Information processor

Abstract

To provide an information processor that can improve throughput in a pattern forming apparatus from conventional ones.SOLUTION: An information processor according to the present invention performs a first determination step of determining a final shot region in which a pattern is finally formed when forming a pattern in a plurality of shot regions on the basis of a holding state of a substrate when a substrate stage moves from a pattern forming position to a predetermined position where the substrate held by the substrate stage is passed to a substrate carrying part in order to carry out the substrate in a pattern forming apparatus and a layout of the plurality of shot regions on the substrate.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, in a pattern forming apparatus that forms a pattern in each of a plurality of shot areas on a substrate, there is a demand for improving throughput by shortening the time required to form the pattern in each of the plurality of shot areas. Patent Document 1 discloses an exposure apparatus that improves throughput by shortening the time required for movement between multiple sample shot areas during alignment and for movement from the sample shot areas to a shot area when starting exposure. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2001-93817 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] Meanwhile, there is known a pattern forming apparatus that forms a pattern in each of a plurality of shot areas on a substrate, and then transports the substrate in accordance with a transport method selected from a plurality of transport methods. However, in such a pattern forming apparatus, the time required to form a pattern for each of a plurality of shot areas on a substrate is not shortened in accordance with the selected transport method, and the improvement in throughput is not sufficient.

[0005] SUMMARY OF THE PRESENT DISCLOSURE An object of the present invention is to provide an information processing apparatus capable of improving the throughput of a pattern forming apparatus as compared to the conventional apparatus. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The information processing device of the present invention is characterized in that it performs a first determination step of determining a final shot area in which a pattern is to be formed last when forming a pattern in multiple shot areas, based on the holding state of the substrate when the substrate stage moves from a pattern formation position in a pattern forming device to a predetermined position where the substrate held by the substrate stage is handed over to a substrate transport section, and on the layout of the multiple shot areas on the substrate. Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an information processing apparatus capable of improving the throughput in a pattern forming apparatus as compared with the conventional method. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view and a partial block diagram of an exposure apparatus equipped with an information processing apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a schematic top view of the vicinity of a substrate transport system of the exposure apparatus. [Diagram 3] 13 is a flowchart showing a process of unloading a substrate from an exposure position to an entrance / exit by parallel driving. [Figure 4] 4A to 4C are side views of the substrate stage and the first substrate transport part at different timings of the process in FIG. 3. [Diagram 5] 13 is a flowchart showing a process of transporting a substrate from an exposure position to an entrance / exit by sequential driving. [Figure 6] 6A and 6B are side views of the substrate stage and the first substrate transport part at different timings of the process in FIG. 5. [Figure 7] 6 is a flowchart showing a process for determining the order of exposure for each of a plurality of shot areas in the information processing apparatus according to the present embodiment. [Figure 8] 10 is a sub-flowchart showing the process of acquiring a shot area corresponding to a non-interference area in step S306. [Figure 9]1A and 1B are diagrams showing examples of the layout of a plurality of shot areas and a plurality of sample shot areas on a substrate. [Figure 10] 5 is a schematic top view of the vicinity of a substrate transport system of the exposure apparatus, showing an example of a non-interference region. FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] Hereinafter, an information processing device according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the drawings shown below may be drawn at a scale different from the actual scale in order to facilitate understanding of the present embodiment. In the following, the direction parallel to the optical axis of the projection optical system 110 (the direction perpendicular to the substrate surface of the substrate 115) is defined as the Z direction, and the two directions perpendicular to each other within the plane perpendicular to the Z direction (the plane parallel to the substrate surface of the substrate 115) are defined as the X direction and the Y direction.

[0010] In addition, each numerical value shown below is stored in the main memory unit 123 or an alternative thereto. The embodiment described below is an example of a means for realizing the information processing device according to the present embodiment, and can be modified or changed as appropriate. Furthermore, the information processing apparatus according to this embodiment is not limited to the exposure apparatus described below, but can also be applied to, for example, a precision processing apparatus or a precision measuring apparatus.

[0011] In recent years, with the diversification of device manufacturing methods (processes), there is a demand for processing a wide variety of substrates with high productivity. The wide variety of substrates referred to here includes, for example, substrates with large warpage and substrates with low flatness.

[0012] In order to transport such a wide variety of substrates, exposure apparatuses equipped with a plurality of methods for transporting the substrate are known. For example, there is known an exposure apparatus that can change the method of transporting a substrate in accordance with the suction pressure or alignment measurement value of the substrate.

[0013] On the other hand, there is known an exposure apparatus that improves throughput by shortening the time required to expose each of a plurality of shot areas on a substrate. For example, there is known an exposure apparatus that determines the order in which a plurality of shot areas are processed so as to shorten the movement distance between the shot areas. Also known is an exposure apparatus that determines the order in which exposure is performed on each of a plurality of shot areas based on the positional relationship between the optical path of the exposure light and the shot areas.

[0014] There are known exposure apparatuses that are capable of changing the method of transporting a substrate as described above, and exposure apparatuses that determine the exposure sequence for each of a plurality of shot areas provided on the substrate. However, there is no known exposure apparatus that determines the exposure sequence for each of a plurality of shot areas provided on a substrate in accordance with the method for transporting the substrate. Therefore, an object of this embodiment is to provide an information processing apparatus that determines the order of forming patterns for each of a plurality of shot areas provided on a substrate in accordance with the method of transporting the substrate.

