TWI706850B - Exposure device, imprinting device and manufacturing method of article - Google Patents

Abstract

[Problem] An object of the present invention is to provide an exposure apparatus which is advantageous in reducing the change in the oxygen concentration of the gas supplied into the exposure apparatus. [Solution] The exposure apparatus of the present invention is an exposure apparatus that exposes a substrate via an optical system, and includes: a first flow path to which a first gas containing oxygen is supplied; and a second flow path to which is supplied A second gas having a different oxygen concentration from the first gas; a measurement unit that measures the oxygen concentration of the first flow path; and a supply unit that has a mixing unit and a supply flow path based on the measurement result of the measurement unit , Using the first gas and the second gas to generate a mixed gas, and the supply flow path supplies the mixed gas from the mixing section to the space between the optical system and the substrate.

Description

Exposure device, imprinting device and manufacturing method of article

The present invention relates to an exposure device, an imprinting device and a method of manufacturing an article.

In the manufacture of color filters, semiconductor devices, etc., the pattern of the original plate such as the magnification mask, the mask, etc. is projected on the substrate (glass plate, wafer, etc.) via the projection optical system. The resist layer is patterned (latent image) processing. It is known that the resist layer used in such a process slows down the chemical reaction caused by the exposure light irradiation due to oxygen present in the exposure environment. For this reason, it is preferable to control the oxygen concentration in the exposure environment in accordance with the requirements for pattern formation on the resist layer. For example, in the case of forming a fine pattern on the resist layer with high accuracy, the oxygen concentration in the exposure environment can be increased to slow down the chemical reaction of the resist layer, and the exposure can be reduced when the throughput is increased. The oxygen concentration in the environment accelerates the chemical reaction of the resist layer.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2007-94066 has disclosed that it has an oxygen supply system for supplying oxygen in the exposure apparatus and a nitrogen supply system for supplying nitrogen in the exposure apparatus, in order to adjust to a predetermined oxygen according to the measured value of the oxygen concentration meter. The concentration is adjusted to mix the supply of oxygen and nitrogen.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-94066 has disclosed that an oxygen concentration meter is arranged in the chamber of the exposure device to measure the oxygen concentration in the chamber, thereby performing feedback control on the oxygen supply system and the nitrogen supply system to adjust the concentration to a desired concentration. In an exposure apparatus that measures the oxygen concentration in the chamber and controls it to the target oxygen concentration, when the oxygen concentration of the oxygen supply system before mixing changes from a desired value, the oxygen concentration in the chamber may greatly deviate from the target oxygen concentration.

The exposure apparatus of the present invention is an exposure apparatus that exposes a substrate via an optical system, and includes: a first flow path to which a first gas containing oxygen is supplied; and a second flow path to which an oxygen concentration and the aforementioned second flow path are supplied 1 second gas with a different gas; a measurement unit that measures the oxygen concentration in the first flow path; and a supply unit that has a mixing portion and a supply flow path, and the mixing portion uses the first measurement result based on the measurement result of the measurement unit. The gas and the second gas generate a mixed gas, and the supply flow path supplies the mixed gas from the mixing part to the space between the optical system and the substrate. Other features of the present invention will be clarified from the following embodiments (in the case of referring to the drawings).

Hereinafter, a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail based on the drawings. In addition, in each figure, the same reference numeral is attached to the same member, and the repeated description is omitted.

(First embodiment) The exposure apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of the exposure apparatus 100 of the first embodiment. The exposure apparatus 100 exposes the substrate 6 in a step-and-scan manner, and performs processing (exposure processing) of transferring the pattern of the mask 1 (reducing mask) to the substrate 6 (resist layer 5 on the substrate) Lithography device. Among them, the exposure apparatus 100 can also be applied to a step and repeat method and other exposure methods.

