IP Library › Granted Patent US 10,461,039
Granted Patent B2
US 10,461,039 · App. 16/263,451 · Granted Oct 29, 2019

Mark, method for forming same, and exposure apparatus

Inventors: Yuji Shiba (Ageo, JP); Tomoharu Fujiwara (Gyoda, JP); Nobutaka Magome (Kumagaya, JP)
Assignee: NIKON CORPORATION
H01L23/544G03F9/708H01L21/3086H01L21/76224B82Y40/00H01L2223/5442H01L2223/5446H01L2223/54426H01L2924/0002
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 10,461,039
App. No.
16/263,451
Granted
Oct 29, 2019
Kind
B2
Abstract

A mark forming method includes: forming recessed portion on a mark formation area of a substrate; coating the recessed portion with a polymer layer containing a block copolymer, allowing the polymer layer in the recessed portion to form a self-assembled area; selectively removing a portion of the self-assembled area; and forming a positioning mark by using the self-assembled area from which the portion thereof has been removed.

Claims (25)

1. A method for producing a device comprising:

forming a pre-pattern on a mark formation area of a substrate;

applying a polymer layer containing a block copolymer to the pre-pattern;

allowing the polymer layer, applied to the pre-pattern, to form a self-assembled area;

selectively removing a portion of the self-assembled area;

forming an alignment mark by using the self-assembled area from which the portion of the self-assembled area has been removed;

illuminating the alignment mark formed on the substrate with an illumination light;

detecting the alignment mark by receiving a light from the alignment mark with a detector; and

changing a polarization state of the illumination light.

2. The method for producing the device according to claim 1 , wherein the polarization state of the illumination light corresponds to a periodic direction of a structure of the alignment mark.

3. The method for producing the device according to claim 2 , wherein the illuminating of the alignment mark includes illuminating the alignment mark with the illumination light selected from a first linearly polarized illumination light of which polarization direction is a first direction and a second linearly polarized illumination light of which polarization direction is a second direction crossing the first direction.

4. The method for producing the device according to claim 3 , wherein the alignment mark includes a plurality of first line patterns of which longitudinal direction is the first direction, and a plurality of second line patterns of which longitudinal direction is the second direction.

5. The method for producing the device according to claim 4 , wherein a reflectivity of the plurality of first line patterns with respect to a linearly polarized illumination light and a reflectivity of the plurality of second line patterns with respect to the linearly polarized illumination light are different from each other.

6. The method for producing the device according to claim 2 , wherein the changing of the polarization state of the illumination light includes controlling the polarization state of the illumination light by using an information on the alignment mark formed on the substrate.

7. The method for producing the device according to claim 2 , wherein the structure of the alignment mark is configured such that the detector is unable to detect the structure of the alignment mark.

8. The method for producing the device according to claim 1 , wherein the illuminating of the alignment mark includes illuminating the alignment mark with a linearly polarized illumination light.

9. The method for producing the device according to claim 1 , wherein the changing of the polarization state of the illumination light includes changing the polarization state of the illumination light such that a difference between a light amount of a light from the alignment mark and a light amount of a light from a region around the alignment mark is changed.

10. The method for producing the device according to claim 1 , wherein the pre-pattern is a three-dimensional pattern.

11. The method for producing the device according to claim 10 , wherein the pre-pattern has a recessed shape.

12. The method for producing the device according to claim 1 , wherein the pre-pattern is a planer pattern.

13. The method for producing the device according to claim 1 , wherein the alignment mark includes a first structure; and

a second structure different from the first structure is formed around the alignment mark.

14. The method for producing the device according to claim 13 , wherein the first and second structures are configured such that the detector is unable to detect the first and second structures.

15. The method for producing the device according to claim 13 , wherein the first structure includes a plurality of first line patterns of which longitudinal direction is the first direction, and the second structure includes a plurality of second line patterns of which longitudinal direction is the second direction crossing the first direction.

16. The method for producing the device according to claim 15 , wherein at least one of the plurality of first line patterns and at least one of the plurality of second line patterns are in contact with each other.

Priority Claims (1)
JP 2012-154373 · Jul 10, 2012 · national
Continuity (4)
Continuation 15914193 · Mar 7, 2018
Continuation 14590376 · Jan 6, 2015
Continuation PCTJP2013068752 · Jul 9, 2013
Related Publication 20190164900A1 · May 30, 2019
Cited By (1)
US 12,654,315