Exposure device, control method thereof, information processor, information processing method, program and manufacturing method of article

Abstract

To provide a technique advantageous for adjusting a focus operation in an exposure device equipped with a measuring instrument capable of measuring a height of a substrate at a plurality of measuring points in an exposure region.SOLUTION: An exposure device exposes an exposure region of a substrate through projecting a pattern of an original plate onto the exposure region by a projection optical system. The exposure device includes: a measuring instrument capable of measuring a height of the substrate at a plurality of measurement points in the exposure region; a user interface for making a user perform a setting related to a usage of each of the plurality of measuring points; and a control part configured to control a focus operation of the exposure region to an image surface of the projection optical system by using a measurement result by the measuring instrument according to the setting.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 5

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an exposure apparatus and a control method thereof, an information processing apparatus and an information processing method, a program, and an article manufacturing method. [Background technology]

[0002] There are two types of exposure equipment used in the manufacture of semiconductor devices and other products: step-and-repeat exposure equipment (steppers) and step-and-scan exposure equipment (scanners). Steppers are lower-cost devices compared to scanners and are used in processes that do not require high resolution or high-precision overlay. In a stepper, the substrate is stepped so that the shot area on the substrate is positioned in the exposure area below the projection optical system, and then the height is measured by a height measurement device. Focusing is performed based on the measurement results, and the shot area is exposed.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses an exposure method in which the elevation of an exposure area on a substrate is detected, the average height of the area with the highest elevation and the height of the area with the lowest elevation are calculated, and scanning exposure is performed while matching the imaging position of the projection optical system to the average height on the substrate. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-102852 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In an exposure apparatus that measures the height of a substrate at multiple measurement points within an exposure area of ​​the substrate and performs a focus operation based on those results, it may not be desirable to perform a focus operation using the measurement results at all of the measurement points. For example, if a focus operation is performed taking into account measurement results at measurement points that have low reproducibility among multiple exposure areas and are located in areas that are not important for the focus operation, the important areas may be exposed in a defocused state.

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide an advantageous technique for adjusting the focus operation in an exposure apparatus that is equipped with a measurement instrument that can measure the height of a substrate at a plurality of measurement points within an exposure area. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] One aspect of the present invention relates to an exposure apparatus that exposes an exposure area of ​​a substrate by projecting a pattern of an original onto the exposure area using a projection optical system, and the exposure apparatus includes a measuring instrument that can measure the height of the substrate at multiple measurement points in the exposure area, a user interface that allows a user to make settings regarding the use of each of the multiple measurement points, and a control unit that controls the focus operation of the exposure area relative to the image plane of the projection optical system by using the measurement results by the measuring instrument based on the settings. [Effects of the Invention]

[0008] According to the present invention, an advantageous technique is provided for adjusting the focus operation in an exposure apparatus that is equipped with a measurement instrument that can measure the height of a substrate at a plurality of measurement points within an exposure area. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of an exposure apparatus according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a measuring instrument. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an example of the operating principle of a measuring instrument. [Figure 4] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the arrangement of a plurality of measurement points in a measurement area of ​​a measuring instrument. [Figure 5] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating examples of user interface screens provided to a user by a display device that constitutes a user interface of a control unit. [Figure 6] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating the operation of the exposure apparatus or the control apparatus regarding the setting of a plurality of measurement points and the focus operation. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating the configuration of a control unit, a control device, or an information processing device that controls the exposure apparatus. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention as defined in the claims. Although the embodiments describe multiple features, not all of these multiple features are necessarily essential to the invention, and multiple features may be combined arbitrarily. Furthermore, in the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals are used to designate the same or similar components, and redundant explanations will be omitted.

[0011] In this specification and the accompanying drawings, directions are indicated in an XYZ coordinate system in which the direction parallel to the surface of the substrate is the XY plane. The directions parallel to the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis in the XYZ coordinate system are the X-direction, Y-direction, and Z-direction, respectively, and rotation around the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis are designated as θX, θY, and θZ, respectively.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an exposure apparatus 100 according to one embodiment. The exposure apparatus 100 is a type of lithography apparatus used in a photolithography process for manufacturing articles such as semiconductor devices or display devices. The exposure apparatus 100 exposes a substrate 108 by projecting a pattern of an original onto the substrate 108 using a projection optical system 104. The exposure apparatus 100 can expose the substrate 108 using a step-and-repeat method or a step-and-scan method. Although the present invention is not limited to the exposure method, an example in which the exposure apparatus 100 is a step-and-repeat exposure apparatus will be described below.

