Determination method, exposure device, exposure method and method of manufacturing article

Abstract

To suppress wrong measurement of a mark.SOLUTION: A determination method for determining formation conditions to form a mark for ensuring a relative positional relation between a first pattern formed by a first exposure device and a second pattern formed by a second exposure device, includes the following: a formation step of applying light to a substrate and forming a mark thereon; a measurement step of measuring the mark; and a determination step of determining the formation conditions on the basis of a result obtained by measurement in the measurement step. The formation step and the measurement step are performed in a plurality of conditions different from each other in distances between the formation part of application of the light in a direction perpendicular to the substrate and the substrate, and in the determination step, the distances in the conditions in the case that a measurement evaluation value of the mark satisfies a predetermined reliability are determined as the formation conditions.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a determination method, an exposure apparatus, an exposure method, and a method for manufacturing an article. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, in the manufacture of flat panel displays (FPDs) such as liquid crystal displays and organic electroluminescence displays, the size of displays has been increasing, and there is a demand for efficient use of substrates. Therefore, in order to improve the efficiency of substrate use, a technology called MMG (Multi Model on Glass) has been attracting attention, in which panels of different sizes are formed on a single substrate using multiple devices. With MMG technology, the relative positional relationship of each area exposed by multiple exposure devices can be guaranteed by measuring alignment marks formed on the substrate.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a method for forming a circular mark on a substrate by irradiating a photosensitive agent applied on the substrate with light and evaporating a part of the photosensitive agent. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2022-23392 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] However, the resist evaporated during mark formation may scatter around the mark to be formed, which may cause errors in mark measurement.

[0006] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a method for determining mark formation conditions that is advantageous in suppressing erroneous measurement of the marks. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, a determination method as one aspect of the present invention is a determination method for determining formation conditions for forming a mark to ensure a relative positional relationship between a first pattern formed by a first exposure apparatus and a second pattern formed by a second exposure apparatus, the determination method including a formation step of irradiating light to form a mark on the substrate, a measurement step of measuring the mark, and a determination step of determining the formation conditions based on the results measured in the measurement step, the formation step and the measurement step being performed under a plurality of conditions in which the distance between the formation unit irradiating the light and the substrate in a direction perpendicular to the substrate is different, and the determination step is characterized in that the distance of the condition when the measurement evaluation value of the mark satisfies a predetermined reliability is determined as the formation condition. Effect of the Invention

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a method for determining mark formation conditions that is advantageous in suppressing erroneous measurement of the marks. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of an exposure apparatus. [Diagram 2] 11 is a diagram showing the relationship between the stage position and the imaging position of laser light. FIG. [Diagram 3] 11 is a flowchart of a method for determining a mark formation condition. [Figure 4] 1 is a flowchart of a method for manufacturing an article. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0010] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Preferred embodiments of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the same reference numerals are used to refer to the same components, and duplicated explanations will be omitted.

[0011] First Embodiment In this embodiment, an exposure apparatus for manufacturing flat panel displays (FPDs) will be described as an example of a lithography apparatus for forming a pattern on a plate. The exposure apparatus is an apparatus that illuminates a mask (original, reticle) and exposes the mask pattern onto a plate (wafer, glass plate, etc.). The exposure apparatus uses, for example, a projection optical system to project the mask pattern onto a plate coated with a photosensitive agent (resist) to form a pattern in the photosensitive agent.

[0012] 1 is a schematic diagram of an exposure apparatus according to a first embodiment. The direction perpendicular to a plate 16 (substrate) (vertical direction) is defined as the Z direction, and the directions perpendicular to the Z direction are defined as the X and Y directions, respectively. The exposure apparatus EX of this embodiment has an illumination system 1 and a projection optical system 4 that projects a pattern of an original 3 onto the plate 16. The exposure apparatus EX also has a measurement unit 21 that detects alignment marks on the original 3 and the plate 16.

