Pattern forming apparatus, mark detecting apparatus, exposure apparatus, pattern forming method, exposure method, and device manufacturing method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9423705-B2
Application number	US-201414294629-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 3, 2014
Priority date	Feb 21, 2006
Publication date	Aug 23, 2016
Grant date	Aug 23, 2016

Abstract

While a wafer stage linearly moves in a Y-axis direction, a multipoint AF system detects surface position information of the wafer surface at a plurality of detection points that are set at a predetermined distance in an X-axis direction and also a plurality of alignment systems that are arrayed in a line along the X-axis direction detect each of marks at positions different from one another on the wafer. That is, detection of surface position information of the wafer surface at a plurality of detection points and detection of the marks at positions different from one another on the wafer are finished, only by the wafer stage (wafer) linearly passing through the array of the plurality of detection points of the multipoint AF system and the plurality of alignment systems, and therefore, the throughput can be improved.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An exposure apparatus that exposes a substrate with illumination light via a projection optical system and a liquid, the apparatus comprising:
a local liquid immersion device having a nozzle unit provided surrounding an optical element, in contact with the liquid, of the projection optical system, the local liquid immersion device forming a liquid immersion area, with a liquid supplied via the nozzle unit, under the projection optical system;
a stage system that has a table to hold the substrate and a drive system to drive the table, and is capable of moving the substrate in directions of six degrees of freedom, the directions of six degrees of freedom including a first direction and a second direction that are orthogonal to each other within a predetermined plane and a third direction orthogonal to the predetermined plane, the predetermined plane being perpendicular to an optical axis of the projection optical system, and the table being placed lower than a lower surface of the nozzle unit and being configured to hold the substrate in a recessed part of an upper surface of the table;
an alignment system placed away from the projection optical system, that detects a mark of the substrate;
a measurement device having a plurality of sensors, each of the plurality of sensors being configured to irradiate a scale member with a measurement beam to measure positional information of the table in the directions of six degrees of freedom, the scale member having a reflective grating periodic in a direction parallel to the predetermined plane; and
a controller that controls the stage system based on the positional information that has been measured, wherein
the positional information of the table is measured by the measurement device, in each of an exposure operation of the substrate that is placed facing the projection optical system and a detection operation of the mark of the substrate that is placed facing the alignment system.

2. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the number of sensors that face the reflective grating, of the plurality of sensors, changes depending on a position of the table in at least one of the first and the second directions.

3. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
a sensor that is used in measurement of the positional information, of the plurality of sensors, is switched as the table is moved in at least one of the first and the second directions.

4. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the substrate is held in the recessed part of the table so that a surface of the substrate is flush with the upper surface of the table.

5. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a detection device placed away from the projection optical system, that detects positional information of the substrate in the third direction, wherein
during a detection operation of the substrate by the detection device, the positional information of the table is measured by the measurement device.

6. The exposure apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein
at least a part of the detection operation of the substrate by the detection device is performed in parallel with the detection operation of the mark by the alignment system.

7. The exposure apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein
the controller controls the stage system while compensating for a measurement error of the measurement device that occurs due to the scale member.

8. The exposure apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein
the controller controls the stage system using correction information of the measurement error of the measurement device that occurs due to the scale member.

9. The exposure apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein
the stage system has a movable member that is movable relative to the table, and the stage system is configured to move the table and the movable member with respect to the nozzle unit while making the table and the movable member come close to each other so that the liquid immersion area is moved from one of the table and the movable member to the other while the liquid immersion area is maintained under the projection optical system.

10. A method for manufacturing a device, including:
exposing a substrate using the exposure apparatus according to claim 1 ; and
developing the substrate which has been exposed.

11. An exposure method of exposing a substrate with illumination light via a projection optical system and a liquid, the method comprising:
moving a table with a stage system so that a mark of the substrate is detected by an alignment system placed away from the projection optical system, the stage system having the table to hold the substrate in a recessed part of an upper surface of the table and a drive system to drive the table, the stage system being capable of moving the substrate in directions of six degrees of freedom, the direction of six degrees of freedom including a first direction and a second direction that are orthogonal to each other within a predetermined plane and a third direction orthogonal to the predetermined plane, the predetermined plane being perpendicular to an optical axis of the projection optical system, and the table being placed lower than a lower surface of a nozzle unit that is provided surrounding an optical element, in contact with the liquid, of the projection optical system;
moving the table with the stage system so that the substrate is exposed with the illumination light via the projection optical system and a liquid of a liquid immersion area, the liquid immersion area being formed, with the liquid supplied via the nozzle unit, under the projection optical system;
measuring positional information of the table with a measurement device in each of a detection operation of the mark and an exposure operation of the substrate, the measurement device having a plurality of sensors each of which irradiates a scale member with a measurement beam to measure the positional information of the table in the directions of six degrees of freedom, and the scale member having a reflective grating periodic in a direction parallel to the predetermined plane; and
controlling the stage system based on the positional information that has been measured, to drive the table.

12. The exposure method according to claim 11 , wherein
the number of sensors that face the reflective grating, of the plurality of sensors, changes depending on a position of the table in at least one of the first and the second directions.

13. The exposure method according to claim 11 , wherein
a sensor that is used in measurement of the positional information, of the plurality of sensors, is switched as the table is moved in at least one of the first and the second directions.

14. The exposure method according to claim 11 , wherein
the substrate is held in the recessed part of the table so that a surface of the substrate is flush with the upper surface of the table.

15. The exposure method according to claim 11 , wherein
positional information of the substrate in the third direction is detected by a detection device placed away from the projection optical system, and
during a detection operation of the substrate by the detection device, the positional information of the table is measured by the measurement device.

16. The exposure method according to claim 15 , wherein
at least a part of the detection operation of the substrate by the detection device is performed in parallel with the detection operation of the mark by the alignment system.

17. The exposure method according to c

Assignees

• Nikon Corp

Inventors

• Shibazaki Yuichi

Classifications

• G03F9/7003 Primary

  Alignment type or strategy, e.g. leveling, global alignment · CPC title

• G03F9/7026 Primary

  Focusing · CPC title

• G03F7/70725 Primary

  control · CPC title

• Y10T29/49826

  Assembling or joining · CPC title

• G03F7/70666

  Aerial image, i.e. measuring the image of the patterned exposure light at the image plane of the projection system · CPC title