[0013] The exposure apparatus 100 exposes an exposure area (also called a shot area) of a substrate 108 by projecting a pattern of a reticle 103 onto the exposure area using a projection optical system 104. The substrate 108 has a photosensitive material such as photoresist on its surface, and exposing the substrate 108 means exposing the photosensitive material. The illumination optical system 102 introduces light from a light source 101 to illuminate the reticle 103. The light source 101 may be configured, for example, by an i-line mercury lamp or an excimer laser. A pattern to be projected is drawn on the reticle 103. The light that passes through the reticle 103 passes through the projection optical system 104 and reaches the substrate 108 on the stage 105, where it forms an image of the pattern of the reticle 103. The stage 105 includes a substrate chuck that holds the substrate 108. The substrate driving mechanism 110 can drive or position the stage 105 so that the substrate 108 is driven or positioned along six axes: the X-axis, the Y-axis, the Z-axis, the θX-axis, the θY-axis, and the θZ-axis. The image of the pattern of the original 103 projected onto the substrate 108 is transferred to a photosensitive material, such as resist, previously applied to the surface of the substrate 108. By repeating the step-driving operation of the stage 105 holding the substrate 108 and the operation of exposing the exposure areas (shot areas), the image of the pattern of the original 103 is transferred as a latent image to the photosensitive material in multiple exposure areas of the substrate 108. The position and orientation of the stage 105 are measured with high precision by a position measurement device, such as an interferometer or encoder (not shown), and the drive or positioning of the stage 105 (substrate 108) by the substrate driving mechanism 110 can be controlled based on the measurement results. This allows for highly accurate overlay exposure. The pattern transferred as a latent image to the photosensitive material in the exposure process is converted into a physical pattern in the development process.

[0014] In the exposure process, the measuring instrument 106 measures the height of the substrate 108 within the exposure area to match the height and tilt of the substrate 108 with respect to the image of the pattern on the original 103 (i.e., the image plane of the projection optical system 104). Then, based on the measurement results, at least one of the height and tilt of the stage 105 can be controlled. Hereinafter, controlling at least one of the height and tilt of the stage 105 so as to match the reference surface (e.g., the surface or a surface offset from the surface) of the photosensitive material in the exposure area of ​​the substrate 108 with the image plane of the projection optical system 104 is referred to as a focus operation.

[0015] The measuring instrument 106 can be configured to measure a height distribution that can be expressed by the heights of the substrate 108 at multiple measurement points in an exposure area (shot area) of the substrate 108. The size of the measurement area, which is the field of view of the measuring instrument 106, can be determined according to the required specifications. In one example, the measurement area of ​​the measuring instrument 106 can be determined so as to cover the entire maximum exposure area of ​​the exposure apparatus 100. Alternatively, the measurement area may be an area smaller than the maximum exposure area of ​​the exposure apparatus 100. Below, an example will be described in which the measurement area of ​​the measuring instrument 106 covers the entire exposure area (shot area) of the substrate 108, that is, an example in which the height distribution of the exposure area can be obtained by a single measurement by the measuring instrument 106. However, the height distribution of the exposure area may also be obtained by performing measurements multiple times by the measuring instrument 106.

[0016] The configuration of the measuring instrument 106 will be described with reference to FIG. 2. The measuring instrument 106 detects the heights of multiple measurement points within a measurement area. The measuring instrument 106 may include a light projecting unit 201 and a light receiving unit 205. The light projecting unit 201 may include a light source 202 that obliquely projects light onto the surface of the substrate 108, which is the object to be measured, on the stage 105, a two-dimensionally arranged light projecting pattern 203, and a light projecting optical system 204 that projects the light projecting pattern 203 onto the object to be measured. However, depending on the type of light source 202 and / or the distance between the light projecting pattern 203 and the object to be measured, the light projecting optical system 204 may be omitted. Alternatively, the light projecting optical system 204 may be used to establish a Scheimpflug optical relationship between the light projecting pattern 203 and the object to be measured. The use of a Scheimpflug optical system improves measurement accuracy by focusing the entire light projecting pattern 203 on the object to be measured. The Scheimpflug optical system can also prevent the measurement value from being changed due to local tilt of the test object when measuring the height of the test object.

