Nikon Corporation

Nobutaka Fujimori

Kei Nara

Toshio Matsuura

Manabu Toguchi

Masaichi Murakami

Toshinobu Morioka

Masami Seki

Makoto Tsuchiya

Tadaaki Shinozaki

Disclosed is an exposure apparatus designed to expose the pattern of a mask through a projection optical system on a substrate by using an exposure light. This exposure apparatus comprises a line width detector for detecting the pattern line width of the mask, and a control unit for controlling the light exposure of the exposure light based on the detecting result of the line width detector. Thus, exposure is easily carried out on the substrate without any line width differences even if a plurality of masks are used.

Exposure apparatus

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

Positions of a plurality of marks formed in a correction mask are measured as first positions. A plurality of marks in the correction mask are transferred onto a photosensitive substrate, and transferred positions of the plurality of marks are determined as second positions. Subsequently, amounts of deviation of the first positions from the second positions are determined as correction data. After that, positions of a plurality of marks formed in an exposure mask are measured as third positions by a method similar to that used for measurement of the first positions, and the third positions are corrected on the basis of the correction data.

Position measurement method for measuring a position of an exposure mask

An exposure device sequentially transfers a pattern formed in a mask onto connected multiple regions present consecutively on a substrate through a projection optical system. The device includes a substrate stage moving in two dimensions and carrying the substrate in a movement coordinate system determined by a first axis and a mutually perpendicular second axis. A mark detecting sensor detects positions of alignment marks formed on the substrate. A magnification adjustment device corrects the magnification of the projection optical system. At least one calculating device is used to separately calculate extension amounts of the substrate in the direction of the first axis and in the direction of the second axis based on information relating to the positions of the alignment marks detected by the mark detecting sensor. An amount of magnification correction provided by the magnification adjustment device is set based on the extension amounts calculated, and scales of the first and second axes of the movement coordinate system specifying movement of the substrate stage are changed by identical amounts.

Exposure method and exposure device

A projection exposure apparatus includes an illumination optical system for illuminating a plurality of partial areas on a mask. A plurality of projection optical systems each project images of the partial areas thus illuminated onto a photosensitive substrate. A mask table holds the mask. A position detector detects a position of the mask table. A substrate table holds the photosensitive substrate. A plurality of first reference marks are provided on the mask table; each of the plurality of first reference marks are disposed at a position corresponding to each of the plurality of projection optical systems. A plurality of second reference marks are provided on the substrate table; the second reference marks are substantially conjugate with the first reference marks with respect to the projection optical systems and are in a predetermined positional relation with the first reference marks in in-plane directions of the mask and the photosensitive substrate. A positional deviation detector detects positional deviations between the first reference marks and second reference marks when light beams from the illumination optical system are radiated onto the plurality of first reference marks to project the plurality of first reference marks through the projection optical systems onto the plurality of second reference marks. A correcting device corrects imaging characteristics of the projection optical systems, based on the positional deviations. The first reference marks can comprise a single aperture of a plurality of apertures. A reverse-type aperture may be employed. The positional deviation detector may include a single photodetector or a plurality of photodetectors.

Projection exposure apparatus and method having a positional deviation

An exposure method for transferring a pattern on a mask onto a photosensitive substrate. The exposure method has steps of (1) preparing the mask with a first alignment mark and the substrate with a second alignment mark, a length of the first alignment mark in a scan direction being shorter than a length of the second alignment mark in the same direction; (2) scanning the first and second alignment marks; (3) detecting an intensity of the light which has been emitted from the light source optical system and irradiated the mask and the substrate; (4) calculating an amount of dislocation between the first and second alignment marks in the scan direction; (5) correcting the dislocation between the mask and the substrate; (6) effecting an exposure to transfer the pattern on the mask onto the substrate.

Exposure method

In an alignment method an apparatus for scanning an alignment mark formed on a substrate with a beam of light, and detecting the position of the alignment mark on the basis of a signal conforming to reflected light obtained from the alignment mark, a dummy mark of the same shape as the alignment mark is formed near the alignment mark formed on the substrate, the dummy mark and the alignment mark are continuously scanned by the beam of light, and during the time from after the beam of light has scanned the dummy mark until the scanning of the alignment mark is started, the intensity (signal level) of a first signal obtained in conformity with reflected light reflected by the dummy mark is found to thereby calculate the amplification factor of the signal, and during the scanning of the alignment mark, a second signal obtained in conformity with reflected Light reflected from the alignment mark is amplified with this amplification factor, and the position of the alignment mark is detected on the basis of the amplified second signal.

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Fujisawa, Japan

Nobutaka Fujimori