JP2023106908A - Exposure method, exposure apparatus, and method for manufacturing article - Google Patents

Abstract

To improve throughput in joint exposure.SOLUTION: An exposure method in which a pattern of a master plate is exposed onto a first shot region of a substrate, and the pattern of the master plate is exposed onto a second shot region overlapping with a part of the first shot region includes: a first measurement process of measuring a position of an alignment mark corresponding to the first shot region; and an exposure process of performing exposure on the basis of a result of the measurement in the first measurement process. In the exposure process, positioning of the first shot region is performed on the basis of positional information on the alignment mark measured in the first measurement process, and positioning of the second shot region is performed by using the positional information on the alignment mark used in the positioning of the first shot region.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

The present invention relates to an exposure method, an exposure apparatus, and an article manufacturing method.

2. Description of the Related Art In the manufacture of liquid crystal panels and organic EL displays, an exposure apparatus is used that exposes a substrate (glass substrate) coated with a photosensitive agent to a pattern of an original plate (mask) via a projection optical system. In recent years, the demand for large-area panels has increased, and along with this, there has been a demand for increasing the area exposed by the exposure apparatus.

Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-200003 discloses an exposure method called so-called stitching exposure, in which exposure is performed so that adjacent shot areas are partially overlapped, and a large area exposure area can be exposed.

JP 2015-12258 A

However, when overlaying the overlying layer and the underlying layer in the stitching exposure, a decrease in throughput due to measurement of alignment marks formed in the underlying layer may be a problem. For example, when exposing an overlying layer in which three shot areas are adjacent to each other by stitching exposure, alignment marks formed in the underlying layer corresponding to each shot area are generally measured. In this way, the amount of deviation between the pattern on the underlying layer and the pattern on the overlying layer is calculated. However, when measuring alignment marks corresponding to each shot area, it is necessary to drive the measurement unit that measures the alignment marks to a position where the alignment marks can be measured, which may reduce throughput. .

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an exposure method that is advantageous in improving throughput in stitch exposure.

In order to achieve the above object, an exposure method as one aspect of the present invention exposes a pattern of an original onto a first shot region of a substrate, exposes the pattern of the original onto a second shot region overlapping a part of the first shot region, and exposes the pattern of the original to a second shot region. An exposure method for exposing a shot region, comprising: a first measurement step of measuring the position of an alignment mark corresponding to the first shot region; and an exposure step of performing exposure based on the result measured in the first measurement step. and wherein the exposure step aligns the first shot region based on the position information of the alignment mark measured in the first measurement step, and is used for aligning the first shot region. The second shot area is aligned using the positional information of the alignment mark.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an exposure method that is advantageous in improving throughput in stitch exposure.

1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an exposure apparatus; FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the arrangement of alignment scopes and off-axis scopes; 4 is a diagram showing the arrangement of shot areas in the first embodiment; FIG. FIG. 11 is a flow chart showing a process of determining shot areas for which measurement is omitted; FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the flow of exposure processing in the first embodiment; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the arrangement of two shot areas; FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the arrangement of four or more shot areas; 9 is a flowchart showing the flow of exposure processing in the second embodiment;

Preferred embodiments of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, in each figure, the same reference numerals are given to the same members, and redundant explanations are omitted.

<First Embodiment>
The configuration of the exposure apparatus according to this embodiment will be described. The exposure apparatus in this embodiment is an apparatus used in a lithography process when manufacturing devices such as semiconductor devices and flat panel displays (FPDs). The exposure apparatus forms a latent image pattern in a shot area of the substrate by transferring a pattern of an original (mask) onto a substrate coated with a resist. The exposure apparatus in this embodiment illuminates the pattern of the original and transfers the pattern of the original onto a plurality of regions on the substrate via the projection optical system. In this embodiment, a step-and-scan type exposure apparatus will be described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and other exposure methods such as a step-and-repeat type may be used.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of an exposure apparatus 100 according to this embodiment. In this embodiment, the coordinate system is defined with the surface on which the substrate 60 is placed as the XY plane and the direction perpendicular to the XY plane as the Z direction. A coordinate system is defined with the scanning direction of the original 30 and the substrate 60 as the Y direction, and the direction perpendicular to the Y direction in the XY plane as the X direction.