[0017] The light receiving unit 205 may include a light receiving optical system 207 and a camera 208. Light reflected by the test object is incident on the camera 208 via the light receiving optical system 207. The camera 208 may include an image sensor 206 having a plurality of pixels arranged two-dimensionally. However, depending on the type of light source 202 and the distance between the test object and the camera 208, the light receiving optical system 207 may be omitted. Alternatively, the light receiving optical system 207 may be used to establish a Scheimpflug optical relationship between the test object and the image sensor 206. By employing the Scheimpflug optical system, the entire area of ​​the test object can be focused on the imaging plane of the image sensor 206. The Scheimpflug optical system also prevents changes in the measurement value due to the inclination of the test object when measuring the height of the test object.

[0018] The exposure apparatus 100 includes a control unit 107. The control unit 107 can be configured as a control device that controls the operation of the exposure apparatus 100 by controlling, for example, the light source 101, the illumination optical system 102, the projection optical system 104, the measuring instrument 106, the substrate driving mechanism 110, etc. The control unit 107 can be configured as a general-purpose or dedicated computer with an embedded program.

[0019] FIG. 7 shows an example configuration of the control unit 107. The control unit 107 may include, for example, a CPU (processor) 810, a memory 820, a network interface 830, a user interface 840, and a device interface 850. A program 822 executed by the CPU 810 may be held or loaded in the memory 820. The program 822 may be stored in a computer-readable memory medium and used for transactions. For example, the program 822 stored in a computer-readable memory medium (not shown) may be read from the memory medium by the device interface 850 and loaded into the memory 820. Alternatively, the program 822 may be loaded into the memory 820 from an external device that holds the program 822 via the network NW. The program 822 loaded into the memory 820 may be non-temporarily held in the memory 820. The user interface 840 may include, for example, a keyboard, a pointing device such as a mouse, a display device (including a touch panel display), etc., and may provide information to and acquire information from the user. The device interface 850 has a function of connecting with various devices or components such as the light source 101, the illumination optical system 102, the projection optical system 104, the measuring instrument 106, and the substrate driving mechanism 110.

[0020] FIG. 3 exemplarily shows a light projection pattern image (image of light projection pattern 203) 301 formed by projecting a light projection pattern onto substrate 108 by light projection unit 201 of measuring instrument 106. Here, light projection pattern image 301 can be formed within measurement region 302 of measuring instrument 106. As schematically shown in FIG. 3, light projection pattern image 301 can include multiple bars. In order to precisely measure a height map (height distribution) within measurement region 302 (or exposure region), it is necessary to narrow the intervals between the bars in light projection pattern image 301. When image capture element 206 is a two-dimensional image capture element, a height map within measurement region 302 on the surface of substrate 108 can be obtained at a measurement interval defined by light projection pattern image 301 projected onto substrate 108 and the pixel density of image capture element 206.

[0021] The light projection pattern image 301 has information corresponding to the height distribution of the surface of the substrate 108 in the measurement region 302 (exposure region). The control unit 107 can obtain a height map (height distribution) in the measurement region 302 (exposure region) based on the light projection pattern image 301 captured by the image sensor 206. At least a part of the processing for forming the height map (height distribution) based on the output of the image sensor 206 may be executed by the control unit 107. Even in such a case, the measuring instrument 106 can be considered to measure the height in the measurement region 302 (exposure region). The measuring instrument 106 can measure the height of the surface of the substrate 108 for each of multiple measurement points in the measurement region 302 (exposure region). The control unit 107 can control the focusing operation of the exposure region relative to the image plane of the projection optical system 104 based on the output of the measuring instrument 106.

