WO2002093626A1 - Procede et dispositif d'alignement, procede et systeme d'acheminement de substrat - Google Patents

Procede et dispositif d'alignement, procede et systeme d'acheminement de substrat Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2002093626A1
WO2002093626A1 PCT/JP2002/004707 JP0204707W WO02093626A1 WO 2002093626 A1 WO2002093626 A1 WO 2002093626A1 JP 0204707 W JP0204707 W JP 0204707W WO 02093626 A1 WO02093626 A1 WO 02093626A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
mask
chamber
reticle
gas
exposure
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/JP2002/004707
Other languages
English (en)
Japanese (ja)
Inventor
Naomasa Shiraishi
Original Assignee
Nikon Corporation
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Nikon Corporation filed Critical Nikon Corporation
Priority to JP2002590402A priority Critical patent/JPWO2002093626A1/ja
Publication of WO2002093626A1 publication Critical patent/WO2002093626A1/fr

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Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
    • G03F—PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES, e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR
    • G03F9/00—Registration or positioning of originals, masks, frames, photographic sheets or textured or patterned surfaces, e.g. automatically
    • G03F9/70—Registration or positioning of originals, masks, frames, photographic sheets or textured or patterned surfaces, e.g. automatically for microlithography
    • G03F9/7096—Arrangement, mounting, housing, environment, cleaning or maintenance of apparatus
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
    • G03F—PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES, e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR
    • G03F7/00—Photomechanical, e.g. photolithographic, production of textured or patterned surfaces, e.g. printing surfaces; Materials therefor, e.g. comprising photoresists; Apparatus specially adapted therefor
    • G03F7/70—Microphotolithographic exposure; Apparatus therefor
    • G03F7/70691—Handling of masks or workpieces
    • G03F7/70733—Handling masks and workpieces, e.g. exchange of workpiece or mask, transport of workpiece or mask
    • G03F7/70741—Handling masks outside exposure position, e.g. reticle libraries
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
    • G03F—PHOTOMECHANICAL PRODUCTION OF TEXTURED OR PATTERNED SURFACES, e.g. FOR PRINTING, FOR PROCESSING OF SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES; MATERIALS THEREFOR; ORIGINALS THEREFOR; APPARATUS SPECIALLY ADAPTED THEREFOR
    • G03F7/00—Photomechanical, e.g. photolithographic, production of textured or patterned surfaces, e.g. printing surfaces; Materials therefor, e.g. comprising photoresists; Apparatus specially adapted therefor
    • G03F7/70—Microphotolithographic exposure; Apparatus therefor
    • G03F7/708—Construction of apparatus, e.g. environment aspects, hygiene aspects or materials
    • G03F7/70858—Environment aspects, e.g. pressure of beam-path gas, temperature
    • G03F7/70866—Environment aspects, e.g. pressure of beam-path gas, temperature of mask or workpiece

Definitions

  • the present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, an image pickup device (CCD or the like), a liquid crystal display device, or various devices such as a thin film magnetic head in a photolithography process.
  • the present invention relates to an exposure method and an apparatus used when transferring images to an image. Further, the present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for transporting a substrate used for transporting the mask or the substrate during a photolithographic process.
  • a reticle as a mask drawn by enlarging a pattern to be formed by a factor of about 4 to 5 times.
  • a method of reducing and transferring the pattern of a photomask or the like onto a wafer (or a glass plate or the like) as a substrate to be exposed using a projection exposure apparatus of a batch exposure method or a scanning exposure method is used.
  • the exposure wavelength has shifted to shorter wavelengths in order to cope with miniaturization of semiconductor integrated circuits and the like.
  • the exposure wavelength is mainly 248 nm of KrF excimer laser, but it can be regarded as a shorter wavelength, substantially VUV (Vacuum Ultra violet). 193 nm of rF excimer laser is also entering the stage of practical use. Then, it has been made shorter and the wavelength 1 5 7 nm of F 2 Les monodentate, proposes an exposure apparatus using the exposure light source in the vacuum ultraviolet region of A r 2 laser having a wavelength of 1 2 6 nm.
  • Such light in the wavelength range of about 190 nm or less can emit many gases existing on the optical path of the exposure light in a conventional exposure apparatus having an exposure wavelength of about 200 to 400 nm, for example, Absorption by gases such as oxygen, water vapor, carbon dioxide, and hydrocarbon gas (organic gas) (hereinafter referred to as “absorbent gas”) is extremely large. Therefore, in an exposure apparatus using vacuum ultraviolet light, in order to remove the absorbing gas from the optical path of the exposure light, the exposure apparatus is used. It is necessary to replace the gas in the optical path with a gas such as nitrogen or a rare gas having relatively low absorption with respect to the exposure light (hereinafter referred to as "low-absorbing gas").
  • a gas such as nitrogen or a rare gas having relatively low absorption with respect to the exposure light
  • the ArF excimer laser (wavelength 1933 nm), which has the longest wavelength in the vacuum ultraviolet region.
  • the purge gas the one used to actually replace the gas on the optical path.
  • the optical path to be replaced with the purge gas is most of the optical path from the exposure light source to the wafer.
  • the diameter of the wafer has been reduced from 4 inches to 5 inches. , 6, 8 inches.
  • the diameter of the next generation wafer is 12 inches, or 300 mm.
  • reticle When vacuum ultraviolet light is used as the exposure beam as described above, the inside of the space (reticle chamber) in which the reticle is arranged also needs to be replaced with a purge gas.
  • reticle is stored in the air environment (in the air) in a semiconductor manufacturing plant, and each time the reticle being stored is brought into the exposure apparatus, the surrounding gas environment is required. Must be replaced with a purge gas. For this purpose, it is necessary to provide a purge gas replacement mechanism on the reticle transport path.
  • the reticle pattern surface (reticle surface) is generally formed through a pellicle frame having a height of about 4 to 7 mm through a metal frame called a pellicle frame. It was covered with a dust-proof film with a thickness of about 1 m.
  • the space surrounded by the reticle surface, the pellicle, and the pellicle frame (hereinafter, also referred to as “pellicle space”) is to some extent. It is kept airtight. However, if a completely airtight structure is used, a pressure difference between the inside and outside may occur due to a pressure drop due to a typhoon or the like, and the pellicle may expand and be damaged. Therefore, minute air holes are provided in the pellicle frame to ensure a certain degree of air permeability. On the other hand, if the air permeability is too high, it is difficult for foreign substances to enter, so the air permeability is limited.
  • the present invention has been made to provide an exposure technique and a transfer technique that can shorten the preparation time until the start of exposure and obtain high productivity when replacing the gas around the mask with a purge gas. This is the first purpose.
  • the second object is to provide an exposure technique and a transport technique that can obtain high productivity by shortening the preparation time until the start of exposure.
  • the present invention provides an exposure technique and a transfer technique that can shorten preparation time until the start of exposure and obtain high productivity when replacing a gas around a substrate such as a wafer with a purge gas.
  • a first exposure method is an exposure method for illuminating a mask (R) with an exposure beam and exposing a substrate (W) through the mask and a projection optical system (PL).
  • the gas in the mask chamber (2) surrounding the space including the optical path in which the mask is arranged is replaced with a transparent gas that transmits the exposure beam, and the mask is transferred to the mask chamber.
  • the gas near the mask is replaced with the permeable gas in the gas replacement chamber (16), and the mask is temporarily stored before the mask is transferred from the gas replacement chamber to the mask chamber. Is what you do.
  • a mask to be used in the next and subsequent exposure processes is placed in a gas replacement chamber (1). 6), and the gas near the mask is replaced with the permeable gas. Thereafter, the mask is stored in a predetermined storage mechanism and awaits the end of the current exposure process. When the current exposure process is completed, the mask currently in use is unloaded, and instead the temporarily stored mask is transferred to the exposure position in the mask chamber, and the next exposure operation starts. Is performed.
  • the gas replacement step of replacing the surrounding environment of the mask to be exposed next with a permeable gas is performed in the background in parallel with the exposure process using the current mask.
  • This makes it possible to prevent a decrease in the processing performance of the exposure apparatus, which is caused by the time required to replace the surrounding environment with a permeable gas.
