WO2017204100A1

WO2017204100A1 - Projection exposure device and projection exposure method therefor

Info

Publication number: WO2017204100A1
Application number: PCT/JP2017/018780
Authority: WO
Inventors: 秀人小谷; 田中　良和; 隆正大庭
Original assignee: 株式会社サーマプレシジョン
Priority date: 2016-05-26
Filing date: 2017-05-19
Publication date: 2017-11-30
Also published as: TW201805733A; JP2017211533A

Abstract

The present invention is provided with: a turntable 120 which has, formed thereon, a plurality of areas 110, 111 in which workpieces are placed, said turntable being configured so as to be capable of rotating and being temporarily stopped in a plurality of prescribed stopping positions; a loader which is capable of loading and unloading the workpieces 510, 511 in the plurality of areas 110, 111; a position detection device 210 which is provided directly above the first area 110; a light source 10, a photomask 20, and a projection optical system 50 which are provided so as to perform projection exposure directly above the second area 111; and a control unit 410 which controls the turntable 120 and each unit. When the workpiece 511 placed in the second area 111 is subjected to projection exposure, the control unit 410 executes parallel processing in which the placement position of the workpiece 510 placed in the first area 110 is detected by the position detection device 210.

Description

Projection exposure apparatus and projection exposure method

The present invention relates to a technique for improving the throughput of a projection exposure apparatus, and more particularly to a technique for improving the throughput by reducing the total projection exposure time.

A projection exposure apparatus that uses a photolithography technique to transfer a pattern on a photomask (reticle) onto a work such as a wafer or a substrate is disclosed in, for example, Reference 1 or Reference 2.

In Cited Document 1, a pattern on an original plate (reticle: photomask) is placed on a table (or stage) that can move in the X (horizontal) -Y (vertical) -θ (rotation) direction via a projection lens. It is projected onto a single exposed object (work). The position of the object to be exposed (work) in each XY direction is detected by a position detection device using a laser interferometer. The cited document 1 discloses a step moving direction for highly accurately aligning the reticle and wafer in step exposure, and a moving direction of the wafer with respect to the laser interferometer of the position detection device.

In Cited Document 2, a table (or stage) on which a single workpiece is placed is not only movable in the X (horizontal) -Y (vertical) -θ (rotating) direction, but also on a photomask (reticle). The table to be placed is movable in the X (horizontal) -Y (vertical) -θ (rotation) direction. Citation 2 discloses that the scan direction and scan speed of both tables can be individually set.

JP 2001-203161 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-260697

However, as a material for the workpiece, for example, a brittle material such as a crystal material or a brittle material such as glass even if it is amorphous may be used. It is necessary to take a slow time. For this reason, the time required for loading and unloading the workpiece into the exposure possible area on the stage requires a very long time such as 70 seconds.

In addition, due to the high definition of transfer patterns in recent years, high accuracy is required for the position detection of the workpiece on the stage when the pattern is transferred onto the workpiece by the projection exposure apparatus, and the time required for position detection is required. It tends to increase. Further, when performing exposure a plurality of times while moving to a plurality of positions as in step exposure or the like, more position detection time is required.

In the conventional projection exposure apparatuses such as Patent Documents 1 and 2, a work is first loaded at a predetermined position on the stage, then the position of the work on the stage is detected, and then the position detected next. In addition, exposure is performed after adjusting the position of the stage or photomask in each direction. That is, in the conventional projection exposure apparatus and the projection exposure method thereof, each process is performed individually one by one, and in order to reduce the total processing time, the time required for each individual process is reduced. Alternatively, there was no other way but to shorten the switching time between each process.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and loads / unloads workpieces in the projection exposure process, detects the position of a workpiece placed on the stage, and corresponds to the position of the workpiece. It is an object of the present invention to provide a projection exposure apparatus and a projection exposure method thereof that can reduce the total processing time compared to the prior art by enabling parallel execution of at least two projection exposure processes.

In order to achieve the above object, one embodiment of a projection exposure apparatus according to the present invention projects a projection exposure with light from a light source on a workpiece by aligning a predetermined pattern of a photomask with a predetermined position on the workpiece. In the projection exposure apparatus for forming the predetermined pattern, a plurality of regions are formed on the uppermost surface of a part on which the work is placed so that the work can be placed at the same time without overlapping. A turntable configured to be capable of being temporarily stopped at a plurality of predetermined stop positions; a loader capable of loading and unloading the workpiece into the plurality of regions of the turntable; and a plurality of regions of the turntable. When one of the first areas is temporarily stopped at one of the predetermined stop positions, the first area of the turntable is When the position detection device arranged to detect the placement position of the workpiece placed in the first area and the first area of the turntable are temporarily stopped at the first stop position Further, a light source, a photo, which is arranged so as to project and expose a work placed in the second region, directly above a second region different from the first region among the plurality of regions in the turntable. Mask and projection optical system, rotation of the turntable and stop at each predetermined stop position, loading and unloading of a plurality of workpieces into each area by a loader, and in each area by the position detection device A control unit for controlling each processing of detection of a placement position of each placed workpiece and projection exposure to each workpiece placed in each region by the light source, the photomask, and the projection optical system. And When the control unit projects and exposes the work placed in the second area with the light source, the photomask, and the projection optical system, at least the placement position of the work placed in the first area Is performed by the position detection device.

