of the incident light beam is uneven due to the skill of the operator.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a technique for making it easier to search for a region having excellent reflection performance among reflective surfaces of a diffraction type spatial light modulator.

In order to solve the above problem, the first aspect is an inspection method for inspecting a diffraction type spatial light modulator which is formed by modulating a modulation unit of modulated incident light and reflecting the reflection surface along the first direction. And comprising: (a) a step of measuring a reflected light amount of the reflected light by a reflection area formed by a plurality of reflecting units, thereby obtaining a first reflected light amount value distribution; (b) a step of defining a region extending in the first direction in the reflective region and a linear region having a width smaller than the reflective region in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction; and (c) a step based on the 1 The reflected light quantity value distribution acquires characteristic information related to the light quantity value of the linear region.

Further, the second aspect is in the inspection method of the first aspect, and the step (c) includes the step of dividing the region corresponding to the plurality of modulation units into one for the linear region. The unit divides the linear region into a plurality of cells, and obtains characteristic information related to the light amount value of each of the cells based on the first reflected light amount value distribution.

Further, the third aspect is the inspection method of the second aspect, and the characteristic information obtained by the step (c) includes information indicating whether or not the average reflected light amount of the unit exceeds a predetermined ideal light amount value.

Further, the fourth aspect is related to the inspection method of the third aspect, and further includes a step (d) of generating a ratio indicating the unit exceeding the ideal light amount value among the plurality of units included in the linear region Proportion information.

Further, the fifth aspect is in the inspection method of the fourth aspect, and the step (b) is that the reflection region is divided into a plurality of short strip regions in the second direction, and each of the regions is set as The step of the linear region, and further comprising: (e) a step of generating the order of the scale based on the ratio information of each of the plurality of linear regions generated by the step (1) Order information.

Further, the sixth aspect is in the inspection method of any of the second to fifth aspects, further comprising the step (f), wherein the characteristic information obtained in the step (c) includes Information indicating the distribution of the amount of reflected light in the linear region is determined based on the distribution of the amount of reflected light in the linear region, and whether or not a portion below the reference light amount value is present in the linear region.

Further, the seventh aspect is the inspection method according to any one of the first to sixth aspects, wherein the step (b) includes the step (b-1), wherein the step (a) is obtained by the step (a) 1 The reflected light amount value distribution is imaged to generate a reflected light amount value distribution image, which is displayed on the display portion.

Further, the eighth aspect is the inspection method of the seventh aspect, and the step (b) includes the step (b-2), wherein the first reflection is displayed on the display unit in the step (b-1) a representative line indicating the position of the linear region is displayed on the light quantity value distribution image; (b-3) a step of accepting a position change of the representative line based on a specific operation input; and (b-4) a step base The linear region is redefined after the change of the representative line position accepted in the step (b-3); and the step (c) includes the step (c-1), which is based on the first reflected light amount distribution The characteristic information relating to the linear region defined in the step (b-4) is displayed on the display unit.

Further, the ninth aspect is the inspection method of the eighth aspect, and the step (b-2) is a step of displaying the first reflected light amount value distribution image on the display unit, A plurality of the representative lines indicating a plurality of the linear regions arranged at a predetermined interval in the second direction are displayed.

Further, the tenth aspect is the inspection method according to any one of the first to ninth aspects, comprising: (g), after the step (a), measuring the reflected light for the reflection region And obtaining a second reflected light amount value distribution by the reflected light amount value; and (h), comparing the first reflected light amount value distribution obtained in the step (a), and the above-mentioned (g) step The second reflected light amount value distribution.

Further, the eleventh aspect is an inspection apparatus that inspects a diffraction type spatial light modulator in which a modulation unit that forms modulated incident light and reflects the reflective surface is arranged in plural in the first direction, and includes a reflected light amount value distribution obtaining unit that obtains a first reflected light amount value distribution of reflected light for a reflection region formed by a plurality of modulation unit reflection surfaces; and a linear region defining portion that defines the reflection region a region extending in the first direction and a linear region having a width smaller than the reflection region in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction; and a characteristic information acquisition unit based on the first reflected light amount value distribution The characteristic information related to the magnitude of the reflected light of the linear region is obtained.

According to the first to twentieth aspects, it is possible to easily specify a region excellent in reflection performance by changing a predetermined linear region on the reflection region. Therefore, it is easy to search for an area having excellent reflection performance.

Further, according to the second aspect, the plurality of modulation units are set to one unit, and the unit is Bit get feature information. Therefore, since the characteristic information of each modulation unit can be compressed, the search for an area having excellent reflection performance can be performed at high speed.

Further, according to the third aspect, by obtaining information indicating whether or not the average light amount value of each unit exceeds the ideal light amount value, it is possible to easily search for an area having an ideal reflection performance.

Further, according to the fourth aspect, by generating the proportional information, it is possible to easily search for an area having more excellent reflection performance.

Further, according to the fifth aspect, it is possible to grasp the merits of the reflection performance for a plurality of linear regions divided into short strips. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately determine a plurality of regions suitable for irradiating light for the pattern.

Further, according to the sixth aspect, it is possible to easily detect an area unsuitable for use by determining whether or not there is a portion lower than the reference light amount value.

Further, according to the seventh aspect, by displaying the reflected light amount value distribution image, the operator can easily grasp the area suitable for use.

Further, according to the eighth aspect, the linear region is changed by moving the representative line, and the characteristic information of the changed linear region is displayed. Therefore, it is possible to easily search for an area having excellent reflection performance.

Further, according to the ninth aspect, since a plurality of linear regions can be simultaneously defined, it is easy to search for an area having excellent reflection performance.

Further, according to the tenth aspect, deterioration of the reflection surface of the diffraction type spatial light modulator can be detected by comparing the distribution of the reflected light amount obtained by the separation time and the previously obtained reflected light amount value distribution.

1‧‧‧Drawing device

2‧‧‧Transporting device

3‧‧‧Pre-alignment

4‧‧‧ platform

5‧‧‧ platform drive mechanism

6‧‧‧ Platform Positioning Department

7‧‧‧Marking camera unit

8‧‧‧Exposure unit

9‧‧‧Control Department

11‧‧‧ Ontology framework

12‧‧‧ Cover

13‧‧‧ handover area

14‧‧‧Processing area

15‧‧‧Abutment

16‧‧‧Support framework

17‧‧‧Cars Placement Department

21‧‧‧Hands

22‧‧‧Handle drive mechanism

32‧‧‧Diffractive Space Light Modulator

33‧‧‧Drive circuit unit

34‧‧‧ camera

51‧‧‧Rotating mechanism

52‧‧‧Support board

53‧‧‧Sub Scanning Mechanism

54‧‧‧floor

55‧‧‧Main scanning mechanism

80‧‧‧Exposure head

81‧‧‧Light source department

82‧‧‧Modulation unit

83‧‧‧Projection optical system

91‧‧‧CPU

92‧‧‧ROM

93‧‧‧RAM

94‧‧‧ memory device

95‧‧‧ bus bar

96‧‧‧ Input Department

97‧‧‧Display Department

98‧‧‧Communication Department

320‧‧‧Transformation surface (reflective surface)

321‧‧‧Light modulation components (modulation units)