[0015] FIG. 1(a) shows a schematic cross-sectional view of an exposure apparatus 200 equipped with an information processing apparatus according to this embodiment.

[0016] The exposure apparatus 200 includes a light source 101 , a main controller 103 , an illumination optical system 104 , an illumination optical system controller 108 , a projection optical system 110 , and a projection optical system controller 114 . The exposure apparatus 200 also includes a substrate stage 116, a substrate stage controller 120, a main memory unit 123, a substrate transport system 125, and a substrate transport system controller 130. The information processing device according to this embodiment includes a main control unit 103 and a main storage unit 123 .

[0017] The light source 101 can select a predetermined wavelength from a plurality of wavelength bands and emit exposure light having the predetermined wavelength. The exposure light emitted from the light source 101 is shaped into a predetermined shape by a shaping optical system (not shown) provided in the illumination optical system 104 .

[0018] Next, the shaped exposure light is incident on an optical integrator (not shown) provided in the illumination optical system 104, thereby forming a large number of secondary light sources for illuminating the original 109 with a uniform illuminance distribution. The illumination optical system 104 is also provided with a light shielding plate 105 , through which the exposure light passes, making it possible to form an illumination area of ​​any size on the original 109 .

[0019] The illumination optical system 104 is also provided with a half mirror 106, and when the exposure light is incident on the half mirror 106, a part of the exposure light is reflected and extracted. Then, the exposure light reflected by the half mirror 106 is incident on the photosensor 107, which then outputs an output in accordance with the intensity (exposure energy) of the incident exposure light.

[0020] An original 109 (mask) has a pattern, for example, of a circuit of a semiconductor device formed thereon to be transferred onto a substrate 115 , and is irradiated with exposure light that has passed through an illumination optical system 104 . The projection optical system 110 is arranged to reduce the image of the pattern formed on the original 109 by a reduction ratio β (for example, β is 1 / 2) and project the reduced image onto a predetermined shot area on a substrate 115 coated with a photosensitive agent. The projection optical system 110 may be a refractive or catadioptric optical system.

[0021] Further, on the pupil plane of the projection optical system 110, that is, on the Fourier transform plane for the original 109, an aperture stop 111 having a substantially circular opening is provided. The diameter of the opening of the aperture stop 111 can be adjusted to a desired value by a driving device 112 such as a motor.

[0022] In addition, some of the optical elements provided in the projection optical system 110 can be moved onto the optical axis of the projection optical system 110 by a driving device 113 . This reduces various aberrations in the projection optical system 110, and improves the projection magnification, thereby reducing distortion errors. The driving device 112 and the driving device 113 are controlled by a projection optical system control unit 114 under the control of the main control unit 103 .

[0023] The substrate stage 116 is configured to be movable in each of the X direction, Y direction, and Z direction, that is, three-dimensionally. Then, the laser interferometer 118 measures the distance to a reflecting mirror 117 fixed on the substrate stage 116, thereby detecting the position of the substrate stage 116 in the XY plane.

[0024] The alignment measurement system 124 measures the deviation between the position of the substrate 115 in the XY plane and the position of the substrate stage 116 in the XY plane. Then, under the control of the main controller 103, a substrate stage controller 120 controls a driving device 119 such as a motor based on the measurement results from an alignment measurement system 124, thereby moving the substrate stage 116 to a predetermined position within the XY plane.

[0025] The light projecting optical system 121 and the detection optical system 122 form a focus plane detection means for measuring the position of the substrate 115 in the Z direction. Specifically, the light projecting optical system 121 projects a plurality of light beams onto the photosensitive agent applied to the substrate 115, each of which is non-exposure light that does not expose the photosensitive agent. Then, a plurality of reflected light beams generated by reflection of each of the plurality of light beams on the substrate 115 are incident on the detection optical system 122 .

[0026] The detection optical system 122 includes a light receiving element that receives the plurality of reflected light beams incident thereon, and an imaging optical system that guides the plurality of reflected light beams incident thereon to the light receiving element. Furthermore, the light receiving surface of the light receiving element and the reflection points of the plurality of light beams incident on the substrate 115 are approximately optically conjugate with each other via the imaging optical system. The positional deviation of the substrate surface of the substrate 115 in the Z direction can be measured from the deviation of the incidence positions of the reflected light beams on the light receiving surface of the light receiving element provided in the detection optical system 122.

[0027] The main control unit 103 can be configured by a computer (information processing device) having a calculation unit 103a including a processor such as a CPU, and a main storage unit 123 including a memory and the like. The main memory unit 123 stores information for determining a transport method and an exposure method for the substrate 115, including the exposure dose on the substrate 115 and the layout of a plurality of shot regions. Then, the main control unit 103 controls a plurality of sub-controllers including a substrate transfer system control unit 130 for controlling a substrate transfer system 125 that transfers the substrate 115 based on the various information stored in the main memory unit 123 .

[0028] FIG. 1B shows a block diagram of the main controller 103, each sub-controller, and main memory unit 123 provided in the exposure apparatus 200. As shown in FIG. 1( b ), the main control unit 103 has a calculation unit 103 a including a transfer time calculation unit 302 and a processing order calculation unit 303 .