In order to achieve the above object, one embodiment of the projection exposure method according to the present invention is directed to projecting and exposing a predetermined pattern of a photomask to a predetermined position on the workpiece by light from a light source. A plurality of regions are formed on the uppermost surface of the part on which the predetermined pattern is formed so that a plurality of workpieces can be placed at the same time without overlapping, and are rotated and predetermined a plurality of stop positions. A projection exposure method using a projection exposure apparatus having a turntable configured to be capable of being temporarily stopped, wherein (A) the work is placed in one first region of the plurality of regions of the turntable. (B) rotating the turntable to temporarily stop the first region at one of the predetermined stop positions; and (C) Detecting the placement position of the workpiece in one area; and (D) re-rotating the turntable to a second stop position different from the first stop position among the predetermined stop positions. A step of temporarily stopping the first region; (E) a step of projecting and exposing a pattern on a photomask onto the workpiece in the first region; and (F) a first step different from the first region of the turntable. When there is the workpiece for which the projection exposure has been completed in the two regions, the workpiece for which the projection exposure has been completed is unloaded from the second region in parallel with the projection exposure processing in (E). A step of ending the cycle; (G) the first region of the first cycle of (A) to (F) is replaced with the second region, and the third region or the two regions only when there are three or more regions If you have a first area If the second cycle is processed and the subsequent cycles are replaced in the ascending order when there are three or more areas, and the process returns to the first area at the end, or if there are only two areas The first region and the second region are alternately replaced with each other.

(A), (b) is a figure which shows schematic structure when the turntable of the exposure apparatus of the 1st Embodiment of this invention stops in a 1st stop position, (a) is a side view, (b) Is a top view. 3 is an operation flowchart of the exposure apparatus according to the first embodiment of the present invention. (A), (b) is a figure which shows schematic structure when the turntable of the exposure apparatus of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention stops in a 1st stop position, (a) is a side view, (b) Is a top view. It is the first half of the operation | movement flowchart of the exposure apparatus of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a second half part of the operation | movement flowchart of the exposure apparatus of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION General Description In one embodiment of a projection exposure apparatus according to the present invention, the projection exposure apparatus of the present invention projects a photomask with light from a light source in accordance with a predetermined pattern on a workpiece. A projection exposure apparatus that forms a predetermined pattern on a workpiece by exposure, and a plurality of regions are formed on a top surface of a portion on which the workpiece is placed so that a plurality of workpieces can be placed simultaneously without overlapping. A turntable configured to be able to rotate and temporarily stop to a plurality of predetermined stop positions, a loader capable of loading and unloading work into a plurality of areas of the turntable, and a plurality of areas in the turntable When one of the first areas is temporarily stopped at one of the predetermined stop positions, the first area is directly above the first area of the turntable. A position detection device arranged to detect the placement position of the workpiece placed on the turntable, and when the first area of the turntable is temporarily stopped at the first stop position, A light source, a photomask and a projection optical system arranged so as to project and expose a workpiece placed in the second area directly above a second area different from the first area, Stop at each predetermined stop position, load and unload multiple works into each area by loader, detect placement position of each work placed in each area by position detection device, light source, photo A control unit that controls each process of projection exposure to each workpiece placed in each region by the mask and the projection optical system, and the control unit is attached to the workpiece placed in the second region. For light source, photo When projection exposure by disk and the projection optical system, is to implement the parallel processing of detecting the position detection device of the placing position of the workpiece placed on at least the first region.

In another embodiment of the projection exposure apparatus according to the present invention, the turntable has a third area different from the first area and the second area in one of the plurality of areas, and the loader is the turntable. When the first area is temporarily stopped at the first stop position, it is arranged so that the work can be unloaded and / or loaded into the third area of the turntable, and the control unit is placed in the first area. In addition to detecting the placement position of the workpiece, and when performing projection exposure on the workpiece placed in the second area, the workpiece after placing the projection exposure placed in the third area is unloaded after unloading. Parallel processing is performed so as to load an exposure work.

In another embodiment of the projection exposure apparatus according to the present invention, the turntable has n regions (n is an integer of n ≧ 4) as the plurality of regions, and the position detection device is the first of the turntable. When the area is temporarily stopped at the first stop position, the placement position of the workpiece placed in the first area is detected immediately above one of the n areas of the turntable. The light source, the photomask, and the projection optical system are arranged so that the first region is one of n regions on the turntable when the first region of the turntable is temporarily stopped at the first stop position. When the loader is temporarily stopped at the first stop position on the work table placed in the second area, directly above the second area different from On the turntable A work that is arranged so that a work can be loaded and unloaded in a third area different from the first area and the second area in one of the n areas, and the control unit is placed in the first area. When the projection position is detected and the workpiece placed in the second area is projected and exposed, the unexposed workpiece after unloading the workpiece placed in the third area after the projection exposure is completed. Parallel processing is performed so as to load a work.

In another embodiment of the projection exposure apparatus according to the present invention, a workpiece is loaded and unloaded in a fourth region to an nth region which is one of n regions on the turntable and different from the first region to the third region. A plurality of loaders are arranged so that the control unit can perform parallel processing so as to load an unexposed workpiece after unloading a workpiece that has been subjected to projection exposure and is placed in the fourth to nth regions. To implement.

Another embodiment of the projection exposure apparatus according to the present invention is an exposure apparatus in which the projection exposure apparatus exposes a pattern to be projected and exposed to one workpiece in one shot.

In another embodiment of the projection exposure apparatus according to the present invention, the device for aligning the position of the pattern to be projected and exposed to the position of the workpiece whose position has been detected has a photomask of vertical (Y), horizontal (X), and height (Z ) And a drive device that moves in at least one of the rotational (θ) directions.

In another embodiment of the projection exposure apparatus according to the present invention, the device for aligning the position of the pattern to be projected and exposed to the position of the workpiece whose position has been detected is tilt drive that changes the angle of the photomask from the plane orthogonal to the exposure light Includes devices.

In another embodiment of the projection exposure apparatus according to the present invention, the device for aligning the position of the pattern to be projected and exposed to the position of the workpiece whose position has been detected has a stage (Y), It includes a drive device that moves in at least one of (X), height (Z), and rotation (θ) directions.

In another embodiment of the projection exposure apparatus according to the present invention, the device for aligning the position of the pattern to be projected and exposed to the position of the workpiece whose position has been detected includes a projection optical system having a vertical (Y), horizontal (X), and height. It includes a drive device that moves in at least one of the (Z) and rotation (θ) directions.