321a‧‧‧ movable ribbon

321b‧‧‧fixed ribbon

322a‧‧‧ movable reflective surface

322b‧‧‧Fixed reflective surface

322c‧‧ ‧ datum

511‧‧‧Rotary shaft

512‧‧‧Rotary Drive Department

531‧‧‧Linear motor

532‧‧‧Guide members

551‧‧‧Linear motor

552‧‧‧Guide members

700‧‧‧Lighting unit

811‧‧‧ Laser Drive Department

812‧‧‧Laser oscillator

813‧‧‧Lighting optical system

814‧‧‧Drawing focusing lens

814A‧‧‧displacement mechanism

822‧‧‧Mirror

831‧‧‧ 断板

833‧‧‧focus lens

911‧‧‧Reflected light quantity measurement department

912‧‧‧Reflected light quantity distribution image generation unit

913‧‧‧Linear Regional Regulations

914‧‧‧Feature Information Acquisition Department

915‧‧‧Support Information Generation Department

916‧‧‧Degradation Inspection Department

A‧‧‧Rotary axis

AR11‧‧‧ arrow

AR12‧‧ arrow

AR13‧‧‧ arrow

C‧‧‧Carmen

CL1‧‧‧ vernier line (representative line)

Ce1‧‧ unit

Ce2‧‧ unit

Dx‧‧‧Arrangement direction (1st direction)

Dy‧‧‧Width direction (2nd direction)

PG1‧‧‧ program

L1‧‧‧ incident light

L2‧‧‧ reflected light

LB1‧‧‧linear beam

LR1~LR7‧‧‧linear area

LR21‧‧‧linear area

MAP1‧‧‧ reflected light quantity distribution image

RR1‧‧‧reflection area

S10~S19‧‧‧Steps

S31~S37‧‧‧Steps

S200~S211‧‧‧Steps

SI1‧‧‧Support Information Display Department

SI2‧‧‧Support Information Display Department

V1‧‧‧ reference light value

VD1‧‧‧ reflected light quantity distribution

VD3‧‧‧ reflected light quantity distribution

VL1‧‧‧ straight line

VL3‧‧‧ Straight line

W‧‧‧Substrate

X-Y-Z‧‧‧ coordinate axis

θ‧‧‧Rotation direction

Fig. 1 is a side view schematically showing the configuration of a drawing device of an embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a plan view schematically showing the configuration of the drawing device of the embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a view schematically showing an exposure head of the embodiment.

Figure 4 shows a plurality of optical modulations relative to the vertical plane of the movable ribbon and the fixed ribbon. A schematic cross-sectional view of a schematic cross section of the component.

Fig. 5 is a schematic plan view for explaining exposure scanning of the embodiment.

Fig. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a control unit in the embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the first candidate region search process.

Fig. 8 is a schematic plan view showing a state in which a modulation plane is scanned by a linear beam.

Fig. 9 is a view showing an example of a reflected light amount value distribution image.

Fig. 10 is a view showing a linear region defined on an image of a reflected light amount value distribution corresponding to a reflection region.

Fig. 11 is a view showing a distribution of reflected light amount values of the linear region LR1.

Fig. 12 is a view showing the distribution of the amount of reflected light in the linear region LR3.

Fig. 13 is a view for explaining a case where the linear region is divided into a plurality of cells.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing an example of the second candidate region search processing.

Fig. 15 is a view showing a display example of a vernier line.

Fig. 16 is a view showing an example of setting a linear region based on the position of the vernier line.

Fig. 17 is a flow chart showing the deterioration inspection process for inspecting the deterioration of the reflection surface, i.e., the modulation surface.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The constituent elements described in the embodiments are always exemplified, and the scope of the invention is not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Further, in the drawings, for the sake of easy understanding, there is a case where the size or the number of each part is exaggerated or simplified as needed.

<1. Overall Configuration of Drawing Device 1>

Fig. 1 is a side view schematically showing the configuration of the drawing device 1 of the embodiment. Fig. 2 is a plan view schematically showing the configuration of the drawing device 1 of the embodiment. In addition, in FIGS. 1 and 2, for convenience of explanation, a part of the cover 12 is omitted.

The drawing device 1 is a pair of upper surfaces of a substrate W on which a photosensitive material layer such as a resist is formed. A device that illuminates spatially modulated light (drawing light) based on CAD data or the like, and exposes (drapes) a pattern (for example, a circuit pattern). The substrate W to be processed in the drawing device 1 is, for example, a glass substrate for a flat panel display provided in a semiconductor substrate, a printing plate, a liquid crystal display device, or the like, a liquid crystal display device, or a plasma display device. , a substrate for a magnetic disk, a substrate for a optical disk, a panel for a solar battery, or the like. In the following description, the substrate W is a circular semiconductor substrate.

The drawing device 1 includes a configuration in which the cover 12 is attached to a top surface, a bottom surface, and a peripheral surface of a skeleton formed by the body frame 11. The body frame 11 and the cover 12 form a frame of the drawing device 1. The internal space of the frame of the drawing device 1 (i.e., the space surrounded by the cover 12) is divided into a delivery area 13 and a processing area 14. In the processing area 14, a base 15 is disposed. Further, on the base 15, a door type support frame 16 is provided.

The drawing device 1 includes a transfer device 2, a pre-alignment unit 3, a stage 4, a stage drive mechanism 5, a stage position measuring unit 6, a mark imaging unit 7, an exposure unit 8, and a control unit 9. Each of the components is disposed inside the casing of the drawing device 1 (that is, the delivery region 13 and the processing region 14) or outside the casing (that is, the space outside the body frame 11).

<Transporting device 2>

The conveying device 2 conveys the substrate W. The conveying device 2 is disposed in the delivery area 13 and carries the substrate W into and out of the processing area 14. Specifically, the conveying device 2 includes, for example, two handles 21 and 21 that support the substrate W, and a handle driving mechanism 22 that moves the handles 21 and 21 independently (moving forward and backward and moving up and down).

The cassette mounting portion 17 on which the cassette C is placed is disposed outside the housing of the drawing device 1, that is, at a position adjacent to the delivery area 13. The conveyance device 2 takes out the unprocessed substrate W accommodated in the cassette C placed in the cassette mounting portion 17, and carries it into the processing region 14, and carries out the processed substrate W from the processing region 14 and stores it in the cassette C. . Further, the transfer of the cassette C to the cassette mounting portion 17 is performed by an external transfer device (not shown).

<Pre-alignment section 3>

The pre-alignment unit 3 performs a process (pre-alignment process) for substantially correcting the rotational position of the substrate w before the substrate W is placed on the stage 4 to be described later. The pre-alignment portion 3 may be configured, for example, to include a mounting table that is rotatably formed, and a sensor that detects a notch portion (for example, a groove, an orientation plane) formed on a portion of the outer periphery of the substrate W placed on the mounting table. And a position; and a rotating mechanism that rotates the stage. In this case, the pre-alignment processing of the pre-alignment portion 3 is performed by first detecting the position of the notch portion of the substrate W placed on the mounting table with a sensor, and then rotating the mechanism to make the notch portion The mounting table is rotated in such a manner that the position becomes a predetermined position.

<platform 4>

The stage 4 is a holding portion that holds the substrate W inside the casing. The platform 4 is disposed on the base 15 disposed on the processing area 14. Specifically, the stage 4 has a flat shape, for example, and the substrate W is placed and held on the upper surface thereof in a horizontal posture. On the upper surface of the platform 4, a plurality of suction holes (not shown) are formed, and the substrate W placed on the platform 4 is fixedly held on the platform 4 by the negative pressure (suction pressure) formed by the suction holes. Upper surface.

<platform drive mechanism 5>

The platform drive mechanism 5 moves the platform 4 relative to the base 15. The platform drive mechanism 5 is disposed on the base 15 disposed on the processing area 14.