The exposure apparatus 100 may include, for example, an illumination optical system 2, a mask stage 3 (reduction mask stage) that can move while holding the mask 1, a projection optical system 4, a substrate stage 7 that can move while holding a substrate 6, and The supply unit 8, the oxygen concentration meter 9 (measurement unit), and the control unit 10. The control unit 10 is composed of, for example, a computer including a CPU, a memory, and the like, and controls each part of the exposure apparatus 100 (controls exposure processing). The control unit 10 may be provided in the exposure apparatus 100, or may be provided in a place different from the exposure apparatus 100, and controlled remotely. In addition, each part of the exposure apparatus 100 is disposed inside the chamber 11 defining the exposure chamber. The ambient air system inside the chamber 11 is maintained as ambient air whose temperature and humidity are controlled through the ambient gas maintaining unit 12.

The illumination optical system 2 shapes the light emitted from a light source (not shown) such as a mercury lamp, an ArF excimer laser, or a KrF excimer laser into, for example, a strip-shaped or arc-shaped slit light, and the slit light Illuminate a part of the mask 1. The mask 1 and the substrate 6 are held through the mask stage 3 and the substrate stage 7, respectively, and are arranged at approximately optically conjugate positions (the object surface of the projection optical system 4 and the projection optical system) via the projection optical system 4 (optical system). Image surface). The projection optical system 4 has a predetermined projection magnification, and projects the pattern of the mask 1 on the substrate 6 through the slit light (specifically, the resist layer 5 on the substrate is supplied (coated)). The mask stage 3 and the substrate stage 7 are relatively scanned at a speed ratio according to the projection magnification of the projection optical system 4 while being synchronized with each other. Thereby, the pattern of the mask 1 can be transferred to the resist layer 5 on the substrate.

In such an exposure apparatus 100, it is known that the chemical reaction of the resist layer 5 generated by the exposure light is slowed by the oxygen existing in the exposure environment. For this reason, it is preferable to control the oxygen concentration in the exposure environment in accordance with the requirements for pattern formation of the resist layer 5 on the substrate. For example, in the case of forming a fine pattern on the resist layer 5 with high accuracy, the oxygen concentration in the exposure environment can be increased to slow down the chemical reaction of the resist layer 5. In addition, it is possible to increase the throughput. The oxygen concentration in the exposure environment is reduced, and the chemical reaction of the resist layer 5 is accelerated.

In this regard, the method of manufacturing a color filter will be described as an example. The manufacturing methods of color filters include various methods such as dyeing method, printing method, electroplating electric field method, and pigment dispersion method. Among these methods, at present, the pigment dispersion method has become the mainstream in consideration of stability and ease of manufacturing. In the photosensitive acrylic method, which is representative of the pigment dispersion method, an acrylic-like photosensitive resin is included, and a color resist having both a coloring function and a photosensitive function is patterned through photolithography.

The color photoresist is a negative photoresist, so when irradiated with exposure light, it generates free radicals that contribute to the reaction and photopolymerizes the polymer, which is insoluble in the developer. Among them, the component of the pigment contained in the color resist tends to absorb exposure light, and the generated radicals are captured by oxygen existing in the exposure environment (in the air), so the photopolymerization reaction tends to be hindered. That is, the chemical reaction of the color resist generated by the exposure light is slowed down by the oxygen present in the air, and the throughput may be reduced. For this reason, to increase the throughput, the oxygen concentration in the exposure environment can be reduced. On the other hand, the fact that the chemical reaction of the color photoresist due to exposure light slows down indicates that the formation of a fine pattern on the resist layer can be controlled with high accuracy. For this reason, when a fine pattern is formed on the resist layer with high accuracy, the oxygen concentration in the exposure environment can be increased.

Therefore, the exposure apparatus 100 of this embodiment includes a supply unit 8 that supplies gas adjusted to a target oxygen concentration to the space between the projection optical system 4 and the substrate 6 (hereinafter referred to as "exposure space"), and controls the exposure environment The oxygen concentration in.