One embodiment of a projection exposure method using a projection exposure apparatus according to the present invention is to form a predetermined pattern on a workpiece by aligning a predetermined pattern on a photomask with a predetermined position on the workpiece and performing projection exposure with light from a light source. In addition, a plurality of areas are formed on the uppermost surface of the part where the work is placed so that a plurality of works can be placed simultaneously without being overlapped, and can be rotated and temporarily stopped at a plurality of predetermined stop positions. A projection exposure method using a projection exposure apparatus having a turntable configured in (A), a step of loading a work in one first area of a plurality of areas of a turntable, and (B) a turn Rotating the table to temporarily stop the first area at one of the predetermined stop positions; and (C) detecting the placement position of the workpiece in the first area. (D) re-rotating the turntable to temporarily stop the first area at a second stop position different from the first stop position among the predetermined stop positions; (E) within the first area; A step of projecting and exposing a pattern on a photomask on the work; and (F) if there is a work that has undergone projection exposure in a second area different from the first area of the turntable, the projection exposure process of (E) In parallel, the step of unloading the workpiece for which the projection exposure has been completed from within the second area and ending the first cycle, and the first area of the first cycle of (G) (A) to (F), The second region is replaced with the third region when the second region has three or more regions, or the second region is processed with the first region when there are only two regions. Area in ascending order Replaced will last or carried back to the first region, or those having the steps of the first region and the second region carried out alternated when having only two regions.

Advantageous Effects of Invention According to the exposure apparatus of the present invention, a plurality of regions are formed on the uppermost surface of a part on which a workpiece is placed so that the plurality of workpieces can be placed simultaneously without being overlapped. Provided is a revolver type turntable configured to be capable of being temporarily stopped at a plurality of predetermined stop positions, and a work loader, a work position detecting device on the turntable, and a projection for projecting a pattern on a photomask onto the work By arranging the optical system so as to correspond to different areas on the turntable, it is possible to perform each processing in parallel. Thereby, it is possible to provide a projection exposure apparatus and a projection exposure method thereof that can shorten the total exposure time of the workpiece as compared with the conventional case.

Description of Illustrated Embodiment <First Embodiment>
A first embodiment according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIGS. 1A and 1B show a schematic configuration of the exposure apparatus 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. A work turntable shaft 130 is disposed on a work Z stage 140. On top of this, a work turntable 120 is installed.

On the work turntable 120, two work placement first areas 110 and work placement second areas 111 are arranged at both ends of one diameter of the turntable 120. The opposite ends of the diameter are, for example, a straight line drawn from the center of the turntable 120 toward the region of one end, and a continuous straight line drawn 180 degrees away from the straight line. The other region is arranged at the end on the side. The first work placement area 110 and the second work placement area 111 are larger than the surface areas of the first work 510 and the second work 511, and each has a sufficient area for placing each work. In each area, a position recognition mark (ID) or a marker (not shown) indicating a reference point for position measurement may be provided at a place where each workpiece does not interfere.

The work turntable shaft 130 is provided at the center of the lower part of the work turntable 120 and is connected to a control unit 410 including a microcomputer and a central processing unit (CPU) via a work turntable driving unit 150. . In response to a command from the control unit 410, a driving signal is sent from the work turntable driving unit 150 to the work turntable shaft 130. The work turntable shaft 130 can precisely control the rotation angle of the turntable and the stop position on the plane by a stepping motor (not shown) or the like. The work turntable shaft 130 is connected to a power source (not shown) and supplied with electric power necessary for rotation.

The work Z stage 140 is connected to a control unit 410 including a microcomputer and a central processing unit (CPU) via a work Z stage driving unit 160. In response to a command from the control unit 410, a driving signal is sent from the work Z stage driving unit 160 to the work Z stage 140. The workpiece Z stage 140 can precisely control the Z (vertical) direction and the vertical stop position by an unillustrated vertical movement mechanism (such as a hydraulic mechanism or an electric mechanism). The work Z stage 140 is also connected to a power source (not shown) and supplied with electric power necessary for rotation.

The work placement first area 110 can move to the first stop position 610 or the second stop position 611 by rotating the work turntable 120 controlled by the control unit 410, and stop at that position. it can. The more detailed the predetermined pattern to be exposed, the higher the rotation accuracy and stop accuracy and the more precise control is required. For example, a position detection unit 210 is disposed immediately above the first stop position 610. Further, in FIG. 1A, the loader 310 is disposed on or near the area stopped at the first stop position 610. The loader 310 can unload an exposed workpiece from the workpiece placement first area 110 or the workpiece placement second area 111 that is temporarily stopped at the first stop position 610, and loads an unexposed workpiece from that area. be able to. For example, a conveyor (not shown) or the like can be used to send the exposed workpiece lowered from the workpiece turntable 120 to the next step or move the unexposed workpiece to the vicinity of the loader 310. An exposure projection optical system 50 is disposed immediately above the second stop position 611.

The work placement second area 111 can also move to the first stop position 610 or the second stop position 611 by rotating the work turntable 120 controlled by the control unit 410, and stop at that position. it can. Since the first stop position 610 and the second stop position 611 are disposed at both ends of one diameter of the work turntable 120, the work placement first area 110 is temporarily stopped at the first stop position 610. The second area 111 for placing the workpiece is temporarily stopped at the second stop position 611. Conversely, when the workpiece placement second area 111 is temporarily stopped at the first stop position 610, the workpiece placement first area 110 is temporarily stopped in the projection optical system 50.

The light source unit 10, the photomask 20, the mask XYθ stage 30, and the mask tilt stage 40 are disposed further above the projection optical system 50 for exposure. In the case of FIG. 1A, exposure light from the light source unit 10 passes through the photomask 20 and the projection optical system 50 and is placed on the workpiece placement second region 111 on the second stop position 611. Then, the second workpiece 511 is exposed, whereby a predetermined pattern on the photomask 20 is transferred onto the second workpiece 511.

