Nikon Corporation

Nikon Corooration

Yoshichika Iwamoto

Hiroki Tateno

Nobutaka Magome

Shigeru Hirukawa

Nobuyuki Irie

Hiroki Okamoto

Eiji Takane

Ryoichi Kaneko

A method of aligning each of a plurality of processing areas regularly aligned on a substrate according to designed alignment coordinates to a predetermined reference position in a static coordinate system for defining the moving position of the substrate is disclosed. The coordinate positions, on the static coordinate system, of at least three processing areas selected in advance as specific processing areas from the plurality of processing areas are measured. The coordinate positions, on the static coordinate system, of the plurality of processing areas on the substrate are determined by weighting the coordinate positions, on the static coordinate system, of the at least three specific processing areas according to the distances between a processing area of interest and each of the at least three specific processing areas in units of processing areas on the substrate, and executing a statistic calculation using the plurality of weighted coordinate positions.

Alignment method and alignment apparatus with a statistic calculation

A positioning method involving the following steps is disclosed. Measured are coordinates positions of at least three preselected exposure areas on a static coordinate system among a plurality of exposure areas two-dimensionally formed in accordance with predetermined array coordinates on a photosensitive substrate. Calculative array coordinates of the plurality of exposure areas on the static coordinate system are calculated by using a plurality of first parameters calculated by statistically calculating the plurality of measured coordinate positions. Then, the photosensitive substrate is positioned in an exposure position while being moved in accordance with the calculative array coordinates thus calculated. Specific marks formed on a mask are thus exposed on each of a plurality of predetermined positions on the photosensitive substrate. Measured further are coordinate positions of latent images of at least three specific marks on the static coordinate system among images (latent images) of a plurality of specific marks exposed. The plurality of these measured coordinate positions are statistically calculated, thereby calculating a plurality of second parameters used for obtaining coordinate positions of each of the plurality of specific marks (latent images) on the static coordinate system. Next, each of the plurality of exposure areas on the photosensitive substrate is aligned with an exposure position in accordance with a deviation between the parameter representing an array offset among the plurality of first parameters and the parameter representing an array offset among the plurality of second parameters. Besides, particularly the specific marks of the mask are exposed within a non-exposure domain (where no base pattern is formed) in the vicinity of the outer periphery of the photosensitive substrate.

Positioning method and apparatus

An exposure method for aligning a plurality of shot areas arranged on a substrate with predetermined exposure positions on a predetermined coordinate system in turn and transcribing, on the substrate, a pattern formed on a mask through a projection optical system comprises the steps of measuring, on a predetermined coordinate system, coordinates of a plurality of sample shot areas selected from a plurality of shot areas, determining weight coefficients corresponding to the coordinates of the sample shot areas, performing statistical calculation based on the coordinates and the weight coefficients of the measured sample shot areas and determining coordinates of the i-th shot area on the predetermined coordinate system, controlling the movement of the substrate according to the determined coordinates of the i-th shot area to set the i-th shot area at the exposure position, and adjusting the projection magnification of the projection optical system based on a parameter expressing deformation of the shot area among a plurality of parameters obtained by statistical calculation upon determining the coordinates of the shot areas.

Exposure method

Growing community of inventors

Kumagaya, Japan

Yoshichika Iwamoto