  • the mask is provided with a protective member (74) for protecting the mask surface, the mask and its protection are transferred before the mask is transferred from the gas replacement chamber to the mask chamber. It is desirable to inspect for foreign matter attached to at least one of the members.
  • the inspection of foreign substances on the mask may be performed. it can.
  • the time until the start of exposure is increased. Preparation time Can be further reduced.
  • the mask Before the mask is transferred from the gas replacement chamber to the mask chamber, the mask is further subjected to optical cleaning, and the optical cleaning is performed in the mask storage room (18) for temporarily storing the mask. May be performed. By performing light cleaning during storage of the mask, preparation time for transferring the mask to the mask chamber can be further reduced.
  • the exposure beam is light in a vacuum ultraviolet region
  • a nitrogen gas or a rare gas such as helium gas
  • the mask intersects the first transfer path from the first storage space provided on the first transfer path between the gas replacement chamber and the mask chamber or the gas transfer chamber, for example. It is temporarily stored in the second storage space on the second transport path extending in the direction.
  • an exposure apparatus is an exposure apparatus that illuminates a mask (R) with an exposure beam and exposes a substrate (W) through the mask and the projection optical system (PL).
  • a mask chamber (2) that surrounds the space where the mask is placed and in which the gas inside is replaced by a permeable gas that transmits the exposure beam, and a transport path that transports the mask into the mask chamber
  • a gas replacement mechanism (16, 51) that is disposed to replace the gas near the mask with the permeable gas, and that the mask is transferred before the mask is transferred from the gas replacement mechanism to the mask chamber. It has a first mask storage room (14) in which the gas inside is temporarily stored and the inside gas is replaced by the permeable gas.
  • the exposure method of the present invention can be performed.
  • a foreign substance for inspecting a foreign substance on the mask or a protective member (73) for protecting the mask as a part of the gas replacing mechanism or between the gas replacing mechanism and the mask chamber. It is desirable to provide an inspection device (77, 78).
  • an ultraviolet irradiation mechanism (76A, 76B) for optically cleaning the mask before transporting the mask to the mask chamber.
  • an ionizer for ionizing gas in the gas replacement mechanism, the mask storage chamber, or at least one space of the mask chamber. Those Since water vapor is also removed as an impurity from the space, the pattern on the mask may be destroyed by discharge due to the generated static electricity. Therefore, the pattern on the mask can be prevented from being destroyed by ionizing the internal permeable gas by the ionizer to prevent accumulation of static electricity.
  • a second mask storage room (18) for storing the mask This allows the mask to be taken out of the mask case in the background of the exposure operation when the mask is transported in the mask case, and the preparation time until the start of exposure is lengthened. There is no.
  • the second mask storage room holds a mask in an air atmosphere, for example. As a result, the use of a permeable gas can be minimized and the running cost of the exposure process can be reduced.
  • the gas replacement mechanism has a sensor for monitoring the displacement of a protection member for protecting the mask surface of the mask.
  • the gas replacement mechanism includes a gas supply / exhaust mechanism (81A, 81) for replacing gas in a space surrounded by the mask and a protective member for protecting the mask surface of the mask with the permeable gas. B, 5 1). Accordingly, when the space surrounded by the mask and the protective member is filled with the permeable gas, the preparation time is not particularly lengthened.
  • a transport method of the present invention is a transport method for transporting a substrate (R; W) in an optical path of an exposure beam, wherein the optical path of the exposure beam includes a space including an optical path on which the substrate is arranged. Permeability of gas in the surrounding substrate chamber (2; 33) to transmit the exposure beam Before the substrate is transferred to the substrate chamber, the gas in the vicinity of the substrate is replaced with the permeable gas in the gas replacement chamber (16), and the gas is transferred from the gas replacement chamber to the substrate chamber. Before transporting a substrate, the substrate is temporarily stored.
  • the substrate is a mask or a wafer.
  • the preparation time until the start of exposure can be reduced. At this time, as an example, a foreign substance adhering to the substrate is inspected before the substrate is transferred from the gas replacement chamber to the substrate chamber. By performing the foreign substance inspection during the transport in this way, the preparation time does not become particularly long.
  • the transport device of the present invention is a transport device for transporting a substrate (R; W) in an optical path of an exposure beam, wherein the substrate chamber surrounds a space including an optical path on which the substrate is placed, of the optical path of the exposure beam. (2; 33) and a gas replacement mechanism (16, 51) that replaces a gas near the substrate with a transparent gas that the exposure beam transmits before transporting the substrate to the substrate chamber.
  • a first substrate storage chamber (14) for temporarily storing the substrate before transferring the substrate from the gas replacement mechanism to the substrate chamber.
  • the device manufacturing method of the present invention includes a step of transferring a device pattern onto a workpiece using any of the exposure methods of the present invention. According to the present invention, various devices can be produced with high productivity. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES
  • FIG. 1 is a partially cutaway plan view showing a reticle stage system and a reticle loader system of a projection exposure apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention.
  • FIG. 2 is a partially cutaway front view showing a projection exposure apparatus according to an example of the embodiment.
  • Fig. 3 3 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a transfer port pot 9 of FIG. 4, (A) is a cross-sectional view showing the first reticle storage 14 in FIG. 1, and (B) is a bottom view showing the reticle holding arm 57 of FIG. 4 (A).
  • FIG. 5 is a sectional view showing the gas replacement chamber 1 ⁇ in FIG.
  • FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a manufacturing process for manufacturing a semiconductor device using the projection exposure apparatus according to the embodiment of the present invention. BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
  • VUV light vacuum ultraviolet light
  • FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram showing the projection exposure apparatus of this example.
  • a box-shaped chamber 1 having a certain degree of airtightness is installed in a clean room of a semiconductor device manufacturing factory.
  • the space in the chamber 1 is divided by a partition wall 1a into an exposure main chamber 1c and a transfer chamber 42, and the transfer chamber 42 is divided into a first transfer chamber 40 and a second transfer chamber by a partition wall 1b.
  • Room 4 is divided into one.
  • two lasers having an oscillation wavelength of 15.7] 111 in the vacuum ultraviolet region are used as the exposure light source 31.
  • Other exposure light sources include a Kr 2 laser with an oscillation wavelength of 14.6 nm (krypton dimer laser), an Ar 2 laser with an oscillation wavelength of 126 nm (argon dimer laser), and an oscillation wavelength of 193 nm.
  • the present invention is also effective when a light source substantially in the vacuum ultraviolet region such as an ArF excimer laser, a harmonic generator of a YAG laser, or a harmonic generator of a semiconductor laser is used.
  • Exposure light IL as an exposure beam emitted from exposure light source 31 illuminates reticle R as a mask via illumination optical system 32.
  • the illumination optical system 32 includes a beam shaping optical system, an optical integrator (a fly-eye lens or a rod-in-gray lens), an aperture stop ( ⁇ stop), a relay lens system, a field stop (movable and fixed), and It has a condenser lens system and the like.
  • the exposure light source 31 and the illumination optical system 32 are respectively housed in a sub-chamber as an airtight room.
  • the exposure light source 31 may be housed in a light source chamber independent of the exposure main body chamber 1c. This In this case, the exposure main chamber 1c and the light source chamber may be connected by a light transmission optical system including a beam expander.
  • the luminous flux transmitted through reticle R is reduced at a predetermined magnification (for example, 1Z4, 1/5, etc.) on reticle W as a substrate to be exposed via projection optical system PL.
  • a predetermined magnification for example, 1Z4, 1/5, etc.
  • the reticle R corresponds to the mask or the substrate of the present invention, and the wafer W may be regarded as the substrate of the present invention in some cases. Further, the reticle R and the wafer W can be regarded as a first object and a second object.
  • the wafer W is a disk-shaped substrate such as a semiconductor (silicon or the like) or S) I (silicon on insulator) having a diameter of, for example, 200 mm (8 inches) or 300 mm (12 inches).
  • the projection optical system PL for example, as disclosed in International Publication (TO) 00/39623, a plurality of refraction lenses along one optical axis, and two refraction lenses each having an opening near the optical axis
  • a straight-tube type catadioptric system composed of a concave mirror and an optical element group having an optical axis from a reticle to a wafer, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application No. 2000-59268, for example.