[0022] 4 shows an example of the arrangement of multiple measurement points 401 in the measurement region 302. The light projection pattern image 301 shown in FIG. 3 may be formed (projected) at each measurement point 401, or may be formed (projected) over the entire measurement region 302. In the example of FIG. 4, the multiple measurement points 401 are uniformly arranged within the measurement region 302, but the multiple measurement points 401 do not have to be uniformly arranged. Before setting a focus operation described below, the control unit 107 acquires a height map of the exposure region of the substrate using the measurement instrument 106, and the height map can be provided to the user by a display device constituting the user interface 840.

[0023] 5 shows an example of a user interface screen 500 provided to the user by a display device constituting the user interface 840 of the control unit 107. The display format, display position, etc. of each piece of information that can be provided to the user by the user interface screen 500 can be changed as appropriate.

[0024] Display area 501 is an area that displays a shot layout that shows the arrangement of multiple shot areas (exposure areas) defined on substrate 108. Shot areas indicated by dotted lines indicate shot areas for editing, and in the example of FIG. 5, shot area S1 is selected for editing. Shot areas indicated by dashed lines are multiple sample shot areas for evaluating the reproducibility of height measurement results. The multiple sample shot areas can be set arbitrarily by the user. In a step-and-repeat exposure apparatus, exposure processing is performed by sequentially stepping multiple shot areas S1 to S32. Here, an example is shown in which measurement area 302 is the same as the exposure area (shot area) or covers the entire exposure area (shot area).

[0025] Display area 502 is an area for displaying parameters. More specifically, display area 502 is an area for displaying parameters related to information to be displayed in multiple display areas 503, 504, and 505 included in user interface screen 500. Parameter 502a indicates a threshold for evaluating the repeatability of height measurement results. In this example, if a numerical value indicating the repeatability of height measurement results among multiple sample shot areas (selected exposure areas) is below the threshold set as parameter 502a, the repeatability is determined to be good, and if it exceeds the threshold, the repeatability is determined to be poor. The repeatability can be evaluated for the measurement results at each of multiple measurement points. The repeatability is an index (index value) indicating the variation among multiple sample shot areas (selected exposure areas), and can be, for example, the standard deviation (σ).

[0026] Parameters 502b and 502c are parameters for setting the number of dies that make up a shot area (exposure area). Parameter 502b provides the user with a function for setting the number of dies in the X direction (the number of divisions in the X direction), and parameter 502c provides the user with a function for setting the number of dies in the Y direction (the number of divisions in the Y direction).

[0027] The display area 503 is an area for displaying process information. The process information may include a height map 503a of the shot area (exposure area) of the substrate and die information 503b. In the example of FIG. 5, the height map 503a is a height map of the shot area S1 selected in the display area 501, and the die information 503b shows the arrangement of multiple dies in each shot area in the shot layout shown in the display area 501. Note that the display example of FIG. 5 is merely an example, and the height map 503a may, for example, display height in color, may be scalable, or may display the difference between the height maps of other shot areas. The display of the die information 503b follows input information for parameters 502b and 502c in the display area 502. The parameter 502b is a parameter for setting the number of dies in the X direction (the number of divisions in the X direction), and the parameter 502c is a parameter for setting the number of dies in the Y direction (the number of divisions in the Y direction).

[0028] The display area 504 is an area that displays information related to the measuring instrument 106 (focus sensor). The display area 504 can include a repeatability map 504a in which repeatability information indicating the repeatability of height measurement results is mapped to the multiple measurement points 401, and a setting map 504b in which the setting state related to the use of the multiple measurement points 401 of the measuring instrument 106 is mapped to the multiple measurement points 401.