The mask XYθ stage 30 is connected to a control unit 410 including a microcomputer and a central processing unit (CPU) via a mask XYθ stage driving unit 60. In response to a command from the control unit 410, a driving signal is sent from the masking XYθ stage driving unit 60 to the masking XYθ stage 30. The mask XYθ stage 30 is precisely controlled by a mask XYθ stage driving unit 60 that can be moved in the X direction (lateral direction), Y direction (vertical direction), and θ (rotation) direction on a stage plane (not shown). Furthermore, the stop position in the XYθ (vertical, horizontal, rotational) direction on the stage plane can be controlled. The mask XYθ stage 30 is also connected to a power supply (not shown) and is supplied with electric power necessary for movement in the XYθ (vertical, horizontal, rotational) direction.

The mask tilt stage 40 is connected to a control unit 410 including a microcomputer and a central processing unit (CPU) via a mask tilt stage driving unit 70. In response to a command from the control unit 410, a driving signal is sent from the mask tilt stage driving unit 70 to the mask tilt stage 40. The mask tilt stage 40 is in a state where the stage plane is precisely tilted (tilted) by the mask tilt stage driving unit 70 that can tilt the stage plane (not shown) from an angle perpendicular to the optical axis. The stop position can be controlled. The mask tilt stage 40 is also connected to a power source (not shown) and supplied with power necessary for tilting the stage plane.

The control unit 410 controls the work turntable shaft 130, the work Z stage 140, and the mask XYθ stage 30 so that the predetermined pattern on the photomask 20 is accurately transferred to a predetermined position on the second work 511. Further, the position of the tilt stage for mask 40 on the plane, the angle on the plane and the tilt angle are controlled. In that case, for example, using a photomask microscope (not shown), a workpiece microscope, or the like, control is performed so that the mask alignment mark on the photomask (not shown) matches the workpiece alignment mark on the workpiece. be able to. In addition, if necessary, the projection optical system 50 can also be provided with a drive unit and used for control for projecting a predetermined pattern on the photomask to a predetermined position on the work.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. First, when starting the process, the control unit 410 confirms whether or not the work placement first area 110 on the turntable 120 is temporarily stopped at the first stop position 610 (S1). If the work placement first area 110 is temporarily stopped at the first stop position 610 (S1: Yes), whether or not an unexposed work is placed in the work placement first area 110 is determined. Confirm (S2). If the work placement first area 110 is not temporarily stopped at the first stop position 610 (S1: No), the work placement first area 110 is temporarily stopped at the second stop position 611. The process proceeds to step S7.

When an unexposed workpiece is not placed on the workpiece placement first area 110 (S2: Yes), the control unit 410 loads the unexposed workpiece into the workpiece placement first area 110 on the loader 310. An instruction is output as follows (S3). If an unexposed workpiece is placed in the workpiece placement first area 110 (S2: No), it is not necessary to load the unexposed workpiece, so the process proceeds to step S4, where the position is determined by a command from the control unit 41. The detection unit 210 detects the position of the first work 510 in the work placement first area 110 (S4). In that case, for example, a stage alignment mark on the stage and a work alignment mark on the work may be detected by a work microscope.

When the position of the first workpiece 510 in the first workpiece placement area 110 is detected, the control unit 410 outputs a command to rotate the turntable driving unit 150 (S5), and the workpiece placement on the turntable 120 is performed. When the first area 110 reaches the second stop position 611, a command to pause is output (S6).

When the work placement first area 110 is temporarily stopped at the second stop position 611, it is confirmed whether or not there is an exposed work in the work placement second area 111 at the first stop position 610 (S7). . When there is an exposed workpiece in the workpiece placement second area 111 (S7: Yes), the control unit 410 unloads the exposed workpiece from the workpiece placement second region 111 to the loader 310. Load (S8), and output an instruction to load the unexposed workpiece into the workpiece placement second area 111 (S9). If there is no exposed workpiece in the workpiece placement second area 111 (S7: No), there is no need to unload the workpiece, so the process proceeds to step S9, where the unexposed workpiece is placed on the workpiece placement second. The area 111 is loaded (S9).

At the same time as loading the workpiece into the workpiece placement second area 111 after the processing of step S7, the first workpiece 510 whose position has been detected in the workpiece placement first region 110 is At the second stop position 611, transfer onto the first work 510 by projection exposure of a predetermined pattern of the photomask 20 is performed (S10). When the transfer of the predetermined pattern is completed, the control unit 410 outputs a command to rotate the turntable driving unit 150 again (S11), and the work placement first area 110 on the turntable 120 is in the first stop position 610. When the value reaches, a command to pause is output (S12).

When the work placement first area 110 is temporarily stopped at the first stop position 610, it is confirmed whether or not there is an exposed work in the work placement first area 110 at the first stop position 610 (S13). . When there is an exposed work in the work placement first area 110 (S13: Yes), the control unit 410 unloads the exposed work from the work placement first area 110 to the loader 310. A command is output so as to load (S14), and the process proceeds to step S16 to check whether there is any remaining unexposed workpiece (S16). If there is no exposed workpiece in the workpiece placement first area 110 (S13: No), it is not necessary to unload the workpiece, so the process proceeds to step S16 to determine whether there is no remaining unexposed workpiece. Is confirmed (S16).

At the same time as checking whether or not there is an exposed workpiece in the workpiece placement first area 110 at the first stop position 610 after step S12, the position in the workpiece placement second region 111 is simultaneously established. For the detected second workpiece 511, transfer onto the second workpiece 511 by projection exposure of a predetermined pattern of the photomask 20 is performed at the second stop position 611 (S15), and the process proceeds to step S16 to control the second workpiece 511. The unit 410 confirms whether there is no unexposed workpiece remaining (S16).