The platform driving mechanism 5 specifically includes: a rotating mechanism 51 that rotates the platform 4 in a rotating direction (a rotation direction about the Z axis (the θ axis direction)); a support plate 52 that supports the platform 4 via the rotating mechanism 51; The mechanism 53 moves the support plate 52 in the sub-scanning direction (X-axis direction). The stage drive mechanism 5 further includes a bottom plate 54 that supports the support plate 52 via the sub-scanning mechanism 53 and a main scanning mechanism 55 that moves the bottom plate 54 in the main scanning direction (Y-axis direction).

The rotating mechanism 51 passes through the center of the upper surface of the stage 4 (the mounting surface of the substrate W), and rotates the stage 4 around the rotation axis A perpendicular to the mounting surface. The rotating mechanism 51 may be configured to include, for example, a rotating shaft portion 511 whose upper end is fixed to the back side of the mounting surface and along the lead The vertical axis extends; a rotary drive unit (for example, a rotary motor) 512 is provided at a lower end of the rotary shaft portion 511 to rotate the rotary shaft portion 511. In this configuration, the rotation shaft portion 511 is rotated by the rotation driving portion 512, and the stage 4 is rotated about the rotation axis A in the horizontal plane.

The sub-scanning mechanism 53 includes a linear motor 531 which is constituted by a moving member attached to the lower surface of the support plate 52 and a fixing member attached to the upper surface of the bottom plate 54. Further, a pair of guide members 532 are disposed on the bottom plate 54 and extend in the sub-scanning direction. A ball bearing is disposed between each of the guiding members 532 and the support plate 52. The ball bearing can slide along the guiding member 532. The guiding member 532 is moved. That is, the support plate 52 is supported by the pair of guide members 532 via the ball bearings. In this configuration, when the linear motor 531 is operated, the support plate 52 smoothly moves in the sub-scanning direction while being guided to the guide member 532.

The main scanning mechanism 55 includes a linear motor 551 which is constituted by a moving member attached to the lower surface of the bottom plate 54 and a fixing member laid on the base 15. Further, on the base 15, one of the pair of guiding members 552 extending in the main scanning direction is disposed, and an air bearing is provided between the guiding members 552 and the bottom plate 54, for example. The air bearing is supplied with air for a long period of time from the physical device, and the bottom plate 54 is supported by the air bearing non-contact floating support member 552. In this configuration, when the linear motor 551 is operated, the bottom plate 54 is moved without friction in the main scanning direction in a state of being guided to the guiding member 552.

<Platform position measuring unit 6>

The platform position measuring unit 6 measures the position of the platform 4. Specifically, the platform position measuring unit 6 emits laser light from the outside of the platform 4 toward the platform 4 and receives the reflected light. The platform position measuring unit 6 constitutes an interferometric laser range finder that measures the position of the platform 4 based on the interference between the reflected light and the emitted light (specifically, the Y position along the main scanning direction and the θ along the rotating direction) position).

<Marking camera unit 7>

The marker imaging unit 7 is an optical device that captures and holds the upper surface of the substrate W of the stage 4. The marker camera unit 7 is supported by the support frame 16. The marking camera unit 7 is specifically, for example, a package Includes: lens barrel, focusing lens, CCD image sensor, and driver. The lens barrel is connected to an illumination unit disposed outside the housing of the drawing device 1 via a fiber optic cable or the like (that is, to supply illumination light for imaging (wherein, as illumination light, light of a wavelength that does not cause a resist such as a resist on the substrate W) is selected) The lighting unit) 700 is connected. The CCD image sensor is constituted by an area image sensor (two-dimensional image sensor) or the like. Further, the drive unit is configured by a motor or the like to drive the focus lens to change its height position. The drive unit adjusts the height position of the focus lens to perform auto focus.

In the marker imaging unit 7 including such a configuration, light emitted from the illumination unit 700 is guided to the lens barrel, and guided to the upper surface of the substrate W on the stage 4 via the focus lens. Then, the reflected light is received by the CCD image sensor. Thereby, the image data of the upper surface of the substrate W is obtained. This image data is sent to the control unit 9 and supplied to the alignment (alignment) of the substrate W.

<Exposure unit 8>

The exposure unit 8 is an optical device that forms a depiction of light. The drawing device 1 comprises two exposure units 8. However, the number of the exposure units 8 to be mounted is not necessarily two, and may be one or three or more.

The exposure unit 8 includes an exposure head 80 and a light source unit 81. The exposure head 80 includes a modulation unit 82 and a projection optical system 83. The light source unit 81, the modulation unit 82, and the projection optical system 83 are supported by the support frame 16. Specifically, for example, the light source unit 81 is housed in a housing case placed on the top plate of the support frame 16. Further, the modulation unit 82 and the projection optical system 83 are housed in a housing case that is fixed to the +Y side of the support frame 16.

The light source unit 81, the modulation unit 82, and the projection optical system 83 included in the exposure unit 8 will be described with reference to FIG. 3 in addition to FIGS. 1 and 2 . Fig. 3 is a view schematically showing an exposure head 80 of the embodiment.

a. Light source part 81

The light source unit 81 emits light toward the exposure head 80. Specifically, the light source unit 81 includes, for example, a laser driving unit 811 and a laser oscillator 812 that receives the driving from the laser driving unit 811. The laser beam is emitted from the output mirror (not shown). Further, the light source unit 81 includes an illumination optical system 813 that sets the light (point beam) emitted from the laser oscillator 812 into linear light having a uniform intensity distribution (that is, a linear beam having a short beam shape as a beam profile) ).

The light source unit 81 further includes a focusing lens 814 for drawing that converges the linear light beam emitted from the illumination optical system 813 to the modulation surface 320 of the diffraction type spatial light modulator 32. The drawing focus lens 814 is configured by, for example, a lenticular lens, and is disposed such that its columnar surface (cylindrical surface) faces the upstream side of the incident light. Further, the focus lens 814 is placed at a height position at which the linear light beam emitted from the illumination optical system 813 is incident on the center line (hereinafter, such a height position is also referred to as a "reference position" of the focus lens 814 for drawing). The focusing lens 814 for drawing is provided with a displacement mechanism 814A that changes its height position (position along the Z direction). The displacement mechanism 814A shifts the height position of the drawing focus lens 814 to a position higher than (or lower than) the reference position, thereby changing the optical path of the linear beam. By changing the optical path of the linear beam, as shown in FIG. 3, the position of the modulation surface 320 of the diffraction type spatial light modulator 32 in which the linear beam is incident on the modulation unit 82 is changed to the width direction of the linear beam.

b. Modulation unit 82

The modulation unit 82 performs spatial modulation corresponding to the pattern data to the light incident here. Among them, "modulating the light space" means changing the spatial distribution (amplitude, phase, and polarization) of the light. Further, "pattern data" refers to information on the position information on the substrate W on which the light should be irradiated is recorded in units of pixels. The pattern data is received, for example, by an external terminal device connected via a network or the like, or by reading from a recording medium, and stored in a memory device 94 of a control unit 9 to be described later.

Modulation unit 82 includes a diffractive spatial light modulator 32. The diffractive spatial light modulator 32 is a device that modulates the light space by, for example, electrical control, and reflects the necessary light for pattern drawing and the unnecessary light that does not contribute to the pattern drawing in different directions from each other. . The diffraction type spatial light modulator 32 is configured to include a reflection type and diffraction grating type spatial modulator GLV (Grating Light Valve).

4 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing a schematic cross section of a plurality of optical modulation elements 321 which are perpendicular to the movable color band 321a and the fixed color band 321b. Each of the light modulation elements 321 includes one movable color band 321a and one fixed color band 321b.