The supply unit 8 has a first flow path 101 to which a first gas (reference gas) containing air (oxygen) is supplied, a second flow path 102 to which a second gas having a higher oxygen concentration than the first gas is supplied, and The third flow path 103 of a third gas having a lower oxygen concentration than the first gas. In addition, the supply unit 8 generates a gas (mixed gas) with a target oxygen concentration inside the mixing unit 104 connecting the first flow path 101, the second flow path 102, and the third flow path 103, and passes the generated gas through the supply flow path 105 (Supply nozzle) Supply to the exposure space. The target oxygen concentration gas generation system in the supply unit 8 is shown in FIG. 2, and the control unit 10 controls the control valves 111 to 113 respectively provided in the first flow path 101, the second flow path 102, and the third flow path 103 (For example, mass flow meter) can be performed.

Here, in this embodiment, air (dry air as a reference gas) may be used for the first gas, oxygen may be used for the second gas, and nitrogen may be used for the third gas, but it is not limited to this. The first gas is not limited to air, and may be a gas in which nitrogen or oxygen is mixed with air to change the oxygen concentration relative to air. That is, the first gas means a gas whose main component is air. Regarding the first gas, for example, a gas (a gas in which at least one of oxygen concentration, temperature, and humidity is adjusted) such as clean dry air generated in a factory facility can be used. In addition, the second gas is not limited to oxygen, and as described above, the oxygen concentration may be high based on the first gas. Similarly, the third gas is not limited to nitrogen, and the oxygen concentration may be low based on the first gas.

In addition, the supply unit 8 may have any one of the second gas and the third gas. In this case, a gas having an oxygen concentration different from the oxygen concentration of the first gas may be provided as the second gas, and the first gas and the second gas may be mixed to generate a gas having a target oxygen concentration.

In such a supply section 8, when the oxygen concentration of the first gas supplied to the mixing section 104 changes from a predetermined value, the oxygen concentration of the gas mixed in the mixing section temporarily changes, which may be relative to the target oxygen of the gas in the exposure space. Concentration produces errors. The reason for this is that the equipment for producing dry air as the first gas generally uses a two-tower switching type adsorption device using an adsorbent such as silica gel. This method has the characteristic of selectively adsorbing nitrogen among air components. For this reason, in the process of boosting the pressure of the adsorption tower after the end of the regeneration process, the nitrogen component in the boosted gas is absorbed by the adsorbent. As a result, the oxygen-enriched gas remains in the adsorption tower immediately before switching to the purification process. Inside the tower's system. Therefore, immediately after switching to the refining process, the oxygen concentration in the dry air will temporarily rise rapidly, and the oxygen concentration of the first gas supplied to the mixing unit 104 may change significantly from a predetermined value.

For this reason, in the supply unit 8 of the present embodiment, an oxygen concentration meter 9 as a measurement unit that measures the oxygen concentration is installed in the first flow path 101 to which the first gas containing at least air is supplied. The supply unit 8 mixes at least one of the second gas and the third gas with the first gas based on the measurement result of the oxygen concentration of the first gas by the oxygen concentration meter 9 to generate a gas with a target oxygen concentration. When using a gas whose oxygen concentration of the second gas and the third gas is a desired value, the second flow path 102 and the third flow path 103 may not be provided with the oxygen concentration meter 9 that measures the oxygen concentration.

For example, when the target oxygen concentration is higher than the measurement result of the oxygen concentration of the first gas, the supply unit 8 mixes the second gas with the first gas in the mixing unit 104 to generate a gas with the target oxygen concentration, and supplies the generated gas via The flow path 105 is supplied to the exposure space. On the other hand, when the target oxygen concentration is lower than the measurement result of the oxygen concentration of the first gas, the supply unit 8 mixes the third gas with the first gas in the mixing unit 104 to generate a gas with the target oxygen concentration, and the generated gas It is supplied to the exposure space via the supply flow path 105.