[0013] The illumination system 1 includes, for example, a light source, a lens, and a mirror. The light source can include, for example, a mercury lamp and an elliptical mirror. The illumination system 1 forms an illumination area of ​​a predetermined shape and illuminates a part of the original 3. The projection optical system 4 projects an image of the pattern of the original 3 illuminated by the illumination system 1 onto a plate 16. The original 3 is placed at the position of the object plane of the projection optical system 4, and the plate 16 is placed at the position of the image plane of the projection optical system 4. The original 3 is held on a stage (not shown). The projection optical system 4 can be configured as any of an image-forming optical system of life-size, enlargement, and reduction.

[0014] FIG. 1 shows a projection optical system having a mirror 14, a concave mirror 12, and a convex mirror 15. An image of the pattern of the original 3 illuminated by the illumination system 1 is formed at the same magnification on the plate 16 via the mirror 14, the concave mirror 12, the convex mirror 15, the concave mirror 12, and the mirror 14 in the projection optical system 4. The projection optical system may be configured as a projection lens using mainly lenses, a catadioptric optical system, or a plurality of imaging optical systems. The stage 17 has a holding mechanism for holding the plate 16. The plate 16 is placed on the holding mechanism of the stage 17. The stage 17 also has an adjustment mechanism for adjusting the X- and Y-positions of the plate 16 on the stage and the angle around the Z-axis. The stage 17 is driven based on a drive command from the main control unit 18, and the position of the plate 16 is controlled. The main control unit 18 controls the position of the stage 17 in the X-, Y-, and Z-directions and the rotation angle around these directions based on the position and angle of the stage 17 measured by a position sensor such as an interferometer or an encoder. The exposure apparatus EX then aligns the plate 16 with respect to the original 3, and while synchronously moving the original 3 and the plate 16 in a predetermined direction, exposes the pattern of the original 3 onto the plate 16. At this time, the illumination area by the illumination system 1 moves over the original 3 to illuminate the entire pattern of the original 3, and the projection area by the projection optical system 4 moves over the plate 16 to expose the plate 16. The area of ​​the plate 16 that is exposed while the original 3 and the plate 16 are moved synchronously in this manner is defined as the exposure area.

[0015] The illumination system 1, the projection optical system 4, the stage 17, and the main controller 18 function as a transfer unit that transfers the pattern of the original 3 onto the plate 16. The main controller 18 not only controls the stage, but also controls the operation of each unit of the exposure apparatus EX, such as sequence control. The main controller 18 also controls a controller 20 that controls a mark forming mechanism 19. The main controller 18 can control the distance between the mark forming mechanism 19 and the stage 17 in a direction perpendicular to the substrate.

[0016] The exposure apparatus EX of this embodiment has a mark forming mechanism 19 (forming unit). The control unit 20 controls the mark forming mechanism 19 based on a command from the main control unit 18. The main control unit 18 moves the stage 17 to a predetermined position and then transmits an irradiation command to the control unit 20. Then, the control unit 20 controls the mark forming mechanism 19, and the mark forming mechanism 19 irradiates the plate 16 with irradiation light.

[0017] The mark forming mechanism 19 is fixed to a structure supporting the projection optical system 4. The mark forming mechanism 19 uses a light source such as a laser to irradiate a spot-shaped light beam such as a laser beam toward the plate 16 held on the stage 17. The mark forming mechanism 19 then forms an alignment mark for positioning on the plate 16 by irradiating the light. The mark forming mechanism 19 has an internal focusing optical system that condenses the irradiated laser beam to one point at a fixed focal length. When the mark forming mechanism 19 irradiates the laser, the main control unit 18 forms a mark at any XYZ position within the driving range of the stage.

[0018] In this embodiment, the plate 16 is, for example, a glass substrate. Also, a photosensitive agent may be applied onto the glass substrate. A latent image pattern can be formed by exposing the photosensitive agent on the glass substrate with the exposure device EX. A metal film may be formed on the glass substrate, and a photosensitive agent may be applied onto the metal film. The mark forming mechanism 19 can form a mark by, for example, irradiating the photosensitive agent with light (laser light) at high output by a laser ablation method, and removing a part of the photosensitive agent. Moreover, the irradiation conditions such as the laser output during mark formation are controlled by the control unit 20. The amount of laser light can be adjusted by directly specifying the output current value of the laser head, or by changing the attenuation rate of the amount of laser light on the path by an attenuator arranged on the path from the laser light source to the irradiation surface. Moreover, when drawing a mark, an arbitrary one is selected from several predetermined laser trajectories. The number of times the trajectory is repeated during mark formation (hereinafter referred to as the number of times of mark formation) is controlled by the control unit 20.