  • An optical element group including an optical element having an optical axis substantially orthogonal to the axis and having a reflecting surface, and a reflection refractive optical system for forming an intermediate image therein can be used.
  • fluorite CaF 2
  • magnesium fluoride MgF 2
  • lithium fluoride L
  • Fluoride crystals such as iF
  • synthetic quartz doped with predetermined impurities can be used.
  • the interior of the projection optical system PL is an airtight chamber isolated from the outside air.
  • the Z axis is taken parallel to the optical axis AX of the projection optical system PL
  • the X axis is taken parallel to the plane of Figure 2 in a plane perpendicular to the Z axis
  • the Y axis is taken perpendicular to the plane of Figure 2 I do.
  • the reticle R is held on a reticle stage 5 movably mounted on the reticle base 3 in the X and Y directions, and the two-dimensional position of the reticle stage 5 is determined by the laser interferometer 4 and
  • the reticle stage control system (see FIG. 1) is measured based on the measured values and the control information from the main control system 28 (see FIG. 1) that supervises and controls the operation of the entire device. (Not shown) controls the position and speed of reticle stage 5.
  • Reticle base 3 and projection optical system PL are not shown Is supported by
  • a reticle stage system is composed of a reticle base 3, a reticle stage 5, and a driving mechanism (not shown).
  • the reticle stage system is provided in a reticle chamber 2 as a highly airtight partition (airtight chamber). It is stored.
  • a first reticle loader 7A and a second reticle loader 7B are arranged on a reticle stage 5 in the reticle chamber 2 so as to sandwich the illumination optical system 32 in the X direction. That is, the first reticle loader 7A and the second reticle loader 7B are arranged along the direction in which the reticle R and the wafer W described later move synchronously.
  • the first reticle loader 7A is provided with a support member 7a and a reticle holding unit that is movably attached to the support member 7a in the Z direction and temporarily holds a reticle to be loaded or unloaded. 7b and 7c.
  • the second reticle loader 7B also includes a support member 7d and reticle holding portions 7e and 7f.
  • FIG. 1 is a plan view showing a reticle stage system and a reticle loader system shown in FIG. 2, and a laser interferometer 4 shown in FIG. 2 has a two-axis X-axis laser interferometer 4 a, as shown in FIG. 4b and a 1-axis Y-axis laser interferometer 4c, and the rotation of the reticle stage 5 around the Z-axis from the difference between the measured values of the X-axis laser interferometers 4a and 4b. It is configured to be able to measure the angle (amount of movement). This also applies to the following wafer stage system.
  • the wafer W is held on a wafer stage (Z-leveling stage) 34 via a wafer holder (not shown), and the wafer stage 34 is placed on the wafer base 35 in the X and Y directions. It is mounted so that it can move freely.
  • the two-dimensional position of the wafer stage 34 is measured by the laser interferometer 37 and the movable mirror 38 arranged correspondingly, and the measured value and the control information from the main control system 28 are used.
  • a wafer stage control system (not shown) controls the position and speed of the wafer stage 34 in the X and Y directions.
  • the wafer stage 34 is provided with information on focus positions (positions in the optical axis AX direction) at a plurality of measurement points on the surface of the wafer W from an auto focus sensor (not shown, an optical sensor using an oblique incidence method).
  • the focus position of the wafer W and the tilt angles around the X and Y axes are controlled by the servo method so that the surface of the wafer W is focused on the image plane of the projection optical system PL during exposure based on the I do.
  • the wafer base 35 is provided with a vibration isolator 36 A, 36 B (actually, three or four (Including a vibration isolator).
  • the vibration isolators 36 A and 36 B are active vibration isolators including one-way or hydraulic mechanical dampers and electromagnetic actuators. The vibration component of the frequency is suppressed, and the vibration component of the low frequency is suppressed by the electromagnetic actuator.
  • An active vibration isolation table similar to the vibration isolation tables 36 A and 36 B may be provided between the reticle base 3 and a column (not shown).
  • a wafer stage system is composed of a wafer base 35, a wafer stage 34, and a driving mechanism (not shown). The wafer stage system is provided in a wafer chamber 33 as a highly airtight partition (airtight chamber). It is stored.
  • the reticle R and the wafer W are projected onto a single shot or area on the wafer W via the projection optical system PL via the projection optical system PL, and the magnification of the projection optical system PL is used as the speed ratio.
  • the operation of synchronously moving in the direction and the operation of stepping the wafer W in the X and Y directions are repeated in a step-and-scan manner.
  • the projection exposure apparatus of the present embodiment is of the scanning exposure type, but it goes without saying that the present invention is also effective for a batch exposure type (static exposure type) projection exposure apparatus such as a stepper.
  • the exposure light IL vacuum ultraviolet light as in this example the acid from the optical path containing water vapor, carbon dioxide (C_ ⁇ 2, etc.), and exposure light of a gas such as hydrocarbon-based (organic) It is necessary to eliminate “absorbent gas”, which is a gas that has a strong absorption rate for IL.
  • the gas that transmits the exposure beam that is, in this example, the “transmissive gas” that has low absorption for the exposure light I in the vacuum ultraviolet region includes nitrogen and noble gases (helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon, radon). , And their mixtures.
  • the projection exposure apparatus of the present embodiment uses the “purge gas” selected from the transparent gases based on, for example, the required stability of the imaging characteristics and the operating cost, and uses the exposure light source 3 1
  • a gas exchange mechanism gas supply mechanism
  • a rare gas such as helium as a purge gas if the exposure wavelength 1 5 7 nm (F 2 laser), or nitrogen can be used, as long as the exposure wavelength is 1 2 6 nm (A r 2 lasers)
  • a rare gas such as helium or oxygen can be used as the purge gas.
  • Oxygen molecules are formed as absorptive gas because the absorption at 157 nm is quite large. However, for 126 nm, the absorption is smaller than that of nitrogen molecule. Therefore, if the exposure wavelength is 126 nm (Ar 2 laser), oxygen can be used as the purge gas. In the present embodiment, as an example, a hemisphere gas is used as the purge gas in consideration of the stability of the imaging characteristics and the measurement accuracy of the laser interferometer.
  • the optical paths of the exposure light IL from the exposure light source 31 to the wafer W are respectively the sub-chamber of the exposure light source 31 as an airtight chamber, the sub-chamber of the illumination optical system 32, the reticle chamber 2, and the projection optics. It is divided into an airtight chamber in the system PL and an optical path inside the wafer chamber 33. Further, in this example, the predetermined rooms adjacent to the reticle chamber 2 and the wafer chamber 33 are also hermetically sealed, and a purge gas is supplied to the plurality of hermetic chambers from the gas exchanger. .
  • the covering members 39A to 39D are, for example, a protective film having good elasticity (such as polyethylene) and a film material having good gas barrier properties (for example, made of ethylene vinyl alcohol resin (EVOH resin)).
  • EVOH resin examples include Kuraray's EVAL (EVAL) (trademark or registered trademark of Kuraray) "and the like.
  • the gas exchange mechanism of the present example takes in the gas exhausted from each airtight chamber, the air supply / exhaust device 51 shown in Fig. 1, the air supply pipe 52 that supplies a high-purity purge gas to each airtight chamber, and the gas exhausted from each airtight chamber.
  • the supply / exhaust device 51 includes an exhaust pipe 53, a gas purifier that removes impurities (dust and absorbent gas, etc.) from the collected gas, a storage device that replenishes high-purity purge gas, and a gas
  • An air supply device is provided that synthesizes purge gas from the purifying device and the storage device, controls the temperature, and supplies the temperature to the air supply pipe 52 side.
  • An impurity sensor for measuring the residual concentration of impurities (for example, typically oxygen) is installed in each of the hermetic chambers.
  • the main control system 28 operates based on the measurement information of the impurity sensors.
  • the air supply / exhaust device 51 so that the impurity concentration of The gas in the airtight chamber is replaced with a purge gas.
  • the air supply / exhaust device 51 may supply the purge gas to each of the hermetic chambers at a pressure of about atmospheric pressure by a flow control method. May be supplied.
  • the air supply / exhaust device 51 of this example may collect gas exhausted from each airtight chamber into a cylinder or the like.
  • the above-described gas purifying device, storage device, and air supply device can be omitted.