Here, in the supply unit 8, for example, the first gas cannot be supplied from the first flow path 101 due to, for example, a failure of plant equipment. In this case, the control unit 10 may not use the first gas, and may control the supply unit 8 (control valves 111 to 113 of each flow path) so that the second gas and the third gas are mixed to generate a gas of the target oxygen concentration. In addition, based on the result of measuring the temperature and humidity (at least one of temperature and humidity) of the exposure space, the temperature and humidity of the gas of the target oxygen concentration may be adjusted inside the mixing section 104. In this case, the exposure apparatus 100 may be provided with a thermometer that measures the temperature of the exposure space, a hygrometer that measures the humidity, and an adjustment unit (heater, etc.) that adjusts the temperature and humidity of the gas in the mixing unit 104. In addition, an oxygen concentration meter that measures the oxygen concentration of the gas in the mixing unit 104 may be provided.

Furthermore, in the chamber 11 of the exposure apparatus 100, an oxygen concentration meter 9 that measures the oxygen concentration in the exposure space may be installed. The oxygen concentration meter 9 is arranged in the vicinity of the partial space (exposure space) between the projection optical system 4 and the substrate 6 and measures the oxygen concentration in the partial space. The oxygen concentration meter 9 in the chamber 11 may also be arranged at a position that can replace the measurement of the oxygen concentration between the projection optical system 4 and the substrate 6. For example, the oxygen concentration meter 9 is arranged between the end of the supply flow path 105 of the supply unit 8 and the projection optical system 4 (near the final surface) so as to replace the measurement. The oxygen concentration meter 9 is installed in this way so that the control unit 10 can control the control valves 111 to 113 respectively provided in the first flow path 101, the second flow path 102, and the third flow path 103 based on the measurement result of the oxygen concentration meter 9. Generate gas with target oxygen concentration.

With reference to FIG. 2, an example in which a gas having a target oxygen concentration is generated by the supply unit 8 of the exposure apparatus 100 of the first embodiment and supplied to the exposure space will be described.

The control unit 10 acquires an exposure recipe used for exposure processing from the storage unit 13 and reads the target oxygen concentration set in the exposure space of the acquired exposure recipe. In addition, the control unit 10 controls the supply unit 8 so as to generate a gas of the target oxygen concentration and supply it to the exposure space. At this time, the control unit 10 controls the supply unit 8 based on the oxygen concentration of the first flow passage 101 of the first gas (dry air) measured by the oxygen concentration meter 9 so as to become the target oxygen concentration necessary for the exposure process. Here, the exposure apparatus 100 of the first embodiment constitutes the storage unit 13 and the control unit 10 separately, but the storage unit 13 may be constituted as a part of the control unit 10. The target oxygen concentration corresponding to the type of exposure processing is stored in the storage unit 13.

Next, the control unit 10 uses the value measured by the oxygen concentration meter 9 of the first flow path 101 and the oxygen concentration of the oxygen (second gas) and inert gas (third gas) stored in the memory unit 13 as a basis for reading The flow rate ratio of each gas is calculated based on the taken oxygen concentration, and the supply unit 8 is controlled based on the numerical value. Specifically, the control section 10 controls the control valve 111 of the first flow path 101, the control valve 112 of the second flow path 102, and the control valve 113 of the third flow path 103 connected to the mixing section 104 to adjust the supply from each flow path. The flow of gas.

Here, the oxygen concentration of the first flow path 101 (dry air supply system) is 21%, the oxygen concentration of the second flow path 102 (oxygen supply system) is 99%, and the third flow path 103 (inert gas supply The oxygen concentration of the system) is 1%. When the target oxygen concentration of the recipe stored in the memory unit 13 is higher than the oxygen concentration of the first flow path 101, the first gas and the second gas are supplied from the first flow path 101 and the second flow path 102. When the oxygen concentration of the recipe stored in the memory unit 13 is lower than the oxygen concentration of the first flow path 101, the first gas and the second gas are supplied from the first flow path 101 and the third flow path 103.

