阅读说明：本技术 曝光方法以及曝光装置 (Exposure method and exposure apparatus ) 是由 滨崎正和 于 2019-07-25 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明的实施方式涉及曝光方法以及曝光装置。根据实施方式,首先,生成与曝光区域的对准偏差对应地变更了狭缝宽度的校正曲线。接着,根据上述校正曲线的上述狭缝宽度,设定在各坐标能够得到所期望的曝光量的、载放光掩膜的光掩膜台与载放被加工物的载台之间的相对的曝光扫描速度。然后,按照上述校正曲线与上述曝光扫描速度,一边对曝光狭缝的上述狭缝宽度、上述光掩膜台以及上述载台进行控制,一边执行曝光处理。(Embodiments of the present invention relate to an exposure method and an exposure apparatus. According to the embodiment, first, a correction curve in which the slit width is changed in accordance with the misalignment of the exposure region is generated. Next, a relative exposure scanning speed between the mask stage on which the mask is placed and the stage on which the workpiece is placed is set based on the slit width of the correction curve so that a desired exposure amount can be obtained at each coordinate. Then, according to the correction curve and the exposure scanning speed, the exposure process is executed while controlling the slit width of the exposure slit, the photomask table, and the stage.)

1. An exposure method, wherein,

a correction curve is generated in which the slit width is changed in accordance with the alignment deviation of the irradiation region,

setting a relative exposure scanning speed between a photomask stage on which a photomask is placed and a stage on which a workpiece is placed, at which a desired exposure amount can be obtained at each coordinate, based on the slit width of the calibration curve,

according to the correction curve and the exposure scanning speed, the exposure process is executed while controlling the slit width of the exposure slit, the photomask table, and the stage.

2. The exposure method according to claim 1,

the generation of the correction curve includes:

acquiring alignment deviation data;

generating a deviation correction waveform corresponding to the alignment deviation data;

calculating a deviation index of each coordinate of the deviation correction waveform;

acquiring slit width setting information defining a relationship between the deviation index and the slit width, and setting a slit width condition; and

the calibration curve in which the slit width corresponding to the deviation index of each coordinate is set is generated with reference to the slit width condition.

3. The exposure method according to claim 2,

the generating of the correction curve further includes: determining whether the difference between the correction curve and the offset correction waveform is within an allowable range,

in the setting of the exposure scanning speed, the exposure scanning speed is set when the difference is within an allowable range.

4. The exposure method according to claim 3,

the slit width setting information associates a plurality of slit widths with the deviation index such that the smaller the absolute value of the deviation index is, the larger the slit width is,

the generating of the correction curve further includes:

resetting a slit width, which is the next largest of the currently set slit widths, to the slit width condition based on the slit width setting information when the difference is not within the allowable range; and

after that, the generation of the above-described correction curve is performed.

5. The exposure method according to claim 2,

the slit width setting information divides the deviation index into a plurality of ranges, and sets a slit width for each of the ranges.

6. The exposure method according to claim 2,

the slit width is a range that can be set by the apparatus.

7. The exposure method according to claim 2,

the alignment deviation data is data obtained by actually measuring the deviation of the exposure position or data obtained by simulation.

8. The exposure apparatus according to claim 2,

the deviation index is an alignment deviation amount at each coordinate position of the deviation correction waveform or a slope at each coordinate position of the deviation correction waveform.

9. An exposure apparatus includes:

an exposure processing unit including: a light source; a photomask stage on which a photomask is placed and which is movable in a direction parallel to a placement surface of the photomask; an illumination optical system for irradiating the photomask with light from the light source; a stage on which a workpiece is placed, the stage being movable in a direction parallel to a placement surface of the workpiece; a projection optical system that projects light that has passed through the photomask onto the workpiece on the stage; and an exposure slit capable of changing a slit width by adjusting an irradiation amount of light from the illumination optical system; and

a control section for controlling the exposure processing section,

the control unit changes a slit width of the exposure slit and a relative exposure scanning speed between the photomask table and the stage in accordance with an amount of alignment deviation of the workpiece during exposure processing of an irradiation region of the workpiece.

