Exposure apparatus

Claim 2

An exposure apparatus for transferring a pattern formed on a mask onto an object, comprising: a mask stage that positions the mask; an object stage that positions the object with respect to the mask pattern; a mask stage position-measuring unit, connected to the mask stage, that measures a two-dimensional position of the mask stage; an object stage position-measuring unit, connected to the object stage, that measures a two-dimensional position of the object stage; a processor, connected to at least one of the mask stage position-measuring unit and the object stage position-measuring unit, that determines an error vector quantity, wherein the processor: (a) determines a first vector quantity from the measuring performed by one of the mask stage position-measuring unit and the object stage position-measuring unit, (b) determines from the first vector quantity, a target position vector quantity of the stage corresponding to the other of the mask stage position-measuring unit and the object stage position-measuring unit, (c) determines a second vector quantity from the measuring performed by the other of the mask stage position-measuring unit and the object stage position-measuring unit, and (d) determines the error vector quantity by subtracting the second vector quantity from the target position vector quantity; and a controller that controls a position or a velocity of the stage corresponding to the other of the mask stage position-measuring unit and the object stage position-measuring unit in conformity with the error vector determined by the processor.

Claim 3

The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a projection optical system, disposed between the mask and the object, that projects the pattern formed on the mask onto the object at a predetermined magnification, wherein the target position vector quantity is a vector quantity obtained by multiplying the vector quantity comprising the components of the results of measurement by the one position-measuring unit of the mask stage position-measuring unit and the object stage position-measuring unit by a conversion vector comprising components containing a magnification of the projection optical system and an angle of rotation between the mask and the object.

Claim 4

The exposure apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the results of measurement by the position-measuring unit, which are processed in the processor, are represented by a two-dimensional position and an angle of rotation of the stage having its position measured by the one position-measuring unit.

Claim 5

The exposure apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the angle of rotation between the mask and the object is an angle of rotation previously measured by making alignment of the mask and the object.

Claim 6

The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the mask stage position-measuring unit has degrees of freedom of measurement of not less than three axes, and the object stage position-measuring unit has degrees of freedom of measurement of not less than three axes.

Claim 7

The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a first time lag-correcting system connected to the mask stage position-measuring unit that corrects, a time lag in measurement by the mask stage position-measuring unit, and a second time lag-correcting system, connected to the object stage position-measuring unit that corrects, a time lag in measurement by the object stage position-measuring unit, wherein the results of measurement are obtained as positional information in which the time lags have been corrected.

Claim 8

A scanning type exposure apparatus for transferring an image of a pattern formed on a mask onto an object by illuminating the mask and synchronously scanning the mask and the object with respect to an illumination area on the mask, comprising: a mask stage that positions the mask; a substrate stage that positions the object with respect to the mask pattern; a mask stage position-measuring unit, connected to the mask stage, that measures a two-dimensional position of the mask stage; an object stage position-measuring unit, connected to the object stage, that measures a two-dimensional position of the substrate stage; a projection optical system, disposed between the mask and the object, that projects the pattern on the mask onto the object at a predetermined magnification; a processor, connected to at least one of the mask stage position-measuring unit and the object stage position-measuring unit, that determines an error vector quantity, wherein the processor: (a) determines a first vector quantity from the measuring performed by one of the mask stage position-measuring unit and the object stage position-measuring unit, (b) determines from the first vector quantity, a target vector quantity of the stage corresponding to the other of the mask stage position-measuring unit and the object stage position-measuring unit, (c) determines a second vector quantity from the measuring performed by the other of the mask stage position-measuring unit and the object stage position-measuring unit, and (d) determines the error vector quantity by subtracting the second vector quantity from the target vector quantity; and a controller that controls a position or a velocity of the stage corresponding to the other of the mask stage position-measuring unit and the object stage position-measuring unit in conformity with the error vector determined by the processor.

Claim 9

A scanning type exposure apparatus for transferring an image of a pattern formed on a mask onto an object by illuminating the mask and synchronously scanning the mask and the object with respect to an illumination area on the mask, comprising: a mask stage that positions the mask; a substrate stage that positions the object with respect to the mask pattern; a mask stage position-measuring unit, connected to the mask stage, that measures a two-dimensional position of the mask stage; an object stage position-measuring unit, connected to the object stage, that measures a two-dimensional position of the substrate stage; a projection optical system, disposed between the mask and the object, that projects the pattern on the mask onto the object at a predetermined magnification; a processor, connected to at least one of the mask stage position-measuring unit and the object stage position-measuring unit, that determines an error vector quantity, wherein the processor: (a) determines a first vector quantity from the measuring performed by one of the mask stage position-measuring unit and the object stage position-measuring unit, (b) determines from the first vector quantity, a target vector quantity of the stage corresponding to the other of the mask stage position-measuring unit and the object stage position-measuring unit, (c) determines a second vector quantity from the measuring performed by the other of the mask stage position-measuring unit and the object stage position-measuring unit, and (d) determines the error vector quantity by subtracting the second vector quantity from the target vector quantity; and a controller that controls a position or a velocity of the stage corresponding to the other of the mask stage position-measuring unit and the object stage position-measuring unit in conformity with the error vector determined by the processor.

