Panasonic Corporation

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Kenji Noda

Hirofumi Fukumoto

Naohiko Ujimaru

Hidekazu Kitahara

Kenichi Asahi

Shin Hashimoto

Seiji Tanaka

Rimiko Ide

Noritoshi Takada

In a developing method, a developer is supplied onto a resist film provided on a substrate, made of a resist and having an upper surface on which design patterns having different mask opening ratios are exposed and a development reaction is caused to proceed on the resist film with the supplied developer. After the development, the substrate is rotated so that the developer and the resist dissolved in the developer are removed. Then, a rinsing solution is supplied onto the resist film subjected to development and the substrate is rotated, thereby washing out the developer and the resist dissolved in the developer. The rotation speed of the substrate in removing the developer is a half or less of the rotation speed of the substrate in the rinsing step of washing out the resist.

Developing method and method for fabricating semiconductor device using the developing method

In a focus measurement method and a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device relating to the present invention, a focus value is obtained by using a fluctuation where shrinkage of a resist pattern by an electron beam irradiation depends upon the focus value. In the case of obtaining the focus value, the shrinkage of the resist pattern for a focus measurement formed by exposure to be subject for a focus value measurement is measured. The focus value corresponding to the shrinkage is obtained from the pre-obtained focal dependency of the shrinkage. A focal shift length can be defined from a difference between the focus value and a predetermined best focus value.

Focus measurement method and method of manufacturing a semiconductor device

A photomask includes, on a translucent substrate, three or more first light-shielding portions each in insular shape having a property of shielding exposure light and spaced equidistantly, a second light-shielding portion having a property of shielding the exposure light and formed to connect the adjacent first light-shielding portions, and first light-transmitting portions each in slit shape having a property of transmitting the exposure light and formed to be surrounded with the first and second light-shielding portions. The second light-shielding portion is formed to contain a point located equidistantly from the three or more first light-shielding portions.

Photomask and method for forming pattern

According to an exposure apparatus and an exposure method in the present invention, based on a focus value and a leveling value in each exposure shot calculated based on measurements by a focus sensor, differential absolute value for respective value are calculated. The differential absolute values for the focus values and leveling vaule are compared with predetermined threshold vaule for the respective differential absolute values. When the differential absolute values exceed the threshold value, it is determined that an exposure abnormality exists. In such case, based at least the number of exposure area where the exposure abnormality is occurred and distribution of the exposure area where the exposure abnormality is occurred on the object to be exposed, a kind of the exposure abnormality is identifed. The detection of the exposure abnormality is assured, and a cause of the abnormality is determined without lowering manufacturing capabilities and increasing in cost.

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Osaka, Japan

Kenji Noda