[0029] The transport time calculation unit 302 calculates the transport time of the substrate 115 from the coordinates when exposure is performed on a predetermined shot area to the coordinates of the substrate unloading position 208 in step S307 described later. The processing order calculation unit 303 determines the order in which exposure is performed for each of the multiple shot areas provided on the substrate 115 in step S311, which will be described later. Furthermore, the processing order calculation section 303 determines the order in which processing is performed on each of the multiple sample shot areas provided on the substrate 115 in step S314, which will be described later.

[0030] As shown in FIG. 1B, the main storage unit 123 also stores transport method information 304 and layout information 305 acquired in steps S301 and S302, respectively, which will be described later. The main storage unit 123 also stores drive profile information 306 and unit interference information 307 acquired in steps S303 and S304, respectively, which will be described later.

[0031] FIG. 2 shows a schematic top view of the vicinity of the substrate transport system 125 of the exposure apparatus 200. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 2, the substrate transport system 125 includes a first substrate transport section 202 and a second substrate transport section 204 . Each of the first substrate transport unit 202 and the second substrate transport unit 204 may include a substrate holder that holds the substrate 115 and a drive unit that drives the substrate holder.

[0032] In the substrate transfer system 125, the substrate 115 is carried in through an entrance / exit 201 connected to an external device provided in, for example, a device manufacturing factory. Next, the loaded substrate 115 is transported by the first substrate transport part 202 to a pre-alignment unit 203 for performing pre-alignment of the substrate 115. Then, the substrate 115 that has been pre-aligned in the pre-alignment unit 203 is transported to a substrate loading position 207 by a second substrate transport section 204, and then mounted on the substrate stage . At this time, the substrate stage 116 has already moved to the substrate loading position 207 .

[0033] Specifically, at the substrate loading position 207 , the substrate 115 is received by the pins 205 and then transferred from the pins 205 to the chuck 206 , whereby the substrate 115 is mounted on the chuck 206 . The substrate 115 is held by the first substrate transport part 202, the pre-alignment unit 203, the second substrate transport part 204, the pins 205 and the chuck 206, for example, by vacuum suction. By mounting the substrate 115 on the chuck 206 in this manner, the loading process of the substrate 115 is completed.

[0034] Next, after the substrate stage 116 on which the substrate 115 is mounted moves to an exposure position (pattern formation position), an exposure process (pattern formation process) is performed on the substrate 115 at the exposure position. When the exposure process is completed, the substrate stage 116 on which the substrate 115 is mounted moves to the substrate unloading position 208 . Then, after the substrate 115 is handed over from the substrate stage 116 to the first substrate transport unit 202 at the substrate unloading position 208, the first substrate transport unit 202 transports the substrate 115 to the entrance / exit 201, thereby completing the unloading process of the substrate 115.

[0035] When the substrate 115 is carried out from the exposure position to the entrance / exit 201 as described above, the following parallel driving or sequential driving is performed. FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing the process of transporting the substrate 115 from the exposure position to the entrance / exit 201 by parallel driving. 4(a), (b) and (c) show side views of the substrate stage 116 and the first substrate transport part 202 at each timing of the unloading process shown in FIG.

[0036] First, when the process starts, the substrate 115 held by the chuck 206 on the substrate stage 116 is switched to be held by the pins 205 (step S101). Next, the base of the substrate stage 116 and the chuck 206 are lowered in the Z direction (step S102).

[0037] As a result, as shown in FIG. 4( a ), the pins 205 rise relatively in the Z direction, forming a gap between the substrate 115 and the base of the substrate stage 116 and the chuck 206 . The gap only needs to have a size that prevents interference between them when the first substrate transport part 202 moves to the position where the substrate stage 116 is disposed within the XY plane.

[0038] Next, as shown in FIG. 4(b), the substrate stage 116 is moved to the substrate unloading position 208 (step S103), and in parallel, the first substrate transport part 202 is also moved to the substrate unloading position 208 (step S104). When both steps S103 and S104 are completed, the substrate 115 is transferred from the pins 205 to the first substrate transport part 202 (step S105). Then, as shown in FIG. 4(c), the first substrate transport part 202 transports the substrate 115 to the entrance / exit 201 (step S106), and the process ends.

[0039] In this way, when the substrate 115 is transported from the exposure position to the entrance / exit 201 while the substrate stage 116 and the first substrate transport unit 202 are driven in parallel with each other, the time required for the transport can be shortened by processing steps S103 and S104 in parallel with each other. Note that the transfer in FIG. 3 can also be called pin transfer (first transfer) because the substrate stage 116 moves to the substrate unloading position 208 while holding the substrate 115 by the pins 205.

[0040] FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing the process of transporting the substrate 115 from the exposure position to the entrance / exit 201 by sequential driving. 6(a), (b), (c) and (d) show side views of the substrate stage 116 and the first substrate transport part 202 at each timing of the unloading process shown in FIG.

[0041] First, when the process starts, as shown in FIG. 6(a), the substrate stage 116 is moved to the substrate unloading position 208 while the substrate 115 is held by the chuck 206 (step S201). This improves the drive profile of the substrate stage 116, thereby shortening the transport time of the substrate 115.