Specifically, in FIG. 2(A), the control unit 10 controls the control valves 111, 112, and 113 of each flow path to control the flow rate of the gas supplied from each flow path to the mixing unit 104. When the target oxygen concentration is higher than the oxygen concentration of the first flow path 101, in order to supply the first gas and the second gas from the first flow path 101 and the second flow path 102, the control valves 111 and 112 are opened and the control valves 113 is closed, and a mixed gas with a desired oxygen concentration is generated in the mixing section 104. When the target oxygen concentration is lower than the oxygen concentration of the first flow path 101, in order to supply the first gas and the third gas from the first flow path 101 and the third flow path 103, the control valves 111 and 113 are opened and the control valves 112 is turned off, and a mixed gas with a desired oxygen concentration is generated in the mixing unit 104.

At this time, when the oxygen concentration of the first gas supplied from the first flow path 101 changes, the control valves 112 and 113 are controlled based on the measurement result of the oxygen concentration meter 9 to adjust the flow rate of the gas supplied to the mixing section 104 . Thereby, the variation of the target oxygen concentration of the mixed gas in the mixing section 104 can be reduced, the variation of the oxygen concentration of the mixed gas supplied from the supply flow path 105 to the exposure space can be reduced, and the oxygen concentration of the mixed gas can be reduced. Is the desired value (target oxygen concentration).

In addition, the control unit 10 may mix the second gas in the second flow path 102 with the third gas in the third flow path 103 to generate a gas with a desired oxygen concentration in the mixing unit 104. However, generating a gas with a target oxygen concentration based on the first gas as described above can be shortened to a mixed gas rather than mixing a second gas with a large oxygen concentration difference with a third gas to generate a gas with a target oxygen concentration. The time required for the oxygen concentration to stabilize. In addition, in general, air is cheaper than oxygen and nitrogen (inert gas). For this reason, it is more advantageous in terms of cost to generate a gas with a target oxygen concentration based on air than to generate a gas with a target oxygen concentration by mixing oxygen and nitrogen.

In the conventional exposure apparatus, the oxygen concentration meter is arranged between the final surface of the projection optical system 4 and the substrate 6, based on the oxygen concentration of the mixed gas supplied to the local space between the final surface of the projection optical system 4 and the substrate 6. As a result of the measurement, the supply unit 8 performs feedback control. For this reason, the oxygen concentration fluctuation of the dry air cannot be detected before the supply, and there is a fear that under the control of the supply unit 8, a mixed gas with a large error from the target oxygen concentration is supplied.

In contrast, the exposure apparatus 100 of the present embodiment arranges the oxygen concentration meter 9 in the first flow path 101 before supplying to the partial space between the final surface of the projection optical system 4 and the substrate 6. The supply unit 8 is controlled by using the measured value of the oxygen concentration meter 9 and the oxygen concentration values of the second flow path (second gas) and the third flow path (third gas) stored in the memory unit 13 in advance. Thereby, the supply unit 8 can be controlled following the oxygen concentration fluctuation of the first gas (dry air) before the mixed gas is supplied to the exposure space, and the mixed gas can be supplied with the target oxygen concentration.

(Second embodiment) The exposure apparatus 200 according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 3. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram illustrating the structure of the exposure apparatus 200 of the second embodiment. In addition, in the exposure apparatus of the second embodiment, the same reference numerals are given to the same components as those of the exposure apparatus of the first embodiment, and repeated descriptions are omitted.

The exposure apparatus 100 of the first embodiment is an embodiment in which the oxygen concentration meter 9 is arranged in the first flow path 101. The control unit 10 uses the oxygen concentration value of the first gas (dry air) measured at the oxygen concentration meter 9 and the oxygen concentration values of the second gas (oxygen) and the third gas (inert gas) stored in the memory unit 13 in advance, The flow rate ratio of each gas is obtained, and the supply unit 8 is controlled based on the flow rate ratio.