Claim 10

The scanning type exposure apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the results of measurement by the one position-measuring unit of the position measuring units, which are processed in the processor, are represented by a two-dimensional position and an angle of rotation of the stage having its position measured by the one position-measuring unit.

Claim 11

The scanning type exposure apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the target vector quantity is a vector quantity obtained by multiplying the vector quantity comprising the components of the results of measurement by the one position-measuring unit of the position-measuring units by a conversion vector comprising components containing a magnification of the projection optical system and an angle of rotation between the mask and the object.

Claim 12

The scanning type exposure apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the angle of rotation between the mask and the object is an angle of rotation previously measured by making alignment of the mask and the object.

Claim 13

The scanning type exposure apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the mask stage comprises a coarsely movable stage and a finely movable stage, the mask stage being capable of driving with at least three degrees of freedom, and the object stage comprises an X stage, a Y stage, and a Zθ stage, the object stage being capable of driving with at least three degrees of freedom.

Claim 14

The scanning type exposure apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the results of measurement by the object position-measuring unit, which are processed in the processor, are represented by a vector quantity (WX, WY, Wθ) comprising components of a two-dimensional position and an angle of rotation of the object stage, a target vector quantity (RX*, RY*, Rθ*) of the mask stage is determined by multiplying the vector quantity (WX, WY, Wθ) by the conversion vector comprising the components containing the magnification of the projection optical system and the angle of rotation between the mask and the object, the error vector is determined by subtracting, from the target vector quantity (RX*, RY*, Rθ*), a vector quantity (RX, RY, Rθ) measured by the mask stage position-measuring unit and represented by a two-dimensional position and an angle of rotation, and the controller controls the mask stage so that the error vector becomes zero.

Claim 15

The scanning type exposure apparatus according to claim 7, further comprising a first time lag-correcting system, connected to the mask stage position-measuring unit that corrects, a time lag in measurement by the mask stage position-measuring unit, and a second time lag-correcting system, connected to the object stage position-measuring unit that corrects, a time lag in measurement by the object stage position-measuring unit, wherein the results of measurement are obtained as positional information in which the time lags have been corrected.

Claim 16

A scanning type exposure apparatus for transferring an image of a pattern formed on a mask onto an object by illuminating the mask and synchronously scanning the mask and the object with respect to an illumination area on the mask, comprising: a mask stage that positions the mask; an object stage that positions the object with respect to the mask pattern; a mask stage position-measuring unit, connected to the mask stage, that measures a two-dimensional position of the mask stage; an object stage position-measuring unit, connected to the object stage, that measures a two-dimensional position of the object stage; a first time lag-correcting system, connected to the mask stage position-measuring unit, that corrects a time lag in measurement by the mask stage position-measuring unit; a second time lag-correcting system, connected to the object stage position-measuring unit, that corrects a time lag in measurement by the object stage position-measuring unit; and a stage controller, connected to at least one stage of the object stage and the mask stage, that controls movement of the one stage on the basis of positional information on the mask stage of which the time lag has been corrected and positional information on the object stage of which the time lag has been corrected so that the mask stage and the object stage are in a predetermined positional relationship.

Claim 17

A scanning type exposure apparatus for transferring an image of a pattern formed on a mask onto an object by illuminating the mask and synchronously scanning the mask and the object with respect to an illumination area on the mask, comprising: a mask stage that positions the mask; an object stage that positions the object with respect to the mask pattern; a mask stage position-measuring unit, connected to the mask stage, that measures a two-dimensional position of the mask stage; an object stage position-measuring unit, connected to the object stage, that measures a two-dimensional position of the object stage; a first time lag-correcting system, connected to the mask stage position-measuring unit, that corrects a time lag in measurement by the mask stage position-measuring unit; a second time lag-correcting system, connected to the object stage position-measuring unit, that corrects a time lag in measurement by the object stage position-measuring unit; and a stage controller, connected to at least one stage of the object stage and the mask stage, that controls movement of the one stage on the basis of positional information on the mask stage of which the time lag has been corrected and positional information on the object stage of which the time lag has been corrected so that the mask stage and the object stage are in a predetermined positional relationship.

Claim 18

The scanning type exposure apparatus according to claim 14, wherein at least one of the time lag-correcting system for the mask stage position-measuring unit and the time lag-correcting system for the object stage position-measuring unit corrects the time lag by adding, to a measured position, a product of a velocity of the corresponding stage and a previously measured inherent lag time of the corresponding position-measuring unit.

Claim 19

The scanning type exposure apparatus according to claim 14, further comprising a projection optical system disposed between the mask and the object that projects the pattern formed on the mask onto the object at a predetermined magnification, wherein the control system determines a positional error between the mask stage and the object stage by subtracting the positional information on the mask stage of which the time lag has been corrected from information obtained by multiplying the positional information on the object stage of which the time lag has been corrected by a reciprocal of the magnification of the projection optical system to control the mask stage or the object stage so that the positional error becomes zero.

Claim 20

The scanning type exposure apparatus according to claim 14, wherein positional measurement having at least three degrees of freedom is performed by the mask stage position-measuring unit and the object stage position-measuring unit.