Lithography apparatus, and method of manufacturing an article

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9947508-B2
Application number	US-201514698982-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 29, 2015
Priority date	May 1, 2014
Publication date	Apr 17, 2018
Grant date	Apr 17, 2018

Abstract

The present invention provides a lithography apparatus that forms a pattern on a substrate, the apparatus comprising a base, a stage configured to hold the substrate and be movable above the base with the stage supported by the base, a patterning device configured to perform patterning on the substrate held by the stage, a chamber housing the base and the stage, and supporting the patterning device, a detector configured to obtain information of relative positions between the patterning device and the base, a driving device configured to move the base, and a controller configured to control the driving device based on the information obtained by the detector such that the relative positions satisfy a predetermined condition.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A lithography apparatus that forms a pattern on a substrate, the apparatus comprising:
a base;
a stage configured to hold the substrate and be movable above the base with the stage supported by the base;
a patterning device configured to perform patterning on the substrate held by the stage;
a vacuum chamber housing the base and the stage, and supporting the patterning device;
a detector configured to obtain information of a relative position between the patterning device and the base;
a driving device configured to move the base; and
a controller configured to cause the driving device to move the base based on the information obtained by the detector to adjust the relative position,
wherein the patterning device includes an irradiation device configured to irradiate the substrate with a beam for forming the pattern, and a portion of the patterning device is housed in the vacuum chamber, and
wherein the detector is configured to obtain, as the information, information of a relative position between the portion of the patterning device housed in the vacuum chamber and the base.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to control the driving device such that the relative position satisfies a predetermined condition in a case where a pressure in the vacuum chamber is reduced from an atmospheric pressure.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a measurement device configured to measure the pressure in the vacuum chamber,
wherein the controller is configured, in a case where the pressure measured by the measurement device changes by an amount not smaller than a threshold, to cause the detector to obtain the information to control the driving device.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the stage is movable relative to the base in a direction in which the relative position is changed by the driving device, and
a movable amount of the base in the direction by the driving device is greater than a movable amount of the stage relative to the base in the direction.

5. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the relative position is related to at least one of a relative translation and a relative rotation.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the detector includes a plurality of sensors each detecting a distance between the portion of the patterning device housed in the vacuum chamber and the base, and
the controller is configured to control the driving device based on outputs from the plurality of sensors.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1 ,
wherein the driving device includes a plurality of actuators each moving the base, and
the controller is configured to control the plurality of actuators based on an output from the detector.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the patterning device includes a plurality of ones of the irradiation device.

9. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the detector is supported by the base outside a region of the base over which the stage moves.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the detector includes at least one of an electrostatic capacitance sensor and an eddy current sensor.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a measurement device configured to measure a position of the stage,
wherein the controller is further configured to control the position of the stage based on a measurement by the measurement device.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11 , further comprising a positioning mechanism disposed on the base and configured to position the stage, wherein the controller is configured to cause the positioning mechanism to position the stage based on the measurement by the measurement device.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein the positioning mechanism includes at least one slider to move the stage.

14. The apparatus according to claim 12 , wherein a response speed of the driving device is lower than a response speed of the positioning mechanism.

15. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to control the driving device based on the information obtained by the detector such that a change in the relative position between the patterning device and the base due to deformation of the vacuum chamber is reduced.

16. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the patterning device includes, as the portion of the patterning device housed in the vacuum chamber, a plate supported by the irradiation device, and
wherein the detector includes a sensor configured to obtain a distance between the plate and the base to obtain the information of the relative position between the patterning device and the base.

17. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a positioning mechanism disposed on the base and configured to position the stage.

18. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising a measurement device configured to measure a position of the stage, wherein the portion of the patterning device housed in the vacuum chamber supports the measurement device.

Assignees

• Canon Kk

Inventors

• Iwase Daisuke
• Korenaga Nobushige

Classifications

• H10P72/0606

  Position monitoring, e.g. misposition detection or presence detection · CPC title

• H10P50/20

  Dry etching; Plasma etching; Reactive-ion etching · CPC title

• H01J2237/30455

  Correction during exposure · CPC title

• H01J2237/20292

  Means for position and/or orientation registration · CPC title

• H01J2237/1501

  Beam alignment means or procedures · CPC title