IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,334,404
Granted Patent B2
US 12,334,404 · App. 17/429,650 · Granted Jun 17, 2025

Surface position detection device, exposure apparatus, substrate-processing system, and device-manufacturing method

Inventors: Satoshi Takahashi (Kumagaya-shi, JP); Michio Ohashi (Tokyo, JP)
Assignee: NIKON CORPORATION
H01L22/20G01B11/272G03F9/7026
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,334,404
App. No.
17/429,650
Granted
Jun 17, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A surface position detection device that information of a detected surface along an axis that intersects the detected surface includes: a light transmission unit having a modulated intensity in the detected surface in a first direction within the detected surface are radiated and superimposed onto the detected surface obliquely from a direction having a direction component in the first direction and forms an irradiation region on the detected surface; a light reception unit arranged with respect to the detected surface, receives at a different position of each light reception surface, the plurality of detection lights reflected by a detection region of which a width in the first direction is a predetermined value in the irradiation region, and outputs photoelectric conversion signal of the plurality of detection lights; and calculates the detected surface based on the photoelectric conversion signal of the plurality of detection lights output from the light reception unit.

Claims (99)

1. A surface position detection device that obtains position information of a detected surface along an axis that intersects the detected surface, the surface position detection device comprising:

a light transmission unit by which a plurality of detection lights having a smoothly modulated intensity in the detected surface in a first direction within the detected surface are radiated and superimposed onto the detected surface obliquely from a direction having a direction component in the first direction and which forms an irradiation region on the detected surface;

a light reception unit that has a light detection portion having a light reception surface arranged at an optically conjugated position with respect to the detected surface, receives at a different position of the light reception surface, each of the plurality of detection lights reflected by a detection region of which a width in the first direction is a predetermined value in the irradiation region, and outputs each photoelectric conversion signal of the plurality of detection lights; and

a calculation unit that calculates position information of the detected surface based on the photoelectric conversion signal of the plurality of detection lights output from the light reception unit, wherein

each of the plurality of detection lights is caused to (i) have a modulated intensity in the first direction by a sinusoidal function having an identical period and (ii) have a different phase in the first direction of the sinusoidal function from each other in the detected surface, and

the width of the detection region in the first direction is shorter than half of the period of the sinusoidal function.

2. The surface position detection device according to claim 1 ,

wherein each of the plurality of detection lights has, in the irradiation region, a constant light intensity in a second direction, the second direction intersecting the first direction.

3. The surface position detection device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the light transmission unit radiates the plurality of detection lights on the detected surface at an angle equal to each other with respect to a normal line of the detected surface.

4. The surface position detection device according to claim 1 ,

wherein a sum of the light amounts of the plurality of detection lights in the detection region on the detected surface is constant at an arbitrary position in the first direction.

5. The surface position detection device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the sinusoidal function by which each of the plurality of detection lights is caused to have the modulated intensity in the first direction has an identical amplitude in the detected surface.

6. The surface position detection device according to claim 5 ,

wherein the plurality of detection lights comprise a first detection light and a second detection light that have the different phase of the sinusoidal function from each other by half of the period.

7. The surface position detection device according to claim 5 ,

wherein the plurality of detection lights comprise a first detection light, a second detection light, and a third detection light that have the different phase of the sinusoidal function from one another by one third of the period.

8. The surface position detection device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the light reception unit comprises: a first light reception optical system that forms a first conjugate surface optically conjugated to the detected surface; a second light reception optical system that forms a second conjugate surface optically conjugated to the first conjugate surface at the conjugated position; and an opening member that is arranged on the first conjugated surface, that has a longitudinal direction in a fourth direction which intersects a third direction having an imaging relationship with the first direction, and that comprises an opening portion having an imaging relationship with the detection region.

9. The surface position detection device according to claim 8 ,

wherein the second light reception optical system has a light separation member that causes each of the plurality of detection lights which enters the light reception unit via the detection region to enter a different position on the light reception surface.

10. The surface position detection device according to claim 9 ,

wherein the light separation member is arranged on a pupil surface of the second light reception optical system.

11. The surface position detection device according to claim 8 ,

wherein a width of an image of the detection region in the light reception surface in a fifth direction having an imaging relationship with the first direction is narrower than a width of the image in a sixth direction that intersects the fifth direction in the light reception surface.

