Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Masao Kosugi

Kazuo Takahashi

Akiyoshi Suzuki

Hideki Ina

Hiroshi Sato

Naoki Ayata

Mitsuaki Seki

Kazuo Iizuka

Shuichi Yabu

Bunei Hamasaki

Mitsugu Yamamura

Yukio Tokuda

Tadashi Konuki

Ryuichi Ebinuma

Tetsuya Mori

Hideki Yoshinari

Ichiro Kano

Masao Totsuka

Yuji Sudoh

Takashi Omata

Fumio Sakai

Masakatsu Ohta

Kazuhito Outsuka

Shigeki Ogawa

Ichiro Ishiyama

Hitoshi Fukuda

Hirosi Sato

Toshikazu Matsushita

A projection and exposure apparatus includes an optical member, a holding member for holding the optical member with a gap between the optical member and the holding member, and a powder charged in the gap between the optical member and the holding member, such that the optical member and the holding member are maintained in a spaced-apart relationship.

Projection and exposure apparatus including an optical member and a

A projection exposure apparatus includes an illumination optical system for illuminating a first object with exposure light, a projection optical system for projecting a pattern of the first object, illuminated by the exposure light from the illumination optical system, onto a second object, an alignment optical system for illuminating the second object with alignment light, having a wavelength different from the exposure light, and for detecting the alignment light from the second object through the projection optical system, and a moving device for placing the first object on the path of the alignment light when the projection optical system projects the pattern of the first object onto the second object by the exposure light, and for placing the first object out of the path of the alignment light when the alignment optical system detects the alignment light.

Projection exposure apparatus and microdevice manufacturing method using

An exposure apparatus including a wafer holder for holding a wafer, a movable wafer stage for carrying thereon the wafer holder, a recording layer provided on the wafer holder, and a detector for detecting a predetermined pattern recorded in a portion of the recording layer.

Alignment and exposure apparatus

An alignment apparatus includes a first off-axis alignment optical system having a magnification, and a second off-axis alignment optical system having a magnification higher than that of the first off-axis alignment optical system, wherein the apparatus is operable in a global alignment mode using the second off-axis alignment optical system. In another aspect, an alignment apparatus which includes a first off-axis alignment optical system having a magnification, a second off-axis alignment optical system having a magnification higher than that of the first off-axis alignment optical system, and a TTL alignment optical system, wherein the alignment apparatus is operable in a global alignment mode using the second off-axis alignment optical system and is operable in another global alignment mode using the TTL optical alignment system.

Alignment and exposure apparatus and method for manufacture of

An exposure method and apparatus for aligning a pattern of a mask with a pattern of a wafer is disclosed. and for transferring the pattern of the mask onto a resist layer formed on the surface of the wafer, wherein a portion of the resist layer on the wafer in the vicinity of an alignment mark formed on the wafer is exposed to light passed through a portion of the mask including an alignment mark formed on the mask, thereby to form a latent image of the alignment mark of the mask on the resist layer of the wafer, the latent image of the alignment mark of the mask formed on the resist layer of the wafer. The alignment mark formed on the wafer is detected so as to detect any positional deviation between the latent image and the alignment mark formed on the wafer. At least one of the mask and the wafer is displaced on the basis of the result of detection, and finally the resist layer of the wafer is exposed to light passed through a portion of the mask including the pattern.

Exposure method and apparatus

A mark detecting device usable in an alignment and exposure apparatus for aligning an alignment mark of a mask with an alignment mark of a wafer and for exposing a resist layer provided on the surface of the wafer to a pattern of the mask with radiation. The device including a portion for forming a photoprint of the alignment mark of the mask on the resist layer provided on the surface of the wafer, a portion for removing at least a portion of the resist layer adjacent to the alignment mark of the wafer, and a portion for detecting the alignment mark of the wafer and the photoprint of the alignment mark of the mask.

A projection exposure apparatus for projecting a pattern formed on a first object such as a reticle upon a second object such as a semiconductor wafer by use of a projection lens system, is disclosed. In the apparatus, a light of a predetermined wavelength is used for the pattern projection, and a light having a different wavelength is used to align the first and second objects by way of the projection lens system. A dichroic mirror film is disposed inclinedly between the first object and the projection lens system so as to reflect one of the light of the predetermined wavelength and the light of the different wavelength, and also to transmit the other. By this dichroic mirror film, the light used for the alignment and reflected back from the second object is extracted out of a light path between the first and second objects. After correcting effects of chromatic aberrations of the projection lens system with respect to the different wavelength, the light for the alignment is passed through the first object. By this, accurate alignment using the light of a wavelength different from that to be used for the pattern projection, is made practically attainable. Also, use of lights of different wavelengths, other than the wavelength to be used for the pattern projection, is made practically attainable. Thus, accurate and stable alignment is attainable regardless of the configuration of the mark provided on the second object.