[0029] The repeatability map 504a shows the results of an evaluation of the repeatability of height measurement results obtained by measuring sample shot areas S6, S9, S11, S17, S24, and S27 set in the display area 501 in advance using the measuring instrument 106. The sample shot areas can be changed by the user. In this evaluation, if a numerical value indicating the repeatability of height measurement results among a plurality of sample shot areas is below a threshold value set as parameter 502a, the repeatability is determined to be good; if the numerical value indicates the repeatability of height measurement results among a plurality of sample shot areas, the repeatability is determined to be poor. In the display area 504, measurement points 401 whose numerical values ​​indicating repeatability are below the threshold value and measurement points 401 whose numerical values ​​indicating repeatability are above the threshold value can be displayed in a distinguishable manner. In the example of FIG. 5, measurement points whose numerical values ​​indicating repeatability are below the threshold value (low repeatability) are indicated by an "x", and measurement points whose numerical values ​​indicating repeatability are above the threshold value (high repeatability) are indicated by an "o". Note that the method of evaluating repeatability and the method of presenting the evaluation results are not limited to the above example. The repeatability map 504a, which is information displayed in the display area 504, may be understood to include information indicating the arrangement of the multiple measurement points 401 arranged in the measurement area or exposure area.

[0030] The setting map 504b provides a user interface that allows a user to configure settings regarding the use of each of the multiple measurement points 401 in the focusing operation. In one example, the setting map 504b provides a user interface that allows a user to configure whether or not to use each of the multiple measurement points 401 in the focusing operation. In the example of FIG. 5, the measurement points 401 (Valid Sensors) that are used for the focusing operation are indicated by "○", and the measurement points 401 (Valid Sensors) that are not used for the focusing operation are indicated by "-". The distinction between the measurement points that are used for the focusing operation and the measurement points that are not used may be made by color, for example, without being limited to this example. The setting map 504b, which is information displayed in the display area 504, may be understood to include information indicating the arrangement of the multiple measurement points 401 arranged in the measurement area or the exposure area.

[0031] The measurement point 401 (Valid Sensor) used for the focusing operation is the measurement point 401 that the control unit 107 uses to control the focusing operation, and the control unit 107 controls the focusing operation based on the measurement result at that measurement point 401. The measurement point 401 (Valid Sensor) not used for the focusing operation is the measurement point 401 that the control unit 107 does not use to control the focusing operation, and the control unit 107 ignores the measurement result at that measurement point 401 when controlling the focusing operation. Alternatively, for a measurement point 401 not used for the focusing operation, the measuring instrument 106 may not perform measurement, may not output a measurement result, or may output an invalid value. For example, the user can set whether to use a measurement point in the setting map 504b (in FIG. 5, a position where a "◯" or "-" is displayed) by clicking or double-tapping with a pointing device. In another example, the setting map 504b may provide a user interface that allows the user to set weights for the measurement results at each of the multiple measurement points 401. In this case, the control unit 107 can assign a corresponding weight to the measurement results at each of the plurality of measurement points 401 during the focusing operation, and perform the focusing operation based on the weighted measurement results.

[0032] The display area 505 can display at least two of the following information: information indicating the arrangement of multiple measurement points, information indicating a height map in the exposure area, information indicating the arrangement of multiple dies in the exposure area, and information indicating an evaluation result of the reproducibility of the measurement results at each of the multiple measurement points. The display area 505 can be configured to display at least two of these pieces of information in an overlapping manner.

[0033] The user interface 840 or user interface screen 500 illustrated in FIG. 5 is effective for allowing a user to configure settings regarding the use of each of the multiple measurement points 401. The user can configure settings regarding the use of each of the multiple measurement points based on information such as the arrangement of the multiple measurement points, the height map, the arrangement of the multiple dies, and the reproducibility of the measurement results. For example, the user can configure settings regarding the use of a measurement point located at a peak or a valley in the height map as an unused measurement point based on the height map. Alternatively, the user can configure settings regarding the use of a measurement point with poor reproducibility as an unused measurement point.

[0034] 6 shows an example of the operation of exposure apparatus 100 regarding the setting of multiple measurement points and focus operation. This operation can be controlled by control unit 107, more specifically, by CPU (processor) 810 operating according to program 822.