On the other hand, in the exposure apparatus 200 of the second embodiment shown in FIG. 3, oxygen concentration meters 31 and 32 are also arranged in the second flow path 102 and the third flow path 103, respectively. The control section 10 of the exposure apparatus 200 of the second embodiment uses the measurement results from the oxygen concentration meters 9, 31, and 32 (measurement sections) arranged in the first flow path, the second flow path, and the third flow path to determine The flow rate ratio of the first gas, the second gas, and the third gas controls the supply unit 8 based on the calculated flow rate ratio. Accordingly, when low-purity oxygen is used for the second gas and an inert gas with low purity is used for the third gas, the mixed gas generated in the mixing section 104 can still be adjusted to the oxygen concentration of the target value. For this reason, the supply unit 8 of the exposure apparatus 200 of the second embodiment can supply a mixed gas of a desired oxygen concentration to the exposure space between the final surface of the projection optical system 4 and the substrate 6.

In addition, the distance between the oxygen concentration meters 9, 31, and 32 arranged in the first flow path 101, the second flow path 102, and the third flow path 103 to the mixing section 104 of the supply section 8 is due to the exposure device installed in the factory The layout and so on vary. In addition, the time for the oxygen concentration fluctuation measured by the oxygen concentration meters 9, 31, and 32 to reach the mixing section 104 of the supply section 8 varies depending on the piping length in the individual flow paths, the consumption flow rate, and the supply pressure. For this reason, the control unit 10 controls the control valves 111, 112, and 113 for controlling the flow rate of each gas mixed in the mixing unit 104 with a time difference, so that the oxygen concentration meter can be freely arranged.

(Third Embodiment) Furthermore, in the exposure apparatus system, generally, the optical performance of the projection optical system 4 is greatly affected by the refractive index of the local space (exposure space) between the projection optical system 4 (final surface) and the substrate 6. The refractive index of the gas changes with the temperature and humidity of the gas, so the change in the temperature and humidity of the gas is reduced, so that the optical performance of the projection optical system 4 can be made into a desired state for exposure processing.

For example, in the exposure apparatus 100, the exposure process is performed in a state where the surface position (Z direction) of the substrate 6 is aligned with the imaging position of the projection optical system 4. On the other hand, although the oxygen concentration of the gas supplied to the exposure space through the supply unit 8 is the same, when the temperature and humidity of the gas are different, the imaging position of the projection optical system 4 may change. As the mixing ratio of the gas supplied to the mixing unit 104 changes, when the temperature and humidity of the mixed gas supplied to the exposure space change, the refractive index of the exposure space changes, the imaging position of the projection optical system 4 changes, and the surface position of the substrate 6 It will deviate from the imaging position of the projection optical system 4.

Therefore, in the exposure apparatus of the third embodiment, the first gas, the second gas, and the third gas are adjusted to mutually different temperatures in advance, and the gases are mixed so that the mixed gas approaches the target oxygen concentration and target temperature. That is, the temperature of the mixed gas is adjusted by mixing at least two of the first gas, the second gas, and the third gas. The target temperature may include, for example, the temperature of the ambient gas in which the projection optical system 4 is arranged (the temperature of the internal environment of the chamber 11). In this embodiment, an example in which the first gas, the second gas, and the third gas are adjusted to mutually different temperatures in advance is described, but it is not limited to this, and the gases may be adjusted to mutually different humidity in advance. In this case, the mixed gas is mixed so that the mixed gas becomes the target humidity.

(Fourth embodiment) The exposure apparatus of any of the above-mentioned embodiments will be described with respect to the case where the second gas and the third gas are mixed with the first gas to adjust the target oxygen concentration. However, the supply unit 8 of the exposure apparatus of the present invention can also supply the mixed gas adjusted to the target oxygen concentration by using two types of gases with mutually different oxygen concentrations to the exposure space without using three types of gases.