[0019] The alignment mark formed on the plate 16 by the mark forming mechanism 19 is measured by the measuring unit 21. The measuring unit 21 is fixed to a structure supporting the projection optical system 4. The relative positions of the mark forming mechanism 19 and the measuring unit 21 are arranged in a known relationship. At least one of the mark forming mechanism 19 and the measuring unit 21 may be configured to be movable, and the relative positions of the mark forming mechanism 19 and the measuring unit 21 may be configured to be changeable. The measuring unit 21 has an illumination system that uses a light source to illuminate the alignment mark, and a sensor (imaging unit) that images the alignment mark. As the sensor, an area image sensor that photoelectrically converts received light into an electrical signal can be used. The measuring unit 21 or the control unit 20 has a storage unit (such as a memory) that acquires and stores an image including the captured alignment mark, and a calculation unit (such as a CPU) that calculates the position of the alignment mark using data of the acquired image. The main control unit 18 acquires data on the positions of the alignment marks (measurement results) calculated by the calculation unit, and based on the measurement results, controls the position of the stage 17 in the X and Y directions and its rotation around the Z direction to align the plate 16 with respect to the original 3. The main control unit 18 then controls the illumination system 1, the projection optical system 4, the stage 17, etc., to expose the pattern of the original 3 onto the aligned plate 16.

[0020] The main control unit 18 has a storage unit (memory) that stores the laser irradiation conditions (forming conditions), and holds and applies the optimized evaluation values ​​as parameters for each manufacturing process.

[0021] Next, a method for determining the optimal relative distance between the mark forming mechanism 19 and the plate 16 when the mark is formed by the mark forming mechanism 19 (the distance between the mark forming mechanism 19 and the plate 16 in a direction perpendicular to the plate 16) will be described. Hereinafter, the relative distance of the mark forming mechanism 19 is also referred to as the focus position. Note that this determination method is intended to set conditions under which the mark formed on the plate 16 can be stably measured using the measurement unit 21. Furthermore, when the conditions of the film on the plate 16 on which the mark is formed are different, it is expected that the focus position will differ depending on the conditions of each film, and therefore it is desirable to be able to hold multiple positions according to the conditions.

[0022] The laser irradiation conditions (forming conditions) include the focus position during laser irradiation, the amount of laser light used, the laser irradiation time, the number of times of mark formation, etc. In this embodiment, among the laser irradiation conditions, adjustment is performed while fixing conditions other than the focus position.

[0023] Here, an exposure method using a mark formed by the mark forming mechanism 19 will be described. First, a mark is formed on a substrate under formation conditions determined by a determination method described later (mark forming process), and exposure is performed based on the mark formed by the mark forming process (exposure process). More specifically, the mark can be used, for example, when performing exposure of different masks by two exposure apparatuses. First, a first pattern is formed by a first exposure apparatus. At that time, a mark is formed in a region different from the pattern by the mark forming mechanism 19 provided in the first exposure apparatus. Then, the substrate is moved to the second exposure apparatus, and a second pattern is formed by the second exposure apparatus. At this time, the mark formed by the mark forming mechanism 19 is used to guarantee the relative position between the first pattern and the second pattern. For example, the mark is measured by the first exposure apparatus to obtain a first measurement result, and the same mark is also measured by the second exposure apparatus to obtain a second measurement result. Then, the position at which the second pattern is formed is determined based on the first measurement result and the second measurement result, so that the relative positional relationship between the two patterns can be guaranteed.