12. The surface position detection device according to claim 8 ,

wherein the second light reception optical system includes an image plane inclination correction member that causes, with respect to the first conjugate surface inclined relative to an optical axis of the second light reception optical system, the second conjugate surface to be perpendicular relative to the optical axis of the second light reception optical system.

13. The surface position detection device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the calculation unit calculates position information of the detected surface using a photoelectric conversion signal of the plurality of detection lights on the light reception surface in a region where a width in a fifth direction having an imaging relationship with the first direction is narrower than a width in a sixth direction which intersects the fifth direction.

14. The surface position detection device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the calculation unit comprises a reflectance calculation portion that calculates a reflectance in the detection region on the detected surface based on an intensity distribution of the detection light on the detected surface and the photoelectric conversion signal of the plurality of detection lights, and

the calculation unit calculates position information of the detected surface based on the calculated reflectance.

15. The surface position detection device according to claim 1 ,

wherein each of the plurality of detection lights radiated on the detected surface by the light transmission unit has a different wavelength,

the light reception unit comprises a spectroscopic member that disperses each of the plurality of detection lights depending on a wavelength and guides the dispersed detection lights to different positions on the light reception surface,

the light detection portion outputs a photoelectric conversion signal for each of the plurality of different wavelengths that enters a different position with respect to each of the plurality of detection lights, and

the calculation unit calculates position information of the detected surface based on the photoelectric conversion signal of the plurality of detection lights for each of the plurality of different wavelengths.

16. The surface position detection device according to claim 15 ,

wherein the calculation unit calculates a position information element of the detected surface for each of the plurality of different wavelengths based on the photoelectric conversion signal of the plurality of detection lights for each of the plurality of different wavelengths, statistically processes the calculated position information element for each of the plurality of different wavelengths, and calculates position information of the detected surface.

17. The surface position detection device according to claim 15 ,

wherein a spectroscopic direction by the spectroscopic member is a fifth direction having an imaging relationship with the first direction on the light reception surface.

18. The surface position detection device according to claim 15 ,

wherein the spectroscopic member includes a prism having a different refractive power depending on a wavelength.

19. The surface position detection device according to claim 18 ,

wherein the spectroscopic member includes a plurality of prisms having a different dispersion from each other.

20. The surface position detection device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the light reception unit comprises a polarization separation member that separates the received detection light into light of a first polarization component and light of a second polarization component that is different from the first polarization component.

21. The surface position detection device according to claim 20 ,

wherein the light detection unit comprises, as the light reception surface, a first light reception surface that receives the light of the first polarization component and a second light reception surface that receives the light of the second polarization component.

22. The surface position detection device according to claim 20 ,

wherein the light reception unit outputs, as the photoelectric conversion signal, a first photoelectric conversion signal that corresponds to the light of the first polarization component and a second photoelectric conversion signal that corresponds to the light of the second polarization component, and

the calculation unit calculates position information of the detected surface using the first photoelectric conversion signal and the second photoelectric conversion signal from the light reception unit.

23. The surface position detection device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the light transmission unit comprises a diffraction grating arranged on an optical path of the plurality of detection lights, and

in each of the plurality of detection lights, an interference fringe by a plurality of diffraction lights from the diffraction grating forms the intensity modulation in the first direction on the detected surface.

24. The surface position detection device according to claim 23 ,

wherein each of the plurality of detection lights proceeds in a different direction from a surface of the diffraction grating.

25. The surface position detection device according to claim 1 ,

wherein the light transmission unit comprises a detection light division member that divides an incident light and generates the plurality of detection lights.

26. The surface position detection device according to claim 25 ,

wherein the light transmission unit has a pupil surface, and the detection light division member is arranged on the pupil surface and deflects at least one of the plurality of detection lights.

27. An exposure apparatus, comprising:

a projection optical system;

a substrate stage on which a substrate is mounted and which moves the substrate; and

a surface position detection device according to claim 1 that detects a position of a surface of the substrate as the detected surface.

28. The exposure apparatus according to claim 27 , comprising:

a first position measurement unit that measures a position in an optical axis direction of the projection optical system of at least a portion of the substrate stage at a position where a substrate mounted on the substrate stage faces the surface position detection device; and

a second position measurement unit that measures a position in the optical axis direction of at least a portion of the substrate stage at a position where a substrate mounted on the substrate stage faces the projection optical system.