The upper surface of the movable ribbon 321a and the upper surface of the fixed ribbon 321b include a movable reflecting surface 322a and a fixed reflecting surface 322b which are parallel to the back reference surface 322c of each. Each of the movable reflecting surface 322a and the fixed reflecting surface 322b is formed in a short strip shape extending perpendicularly in the direction in which the optical modulation elements 321 are arranged (here, the direction parallel to the X-axis). In the diffraction type spatial light modulator 32, the movable reflection surface 322a and the fixed reflection surface 322b are alternately arranged in the element arrangement direction.

The movable ribbon 321a is movable up and down with respect to the reference surface 322c, and the height of the movable reflecting surface 322a from the reference surface 322c is variable. The fixed ribbon 321b is fixed to the reference surface 322c, and the height of the fixed reflecting surface 322b from the reference surface 322c is also fixed. The surfaces of the movable ribbon 321a and the fixed ribbon 321b are coated to reflect the incident light L1.

The diffraction type spatial light modulator 32 has a configuration in which a specific number of optical modulation elements 321 form one modulation unit, and the modulation unit is arranged in a plurality of dimensions one-dimensionally along the X-axis direction. The diffraction type spatial light modulator 32 is connected to a drive circuit unit 33 (regulator drive unit) that can independently apply a voltage to each of the plurality of optical modulation elements 321 . The drive circuit unit 33 is configured to apply a voltage corresponding to the drive value to each of the movable color strips 321a of the plurality of optical modulation elements 321 individually. By applying a voltage to the light modulation element 321, the movable ribbon 321a is curved in a recessed manner with respect to the fixed ribbon 321b. In this way, by recessing the fixed color ribbon 321b, the light (incident light L1) incident on each modulation unit is switched to the diffracted light (non-zero-order diffracted light) of the order of the zero-order light and the zero-order light.

The amount of depression of the movable ribbon 321a with respect to the fixed ribbon 321b is determined by the magnitude of the voltage applied to the movable ribbon 321a. That is, by controlling the magnitude of the voltage applied by the driving circuit unit 33, the height difference between the movable reflecting surface 322a of the movable color band 321a and the fixed reflecting surface 322b of the fixed color band is adjusted in a plurality of stages. Therefore, according to the magnitude of the voltage, the amount of light (reflected light L2) reflected by the modulation plane 320 of each modulation unit is individually switched by a plurality of gray scales ( Hereinafter, this amount of light is also referred to as "reflected light amount").

In the modulation unit 82, under the control of the control unit 9, the state of each modulation unit of the diffraction type spatial light modulator 32 is switched according to the pattern data, and the light emitted from the illumination optical system 813 (linear beam) The mirror surface 822 is incident on the modulation surface 320 of the diffraction type spatial light modulator 32 at a predetermined angle. Wherein, the linear beam is incident on a line in such a manner that the longitudinal direction of the linear beam profile is along the arrangement direction (X-axis direction) of the plurality of modulation units of the diffraction type spatial light modulator 32. A plurality of modulation units. Therefore, the light emitted from the diffraction type spatial light modulator 32 becomes spatially modulated light including a plurality of pixels along the sub-scanning direction (wherein the light modulated by one modulation unit space becomes 1 pixel) The light of the quantity) is a short strip of depiction light. In this manner, the diffractive spatial light modulator 32 receives the light emitted from the light source unit 81 with the modulation surface 320, and performs spatial modulation corresponding to the pattern data on the received light.

c. Projection optical system 83

The projection optical system 83 blocks the unnecessary light from the drawing light emitted from the diffraction type spatial light modulator 32, guides the necessary light to the surface of the substrate W, and images the necessary light on the surface of the substrate W. That is, the drawing light emitted from the diffraction type spatial light modulator 32 includes necessary light and unnecessary light, and the necessary light travels in the -Z direction along the Z axis, and the unnecessary light is slightly along the ±X direction from the Z axis. The axis of inclination travels in the -Z direction. The projection optical system 83 includes, for example, a blocking plate 831 in which a through hole is formed in the middle in order to pass only necessary light, and the shutter 831 blocks unnecessary light. The projection optical system 83 includes, in addition to the blocking plate 831, a plurality of lenses 832 that form a scaling portion that enlarges (or reduces) the necessary light width, and a focusing lens 833 that makes the necessary light a predetermined magnification on the substrate. W is imaged; a driving portion (for example, a motor) (not shown) that drives the focus lens 834 to change its height position to perform auto focus or the like.

In the case of performing pattern drawing, the substrate W placed on the stage 4 is disposed directly under the projection optical system 83, and the substrate W is irradiated onto the substrate from the projection optical system 83. Linear beam. Further, in the present embodiment, as will be described later, the following processing is performed to determine the position at which the linear light beam is incident on the modulation surface 320 of the diffraction type spatial light modulator 32, that is, when the pattern is drawn in the modulation surface 320. The area used. In this process, the amount of light (reflected light amount) of the linear beam reflected on the modulation surface 320 is measured by scanning the linear beam on the modulation surface 320 of the diffraction type spatial light modulator 32. The drawing device 1 includes a camera 34 (detector) attached to the upper surface of the stage 4 in order to measure the amount of reflected light of the linear beam. Further, the camera 34 is not necessarily provided on the stage 4, and can be set at any position as long as the amount of light of the linear beam reflected by the modulation surface 320 can be measured.

Fig. 5 is a schematic plan view for explaining exposure scanning of the embodiment. In the exposure scanning, the platform 4 is moved along the main scanning axis (Y axis) along the main scanning axis (Y axis) in the direction of the path (here, for example, the +Y direction), so that the substrate W is along the respective exposure heads 80. The main scan axis moves relatively (to the path main scan). When viewed from the substrate W, each of the exposure heads 80 straddles the substrate W in the -Y direction along the main scanning axis as indicated by an arrow AR11. Further, together with the start of the main path scan, the exposure light is irradiated from each of the exposure heads 80. In other words, the pattern data is read (in detail, the portion of the pattern data is described as the portion of the data to be drawn by the stripe region to be drawn by the main path), and the modulation unit 82 is controlled based on the pattern data. Then, from each of the exposure heads 80, the drawing light spatially modulated according to the pattern data is irradiated onto the substrate W.

When each of the exposure heads 80 intermittently emits scanning light toward the substrate W while traversing the substrate W once along the main scanning axis, it extends in one strip region (along the main scanning axis and along the sub-scanning axis). The width corresponds to the area in which the light width is drawn, and the pattern group is drawn. Here, since the two exposure heads 80 and 80 simultaneously traverse the substrate W, the pattern group is drawn by each of the two strip-shaped regions by the main path scan.

When the main scanning end of the path along with the drawing light irradiation ends, the stage driving mechanism 5 causes the stage 4 to move along the sub-scanning axis (X-axis) in a specific direction (for example, the -X direction), and only moves the distance corresponding to the width of the drawing light. . Thereby, the substrate W is relatively along the sub-scanning axis with respect to each of the exposure heads 80. Sexual movement (sub-scanning). When viewed from the substrate W, as shown by an arrow AR12, each of the exposure heads 80 moves only the width portion of the strip-shaped region in the +X direction along the sub-scanning axis.

When the sub-scan ends, the main scan is performed along with the return path of the drawing light. That is, the stage drive mechanism 5 moves the stage 4 along the main scanning axis (Y axis) in the return path direction (here, the -Y direction). Thereby, the substrate W is relatively moved along the main scanning axis with respect to each of the exposure heads 80 (return path main scanning). When viewed from the substrate W, as shown by an arrow AR13, each of the exposure heads 80 moves in the +Y direction along the main scanning axis and traverses the substrate W. On the other hand, when the return path main scan is started, the illumination of the light is drawn from each of the exposure heads 80. By the return path main scan, the pattern group is drawn in the adjacent strip-shaped area of the strip-shaped area previously drawn to the path main scan.

