Nikon Corporation

Masami Seki

Hiroshi Chiba

Masamitsu Yanagihara

Seiji Miyazaki

Kinya Kato

Kei Nara

Susumu Mori

Tsuyoshi Naraki

Masaki Kato

Kazuaki Saiki

Manabu Toguchi

Nobutaka Fujimori

Tsuyoshi Narabe

Makoto Tsuchiya

Tsuyohsi Narabe

Scanning type exposure apparatus and exposure method

An exposure method, exposure apparatus and mask are suitable for manufacturing an active matrix liquid crystal display including, for example, a gate electrode layer and a source/drain electrode layer. A stitching portion between unit patterns in a second layer is offset from the stitching portion in a first layer by a predetermined distance. The stitching portions of the second layer are always positioned over unit patterns of the first layer. Accordingly, the contrast gap that occurs at the stitching portion as a boundary is defined only by an error in the exposure position of the second layer. The contrast gap is not affected by an error in the exposure position of the first layer, unlike the conventional method. Because the contrast gap caused by the error in the exposure position of the first layer is eliminated, the total contrast gap that occurs at the stitching portion as a boundary is significantly reduced.

Exposure method, exposure apparatus, and mask

The invention pertains to optical projection-exposure apparatus for photolithography that can focus a pattern defined by a mask onto a non-flat substrate. In one embodiment, piezoelectric elements are used as an actuator for adjusting the optical path length between the mask and the substrate. A first reflector reflects a light flux transmitted by the mask. A telecentric optical system then forms an image of the mask in a focal plane. A second reflector reflects the light flux from the telecentric perpendicularly onto the substrate. The actuator moves the first or second reflectors, changing the optical path length of the light flux. A focus sensor detects the height of the sensitized surface of the substrate in a direction perpendicular to the sensitized surface of the substrate and thereby provides a focus signal to the actuator. The actuator then moves the focal plane to the sensitized surface.

Optical projection systems and projection-exposure apparatus comprising

An exposure apparatus and an exposure method which minimize defocusing of the transferred pattern even with a large-sized mask. When the exposure apparatus is used which transfers the pattern formed on a first substrate through a substantially real-size projection optical system onto a second substrate, the positions of the mask and the substrate are detected, and based on the information on the positions the distance between the mask and the substrate is controlled to be substantially constant. According to the present invention, defocusing of the transferred pattern may be substantially avoided by detecting positions of the mask and the plate by making use of, e.g., an obliquely incident light focus detection optical system, and controlling the distance therebetween to be held constant or at a predetermined distance.

Exposure apparatus and exposure method for minimizing defocusing of the

In a scanning type exposure apparatus for exposing an entire surface of a pattern region on a mask to a substrate by scanning the mask and the substrate with respect to a projection optical system in a predetermined direction with a speed ratio in accordance with a magnification of the projection optical system, there are provided a plurality of illumination optical systems for illuminating respective areas of the pattern region on the mask with respective light fluxes from respective light source; a plurality of projection optical systems arranged so as to correspond to the respective illumination optical systems, the projection optical systems projecting respective images of the areas illuminated by the respective illumination optical systems onto respective projection areas on the substrate; a memory device for obtaining and storing a change of shape of the substrate; a magnification changing device for changing a magnification of at least one of the projection optical systems in accordance with the change of shape of the substrate; and an imaging position changing device for changing the position of said image projected via the at least one projection optical systems in accordance with the change in magnification.

A projection exposure apparatus and method having a projection optical system with a plurality of projection optical units and being excellent in matching between images formed through the respective projection optical units. First and second substrates are moved relatively to a projection optical system to project a pattern formed on the first substrate through the projection optical system onto the second substrate to effect exposure thereon. The projection optical system is provided with a plurality of projection optical units each forming a real-size erect image of the pattern formed on the first substrate on the second substrate. Each of the projection optical units has a plurality of reflective surfaces and is telecentric at least on an image side. The projection exposure apparatus also has a correcting mechanism disposed to correct an error of orientation between a plurality of images formed on the second substrate by the plurality of projection optical units.

Projection exposure apparatus and method with a plurality of projection

The present invention is directed to scanning exposure apparatus and exposure method to achieve simultaneous projection of images of plural regions on a mask onto a photosensitive substrate with correcting an orthogonality error of a pattern on the mask or photosensitive substrate. If the pattern on the mask or photosensitive substrate has an orthogonality error causing a deviation of a certain angle in a first direction perpendicular to a scanning direction as it goes in the scanning direction, the mask and the photosensitive substrate are rotated relative to each other in the plane thereof to align one coordinate axis in a coordinate system of each pattern with the first direction. Then a relative displacement is given by an amount of the orthogonality error between positions of images projected through a first optical system and positions of images projected through a second optical system, and relative positions of the mask and the photosensitive substrate are continuously changed by the amount of the orthogonality error in the first direction in accordance with the position of the mask or photosensitive substrate in the scanning direction.

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Shiki, Japan

Masami Seki