[0042] Next, the substrate 115 held by the chuck 206 on the substrate stage 116 is switched to be held by the pins 205 (step S202). Then, the base of the substrate stage 116 and the chuck 206 are lowered in the Z direction (step S203).

[0043] As a result, as shown in FIG. 6B, the pins 205 are relatively raised in the Z direction, forming a gap between the substrate 115 and the base of the substrate stage 116 and the chuck 206 . The gap only needs to have a size such that the first substrate transport part 202 does not interfere with the substrate stage 116 when the first substrate transport part 202 moves to the substrate unloading position 208 .

[0044] Next, as shown in FIG. 6(c), the first substrate transport part 202 is moved to the substrate unloading position 208 (step S204), and the substrate 115 is transferred from the pins 205 to the first substrate transport part 202 (step S205). Then, as shown in FIG. 6(d), the first substrate transport part 202 transports the substrate 115 to the entrance / exit 201 (step S206), and the process ends.

[0045] In this manner, when the substrate 115 is carried out from the exposure position to the entrance / exit 201 while the substrate stage 116 and the first substrate transport part 202 are driven successively relative to each other, steps S201 and S204 are processed successively relative to each other. Note that the transfer in FIG. 5 can also be called chuck transfer (second transfer) because the substrate stage 116 moves to the substrate unloading position 208 while holding the substrate 115 by the chuck 206.

[0046] As will be described later, in the information processing apparatus according to this embodiment, the order in which exposure is performed on a plurality of shot areas on the substrate 115 and processing is performed on a plurality of sample shot areas is determined according to one of the transport methods selected from the pin transport and the chuck transport described above. This allows the time required for the transfer process of the substrate 115 to be shortened. In this case, while there is a risk of interference between the substrate stage 116 and the first substrate transport unit 202 during pin transport in which parallel driving is performed, there is no risk of such interference during chuck transport in which sequential driving is performed.

[0047] FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing processing for determining the order of exposure of a plurality of shot areas on the substrate 115 and processing of a plurality of sample shot areas in the information processing apparatus according to this embodiment. First, when the process starts, the main control unit 103 acquires the transport method information 304 regarding the transport method of the substrate 115 (step S301). Specifically, the transport method information 304 acquired in step S301 includes information as to whether the substrate 115 is being transported by chuck or by pin when the substrate stage 116 moves from the exposure position to the substrate unloading position 208.

[0048] Next, the main control unit 103 acquires the layout information 305 regarding the layout of the board 115 (step S302). Specifically, the layout information 305 acquired in step S302 includes information about the layout of a plurality of shot regions on the substrate 115. The layout information 305 also includes information about the alignment process, specifically, the layout of a plurality of sample shot areas where measurements for global alignment are performed.

[0049] FIG. 9(a) shows an example of the layout of a plurality of shot areas and a plurality of sample shot areas. In the example shown in FIG. 9(a), thirty-two shot areas 1 to 32 and four sample shot areas S1 to S4 are provided on a substrate 115. Note that the numbers 1 to 32 of each shot area and the numbers S1 to S4 of each sample shot area shown in FIG. 9(a) are not numbers indicating the order of processing, but are temporary numbers used to distinguish one from the other.

[0050] Next, the main control unit 103 acquires the drive profile information 306 regarding the movement of the substrate stage 116 (step S303). Specifically, the drive profile information 306 acquired in step S303 includes time changes in the velocity, acceleration, and jerk of the substrate stage 116 from when the substrate 115 is loaded through the entrance / exit 201 to when the substrate 115 is unloaded from the entrance / exit 201.

[0051] Next, the main control unit 103 acquires unit interference information 307 regarding interference during movement of the substrate stage 116 (step S304). Specifically, the unit interference information 307 includes information about interference between the pins 205 and reflecting mirror 117 on the substrate stage 116 and the first substrate transport unit 202 when the substrate stage 116 moves from the exposure position to the substrate unloading position 208. More specifically, the information about the interference includes information about a non-interference region 301 related to the movement start position when the substrate stage 116 moves from the exposure position to the substrate unloading position 208 .

[0052] FIG. 10 shows a schematic top view in the vicinity of the substrate transport system 125 of the exposure apparatus 200 to show an example of the non-interference region 301 included in the unit interference information 307. When the substrate 115 is pin-transported from the exposure position to the substrate unloading position 208, the pins 205 and reflecting mirror 117 provided on the substrate stage 116 and the first substrate transport unit 202 may interfere with each other.

[0053] Therefore, the non-interference region 301 can be determined from the movement profiles of both the substrate stage 116 and the first substrate transport part 202 when they move to the substrate unloading position 208 . In other words, the non-interference area 301 is determined from the exposure position where the substrate stage 116 and the first substrate transport part 202 do not interfere with each other when they move in parallel to the substrate unloading position 208, in other words, the start position of the movement of the substrate stage 116 to the substrate unloading position 208.

[0054] Next, the main control unit 103 determines, from the transport method information 304 acquired in step S101, whether the substrate 115 is being transported by pins when the substrate stage 116 moves from the exposure position to the substrate unloading position 208 (step S305). If the substrate 115 is being pin-transported when the substrate stage 116 moves from the exposure position to the substrate unloading position 208 (Yes in step S305), the process proceeds to step S306.