When the main scanning ends with the return path of the drawing light irradiation, after the sub-scanning is performed, the main scanning of the path along with the drawing light is performed again. By the going path main scan, the pattern group is drawn on the adjacent strip regions of the stripe region depicted by the main scan on the previous return path. In the same manner, the main scanning of the drawing light is repeated, and the drawing of the entire drawing target area is performed, and the drawing processing of one pattern data is completed.

<Control unit 9>

Fig. 6 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control unit 9 of the embodiment. The control unit 9 is electrically connected to each unit included in the drawing device 1, and performs various arithmetic processing to control the operation of each unit of the drawing device 1.

For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the control unit 9 is configured as a general computer in which the CPU 91, the ROM 92, the RAM 93, the memory device 94, and the like are connected to each other via the bus bar 95. The ROM 92 stores basic programs and the like. The RAM 93 is provided as a work area when the CPU 91 performs a specific process. The memory device 94 is constituted by a non-volatile memory device such as a flash memory or a hard disk device. The program PG1 is installed in the memory device 94. According to the program described in the program PG1, the CPU 91 as the main control unit performs arithmetic processing to realize various functions.

In particular, the reflected light amount value measuring unit 911, the reflected light amount value distribution image generating unit 912, the linear region defining unit 913, the characteristic information acquiring unit 914, and the support information generating unit 915 The deterioration detecting unit 916 determines that the linear light beam is incident on the candidate region in the modulation plane 320 of the diffraction type spatial light modulator 32, so that the region having excellent reflection performance (that is, the reflectance is high, It functions when the amount of reflected light is not uniform.

The reflected light amount measuring unit 911 is configured to scan a reflection region formed by the linear light beam on the modulation surface 320 of the diffraction type spatial light modulator 32, and measure the light amount of the reflected linear light beam (the amount of reflected light) value). The reflected light amount value measuring unit 911 acquires the reflected light amount value distribution of the reflection area.

The reflected light amount value distribution image generation unit 912 is configured to generate an image (reflected light amount value) that visualizes the reflected light amount value distribution of the reflection region based on the light amount value distribution acquired by the reflected light amount value measuring unit 911. Distribution image).

The linear region defining portion 913 is configured to define a linear region with respect to the reflective region. The linear region is a region extending along the arrangement direction (first direction) of the modulation unit 321 which is a modulation unit. The details of the linear region will be described later.

The characteristic information acquisition unit 914 is configured to obtain characteristic information related to the light amount value from the reflected light amount value distribution by the linear region defined by the linear region defining unit 913. In the present embodiment, the characteristic information relating to the light amount value is obtained for each of the cells dividing the linear region at a plurality of times. This detail will be described later.

The support information generation unit 915 is configured to generate support information based on the characteristic information of each of the above units. The support information is, for example, information (proportional information) related to the ratio of units exceeding a certain ideal light amount value among all the units included in one line region.

The deterioration inspection unit 916 is configured to perform deterioration inspection processing for checking deterioration of the diffraction type spatial light modulator 32. The deterioration inspection process will be described later.

The program PG1 is usually stored in advance in a memory such as the memory device 94, but may be provided in a form (program product) recorded on a CD-ROM or a DVD-ROM or an external flash memory (or by means of a program product) (or by The download from an external server via the network or the like is stored in the memory such as the memory device 94 in addition or exchange. In addition, the control unit 9 implements Some or all of the functions may be implemented by hardware using dedicated logic circuits or the like.

Further, in the control unit 9, the input unit 96, the display unit 97, and the communication unit 98 are also connected to the bus bar 95. The input unit 96 is, for example, an input device composed of a keyboard and a mouse, and receives various operations (instructions or input operations of various materials) from the operator. In addition, the input unit 96 can be configured by various switches, touch panels, and the like. The display unit 97 is a display device including a liquid crystal display device, a lamp, or the like, and displays various kinds of information under the control of the CPU 91. The communication unit 98 has a data communication function for transmitting and receiving commands or data between the external device via the network.

<2. Action of drawing device> <2.1. Searching for the first candidate area>

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the first candidate region search process. The candidate region search process is a process of drawing a candidate region that is a linear beam incident position and a region having excellent reflection performance in the search modulation plane 320. One of the series of operations described below is executed by the CPU 91 of the control unit 9 in accordance with the operation of the program PG1 unless otherwise specified. The candidate region search processing shown in FIG. 7 is executed, for example, when the diffraction type spatial light modulator 32 is attached to the drawing device 1.

First, the reflected light amount value measuring unit 911 acquires the reflected light amount value distribution (first reflected light amount value distribution) (step S10). Specifically, the reflected light amount value measuring unit 911 drives the displacement mechanism 814A to shift the drawing focus lens 814, thereby scanning the modulation surface 320 with a linear beam. Then, the camera 34 detects the reflected linear beam, thereby measuring the amount of reflected light.

FIG. 8 is a schematic plan view showing a state in which the modulation surface 320 is scanned by the linear light beam LB1. In the description of FIG. 8 and the following, the direction in which the optical modulation elements 321 (modulation units) are arranged is defined as the arrangement direction Dx (first direction). The arrangement direction Dx coincides with the X-axis direction shown in FIG. 1 and the like, and also coincides with the direction in which the linear light beam LB1 extends. The direction orthogonal to the array direction Dx and the direction parallel to the modulation plane 320 is defined as the width direction Dy (second direction) of the linear light beam LB1.

In step S10, as shown in FIG. 8, the linear beam LB1 is shifted in the width direction Dy. Move and scan. Next, the amount of reflected light of the linear light beam LB1 reflected by the modulation surface 320 is measured. Further, the region scanned by the linear light beam LB1 is a pair of the reflection surface, that is, the modulation surface 320, and the effective region (predetermined for the region used for pattern drawing, for example, a width region of ±20 μm from the center of the width direction Dy), the width The reflection area RR1 is larger in the direction Dy, and the linear beam LB1 is scanned. Next, the reflected light amount value distribution of the reflection area RR1 is obtained.

Further, when the reflected light amount value distribution is obtained, the linear light beam LB1 is moved in a stepwise manner in the width direction Dy at a constant pitch (for example, 10 μm), and the linear light beam LB1 is stopped at each position in the width direction Dy. The state takes the amount of reflected light of the reflected linear beam LB1. Alternatively, the linear light beam LB1 is continuously moved in the width direction Dy, and is detected by the camera 34 at a specific cycle to obtain the reflected light amount value.

Returning to Fig. 7, after the reflected light amount value distribution is obtained, the reflected light amount value distribution image generating unit 912 generates a reflected light amount value distribution image (step S11).

FIG. 9 is a view showing an example of the reflected light amount value distribution image MAP1. Each portion of the reflected light amount value distribution image MAP1 corresponds to each position of the reflection region RR1 scanned by the linear light beam LB1. Further, in the present example, the amount of reflected light is divided into a plurality of levels by size, and an inherent color is defined for each level, and a color corresponding to the level of the reflected light amount is given to each portion. The reflected light amount value distribution image MAP1 is appropriately displayed on the display unit 97.

According to the reflected light amount value distribution image MAP1, the reflected light amount characteristic of the reflective area RR1 can be visually grasped. Therefore, the generated reflected light amount value distribution image MAP1 is extremely effective in determining the region in which the reflection of the linear light beam LB1 is excellent in the modulation surface 320. Further, regarding the reflected light amount value distribution image MAP1, when there is a case where the operator does not need to confirm the reflected light amount value distribution or the like, the generation of the image can be omitted.