Projection exposure apparatus

An exposure system for exposing a wafer coated with a resist to a mask is disclosed. The system includes a photoelectric converting device for photoelectrically converting, through a detection optical system, an alignment mark formed on the wafer; an analyzing device for analyzing an affect of the resist on the wafer to a mark signal from the photoelectric converting device; and a control device for controlling the position of the wafer in relation to the mask, by using the mark signal from the photoelectric converting device and a result of analysis by the analyzing device.

Exposure system including a device for analyzing an affect of a wafer

A precision actuator includes a housing; an ultrasonic motor disposed in the housing and having a ring-like rotor and a stator; an output shaft; a rotation-restraint rectilinear motion guide for coupling the output shaft to the housing, slidably in an axial direction but unrotatably relative to it; and a screw mechanism for coupling the output shaft to the rotor.

Precision actuator

An alignment apparatus includes a first off-axis alignment optical system having a magnification, and a second off-axis alignment optical system having a magnification higher than that of the first off-axis alignment optical system, wherein the apparatus is operable in a global alignment mode using the second off-axis alignment optical system. In another aspect, an alignment apparatus includes a first off-axis alignment optical system having a magnification, a second off-axis alignment optical system having a magnification higher than that of the first off-axis alignment optical system, and a TTL alignment optical system, wherein the alignment apparatus is operable in a global alignment mode using the second off-axis alignment optical system and is operable in another global alignment mode using the TTL optical alignment system.

An alignment apparatus including a first off-axis alignment optical system having a magnification, and a second off-axis alignment optical system having a magnification higher than that of the first off-axis alignment optical system, wherein the apparatus is operable in a global alignment mode using the second off-axis alignment optical system. In another aspect, there is provided an alignment apparatus which includes a first off-axis alignment optical system having a magnification, a second off-axis alignment optical system having a magnification higher than that of the first off-axis alignment optical system, and a TTL alignment optical system, wherein the alignment apparatus is operable in a global alignment mode using the second off-axis alignment optical system and is operable in another global alignment mode using the TTL optical alignment system.

An exposure apparatus usable in the manufacture of semiconductor devices, for transferring a pattern of a reticle onto each of discrete areas of a semiconductor wafer in a step-and-repeat manner. The apparatus has a laser interferometer for precisely measuring the amount of displacement of the wafer and a memory for storing positional errors of the shot areas, relative to respective target positions, established at the time of completion of the stepwise movements of the wafer. In accordance with the stored positional errors and with the result of measurement by the laser interferometer, the amount of stepwise movement of the wafer is corrected, whereby the accuracy of step-feed for the wafer is improved without decreasing the throughput. In another aspect, the exposure apparatus is provided with a TTL detection system for detecting the positional error of each of the shot areas relative to a target or reference shot area established at the time of completion of stepwise movement of the wafer. If a variation component of the positional error detected by way of the TTL detecting system is not less than a predetermined level, the positioning of the wafer is effected for each of the shot areas, by use of the TTL detecting system. If the variation component is less than the predetermined level, the positioning of the wafer or each shot area is effected on the basis of the measurement by the laser interferometer.

Step-and-repeat alignment and exposure method and apparatus

An observation system, usable with a projection optical system for optically projecting a first object upon a second object by use of a light of a first wavelength, for observing the second object by way of the projection optical system and by use of a light of a second wavelength different from the first wavelength. The observation system includes an observation optical system having a lens element and a parallel-surface plate which is inclined with respect to an optical axis of the observation optical system, wherein the observation optical system is arranged to form an image of the second object on a predetermined image surface and wherein the parallel-surface plate is arranged to substantially correct coma caused by the projection optical system.

Observation system for a projection exposure apparatus

An alignment and exposure apparatus for aligning and exposing, in sequence, different shot areas of a semiconductor wafer with and to a pattern formed on a reticle is disclosed. The apparatus includes an alignment system having at least one objective optical system for detecting, at the same time, alignment marks provided in association with neighboring shot areas of the wafer which are to be exposed to the reticle pattern in sequence. Thus, with a simple structure and without the necessity of excessive movement of the wafer, signals providing sufficient positional information necessary for aligning each shot area with the reticle pattern are obtainable. This assures improved throughput and improved alignment accuracy.

Growing community of inventors

Yokohama, Japan

Masao Kosugi