[0055] In step S306, the main control unit 103 acquires a shot area corresponding to the non-interference area 301 included in the unit interference information 307 as a candidate for the final shot area, based on the layout of the multiple shot areas on the substrate 115 included in the layout information 305. FIG. 8 is a sub-flowchart showing the process (extraction step) of acquiring (extracting) the shot area corresponding to the non-interference area 301 as a candidate for the final shot area in step S306.

[0056] First, when the process starts, the main control unit 103 acquires the coordinates in the XY plane of each of the multiple shot areas on the substrate 115 (step S401). Note that the coordinates of each of the multiple shot regions in the XY plane are acquired using the coordinates of the center of the substrate 115 as the reference coordinates.

[0057] Next, the main controller 103 calculates the coordinates in the XY plane of the substrate stage 116 when exposing each of the multiple shot areas (step S402). Here, the coordinates of the optical axis of the projection optical system 110 in the XY plane are taken as the reference coordinates of the substrate stage 116 . At this time, in step S402, the coordinates in the XY plane of the substrate stage 116 when exposing a specified shot area can be calculated as coordinates obtained by inverting the sign of the coordinates in the XY plane of the specified shot area.

[0058] Next, the main control unit 103 sets a variable i indicating the number of the shot area to 1 (step S403). Then, the main control unit 103 determines whether the coordinates in the XY plane of the substrate stage 116 when exposing the shot area i are included in the non-interference area 301 (step S404).

[0059] If the coordinates in the XY plane of the substrate stage 116 are included in the non-interference region 301 (Yes in step S404), the main controller 103 stores the i-th shot region as a candidate for the final shot region (step S405), and then proceeds to step S406. On the other hand, if the coordinates in the XY plane of the substrate stage 116 are not included in the non-interference region 301 (No in step S404), the main controller 103 proceeds to step S406 without performing step S405.

[0060] In step S406, the main control unit 103 adds 1 to the variable i indicating the number of the shot area. Then, the main control unit 103 determines whether the value of the variable i is the number i of the final shot area. max (In the example shown in Fig. 9(a), max = 32) (step S407).

[0061] The value of variable i is the number i max If it is equal to or smaller than the value (Yes in step S407), the process returns to step S404. On the other hand, if the value of variable i is the number i maxIf it is greater than the value (No in step S407), the process ends since the determination in step S404 has been performed for all shot areas.

[0062] In this manner, in step S306, the shot area whose coordinates in the XY plane of the substrate stage 116 during exposure are included in the non-interference area 301 is stored as a candidate for the final shot area. For example, consider the case where exposure is performed on a substrate 115 having a layout of shot areas as shown in FIG. 9(a) in an exposure apparatus 200 in which a non-interference area 301 as shown in FIG. 10 is provided. At this time, in step S306, shot areas 17, 18, 23, 24, 29, 30, and 31 are stored as candidates for the final shot area.

[0063] Returning to FIG. 7, when step S306 is completed, the main control unit 103 then calculates the transport time of the substrate 115 from the coordinates of the exposure position for each shot area stored as a candidate for the final shot area to the coordinates of the substrate unloading position 208 (step S307). Specifically, in step S307, the movement time of the substrate stage 116 from the coordinates of the exposure position for each shot area that is a candidate for the final shot area to the coordinates of the substrate unloading position 208 is calculated from the drive profile information 306 acquired in step S303. Next, the main control unit 103 selects, as the final shot area, the shot area corresponding to the shortest movement time of the substrate stage 116 among the movement times calculated for each shot area in step S307 (step S308, first determination step), and then proceeds to step S311.

[0064] In this way, when it is determined in step S305 that the substrate 115 is being pin-transported, first in step S306, a candidate for the final shot area is extracted from the multiple shot areas provided on the substrate 115. Then, in steps S307 and S308, from among the shot areas extracted as candidates for the final shot area, the shot area that provides the shortest transport time for the substrate 115 from the exposure position to the substrate unloading position 208 is selected as the final shot area.

[0065] Returning to step S305, if the substrate 115 is not pin-transferred, that is, is chuck-transferred, when the substrate stage 116 moves to the substrate unloading position 208 (No in step S305), the process proceeds to step S309. In step S309, the main control unit 103 calculates the transport time of the substrate 115 from the coordinates of the exposure position for each of the multiple shot areas provided on the substrate 115 to the coordinates of the substrate unloading position 208. Specifically, in step S309, the movement time of the substrate stage 116 from the coordinates of the exposure position for each shot area to the coordinates of the substrate unloading position 208 is calculated from the drive profile information 306 acquired in step S303.

[0066] Next, the main control unit 103 selects the shot area corresponding to the shortest movement time of the substrate stage 116 among the movement times calculated for each shot area in step S309 as the final shot area (step S310, first determination step), and then proceeds to step S311. For example, consider the case where exposure is performed on a substrate 115 having a layout of shot areas as shown in FIG. 9(a) in an exposure apparatus 200 as shown in FIG. At this time, in step S310, the shot area 1 in which the coordinates of the position of the substrate stage 116 during exposure are closest to the coordinates of the substrate unloading position 208 is selected as the final shot area.