If there is no remaining unexposed workpiece (S16: Yes), the process is terminated. If there is any remaining unexposed workpiece (S16: No), the process returns to step S1 and the first workpiece placement is performed. It is confirmed whether or not the area 110 is temporarily stopped at the first stop position 610 (S1), and the subsequent processing is repeated.

Accordingly, the projection exposure apparatus 1 of the present embodiment aligns a predetermined pattern of the photomask 20 with a predetermined position on the

workpieces

510 and 511, and projects and exposes the predetermined pattern on the

workpieces

510 and 511 by light from the light source 10. In the projection exposure apparatus 1 to be formed, a plurality of

regions

110 and 111 are formed on the uppermost surface of a part on which the

workpieces

510 and 511 are placed so that the plurality of

workpieces

510 and 511 can be placed simultaneously without overlapping. The turntable 120 configured to be able to rotate and temporarily stop at a plurality of

predetermined stop positions

610 and 611, and to load and unload the

workpieces

510 and 511 into the plurality of

regions

110 and 111 of the turntable 120. Loader 310 and turntable 120 can be connected to a first stop at one of

predetermined stop positions

610 and 611. When temporarily stopped at the position 610, the placement position of the work 510 placed in the first area 110 directly above the first area 110 of the plurality of

areas

110 and 111 of the turntable 120. And the

first region

110 and 111 of the turntable 120 when the first region 110 of the turntable 120 and the first region 110 of the turntable 120 are temporarily stopped at the first stop position 610. A light source 10, a photomask 20, and a projection optical system 50 arranged so as to project and expose a work 511 placed in the second area 111 immediately above a second area 111 different from the area 110, and a turn The table 120 is rotated and stopped at

predetermined stop positions

610 and 611, and into the

areas

110 and 111 by the loader 310. Loading and unloading of a plurality of

works

510 and 511, detection of the placement positions of the

works

510 and 511 placed in the

respective areas

110 and 111 by the position detection device 210, the light source 10, the photomask 20, and the projection optical system 50, and a control unit 410 that controls each process of projection exposure to each

workpiece

510 and 511 placed in each

region

110 and 111. The control unit 410 is mounted in the second region 111. When the exposed work 511 is projected and exposed by the light source 10, the photomask 20, and the projection optical system 50, the position detection device 210 detects at least the placement position of the work 510 placed in the first region 110. Parallel processing can be performed.

Further, the projection exposure apparatus 1 of the present embodiment can be an exposure apparatus that exposes a pattern to be projected and exposed with one shot to one workpiece. In the projection exposure apparatus 1 of each embodiment described above, a device for aligning the position of the pattern to be projected and exposed to the position of the workpiece whose position has been detected includes the photomask 20 in the vertical (Y), horizontal (X), and height ( Z) and a drive device that moves in at least one of the rotation (θ) directions and / or a tilt drive device that changes the angle of the photomask 20 from a plane orthogonal to the exposure light. And / or move the stage disposed under the turntable 120 in at least one of the longitudinal (Y), lateral (X), height (Z) and rotational (θ) directions And / or drive to move the projection optical system 50 in at least one of the longitudinal (Y), lateral (X), height (Z) and rotational (θ) directions. Can include devices Kill.

Further, the projection exposure method of the projection exposure apparatus 1 according to the present embodiment performs projection exposure on the

workpieces

510 and 511 by aligning a predetermined pattern of the photomask 20 with a predetermined position on the

workpieces

510 and 511 and performing light exposure from the light source 10. A plurality of

regions

110 and 111 are formed on the uppermost surface of the portion where the

workpieces

510 and 511 are placed so that the plurality of

workpieces

510 and 511 can be placed simultaneously without overlapping. A projection exposure method using the projection exposure apparatus 1 having a turntable 120 configured to be capable of moving and temporarily stopping at a plurality of

predetermined stop positions

610 and 611, and (A) a plurality of regions 110 of the turntable 120. And loading the

workpieces

510 and 511 into the first area 110 of one of the first and

second areas

111 and 111, and (B) the turntable 1 Rotating 0 and temporarily stopping the first area 110 at one of the

predetermined stop positions

610 and 611; and (C) the

work

510 and 511 in the first area 110. A step of detecting the placement position; and (D) rotating the turntable 120 again to move the first region 110 to a second stop position 611 different from the first stop position 610 among the

predetermined stop positions

610 and 611. (E) a step of projecting and exposing a pattern on the photomask 20 onto the work 510 in the first area 110, and (F) a second area 111 different from the first area 110 of the turntable 120. If there is a workpiece 511 for which the projection exposure has been completed, the workpiece 511 for which the projection exposure has been completed from within the second region 111 is performed in parallel with the projection exposure processing of (E). A step of unloading and ending the first cycle; and (G) replacing the first region 110 of the first cycle of (A) to (F) with the second region 111 and having only two regions. The process of the second cycle is performed in place of the one area 110, and the subsequent cycles include the steps of alternately exchanging the first area 110 and the second area 111 when only two areas are provided.

As described above, in the first embodiment, when the projection optical system 50, the position detection unit 210, and the loader 310 are temporarily stopped at the first or second stop positions, the first or second workpiece placement is performed. Different processes on different areas can be simultaneously performed in parallel with different processes such as workpiece loading / unloading and position detection, or projection exposure. Therefore, in comparison with the conventional case in which each process is continuously performed in series at the same place, parallel processing is possible in this embodiment, so that the processing time can be shortened.

Second Embodiment
In the second embodiment shown in FIGS. 3 to 5, compared with the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 2, there are two to three stop positions (first stop position 610 to third stop position). 612), the number of work placement areas on the work turntable 120 is increased from two to three (work placement first area 110 to work placement third area 112). At the same time, three works (first work 510 to third work 512) can be placed on the work turntable 120 without overlapping. Since other configurations are the same as those in the first embodiment, the overlapping description is omitted.