[0024] FIG. 2(a) is a schematic diagram showing the stage 17, the mark forming mechanism 19, and the laser light 30 in this embodiment. In FIG. 2(a), the laser light 30 is in a defocused state with respect to the surface of the plate 16. The focus position 31 is located closer to the mark forming mechanism 19 than the surface of the plate 16. Here, the laser energy per unit area of ​​the cross section 32 of the laser light 30 on the upper surface of the stage 17 varies depending on the Z position of the stage 17. For example, when the stage 17 is driven in the −Z direction, the distance between the cross section 32 and the focus position 31 increases, so that the area of ​​the cross section 32 increases and the laser energy per unit area decreases. Conversely, when the stage surface is driven in the +Z direction, the laser energy per unit area increases.

[0025] FIG. 2(b) is a schematic diagram of the state in which the stage surface is driven in the +Z direction until the focus position 31 of the laser light 30 is located on the upper surface of the plate 17 in FIG. 2(a). FIG. 2(c) is a schematic diagram of the state in which the stage surface is further driven in the +Z direction from the state in FIG. 2(b). As shown in FIG. 2(a), when the focus position 31 is located closer to the laser irradiation surface than the upper surface of the plate 16, the laser energy per unit area is smaller on the upper surface of the plate 16 than on the upper surface of the stage 17. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2(c), when the focus position 31 is located farther from the laser irradiation surface than the upper surface of the stage 17, the laser energy per unit area is larger on the upper surface of the plate 16 than on the upper surface of the stage 17. Then, a load of more than the energy required for resist removal is applied to the stage 17. The determination method in this embodiment can be applied to a range of Z positions in which the focus position 31 is closer to the laser irradiation surface than the upper surface of the plate 16, as shown in FIG. 2(a).

[0026] In this embodiment, the focus position is changed by driving the Z axis of the stage 17 in a direction approaching from the position in the Z direction where the laser irradiation surface (irradiation source) and the position on the plate 16 (irradiation destination) are the farthest apart. At each position, one or more circular marks for evaluation are formed at each focus evaluation position, and it is determined whether all the circular marks formed at each focus evaluation position are below a certain measurement repeatability (3σ) threshold. If they are below a predetermined value, the position is adopted as the optimal focus position for the mark formation position, thereby determining the adjustment position. In other words, if the mark satisfies a predetermined reliability, the position is determined as the mark formation condition. In this embodiment, an example in which the reliability is 3σ will be described, but the reliability may be a value calculated based on a normal distribution, and may be σ or 2σ.

[0027] Next, a flow chart of a specific method for determining formation conditions in this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 3. Each step is executed by the main control unit 18 controlling each unit.

[0028] In step S101, the stage 17 is driven to an initial XY position. Specifically, the stage 17 is driven in the X and Y directions so that the irradiation position of the mark forming mechanism 19 in the X and Y directions coincides with the mark forming position on the plate 16 on the stage 17.

[0029] In step S102, the stage 17 is driven to an initial Z position, which is the position in the Z direction at which the laser irradiation surface (irradiation source) and a position on the plate 16 (irradiation destination) are farthest apart.

[0030] In step S103, a laser is irradiated from the mark forming mechanism 19 to form a circular mark on the plate 16 (forming step). In this embodiment, a circular mark is described, but the shape of the mark is not limited to a circular shape and may be formed by a combination of figures. For example, rectangular marks may be arranged horizontally, or a combination of a square and a cross may be used. Also, a plurality of marks may be formed, and in this case, the marks are formed by driving the stage 17 in at least one of the X direction and the Y direction so that the marks do not overlap each other.

[0031] In step S104, the measurement unit 21 is used to obtain at least one measurement value for the mark formed in step S103 (measurement step). Then, a 3σ value indicating measurement reproducibility is calculated from the obtained measurement values ​​(diameter, contrast, and circularity of the mark). Specifically, the 3σ value is calculated from the variation in the center of gravity position of the mark outline. The statistical values ​​calculated here may be general statistical quantities such as maximum, minimum, and average values.

[0032] In step S105, an evaluation value is calculated from the 3σ values ​​calculated in step S104. The evaluation value is, for example, the maximum value of the 3σ values.