[0035] In step S601, the control unit 107 acquires height map information that indicates the height distribution of an exposure region (shot region) of the substrate 108. In one example, the control unit 107 can acquire the height map information of the exposure region (shot region) based on the output of the measurement instrument 106. The height map information is obtained, for example, by using the measurement instrument 106 to measure the height distribution of multiple exposure regions (shot regions) of the substrate 108 that is loaded into the exposure apparatus 100 and held by the stage 105. In another example, the control unit 107 can acquire height map information that is pre-associated with a lot made up of multiple substrates 108 that are to undergo an exposure operation in the exposure apparatus 100 from the memory 820. Alternatively, the control unit 107 may acquire height map information that is pre-associated with a lot made up of multiple substrates 108 that are to undergo an exposure operation in the exposure apparatus 100 from another device (e.g., a management device) connected to the network interface 830.

[0036] In step S602, the control unit 107 may generate repeatability information indicating the repeatability of the height measurement results, based on the height map information acquired in step S601. For example, the control unit 107 may generate the repeatability information by calculating an index (index value) indicating the variation among a plurality of sample shot areas, based on the height map information. In another example, the control unit 107 may acquire, from memory 820, repeatability information that is pre-associated with a lot made up of a plurality of substrates 108 that is to undergo an exposure operation in the exposure apparatus 100. Alternatively, the control unit 107 may acquire, from another device (e.g., a management device) connected to the network interface 830, repeatability information that is pre-associated with a lot made up of a plurality of substrates 108 that is to undergo an exposure operation in the exposure apparatus 100.

[0037] In step S603, the control unit 107 causes the user interface (UI) 840 to display a height map 503a corresponding to the height map information acquired in step S601. In step S604, the control unit 107 causes the user interface (UI) 840 to display a repeatability map 504a in which the repeatability information acquired or generated in step S602 is mapped to a plurality of measurement points.

[0038] In step S605, the control unit 107 displays the setting map 504b on the user interface (UI) 840, and allows the user to set whether or not to use each of the plurality of measurement points 401 in the focusing operation.

[0039] In step S606, the control unit 107 controls the focus operation of the exposure area relative to the image plane of the projection optical system 104 by using the measurement results from the measuring instrument 106 based on the settings made in step S605, and exposes each exposure area of ​​the substrate 108. Step S708 can be performed, for example, for a lot consisting of multiple substrates.

[0040] The control unit 107 may be configured as an information processing device for controlling the focus operation in the exposure apparatus 100 that has a measuring instrument that can measure the height of the substrate 108 at multiple measurement points 401 in the exposure area of ​​the substrate 108. The control unit 107 configured as such an information processing device may or may not be connected to the exposure apparatus 100. The control unit 107 or the CPU 810 (processor) may include a user interface 840 that allows the user to make settings regarding the use of each of the multiple measurement points 401 in the exposure area. The settings may specify that the exposure apparatus 100 performs the focus operation by using the measurement results by the measuring instrument 106 based on the settings.

[0041] Below, an article manufacturing method for manufacturing an article using the exposure apparatus 100 will be described. The article manufacturing method may include an exposure process of exposing a substrate 108 using the exposure apparatus 100, a development process of developing the substrate 108 that has undergone the exposure process, and a process of obtaining an article from the substrate 108 that has undergone the development process. The substrate 108 provided to the exposure apparatus 100 is coated with a photosensitive material (photoresist). The exposure process transfers the pattern of the original to the photosensitive material as a latent image pattern. In the development process, this latent image pattern is converted into a physical device pattern. The process of obtaining an article from the substrate 108 that has undergone the development process may include, for example, a process of patterning an underlying layer using the device pattern. The process of obtaining an article from the substrate 108 that has undergone the development process may also include a process of dicing the substrate.