Returning to Fig. 7, when the reflected light amount value distribution image MAP1 is generated, the linear region defining portion 913 divides the reflective region RR1 into a plurality of short strip-shaped regions in the width direction Dy (step S12). Next, the linear region defining unit 913 sets each of the short stripe regions as a linear region (step S13).

Fig. 10 is a view showing a linear region defined on the reflected light amount value distribution image MAP1 corresponding to the reflection region RR1. In the example shown in FIG. 10, the reflection region RR1 is divided into a plurality of regions in a strip shape in the width direction Dy, and each region is defined as seven linear regions LR1 to LR7. Each of the linear regions LR1 to LR7 extends in the arrangement direction Dx, and the width (the size of the width direction Dy) is smaller than the width of the reflection region RR1.

Fig. 11 is a view showing the reflected light amount value distribution VD1 of the linear region LR1. Fig. 12 is a view showing the reflected light amount value distribution VD3 of the linear region LR3. In FIGS. 11 and 12, the horizontal axis represents the position in the arrangement direction Dx, and the vertical axis represents the amount of reflected light. The reflected light amount value distributions VD1 and VD3 are associated with all of the light modulation elements 321 and are plotted on the coordinates, corresponding to the amount of reflected light of the position of the one light modulation element 321 .

The linear region LR1 is located at the end of the reflective region RR1 as shown in FIG. In the linear region LR1, as shown in FIG. 11, it is seen that the amount of reflected light is different in the arrangement direction Dx, and the intensity thereof is uneven. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 10, the linear region LR3 is located near the center of the reflection region RR1. As shown in FIG. 12, in the linear region LR3, it is understood that the amount of reflected light is stable as a whole, and the intensity thereof is relatively increased.

Returning to Fig. 7, after defining a plurality of linear regions, the characteristic information acquisition unit 914 divides each linear region into a plurality of cells (step S14). Next, the characteristic information acquisition unit 914 acquires specific information on the amount of reflected light in each unit (step S15).

Fig. 13 is a view for explaining a state in which a linear region is divided into a plurality of cells. As shown in FIG. 12, the characteristic information acquisition unit 914 divides the linear region LR1 by a specific interval in the arrangement direction Dx, and defines it as a plurality of cells (cells Ce1, Ce2, . . . ). In the illustrated example, each of the cells Ce1, Ce2, ... becomes a region corresponding to the eight optical modulation elements 321 arranged in the arrangement direction Dx. As an example, in the case where the diffraction type spatial light modulator 32 has 8000 optical modulation elements 321 , the linear region corresponds to the 8000 optical modulation elements 321 . Next, as shown in FIG. 12, when eight light modulation elements 321 are used as 1 and the cells are divided into linear regions, the linear regions are divided into 1000 cells.

Of course, the number of the light modulation elements 321 included in one unit is not limited to eight. For example, each unit may be used as one optical modulation element 321 or may include a plurality of optical modulation elements 321 of several tens or hundreds.

In this way, the characteristic information acquisition unit 914 divides each of the linear regions into a plurality of cells, and obtains an average value of the reflected light amount values as characteristic information of the reflected light amount value of each cell (hereinafter referred to as "average reflected light". Quantity"). The average reflected light amount value of each unit can be calculated from the reflected light amount value distribution VD1 shown in Fig. 11 or Fig. 12 . For example, for the linear region LR1, the average reflected light amount value of the cell Ce1 shown in FIG. 12 can be obtained by extracting the range corresponding to the cell Ce1 in the reflected light amount value distribution VD1 shown in FIG. The amount of reflected light in part, and averages them.

Returning to Fig. 7, after acquiring the characteristic information of each unit, the support information generating unit 915 determines whether or not there is a portion below the reference light amount value for each linear region (step S16). The reference light amount value is a predetermined amount of reflected light, that is, a reflected light amount value required to be the minimum value used in pattern drawing, or a larger reflected light amount value. When there is a portion below the reference light amount value in a portion of the linear region, it is judged that the linear region has low reflection performance.

For example, in the examples shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the reference light amount value is set to v1. As for the linear region LR1, as shown in FIG. 11, in the reflected light amount value distribution VD1, there are a plurality of portions lower than the reference light amount value v1. Therefore, the linear region LR1 is removed from the candidate. On the other hand, regarding the linear region LR3, as shown in FIG. 12, in the reflected light amount value distribution VD3, there is no portion lower than the reference light amount value v1. Therefore, regarding the linear region LR3, it is determined that the relative reflection performance is high.

Further, the determination processing of the above step S16 can be performed in unit units. That is, the average reflected light amount value and the reference light amount value of each unit obtained in steps S14 and S16 are compared, and when there is a cell lower than the unit, the linear region is removed.

The information obtained by the determination process of step S16 (decision information) is based on characteristic information products An example of support information for students.

Then, the support information generating unit 915 generates proportional information for each of the linear regions (step S17). The scale information is information indicating the ratio of the average reflected light amount to the number of units of the ideal light amount value among all the number of cells in a specific linear region. The ideal light amount value is a value indicating a value of the reflected light amount at the time of pattern drawing, and is a value set in advance by an operator or the like. By obtaining a ratio of the number of cells exceeding the ideal light amount value for each of the linear regions, the desired region can be used in the specific reflection region RR1. Proportional information is an example of support information generated from feature information.

Thus, by using the average reflected light amount value in unit units, the information amount of the reflected light amount value of each of the light modulation elements 321 can be compressed. Therefore, as the object of comparison of the ideal light amount value, the average reflected light amount value is used, whereby the region excellent in the reflection performance can be searched at high speed.

Next, the support information generating unit 915 generates order information (step S18). The sequence information is information indicating that the linear region is set to be suitable for use based on a specific reference. In the present example, the plurality of linear regions which are set to have no lower than the reference light amount value in step S16 are sorted based on the scale information obtained in step S17. Specifically, the ratios of the number of units exceeding the ideal light amount value are ordered in at least an order. This sequence information is an example of support information.

Then, based on the sequence information, one or a plurality of linear regions are determined as regions in which the reflection performance is excellent, and it is determined that the linear light beam is incident on the candidate region for the pattern drawing (step S19). This step S19 can be automatically executed by the control unit 9 or executed by the operator. When the control unit 9 automatically executes the step S19, the control unit 9 may use one or more of the high-order linear regions as the use candidate region from the sequence information acquired in step S18. On the other hand, when the operator executes the step S19, the display unit 97 displays the reflected light amount value distribution image MAP1 in addition to the support information such as the information, the scale information, and the sequence information. Then, based on the display content, the operator will have one or a plurality of linear regions It is only necessary to use the area of the candidate.

In addition, as support information, it is not limited to the above. For example, as shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the reflected light amount value distributions VD1 and VD3 can be approximated as straight lines VL1 and VL3, and the slopes of the straight lines VL1 and VL3 can be obtained. The closer the slope is to 0 (i.e., parallel to the horizontal axis), the less unevenness in the entire optical modulation element 321 and the higher the reflection performance. Therefore, by generating the slope as the support information, it is possible to easily determine the region where the reflection performance is high. Further, as the support information, the variance or standard deviation of the reflected light amount value can be obtained from the reflected light amount distributions VD1 and VD3. By summing the variance or standard deviation, the unevenness of the reflected light amount can be grasped. Thereby, it is possible to easily determine an area having excellent uneven reflection performance.

