Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Noriyuki Nose

Minoru Yoshii

Yukichi Niwa

Kenji Saitoh

Shigeyuki Suda

Masakazu Matsugu

Koichi Sentoku

Toshihiko Tsuji

Takahiro Matsumoto

Ryo Kuroda

Naoto Abe

Kunitaka Ozawa

Shunichi Uzawa

Seiji Takeuchi

Nobuo Kushibiki

Takeshi Baba

Kyoichi Miyazaki

Kiyonobu Endo

Masanobu Hasegawa

Toshiyuki Nakajima

Kenji Saito

Koji Uda

Hirohisa Ohta

Masayuki A Suzuki

Ryuichi Ebinuma

Susumu Matsumura

Eigo Kawakami

Kazuya Matsumoto

Takao Kariya

Makiko Mori

Youichi Okuno

Hiroshi Osawa

Mitsutoshi Ohwada

Sakae Houryu

Mamoru Miyawaki

Kazuo Minoura

Yukuo Nishimura

Shinichi Hara

Takashi Nakagiri

Norio Kaneko

Isamu Shimoda

Nobutoshi Mizusawa

Mitsuaki Amemiya

Hiroshi Maehara

Hiroshi Kurosawa

Kazuhiko Matsuoka

Setsuo Minami

Yasuaki Fukuda

Tetsuzo Mori

Takeshi Miyachi

Masahiro Okuda

Hidehiko Fujioka

Takeshi Sawada

Hideo Yoshikawa

Akinori Hasu

Yoshimichi Okada

An alignment method useable with an original having a pattern and a substrate having a surface area on which the pattern of the original is printed. The alignment method comprises detecting plural marks, calculating plural times, the amount of rotational deviation on the basis of different combinations of marks, calculating the quantity of rotational correction of the original and the substrate by using the computed rotational deviations, and aligning on the basis of the calculated quantity of the rotational deviation.

Alignment system

A light source portion having an acousto-optic element produces a laser beam of two light components having a frequency difference .DELTA.w and having registered polarization directions. The laser beam is subsequently divided by a half mirror. One of the divided laser beams is detected by a photoelectric detector as reference light, and a corresponding signal is applied to a synchronism detector. The other laser beam is projected by a scanning optical system to the surface of, e.g., an original to be examined to scan the same. At the position on the surface irradiated by the scanning light spot, the laser beam is modulated at a beat frequency .DELTA.w on the basis of optical heterodyne interference. A synchronism detector detects a signal corresponding to the scattered light from a particle or defect on the surface being examined, in synchronism with the frequency of the reference light, whereby the particle or defect can be detected with a good signal-to-noise ratio.

Optical inspection method and apparatus including intensity modulation

An inspection system includes a light source, a scanning device for scanning a surface to be inspected, with light from the light source, wherein the scanning device includes an optical member disposed with inclination with respect to a primary scan direction, the optical member being adapted to provide a convergent light being converged to form a spot at a distance changeable with the position of a scan, and a light receiving device for receiving scattered light from the surface.

Inspection system and device manufacturing method using the same

A device and method for measuring the positional deviation between a plurality of diffraction gratings formed on the same object include an illumination optical system for illuminating the plurality of diffraction gratings with a light beam, the illumination by the optical system generating a plurality of diffracted light beams from the plurality of diffraction gratings, an interference optical system for forming at least one interference light beam from the plurality of diffracted light beams, a detector for detecting the at least one interference light beam, the result of the detection serving as the basis for measuring the positional deviation between the plurality of diffraction gratings, and a measuring portion for measuring the relative positional relation between the illumination optical system and the plurality of diffraction gratings.

Positional deviation measuring device and method for measuring the

An apparatus for detecting foreign matter on a substrate includes an optical system for projecting a light beam onto a pellicle and a pattern surface, a first detector for detecting scattered light from foreign matter on the pattern surface, a second detector for detecting information relating to the reflectivity or the transmittance of the pellicle by detecting a light beam reflected by the pellicle, and a correction unit for correcting an output signal from the first detector using an output signal from the second detector.

Apparatus for detecting foreign matter on a substrate, and an exposure

A method and device for measuring the relative displacement between first and second diffraction gratings includes an interference optical system forming first and second interference rays of light from light diffracted from the first and second diffraction gratings and separating the first and second interference rays of light on the basis of the difference in their direction of polarization, a first detector for detecting the first interference ray of light to generate a first detection signal, a second detector for detecting the second interference ray of light to generate a second detection signal, and signal processing section for detecting the phase difference between the first and second detection signals and for determining the relative displacement between the first and second diffraction gratings on the basis of the phase difference.

Apparatus and method for detecting a relative displacement between first

A mask manufacturing method includes holding through a first stage a master reticle having a pattern, holding through a second stage a mask substrate, projecting an exposure beam to the pattern of the master reticle held by the first stage, and projecting the pattern onto the mask substrate held by the second stage at a predetermined reduction magnification, and scanning the first and second stages in a timed relation and at a predetermined speed ratio, whereby the pattern of the master reticle is transferred to the mask substrate.

Mask manufacturing method and apparatus and device manufacturing method

A method and apparatus for measuring the relative positional deviation between first and second diffraction gratings formed on an object includes determining the relative positional deviation of the first and second diffraction gratings while detecting and correcting an error produced in relation to detection of the positional deviation of the first and second diffraction gratings.