[0033] In step S106, the reliability (threshold) of the evaluation value calculated in step S105 is determined. If the evaluation value does not satisfy the predetermined reliability, the process proceeds to step S107. If the evaluation value (measurement evaluation value) satisfies the predetermined reliability, the process proceeds to step S108.

[0034] In step S107, the stage 17 is driven to a Z position that is the focus evaluation position for the next laser irradiation, in the direction in which the laser irradiation surface (irradiation source) and the position on the plate 16 (irradiation destination) approach each other from the current Z position. That is, the Z position is changed so that the defocus is reduced. Also, the stage 17 is driven in at least one of the X and Y directions so that the mark that has already been formed does not overlap with the mark to be formed next. Then, the process returns to step S103.

[0035] In step S108, the current Z position of stage 17 is determined as the focus position during laser irradiation (determination step). In this embodiment, the distance in the Z direction between the laser irradiation surface and plate 16 can be set to be longer than the distance between the laser irradiation surface and the imaging position of the laser light.

[0036] The formation process and the measurement process in this embodiment can be performed multiple times. In addition, in this embodiment, the mark is formed in a defocused state, so that an excessively large amount of photosensitive agent is not scattered around. This reduces the risk that the photosensitive agent becomes a foreign object when measuring the mark. In addition, the mark formation conditions are set to satisfy the reliability of mark measurement, so that erroneous detection of the mark can be suppressed.

[0037] Furthermore, in this embodiment, by forming the mark in a defocused state, it is possible to reduce the influence of deformation or the like on the underlying glass substrate and the upper surface of the stage.

[0038] In this embodiment, the defocus amount can be set to, for example, 300 μm. The range of the defocus amount can be 100 μm or more and 500 μm or less. If the defocus amount is less than 100 μm, an excessively large amount of the photosensitive agent may be scattered to the surroundings, which is not preferable. If the defocus amount is more than 500 μm, the measurement reproducibility of the diameter, contrast, circularity, etc. of the mark may be reduced, which is not preferable, as it may be impossible to perform stable mark measurement.

[0039] <Second embodiment> In the first embodiment, an example was described in which a condition is set using the Z position of stage 17 as a variable. In the present embodiment, an example is described in which a condition is set using the light amount of mark forming mechanism 19, the laser irradiation time, or the number of times marks are formed as variables. Note that the configuration of exposure apparatus EX is similar to that of the first embodiment, and therefore a description thereof will be omitted. Furthermore, matters not mentioned in this embodiment follow the first embodiment.

[0040] Examples of the laser irradiation conditions (forming conditions) include the focus position during laser irradiation, the amount of laser light from the mark forming mechanism 19, the laser irradiation time, the number of times the mark is formed, and the like. In this embodiment, adjustment is performed by fixing the conditions among the laser irradiation conditions other than the amount of light from the mark forming mechanism 19. Alternatively, adjustment may be performed by fixing the conditions other than the laser irradiation time. Alternatively, adjustment may be performed by fixing the conditions other than the number of times the mark is formed.

[0041] This embodiment may be carried out with the Z position of the stage 17 set to the one determined in the first embodiment. That is, the step of determining another parameter may be carried out with the Z position of the stage 17 set to the one determined in the determination step of the first embodiment. Alternatively, this embodiment may be carried out with an arbitrary Z position of the stage 17. As in the first embodiment, a plurality of marks are formed while changing variables, and when the marks satisfy a predetermined reliability, the condition is determined as the mark formation condition.

[0042] <Embodiments of the method for manufacturing an article> The 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. FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the method for manufacturing an article according to this embodiment. The method for manufacturing an article according to this embodiment includes a step of forming a mark on a substrate under formation conditions determined by the above-mentioned determination method (mark forming step, step S11). The method also includes a step of forming a latent image pattern on a photosensitive material applied to a substrate based on the mark formed in this step by exposure using the above-mentioned exposure apparatus EX to obtain an exposed substrate (exposure step, step S12). The method also includes a step of developing the substrate exposed in this step to obtain a developed substrate (development step, step S13). Furthermore, the manufacturing method includes other well-known steps (oxidation, film formation, deposition, doping, planarization, etching, resist peeling, dicing, bonding, packaging, etc.) (processing step, step S14). The method for manufacturing an article according to this embodiment is advantageous in at least one of the performance, quality, productivity, and production cost of the article compared to conventional methods.