Further, when a plurality of linear regions are defined in steps S12 and S13, it is desirable that the width of each linear region is equal to or larger than the width of the linear light beam LB1 that is irradiated to the modulation surface 320 at the time of pattern drawing. For example, it is assumed that a linear region narrower than the width of the linear light beam LB1 is set. As described above, when two adjacent linear regions are selected as the candidate regions for irradiating the linear light beams, when the irradiation position of the linear light beam LB1 is switched between the candidate regions, one of the incident portions partially overlaps. That is, since the linear light beam LB1 is irradiated again to the portion where the reflection performance is lowered by the previous use, the stability of the reflected light amount value is lowered. For the above reasons, the width of the linear region is preferably set to be the same as or higher than the linear light beam LB1.

<2.2. Second candidate area search processing>

In the flow shown in FIG. 7, the control unit 9 sets a plurality of linear regions in accordance with the program operation, and automatically or semi-automatically performs the information based on the characteristic information of the reflected light amount and the support information generated from the characteristic information. Search for areas with higher reflection performance. However, it is also possible for the operator to arbitrarily set the linear region and search for the region of high reflection performance based on the characteristic information of the linear region.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart showing an example of the second candidate region search processing. One of the series of operations described below is realized by the CPU 91 of the control unit 9 in accordance with the operation of the program PG1 unless otherwise specified.

First, the reflected light amount value distribution data is acquired in the same manner as step S10 shown in Fig. 7 (step S200).

Next, in the same manner as in the step S11, the reflected light amount value distribution image generating portion 912 generates a reflected light amount value distribution image. Then, in the present flow, the linear region defining unit 913 displays the image on the display unit 97 in order to define the linear region (step S201). Further, the linear region defining unit 913 displays a cursor line (representative line) on the reflected light amount value distribution image (step S202).

Fig. 15 is a view showing a display example of the vernier line CL1. As shown in FIG. 15, the vernier line CL1 is a straight line extending in the arrangement direction Dx, and is superimposed on the reflected light amount value distribution image MAP1. The cursor line CL1 is configured to move on the reflected light amount value distribution image MAP1 along the width direction Dy based on a specific operation input via the input unit 96.

Returning to Fig. 14, after the cursor line is displayed, the linear region defining unit 913 defines a linear region based on the position of the cursor line (step S203).

Fig. 16 is a view showing an example in which the linear region LR21 is set based on the position of the vernier line CL1. As shown in Fig. 16, the relative position of the cursor line CL1 with respect to the reflected light amount value distribution image MAP1 is read, and from the position information, the linear region LR21 is set.

Returning to Fig. 14, after specifying the linear region, the characteristic information acquisition unit 914 divides the linear region into a plurality of units in the same manner as step S14 shown in Fig. 7 (step S204). Next, the characteristic information acquisition unit 914 acquires the characteristic information of each unit in the same manner as the step S15 shown in FIG. 7 (step S205).

Next, the support information generating unit 915 determines whether or not there is a portion lower than the reference light amount value in the linear region, and displays the determination result on the display unit 97 (step S206) in the same manner as the step S16 shown in FIG. 7 . . In the example shown in FIG. 16, since the linear region LR21 does not have the NG portion whose reflected light amount is lower than the reference light amount value, the support information display portion SI1 displays the absence of the NG portion.

Further, the support information generating unit 915 produces the same method as the step S17 shown in FIG. The proportional information related to the linear region is generated, and the scale information is displayed on the display unit 97 (step S207). In the example shown in FIG. 16, in the linear region LR21, the ratio of the number of units exceeding the ideal light amount value is displayed as the sufficient rate on the support information display portion SI2.

Further, in the case where the linear region is set in step S203, the reflected light amount value distribution of the linear region can be displayed as shown in FIG. 11 or FIG. Further, the slope of the straight line when the reflected light amount value distribution is approximated to a straight line may be displayed. In the example shown in FIG. 16, the slope is displayed on the support information display unit SI2 as the inclination.

Returning to Fig. 14, when the display of the scale information in step S207 is completed, it is determined whether or not the position of the cursor line is changed (step S208). When it is determined that there is a change in position (NO in step S208), the control unit 9 returns to step S203 and continues the processing.

When it is determined in step S208 that there is no position change (YES in step S208), it is determined whether or not the linear region is set as the candidate region (step S209). For example, when the operator determines that the linear region currently set is an area having excellent reflection performance based on the support information, the operator performs a specific operation via the input unit 96 to define the linear region as a candidate region (step S210). . On the other hand, when there is no input from the operator (NO in step S209), the control unit 9 returns to step S208 to continue the processing.

After determining the candidate area in step S210, the control unit 9 determines whether or not the search for another region having a high reflection performance is ended (step S211). For example, when the operator wants to search for another area (NO in step S211), the control unit 9 returns to step S202 to continue the processing. When the operator finishes the area search, the input operation of the end is performed, and the control unit 9 ends the operation.

As described above, according to the flow shown in FIG. 14, the operator visually confirms the distribution of the reflected light amount value in the reflected light amount value distribution image MAP1, and based on the support information, the region having high reflection performance can be easily searched. Therefore, the dependence of the area search on the skill of the operator can be reduced.

In addition, in step S202, in the example shown in FIG. 15, one piece is shown as a representative line. The cursor line CL1, but may also display a plurality of (for example, three) vernier lines at a specific interval in the width direction Dy. The plurality of vernier lines are moved simultaneously or individually, and a linear region of each of the vernier lines is defined, and the characteristic information of each of them or the support information based on the characteristic information is displayed on the display unit 97. Thereby, since the reflection performance of a plurality of regions can be grasped at the same time, it is possible to efficiently search for an area having a high reflection performance.

<2.3. Deterioration inspection processing>

Fig. 17 is a flowchart showing the deterioration check processing for checking the deterioration of the reflection surface 320, that is, the modulation surface 320. The deterioration inspection process directly detects the temporal change of the reflected light amount value distribution, thereby checking the deterioration of the modulation surface 320 of the diffraction type spatial light modulator 32.

In the deterioration inspection process, the reflected light amount value distribution unit 911 acquires the reflected light amount value distribution (first reflected light amount value distribution) in the reflection region RR1 of the modulation surface 320 at a certain point (step S31). This step S31 is executed in the same manner as step S10 shown in FIG. 7 or step S200 shown in FIG.

Next, one or more candidate regions are determined based on the predetermined linear region (step S32). This step S32 is executed in the same manner as steps S11 to S19 shown in FIG. 7 or steps S201 to S211 shown in FIG.

Next, in the drawing device 1, as shown in FIG. 5, pattern drawing for the substrate W is performed (step S33). At this time, one of the one or more candidate regions determined in step S32 is set as the incident position of the linear light beam LB1.

In the one candidate region, the reflected light amount measuring unit 911 acquires the reflected light amount value distribution (second reflected light amount value distribution) related to the reflection region RR1 of the modulation surface 320 again after a predetermined time elapses after the start of use of the pattern drawing. (Step S34).

Next, the deterioration inspection unit 916 compares the first reflected light amount value distribution obtained in step S31 with the second reflected light amount value distribution obtained in step S34 (step S35). Next, it is determined whether or not there is a portion where the amount of reflected light exceeds a certain reference value, that is, a deteriorated portion (step S36). Then, when there is a situation of a deteriorated part, a specific notification is performed (step S37).

For example, it is assumed that in step S36, it is determined that there is a deteriorated portion in the linear region corresponding to the region (irradiation region) irradiating the linear light beam due to the pattern drawing in step S33. As described above, in step S37, the presence of the deteriorated portion in the linear region is notified to the operator via the display portion 97 or the like. At this time, for example, in the case where a plurality of candidate regions are determined in advance for pattern drawing in step S32, the presence of the deteriorated portion is notified, and other candidate regions are presented. Thereby, the operator can easily change the irradiation area. Further, the reflected light amount value distribution image can be displayed based on the second reflected light amount value distribution, whereby the operator can confirm the deterioration state.