[0042] The present specification and drawings include the following disclosure. (Item 1) 1. An exposure apparatus that exposes an exposure area of ​​a substrate by projecting a pattern of an original onto the exposure area using a projection optical system, a measuring instrument capable of measuring the height of the substrate at a plurality of measurement points within the exposure area; a user interface for allowing a user to configure settings relating to the use of each of the plurality of measurement points; a control unit that controls a focus operation of the exposure area relative to an image plane of the projection optical system by utilizing the measurement results of the measurement device based on the setting; An exposure apparatus comprising: (Item 2) the user interface allows a user to set whether or not to use each of the plurality of measurement points; 2. The exposure apparatus according to item 1, (Item 3) the user interface allows a user to set weights for the measurement results at each of the plurality of measurement points; the control unit controls the focusing operation based on weighting of the measurement results at each of the plurality of measurement points. 2. The exposure apparatus according to item 1, (Item 4) the user interface displays information indicating an arrangement of the plurality of measurement points. 4. The exposure apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 3, (Item 5) the user interface further displays information indicative of a height map of the exposure area. 5. The exposure apparatus according to item 4, (Item 6) the user interface further displays information indicating an arrangement of the plurality of dies in the exposure area. 6. The exposure apparatus according to item 4 or 5, (Item 7) the user interface further displays information indicating an evaluation result of reproducibility of the measurement results at each of the plurality of measurement points. 7. The exposure apparatus according to any one of items 4 to 6, (Item 8) the reproducibility is reproducibility between a plurality of exposure regions on the substrate; 8. The exposure apparatus according to item 7, (Item 9) The reproducibility is an index showing the variation among a plurality of exposure areas of the substrate. 8. The exposure apparatus according to item 7, (Item 10) The user interface includes: information indicating the arrangement of the plurality of measurement points; information indicating a height map of the exposure area; information indicating an arrangement of a plurality of dies in the exposure area; information indicating an evaluation result of the reproducibility of the measurement results at each of the plurality of measurement points; Show at least two of the 4. The exposure apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 3, (Item 11) The user interface includes: information indicating the arrangement of the plurality of measurement points; information indicating a height map of the exposure area; information indicating an arrangement of a plurality of dies in the exposure area; information indicating an evaluation result of the reproducibility of the measurement results at each of the plurality of measurement points; Overlay at least two of the 4. The exposure apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 3, (Item 12) 1. An information processing apparatus for controlling a focus operation in an exposure apparatus having a measuring instrument capable of measuring the height of a substrate at a plurality of measurement points in an exposure area of ​​the substrate, a user interface for allowing a user to make settings regarding the use of each of the plurality of measurement points in the exposure area; the setting specifies that the exposure apparatus performs the focus operation by utilizing the measurement result of the measurement instrument based on the setting. 1. An information processing device comprising: (Item 13) 1. A method for controlling an exposure apparatus having a measurement instrument capable of measuring the height of a substrate at a plurality of measurement points in an exposure area of ​​the substrate, comprising: a step of having a user set settings regarding the use of the plurality of measurement points in the exposure area; a step of controlling a focus operation of the exposure area relative to an image plane of a projection optical system of the exposure apparatus by utilizing a measurement result by the measuring instrument based on the setting, and exposing the exposure area; 10. A method for controlling an exposure apparatus, comprising: (Item 14) Item 14. A program for causing a computer to execute the exposure apparatus control method according to Item 13. (Item 15) 1. An information processing method for controlling a focus operation in an exposure apparatus having a measurement instrument capable of measuring the height of a substrate at a plurality of measurement points in an exposure area of ​​the substrate, comprising: a step of having a user make settings regarding the use of each of the plurality of measurement points in the exposure area; the setting specifies that the exposure apparatus performs the focus operation by utilizing the measurement result of the measurement instrument based on the setting. An information processing method comprising: (Item 16) Item 16. A program for causing a computer to execute the information processing method according to Item 15. (Item 17) an exposure step of exposing a substrate using the exposure apparatus according to any one of items 1 to 11; a developing step of developing the substrate that has been subjected to the exposure step; a processing step of processing the substrate that has undergone the developing step to obtain an article; A method for manufacturing an article, comprising: (Item 18) an exposure step of exposing a substrate by controlling the exposure apparatus according to the method for controlling an exposure apparatus according to item 13; a developing step of developing the substrate that has been subjected to the exposure step; a processing step of processing the substrate that has undergone the developing step to obtain an article; A method for manufacturing an article, comprising:

[0043] The invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various changes and modifications can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the following claims are appended to apprise the public of the scope of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0044] 100: exposure apparatus, 103: original, 104: projection optical system, 106: measuring instrument, 107: control unit, 108: substrate, 840: user interface

Claims

1. 1. An exposure apparatus that exposes an exposure area of ​​a substrate by projecting a pattern of an original onto the exposure area using a projection optical system, a measuring instrument capable of measuring the height of the substrate at a plurality of measurement points within the exposure area; a user interface for allowing a user to configure settings relating to the use of each of the plurality of measurement points; a control unit that controls a focus operation of the exposure area relative to an image plane of the projection optical system by utilizing the measurement results of the measurement device based on the setting; An exposure apparatus comprising:

2. the user interface allows a user to set whether or not to use each of the plurality of measurement points; 2. An exposure apparatus according to claim 1.