[0067] In this way, when it is determined in step S305 that the substrate 115 is being chuck-transported, the shot area among the multiple shot areas on the substrate 115 that provides the shortest transport time for the substrate 115 to the substrate unloading position 208 is selected as the final shot area. In other words, when the substrate 115 is being transported by chuck, there is no risk of the pins 205 or reflecting mirror 117 on the substrate stage 116 and the first substrate transport unit 202 interfering with each other when the substrate 115 is transported from the exposure position to the substrate unloading position 208. Therefore, unlike the above-described case where the substrate 115 is transported by pins, there is no need to extract candidates for the final shot area from the multiple shot areas provided on the substrate 115.

[0068] In step S311, main control unit 103 determines the order of exposure for each of the multiple shot areas provided on substrate 115 so that the shot area selected in step S308 or step S310 becomes the final shot area (second determination step). Specifically, in step S311, when exposure is performed on each of the multiple shot areas provided on the substrate 115, the order of exposure is determined so that the selected shot area becomes the final shot area and the movement time of the substrate stage 116 is minimized.

[0069] FIG. 9B shows an example of the layout of a plurality of shot areas 1 to 32, in which the order in which exposure is performed is indicated as numbers, determined in step S311. As described above, when it is determined in step S305 that the substrate 115 is being chuck-transported, and shot area 1 is selected as the final shot area in steps S309 and S310, the exposure order can be determined, for example, as shown in FIG. 9(b). It should be noted that the exposure order shown in FIG. 9(b) is merely an example, and may be determined differently based on other rules.

[0070] Next, the main control unit 103 determines whether the exposure for the multiple shot areas 1 to 32 provided on the substrate 115 is for a layer that is a second layer or higher on which processing such as global alignment is performed, in other words, a layer other than the first layer (step S312). If the exposure is for the first layer (No in step S312), the process ends.

[0071] On the other hand, if the exposure is for the second layer or a layer higher than the second layer (Yes in step S312), the main control unit 103 determines the final sample shot area from the multiple sample shot areas (step S313, third determination step). Specifically, in step S313, the sample shot area closest to the first shot area is selected so that the movement time of the substrate stage 116 from when the sample shot area is processed until exposure of the first shot area begins is minimized.

[0072] For example, in a layout of multiple shot areas 1 to 32 as shown in FIG. 9(b), the sample shot area having coordinates closest to the coordinates of shot area 1 (first shot area) where exposure is performed first in the XY plane is sample shot area S2. Therefore, in step S313, sample shot area S2 is selected as the final sample shot area.

[0073] Next, the main control unit 103 determines the order of processing for each of the multiple sample shot areas provided on the substrate 115 so that the sample shot area selected in step S313 becomes the final sample shot area (step S314), and ends the process. Specifically, in step S314, the selected sample shot area becomes the final sample shot area, and the order of processing is determined so that the movement time of the substrate stage 116 when processing each of the multiple sample shot areas is minimized.

[0074] FIG. 9C shows an example of the layout of a plurality of sample shot areas S1 to S4, in which the order in which processing is performed is indicated as numbers, determined in step S314. It should be noted that the processing order shown in FIG. 9(c) is merely an example, and may be determined differently based on other rules.

[0075] As described above, in the information processing apparatus according to this embodiment, the final shot area to be exposed last among the multiple shot areas is determined based on the holding state of the substrate 115 when the substrate stage 116 moves from the exposure position to the substrate unloading position 208 in the exposure apparatus 200. In other words, the final shot area to be exposed last among the multiple shot areas is determined based on whether the substrate 115 is pin-transported or chuck-transported from the exposure position to the substrate unloading position 208 in the exposure apparatus 200 . This shortens the time required to transport the substrate 115 from the exposure position to the substrate unloading position 208, thereby improving the throughput.

[0076] Further, while the above shows an exposure apparatus 200 equipped with an information processing apparatus according to this embodiment, the information processing apparatus according to this embodiment can also be provided in a pattern forming apparatus that forms a pattern on a substrate, such as an imprint apparatus or a drawing apparatus. Here, the imprinting device is a device that brings an imprinting material supplied onto a substrate into contact with a mold, and then applies energy for hardening to the imprinting material to form a pattern of the hardened material to which the pattern of the mold is transferred. Moreover, a drawing apparatus is an apparatus that forms a pattern (latent image pattern) on a substrate by drawing on the substrate with a charged particle beam (electron beam) or a laser beam.

[0077] In the above, the final shot area to be exposed last among the multiple shot areas is determined based on the holding state of the substrate 115 when the substrate stage 116 moves from the exposure position to the substrate unloading position 208 in the exposure apparatus 200, but this is not limited to the above. For example, the exposure order for multiple shot areas may be determined based on the holding state of the substrate 115 during a given transport, such as when the substrate 115 held by the second substrate transport unit 204 is transferred to the substrate stage 116 at the substrate loading position 207.

[0078] [Production method] The method for manufacturing an article according to this embodiment includes a step of exposing a substrate, such as a wafer or a glass substrate, coated with a photosensitive agent, using an exposure apparatus 200 equipped with an information processing apparatus according to this embodiment. The articles in question include semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) elements, liquid crystal display elements, and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), etc.