  • a pellicle (not shown), which is a dust-proof film having a thickness of about l m, is stretched on a pattern surface of the reticle R via a metal frame-shaped pellicle frame (not shown).
  • An example of a reticle on which a pellicle is stretched is shown in FIG. 5.
  • a pellicle 73 is stretched on a pattern surface of a reticle R5 via a pellicle frame 74.
  • minute ventilation holes 74a and 74b are formed.
  • the purge gas is passed through the vent holes 74a and 74b and into the space surrounded by the pattern surface of the reticle R5, the pellicle frame 74, and the pellicle 73 (hereinafter, referred to as "pellicle space"). Fill (details described later).
  • pellicle space the space surrounded by the pattern surface of the reticle R5, the pellicle frame 74, and the pellicle 73 (hereinafter, referred to as "pellicle space").
  • Fill (details described later).
  • an organic film is currently used as a pellicle, but the organic film sometimes absorbs a large amount of vacuum ultraviolet light.
  • a dust-proof member made of fluorite or quartz doped with fluorine having a thickness of about 300 to 800 ⁇ may be used. .
  • the pellicle and the dustproof member correspond to the protective member of the present invention.
  • a reticle transport guide H r is installed outside the chamber 1, and a plurality of reticle ports 23, 26 (see FIG. 1) for transferring the reticle at the end of the chamber 1, that is, above the transfer chamber 42. ) Is set, and various reticles are loaded and unloaded via the reticle ports 23 and 26 by the reticle transport vehicle 49 that moves along the reticle transport guide Hr.
  • the reticle in order to prevent foreign matter (dust and dirt) from adhering to the reticle during transportation in the semiconductor device manufacturing factory, the reticle (actually, A pellicle (protection member) is stretched over the reticle case 22.
  • the pellicle is housed and transported in a reticle case 22, which is a substantially sealed case.
  • the inside of the reticle case 22 may be gas-replaced with nitrogen or a rare gas. In this case, it is desirable that the inside of the reticle case 22 be replaced with a gas of the same type as the purge gas in the transfer chamber 42.
  • the above-described delivery chamber 42 includes a second delivery chamber 41 having reticle ports 23 and 26 and a reticle opening / closing mechanism 45, and a first delivery chamber adjacent to the second delivery chamber 41 and having a transport pot 20. It consists of a delivery room 40.
  • SMIF is a mechanical interface technology that standardizes the case where reticle and jewelry are stored in order to standardize the transfer of reticle jewelry between various devices during photolithography, for example.
  • (Standard mechanical interface) technology has been proposed.
  • SMIFpod trade name
  • the reticle case 22 of this example is a bottom-open type container including a box-shaped upper lid 22 b and a lower lid 22 a that can be attached to and detached from the bottom side.
  • a main control system 28 for controlling the operation of the projection exposure apparatus of this embodiment includes various process data (exposure data) from a host computer 29 in a semiconductor device manufacturing factory via a communication cable. Is sent. Further, the projection exposure apparatus of the present example is currently executing a predetermined exposure process (hereinafter, referred to as “current exposure process”), and in the current exposure process, the pattern on the reticle R is It is assumed that the wafer W is being exposed.
  • current exposure process a predetermined exposure process
  • the type of the reticle used in the next exposure process or the subsequent exposure process is determined by the process data in the main control system 28 or the process data sent from the host computer 29. While the current exposure process is in progress, the main control system 28 issues a command to a reticle port control system (not shown) to specify the type of reticle to be received next and the reticle boat to be used. Accordingly, the reticle to be exposed in the next exposure process (hereinafter referred to as “reticle R 5”) is the reticle.
  • the carrier 49 places the reticle port 23 on the chamber 1 while being housed in the reticle case 22.
  • the reticle port 23 has an opening 41b large enough to allow the lower lid 22a of the reticle case 22 to pass through, as shown in Fig. 2, but the opening 41b is the upper lid 2 Covered in 2b almost closed.
  • infrared communication devices 24 and 27 for the main control system 28 to communicate with the reticle carrier 49.
  • the main control system 28 is It is possible to confirm whether reticle R5 in reticle case 22 is actually a reticle to be used in the next exposure process.
  • a reticle case opening / closing mechanism 45 is provided in the second transfer chamber 41 on the bottom surface of the reticle port 23.
  • the reticle opening / closing mechanism 45 includes a mount part 46 that receives the lower lid part 22 of the reticle case 22 through the opening 41b, a lifting shaft 47 that supports the mounting part 46, and a lifting shaft 47. And a drive unit 48 for moving the actuator up and down.
  • the lower lid 2 2 of the reticle case 2 2 placed on the reticle port 2 3 a is delivered to the reticle case opening / closing mechanism 45.
  • the reticle R5 held on the lower lid 22a is lowered by the reticle case opening / closing mechanism 45 to reach the position P1.
  • An opening 41a that is opened and closed by the shirt 10F is formed in the partition wall 1b near the position P1.
  • a transfer port pot 20 is provided in the first transfer chamber 40.
  • the transfer port pot 20 is provided with an arm portion 2OA having three degrees of freedom (X direction, Y direction, and rotation direction) in a three-stage configuration, and a driving portion 20B for driving the arm portion 2OA.
  • the reticle can be two-dimensionally moved at a predetermined rotation angle within a predetermined movement range.
  • the transfer robot 20 is supported so as to be able to move in the Y direction along the Y-axis guide 21.
  • the Y-axis guide 21 is fixed to the lift table 4 4, and the lift table 4 4 is a Z-axis guide 4 3 Is supported so that it can move up and down in the Z direction.
  • the movement operation of the reticle by the transfer robot 20 and the movement operation of the transfer robot 20 in the Y direction and the Z direction are controlled by the main control system 28, respectively.
  • An opening that can be opened and closed by the shirt 10E is formed in the bulkhead 1a near the tip of the Z-axis guide 43.
  • a gas replacement chamber 16 as an airtight chamber is arranged so as to be adjacent to the first delivery chamber 40 through the mouth, and a support portion 17 for supporting the reticle is installed in the gas replacement chamber 16.
  • a transfer chamber 8 as an airtight chamber is installed between the gas replacement chamber 16 and the reticle chamber 2, and an opening between the gas replacement chamber 16 and the transfer chamber 8, and the transfer chamber 8 and the reticle chamber.
  • the opening between the two is opened and closed by 10C and 1OA, respectively.
  • a second transfer robot 9 for rotating the reticle two-dimensionally within a predetermined range and moving the reticle within a predetermined range is installed in the transfer chamber 8 in the same manner as the transfer robot 20.
  • the reticle is also delivered to and from the reticle chamber 2 through the opening 8 and the corresponding opening of the reticle chamber 2.
  • the above-described film-like coating is formed so as to cover the gap between the opening of the transfer chamber 8 and the opening of the reticle chamber 2.
  • a member 39D is provided.
  • a reticle storage 14 (detailed later) as a first mask storage chamber (airtight chamber) sandwiching the transfer chamber 8 in the Y direction, and a foreign matter inspection device (detailed later)
  • a foreign substance inspection room 15 is installed as an airtight room, and an opening between the transfer chamber 8 and the reticle storage 14 and an opening between the transfer room 8 and the foreign substance inspection room 15 are provided.
  • the mouth is opened and closed at the shirts 10B and 10D, respectively.
  • the transfer robot 9 in the transfer chamber 8 transfers the reticle between the gas replacement chamber 16, the reticle storage 14, the foreign substance inspection chamber 15, and the reticle chamber 2 adjacent to the transfer chamber 8.
  • the shirts 10A to 10F are usually closed.
  • the gas inside the second delivery chamber 41, the first delivery chamber 40, and the gas replacement chamber 16 of the present example is configured so that the gas can be replaced by the purge gas at any time by the supply / exhaust device 51 of FIG.
  • the gas in the transfer chamber 8, the reticle storage 14 and the foreign matter inspection chamber 15 is replaced by a purge gas by the air supply / exhaust device 51 so that the impurity concentration is always below a predetermined allowable range. .
  • reticle R5 reaches the position P1 in the second transfer chamber 41, the shirt evening 1OF is opened, and the reticle R5 is moved to the transfer port pot 2 which has passed through the opening 41a. 0 arm 2 Handed over to OA.