[0043] 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 of the present invention. The scope of application of the present invention may be, for example, semiconductor manufacturing equipment (film formation equipment, sputtering equipment, annealing equipment, inspection equipment, etc.), organic EL deposition equipment, imprint equipment, flattening equipment, and other substrate processing equipment.

[0044] The disclosure of this specification includes at least the following determination method, exposure apparatus, exposure method, and article manufacturing method.

[0045] (Item 1) 1. A method for determining formation conditions for forming a mark for ensuring a relative positional relationship between a first pattern formed by a first exposure tool and a second pattern formed by a second exposure tool, comprising: a forming step of forming a mark on the substrate by irradiating the substrate with light; a measuring step of measuring the mark; a determination step of determining the formation conditions based on the results of the measurement step; Including, The forming step and the measuring step are performed under a plurality of conditions in which the distance between the forming unit to which the light is irradiated and the substrate in a direction perpendicular to the substrate is different from one another; The determining method is characterized in that the determining step determines, as the formation condition, the distance of the condition when the measurement evaluation value of the mark satisfies a predetermined reliability.

[0046] (Item 2) 2. The method according to item 1, wherein the determining step determines the distance at which the light is defocused with respect to the surface of the substrate as the formation condition.

[0047] (Item 3) 3. The method according to item 2, wherein the determining step determines, as the formation condition, the distance that is the maximum defocus amount among the measurement evaluation values ​​of the mark that satisfy a predetermined reliability.

[0048] (Item 4) 4. The method according to item 2 or 3, wherein the defocused state is a defocus amount of 100 μm or more.

[0049] (Item 5) 5. The method according to any one of items 2 to 4, wherein the defocused state is a defocus amount of 500 μm or less.

[0050] (Item 6) 6. The method according to any one of items 1 to 5, wherein the distance is longer than a distance between the formation portion and an image-forming position of the light.

[0051] (Item 7) the forming step and the measuring step are performed a plurality of times while changing the distance in a direction in which a defocus amount of the light with respect to the surface of the substrate is reduced, The method according to any one of items 1 to 6, characterized in that the determination step determines, as the formation condition, the distance when the measurement value of the mark changes from a state in which it does not satisfy the specified reliability to a state in which it satisfies the specified reliability.

[0052] (Item 8) The method according to any one of items 1 to 6, further comprising a step of forming a plurality of marks while changing the amount of light, the irradiation time of the light, or the number of times the marks are formed, in a state in which the distance is set to the distance determined in the determination step, and determining the distance as the formation condition if the marks satisfy a predetermined reliability.

[0053] (Item 9) The forming step forms a plurality of marks on the substrate under the same distance condition, The measuring step includes measuring the plurality of marks, 9. The method according to any one of items 1 to 8, wherein the determining step determines the distance as the formation condition when all of the plurality of marks satisfy the predetermined reliability.

[0054] (Item 10) 10. The method according to any one of items 1 to 9, wherein the forming step is a step of forming the mark by a laser ablation method.

[0055] (Item 11) 11. The method according to any one of items 1 to 10, wherein the predetermined reliability is a threshold value of measurement reproducibility calculated based on a normal distribution.

[0056] (Item 12) 12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the measurement reproducibility is a 3σ value.

[0057] (Item 13) An exposure apparatus that illuminates an original and projects an image of a pattern of the original onto a substrate, comprising: a forming unit that irradiates light and forms a mark on the substrate by a laser ablation method; a stage on which the substrate is placed; a control unit that controls a distance between the formation unit and the stage in a direction perpendicular to the substrate; having an exposure apparatus, wherein the control unit controls the distance while the mark is being formed so that the light has a defocus amount of 100 μm or more and 500 μm or less with respect to the surface of the substrate.

