IP Library Granted Patent US 9,103,700
Granted Patent B2
US 9,103,700 · App. 13/137,443 · Granted Aug 11, 2015

Measuring apparatus and method, processing apparatus and method, pattern forming apparatus and method, exposure apparatus and method, and device manufacturing method

Inventor: Yuichi Shibazaki (Kumagaya, JP)
Assignee: NIKON CORPORATION
G01D5/38G03F7/70775
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 9,103,700
App. No.
13/137,443
Granted
Aug 11, 2015
Kind
B2
Abstract

Position information of a movable body within an XY plane is measured with high accuracy by an encoder system whose measurement values have favorable short-term stability, without being affected by air fluctuations, and also position information of the movable body in a Z-axis direction orthogonal to the XY plane is measured with high accuracy by a surface position measuring system, without being affected by air fluctuations. In this case, since both of the encoder system and the surface position measuring system directly measure the upper surface of the movable body, simple and direct position control of the movable body can be performed.

Claims (49)

1. An exposure apparatus that exposes an object with an energy beam via an optical system, the apparatus comprising:

a movable body that has a surface, which faces the optical system and on part of which a mounting area of the object is arranged, and that is movable in a first direction and a second direction within a predetermined plane;

a measuring device that has a first detecting system and a second detecting system, the first detecting system having a plurality of sensors that have detection points whose positions are each different in at least one of the first and the second directions and being capable of measuring position information of the movable body in a third direction orthogonal to the plane at the plurality of detection points set in a different area that is different from the mounting area, and the second detecting system being different from the first detecting system and measuring position information of the object mounted on the movable body in the third direction; and

an adjusting device that adjusts a positional relation between a pattern image formed via the optical system and the object, based on the position information of the object in the third direction that has been measured by the second detecting system, while measuring the position information of the movable body by the first detecting system, at a time of an exposure operation of the object by the energy beam.

2. The exposure apparatus of claim 1 , wherein

in a moving range of the movable body in a predetermined operation accompanied by movement of the movable body, at least one of the plurality of detection points is maintained within the different area.

3. The exposure apparatus of claim 2 , wherein

at least two of the plurality of detection points are maintained within the different area during the predetermined operation, and the measuring device measures position information in the third direction and tilt information of the movable body.

4. The exposure apparatus of claim 2 , wherein

at least three detection points that are not on the same straight line among the plurality of detection points are maintained within the different area during the predetermined operation, and the measuring device measures position information in the third direction and tilt information in different two directions of the movable body.

5. The exposure apparatus of claim 2 , wherein

the position and/or the number of the sensors whose detection points are maintained within the different area during the predetermined operation change(s).

6. The exposure apparatus of claim 2 , wherein

the predetermined operation includes at least an exposure operation of the object by the energy beam.

7. The exposure apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:

an adjusting device that adjusts a positional relation between a pattern image formed via the optical system and the object, based on position information of the movable body that is measured by the measuring device at the time of the exposure operation of the object by the energy beam.

8. The exposure apparatus of claim 1 , wherein

the measuring device measures position information of the movable body in the third direction by each of a plurality of the sensors at least one of which differs in accordance with a position of the movable body within the plane.

9. The exposure apparatus of claim 1 , wherein

the measuring device switches the sensor used for measurement of the position information among the plurality of sensors, in accordance with a position of the movable body within the plane.

10. The exposure apparatus of claim 1 , wherein

the movable body has a surface that substantially conforms to a surface of the object mounted on the movable body in the third direction.

11. The exposure apparatus of claim 1 , further comprising:

a liquid immersion system that forms a liquid immersion area by filling a space between the optical system and the object with liquid, wherein

the object is exposed with the energy beam via the optical system and the liquid in the liquid immersion area.

12. A device manufacturing method, comprising:

exposing an object using the exposure apparatus of claim 1 ; and

developing the exposed object.

13. An exposure method in which an object is exposed with an energy beam via an optical system, the method comprising:

a process of mounting the object on a movable body that has a surface, which faces the optical system and on part of which a mounting area of the object is arranged, and that is movable in a first direction and a second direction within a predetermined plane;

a process of measuring position information of the movable body in a third direction orthogonal to the plane by a sensor of a measuring device that has a plurality of sensors having detection points whose positions are each different in at least one of the first and the second directions, the sensor having the detection point set in a different area that is different from the mounting area; and

a process of adjusting a positional relation between a pattern image formed via the optical system and the object, based on the position information of the movable body that is measured by the measuring device at a time of an exposure operation of the object by the energy beam.

14. The exposure method of claim 13 , wherein

in a moving range of the movable body in a predetermined operation accompanied by movement of the movable body, at least one of the plurality of detection points is maintained within the different area.

15. The exposure method of claim 14 , wherein

at least two of the plurality of detection points are maintained within the different area during the predetermined operation, and the measuring device measures position information in the third direction and tilt information of the movable body.

16. The exposure method of claim 14 , wherein

at least three detection points that are not on the same straight line among the plurality of detection points are maintained within the different area during the predetermined operation, and the measuring device measures position information in the third direction and tilt information in different two directions of the movable body.

17. The exposure method of claim 14 , wherein

the position and/or the number of the sensors whose detection points are maintained within the different area during the predetermined operation change(s).

18. The exposure method of claim 14 , wherein

the predetermined operation includes at least an exposure operation of the object by the energy beam.

19. The exposure method of claim 13 , wherein

the measuring device measures position information in the third direction of the movable body by each of a plurality of the sensors at least one of which differs in accordance with a position of the movable body within the plane.

20. The exposure method of claim 13 , wherein

the measuring device switches the sensor used for measurement of the position information among the plurality of sensors, in accordance with a position of the movable body within the plane.

21. A device manufacturing method, comprising:

exposing an object using the exposure method of claim 13 ; and

developing the exposed object.

Priority Claims (1)
JP 2006-044591 · Feb 21, 2006 · national
Continuity (3)
Division 11708601 · Feb 21, 0007
Provisional Application 60780048 · Mar 8, 2006
Related Publication 20110299052A1 · Dec 8, 2011