  • reticle R 5 is delivered first Move to position P2 in the locker room 40 and the shirt 10F is closed. Thereafter, the reticle R5 moves up along the Z-axis guide 43 via the lifting platform 44 together with the transport robot 20, and the lifting platform 44 reaches the position Q1 indicated by the two-dot chain line.
  • the transfer robot 20 moves along the Y-axis guide 21, and the transfer robot 20 stops in front of the gas replacement chamber 16. In FIG.
  • the shirt 10E is opened at that time, and the reticle R5 is positioned on the support 17 in the gas replacement chamber 16 as indicated by the two-dot chain line by the transfer port 20. Conveyed to P3. After that, the arm portion 2OA of the transfer port pot 20 returns to the first transfer room 40, and the shirt 10E is closed.
  • the reticle R 5 is placed at the position P 3 in the gas replacement chamber 16, and in a state where the shirts 10 C and 10 E are closed, the gas replacement chamber 16 is supplied by the air supply / exhaust device 51. The gas inside is replaced by purge gas. Thereafter, the shirt 10C is opened, and the reticle R5 at the position P3 in the gas replacement chamber 16 is transferred to the position P4 in the transfer chamber 8 by the transfer robot 9 in the transfer chamber 8. . Thereafter, the shirt evening 10C is closed, the shirt evening 10B in FIG. 1 is opened, and the reticle R5 at the position P3 in the transfer chamber 8 is stored in the first reticle storage 14. You.
  • the gas replacement chamber 16 has shirts 10 at both the inlet side and the outlet side. E and 10C are provided. When carrying in, only the shirt side 10E on the entrance side is opened and the reticle R5 is carried in, then the shirt side 10E is closed and gas replacement is performed.
  • a reticle case 25 similar to reticle case 22 is also placed on reticle port 26 adjacent to reticle port 23, and reticle R 6 is placed in reticle case 25. It is stored.
  • a delivery chamber similar to the second delivery chamber 41 in FIG. 2 is installed, and a reticle case opening / closing mechanism similar to the reticle case opening / closing mechanism 45 is installed therein.
  • the reticle R 6 in the reticle case 25 is also transferred into the gas replacement chamber 16 via the transfer robot 20 in the first transfer chamber 40 as necessary.
  • FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the gas replacement chamber 16 of FIG. 2 as viewed from the shirt side 10E on the entrance side.
  • the reticle R 5 has a bellows 8 on the side wall of the gas replacement chamber 16.
  • Via the OA, 80 B it is held by a holding mechanism 79.
  • A, 79 B provided in an airtight state and extendable and contractible.
  • the holding mechanisms 79 A and 79 B correspond to the support 17 in FIG.
  • the air supply pipe 54B and the exhaust pipe 55B of the gas replacement chamber 16 are connected to the air supply pipe 52 and the exhaust pipe 53 shown in Fig. 1, respectively.
  • the gas inside is replaced by a purge gas.
  • a method (flow purge) in which the air supply from the air supply pipe 54B and the exhaust gas from the exhaust pipe 55B are simultaneously performed may be adopted.
  • a method may be adopted in which the pressure inside is temporarily reduced and then the purge gas is supplied through the air supply pipe 54B.
  • a pellicle frame 73 is stretched over the reticle R 5 in the present example via a pellicle frame 74, and is surrounded by the pattern surface, the pellicle frame 74, and the veicle 73.
  • the gas supply pipe 81 A and exhaust pipe 81 B dedicated to the pellicle space are replaced with gas through bellows 82 A and 82 B.
  • the side wall of the chamber 16 is connected to the vent holes 74 a and 74 b of the pellicle frame 74.
  • the air supply pipe 81A and the exhaust pipe 81B are connected to the air supply pipe 52 and the exhaust pipe 53 of Fig. 1 via flow control valves (not shown), respectively.
  • the gas in the pellicle space can be replaced with a purge gas at a desired flow rate.
  • the ends of the supply pipe 81A and the exhaust pipe 81B are attached to the ends of Viton, Kalrez, and Arma Crystal, respectively.
  • 83 A and 83 B made of a fluororesin such as (trade name).
  • the gas pressure inside the gas replacement chamber 16 fluctuates beyond the specified allowable range with the gas replacement regardless of whether the above-mentioned air supply pipe 81 A and exhaust pipe 81 B dedicated to the pellicle space are provided. Then, the pellicle 73 may be damaged. To prevent this, an oblique incidence light transmitting system 77 that irradiates the pellicle surface obliquely with a light beam and a light receiving system that receives the reflected light from the surface of the pellicle 7 8 A pellicle displacement measuring device including the following is provided.
  • the expansion amount of the pellicle is roughly calculated, and the inside of the gas replacement chamber 16 and the pellicle space are controlled via the air supply / exhaust device 51 so that the expansion amount thus determined does not exceed a predetermined allowable range. Replace with a purge gas.
  • the pressure in the pellicle space is measured, and the air supply / exhaust device is set so that the pressure change does not exceed a predetermined range.
  • the replacement of the pellicle space with the purge gas may be performed via 51.
  • substances that strongly absorb vacuum ultraviolet light are not limited to the above-mentioned oxygen, water vapor, carbon dioxide, etc., and most organic substances also show strong absorption.
  • a small amount of organic matter is deposited on the surface of the reticle R5 and the surface of the pellicle 73 during storage in a semiconductor factory or before, which may also reduce the transmittance of exposure light. There is.
  • a light cleaning lamp 76 A for emitting vacuum ultraviolet light or ultraviolet light such as a xenon (Xe) lamp having a wavelength of 1 ⁇ 2 nm, such that a reticle R 5 is vertically sandwiched inside the gas replacement chamber 16.
  • the luminous fluxes from the lamps 76A and 76B are used in parallel with the replacement of the gas inside the gas replacement chamber 16 with the purge gas. Irradiate pellicle 73.
  • Such light irradiation is also effective for decomposing water chemically attached to reticle R5 and pellicle 73.
  • the above-described cleaning by irradiation with vacuum ultraviolet light or ultraviolet light is more effective in an environment containing a small amount of oxygen. Therefore, the above-described irradiation is performed in the gas replacement chamber 16 and in the velcro space. It is desirable that the replacement be performed in a state where the replacement with the purge gas is not completely completed. Specifically, after moving reticle R5 into gas replacement chamber 16, replacement with purge gas was started while irradiating reticle R5 and pellicle 73 with light from lamps 76A and 76B. At the stage when the oxygen concentration in the gas replacement chamber 16 has decreased to the predetermined first concentration, the gas replacement is temporarily interrupted and the light irradiation is continued.
  • the gas replacement may be restarted, and the gas replacement may be completed when the oxygen concentration falls to the predetermined second concentration.
  • the predetermined concentration is, for example, set to about 1% to 10 ppm for the first concentration and about 10 O ppm to 1 ppm for the second concentration and lower than the first concentration. Set it to a value.
  • another impurity concentration may be measured.
  • the location where the above-mentioned lamps 76A and 76B are arranged is good even in the space where the reticle R5 is arranged (the space where the gas is replaced by the supply pipe 54B and the exhaust pipe 55B).
  • the capacity of the space for gas replacement becomes large, and the time from carrying in the reticle R5 to completion of gas replacement becomes longer, which is not preferable.
  • the gas replacement chamber 16 between the space 71 in which the reticle R5 is arranged and the spaces 72A and 72B in which the lamps 76A and 76B are arranged.
  • a window member 75A, 75B is provided to transmit the light flux from the lamps 76A, 76B well, and the space 71 and the spaces 72A, 72B are separated.
  • the gas in the spaces 72A and 72B in which the lamps 76A and 76B are arranged has been replaced with a gas through which the luminous flux from the lamps 76A and 76B passes. Needless to say.
  • the capacity of the space 71 for storing the reticle R5 can be reduced, and the replacement with the purge gas can be performed in a short time.
  • the refractive index with respect to the exposure wavelength may be significantly different from other gases.
  • the refractive index of helium is very different from that of nitrogen or argon.
  • the space in the reticle chamber 2 in FIG. 2 is a part of the exposure light path, and a change in the refractive index of the space in the reticle chamber 2 is directly linked to a change in the imaging characteristics. Therefore, the refractive index of the gas charged into the reticle space around the reticle carried into the reticle chamber 2 and the refractive index of the gas inside the reticle chamber 2 need to be substantially the same.