3. the user interface allows a user to set weights for the measurement results at each of the plurality of measurement points; the control unit controls the focusing operation based on weighting of the measurement results at each of the plurality of measurement points.

2. An exposure apparatus according to claim 1.

4. the user interface displays information indicating an arrangement of the plurality of measurement points.

2. An exposure apparatus according to claim 1.

5. the user interface further displays information indicative of a height map of the exposure area.

5. An exposure apparatus according to claim 4.

6. the user interface further displays information indicating an arrangement of the plurality of dies in the exposure area.

5. An exposure apparatus according to claim 4.

7. the user interface further displays information indicating an evaluation result of reproducibility of the measurement results at each of the plurality of measurement points.

5. An exposure apparatus according to claim 4.

8. the reproducibility is reproducibility between a plurality of exposure regions on the substrate; 8. An exposure apparatus according to claim 7.

9. The reproducibility is an index showing the variation among a plurality of exposure areas of the substrate.

8. An exposure apparatus according to claim 7.

10. The user interface includes: information indicating the arrangement of the plurality of measurement points; information indicating a height map of the exposure area; information indicating an arrangement of a plurality of dies in the exposure area; information indicating an evaluation result of the reproducibility of the measurement results at each of the plurality of measurement points; Display at least two of the following:

2. An exposure apparatus according to claim 1.

11. The user interface includes: information indicating the arrangement of the plurality of measurement points; information indicating a height map of the exposure area; information indicating an arrangement of a plurality of dies in the exposure area; information indicating an evaluation result of the reproducibility of the measurement results at each of the plurality of measurement points; Display at least two of the above together, 2. An exposure apparatus according to claim 1.

12. 1. An information processing apparatus for controlling a focus operation in an exposure apparatus having a measuring instrument capable of measuring the height of a substrate at a plurality of measurement points in an exposure area of ​​the substrate, a user interface for allowing a user to make settings regarding the use of each of the plurality of measurement points in the exposure area; the setting specifies that the exposure apparatus performs the focus operation by utilizing the measurement result of the measurement instrument based on the setting.

1. An information processing device comprising:

13. 1. A method for controlling an exposure apparatus having a measurement instrument capable of measuring the height of a substrate at a plurality of measurement points in an exposure area of ​​the substrate, comprising: a step of having a user set settings regarding the use of the plurality of measurement points in the exposure area; a step of controlling a focus operation of the exposure area relative to an image plane of a projection optical system of the exposure apparatus by utilizing a measurement result by the measuring instrument based on the setting, and exposing the exposure area; 10. A method for controlling an exposure apparatus, comprising:

14. A program for causing a computer to execute the exposure apparatus control method according to claim 13.

15. 1. An information processing method for controlling a focus operation in an exposure apparatus having a measurement instrument capable of measuring the height of a substrate at a plurality of measurement points in an exposure area of ​​the substrate, comprising: a step of having a user make settings regarding the use of each of the plurality of measurement points in the exposure area; the setting specifies that the exposure apparatus performs the focus operation by utilizing the measurement result of the measurement instrument based on the setting. An information processing method comprising:

16. A program for causing a computer to execute the information processing method according to claim 15.

17. an exposure step of exposing a substrate using the exposure apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 11; a developing step of developing the substrate that has been subjected to the exposure step; a processing step of processing the substrate that has undergone the developing step to obtain an article; A method for manufacturing an article, comprising:

18. an exposure step of exposing a substrate by controlling the exposure apparatus according to the method for controlling an exposure apparatus according to claim 13; a developing step of developing the substrate that has been subjected to the exposure step; a processing step of processing the substrate that has undergone the developing step to obtain an article; A method for manufacturing an article, comprising:

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