Abstract:
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a positioning method and a lithographic apparatus for aligning rapidly. SOLUTION: One embodiment can be applied to the measurement of the position of a feature in an alignment region on a mask using a sensor. The position of the feature in the alignment region is known from design. The feature whose position has been measured is identified by comparing relative positions between the measured features and the known relative position from design. The position of the mask is obtained by subtracting the known position of the identified feature from the measurement position of the identified feature. COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI
Abstract:
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method and an apparatus that do not take much time in substrate scanning for substrate lineup and substrate identification to be performed for application treatment selection, and that do not require extra space on a substrate to attach an identification code in the case where a multiple lithography apparatus is used for multilayer IC production. SOLUTION: The positions of a lineup mark P1 and a reference mark P2 on a substrate W, or those of two markers of a circuit form are measured by a sensor MS, and the distance between the two is calculated by an identification unit IU. Then, comparison is made between the calculated values and the predetermined values stored in MEM1 and MEM2 to identify the substrate. Otherwise, a treatment process applied to this substrate is decided, or the lineup values of this system is automatically adjusted, and so on. As the sensor MS can read both sides of the substrate W, these markers can be arranged either on the frontal side or rear side of the substrate W, and the markers can be arranged on a scribe lane as well. In this way, the effective area of the substrate for IC production is not reduced. COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI
Abstract:
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide lithography equipment which makes temperature stability of a projection system surer by active heat transport, while minimizing impact of mechanical vibration by the heat transport. SOLUTION: In the lithography projection equipment, the projection system comprises one or more optical operating mirrors, and a heat shield which shields heat emission to the mirrors and/or a supporting structure of the mirrors or from the mirrors and/or the supporting structure of the mirrors. Although the heat shield is cooled compulsorily, as the mirrors and the heat shield are supported separately by a supporting frame, vibration of the mirrors by forced cooling is reduced. Preferably, the heat shield includes a heat shield which shields heat emission to the mirrors or from the mirrors, and shields heat emission to heat shields and/or supporting structures for individual mirrors or from the heat shields and/or the supporting structures. COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI
Abstract:
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a measurement system for measuring wave front aberrations in a lithographic projection apparatus, and thereby at least partially relieve the problems of the conventional technology. SOLUTION: A lithographic projection apparatus is concerned with the one with a form comprising: a radiation system for obtaining a projection beam of radiation; a supporting structure supporting a patterning element patterning the projection beam according to a target pattern; a substrate table holding a substrate; a projection system projecting the patterned beam to a target section of the substrate; and a measurement system for measuring the wave front aberrations of the projection system. The measurement system includes a diffraction element 7 and a structure for increasing the filling of the radiation beam into the pupil of the projection system. Both of them are movable into the projection beam between the radiation system and the projection system. Moreover, the measurement system includes a sensor module detecting the radiation beam passed through the projection system for measuring the wave front aberration of the projection system. COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI
Abstract:
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method for manufacturing a device that has corrected the distortion in formed images produced because of the use of a reflective mask having a thick absorbing layer and inclined lighting in a lithography device that uses extreme ultraviolet rays as projection beams. SOLUTION: The distortion induced by the reflective mask (MA), on the absorbing layer of which a mask pattern has been embodied, and the inclined lighting is calculated and aberration in a projection system (PL) is introduced and/or controlled in order to correct the distortion. Since this can be done by the control of the optical elements already present in the projection system (MA), there is no need to modify the device. In Zernike polynomial, it is desirable that the aberrations described above are Z2 (inclination of X), Z3 (inclination of Y), or Z7 (frame X). COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO
Abstract:
PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent or to alleviate overlay errors or the like caused by a strain, such as deformation or the like of a mark in a lithography apparatus, having a non-telecentric projection system at the article side used in a method for manufacturing a device. SOLUTION: The method for manufacturing the device comprises a step of providing a substrate covered with a layer of a radiation-sensitive material, a step of providing a radiation projection beam by using a radiation system, a step of imparting a pattern to a section of the projection beam by using a reflective pattern forming means, and a step of forming an image on the target part of the layer of the radiation sensitive material by projecting the pattern-formed radiation beam, by using the non-telecentric projection system at the article side. The method further comprises the steps of shifting and/or inclining a nominal reflection surface of the pattern forming means, so as to separate from a flat surface of a nominal article of the projection system, and alleviating the strain and/or the overlay error of the projection image. COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO
Abstract:
In a lithographic projection apparatus, an object such as a mask is shielded from stray particles by a particle shield using electromagnetic fields. The fields may be a uniform electric field, a non-uniform electric field or an optical breeze. The particle shield is fixed to the mask holder rather than the mask.
Abstract:
Various novel cleaning processes are disclosed. Previous cleaning processes are global in that they involve infusing oxygen into the whole system and switching on a single radiation source which supplies a cleaning beam of radiation to every optical element in the lithographic apparatus. This can lead to overexposure of some optical elements whilst leaving other optical elements not cleaned to a sufficient amount. This is overcome by providing a system which allows selective ones or groups of the optical elements to be cleaned and which allows a spatially varied cleaning to occur across the surface of an optical element. This can be achieved by only supplying the cleaning beam of radiation to one or some of the optical elements and/or by increasing the local oxygen density in the vicinity of certain optical elements. Spatially resolved cleaning can be achieved using gray filters, which may be dynamically adapted, or by using a steerable electron mean beam.
Abstract:
A lithographic projection apparatus contains a projection system for projecting a patterned beam onto a target portion of the substrate. The projection system contains one or more optically active mirrors (20) and heat shields (22,28,29) specifically located for intercepting heat radiation to or from the mirrors and/or their support structure (26). The heat shields are actively cooled and the mirrors and the heat shields and the mirrors are supported separately on a support frame to reduce vibration of the mirrors due to active cooling. The heat shields preferably include heat shields that intercept heat radiation to or from the support structure and/or respective heat shields for individual mirrors that intercept heat radiation to or from the mirrors.