In addition, in the case where it is determined that there is a deterioration portion in all of the candidate regions determined in step S32, the intention is notified to the operator via the display unit 97 or the like. Thereby, the operator can explore the necessity of maintenance including the exchange of the diffractive spatial light modulator 32. Further, based on the second reflected light amount value distribution, the control unit 9 can execute the steps S11 to S19 shown in FIG. 7 again, thereby searching for a new candidate region. Further, the plurality of linear regions set when searching for a new candidate region are set to be shifted from the plurality of linear regions set in the previous step S32 in the width direction Dy. By defining a plurality of linear regions by shifting the width direction Dy, it is possible to search for new candidate regions without deterioration.

As described above, according to the deterioration inspection process, the deterioration state of the diffraction type spatial light modulator 32 can be checked. Therefore, the operator can appropriately determine whether it is necessary to change the irradiation area of the linear beam of the modulation surface 320 or the maintenance including the exchange of the diffraction type spatial light modulator 32.

In addition, each of the inspection processes shown in FIG. 7, FIG. 14, and FIG. 17 is performed in a state in which the diffraction type spatial light modulator 32 is incorporated in the drawing device 1. However, it is also possible to include an inspection device that performs the configuration required for each inspection process, and perform each inspection process of the diffraction type spatial light modulator 32.

The present invention has been described in detail, but the above description is exemplified in all aspects, and the present invention is not limited thereto. It is to be understood that no exemplification is possible without departing from the scope of the invention. Several variants. Further, the respective configurations described in the above embodiments and the respective modifications can be appropriately combined or omitted as long as they do not contradict each other.

S10~S19‧‧‧Steps

Claims (20)

An inspection method for inspecting a diffraction type spatial light modulator in which a modulation unit that forms modulated incident light and reflects a reflective surface is arranged in a plurality of directions along a first direction, the method comprising: (a) a step And measuring the amount of reflected light of the reflected light by a reflection area formed by the reflection surface of the plurality of modulation units, thereby obtaining a first reflected light amount value distribution; (b) a step of defining the reflection area a region extending in the first direction and having a width smaller than a linear region in the second direction orthogonal to the first direction; and (c), based on the first reflected light amount distribution The characteristic information related to the light quantity value of the above linear region is obtained. The checking method of claim 1, wherein the step (c) includes the step of dividing the region corresponding to the plurality of modulation units into one unit by the linear region; Dividing into a plurality of cells, and obtaining characteristic information related to the light amount value of each of the cells based on the first reflected light amount value distribution. The inspection method of claim 2, wherein the characteristic information obtained in the step (c) includes information indicating whether the average reflected light amount of the unit exceeds a predetermined ideal light amount value. The inspection method of claim 3, further comprising the step (d) of generating proportional information indicating a ratio of the plurality of units exceeding the ideal light amount value among the plurality of units included in the linear region. The inspection method of claim 4, wherein the step (b) is a step of dividing the reflection region into the plurality of short strip regions in the second direction, and setting each of the regions as the linear region, and Further comprising the step (e), which is based on the plurality of lines generated in the step (d) above The above ratio information of each of the linear regions of the region is generated in order of information indicating the order of the scales. The inspection method according to any one of claims 2 to 5, further comprising the step (f), wherein the characteristic information obtained in the step (c) includes the reflected light amount indicating the linear region The distribution information determines whether or not there is a portion below the reference light amount value in the linear region based on the reflected light amount value distribution of the linear region. The inspection method of claim 1 or 2, wherein the step (b) includes: (b-1), wherein the first reflected light amount value distribution obtained in the step (a) is imaged to generate a first reflection The light amount distribution image is displayed on the display unit. The method of claim 7, wherein the step (b) includes: a step (b-2), which is displayed on the first reflected light amount value distribution image of the display unit in the step (b-1) a display line indicating the position of the linear region; a step (b-3) for accepting a change in position of the representative line based on a specific operation input; and a step (b-4) based on the above (b-3) In the step, the position of the representative line after the change is accepted, and the linear region is redefined; and the step (c) includes the step (c-1), which is based on the first reflected light amount distribution, -4) The above characteristic information relating to the linear region defined in the step is displayed on the display portion. The inspection method of claim 8, wherein the step (b-2) is a step of displaying on the first reflected light amount value distribution image displayed on the display unit in the second direction a plurality of the above-mentioned representative lines of a plurality of the above-mentioned linear regions arranged at a specific interval. The inspection method of any one of claims 1 to 5, comprising: a step (g), after the step (a), measuring a reflected light amount of the reflected light for the reflected region, thereby obtaining a second reflected light amount value distribution; and (h), comparing the above (a) the first reflected light amount value distribution obtained in the step and the second reflected light amount value distribution obtained in the step (g). An inspection apparatus for inspecting a diffraction type spatial light modulator in which a modulation unit that forms modulated incident light and reflects a reflective surface is arranged in a plurality of directions along a first direction, and includes: a reflected light quantity value distribution The acquisition unit obtains a first reflected light amount value distribution of the reflected light in a reflection region formed by a plurality of modulation unit reflection surfaces, and a linear region defining unit that defines the reflection region to extend along the first direction a region in which the width in the second direction orthogonal to the first direction is smaller than a linear region of the reflection region, and a characteristic information acquisition unit that acquires reflection of the linear region based on the first reflected light amount value distribution Characteristic information related to the amount of light. The inspection device of claim 11, wherein the characteristic information acquisition unit divides the region corresponding to the plurality of modulation units into one unit for the linear region, thereby dividing the linear region into a plurality of units, and Based on the first reflected light amount value distribution, characteristic information related to the light amount value of each of the above units is obtained. The inspection device of claim 12, wherein the characteristic information obtained by the characteristic information acquisition unit includes information indicating whether or not the average reflected light amount value of the unit exceeds a predetermined ideal light amount value. The inspection apparatus of claim 13, further comprising: a support information generating unit that generates proportional information indicating a ratio of the plurality of units exceeding the ideal light amount value among the plurality of units included in the linear region. The inspection apparatus of claim 14, wherein the linear region defining unit divides the reflective region into a plurality of short strip-shaped regions in the second direction, and the region is Each of the above-mentioned support information generation units generates order information indicating the order of the scale based on the above-described ratio information of each of the plurality of linear regions. The inspection apparatus according to any one of claims 12 to 15, wherein the characteristic information includes information indicating a distribution of reflected light amount values of the linear region, and the inspection device further includes: a determination unit that is based on the linear shape The distribution of the amount of reflected light in the region determines whether or not there is a portion below the reference light amount value in the linear region. The inspection apparatus according to claim 11 or 12, further comprising: a reflected light amount value distribution image generating unit that images the first reflected light amount value distribution obtained by the reflected light amount value distribution obtaining unit to generate the first a reflected light amount value distribution image; and a display unit that displays the first reflected light amount value distribution image. The inspection apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the linear region defining unit displays a representative line indicating the position of the linear region on the first reflected light amount value distribution image displayed on the display portion, and accepts the change of the representative The operation of the line position, and the above-mentioned linear area is redefined based on the position of the above-mentioned representative line after the change. The inspection apparatus according to claim 18, wherein the linear region defining portion is displayed on the first reflected light amount value distribution image displayed on the display portion, and displays a plurality of pixels arranged at a predetermined interval in the second direction. a plurality of the above-mentioned representative lines of the above linear regions. The inspection apparatus according to any one of claims 11 to 15, further comprising: an inspection unit that compares the first reflected light amount value distribution with the reflection region that acquires the first reflected light amount value, and the reflected light The second reflected light amount value distribution obtained by the magnitude distribution obtaining unit.