The exposure apparatus 100 includes an original stage 31 on which an original 30 is placed, a substrate stage 61 on which a substrate 60 is placed, an illumination optical system 10 that illuminates the original 30, and a projection optical system that projects the pattern of the original 30 onto the substrate 60. system 40; The exposure apparatus 100 also includes a slit imaging system 20, reflecting mirrors 32 and 62, laser interferometers 33 and 63, an X light shielding plate 50, a controller 70, an alignment scope 80, and an off-axis scope 81. have The original 30 and the substrate 60 are arranged at optically substantially conjugate positions (object plane and image plane of the projection optical system 40) via the projection optical system 40. FIG. A slit imaging system 20 for shaping exposure light is arranged between the illumination optical system 10 and the original stage 31 . Further, when the substrate 60 is subjected to scanning exposure, the X light shielding plate 50 is projected onto different regions of the substrate 60 to sequentially expose the pattern images of the original plate 30 so that they partially overlap each other (hereinafter referred to as joint exposure). It is arranged between the optical system 40 and the substrate stage 61 . The X light-shielding plate 50 serves as a light-shielding plate for adjusting the exposure amount of the overlapping exposure area by the joint exposure. The control unit 70 controls driving of each unit of the exposure apparatus 100 .

The illumination optical system 10 includes a light source such as an ultra-high pressure mercury lamp and an LED light source (not shown), a wavelength selection filter, a lens group, a shutter, and the like. The illumination optical system 10 irradiates the slit imaging system 20 with light having a wavelength suitable for exposure. The slit imaging system 20 has a slit (not shown), and shapes the incident light from the illumination optical system 10 into an exposure width that satisfies the required exposure amount at a certain stage scanning speed (for example, the upper limit of the scanning speed). .

An original stage 31 on which an original 30 is mounted is scanned in the Y direction by a driving mechanism (not shown). A plurality of reflecting mirrors 32 are arranged on the original stage 31 to reflect measurement light from a laser interferometer 33 arranged outside the original stage 31 . A laser interferometer 33 receives the reflected measurement light and constantly monitors and measures the position of the original stage 31 . The control unit 70 controls the position and speed of the original stage 31 based on the measurement results obtained by the laser interferometer 33 .

The projection optical system 40 has mirrors and lenses (not shown), and projects the pattern formed on the original 30 onto the substrate 60 by reflecting and refracting the exposure light. Also, the mirrors and lenses of the projection optical system 40 are driven in the Z direction and the rotation direction by a drive mechanism (not shown) to generate arbitrary magnification and shift.

In the exposure apparatus 100 of the present embodiment, the shot area S1 (first shot area) of the substrate 60 is exposed with the first image, and the shot area S2 (second shot area) overlapping with a part of the shot area S1 is exposed with the second image. Expose the image. Also, a shot area S3 (third shot area) overlapping a part of the shot area S2 is exposed with the third image. The exposure method for joining the regions exposed by the first and second images and the second and third images in this manner is hereinafter referred to as joint exposure. The X light shielding plate 50 is driven by a driving mechanism (not shown). By horizontally driving the X light shielding plate 50 to change the position where the exposure light is shielded, the exposure light formed by the slit imaging system 20 is shielded obliquely with respect to the scanning direction. Then, the amount of exposure accumulated in the area to be exposed is controlled.

A substrate stage 61 on which a substrate 60 is mounted is scanned in the X, Y, and Z directions by a driving mechanism (not shown). A plurality of reflecting mirrors 62 are arranged on the substrate stage 61 to reflect measurement light from a laser interferometer 63 arranged outside the substrate stage 61 . A laser interferometer 63 receives the reflected measurement light and constantly monitors and measures the position of the substrate stage 61 . The control unit 70 controls the position and speed of the substrate stage 61 based on the measurement results obtained by the laser interferometer 63 .

The alignment scope 80 (measurement unit) measures alignment marks formed on the substrate 60 via the original 30 and the projection optical system 40 . On the other hand, the off-axis scope 81 (measurement unit) is arranged below the projection optical system 40 and measures alignment marks on the substrate 60 without the master 30 and the projection optical system 40 . FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the arrangement of the alignment scope 80 and the off-axis scope 81. As shown in FIG. The alignment scope 80 and the off-axis scope 81 are arranged at positions where each alignment mark corresponding to the shot area on the substrate 60 can be measured, as shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, a form in which alignment marks are measured using the alignment scope 80 and the off-axis scope 81 will be described, but a form in which alignment marks are measured using only the alignment scope 80 or only the off-axis scope 81 is also possible.

