Nikon Corporation

Nippon Kogaku K.k.

Jeol Ltd.

Nikon Corporatioin

Toshio Matsuura

Kei Nara

Kyoichi Suwa

Akikazu Tanimoto

Naomasa Shiraishi

Akihiro Goto

Nobutaka Magome

Hiroshi Shirasu

Yutaka Ichihara

Seiro Murakami

Nobutaka Fujimori

Yuji Imai

Masaichi Murakami

Toshinobu Morioka

Muneyasu Yokota

Masami Ebi

Takashi Genma

Kazuya Ohta

Kazuaki Suzuki

Koichi Matsumoto

Kazuo Ushida

Makoto Uehara

Seiji Miyazaki

Yukio Kakizaki

Takashi Gemma

Akinori Shirato

Satoru Anzai

Manabu Toguchi

Tsuyoshi Narabe

Kazuhiko Hori

Hisayuki Shimizu

Tadaaki Shinozaki

Kinya Katoh

Atsuyuki Aoki

Yoshio Fukami

Satoru Shikata

Mineo Kumazawa

Yuichi Imanishi

At the time of transferring the pattern image of a mask onto a substrate, an exposure apparatus overlays peripheral portions of exposure areas with respect to a pattern image, which has previously been transferred onto the substrate, with each other, and transfers a predetermined pattern onto the substrate. This exposure apparatus comprises a dose adjusting device capable of adjusting the dose of exposure light at the overlying portion, a shape measuring unit for measuring the shape of the pattern image of the overlying portion formed on the substrate, and a control section for controlling the dose adjusting device based on the result of measurement by the shape measuring unit in such a way that the shape of the pattern image of the overlying portion formed on the substrate becomes an intended shape.

Exposure method and exposure apparatus

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 apparatus for exposing a photomask pattern onto a photosensitive substrate via a plurality of optical systems includes a source of illumination for irradiating the photomask pattern with beams of light adapted to pass through the pattern and optical systems onto the substrate. A scanning mechanism for synchronously scanning the photomask pattern with the beams of light is included to transfer the pattern to the substrate. A plurality of illumination intensity measuring devices is provided for substantially simultaneously measuring the illumination intensities of the beams of light passing through the optical systems.

Exposure method and apparatus

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 apparatus for reproducing a mask pattern onto a photo-sensitive surface of a substrate uses holographic techniques. The apparatus includes support for holding a hologram recording plate at a predetermined position during both a recording operation and a reconstructing operation. A first illuminating optical system introduces a light beam from a coherent light source to a mask and irradiates a subject beam produced from the mask into the recording plate. A second illuminating optical system irradiates the light beam from a coherent light source as a reference beam into the recording plate, a carrier apparatus disposes during the reconstructing operation, a substrate at the position of the mask, in place of the mask. A third illuminating optical system for irradiates a conjugate beam with the reference beam into the recording plate, in which a hologram has been formed by the recording operation, to form an image of the hologram on the photo-sensitive surface of the substrate. A controler for for selectively controlling the first, second and third illuminating optical systems puts an at least a selected one of the optical system into an operative condition so as to irradiate a fixing light beam into the recording plate in order to fix the hologram.

Exposure apparatus for reproducing a mask pattern onto a photo-sensitive

This invention relates to an exposure apparatus for synchronously scanning a mask and a photosensitive substrate with respect to a plurality of projection optical systems, thereby properly transferring an entire pattern area on the mask onto the photosensitive substrate. A plurality of sets of mask-side reference marks and substrate-side reference marks are arranged at positions corresponding to each other on the mask surface and the photosensitive substrate surface and at least at two positions conjugate with the plurality of projection optical systems. The displacement amount between an image of a mask-side reference mark or a substrate-side reference mark formed on the corresponding substrate-side reference mark or mask-side reference mark through the projection optical system and the position of the substrate-side reference mark and the mask-side reference mark is measured. The imaging characteristics of the plurality of projection optical systems are corrected in accordance with the displacement amount.

Exposure apparatus

An exposure apparatus for reproducing a mask pattern onto a photo-sensitive surface of a substrate using holographic techniques. The apparatus comprises support means for holding a hologram recording plate at a predetermined position both during recording operation and reconstructing operation, a first illuminating optical system for introducing a light beam from a coherent light source to a mask and irradiating a subject beam produced from the mask into the recording plate, a second illuminating optical system for irradiating the light beam from the coherent light source as a reference beam into the recording plate, a carrier apparatus for disposing during reconstructing operation a substrate at the position of the mask in place of the mask, a third illuminating optical system for irradiating a conjugate beam with the reference beam into the recording plate, in which a hologram has been formed by recording operation, to form an image of the hologram on the photo-sensitive surface of the substrate, and a controller for selectively controlling the first, second and third illuminating optical systems to put an at least selected one of them into an operative condition so as to irradiate a fixing light beam into the recording plate in order to fix the hologram.