[0079] The method for manufacturing an article according to this embodiment also includes a step of developing the exposed substrate (photosensitive agent) and other known steps of processing the developed substrate. The other well-known processes include etching, photoresist peeling, dicing, bonding, packaging, and the like.

[0080] According to the method for manufacturing an article according to this embodiment, it is possible to manufacture an article of higher quality than before. Furthermore, the method for manufacturing an article according to this embodiment is not limited to the exposure apparatus 200, and may be performed using a pattern forming apparatus such as an imprint apparatus or a drawing apparatus.

[0081] Although the preferred embodiments have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist thereof. Furthermore, although the above describes an information processing device according to this embodiment, the above-described information processing method, a program for causing a computer to execute the method, and a computer-readable recording medium on which the program is recorded are also included within the scope of this embodiment.

[0082] The disclosure of this embodiment includes the following configurations and methods. (Configuration 1) An information processing device characterized by performing a first determination step of determining a final shot area in which a pattern is to be formed last when forming a pattern in multiple shot areas, based on the holding state of a substrate when a substrate stage moves from a pattern formation position in a pattern forming device to a predetermined position where the substrate held by the substrate stage is handed over to a substrate transport section, and on the layout of multiple shot areas on the substrate. (Configuration 2) The information processing apparatus according to configuration 1, wherein the first determination step includes a step of determining a final shot area so as to minimize the time required for movement. (Configuration 3) An information processing device according to configuration 1 or 2, characterized in that the first determination step includes a step of determining whether the substrate is moved while being held by pins provided on the substrate stage, or whether the substrate is moved while being held by a chuck provided on the substrate stage. (Configuration 4) The information processing device described in Configuration 3, wherein the first determination step includes an extraction step of extracting from a plurality of shot areas at least one shot area including a corresponding pattern formation position in a non-interference area determined from pattern formation positions where the substrate stage and the substrate transport unit do not interfere with each other when they move in parallel to a predetermined position, when it is determined that the substrate is moved while being held by pins. (Configuration 5) The information processing apparatus according to configuration 4, wherein the extraction step includes a step of determining, for each of a plurality of shot regions, whether a corresponding pattern formation position is included in a non-interference region. (Configuration 6) An information processing device according to configuration 4 or 5, characterized in that the first determination step includes a step of determining, as a final shot area, a shot area that has the shortest movement time among at least one of the extracted shot areas. (Configuration 7) The information processing apparatus according to any one of configurations 4 to 6, wherein the first determination step includes a step of determining a non-interference region from the movement profiles of the substrate stage and the substrate transport part, respectively. (Configuration 8) An information processing apparatus according to any one of configurations 3 to 7, characterized in that the first determination step includes a step of determining, when it is determined that the substrate will be moved while being held by a chuck, as the final shot area a shot area among the multiple shot areas that will take the shortest time to move. (Configuration 9) The information processing apparatus according to any one of configurations 1 to 8, further comprising a second determination step of determining an order in which patterns are formed in a plurality of shot regions, after the first determination step. (Configuration 10) The information processing device according to Configuration 9, characterized in that when forming a pattern in a layer other than a first layer for each of a plurality of shot areas, after the second determination step, a third determination step is performed to determine a final sample shot area where measurement is performed last when performing measurement in a plurality of sample shot areas, based on a layout of a plurality of sample shot areas provided on a substrate where measurement for alignment processing is performed. (Configuration 11) The information processing device according to configuration 10, wherein the third determination step includes a step of determining, as a final sample shot area, a sample shot area that is closest to a first shot area in which a pattern is formed first. (Configuration 12) The information processing apparatus according to configuration 10 or 11, further comprising a step of determining an order in which measurements are to be performed on a plurality of sample shot regions, after the third determination step. (Configuration 13) A pattern forming apparatus that forms a pattern on a substrate, comprising: a substrate stage that holds the substrate when a pattern is formed on the substrate; a substrate transport unit that transports the substrate; an information processing device according to any one of configurations 1 to 12; and a control unit that controls the movement of the substrate stage and the substrate transport unit. (Configuration 14) The pattern forming apparatus described in Configuration 13, wherein the substrate stage has a chuck for holding the substrate when a pattern is formed on the substrate, and pins for holding the substrate when it is handed over to the substrate transport unit, and the control unit performs a process of selecting one of a first transport in which the substrate stage and the substrate transport unit are moved in parallel while holding the substrate by the pins to a predetermined position where the substrate is handed over from the substrate stage to the substrate transport unit, and a second transport in which the substrate stage is moved to the predetermined position while holding the substrate by the chuck, and then the substrate transport unit is moved to the predetermined position. (Method 1) An information processing method characterized by including a first determination step of determining a final shot area in which a pattern is to be formed last when forming a pattern in a plurality of shot areas, based on the holding state of a substrate when a substrate stage moves from a pattern formation position in a pattern forming apparatus to a predetermined position where the substrate held by the substrate stage is handed over to a substrate transport section, and on the layout of the plurality of shot areas on the substrate. (Method 2) The information processing method according to Method 1, characterized in that after the first determination step, a second determination step is carried out to determine an order in which patterns are formed in a plurality of shot regions. (Method 3) A method for manufacturing an article, comprising the steps of forming a pattern in a plurality of shot areas in an order determined according to the information processing method described in Method 2, and processing a specific shot area in which the pattern is formed to manufacture an article. (Configuration 15) A computer-readable recording medium having recorded thereon a program for causing a computer to execute a first determination step of determining a final shot area in which a pattern is to be formed last when forming a pattern in multiple shot areas, based on a state of holding a substrate when a substrate stage moves from a pattern formation position in a pattern forming apparatus to a predetermined position where the substrate held by the substrate stage is handed over to a substrate transport section, and on the layout of the multiple shot areas on the substrate. [Explanation of symbols]

