Canon Kabushiki Kaisha

Shigeki Ogawa

Hideki Ina

Fumio Sakai

Akiyoshi Suzuki

Koichi Sentoku

Masao Kosugi

Shigeyuki Uzawa

Eiichi Murakami

Tetsuya Mori

Masao Totsuka

Kazuhito Outsuka

The beam measuring apparatus of the present invention includes a detection device including a shield member that has an edge, and a detector configured to detect the beam of which at least a part is not shielded by the shield member; a relative movement mechanism configured to cause a relative movement between the shield member and the beam; and a controller configured to control the detection device and the relative movement mechanism so as to cause one of the edge and the beam to traverse the other with respect to each of a plurality of points on the edge, to sum a plurality of signals, respectively obtained by the detection device with respect to the plurality of points and with respect to relative positions of the relative movement corresponding to one another, so as to obtain a signal sequence, and to obtain the characteristic based on the signal sequence.

Measuring apparatus, drawing apparatus, and article manufacturing method

A method includes a first step of forming a circuit pattern and an alignment mark on a substrate and a second step of measuring a position of the alignment mark and positioning the substrate. The alignment mark includes a first linear pattern arranged on one side of a first straight line, a second linear pattern arranged on the other side of the first straight line, a third linear pattern arranged on one side of a second straight line, and a fourth linear pattern arranged on the other side of the second straight line. The first step includes determining total number of the third and fourth linear patterns to be formed and total number of the first and second linear patterns to be formed based on required precisions in directions along the first and second straight lines.

Method of manufacturing device, and substrate

A scanning exposure apparatus includes a first movable stage being movable while carrying a first object thereon, a second movable stage being movable while carrying a second object thereon, a projection optical system for projecting a pattern, a control system serviceable to scan the first and second movable stages in a timed relation and relative to the projection optical system and to project a pattern of the first object onto the second object through the projection optical system, a first reference plate fixedly mounted on the first movable stage, a second reference plate fixedly mounted on the second movable stage, and a detecting system serviceable to scan at least one of the first and second movable stages to detect a relative positional relationship between alignment marks of the first and second reference plates to thereby determine a scan direction of one of the first and second movable stages.

Exposure apparatus and method wherein alignment is carried out by

A projection exposure apparatus for projecting a pattern of a reticle upon a wafer by use of a projection lens system, is disclosed. The apparatus is arranged so that a mark illuminating light is projected upon the wafer from between the projection lens system and the wafer and not by way of the projection lens system. The light diffracted by an edge of a wafer alignment mark is photoelectrically detected by way of the projection lens system, whereby an electrical signal corresponding to an image of the alignment mark is obtained. On the basis of the detected signal, the wafer is aligned with the reticle. This arrangement allows detection of the alignment mark without being affected by a photoresist applied to the wafer surface. Thus, the reticle-to-wafer alignment can be made accurately. Also, a novel and unique alignment method is disclosed. The disclosed method assures high-accuracy reticle-to-wafer alignment.

Projection exposure apparatus

Growing community of inventors

Utsunomiya, Japan

Shigeki Ogawa