29. A device-manufacturing method, comprising:

forming a resist on a surface of a substrate;

detecting a position of a surface of the resist formed on the surface of the substrate using the exposure apparatus according to claim 27 , setting the surface of the resist at a predetermined position in the optical axis direction of the projection optical system, and exposing an exposure pattern;

developing the resist; and

processing the surface of the substrate based on a resist pattern formed by the developing.

30. A substrate-processing system in which a substrate is a processing target, the substrate-processing system comprising:

a measurement device having a first stage on which the substrate is mounted and the surface position detection device according to claim 1 that measures a position in a direction which intersects the surface of a plurality of points on a surface of the substrate; and

an exposure apparatus that includes a second stage on which the substrate for which the measurement by the measurement device has been completed is mounted and that exposes the substrate which is mounted on the second stage,

wherein the exposure apparatus performs the exposure while changing a position in the direction which intersects the substrate using at least a measurement result by the measurement device.

31. A device-manufacturing method, comprising:

forming a resist on a surface of a substrate;

detecting a position in a direction which intersects the surface of a plurality of points in a surface of the resist formed on the surface of the substrate and exposing an exposure pattern while changing the position of the surface of the resist in the direction which intersects the surface based on the detected position of the plurality of points using the substrate-processing system according to claim 30 ; and

forming a circuit pattern based on the exposure pattern.

32. A surface position detection device that obtains position information of a detected surface along an axis that intersects the detected surface, the surface position detection device comprising:

a light transmission unit by which a plurality of detection lights having a modulated intensity in the detected surface in a first direction within the detected surface are radiated and superimposed onto the detected surface obliquely from a direction having a direction component in the first direction and which forms an irradiation region on the detected surface;

a light reception unit that has a light detection portion having a light reception surface arranged at an optically conjugated position with respect to the detected surface, receives at a different position of the light reception surface, each of the plurality of detection lights reflected by a detection region of which a width in the first direction is a predetermined value in the irradiation region, and outputs each photoelectric conversion signal of the plurality of detection lights; and

a calculation unit that calculates position information of the detected surface based on the photoelectric conversion signal of the plurality of detection lights output from the light reception unit, wherein

a width of an image of the detection region in the light reception surface in a third direction having an imaging relationship with the first direction is narrower than a width of the image in a fourth direction that intersects the third direction in the light reception surface,

each of the plurality of detection lights is caused to (i) have a modulated intensity in the first direction by a sinusoidal function having an identical period and (ii) have a different phase in the first direction of the sinusoidal function from each other in the detected surface, and

the width of the detection region in the first direction is shorter than half of the period of the sinusoidal function.

33. The surface position detection device according to claim 32 ,

wherein the light reception unit comprises a light reception optical system,

the light reception optical system comprises an image plane inclination correction member that forms an image of the detected surface inclined relative to a plane perpendicular to an optical axis of a light reception optical system onto a plane perpendicular to an optical axis, and

the light reception surface is arranged to be perpendicular relative to the optical axis of the light reception optical system.

34. A surface position detection device that obtains position information of a detected surface along an axis that intersects the detected surface, the surface position detection device comprising:

a light transmission unit by which a plurality of detection lights having a modulated intensity in the detected surface in a first direction within the detected surface and including a plurality of different wavelengths are radiated and superimposed onto the detected surface obliquely from a direction having a direction component in the first direction and which forms an irradiation region on the detected surface; and

a light reception unit that includes: a light detection portion having a light reception surface arranged at an optically conjugated position with respect to the detected surface; a light separation member that guides each of the plurality of detection lights reflected by a detection region of which a width in the first direction is a predetermined value in the irradiation region to a different position of the light reception surface; and a spectroscopic member that further disperses the detection light depending on a wavelength and guides the dispersed detection light to a different position on the light reception surface, wherein

a spectroscopic direction on the light reception surface is a third direction having an imaging relationship with the first direction,

each of the plurality of detection lights is caused to (i) have a modulated intensity in the first direction by a sinusoidal function having an identical period and (ii) have a different phase in the first direction of the sinusoidal function from each other in the detected surface, and

the width of the detection region in the first direction is shorter than half of the period of the sinusoidal function.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Nov 17, 2021
From: TAKAHASHI, SATOSHI; OHASHI, MICHIO
To: NIKON CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 058143/0225 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20220216119A1 · Jul 7, 2022
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