The control unit 70 functions as a processing unit that uses the measurement values of the alignment marks measured by the alignment scope 80 to determine the amount of correction for exposure alignment in each shot area. The control section 70 is composed of a data holding section 71 , a drive amount calculation section 72 and a drive instruction section 73 . The data holding unit 71 holds the deviation amounts in the X and Y directions of one or more points in the shot measured from the marks exposed on the substrate by the exposure apparatus. It also holds drive parameters such as drive offsets and sensitivities of various drive axes, various measurement data obtained by the exposure apparatus, arrangement coordinates of shot areas on the substrate 60, and arrangement coordinates of alignment marks within the shot areas. The driving amount calculation unit 72 calculates various correction components such as positional offsets in the X and Y directions, rotation, and magnification from the data held in the data holding unit 71 using a general statistical method. Further, the drive amount calculation unit 72 determines the drive instruction amount for each axis based on the drive parameter and the calculated correction component. The drive instruction unit 73 outputs a drive instruction to each drive mechanism using the drive instruction amount for each drive mechanism determined by the drive amount calculation unit 72 . The control unit 70 is configured by a computer device including, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a memory as its hardware configuration. In this case, the data holding section 71 is implemented by a memory, and the drive amount calculation section 72 and the drive instruction section 73 are implemented by a CPU.

Next, shot regions and alignment marks formed on the substrate 60 in this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. The exposure apparatus 100 performs overlay exposure on the shot region of the underlying layer formed on the substrate 60 . The substrate 60 includes a shot region S1 to be superimposed for the first shot exposure (first exposure), a shot region S2 to be superimposed for the second shot exposure (second exposure), and a third shot exposure (third exposure). A shot region S3 is formed as a superposition destination for exposure). Alignment marks AM1, AM2, AM3, and AM4 corresponding to the shot area S1 are formed near the corners of the shot area S1. Alignment marks AM3, AM4, AM5, and AM6 corresponding to the shot area S2 are formed near the corners of the shot area S2. Alignment marks AM5, AM6, AM7 and AM8 corresponding to the shot area S3 are formed near the corners of the shot area S3. Alignment marks AM3 and AM4 are formed in areas where part of shot area S1 and part of shot area S2 overlap. Alignment marks AM5 and AM6 are formed in areas where part of shot area S2 and part of shot area S3 overlap. In the example of FIG. 3, the shot area S1, the shot area S2, and the shot area S3 are areas of the same size.

(Exposure method in comparative example)
A comparative example of this embodiment will be described. Position information of alignment marks corresponding to each shot area is measured using an alignment scope 80 and an off-axis scope 81 in order to perform overlay exposure on shot areas formed in the underlying layer. In this embodiment, the alignment scope 80 and the off-axis scope 81 are arranged at positions where the alignment marks of each shot area can be measured simultaneously.

First, the shot area S1 is aligned. Alignment scope 80 and off-axis scope 81 measure alignment marks AM1, AM2, AM3, and AM4 corresponding to shot area S1 to acquire position information. At that time, the substrate stage 61 is driven to the measurement position so that the alignment marks AM1, AM2, AM3, and AM4 can be measured. Based on the position information of the alignment marks AM1, AM2, AM3, and AM4, a correction amount for alignment of the shot area S1 is calculated.

Next, alignment of the shot area S2 is performed. Alignment scope 80 and off-axis scope 81 measure alignment marks AM3, AM4, AM5, and AM6 corresponding to shot area S2 to acquire position information. At that time, the substrate stage 61 is driven to the measurement position so that the alignment marks AM3, AM4, AM5 and AM6 can be measured. Based on the position information of the alignment marks AM3, AM4, AM5, and AM6, a correction amount for alignment of the shot area S2 is calculated.

Next, alignment of the shot area S3 is performed. Alignment scope 80 and off-axis scope 81 measure alignment marks AM5, AM6, AM7, and AM8 corresponding to shot area S3 to acquire position information. At that time, the substrate stage 61 is driven to the measurement position so that the alignment marks AM5, AM6, AM7 and AM8 can be measured. Based on the positional information of the alignment marks AM5, AM6, AM7, and AM8, a correction amount for alignment of the shot area S3 is calculated.