Each area for placing a work on the work turntable 120 is arranged so that the angle from the center of the work turntable 120 is 120 degrees which is 1/3 of 360 degrees. Accordingly, when the first work 510 is placed on the work placement first area 110 and temporarily stopped at the first stop position 610, the second work 511 on the work placement second area 111 is moved to the second stop position. The third workpiece 512 on the workpiece placement third area 112 is temporarily stopped at the third stop position 612.

In FIG. 3A, the loader 310 is disposed not above or near the area stopped at the first stop position 610 but above or near the area stopped at the third stop position 612. It is arranged at a stop position different from the position detection unit 210 provided in the upper part of the area stopped at 610. Further, the loader 310 can unload an exposed workpiece from the first workpiece placement area 110 to the third workpiece placement region 112 temporarily stopped at the third stop position 612, and unloads the workpiece. Can be loaded into that region.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. First, when the processing starts, the control unit 410 confirms whether or not the work placement first area 110 on the turntable 120 is temporarily stopped at the third stop position 612 (S21). If the work placement first area 110 is temporarily stopped at the third stop position 612 (S21: Yes), it is determined whether or not an unexposed work is placed in the work placement first area 110. Confirm (S22). If the work placement first area 110 is not temporarily stopped at the third stop position 612 (S21: No), the work placement first area 110 is temporarily stopped at the first stop position 610 or the second stop position 611. Since it is medium, the process proceeds to step S40.

When an unexposed workpiece is not placed in the workpiece placement first area 110 (S22: Yes), the control unit 410 loads the unexposed workpiece into the workpiece placement first area 110 in the loader 310. The command is output as follows (S23). If an unexposed workpiece is placed in the workpiece placement first area 110 (S22: No), it is not necessary to load the unexposed workpiece, so the process proceeds to step S24, where the turntable is rotated ( S24). When the work placement first area 110 on the turntable 120 reaches the first stop position 610, a command to pause is output (S25).

When the workpiece placement first area 110 is temporarily stopped at the first stop position 610, it is checked whether or not there is a position-detected workpiece in the workpiece placement second area 111 at the second stop position 611 (S26). ). When there is a position-detected workpiece in the workpiece placement second area 111 (S <b> 26: Yes), the control unit 410 compares the position detected workpiece in the workpiece placement second area 111. 2. At the stop position 611, the pattern on the photomask 20 is transferred onto the workpiece by projection exposure (S27), and the process proceeds to step S32 (S32). If there is no workpiece whose position has been detected in the workpiece placement second area 111 (S26: No), the process proceeds to step S32 (S32).

In parallel with the transfer by projection exposure to the workpiece whose position has been detected in the workpiece placement second area 111 after the processing of step S26, the workpiece placement third area 112 at the third stop position 612 is performed in parallel. It is confirmed whether or not there is an exposed workpiece (S28). When there is an exposed workpiece in the workpiece placement third area 112 (S28: Yes), the control unit 410 unloads the exposed workpiece from the workpiece placement third area 112 to the loader 310. An instruction is output to load the unexposed workpiece into the workpiece placement third area 112 (S30). If there is no exposed workpiece in the workpiece placement third area 112 (S28: No), there is no need to unload the workpiece, so the process proceeds to step S30 and the unexposed workpiece is placed on the workpiece placement third. The area 112 is loaded (S30), and the process proceeds to step S32 (S32).

Further, at the same time as the transfer by projection exposure is performed on the workpiece whose position has been detected in the workpiece placement second area 111 after the processing of step S26, the workpiece placement first at the first stop position 610 is performed. An unexposed workpiece placement position in the area 110 is detected, and the process proceeds to step S32 (S32). When all the concurrent processes in steps S27, S30, and S31 are completed, the control unit 410 rotates the turntable 120 again (S32). When the work placement first area 110 on the turntable 120 reaches the second stop position 611, a command to pause is output (S33).

When the work placement first area 110 is temporarily stopped at the second stop position 611, it is confirmed whether or not there is an unexposed work in the work placement third area 112 at the third stop position 612 (S34). . When there is an unexposed workpiece in the workpiece placement third region 112 (S34: Yes), the control unit 410 uses the position detection unit 210 to perform the unexposed workpiece in the workpiece placement third region 112. The position of the workpiece 512 is detected (S35), and the process proceeds to step S40 (S40). When there is no unexposed workpiece in the workpiece placement third region 112 (S34: No), the process proceeds to step S40 (S40).

In parallel with the position detection processing of the unexposed workpiece in the workpiece placement third area 112 after the processing of step S34, the workpiece placement second area 111 at the third stop position 612 is simultaneously executed. It is checked whether there is an exposed workpiece (S36). If there is an exposed workpiece in the workpiece placement second area 111 (S36: Yes), the control unit 410 unloads the exposed workpiece from the workpiece placement second region 111 to the loader 310. Load (S37), and output an instruction to load the unexposed workpiece into the workpiece placement second area 111 (S38). If there is no exposed workpiece in the workpiece placement second area 111 (S36: No), there is no need to unload the workpiece, so the process proceeds to step S38, where the unexposed workpiece is placed on the workpiece placement second. The area 111 is loaded (S38), and the process proceeds to step S40 (S40).

Further, at the same time as performing the position detection processing of the unexposed workpiece in the workpiece placement third area 112 after the processing of step S34, the control unit 410 is in the workpiece placement first area 110. Then, transfer of a predetermined pattern of the photomask 20 onto the work is performed at the second stop position 611 on the work whose position has been detected (S39), and the process proceeds to step S40 (S40). When all the concurrent processes in steps S35, S38, and S39 are completed, the control unit 410 rotates the turntable 120 again (S40). When the work placement first area 110 on the turntable 120 reaches the first stop position 610, a command to pause is output (S41). The control unit 410 unloads the exposed workpiece from the workpiece placement first area 110 to the loader 310 (S42), and the control unit 410 confirms whether there is any remaining unexposed workpiece ( S43).