For example, the supply unit 8 of the fourth embodiment supplies a first gas with a lower oxygen concentration relative to the target oxygen concentration from the first flow path 101 to the mixing unit 104, and a second gas with a higher oxygen concentration relative to the target oxygen concentration from the first gas 2 The flow path 102 is supplied to the mixing section 104. The control unit 10 of the exposure apparatus controls the control valve 111 and the control valve 112 to control the supply based on the measurement result of the oxygen concentration meter 9 provided in the first flow path 101 and the measurement result of the oxygen concentration meter 31 provided in the second flow path 102 The flow rates of the first gas and the second gas to the mixing unit 104. When the oxygen concentration of one of the first gas and the second gas is a desired value (not greatly changed), either the oxygen concentration meter 9 or the oxygen concentration meter 31 may be installed. In addition, the gas supplied to the mixing unit 8 may be three or more types of gas.

Although any of the above-mentioned embodiments has described an exposure device that exposes a substrate via an optical system, instead of the exposure device, an imprinting device that uses a mold to form a pattern of an imprinting material on a substrate may be used. The imprinting device is a device that brings the imprinting material supplied to the substrate into contact with a mold, and supplies energy for hardening to the imprinting material, thereby forming the pattern of the hardened product of the uneven pattern of the transferred mold. The imprinting device is used in the manufacture of devices such as semiconductor devices as articles. The imprinting device can supply the mixed gas whose oxygen concentration has been adjusted to the space between the mold and the substrate through the supply part 8.

As for the imprinting method, the light hardening method and the thermal cycle method are known. In the photo-curing method, an ultraviolet curable resin is used, and a mold is irradiated with ultraviolet rays while being pressed against a substrate via the resin to cure the resin, and then the mold is separated from the cured resin to form a pattern. In the thermal cycle method, the thermoplastic resin is heated to a temperature higher than the glass transition temperature, the mold is pressed against the substrate through the resin while the fluidity of the resin is improved, and the mold is separated from the resin to form a pattern after cooling. The above-mentioned supply unit 8 can be applied to imprinting devices of any method.

In addition, the gas adjusted through the supply unit 8 (mixing unit 104) is not limited to the oxygen concentration. For example, with regard to the gas supplied by the imprinting device to the space between the mold and the substrate, there may be a gas containing helium and nitrogen. The supply unit 8 of the present invention may also be configured to adjust the concentration of these helium, nitrogen, etc. In this case, instead of the oxygen concentration meter 9 in the measurement section, a concentration meter that can measure the concentration of a specific gas may be arranged according to the type of gas to be adjusted.

(Implementation of the manufacturing method of the article) The method of manufacturing an article related to an embodiment of the present invention is suitable for manufacturing articles such as micro devices such as semiconductor devices, and elements having a fine structure. The manufacturing method of the article of the present embodiment includes a process of forming a pattern (latent image) on a substrate (a photosensitive agent applied to the substrate) using the above-mentioned exposure device (a process of exposing the substrate), and exposing ( The patterned substrate is developed. Furthermore, such a manufacturing method may include other well-known procedures (oxidation, film formation, vapor deposition, doping, planarization, etching, resist stripping, cutting, bonding, packaging, etc.). The manufacturing method of the article of this embodiment is advantageous in at least one of the performance, quality, productivity, and production cost of the article compared to the conventional method.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various changes and modifications can be made within the scope of the gist. Although the present invention is described with reference to the embodiments, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. The broadest interpretation of the scope of the patent application should be made to include various changes, equivalent structures and functions. This case claims the benefit of priority based on the special application 2018-035312 filed on February 28, 2018, and the whole content is used here.

