Nikon Corporation

Hideyuki Tashiro

Tsuneyuki Hagiwara

Fuminori Hayano

Kenji Yamamoto

Koichiro Komatsu

Hitoshi Hamada

Hajime Moriya

In the case the first selection criteria is set, a plurality of detection points are selected to control the pitching and rolling of the wafer, whereas in the case the second selection criteria is set, priority is put to control the rolling on the wafer. The exposure apparatus has a selection unit to choose between these criteria, and on scanning exposure the controller adjusts the wafer position in the optical axis direction, pitching, rolling or the wafer position in the optical axis direction and rolling according to the selection criteria. Accordingly, by precisely adjusting the wafer surface position in the optical axis direction and rolling that greatly affects defocus, the critical dimension variation by a macroscopic observation, which is caused by defocus, can be prevented. Moreover, by performing an alternate scanning on the entire shot area including shot areas to be exposed on the circumferential portion, throughput can be maintained extremely high.

Exposure apparatus and device manufacturing method

An optical detection system capable of detecting even small particles or defects on a specimen such as a mask with high sensitivity and being unaffected by diffracted light from the edges of the pattern even when inspecting a thick specimen. The optical detection system includes a light emission means for illuminating a pattern surface on the specimen with light, a first light reception optical system placed on the pattern surface side of the specimen for receiving scattered light emanating from the pattern surface, a second light reception optical system placed on the glass side of the specimen in symmetry with the first light reception optical system relative to the pattern surface for receiving scattered light emanating from the pattern surface through the specimen and a corrective optical element for correcting for differences in the aberration states of the first and second light reception optical systems.

Optical detection system for detecting defects and/or particles on a

A foreign particle inspection apparatus, for detecting a foreign particle on a reticle or the like includes an illumination system for irradiating an inspection area on a specimen with inspecting light, and plural light-receiving systems adapted to condense the scattered light from a foreign particle in the inspection area and having respective light-receiving areas on the specimen, each smaller than the inspection area. Each of the light-receiving areas of the plural light-receiving systems overlaps partially with at least one of the other light-receiving areas. The plural light-receiving systems are so arranged that any point in the inspection area is covered by the light-receiving areas of at least two of the plural light-receiving systems. A foreign particle in the inspection area is detected by a detection system, based on the lights condensed by the plural light receiving systems.

Foreign particle inspection apparatus

An apparatus includes a light source for emitting a light beam, a light beam expander for expanding the light beam in a predetermined direction, and radiating the expanded light beam onto an object to be inspected, a scanning device for moving the object to be inspected relative to the light beam to be radiated onto the object to be inspected, and a photodetector for photoelectrically converting scattered light generated from a defect (including foreign matter) on the object to be inspected, and inspects the defect on the basis of a photoelectric conversion signal obtained from the photodetector. A light-shielding plate having a plurality of edges for limiting the light beam expanded by the light beam expander at the two end portions, in the expansion direction, of the light beam is arranged, and at least one of the plurality of edges is formed to be transverse to the relative scanning direction (Y direction).

Defect inspection apparatus

In a foreign particle inspecting method and apparatus in which a polarized beam is applied to a surface to be inspected through a light transmitting member mounted thereon, in which scattered light from a foreign particle on the surface to be inspected is received by a light receiving device through the light transmitting member, and in which the foreign particle is discriminated based on a detection signal from the light receiving device, the detection signal is corrected in conformity with the transmittance of the light transmitting member for polarized incident scanning light and the transmittance of the light transmitting member for non-polarized light scattered from the foreign particle, for various angles of incidence of the polarized light and emergence of the non-polarized light. Foreign particle data may be indicated by a mapping method.

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Yokohama, Japan

Hideyuki Tashiro