Exposure method

Abstract

An exposure method for exposing a pattern of a reticle onto a plate using a light from a light source and an optical system includes the steps of obtaining a relationship between an exposure parameter that determines a mode to expose a plate, and an electrical characteristic of a device derived from the device, determining whether the device obtained from the set exposure parameter has a predetermined electrical characteristic, and adjusting the set exposure parameter based on the relationship between the exposure parameter and the electrical characteristic, if the determining step determines that the device does not have the predetermined electrical characteristic.

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention relates generally to an exposure method, and more particularly to an optimization of an exposure condition. [0002] A conventional projection exposure apparatus uses a projection optical system to expose a reticle (or mask) pattern onto a plate, such as a single crystal substrate for a semiconductor wafer, and a glass plate for a liquid crystal display. In order to meet a demand for inexpensively supplying many electronic apparatuses, a method for manufacturing a device, such as a semiconductor chip (e.g., an LSI, a VLSI), a CCD, an LCD, a magnetic sensor, and a thin-film magnetic head), needs to improve the yield rate. This device manufacturing method includes various processes, such as exposure, development, and etching. In exposure, a conventional exposure apparatus considers not only the resolution at which the reticle pattern precisely resolve on a plate to be exposed, but also the influence on the other processes in the d...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0008] The present invention is directed to an exposure method that can manufacture a device as a final product with a good yield rate.

Problems solved by technology

As finer processing advances, an interaction between processes in the device manufacturing method becomes non-negligible, and the yield rate control over exposure only using the CD uniformity cannot necessarily improve the yield rate.

For example, even when the CD uniformity is bad, the device is not defective in view of the electrical characteristic, and even when satisfying a predetermined CD uniformity, the device is defective in view of the electrical characteristic.

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