A plurality of interference length (distance) measuring means which are opposed to a movable mirror are aligned in the direction in which said movable mirror moves at an interval narrower than the length of the mirror surface. These interference length measuring means are switched according to movement of the movable mirror. Thus, the range within which distances from the mirror surface are measured can be made wider than the length of the mirror surface of the movable mirror.

Distance measuring apparatus using multiple switched interferometers

An exposure apparatus is used for reproducing a mask pattern of a semiconductor device or the like onto a photosensitive substrate using a holography. The holography is utilized also in a process for alignment between a mask pattern hologram and an exposure region of the substrate. The pattern hologram is recorded to a recording medium by interference between an object wave from the pattern and a reference wave, and a second hologram is formed to the medium by diffraction light from an alignment mark formed on the mask. Prior to reconstruction of the pattern image, reconstruction light from the second hologram, illuminated with a reconstruction wave, is irradiated onto the substrate arranged in place of the mask. A reproduction image of the alignment mark on the substrate surface illuminated with the reconstruction light is measured, and relative displacement between the medium and the substrate is detected from a result of the measurement. The relative positional relationship between the medium and the substrate is corrected in accordance with the displacement information, and, thereafter, the surface is exposed with a reconstruction image of the pattern hologram.

Exposure method and apparatus using holographic techniques

Prior to exposures, the imaging characteristics of a projection optical system to be used are determined by measuring the positions of plural projection points (evaluation points) within the projection area, on a photosensitive substrate, of the projection optical system. Then the positional aberrations between the evaluation points are determined in the area of image superposition or jointing, and correcting parameters are determined so as to minimize at least the component of the aberrations in a direction, perpendicular to an extending direction patterns of a reticle. The reticle or the photosensitive substrate is rotated or shifted according to thus determined correcting parameters. This exposure method achieves the superposition or jointing of patterns, or the superposition of the jointed parts thereof, in optimum manner, according to the structure (directionality) of the patterns or the imaging characteristics of the projection optical system employed.

Exposure method

Method of making a spectral analysis of a free induction decay signal picked up by a pulse nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer. The sine component and the cosine component of the signal which are .pi./2 out-of-phase are sampled. The resulting data is analyzed by the Sompi method extended to the complex domain. The Sompi method utilizes an autoregressive model.

Method of producing noise free frequency spectrum signals

Alignment of a mask with a projection-type exposing apparatus and alignment of the mask with a substrate are provided. Plural exposure areas of the substrate are exposed by light of a predetermined wavelength, which is also used for alignment purposes to reduce alignment error due to aberration of a projection optical system. A first alignment mark is disposed in a first area between adjacent exposure areas of the substrate. The mask has a main area, a second area in which a second mark is disposed, and a third area in which a third mark is disposed, the second area being outside of the main area and the third area being inside the second area. An illuminating device has a first status in which the second and third areas are illuminated simultaneously and has a second status in which the third area is illuminated, a first area adjacent to one of the exposure areas also being illuminated when the illuminating device has the second status. In the first status, a first detector detects the position of an image of the second mark formed by an objective optical system. In the second status, a second detector detects displacement between images of the first and third marks formed by the objective optical system and produces a detection signal. The mask is displaced relative to the substrate in response to the detection signal, so that the images of the first and third marks assume a predetermined relationship.

Projection type exposing apparatus

An exposure method for photolithography comprises the steps of forming a pattern on a substrate by the use of a first exposure apparatus including a first imaging optical system having a reduction magnification 1/.beta.1 and an image circle of a diameter .phi.1, and forming a second pattern on the substrate on which the first pattern has been formed, by the use of a second exposure apparatus including a second imaging optical system having a reduction magnification 1/.beta.2 different from the reduction magnification 1/.beta.1 and an image circle of a diameter .phi.2, wherein when N is an integer, the conditions that .beta.1.times..phi.1=.beta.2.times..phi.2 and .phi.1=N.times..phi.2 are satisfied.

Exposure method and system for photolithography

A process and an apparatus for positioning a substrate provided with at least an alignment mark (reference pattern) and other patterns irrelevant to the alignment such as circuit patterns, are featured by obtaining photoelectric signals corresponding to the pattern distribution in a scanning area extending over a determined length in a scan direction crossing said reference pattern at a determined angle and containing the reference pattern, identifying that a photoelectric signal satisfying at least a condition in the scan direction is generated by the reference pattern and aligning the substrate according to thus identified photoelectric signal.

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Tokyo, Japan

Toshio Matsuura