10. The exposure apparatus according to claim 9,

the control part is used for controlling the operation of the motor,

a correction curve is generated in which the slit width is changed in accordance with the alignment deviation of the exposure region,

setting a relative exposure scanning speed between the photomask stage and the stage at which a desired exposure amount can be obtained at each coordinate based on the slit width of the calibration curve,

the exposure process is executed while controlling the slit width of the exposure slit, the photomask table, and the stage according to the correction curve and the exposure scanning speed.

11. The exposure apparatus according to claim 10,

the control unit generates the correction curve,

the alignment deviation data is obtained and stored in a memory,

a deviation correction waveform corresponding to the alignment deviation data is generated,

calculating a deviation index for each coordinate of the deviation correction waveform,

acquiring slit width setting information defining a relationship between the deviation index and the slit width, and setting slit width conditions,

the calibration curve in which the slit width corresponding to the deviation index of each coordinate is set is generated with reference to the slit width condition.

12. The exposure apparatus according to claim 11,

the control part is used for controlling the operation of the motor,

in the above-described generation of the correction curve, further performing: determining whether the difference between the correction curve and the offset correction waveform is within an allowable range,

in the setting of the exposure scanning speed, the exposure scanning speed is set when the difference is within an allowable range.

13. The exposure apparatus according to claim 12,

the slit width setting information defines a relationship between the deviation indicator and the slit width such that the smaller the absolute value of the deviation indicator, the larger the slit width,

the control unit generates the correction curve,

when the difference is not within the allowable range, resetting the slit width which is the next largest of the slit widths currently set to the slit width condition on the basis of the slit width setting information,

after that, the generation of the above-described correction curve is performed.

14. The exposure apparatus according to claim 11,

the slit width setting information divides the deviation index into a plurality of ranges, and sets a slit width for each of the ranges.

15. The exposure apparatus according to claim 11,

the alignment deviation data is data obtained by actually measuring the deviation of the exposure position or data obtained by simulation.

16. The exposure apparatus according to claim 11,

the deviation index is an alignment deviation amount at each coordinate position of the deviation correction waveform or a slope at each coordinate position of the deviation correction waveform.

Technical Field

The present embodiment relates to an exposure method and an exposure apparatus.

Background

In the exposure process, illumination light is incident on an exposure mask defining an exposure pattern through an exposure slit, and pattern formation is performed on a photosensitive substrate by performing exposure scanning while synchronizing the exposure mask and the photosensitive substrate.

However, in the conventional technique, the width of the exposure slit (hereinafter referred to as slit width) is fixed in the exposure process for one shot region. Therefore, when there is misalignment of exposure, the exposure scanning speed is reduced, but the slit width is narrowed before one irradiation region to finely correct the misalignment of exposure, or the accuracy of the misalignment of exposure is reduced by paying attention to the exposure scanning speed.

Disclosure of Invention

One embodiment of the present invention provides an exposure method and an exposure apparatus, which can inhibit the reduction of an exposure scanning speed and improve the precision of exposure alignment deviation under the condition that the exposure alignment deviation exists.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a diagram showing a schematic configuration of an exposure apparatus according to an embodiment.

Fig. 2 is a plan view showing an example of the configuration of the exposure slit according to the embodiment.

Fig. 3 is a diagram showing an example of alignment deviation data.

Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the offset correction waveform.

Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of slit width setting information.

Fig. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a calibration curve.

Fig. 7 is a diagram showing a relationship among a slit width, variation following properties, and an exposure scanning speed.

Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing an example of the steps of the exposure method according to the embodiment.

Fig. 9A and 9B are diagrams showing other examples of the configuration of the exposure slit.

Fig. 10 is a diagram illustrating an example of a light shielding method of the exposure apparatus.

Fig. 11 is a diagram showing an example of a hardware configuration of the control unit.

In the exposure method according to the embodiment, first, a correction curve is generated in which the slit width is changed in accordance with the alignment deviation of the irradiation region. Next, a relative exposure scanning speed between the mask stage on which the mask is placed and the stage on which the workpiece is placed is set based on the slit width of the correction curve so that a desired exposure amount can be obtained at each coordinate. Then, according to the correction curve and the exposure scanning speed, the exposure process is executed while controlling the slit width of the exposure slit, the photomask table, and the stage.