Method and apparatus for measuring positional deviation while correcting

An interval detection method for detecting the interval between two marks provided on the surface of a wafer with high accuracy using other two marks provided on the wafer, and a method for detecting the relative positions of a wafer and a mask with high accuracy are provided. The method for detecting the interval includes the steps of projecting a first light beam passing through a first mark on the mask and a fifth mark on the wafer onto a predetermined detection surface, projecting a second light beam passing through a second mark on the mask and a sixth mark on the wafer onto the predetermined detection surface, projecting a third light beam passing through a third mark on the mask and the fifth mark onto the predetermined detection surface, projecting a fourth light beam passing through a fourth mark on the mask and the sixth mark onto the predetermined detection surface, and determining the interval between the first mark and the second mark based on information relating to the incident positions of the first, second, third and fourth light beams on the predetermined detection surface, and the interval between the third mark and the fourth mark.

Position detection method

A method of detecting the positional relationship between a first object and a second object is disclosed which includes projecting a first light through a convex lens mark of the first object and a concave lens pattern of the second object onto a first plane and projecting a second light through a concave lens mark of the first object and a convex lens pattern of the second object onto the first plane, wherein a first spacing between positions of incidence of the first light and the second light on the first plane increases with displacement of the second object relative to the first object in a predetermined direction. The method also includes projecting a third light through a concave lens mark of the first object and a convex lens pattern of the second object onto a second plane and projecting a fourth light through a convex lens mark of the first object and a concave lens pattern of the second object onto the second plane, wherein a second spacing between positions of incidence of the third light and the fourth light on the second plane decreases with displacement of the second object relative to the first object in the predetermined direction. The method also includes determining a reference for the detection of a position of the first object relative to a position of the second object on the basis of the first spacing and the second spacing as they become substantially equal to each other.

Position detecting method for detecting a positional relationship

Disclosed is an inspection method and apparatus: wherein (i) first light having a first state of polarization and a first wavelength, and (ii) second light having a second state of polarization, different from the first state of polarization, and a second wavelength, different from the first wavelength are produced; at least the first light is projected to a position of inspection; and heterodyne interference light produced on the basis of the second light and light scattered at the inspection position and having its state of polarization changed, by the scattering, from the first state of polarization, is detected.

Inspection method and apparatus for inspecting a particle, if any, on a

A first Savart plate and an object to be measured are arranged on the light path of a Zeeman light source. The object to be measured is constructed of a diffraction grating on a mask and a diffraction grating on a wafer. A second Savart plate, a deflection plate and a photoelectric detector are sequentially arranged in the light path for the diffracted beams from the measured object. The output of the photoelectric detector is connected to a phase-difference unit to detect the phase difference between two beat signals. Herein, the light is split into two beams by the Savart plate. After a diffraction is caused by the diffraction gratings, thereafter, the beams are re-synthesized by the Savart plates. The two beams travel on the same light path, thereby improving a measurement accuracy.

Apparatus and method for detecting the relative positional deviation

When inspecting the presence of foreign matter on a surface to be inspected by scanning the surface with a light beam from a light source utilizing a scanning system, and receiving scattered light from the surface by a detector, a correlation is utilized between a signal representing first scattered light obtained from the detector when the light beam scans a first line on the surface, and a signal representing second scattered light obtained from the detector when the light beam scans a second line displaced from the first line by a predetermined amount in a direction orthogonal to the direction of the first line.

Inspection apparatus for detecting foreign matter on a surface to be

A position detecting apparatus usable for aligning mask and a semiconductor wafer, wherein a laser beam produced by a semiconductor laser is projected through a predetermined optical system to alignment marks formed on the mask and the wafer, and the light reflected by the marks are detected by an accumulation type sensor to produce an electrical signal, from which the relative positional relation between the mask and the wafer are detected on the basis of the electrical signal. To obtain proper mark signals, the quantity of light incident on the accumulation sensor is controlled. In this apparatus, the beam emitting strength of the semiconductor laser is made constant, and the control of thee amount of light incident on the accumulation sensor is effected by controlling the operation period of the semiconductor laser. In addition, the actuation timing of the semiconductor laser is advanced from the accumulation start of the accumulation type sensor by the time required for the semiconductor laser to be thermally stabilized after its actuation. The mark detection signal produced by the accumulation sensor is precise.

Light quantity controlling apparatus

A length measuring device for performing length measurement and an exposure apparatus for performing an exposure operation on a first object having a plurality of alignment patterns thereon, includes an alignment detector for detecting the relative positional relation between the first object and a second object having a plurality of reference alignment patterns used for aligning the first object therewith, and for detecting an alignment condition between the alignment patterns of the first and second objects, a movement device for moving the first and second objects relative to each other, a measurement device for measuring the amount of movement of the movement device, and a length measurement device for performing measurement of the space between the plurality of alignment patterns formed on the first object. The length measurement device performs length measurement on the basis of successive alignment conditions detected by successive alignment condition detection operations of the alignment detector between the plurality of reference alignment patterns on the second object and the plurality of alignment patterns on the first object, as well as the amount of movement of the movement device measured by the measurement device during the successive alignment condition detection operations of the alignment detector.

Length-measuring device and exposure apparatus

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Machida, Japan

Noriyuki Nose