Next, based on the calculated correction amounts for the shot areas S1, S2, and S3, while adjusting each part of the exposure apparatus 100, exposure is performed so as to overlap the pattern of the underlying layer. Through the above steps, the stitching exposure can be performed.

When performing the stitching exposure, as described above, the substrate 60 is driven from the positions for measuring the alignment marks AM1, AM2, AM3, and AM4 to the positions for measuring the alignment marks AM3, AM4, AM5, and AM6. need to let Further, it is necessary to drive the substrate 60 from the positions for measuring the alignment marks AM3, AM4, AM5 and AM6 to the positions for measuring the alignment marks AM5, AM6, AM7 and AM8. Measurement of the alignment mark group corresponding to each shot area in order to calculate the correction amount for superimposing each shot area may cause a decrease in throughput.

(Exposure method in this embodiment)
In the present embodiment, as in the comparative example, the objective is to calculate a correction amount for superimposing and exposing each shot area. In this embodiment, by omitting the measurement of the alignment marks AM3, AM4, AM5, and AM6 corresponding to the shot area S2, the throughput can be improved compared to the comparative example.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart for determining shot areas for which measurement of alignment marks is omitted. Each step in FIG. 4 is executed by the control unit 70 controlling each unit of the exposure apparatus 100 .

In step S101, the arrangement coordinates of each alignment mark are calculated from the arrangement coordinates of the shot area S1, the shot area S2, and the shot area S3 stored in the data holding unit 71 and the arrangement coordinates of the alignment marks in each shot area. Then, an alignment mark formed in an area where shot areas overlap (overlapping area) is specified as a common alignment mark. In this embodiment, the alignment marks AM3 and AM4 are identified as common alignment marks for the shot areas S1 and S2, and the alignment marks AM5 and AM6 are identified as common alignment marks for the shot areas S2 and S3.

In step S102, a shot area in which all alignment marks in the shot area are common alignment marks between shots is determined as a shot area in which alignment mark measurement can be omitted (determining step). In this embodiment, the alignment marks AM3 and AM4 and the alignment marks AM5 and AM6 of the shot area S2 are specified as alignment marks common to other shot areas. Therefore, the shot area S2 is determined as a shot area in which alignment mark measurement can be omitted.

Through the above processing, shot areas for which alignment mark measurement is omitted are determined. In the present embodiment, there is one shot area for which alignment mark measurement is omitted, but two or more shot areas for which measurement is omitted are determined depending on the layout of the shot areas, as in the example of FIG. May be.

Next, with reference to FIG. 5, a process (exposure process) from when the substrate 60 is carried into the exposure apparatus 100 to when the substrate 60 is carried out will be described. FIG. 5 is a flowchart of exposure processing in this embodiment. Each step in FIG. 5 is executed by the control unit 70 controlling each unit of the exposure apparatus 100 .

In step S201, the alignment mark group (alignment marks AM1 to AM4) corresponding to the shot area S1 is measured (first measurement step). In the first measurement process, the alignment mark group (alignment mark AM1 to 4) are measured. Also, in the first measurement step, each of the alignment mark group (alignment marks AM1 to AM4) corresponding to the first shot area is measured in parallel. The parallel measurement preferably means that a plurality of alignment marks are measured at the same time, but at least part of the timing in the measurement of each alignment mark may be overlapped.

In step S202, the measurement of the alignment mark group (alignment marks AM3-AM6) corresponding to the shot area S2 is omitted, and the alignment mark group (alignment marks AM5-8) corresponding to the shot area S3 is measured (second measurement process). In the second measurement step, the alignment mark group (alignment mark AM5 to 8) are measured. Also, in the second measurement step, each of the alignment mark group (alignment marks AM5 to AM8) corresponding to the third shot area is measured in parallel. The parallel measurement preferably means that a plurality of alignment marks are measured at the same time, but at least part of the timing in the measurement of each alignment mark may be overlapped.

In step S203, a calculated value indicating the position information of the alignment mark group (alignment marks AM3 to AM6) corresponding to the shot region S2, omitting the measurement of the alignment marks, is calculated. The calculated values of the alignment marks corresponding to the shot area S2 are the positional information (first information) of the alignment marks AM3 and AM4 measured in S201 and the positional information (second information) of the alignment marks AM5 and AM6 measured in S202. ).

