Exposure apparatus, resist pattern forming method, and storage medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10101669-B2
Application number	US-201515109917-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 13, 2015
Priority date	Jan 20, 2014
Publication date	Oct 16, 2018
Grant date	Oct 16, 2018

Abstract

A technique which, in forming a resist pattern on a wafer, can achieve high resolution and high in-plane uniformity of pattern line width. After forming a resist film on a wafer W and subsequently performing pattern exposure by means of a pattern exposure apparatus, the entire pattern exposure area is exposed by using a flood exposure apparatus. During the flood exposure, the exposure amount is adjusted depending on the exposure position on the wafer based on information on the in-plane distribution of the line width of a resist pattern, previously obtained from an inspection apparatus. Methods for adjusting the exposure amount include a method which adjusts the exposure amount while moving a strip-shaped irradiation area corresponding to the diameter of the wafer, a method which involves intermittently moving an irradiation area, corresponding to a shot area in the preceding pattern exposure, to adjust the exposure amount for each chip.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An exposure apparatus for exposing a pattern exposure area after performing pattern exposure on a substrate having a resist film formed thereon by using a pattern mask, said apparatus comprising:
the substrate having the resist film formed thereon;
a stage for placing the substrate thereon;
an exposure section for exposing the substrate on the stage; and
a controller for outputting, based on previously-obtained information, a control signal to adjust an exposure amount for each of a plurality of areas of the substrate,
wherein the exposure section includes a light guide plate having a plurality of control areas, arranged in the planar direction of the light guide plate, which each can be selectively switched between a light transmissive state and a light blocking state by an electrical signal, and wherein the control signal is a signal to control the state of each control area, or a signal to control the ratio between the light transmission time and the light blocking time for each control area.

2. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein said information is information on pattern line width, acquired by inspection with an inspection apparatus of a resist pattern on a substrate, obtained by heating the substrate after exposure and then developing the substrate.

3. The exposure apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the resist pattern is obtained by performing pattern exposure of a resist film on the substrate, and then performing exposure of the entire surface of the substrate, followed by heating and subsequent development of the resist film.

4. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller includes a storage unit for storing data on a correlation between a position on the substrate and an exposure amount.

5. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the irradiation area of the exposure section is set smaller than the entire resist pattern forming area of the substrate, wherein the exposure apparatus further comprises a movement mechanism for moving the irradiation area along the surface of the substrate and relative to the substrate on the stage, and wherein the controller is configured to output a control signal to adjust the exposure amount depending on the position of the irradiation area on the substrate.

6. The exposure apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein the movement mechanism is configured to continuously move the irradiation area in an X-direction relative to the substrate, and wherein the irradiation area has a strip-like shape extending in a Y-direction.

7. The exposure apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the controller is configured to output a control signal to adjust the Y-direction distribution of illuminance depending on the X-direction position of the irradiation area on the substrate.

8. The exposure apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the length of the irradiation area is set equal to or longer than the maximum Y-direction size of the entire resist pattern forming area of the substrate.

9. The exposure apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the controller is configured to output a control signal to the movement mechanism for it to adjust the speed of movement of the irradiation area depending on the position of the irradiation area on the substrate.

10. An exposure apparatus for exposing a pattern exposure area after performing pattern exposure on a substrate having a resist film formed thereon by using a pattern mask, said apparatus comprising:
a stage for placing the substrate thereon;
an exposure section for exposing the substrate on the stage; and
a controller for outputting, based on previously-obtained information, a control signal to adjust an exposure amount for each of a plurality of areas of the substrate,
wherein the irradiation area of the exposure section is set smaller than the entire resist pattern forming area of the substrate, wherein the exposure apparatus further comprises a movement mechanism for moving the irradiation area along the surface of the substrate and relative to the substrate on the stage, and wherein the controller is configured to output a control signal to adjust the exposure amount depending on the position of the irradiation area on the substrate, and
wherein the irradiation area has a strip-like shape extending from a central portion toward the periphery of the substrate, and wherein the movement mechanism includes a rotating mechanism for rotating the substrate about the center of the substrate and relative to the irradiation area.

11. The exposure apparatus according to claim 10 , wherein the controller is configured to output a control signal to adjust the distribution of illuminance in the longitudinal direction of the irradiation area depending on the position of the irradiation area.

12. An exposure apparatus for exposing a pattern exposure area after performing pattern exposure on a substrate having a resist film formed thereon by using a pattern mask, said apparatus comprising:
a stage for placing the substrate thereon;
an exposure section for exposing the substrate on the stage; and
a controller for outputting, based on previously-obtained information, a control signal to adjust an exposure amount for each of a plurality of areas of the substrate,
wherein the irradiation area of the exposure section is set smaller than the entire resist pattern forming area of the substrate, wherein the exposure apparatus further comprises a movement mechanism for moving the irradiation area along the surface of the substrate and relative to the substrate on the stage, and wherein the controller is configured to output a control signal to adjust the exposure amount depending on the position of the irradiation area on the substrate, and
wherein the irradiation area is set larger than a mask size used in one exposure operation in the pattern exposure, wherein the movement mechanism includes a mechanism for relatively moving the irradiation area in a radial direction of the substrate, and a mechanism for rotating the irradiation area about the center of the substrate and relative to the substrate, and wherein the controller outputs a control signal to the movement mechanism for it to perform the step of relatively moving the irradiation area in a radial direction of the substrate, and the step of rotating the irradiation area about the center of the substrate and relative to the substrate.

13. An exposure apparatus for exposing a pattern exposure area after performing pattern exposure on a substrate having a resist film formed thereon by using a pattern mask, said apparatus comprising:
a stage for placing the substrate thereon;
an exposure section for exposing the substrate on the stage; and
a controller for outputting, based on previously-obtained information, a control signal to adjust an exposure amount for each of a plurality of areas of the substrate,
wherein the irradiation area of the exposure section is set smaller than the entire resist pattern forming area of the substrate, wherein the exposure apparatus further comprises a movement mechanism for moving the irradiation area along the surface of the substrate and relative to the substrate on the stage, and wherein the controller is configured to output a control signal to adjust the exposure amount depending on the position of the irradiation area on the substrate, and
wherein the size of the irradiation area is set equal to the integral multiple of a size corresponding to a mask size used in one exposure operation in the pattern exposure, wherein the movement mechanism is configured to intermittently move the irradiation area relative to the substra

Assignees

• Tokyo Electron Ltd

Inventors

• Nagahara Seiji
• Shiraishi Gousuke
• Shimura Satoru
• Yoshihara Kousuke
• Kawakami Shinichiro
• Tomono Masaru
• Terashita Yuichi
• Mizoguchi Hironori

Classifications

• G03F7/7055 Primary

  Exposure light control in all parts of the microlithographic apparatus, e.g. pulse length control or light interruption · CPC title

• G03F7/70558 Primary

  Dose control, i.e. achievement of a desired dose · CPC title

• G03F7/2022

  Multi-step exposure, e.g. hybrid; backside exposure; blanket exposure, e.g. for image reversal; edge exposure, e.g. for edge bead removal; corrective exposure · CPC title

• G03F7/70875

  Temperature, e.g. temperature control of masks or workpieces via control of stage temperature · CPC title

• G03F7/70525

  Controlling normal operating mode, e.g. matching different apparatus, remote control or prediction of failure · CPC title