If there is no unexposed workpiece remaining (S43: Yes), the process is terminated. If there is any unexposed workpiece remaining (S43: No), the process returns to step S21 to place the first workpiece placement workpiece. It is confirmed whether or not the area 110 is temporarily stopped at the third stop position 612 (S21), and the subsequent processing is repeated.

Therefore, the projection exposure apparatus 1 of the present embodiment has the third area 112 on the turntable 120 that is different from the first area 110 and the second area 111 in one of the plurality of

areas

110 and 111. The loader 310 is disposed so that the work 512 can be unloaded and / or loaded into the third region 112 of the turntable 120 when the first region 110 of the turntable 120 is temporarily stopped at the first stop position 610. When the control unit 410 detects the placement position of the workpiece 510 placed in the first region 110 and projects and exposes the workpiece 511 placed in the second region 111, the third region 112 is used. Parallel processing can be performed so that an unexposed workpiece is loaded after unloading the workpiece 512 that has been subjected to projection exposure and is loaded inside. .

workpieces

regions

110 and 111 are formed on the uppermost surface of the portion where the

workpieces

510 and 511 are placed so that the plurality of

workpieces

predetermined stop positions

workpieces

510 and 511 into the first area 110 of one of the first and

second areas

predetermined stop positions

610 and 611; and (C) the

work

predetermined stop positions

610 and 611. (E) a step of projecting and exposing a predetermined pattern on the photomask 20 onto the work 510 in the first area 110; and (F) a second area different from the first area 110 of the turntable 120. If there is a workpiece 511 for which projection exposure has been completed in 111, the workpiece 5 for which projection exposure has been completed from within the second region 111 in parallel with the projection exposure processing of (E). A step of unloading 1 to end the first cycle, and (G) replacing the first region 110 of the first cycle of (A) to (F) with the second region 111 and having three or more regions Performing the second cycle processing in place of the third region 112, and for the subsequent cycles, replacing the region in ascending order when there are three or more regions, and finally returning to the first region 110; Have

Also, the projection exposure apparatus 1 of the present embodiment can be an exposure apparatus that exposes a predetermined pattern to be projected and exposed with one shot to one workpiece. In the projection exposure apparatus 1 of each embodiment described above, the device for aligning the position of the predetermined pattern to be projected and exposed to the position of the workpiece whose position is detected includes the photomask 20 in the vertical (Y), horizontal (X), and height. Tilt drive device that can include a drive device that moves in at least one of the (Z) and rotational (θ) directions and / or changes the angle of the photomask 20 from a plane orthogonal to the exposure light And / or a stage disposed under the turntable 120 in at least one of the longitudinal (Y), lateral (X), height (Z) and rotational (θ) directions A drive device that can be moved can be included, and a drive device that moves the projection optical system 50 in at least one of the longitudinal (Y), lateral (X), height (Z), and rotational (θ) directions can be included. be able to.

As described above, in the second embodiment, when the projection optical system 50, the position detection unit 210, and the loader 310 are temporarily stopped at each stop position, the load / unload of each work is performed on different works on different areas. Different processes, such as loading, workpiece position detection, or projection exposure, can be performed simultaneously in parallel. Therefore, in comparison with the conventional case in which each process is continuously performed in series at the same place, parallel processing is possible in this embodiment, so that the processing time can be shortened.

<Third Embodiment>
In addition, a plurality of work placement areas on the work turntable 120 and their stop positions are set to four or more, and a relatively time-consuming process, for example, a loader 310 is additionally installed. In this embodiment, it is possible to further reduce the processing time by loading the workpieces and sequentially performing the position detection and exposure processing that do not take a relatively long time. At that time, the position detector 210 can be added as necessary.

Therefore, the projection exposure apparatus 1 of the present embodiment has

n regions

110, 111, 112... (N is an integer of n ≧ 4) as a plurality of regions on the turntable 120, and a position detection device. 210, when the first area 110 of the turntable 120 is temporarily stopped at the first stop position 610, the first area 110 is located immediately above one of the n areas of the turntable 120. 110, the light source 10, the photomask 20, and the projection optical system 50 are arranged so that the first area 110 of the turntable 120 is temporarily at the first stop position 610. When stopped, it is placed in the second area 111 immediately above the second area 111 that is different from the first area 110 in one of the n areas of the turntable 120. When the first area 110 is temporarily stopped at the first stop position 610, the loader 310 is one of n areas on the turntable 120 and the first area 110 and the workpiece 511 are projected and exposed. Arranged so that the workpiece 512 can be loaded and unloaded in the third region 112 different from the second region 111, the control unit 410 detects the placement position of the workpiece 510 placed in the first region 110. At the same time, when projection exposure is performed on the workpiece 511 placed in the second area 111, the unexposed workpiece 512 loaded after unloading the workpiece 512 placed in the third area 112 after projection exposure is loaded. Parallel processing can be implemented as described.