Also, the measurement results of the alignment marks AM3 and AM4 when the alignment marks AM1 to AM4 are measured may differ from the measurement results of the alignment marks AM3 and AM4 when the alignment marks AM3 to AM6 are measured. . This is because driving the substrate stage 61 during the measurement of both causes a deviation amount depending on the stage driving error. Therefore, the amount of difference between the measurement results of the two measured in advance (third information) may be stored.

Similarly, the measurement results of the alignment marks AM5 and AM6 when the alignment marks AM3 to AM6 are measured may differ from the measurement results of the alignment marks AM5 and AM6 when the alignment marks AM5 to AM8 are measured. be. Therefore, the amount of deviation between the measurement results of the two measured in advance (fourth information) may be stored. This deviation amount is also called a calibration amount. A measurement value of the alignment mark corresponding to the shot area S2 can be calculated based on the first information, the second information, the third information, and the fourth information.

In step S204, based on the positional information of the alignment mark group (alignment marks AM1 to AM4) measured in the first measurement step, a correction amount for alignment of the shot area S1 is calculated. Further, based on the calculated values of the alignment mark group (alignment marks AM3 to AM6) corresponding to the shot area S2 calculated in step S203, the correction amount for alignment of the shot area S2 in the shot area S2 is calculated. Further, based on the positional information of the alignment mark group (alignment marks AM5 to AM8) measured in the second measurement step, a correction amount relating to alignment of the shot area S3 is calculated. Steps S203 and S204 are also called calculation steps.

In step S205, overlay exposure of each shot area is performed based on the calculation result of the correction amount of the shot areas S1 to S3 calculated in the calculation process (exposure process). In the exposure process, exposure is performed while controlling the alignment between the original 30 and the substrate 60 .

In the exposure process of the present embodiment, the measurement results of the alignment marks measured in the first measurement process and used for alignment of the shot area S1 are also used for alignment of the second shot area.

(Modification)
Although an example of joint exposure of three adjacent shot areas has been described above, joint exposure of two adjacent shot areas may be performed. FIG. 6 is an example of a pattern layout in which shot areas S1 and S2 are adjacent to each other. Alignment marks AM3 and AM4 are arranged in the overlapping area of two adjacent shot areas and are common alignment marks. Also, the shot area S2 is smaller than the shot area S1, and the distance between the alignment marks AM1 and AM3 is different from the distance between the alignment marks AM3 and AM5.

In the example of FIG. 6 as well, measurement of common alignment marks may be omitted. By omitting the measurement of common alignment marks, the throughput can be improved as compared with the case of not omitting it. Here, it is assumed that the distance between the two scopes of the alignment scope 80 and the distance between the two scopes of the off-axis scope 81 are fixed to the distance between the alignment marks AM1 and AM3.

A case where measurement of common alignment marks is not omitted will be described. First, the substrate 60 is driven to a position where the alignment marks AM1-4 can be measured by the alignment scope 80 and the off-axis scope 81, and the alignment marks AM1-4 corresponding to the shot area S1 are measured (first measurement step). Next, the substrate 60 is driven to a position where the alignment marks AM3 and AM4 can be measured by the alignment scope 80 and the off-axis scope 81, and the alignment marks AM3 and AM4 corresponding to the shot area S2 are measured. Next, the substrate 60 is driven to a position where the alignment marks AM3 and AM4 can be measured by the alignment scope 80 and the off-axis scope 81, and the alignment marks AM5 and AM6 corresponding to the shot area S2 are measured.

In this modified example, by omitting the measurement of the common alignment marks, the throughput can be improved compared to the case where the measurement of the common alignment marks is not omitted. This modification relates to the alignment of the shot area S2 based on the position information of the alignment mark formed in the area where the shot area S1 and the shot area S2 overlap among the alignment marks measured in the first measurement step. Calculate the amount of correction.

Also, omission of measurement of a common alignment mark may be a joint exposure of four or more adjacent shot areas. FIG. 7 is an example of a pattern layout in which shot areas S1 to S5 are adjacent to each other. Alignment marks AM3 to AM10 are arranged in the overlapping area of two adjacent shot areas and are common alignment marks.

In the example of FIG. 6 as well, measurement of common alignment marks may be omitted. For example, only the alignment marks corresponding to the shot areas S1, S3, and S5 may be measured, and the alignment marks corresponding to the shot areas S2 and S4 may be omitted. As a result, the throughput can be improved compared to the case where measurement of common alignment marks is not omitted.

As described above, in this embodiment, by omitting the measurement of the common alignment mark, the throughput in the stitching exposure can be improved.

<Second embodiment>
In the present embodiment, a configuration is described in which switching between a first mode in which measurement of common alignment marks is not omitted and a second mode in which measurement of common alignment marks is omitted will be described. Since the configuration of the exposure apparatus 100 is the same as that of the first embodiment, the description thereof is omitted. Also, items not mentioned in this embodiment follow the first embodiment.

In this embodiment, it is possible to switch between a first mode in which measurement of common alignment marks is not omitted and a second mode in which measurement of common alignment marks is omitted. Thereby, the measurement accuracy of the alignment mark can be improved as compared with the first embodiment.

Continuous execution of the exposure process generates heat. The influence of this heat can change the measurement result of the alignment mark. Due to thermal deformation of the projection optical system 40 in which the off-axis scope 81 is arranged, and thermal deformation of the support member of the off-axis scope 81, there is a possibility that the position/orientation of the off-axis scope 81 may change when measuring the alignment mark. be. In that case, by measuring the calibration amount described in the first embodiment again, it is possible to accurately calculate the position information of the alignment mark even if the measurement of the alignment mark is omitted.

The steps of this embodiment will be described with reference to the pattern layout shown in FIG. FIG. 8 is a flowchart of processing in this embodiment. Each step in FIG. 8 is executed by the control unit 70 controlling each unit of the exposure apparatus 100 .

In S301, alignment marks corresponding to the shot area S1 are measured.

In S302, it is determined whether measurement of the alignment mark corresponding to the shot area S2 is necessary (determination step). As a method of determining whether or not to measure the alignment marks in the shot region S2, determination is made based on at least one of the number of processed substrates, time, and the energy amount of the exposure light for the projection optical system 40. FIG. If it is determined in S302 that measurement is required, the process proceeds to step S303, and if it is determined that measurement is not required, the process proceeds to step S304.

In the method of judging by the number of processed substrates, the substrate on which the alignment marks corresponding to the previous shot area S2 were measured is used as a starting point, and if the specified number of substrates is not satisfied, the alignment marks corresponding to the shot area S2 are measured. omitted. Then, when more than the specified number of substrates are processed, the alignment marks corresponding to the shot area S2 are measured.

In the determination method based on time, the measurement of the alignment mark corresponding to the shot area S2 is omitted if the specified time has not elapsed since the time when the alignment mark corresponding to the previous shot area S2 was measured. do. Then, when the designated time has passed, the alignment marks corresponding to the shot area S2 are measured.

In the method of determination based on the energy amount of exposure light, it is considered that the temperature change of the projection optical system 40 is caused by the exposure energy. If the change in temperature from the temperature of the projection optical system 40 when the alignment marks in the shot area S2 were measured last time is less than a specified temperature change, the alignment marks corresponding to the shot area S2 are omitted. If it exceeds the designated amount of change in temperature, the alignment mark corresponding to the shot area S2 is measured.

If it is determined in S302 that measurement is required, the process proceeds to step S303, and if it is determined that measurement is not required, the process proceeds to step S304. In step S303, alignment marks corresponding to the shot area S2 are measured.

In step S304, alignment marks corresponding to the shot area S3 are measured.

In step S305, overlay exposure of each shot area is performed based on the measurement results obtained in the above steps. Note that if it is determined in step S302 that the alignment mark corresponding to the shot area S2 is not required to be measured, before the exposure is executed in step S305, the steps described in the flowchart of FIG. 5 of the first embodiment are performed. , the calculation step of step S203 is executed.

As described above, in the present embodiment, it is possible to switch between the first mode in which measurement of common alignment marks is not omitted and the second mode in which measurement of common alignment marks is omitted. As a result, even if the measurement result of the off-axis scope 81 changes with the exposure process, the measurement process of the alignment mark corresponding to the shot area S2 can be omitted while maintaining the overlay accuracy of exposure. becomes possible.

<Embodiment of method for manufacturing article>
A method for manufacturing an article according to an embodiment of the present invention is suitable for manufacturing articles such as flat panel displays (FPDs), semiconductor devices, sensors, and optical elements. The method for manufacturing an article according to the present embodiment includes a step of forming a latent image pattern on a photosensitive material coated on a substrate by exposure using the above exposure device to obtain an exposed substrate (exposure step), and is developed to obtain a developed substrate (development step). In addition, such manufacturing methods include other well-known steps (oxidation, deposition, deposition, doping, planarization, etching, resist stripping, dicing, bonding, packaging, etc.). The article manufacturing method of the present embodiment is advantageous in at least one of article performance, quality, productivity, and production cost compared to conventional methods.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist.

30 original plate 60 substrate 70 control section 100 exposure apparatus AM alignment mark S1 first shot area S2 second shot area S3 third shot area

Claims (15)

An exposure method for exposing a pattern of an original onto a first shot region of a substrate and exposing a pattern of the original onto a second shot region overlapping a part of the first shot region, comprising:
a first measurement step of measuring the position of the alignment mark corresponding to the first shot area;
an exposure step of performing exposure based on the results measured in the first measurement step,
The exposure step performs alignment of the first shot region based on the position information of the alignment mark measured in the first measurement step, and position information of the alignment mark used for alignment of the first shot region. and aligning the second shot area using a. An exposure method for exposing a pattern of an original onto a first shot region of a substrate and exposing a pattern of the original onto a second shot region overlapping a part of the first shot region, comprising:
a first measurement step of measuring the position of the alignment mark corresponding to the first shot area;
an exposure step of performing exposure based on the results measured in the first measurement step;
a determination step of determining whether to measure the alignment mark corresponding to the second shot area;
The exposure step includes
aligning the first shot area based on the position information of the alignment mark measured in the first measurement step;
In the determination step, when it is determined that the alignment mark corresponding to the second shot area is to be measured, the second shot area is measured without using the position information used for the alignment of the first shot area. align the
When it is determined in the determination step that the alignment mark corresponding to the second shot area is not to be measured, the position information used for alignment of the first shot area is used to determine the second shot area. A method of exposure characterized by aligning the positions of The determination step determines whether or not to measure the alignment mark group corresponding to the second shot area based on at least one of the number of substrates to be processed, time, and energy amount of exposure light. Item 3. The exposure method according to item 2. Alignment marks used for alignment of the first shot area and alignment of the second shot area are alignment marks formed in areas where the first shot area and the second shot area overlap. 4. The exposure method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that: 5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein in the exposing step, the substrate is exposed while controlling the alignment between the position of the original and the position of the substrate based on a correction amount for alignment of shot areas. The exposure method according to any one of items 1 and 2. In the first measurement step, the alignment mark corresponding to the first shot region is measured in a state in which a relative positional relationship between the substrate and a measurement unit that measures the alignment mark in the first measurement step is a first position. 6. The exposure method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: 7. The exposure method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein in said first measurement step, each alignment mark of a group of alignment marks corresponding to said first shot area is measured in parallel. The exposure method further performs exposure of a third shot area overlapping a part of the second shot area with the pattern of the original plate,
further comprising a second measurement step of measuring the position of the alignment mark corresponding to the third shot area;
The exposure step performs alignment of the second shot region based on the position information of the alignment mark measured in the second measurement step, and position information of the alignment mark used for alignment of the first shot region. and positional information of an alignment mark used for alignment of the third shot area, the second shot area is aligned. exposure method. Alignment marks used for alignment of the second shot area and alignment of the third shot area are alignment marks formed in areas where the second shot area and the third shot area overlap. 9. The exposure method according to claim 8, wherein: In the second measurement step, the alignment mark group corresponding to the third shot area is measured in a state where the relative positional relationship between the measurement unit that measures the alignment marks in the second measurement step and the substrate is the second position. 10. The exposure method according to claim 8, wherein measurement is performed. 11. The exposure method according to any one of claims 8 to 10, wherein in said second measurement step, each alignment mark of a group of alignment marks corresponding to said third shot area is measured in parallel. 12. The exposure method according to claim 1, wherein the first shot area has the same size as the second shot area. 12. The exposure method according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the first shot area has a size different from that of the second shot area. having a projection optical system that irradiates the original with light from a light source and transfers the pattern of the original onto the substrate;
An exposure apparatus that exposes the substrate by using the exposure method according to any one of claims 1 to 13. An exposure step of exposing a substrate using the exposure method according to any one of claims 1 to 13 to obtain an exposed substrate;
a developing step of developing the exposed substrate to obtain a developed substrate,
A method for producing an article, comprising producing an article from the developed substrate.

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