  • the type of gas for replacing the inside of the gas replacement chamber 16 may be the same as the type of purge gas for replacing the inside of the reticle chamber 2 as in this example.
  • FIG. 3 shows the second transfer robot 9.
  • the second transfer port pot 9 is a driving device that moves up and down in the vertical direction and rotates a rotary shaft 9 b on this.
  • a structure 9a an arm 9 connected to a rotating shaft 9b, an arm 9e connected to the arm 9c via a rotating shaft 9d, and a rotating mechanism connected to a distal end of the arm 9e. 9 f, and a reticle holder 9 h rotatably held on a rotating mechanism 9 f via a rotating shaft 9 g.
  • On the reticle holder 9h there are provided contact portions 9ha to 9hd, each of which is a portion for contacting and adsorbing the reticle surface.
  • the reticle on the reticle holder 9h can be transported.
  • the first reticle storage 14 adjacent to the transfer chamber 8 in FIG. 1 will be described with reference to FIG.
  • FIG. 4 (A) is a cross-sectional view showing the first reticle storage 14, and FIG. 4 (B) is a bottom view of a part of FIG. 4 (A).
  • a plurality of reticle storage libraries 70 A to 7 OF are arranged in a box-shaped reticle storage 14, and these reticle storage libraries 70 A to 70 F (excluding 70 D) are provided.
  • Reticles R8 to R13 are stored respectively.
  • an opening is formed in the side wall of the reticle storage 14 in contact with the transfer chamber 8 in FIG. 2 (or FIG. 1) to allow a reticle to pass therethrough, and a shirt 10B for opening and closing this opening is provided. .
  • a Z-axis guide 56 is installed near the opening in the reticle storage 14, and a Y-axis guide 11 is installed along the Z-axis guide 56 so as to be able to move up and down in the vertical direction (Z direction).
  • An openable / closable reticle holding arm 57 is installed movably in the horizontal direction (Y direction) along the Y-axis guide 11.
  • the reticle holding arm 57 is opened and closed laterally along the bottom of the reticle to be held (reticle R 5 in FIG. 4) as shown in the bottom view of FIG. I do.
  • the operations of the reticle holding arm 57 and the Y-axis guide 11 are controlled by a first reticle storage control system (not shown) under the main control system 28 in FIG.
  • the shirt 10B is opened and the reticle (reticle R) transferred from the transfer chamber 8 of FIG. 1 into the first reticle storage 14 by the second transfer port pot 9 (reticle R). 5) is held by the reticle holding arm 57.
  • the shirt 10B is closed, and the height of the Y-axis guide 11 is controlled by the first reticle storage control system (not shown).
  • the reticle R5 which has been moved in the horizontal direction along with the reticle R5, is placed on a predetermined empty reticle storage library 70D in the reticle storage library 70A to 70F, Stored here.
  • the first reticle storage control system described above stores the storage destination of the reticle R5 (the reticle storage library 70D in FIG. 4).
  • the reticle replaced by the purge gas in the gas replacement chamber 16 described above is stored, so that the reticle storage 14 is also replaced by the purge gas. I have. Therefore, an air supply pipe 54 A for supplying purge gas into the reticle storage 14 and an exhaust pipe 55 A for exhausting gas in the reticle storage 14 are provided.
  • a small amount of organic matter such as oil may be generated from movable mechanisms such as the Y-axis guide 11 and the reticle holding arm 57. Therefore, in order to efficiently decompose the organic matter, a lamp 58 for generating vacuum ultraviolet light or ultraviolet light such as a xenon lamp is provided in the reticle storage 14.
  • the space in which the reticle is stored and the space in which the lamp 58 is arranged are separated by a window member that transmits the light beam from the lamp 58. It is desirable to separate them. Such separation allows the capacity of the space for accommodating the reticle to be reduced, thereby reducing the amount of purge gas used.
  • an ionizer 59 for ionizing the purge gas in the reticle storage 14 is provided.
  • the Ionaiza 5 9, radioactive material emits small amount of ⁇ rays or / 3-wire, or the use of such braking X-ray source is capable of c
  • the light emitted from the vacuum ultraviolet lamp or ultraviolet lamp such as the xenon lamp Since the bundle also has a function of preventing accumulation of static electricity by ionizing a purge gas or the like, the ionizer 59 can also be used as a vacuum ultraviolet light or a lamp 58 that generates ultraviolet light.
  • the movable member serving as a vibration source also exists in the reticle storage 14. You. If this vibration is transmitted to the reticle stage 5 in the reticle chamber 2 shown in FIG. 2, the positioning accuracy and the like of the reticle stage 5 may be degraded, which may adversely affect the imaging performance and the overlay accuracy. Therefore, if the reticle storage 14 and the reticle chamber 2 are to be connected via the opening, the reticle has the flexibility shown in FIG. 2 so as to prevent the transmission of the vibration and to close the connection. It is desirable to provide a film-like covering member similar to the film-like covering member 39D.
  • the gas replacement for the reticle R5 to be used in the next exposure process and the light cleaning by light irradiation from the lamp are completed, and the reticle R5 is put into the first reticle storage 14 of the reticle R5.
  • the gas replacement and the reticle to be used in the next exposure process for example, reticle R6 in Fig. 1
  • Cleaning and storage in the first reticle storage 14 are also possible.
  • the reticle holding arm 57 is moved to the reticle storage library 70 D 'in which the reticle R5 to be used next is stored, and the reticle R5 to be used is unloaded.
  • the shirt 10B is opened, and the reticle R5 is transferred into the transfer chamber 8 by the second transfer robot 9 in FIG.
  • the shirt 1 O A between the transfer chamber 8 and the reticle chamber 2 is opened, and the reticle R 5 is placed at the position P 5 on the reticle loader 7 A in the reticle chamber 2.
  • the second transfer robot 9 receives the used reticle R on the reticle stage 5 and transfers the reticle R into the transfer chamber 8.
  • the reticle R5 to be used in the next exposure process is transferred from the reticle loader 7A onto the reticle stage 5, and after the reticle R5 is aligned, The next exposure process is started.
  • the reticles R 5 and R 6 used in the subsequent exposure processes are replaced with a purge gas (gas replacement) and optical cleaning during the current exposure process, and thereafter, are performed.
  • Reticles R 5 and R 6 were replaced by the first gas Since the reticle is stored in the reticle storage 14, the reticle gas replacement and light cleaning can be performed as background processing that proceeds in parallel with the exposure operation. For this reason, it is possible to substantially eliminate the adverse effect on the processing performance of the exposure apparatus, the time required for gas replacement of the reticle and light cleaning.
  • a bar code reader that reads a bar code written on reticle R5 may be installed nearby.
  • the above-mentioned per code reader is provided in the vicinity of the reticle loaders 7 A and 7 B, in the vicinity of the first transfer port pot 20, and in the vicinity of the second transfer port pot 9 in the reticle chamber 2. It is also possible to check the type of reticle.
  • the lamp ionizer 59 for generating vacuum ultraviolet light or ultraviolet light which is installed in the first reticle storage 14, is attached to other places, for example, the gas replacement chamber 16 and the transfer chamber 8.
  • the reticle may be installed in the reticle chamber 2 to prevent static electricity and perform optical cleaning.
  • the reticle storage 14 has a plurality of reticle storage libraries 7OA to 7OF, but the reticle storage 14 may be configured to store one reticle.
  • the first reticle opening 7A in FIG. 2 may function as a reticle storage.
  • the reticle storage may be installed in the transfer room 8, or a space for storing the reticle (this is referred to as a “first storage space”) may be secured.
  • first transport path when the reticle (mask) is stored in the first storage space on the transport path between the gas replacement chamber 16 and the reticle chamber 2 (this is called the “first transport path”).
  • the reticle transport path can be shortened.
  • a transfer path extending from the gas replacement chamber 16 in a direction intersecting the first transfer path (this is called a “second transfer path”) Reticles are stored in the space above the reticle storage 14 (called the “second storage space”).
  • the second storage space By storing the reticles in the second storage space on the second transport path intersecting the first transport path, a large number of reticles can be easily stored.