In addition, the projection exposure apparatus 1 of the present embodiment loads and unloads a workpiece in a fourth area to an nth area, which is one of n areas on the turntable 120 and is different from the first area 110 to the third area 112. A plurality of loaders 310 are arranged so that they can be loaded, and the control unit 410 loads an unexposed workpiece after unloading a workpiece that has been subjected to projection exposure and is placed in the fourth to nth regions. Parallel processing can be performed.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Projection exposure apparatus 10 Light source part 20 Photomask (reticle)
30 XYθ stage for mask 40 tilt stage for mask 50 projection optical system 60 XYθ stage drive unit for mask 70 tilt stage drive unit for mask 110 work placement first area 111 work placement second area 112 work placement second 3 areas 112
120 Workpiece turntable 130 Workpiece turntable shaft 140 Workpiece Z stage 150 Workpiece turntable drive unit 160 Workpiece Z stage drive unit 210 Position detection unit 310 Loader 410 Control unit 410
510 first work 511 second work 512 third work 610 first stop position 611 second stop position 612 third stop position

Claims

A projection exposure apparatus that forms a predetermined pattern on the work by aligning a predetermined pattern of a photomask with a predetermined position on the work and performing projection exposure with light from a light source,
A plurality of areas are formed on the uppermost surface of the part on which the work is placed so that a plurality of works can be placed simultaneously without being overlapped, and can be rotated and temporarily stopped at a plurality of predetermined stop positions. A configured turntable,
A loader capable of loading and unloading the workpiece into the plurality of regions of the turntable;
When one first area of the plurality of areas on the turntable is temporarily stopped at one first stop position among the predetermined stop positions, immediately above the first area on the turntable. In addition, a position detection device arranged to detect the placement position of the work placed in the first area,
When the first region of the turntable is temporarily stopped at the first stop position, the second region is located immediately above a second region different from the first region of the plurality of regions in the turntable. A light source, a photomask, and a projection optical system that are arranged to project and expose a workpiece placed in the interior;
Rotation of the turntable and stop at each predetermined stop position, loading and unloading of a plurality of works into each area by a loader, and each work placed in each area by the position detection device A control unit that controls each process of detection of a placement position, projection exposure to each work placed in each region by the light source, the photomask, and the projection optical system;
Have
When the control unit projects and exposes the work placed in the second area with the light source, the photomask, and the projection optical system, at least the placement position of the work placed in the first area A projection exposure apparatus that performs parallel processing for detecting the position with the position detection device.
The turntable has a third region different from the first region and the second region in one of the plurality of regions,
The loader is arranged to be able to unload and / or load a workpiece into the third area of the turntable when the first area of the turntable is temporarily stopped at the first stop position,
When the control unit detects the placement position of the work placed in the first area and performs projection exposure on the work placed in the second area, The projection exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the parallel processing is performed so that an unexposed workpiece is loaded after unloading the placed workpiece for which projection exposure has been completed.
The turntable has n regions (n is an integer of n ≧ 4) as the plurality of regions,
When the first area of the turntable is temporarily stopped at the first stop position, the position detection device is located immediately above the first area of one of the n areas of the turntable. Arranged to detect the placement position of the workpiece placed in the first area,
The light source, the photomask, and the projection optical system may be configured such that when the first area of the turntable is temporarily stopped at the first stop position, the first light source, the photomask, and the projection optical system are one of the n areas of the turntable. Arranged on the top of the second area different from the area so as to project and expose the workpiece placed in the second area,
The loader is different from the first region and the second region in one of the n regions of the turntable when the first region of the turntable is temporarily stopped at the first stop position. It is arranged so that the work can be loaded and unloaded in three areas,
When the control unit detects the placement position of the work placed in the first area and performs projection exposure on the work placed in the second area, The projection exposure apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, wherein parallel processing is performed so that an unexposed workpiece is loaded after unloading the placed workpiece for which projection exposure has been completed.
A plurality of loaders are arranged so that the work can be loaded and unloaded in one of the n regions of the turntable in a fourth region to an nth region different from the first region to the third region,
The parallel processing is performed so that the control unit unloads the workpiece that has been subjected to the projection exposure and is loaded in the fourth area to the nth area, and then loads the unexposed work. Projection exposure apparatus.
The projection exposure apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the projection exposure apparatus is an exposure apparatus that exposes a pattern to be projected and exposed with one shot to one workpiece.
A device for aligning a position of a pattern to be projected and exposed to the position of the workpiece whose position is detected includes at least one of a photomask in a vertical (Y), horizontal (X), height (Z), and rotation (θ) direction. The projection exposure apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a drive device that moves in a direction.
The device for aligning the position of the pattern to be projected and exposed to the position of the workpiece whose position is detected includes a tilt driving device that changes the angle of the photomask from a plane orthogonal to the exposure light. The projection exposure apparatus described.
The device for aligning the position of the pattern to be projected and exposed to the position of the workpiece whose position has been detected moves the stage placed under the turntable vertically (Y), horizontally (X), height (Z) and rotated ( The projection exposure apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a drive device that moves in at least one of the θ) directions.
A device for aligning a position of a pattern to be projected and exposed to the position of the workpiece whose position has been detected has the projection optical system in a longitudinal (Y), lateral (X), height (Z) and rotational (θ) direction. The projection exposure apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, further comprising a drive device that moves in at least one direction.
A predetermined pattern of a photomask is aligned with a predetermined position on the workpiece, and projection exposure is performed with light from a light source to form the predetermined pattern on the workpiece. Projection exposure method using a projection exposure apparatus having a turntable formed so that a plurality of regions are formed so that they can be placed simultaneously without overlapping, and can be rotated and temporarily stopped at a plurality of predetermined stop positions Because
(A) loading the workpiece into a first region of one of the plurality of regions of the turntable;
(B) rotating the turntable to temporarily stop the first region at one first stop position among the predetermined stop positions;
(C) detecting a placement position of the workpiece in the first region;
(D) re-rotating the turntable to temporarily stop the first region at a second stop position different from the first stop position among the predetermined stop positions;
(E) projecting and exposing a pattern on a photomask onto the work in the first region;
(F) When there is the workpiece that has undergone projection exposure in a second area different from the first area of the turntable, in the second area in parallel with the projection exposure process of (E) Unloading the workpiece for which projection exposure has been completed and ending the first cycle;
(G) The first region of the first cycle of (A) to (F) is replaced with the second region, and the third region when there are three or more regions, or the first region when there are only two regions Replace with the second cycle,
For the subsequent cycles, replace the areas in ascending order when having three or more areas and finally return to the first area, or alternately alternate the first and second areas when only two areas are included. Steps to replace and carry out,
A projection exposure method comprising: