Exposure apparatus, exposure method, and alignment method

Abstract

To perform proper alignment in consideration of a linear error caused by the movement of a stage in an exposure device provided with the stage.SOLUTION: In an exposure device 10, a pair of calibration scales 62 and 64 in which reference marks CM facing each other along an X direction (main scanning direction) are arranged are provided, and the reference marks CM facing each other are imaged by an alignment camera 80 with the movement of a stage 50. A linear error amount with respect to the movement amount of the stage 50 is detected based on the positional deviation amount of the reference mark CM in the captured image. Then, scale correction processing is performed on the exposure data in accordance with the obtained linear error amount.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to alignment performed in an exposure apparatus or the like that forms a pattern on a substrate. [Background technology]

[0002] In exposure devices, in order to accurately align a substrate or other workpiece (hereinafter referred to as the workpiece), an alignment camera captures an image of an alignment mark on the substrate and detects any deviation in the measured alignment mark position from the designed mark position. Then, the system adjusts the position of the stage that carries the substrate, corrects the exposure position, and corrects the pattern data.

[0003] On the other hand, deviations (drifts) occur in the exposure position due to changes in the environmental temperature of the transport system including the stage, heat generated by motor drive, etc. In order to perform appropriate alignment adjustments to deal with such deviations in the exposure position, alignment adjustments based on temperature detection are known (see Patent Document 1).

[0004] In this method, the difference between the temperature measured at the start of drawing and the temperature at the time of calibration of the exposure position (drawing start position) is calculated, and the positional deviation of the exposure position is calculated based on this temperature difference using a predetermined correlation equation.

[0005] Also known is an alignment method in which a reference mark is provided in addition to the calibration scale (see Patent Document 2). In this method, a reference plate with a reference mark is placed next to the calibration scale, and the reference mark is imaged by a reference mark imaging camera to detect positional deviation of the calibration scale, i.e., positional deviation due to thermal expansion, deformation, etc. of the transport system including the stage. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-197136 [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-004860 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] Heat generated in the stage (transport system) that transports the substrate not only causes positional deviation due to thermal expansion and deformation of the entire transport system, but also causes errors in the stage movement amount due to thermal deformation of the linear scale. The linear error in the stage movement amount changes depending on the stage operating conditions such as transport speed, number of stops, and downtime, as well as the elapsed time of stage operation. It also changes depending on the substrate shape, the stage movement method to match the alignment mark position, etc.

[0008] Therefore, in an exposure apparatus equipped with a stage, it is necessary to perform appropriate alignment taking into consideration errors that accompany the movement of the stage. [Means for solving the problem]

[0009] An exposure apparatus according to one aspect of the present invention includes a stage having a table on which a substrate is placed and which moves in a scanning direction relative to an exposure unit. The stage includes, for example, a linear scale, and moves a predetermined distance in the scanning direction while measuring the amount of movement with the linear scale. The exposure unit includes, for example, a light modulation element array. By moving the substrate mounted on the table in the scanning direction, pattern light from the light modulation element array can be scanned across the substrate W.

[0010] The exposure apparatus of the present invention is equipped with a measurement unit that measures the error in the amount of movement of the stage along the scanning direction in accordance with the movement of the stage. Here, "error in the amount of movement" refers to the difference between the actual amount of movement and a predetermined (specified) amount of movement when the stage is moved. The error in the amount of movement includes an error in which the amount of deviation increases linearly along the scanning direction.

[0011] In a configuration where measurements are made in accordance with the movement of the stage, the error in the amount of movement can be measured by actually measuring the position of the stage (e.g., the start position and stop position) during the period from when the stage starts to move until it stops.

[0012] The measurement unit can measure the error in the amount of movement by capturing an image of the mark. For example, multiple marks linked to the stage can be provided at intervals from the start position to the stop position of the stage, and the error in the amount of movement can be measured based on the positional relationship between the marks captured at predetermined positions.

[0013] For example, by arranging two marks on the same line along the scanning direction and sequentially capturing images of the marks from predetermined positions as the stage moves, it is possible to measure the error relative to the amount of movement. Using the center position of the imaging area of ​​the two-dimensional image of one mark as a reference, the other mark is captured at the same position, and the amount of error relative to the amount of movement can be calculated from the deviation from the center position of the mark on the image.

[0014] Another aspect of the present invention is an exposure apparatus that includes a stage having a table on which a substrate is placed and that moves along a scanning direction relative to an exposure unit, at least one pair of stage reference marks that move together with the stage and face each other along the scanning direction, an imaging unit that is capable of imaging the at least one pair of stage reference marks in response to movement of the stage a predetermined distance along the scanning direction, and an exposure position correction unit that corrects the exposure position of the substrate based on mark position information obtained from the imaging data of the at least one pair of stage reference marks.

[0015] For example, when the error in the amount of movement is treated as a linear error, the exposure position correction unit calculates a correction coefficient for correcting the exposure position of the substrate based on the error in the amount of movement of the stage obtained from the mark position information. The correction coefficient can be calculated as a value corresponding to the degree of expansion / contraction in the scanning direction. The correction amount differs depending on the exposure position (distance from the exposure start position), and can be calculated as a proportional value. Therefore, correction processing (here, referred to as scale correction processing) can be performed on the exposure data based on the calculated correction coefficient and exposure position information.

[0016] At least one pair of stage reference marks can be configured to face each other with a substrate mounted on the stage therebetween, and at least one of the pair of stage reference marks can be configured as a reference mark for detecting deviation in the camera position of the imaging unit.

[0017] For example, a pair of calibration scales, each with reference marks arranged at a predetermined interval and linked to the stage, can be arranged on either side of a table. Also, the imaging unit can sequentially capture images of at least one pair of stage reference marks in accordance with the direction of movement of the stage during exposure operation.

[0018] Another aspect of the present invention is an exposure method that has a table on which a substrate is placed, and that moves with a stage that moves along a scanning direction relative to an exposure unit, and that arranges at least a pair of stage reference marks that face each other along the scanning direction, and that images the at least a pair of stage reference marks as the stage moves a predetermined distance along the scanning direction, and that corrects the exposure position of the substrate based on mark position information obtained from the image data of the at least a pair of stage reference marks, and that performs an exposure operation based on the corrected exposure position.

[0019] An alignment method according to another aspect of the present invention includes an exposure unit having a table on which a substrate is placed, a stage that moves in a scanning direction relative to the exposure unit, at least one pair of stage reference marks that face each other along the scanning direction, images of the at least one pair of stage reference marks are captured as the stage moves a predetermined distance along the scanning direction, and alignment of the substrate is performed based on mark position information obtained from the image data of the at least one pair of stage reference marks. For example, while the stage moves along the scanning direction, images of one of the pair of stage reference marks, images of a plurality of alignment marks in a row along the scanning direction of the substrate, and images of the other of the pair of stage reference marks are captured in that order. [Effects of the Invention]

[0020] According to the present invention, in an exposure apparatus or the like equipped with a stage, it is possible to perform appropriate alignment by taking into consideration linear errors that accompany stage movement. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0021] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic side view of an exposure apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic plan view of the exposure apparatus as seen from above. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the arrangement of a calibration scale and a table. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an exposure apparatus. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing drift that occurs with the movement of a stage. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a flow of alignment including correction processing. [Figure 7] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing differences in the imaging positions of the reference marks as the stage moves. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0022] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0023] Fig. 1 is a schematic side view of the exposure apparatus of this embodiment, and Fig. 2 is a schematic plan view of the exposure apparatus as seen from above.

[0024] The exposure apparatus 10 includes a base 15 and a support 40 mounted on an upper surface 15S of the base 15. The support 40 is composed of a rectangular support base 42 and legs 43A, 43B, 44A, and 44B provided at its four corners, and the legs 43A, 43B, 44A, and 44B are fixed to the base 15. An exposure head 20 and a light source unit 30 are mounted on an upper surface 42S of the support base 42. Here, the exposure head 20 is equipped with a DMD (Digital Micro-mirror Device) in which micromirrors are arranged two-dimensionally.

[0025] A pair of guide rails 60A, 60B are arranged parallel to each other at a predetermined interval on the upper surface 15S of the base 15 along the longitudinal direction of the base, and extend from one end of the support base 42 to the other end, passing between the legs 43A, 43B and the legs 44A, 44B. A stage 50 is installed on the guide rails 60A, 60B and is movable along the guide rails 60A, 60B.

[0026] The stage 50 has a table 52 on which the substrate W is placed, and also includes a stage movement mechanism 55 that supports the table 52 from below and moves the table 52. The stage movement mechanism 55 includes an X stage movement mechanism 54 that moves the stage 50 along guide rails 60A and 60B, and a Y stage movement mechanism 56 that moves the stage 50 in a direction perpendicular to the guide rails 60A and 60B.

[0027] An XY coordinate system based on the device is defined on the top surface 15S of the base 15, with the X direction along the guide rails 60A and 60B defined as the main scanning direction and the Y direction perpendicular to it defined as the sub-scanning direction. The vertical (perpendicular) direction of the XY coordinate system is defined as the Z direction. A linear scale 58 for detecting the X-direction position of the stage 50 is installed on the base 15 along the guide rails 60A and 60B. The rectangular table 52 is mounted on the stage 50 so that its longitudinal end face 52L and its perpendicular end face 52T are parallel to the X and Y directions, respectively.

[0028] On the leg 44A, 44B side of support 40, i.e., the center side, a plate (hereinafter referred to as camera base) 45 extending in the Y direction is fixed to the side surface of support 40 and to legs 44A, 44B. A guide mechanism 46 that moves alignment camera 80 in the Y direction is attached to the surface of camera base 45 opposite support 40. Guide mechanism 46 is formed, for example, by a ball screw mechanism, and a camera drive unit equipped with a motor (not shown) moves alignment camera 80. Here, alignment camera 80 is formed by two alignment cameras 80A, 80B spaced a predetermined distance apart.

[0029] 2, a plurality of alignment marks AM are arranged regularly at predetermined intervals on the substrate W placed at a predetermined position on the table 52. The alignment camera 80 can capture images of each alignment mark AM by moving the stage 50 (table 52) in the X direction and by moving the alignment camera 80 itself in the Y direction.

[0030] A support base 92 is installed at the rear side (-X direction) of the stage 50, perpendicular to the X stage movement mechanism 54, and a scale 62 for calibrating the camera position (hereinafter referred to as the calibration scale) is installed on the support base 92. The calibration scale 62 has a plurality of reference marks CM arranged at predetermined intervals along the end surface 52T of the table 52, i.e., along the Y direction. The alignment camera 80 can capture images of each reference mark CM by moving the stage 50 and the alignment camera 80 itself. The shape of the reference marks CM is arbitrary and can be formed into a circular, cross-like shape, etc. FIG. 2 illustrates a circular reference mark CM.

[0031] A support base 94 is installed in front of the X stage movement mechanism 54 (on the +X direction side) with the table 52 in between, and the calibration scale 64 is supported by the support base 94. Similar to the calibration scale 62, the calibration scale 64 has reference marks CM regularly arranged at predetermined intervals along the Y direction. The calibration scales 62, 64 move together with the stage 50 while the stage 50 moves in the X direction. On the other hand, the calibration scales 62, 64 do not move while the stage 50 moves in the Y direction. The calibration scales 62, 64 are both at the same height, and the reference marks CM are both on the same plane.

[0032] A rectangular plate (hereinafter referred to as the reference plate) on which one reference mark is provided is provided on the X stage movement mechanism 54 (not shown here) next to the calibration scale 62. The reference mark provided on the reference plate is aligned in the same line as the reference mark CM of the calibration scale 62 and is at the same height.

[0033] In addition, a dedicated reference camera (not shown), which is different from alignment camera 80, is fixed to camera base 45 at a position where it can capture an image of the reference mark. The configurations of the reference plate and the reference camera are described in Prior Art Document 2, and detailed description thereof will be omitted.

[0034] In the exposure operation, the substrate W is placed on the table 52, and the stage 50 moves continuously at a constant speed in the X direction. As the table 52 moves, the projection area (exposure area) of the pattern light projected from the exposure head 20 onto the substrate W moves relatively in the X direction, thereby forming a pattern on the substrate W. When scanning for one scan band is completed, the table 52 moves in the Y direction, and scanning for the next scan band is performed.

[0035] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the arrangement of the calibration scales 62, 64 and the table 52.

[0036] Both calibration scales 62 and 64 are made of glass, and have a chrome film on their surface on which fiducial marks CM of the same size and shape are drawn. The pitch at which the fiducial marks CM are arranged is determined according to the size of the field of view F of alignment camera 80, etc.

[0037] The fiducial marks CM are determined to have a size and shape that allow the mark position coordinates to be accurately determined when they are imaged by the alignment camera 80. The images of the fiducial marks CM obtained by imaging are of the same size for both calibration scales 62 and 64.

[0038] The reference marks CM of the calibration scale 64 are aligned so that their Y coordinates are the same as those of the reference marks CM of the calibration scale 62. In other words, each reference mark CM of the calibration scale 62 is positioned so as to face the corresponding reference mark CM of the calibration scale 64 head-on along the X direction.

[0039] In the alignment performed before the exposure operation, the alignment camera 80 moves to capture images of the reference marks CM of the calibration scale 62. Furthermore, the stage 50 moves continuously between the calibration scales 62 and 64 at a predetermined constant speed, and the alignment camera 80 captures images of the predetermined reference marks CM of the calibration scales 62 and 64 that face each other.

[0040] FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the exposure apparatus.

[0041] The control unit 38 controls the overall operation of the exposure apparatus 10, such as the exposure operation, alignment adjustment, and illumination. When the light source control unit 31 turns on the light source 32, the illumination light passes through the optical system 23 and enters the DMD (Digital Micro-mirror Device) 24.

[0042] The exposure control unit 34 converts the pattern data (vector data) sent from the workstation into raster data and sends the raster data (exposure data) to the DMD driving unit 22. The DMD driving unit 22 controls the ON / OFF of each micromirror of the DMD 24 based on the raster data so as to project a pattern light according to the exposure position. The light reflected by the DMD 24 is imaged as pattern light on the surface of the substrate W by the projection optical system 25.

[0043] A stage driving unit (movement mechanism) 55 equipped with a motor and the like drives an X stage movement mechanism 54 and a Y stage movement mechanism 56 shown in Fig. 1 to move the stage 50, i.e., the table 52, in the X and Y directions. A position detector 59 including a linear scale 58 (see Fig. 1) detects the position coordinates of the table 52 relative to the pedestal 15 (i.e., the main body of the exposure apparatus, which is a single structure including the support 40).

[0044] The camera driving unit 82 drives and controls the alignment camera 80, and when performing alignment adjustment, moves the alignment camera 80 along the arrangement line of the alignment marks AM on the substrate W. The image processing unit 83 detects the positions of the alignment marks AM based on the image pickup signals output from the alignment cameras 80A and 80B.

[0045] Specifically, it detects the deviation of the center position of the alignment mark from the center of the field of view of alignment cameras 80A and 80B. Alignment control unit 35 controls exposure control unit 34 based on the position information sent, and corrects exposure data (raster data) to compensate for substrate deformation, etc.

[0046] Furthermore, when calibrating the deviation of the camera position, the camera driving unit 82 drives and controls the alignment camera 80 to capture an image of the reference mark CM on the calibration scale 62. The image processing unit 83 detects the amount of deviation of the reference mark CM from the center of the field of view, and the calibration unit 37 calculates a correction amount based on the amount of deviation of the camera position. The alignment control unit 35 controls the exposure control unit 34 in accordance with the calculated correction amount, and adds the calculated correction amount to the above-mentioned exposure data.

[0047] Furthermore, in order to detect errors occurring in the stage 50 along the main scanning direction (X direction), the control unit 38 drives and controls the stage movement mechanism 55 to move the stage 50 in the X direction. The alignment control unit 35 controls the alignment camera 80 and a fixed camera (not shown) to capture images of the reference marks CM on the calibration scales 62 and 64 and the reference marks on a reference plate (not shown). The calibration unit 37 controls the exposure control unit 34 based on the position information of the detected reference marks CM to perform correction processing on the exposure data.

[0048] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the amount of error relative to the amount of movement of the stage 50. In FIG.

[0049] Alignment cameras 80A and 80B are attached to guide mechanism 46 so that they can move along the Y direction, which can lead to attachment and assembly errors. Furthermore, when alignment cameras 80A and 80B are reciprocated by guide mechanism 46, the position of the field of view center shifts from the designed position due to position errors in guide mechanism 46, changes in the camera axis angle, etc.

[0050] To correct this deviation in the center position of the field of view, i.e., the deviation in the positions of the alignment cameras 80A and 80B, the position of the reference mark CM is measured, and the amount of deviation in the position of the alignment camera 80 (i.e., the error in the positional relationship between the alignment camera 80 and the support base 42 to which the exposure head 20 is fixed) is found from the difference between the actual measured position and the desired mark position. The amount of deviation in the position of the alignment camera 80 is measured using the position of the calibration scale 62 as a reference.

[0051] Meanwhile, in the stage 50, heat is generated from the motor drive unit of the X stage movement mechanism 54 due to the continuous reciprocating movement, causing thermal expansion and deformation of the X stage movement mechanism 54 and the linear scale 58. As a result, a uniform drift (which does not change depending on the exposure position) occurs over time in the stage 50, particularly in the table, across the entire stage 50.

[0052] Furthermore, when moving the stage 50, not only drift but also expansion and contraction of the linear scale 58 and the like can cause an error between the amount of movement (amount of movement commanded to the X-stage movement mechanism 54) and the position that the stage 50 reaches (reading on the linear scale 58). For example, when the stage 50 is moved several hundred millimeters relative to the mount 15, the actual movement may not be that much, and a deviation of several microns may occur. Such an error in the amount of movement can have an impact when forming patterns on the order of microns or submicrons.

[0053] The error in the amount of movement varies depending on the operating conditions of the stage 50, specifically, the movement speed, the number of stops, the downtime, etc. Furthermore, the error in the amount of movement also varies depending on the arrangement and number of alignment marks AM provided on the substrate W, which causes the way in which the stage 50 moves (movement path) to differ.

[0054] This error in the amount of movement can be considered to occur as a cumulative error and to have a linear characteristic, i.e., the amount of error can be considered to increase linearly in the X direction according to the movement distance from the movement start point of the stage 50.

[0055] 5, the difference in the amount of error between the front end, center, and back end of the substrate W is represented by the different lengths of the arrows. The amount of error in the position of the stage 50 at each exposure position increases linearly along the direction of movement of the stage 50. In addition to the error relative to this amount of movement, there is also a drift that occurs uniformly over time across the entire stage 50 due to heat, etc., meaning that the same trend in error amount is detected at each exposure position.

[0056] Therefore, when performing alignment, it is necessary to simultaneously correct the (static) error that occurs over time for the entire stage 50, i.e., the error amount does not change depending on the exposure position, and the (dynamic) error that changes as the stage 50 moves.

[0057] In this embodiment, for static errors (drift), the amount of error is detected by photographing the reference marks on the reference plate, and for dynamic errors, the reference marks on the pair of calibration scales 62 and 64 are detected, and a correction coefficient for correcting the linear error is determined. Note that, with regard to static errors, positional deviations may be detected based on temperature measurement, as shown in Prior Art Document 1, or other methods may be used.

[0058] Fig. 6 is a diagram showing the alignment flow including the correction process, Fig. 7 is a diagram showing the difference in the imaging position of the reference mark due to the movement of the stage 50.

[0059] The correction process can be performed for each rod or each substrate, and can be performed at predetermined time intervals. Taking productivity into consideration, the measurement interval may be shortened when restarting operation from a suspended state, and then lengthened once the temperature has stabilized. Here, the correction process is performed in conjunction with the process for calibrating the camera position of the alignment camera 80, but it may also be performed separately.

[0060] First, the alignment camera 80 is moved to a position (Y coordinate) aligned with a predetermined alignment mark AM on the substrate W. Here, it is aligned with the position of the alignment mark AM located on the edge side of the substrate W. Then, the stage 50 is positioned so that the calibration scales 62, 64 are at the center position of the designed field of view of the alignment camera 80 (S101). This position corresponds to the position where the center position of the field of view of a reference camera (not shown) theoretically coincides with the center position of the reference mark.

[0061] Next, the reference mark on the reference plate is imaged by the reference camera, and the stage 50 is moved in the X direction, and the alignment camera 80 images the predetermined opposing reference marks CM on the calibration scales 62, 64 (S102). First, the reference mark CM on the rear calibration scale 62 is imaged, and then the reference mark CM on the front calibration scale 64 is imaged.

[0062] From the obtained image data, the amount of positional deviation of the reference mark from the center position of the field of view relative to the reference camera is calculated (S103). This amount of positional deviation can be considered to correspond to the amount of positional deviation of the calibration scale 62 (reference mark CM) relative to the exposure coordinate system, and a uniform (static) error of the stage 50 is obtained. Furthermore, based on the pre-stored Y coordinate of the reference mark CM of the calibration scale 62 and the captured image of the calibration scale 62, the position coordinate in the Y direction of the alignment camera 80 is calibrated.

[0063] Then, in order to detect an error in the amount of movement, the positional deviation of the two reference marks is detected from the image data of the reference marks CM of the calibration scales 62, 64 (S103). In Fig. 7, the amount of deviation in the image capturing positions when the relative reference marks CM are captured is indicated by Δx. If there is no error in the amount of movement of the stage 50, when the two calibration scales 62, 64 are moved by a distance X1 between their center positions along the X direction, their image capturing positions will overlap (become the same position) in the vertical direction of the screen (x direction) corresponding to the X direction.

[0064] However, because an error occurs in the amount of movement of the stage 50, a shift occurs in the imaging position in the x direction of the relative reference mark CM. Here, the amount of shift in the imaging position of the reference mark CM in the field of view frame F is represented by Δx. The amount of correction for the amount of movement of the stage 50 is calculated based on this Δx.

[0065] Correction processing is performed on the exposure data (raster data) based on the calculated reference mark positional deviation amount of the reference plate and the relative reference mark CM positional deviation amount of the calibration scales 62, 64 (S104). At this time, scale correction processing is performed on the error in the movement amount of the stage 50.

[0066] Specifically, a correction coefficient for each exposure position is calculated according to the distance from the exposure start position from the positional deviation of the reference marks CM of the calibration scales 62 and 64, and the movement distance X1 is multiplied by the correction coefficient to perform scale conversion processing according to the position of each exposure data. Therefore, the closer the exposure data is to the back, the greater the amount of positional deviation is, and the scale conversion processing is performed accordingly.

[0067] After the calibration process is completed, the alignment camera 80 captures an image of the alignment mark AM on the substrate W and performs alignment adjustment. After the alignment adjustment, an exposure operation is performed.

[0068] In addition to correcting Δx, it is also possible to correct for the deviation of the imaging position of the fiducial mark CM in the Y direction. For example, if the posture of the stage 50 fluctuates due to continuous operation of the stage 50, an error occurs in the Y direction. The deviation amount Δy at this time can also be read from the imaging data of the fiducial mark CM of the calibration scales 62, 64. However, the value of the correction coefficient in the Y direction depends on the amount of error according to the degree of expansion and contraction in the Y direction. The amount of error can be reduced by rotating the data or by shifting and correcting the drawing data in the y direction using the average value.

[0069] Instead of performing scale conversion on the exposure data, the exposure position may be corrected by multiplying the real-time position measurement results along the main scanning direction of the stage 50 by a correction coefficient that compensates for errors during the exposure process. Alternatively, the exposure position may be corrected by multiplying the movement command amount of the stage 50 during the exposure process by the correction coefficient.

[0070] In addition, reading of the reference mark CM of the calibration scale 62, reading of multiple alignment marks AM in the same row on the substrate W, and reading of the reference mark CM of the calibration scale 64 may be performed while the stage 50 is moving in the scanning direction during a single exposure.

[0071] In this case, after detecting the coordinates of all alignment marks AM on one row, the following processes are performed in order: calibration of the camera position coordinates, calculation of the static error amount of the stage 50, calculation of the correction coefficient, and scale correction processing. By reading multiple marks in sequence with one scan, productivity can be improved.

[0072] As described above, the exposure apparatus 10 of this embodiment is provided with a pair of calibration scales 62, 64 on which opposing reference marks CM are arranged along the X direction (main scanning direction), and images of the opposing reference marks CM are captured by the alignment camera 80 as the stage 50 moves. A correction amount for the movement amount of the stage 50 is detected based on the positional deviation amount of the reference marks CM in the captured images. Then, a scale correction process is performed on the exposure data according to the calculated correction amount.

[0073] Using the alignment camera 80 that detects the alignment mark AM on the substrate W and the calibration scale 62 for calibrating the camera, a linear error relative to the amount of movement of the stage 50 can be detected with a simple configuration.

[0074] The above alignment function can also be provided to devices other than exposure devices that have a transport system, such as laser processing devices. [Explanation of symbols]

[0075] 10 Exposure equipment 15 Mounting stand 20 exposure head 50 stages 52 tables 54 X stage movement mechanism 62 Calibration Scale 64 Calibration Scale 80 Alignment Camera CM fiducial mark

Claims

1. a stage having a table on which a substrate is placed and moving along a scanning direction relative to the exposure unit; a measurement unit that measures an error in the amount of movement of the stage along the scanning direction in accordance with the movement of the stage; An exposure apparatus comprising:

2. a stage having a table on which a substrate is placed and moving along a scanning direction relative to the exposure unit; at least one pair of stage reference marks that move together with the stage and face each other along the scanning direction; an imaging unit capable of capturing an image of the at least one pair of stage reference marks in accordance with movement of the stage by a predetermined distance along a scanning direction; an exposure position correction unit that corrects an exposure position of the substrate based on mark position information obtained from image data of the at least one pair of stage reference marks; An exposure apparatus comprising:

3. 3. An exposure apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the at least one pair of stage reference marks face each other with a substrate mounted on the stage sandwiched therebetween.

4. 3. An exposure apparatus according to claim 2, wherein one of the at least pair of stage reference marks is configured as a reference mark for detecting a deviation in the camera position of the imaging unit.

5. 5. An exposure apparatus according to claim 4, wherein a pair of calibration scales, each of which has the stage reference marks arranged at a predetermined interval and which is linked to the stage, are arranged on either side of the table.

6. 3. The exposure apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the image capturing unit captures images of the at least one pair of stage reference marks in sequence in accordance with the direction of movement of the stage during exposure operation.

7. 7. An exposure apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the exposure position correction unit calculates a correction coefficient based on an error in the amount of movement of the stage obtained from the mark position information, and performs scale correction processing on the exposure data based on the calculated correction coefficient and the exposure position information.

8. a stage having a table on which a substrate is placed, the stage moving along a scanning direction relative to the exposure unit, and at least a pair of stage reference marks disposed opposite to each other along the scanning direction; capturing an image of the at least one pair of stage reference marks in response to movement of the stage by a predetermined distance along a scanning direction; correcting an exposure position of the substrate based on mark position information obtained from image data of the at least one pair of stage reference marks; an exposure method, characterized in that an exposure operation is performed based on the corrected exposure position;

9. a stage having a table on which a substrate is placed, the stage moving along a scanning direction relative to the exposure unit, and at least a pair of stage reference marks disposed opposite to each other along the scanning direction; capturing an image of the at least one pair of stage reference marks in response to movement of the stage by a predetermined distance along a scanning direction; An alignment method comprising: aligning the substrate based on mark position information obtained from image data of the at least one pair of stage reference marks.

10. An alignment method as described in claim 9, characterized in that, while the stage moves along the scanning direction, an image of one of the pair of stage reference marks, an image of a plurality of alignment marks in a row along the scanning direction of the substrate, and an image of the other of the pair of stage reference marks are sequentially taken.

Images