  • the reticle R used in the previous exposure process and carried out into the transfer chamber 8 as described above passes through the gas replacement chamber 16 and the first transfer port pot 20 to form the reticle port 23. Or it can be returned into the reticle case 22 or 25 on 26.
  • the reticle R may be stored again in the first reticle storage 14 from the transfer chamber 8 by the second transfer robot 9. . In this case, the next time the reticle R is used, it may be transported from the first reticle storage 14, and the time for gas replacement and light cleaning can be omitted.
  • the configuration of the first reticle storage 14 is not limited to the above configuration shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, and another configuration may be adopted.
  • the reticle storage library 70 A to 70 F in the configuration of Fig. 4 there is another Y-axis guide (or a horizontal axis guide extending in the X direction, etc.) and a movable axis held by a Z-axis guide.
  • a reticle holding arm of the type may be provided so that the reticle storage library 70A to 70F can be loaded and unloaded from both the left and right in FIG. 4 (A).
  • the arrangement of the first reticle storage 14 is not the example shown in FIGS.
  • the reticle holding arms are configured to correspond to the transfer of the reticle that is carried into and out of the transfer chamber 8 and the reticle chamber 2, respectively.
  • the reticle that can be stored in the first reticle storage 14 described above is used. Needs to be increased.
  • a plurality of first reticle storages 14 can be provided.
  • the efficiency is somewhat lowered, as shown in FIG. 1, the first reticle storage 14 is placed on the reticle transport path between the reticle ports 23 and 26 and the gas replacement chamber 16.
  • a second reticle storage 18 having a structure composed of a Y-axis guide 30 or the like in FIG. 1, reticle R 7 is stored
  • the inside of the second reticle storage 18 may have the same air environment as the outside air. Therefore, in the second reticle storage 18,
  • vacuum ultraviolet light or lamps that generate ultraviolet light It is also effective to install the reticle in the second reticle storage 18.
  • the loading and unloading of the reticle into and out of the second reticle storage 18 may be performed by the first transfer robot 20.
  • optical cleaning of the reticle is performed on or near the transport path for transporting the reticle into the reticle chamber 2, replacement of the gas around the reticle by a purge gas (gas replacement chamber 16), and The reticle is stored (reticle storage 14), but the light cleaning, the replacement with the purge gas, and the storage need only be performed before the reticle is loaded into the reticle chamber 2.
  • the gas replacement chamber 16, the transfer chamber 8, and the first reticle storage 14 are desirably structured so as not to have a dust source inside. To a certain extent, dusting cannot be avoided. Therefore, foreign substances (dust, dirt, etc.) may adhere to the reticle while passing through these transport paths. Therefore, in this example, a gas-exchanged foreign substance inspection chamber 15 is provided next to the transfer chamber 8, and a foreign substance inspection device is provided in this chamber, so that foreign substances on the reticle can be detected even in an environment where the gas is exchanged. did.
  • the principle and structure of the foreign substance inspection apparatus are the same as those of the conventional foreign substance inspection apparatus that operates in the atmosphere, and a detailed description thereof will be omitted.
  • an inspection apparatus having a light beam scanning unit that scans a laser beam two-dimensionally on a surface to be inspected and a light receiving unit that receives scattered light from the surface to be inspected is used. be able to.
  • the outside of the inspection device is covered with an airtight partition to adapt to gas replacement, and an air supply pipe for supplying purge gas and an exhaust pipe for exhausting gas inside the partition are provided in the partition.
  • the inside can be replaced with purge gas.
  • a lamp ionizer for generating vacuum ultraviolet light or ultraviolet light as described above. This makes it possible to prevent the reticle from being charged and to perform optical cleaning during the inspection of foreign matter.
  • the inside pressure of the reticle chamber 2 and the first reticle storage 14 is set to be higher than the pressure of other parts. Good. This can prevent foreign matter from entering the reticle chamber 2 or the first reticle storage 14.
  • the projection exposure apparatus shown in FIG. 2 is configured such that empty reticle cases 22 and 25 can be stored in the upper storage space 50 inside the chamber 1.
  • the reticle case 22 may be filled with a permeable gas such as nitrogen in advance and transported to the exposure apparatus.
  • a permeable gas such as nitrogen
  • the mechanism for replacing the inside of the transfer chambers 40 and 41 with purge gas is not provided. It is not necessarily required.
  • Double exposure method has begun to be adopted.
  • two reticles are used to expose one layer of one wafer, so that the reticle on the reticle stage needs to be changed at a high speed.
  • the reticle loader 7B has a reticle that is in standby among the two reticles (see FIG. In (2), reticle R 1) can be temporarily evacuated. That is, in FIG. 2, it is assumed that the first reticle loader 7A is empty, and one reticle R is exposed on the reticle stage 5, and then the reticle stage 5 is moved in the + X direction in FIG. It moves and is delivered to the first reticle loader 7A. After that, the reticle stage 5 moves in the _X direction in FIG.
  • the reticle stage 5 After the exposure of the reticle R1, the reticle stage 5 is moved again in the X direction in FIG. 2 and the reticle opening 7B: The reticle R1 is delivered and retracted, and then the reticle stage 5 is moved. Is moved in the + X direction to receive the retracted reticle R from the reticle loader 7A and perform exposure. With such a configuration, the time required to exchange two reticles is reduced, and higher processing performance can be achieved during exposure by the double exposure method.
  • the reticle stage 5 may be a double holder type capable of holding two reticles in parallel.
  • reticle chamber 2 has been described as surrounding reticle R and reticle stage 5.
  • the space around the reticle R may be locally replaced with a purge gas without providing the box-shaped reticle chamber 2 surrounding the reticle R and the reticle stage 5.
  • a space that is locally replaced with a purge gas can be defined as a “reticle chamber”.
  • the first reticle opening 7A may be used as a reticle storage.
  • wafer chamber 33 has been described as surrounding wafer W and wafer stage 34.
  • the space between the wafer-side end of the projection optical system PL and the wafer "W" is locally replaced with a purge gas.
  • a space that is locally replaced with a purge gas can be defined as a “wafer chamber”.
  • the present invention conveys the reticle onto the reticle stage 5.
  • the present invention is applied to the case where the present invention is applied, but the present invention can also be applied to a case where a wafer as a substrate is transferred onto a wafer stage 35 (substrate stage) in FIG.
  • the transfer chamber 8, the gas replacement chamber 16, and the transfer chamber 8 are provided in the wafer chamber 33.
  • the transfer chambers 42 may be sequentially connected, and the transfer chamber 8 may be connected to a wafer storage similar to the reticle storage 14 in FIG.
  • a wafer coated with a resist 1 (photosensitive material) by a resist coat (not shown) is housed in a highly airtight case, and a port (reticle port 2) of a transfer chamber 42 is provided. (Port similar to 3).
  • the wafer is stored in the wafer storage from the transfer chamber 42 through the gas replacement chamber 16 and the transfer chamber 8 with the surrounding space being replaced by a purge gas. Thereafter, the wafer is efficiently transferred from the wafer storage to the wafer chamber 33 during exposure.
  • a light cleaning lamp inside the gas replacement chamber 16 or the like is used in order to prevent unnecessary exposure of the resist. It is desirable to omit it.
  • the preparation time until the start of exposure can be shortened, and moisture and the like adhering to the wafer surface can be reduced. There are advantages too. Further, even when a KrF excimer laser (wavelength: 248 nm) is used as the exposure light, it is desirable to supply a purge gas such as helium gas or nitrogen gas to the optical path.
  • the concentration of the purge gas is reduced to, for example, about 90 to 99%, a high exposure intensity can be obtained on the wafer, and a high measurement accuracy can be obtained with a sensor such as a laser interferometer.
  • a sensor such as a laser interferometer.
  • an illumination optical system and a projection optical system composed of a plurality of lenses are incorporated into the exposure apparatus main body to perform optical adjustment, and a reticle stage consisting of many mechanical parts is attached to the exposure apparatus main body to perform wiring and the like.
  • Connect the piping and make overall adjustments (electrical adjustment, operation check, etc.) to manufacture the exposure apparatus of the above embodiment can do. It is desirable that the exposure apparatus be manufactured in a clean room where the temperature and cleanliness are controlled.
  • FIG. 6 shows an example of a semiconductor device manufacturing process.
