Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Masaru Nyui

Mikichi Ban

Takehiko Suzuki

Masahiko Igaki

Yasushi Sugiyama

Kazuo Takahashi

Koh Ishizuka

Keiko Chiba

Ko Ishizuka

Keiji Yamashita

Hiroshi Watanabe

An exposure apparatus includes an illumination optical system for illuminating a reticle using a light from a light source, and a projection optical system for projecting a pattern of the reticle onto a substrate, the exposure apparatus exposing the substrate through a liquid that is supplied to a space between the substrate and a lens of the projection optical system closest to the substrate, a surface of the lens on which the light does not pass having a polished surface.

Exposure apparatus and device manufacturing method

In order to measure a thickness of a surface to be polished of a material to be polished for a short time, two-dimensional images are obtained from a light reflected from the surface to be polished of the material to be polished, a location at which a thickness is to be observed is specified by the obtained two-dimensional images, and thickness measurement is carried out.

Polishing apparatus and polishing method

This specification discloses a polishing method of polishing the surface of a film layer provided on the surface of a substrate by polishing means with both of them driven relative to each other, having a position detecting step of detecting a predetermined position on the surface of the film layer, a first measuring step of applying momentary light from a light source to the predetermined position, and detecting the light beam from the predetermined position by a light receiving element to thereby measure the film thickness at the predetermined position, and a controlling step of controlling the polishing state by using data obtained in the first measuring step. The specification also discloses a polishing apparatus using such polishing method.

Polishing method and polishing apparatus using the same

A method and apparatus for measuring the thickness of a film layer provided on a predetermined surface includes a step and device for detecting light reception signals of interference light of different wavelengths generated when light illuminates the film layer on the predetermined surface, a step or device for performing a first process for obtaining an approximate value for the film thickness by selecting a combination of solutions with the closest values from among solutions for the film thickness obtainable from at least three of the light reception signals corresponding to the respective wavelengths, and a step or device for performing a second process for obtaining an exact value for the film thickness by selecting a combination of solutions with the closest values from among solutions for the film thickness obtainable from all the light reception signals corresponding to the respective wavelengths. The second process is performed on the basis of the approximate value and with a restricted range for selection of the combination.

Film thickness measuring method and apparatus

A polishing system includes a polishing pad for polishing a surface of a layer provided on a substrate, a surface condition measuring device for detecting a condition of a polishing surface of the polishing pad and a controller for controlling a process to the polishing pad by judging whether the polishing pad can be continuously used for polishing of the surface of the layer provided on the substrate, on the basis of a signal indicative of a measurement from the surface condition measuring device.

Polishing system

A polishing method of polishing the surface of a layer provided on the surface of a substrate includes a surface configuration measuring step of detecting surface information at a plurality of locations on the layer and obtaining the surface configuration of the layer, the surface configuration of the layer being obtained by measuring a distance from a reference surface set relative to the surface of the layer, a film thickness distribution measuring step of detecting the film thicknesses at a plurality of locations on the layer and obtaining the film thickness distribution of the layer, a determining step of determining whether the surface configuration and film thickness distribution of the layer are within a preset allowable range and a polishing controlling step of continuing or stopping the polishing on the basis of a result of the determination in the determining step.

Disclosed is a method of polishing the surface of a film provided on a substrate, by use of a polishing device, while relatively moving the film surface and the polishing device. The method includes a position detecting step for detecting a predetermined position on the surface of the film, a first measurement step for measuring an absolute value of the film thickness at the predetermined position, and a second measurement step for measuring film thickness information of the film about the predetermined position, on the basis of a measured value obtained through the first measurement step. The method also includes a film thickness distribution measurement step for detecting a film thickness distribution of the film, on the basis of a data obtained through the first and second measurement steps, and a control step for controlling continuation/discontinuation of polishing, on the basis of a data obtained through the film thickness distribution measurement step.

Method and apparatus for measuring film thickness and film thickness

The present invention relates to a rotation information detecting method of detecting rotation information of a rotating object, comprising the step of mounting a rotating scale on a rotating shaft of the rotating object, said rotating scale having a first pattern for detecting rotation information formed thereon in advance, the detection step of detecting the rotation information of the rotating object by detecting the first pattern and the formation step of forming a second pattern for detecting rotation information on the rotating scale on the basis of the detected rotation information.

Rotation information detecting apparatus and method

A rotation measuring apparatus has a grating disposed on a cylindrical surface along the circumferential direction thereof, an illuminating system for applying a light beam to a first location on the grating, light emerging from the first location by the application of the light beam from the illuminating system being incident on a second location on the grating, light beams for detection emerging in a plurality of directions from the second location on which the light is incident, a plurality of light receiving elements for detecting the light beams for detection, respectively, the relative rotation information of the grating and the light receiving elements being measured by the detection by the light receiving elements, and light intercepting means for preventing the light beam for detection which should enter at least one of the light receiving elements from entering a different light receiving element.

Rotation measuring apparatus and displacement measuring apparatus

An encoder capable of detecting movement information on a moving body with high accuracy without being affected by environmental changes, wherein movement information on a moving body is detected by causing a luminous flux to impinge upon a first scale section of an optical scale which is provided on the moving body and which consists of gratings of a fixed pitch, causing the luminous flux to impinge upon a second scale section of the optical scale, and receiving the luminous flux which has undergone light modulation at the second scale section, and wherein a light adjustment device for intercepting or attenuating a +1st order or -1st order diffracted ray of diffracted rays of light from the first scale section is provided in the optical path extending from the first scale section, an optical image having an intensity distribution of the same grating pitch as the first scale section being formed on the second scale section mainly by the zero order and the -1st order diffracted rays or by the zero order and the +1st order diffracted rays.

Encoder with an optical scale and interference of zero and first order

In a rotation detector, a light beam from a light irradiating device is projected onto a first scale of an optical scale comprising gratings having a constant period provided around a cylindrical member of a rotating member, the light beam modulated by the first scale is projected onto a second scale of the optical scale via a region away from the center of the rotation shaft of the rotating member, the light beams as a result of modulation by the second scale are sensed by a light sensing device, and information regarding the rotation of the rotating member is detected using signals from the light sensing device.

Rotation detector using dual position interference light

Disclosed is a Talbot's interference type optical encoder constructed so as to minimize a measurement error due to a signal distortion. A semiconductor laser is installed so that a vertical transverse mode is set in a direction vertical to a moving direction of a diffraction grating serving as a scale. Further, a stop for regulating light beams from a light source is prepared. An aperture of this stop assumes such a configuration that a dimension in a direction along the moving direction of the scale diffraction grating is set equal to or shorter than a dimension in a direction vertical to the moving direction of the scale diffraction grating. Distortions of signals obtained are thereby reduced. A comparison level in signal processing can be centered on an amplitude of the signal, and, as a result, an occurrence of error can be prevented.

Talbot's interference type optical encoder

An encoder includes a light illuminating device, an optical scale and a photosensor, and detects information of relative displacement between the scale and the illuminating light. A birefringent element, such as a Savart plate or the like, is disposed in the optical path between the light illuminating device and the photosensor to generate a plurality of images of the scale having different phases. A plurality of output signals having a phase difference are obtained using the images of the scale.

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Utsunomiya, Japan

Masaru Nyui