1‧‧‧Mask 2‧‧‧Illumination optical system 3‧‧‧Mask 4‧‧‧Projection optical system 5‧‧‧Resist layer 6‧‧‧Substrate 7‧‧‧Substrate stage 8‧‧‧Supply Department 9‧‧‧Oxygen concentration meter 10‧‧‧Control Department 11‧‧‧ Chamber 12‧‧‧Ambient Gas Maintenance Department 13‧‧‧Memory Department 31‧‧‧Oxygen concentration meter 32‧‧‧Oxygen concentration meter 100‧‧‧Exposure device 101‧‧‧First flow path 102‧‧‧Second flow path 103‧‧‧3rd flow path 104‧‧‧Mixing Department 105‧‧‧Supply flow path 111‧‧‧Control valve 112‧‧‧Control valve 113‧‧‧Control valve 200‧‧‧Exposure device

[Fig. 1] A diagram showing the configuration of the exposure apparatus of the first embodiment. [Figure 2] A diagram depicting the composition of the supply unit. [Fig. 3] A diagram showing the configuration of the exposure apparatus of the second embodiment.

1‧‧‧Mask

2‧‧‧Illumination optical system

3‧‧‧Mask

4‧‧‧Projection optical system

5‧‧‧Resist layer

6‧‧‧Substrate

7‧‧‧Substrate stage

8‧‧‧Supply Department

9‧‧‧Oxygen concentration meter

10‧‧‧Control Department

11‧‧‧ Chamber

12‧‧‧Ambient Gas Maintenance Department

13‧‧‧Memory Department

100‧‧‧Exposure device

101‧‧‧First flow path

102‧‧‧Second flow path

103‧‧‧3rd flow path

104‧‧‧Mixing Department

105‧‧‧Supply flow path

Claims (9)

An exposure device that exposes a substrate via an optical system, have: The first flow path is supplied with a first gas containing oxygen; The second flow path is supplied with a second gas having an oxygen concentration different from the aforementioned first gas; A measurement unit that measures the oxygen concentration of the aforementioned first flow path; and A supply part having a mixing part and a supply flow path, the mixing part generates a mixed gas from the first gas and the second gas based on the measurement result of the measuring part, and the supply flow path supplies the mixed gas from the mixing part To the space between the aforementioned optical system and the aforementioned substrate. Such as the exposure apparatus of the first item of the scope of patent application, wherein the measurement unit for measuring the oxygen concentration is provided in the first flow path and the second flow path, respectively. Such as the exposure device of the first item of the patent application, wherein the first gas system is air supplied from outside the exposure device, and the second gas system is oxygen or nitrogen. For example, the exposure apparatus of the first patent application includes a third flow path to which a third gas having an oxygen concentration different from the first gas and the second gas is supplied. Such as the exposure device of item 4 of the scope of patent application, in which, The measurement unit measures the oxygen concentration of the first flow path, The supply unit mixes one of the second gas and the third gas with the first gas based on the measurement result of the measurement unit to generate the mixed gas. For example, the exposure apparatus of claim 4, wherein the supply unit mixes the second gas with the first gas when the target oxygen concentration is higher than the oxygen concentration of the first gas, and the target oxygen concentration is higher than that of the first gas. When the oxygen concentration of the first gas is low, the third gas is mixed with the first gas to generate the mixed gas. For example, the exposure apparatus of the first item of the patent application includes a measurement unit that measures the oxygen concentration of the mixed gas supplied to the space between the optical system and the substrate, and based on the measurement result of the measurement unit, generates the aforementioned first The aforementioned mixed gas of 1 gas and the aforementioned second gas. An imprinting device that uses a mold to form patterns of imprinting materials on a substrate, have: The first flow path is supplied with a first gas containing oxygen; The second flow path is supplied with a second gas having an oxygen concentration different from the aforementioned first gas; A measurement unit that measures the oxygen concentration of the aforementioned first flow path; and A supply part having a mixing part and a supply flow path, the mixing part generates a mixed gas from the first gas and the second gas based on the measurement result of the measuring part, and the supply flow path supplies the mixed gas from the mixing part To the space between the aforementioned mold and the aforementioned substrate. A method of manufacturing an article, including: A procedure for exposing the substrate using the exposure device as in any one of items 1 to 7 in the scope of the patent application; and A process of developing the aforementioned substrate exposed in the aforementioned procedure; The developed substrate is processed to obtain an article.

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