  • a wafer W is manufactured from a silicon semiconductor or the like.
  • a photoresist is applied onto the wafer W (step S10), and in the next step S12, the reticle R1 is placed on the reticle stage 5 of the projection exposure apparatus of the above embodiment (FIG. 2).
  • the pattern (represented by the symbol A) of the reticle R1 is transferred (exposed) to all the shot areas SE on the wafer W by a scanning exposure method.
  • the wafer W is, for example, a wafer having a diameter of 30 O mm (12-inch wafer).
  • the size of the shot area SE is, for example, 25 mm in the non-scanning direction and 33 mm in the scanning direction. Is a rectangular area.
  • a predetermined pattern is formed in each shot area SE of the wafer W by performing development, etching, ion implantation, and the like.
  • step S16 a photoresist is applied on the wafer W, and then in step S18, the reticle R 2 is placed on the reticle stage 5 of the projection exposure apparatus of the above embodiment (FIG. 2).
  • the reticle R 2 is transferred (exposed) to each shot area SE on the wafer W by a scanning exposure method.
  • step S20 a predetermined pattern is formed in each shot region of the wafer W by performing development, etching, ion implantation, and the like of the wafer W.
  • the above exposure process to pattern formation process are repeated as many times as necessary to manufacture a desired semiconductor device.
  • step S22 for separating each chip CP on the wafer W one by one, a bonding process, a packaging process, etc.
  • step S224 a product is obtained.
  • the semiconductor device SP is manufactured.
  • the present invention is applied to the scanning exposure type projection exposure apparatus.
  • the present invention is not limited to this, and is a batch exposure type (stationary exposure type) such as a step and repeat type.
  • the same can be applied to a projection exposure apparatus or an exposure apparatus of a proximity system or the like.
  • the application of the exposure apparatus is not limited to an exposure apparatus for manufacturing a semiconductor element.
  • a liquid crystal display element formed on a square glass plate, an exposure apparatus for a brass display apparatus, an image pickup element (CCD, etc.), thin-film magnetic heads, or DNA chips, etc. can be widely applied to exposure apparatuses for manufacturing various devices.
  • the present invention can be applied to an exposure step (exposure apparatus) when manufacturing a reticle (photomask or the like) on which a reticle pattern of various devices is formed using a photolithographic process. it can.
  • the gas in the vicinity of the mask is replaced with a permeable gas (purge gas) in the gas replacement chamber in advance, and the gas is replaced between the gas replacement chamber and the mask chamber. Since the mask can be temporarily stored on the transport path, when replacing the gas around the mask with a permeable gas, the preparation time until the start of exposure can be shortened, and high productivity can be obtained.
  • a permeable gas purge gas
  • the protective member for protecting the pattern surface of the mask
  • the inside of the protective member is replaced with the permeable gas
  • the protective member is provided. Even under certain conditions, high productivity can be obtained by shortening the preparation time until the start of exposure.
  • the gas in the vicinity of the substrate can be replaced with a permeable gas in advance and temporarily stored before the substrate is transported to the substrate chamber.
  • the preparation time until the start of exposure is reduced, and high productivity is obtained.

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  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Library & Information Science (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Atmospheric Sciences (AREA)
  • Toxicology (AREA)
  • Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
  • Epidemiology (AREA)
  • Public Health (AREA)
  • Exposure And Positioning Against Photoresist Photosensitive Materials (AREA)

Abstract

L'invention concerne un procédé et un dispositif d'alignement permettant d'obtenir une productivité élevée par la réduction du temps de préparation avant le début de l'alignement, lorsqu'un gaz transmettant une lumière d'exposition se substitue au gaz se trouvant autour d'un masque. Lorsqu'une plaquette (W) est exposée à une lumière d'exposition à travers un réticule (R) et un système de projection optique (PL), un gaz transmettant la lumière d'exposition se substitue au gaz se trouvant dans une chambre de réticule (2) où le réticule (R) est placé au moment de l'alignement. Avant de retirer un réticule (R5) utilisé dans ledit procédé d'alignement d'un boîtier de réticule (22) situé au niveau d'une chambre de distribution (42) et de l'acheminer dans la chambre de réticule (2), le gaz de transmission se substitue au gaz se trouvant à proximité du réticule (R5) dans une chambre de substitution de gaz (16) et le réticule (R5) est conservé temporairement sur la voie d'acheminement située entre la chambre de substitution de gaz (16) et la chambre de réticule (2).
PCT/JP2002/004707 2001-05-16 2002-05-15 Procede et dispositif d'alignement, procede et systeme d'acheminement de substrat WO2002093626A1 (fr)

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WO2011016254A1 (fr) * 2009-08-07 2011-02-10 株式会社ニコン Appareil de corps mobile, appareil d’exposition, procédé d’exposition et procédé de fabrication de dispositif
JP2011054999A (ja) * 2010-11-30 2011-03-17 Nikon Corp 露光装置及び方法
KR101496076B1 (ko) 2004-10-26 2015-02-25 가부시키가이샤 니콘 기판 반송 장치, 기판 반송 방법 및 노광 장치
JP2018152610A (ja) * 2018-06-22 2018-09-27 川崎重工業株式会社 基板搬送ロボット
CN110058498A (zh) * 2019-05-22 2019-07-26 深圳市华星光电技术有限公司 彩膜曝光机

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JPH0950951A (ja) * 1995-08-04 1997-02-18 Nikon Corp リソグラフィ方法およびリソグラフィ装置
WO2000055891A1 (fr) * 1999-03-12 2000-09-21 Nikon Corporation Dispositif pour exposition, procede d'exposition et procede de fabrication d'un tel dispositif
JP2001297978A (ja) * 2000-04-12 2001-10-26 Hitachi Ltd 投影露光方法、投影露光装置、及び投影露光用マスク、並びにその方法を用いた半導体装置の製造方法

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JPH06260385A (ja) * 1993-03-08 1994-09-16 Nikon Corp 露光装置
JPH0950951A (ja) * 1995-08-04 1997-02-18 Nikon Corp リソグラフィ方法およびリソグラフィ装置
WO2000055891A1 (fr) * 1999-03-12 2000-09-21 Nikon Corporation Dispositif pour exposition, procede d'exposition et procede de fabrication d'un tel dispositif
JP2001297978A (ja) * 2000-04-12 2001-10-26 Hitachi Ltd 投影露光方法、投影露光装置、及び投影露光用マスク、並びにその方法を用いた半導体装置の製造方法

Cited By (11)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
KR101496076B1 (ko) 2004-10-26 2015-02-25 가부시키가이샤 니콘 기판 반송 장치, 기판 반송 방법 및 노광 장치
WO2011016254A1 (fr) * 2009-08-07 2011-02-10 株式会社ニコン Appareil de corps mobile, appareil d’exposition, procédé d’exposition et procédé de fabrication de dispositif
JP2014007417A (ja) * 2009-08-07 2014-01-16 Nikon Corp 露光装置及び露光方法、並びにデバイス製造方法
KR101494493B1 (ko) * 2009-08-07 2015-02-17 가부시키가이샤 니콘 이동체 장치, 노광 장치 및 노광 방법, 그리고 디바이스 제조 방법
US9164400B2 (en) 2009-08-07 2015-10-20 Nikon Corporation Movable body apparatus, exposure apparatus, exposure method, and device manufacturing method
KR20160027233A (ko) * 2009-08-07 2016-03-09 가부시키가이샤 니콘 이동체 장치, 노광 장치 및 노광 방법, 그리고 디바이스 제조 방법
KR101670640B1 (ko) 2009-08-07 2016-10-28 가부시키가이샤 니콘 이동체 장치, 노광 장치 및 노광 방법, 그리고 디바이스 제조 방법
US9946171B2 (en) 2009-08-07 2018-04-17 Nikon Corporation Movable body apparatus, exposure apparatus, exposure method, and device manufacturing method
JP2011054999A (ja) * 2010-11-30 2011-03-17 Nikon Corp 露光装置及び方法
JP2018152610A (ja) * 2018-06-22 2018-09-27 川崎重工業株式会社 基板搬送ロボット
CN110058498A (zh) * 2019-05-22 2019-07-26 深圳市华星光电技术有限公司 彩膜曝光机

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