[0083] 103 Main control unit (information processing device) 115 Substrate 116 Substrate Stage 123 Main memory unit (information processing device) 200 Exposure equipment (pattern forming equipment) 202 First substrate transfer section 208 Substrate removal position (predetermined position)

Claims

1. 2. An information processing apparatus comprising: a first determination step of determining a final shot area in which a pattern is to be formed last when forming a pattern in a plurality of shot areas, based on a holding state of a substrate when a substrate stage moves from a pattern formation position in a pattern forming apparatus to a predetermined position where the substrate held by the substrate stage is handed over to a substrate transport unit in order to unload the substrate, and on a layout of the plurality of shot areas on the substrate.

2. 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first determination step includes a step of determining the final shot area so as to minimize a time required for the movement.

3. 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the first determination step includes a step of determining whether the movement is performed while the substrate is held by pins provided on the substrate stage, or whether the movement is performed while the substrate is held by a chuck provided on the substrate stage.

4. 4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the first determination step includes an extraction step of extracting from the plurality of shot areas at least one shot area that includes a corresponding pattern formation position in a non-interference area determined from the pattern formation positions where the substrate stage and the substrate transport unit do not interfere with each other when they move in parallel to the predetermined position, when it is determined that the movement is performed while the substrate is held by the pins.

5. 5 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the extraction step includes a step of determining, for each of the plurality of shot areas, whether the corresponding pattern formation position is included in the non-interference area.

6. 5 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the first determination step includes a step of determining, as the final shot area, the shot area that requires the shortest time for the movement among the at least one extracted shot area.

7. 5 . The information processing apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the first determination step includes a step of determining the non-interference region from movement profiles of the substrate stage and the substrate transport part.

8. 4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the first determination step includes a step of determining, when it is determined that the movement is performed while the substrate is held by the chuck, the shot area among the plurality of shot areas in which the time required for the movement is shortest as the final shot area.

9. 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a second determination step of determining an order in which the patterns are formed in the plurality of shot regions, after the first determination step.

10. 10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 9, wherein, when forming the pattern in a layer other than a first layer for each of the plurality of shot areas, after the second determination step, a third determination step is performed to determine a final sample shot area where the measurement is performed last when the measurement is performed in the plurality of sample shot areas, based on a layout of a plurality of sample shot areas provided on the substrate where measurement for alignment processing is performed.

11. 11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the third determination step includes a step of determining, as the final sample shot area, the sample shot area that is closest to a first shot area in which the pattern is formed first.

12. 11. The information processing apparatus according to claim 10, further comprising a step of determining an order in which the measurements are to be performed on the plurality of sample shot areas, after the third determination step.

13. A pattern forming apparatus for forming a pattern on a substrate, comprising: a substrate stage for holding the substrate when the pattern is formed on the substrate; A substrate transport unit that transports the substrate; An information processing device according to any one of claims 1 to 12; a control unit that controls the movement of the substrate stage and the substrate transport unit; A pattern forming apparatus comprising:

14. the substrate stage includes a chuck that holds the substrate when the pattern is formed on the substrate, and pins that hold the substrate when the substrate is transferred to the substrate transport unit; The pattern forming apparatus of claim 13, wherein the control unit performs a process of selecting one of a first transport in which the substrate stage and the substrate transport unit are moved in parallel while holding the substrate by the pins to a predetermined position where the substrate is handed over from the substrate stage to the substrate transport unit, and a second transport in which the substrate stage is moved to the predetermined position while holding the substrate by the chuck, and then the substrate transport unit is moved to the predetermined position.

15. 1. An information processing method comprising: a first determination step of determining a final shot area in which a pattern is to be formed last when forming a pattern in a plurality of shot areas, based on a holding state of a substrate when a substrate stage moves from a pattern formation position in a pattern forming apparatus to a predetermined position where the substrate held by the substrate stage is handed over to a substrate transport section, and on a layout of the plurality of shot areas on the substrate.

16. 16. The information processing method according to claim 15, further comprising the step of: performing a second determination step of determining an order in which the patterns are formed in the plurality of shot regions, after the first determination step.

17. forming the patterns in the plurality of shot regions in an order determined according to the information processing method of claim 15; manufacturing an article by processing a predetermined shot area on which the pattern is formed; A method for producing an article, comprising:

18. A computer-readable recording medium having a program recorded thereon, the computer-readable recording medium causing a computer to execute a first determination step of determining a final shot area in which a pattern is to be formed last when forming a pattern in a plurality of shot areas, based on a holding state of the substrate when the substrate stage moves from a pattern formation position in a pattern forming apparatus to a predetermined position where the substrate held by the substrate stage is handed over to a substrate transport section, and on a layout of the plurality of shot areas on the substrate.

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