[0058] (Item 14) A mark forming process for forming a mark on a substrate under formation conditions determined by the determination method according to any one of items 1 to 12; an exposure step of performing exposure based on the mark formed in the mark forming step; An exposure method comprising:

[0059] (Item 15) A mark forming process for forming a mark on a substrate under formation conditions determined by the determination method according to any one of items 1 to 12; an exposure step of obtaining an exposed substrate by performing exposure based on the mark formed in the mark forming step; a developing step of developing the exposed substrate to obtain a developed substrate, A method for manufacturing an article, comprising the steps of: manufacturing an article from the developed substrate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0060] 3 Original version 16 Plate (substrate) 17 Stages 18 Main control unit (control unit) 19 Mark forming mechanism (forming section) 21 Measurement section EX Exposure Equipment

Claims

1. 1. A method for determining formation conditions for forming, on a substrate, a mark for ensuring a relative positional relationship between a first pattern formed on the substrate by a first exposure apparatus and a second pattern formed on the substrate by a second exposure apparatus, comprising: a forming step of forming a mark on the substrate by irradiating the substrate with light; a measuring step of measuring the mark; a determination step of determining the formation conditions based on the results of the measurement step; Including, The forming step and the measuring step are performed under a plurality of conditions in which the distance between the forming unit to which the light is irradiated and the substrate in a direction perpendicular to the substrate is different from one another; The determining method is characterized in that the determining step determines, as the formation condition, the distance of the condition when the measurement evaluation value of the mark satisfies a predetermined reliability.

2. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining step determines the distance at which the light is in a defocused state with respect to the surface of the substrate as the formation condition.

3. 3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the determining step determines, as the formation condition, the distance that is the maximum defocus amount among the measurement evaluation values ​​of the mark that satisfy a predetermined reliability.

4. 3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the defocused state is a defocus amount of 100 [mu]m or more.

5. 3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the defocused state is a defocus amount of 500 [mu]m or less.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the distance is longer than a distance between the formation portion and an image-forming position of the light.

7. the forming step and the measuring step are performed a plurality of times while changing the distance in a direction in which a defocus amount of the light with respect to the surface of the substrate is reduced, 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the determining step determines, as the formation condition, the distance when the measurement value of the mark changes from a state in which the measurement value does not satisfy the predetermined reliability to a state in which the measurement value satisfies the predetermined reliability.

8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of forming a plurality of marks while changing the amount of light, the irradiation time of the light, or the number of times the marks are formed, with the distance set to the distance determined in the determination step, and determining the distance as the formation condition if the marks satisfy a predetermined reliability.

9. The forming step forms a plurality of marks on the substrate under the same distance condition, The measuring step includes measuring the plurality of marks, 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein said determining step determines said distance as said formation condition when all of said plurality of marks satisfy said predetermined reliability.

10. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the forming step is a step of forming the mark by a laser ablation method.

11. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined reliability is a threshold value of measurement repeatability calculated based on a normal distribution.

12. 12. The method of claim 11, wherein the measurement repeatability is a 3σ value.

13. An exposure apparatus that illuminates an original and projects an image of a pattern of the original onto a substrate, comprising: a forming unit that irradiates light and forms a mark on the substrate by a laser ablation method; a stage on which the substrate is placed; a control unit that controls a distance between the formation unit and the stage in a direction perpendicular to the substrate; having The exposure apparatus, wherein the control unit controls the distance while the mark is being formed so that the light has a defocus amount of 100 μm or more and 500 μm or less with respect to the surface of the substrate.

14. a mark forming step of forming a mark on a substrate under the formation conditions determined by the determination method according to any one of claims 1 to 12; an exposure step of performing exposure based on the mark formed in the mark forming step; An exposure method comprising:

15. a mark forming step of forming a mark on a substrate under the formation conditions determined by the determination method according to any one of claims 1 to 12; an exposure step of obtaining an exposed substrate by performing exposure based on the mark formed in the mark forming step; a developing step of developing the exposed substrate to obtain a developed substrate, A method for manufacturing an article, comprising the steps of: manufacturing an article from the developed substrate.

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