Program, lithography method, information processor, lithography apparatus and production method of article

Abstract

To provide a technique advantageous for improving a connection state between adjoining shot regions.SOLUTION: Provided is a program of having a computer execute a method for generating control information of a lithography apparatus for transferring a pattern on a substrate. The lithography apparatus is constituted so as to correct at least one of a first shot region and a second shot region to agree an outer peripheral part of the first shot region and an outer peripheral part of the second shot region of the substrate at at least one point. The program has the computer execute an acquisition process of acquiring information of a deviation amount from an ideal shape of a shot region of an under layer formed on the substrate, and a generating process of generating control information including correction information for correcting at least one high order shape of the first shot region and the second shot region to be formed on an upper layer on the basis of the information of the deviation amount.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

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

[0002] In conventional exposure methods, particularly when exposing large substrates, there is a technique in which the exposure area on the substrate is divided into several shot areas rather than exposing the entire area at once. In such cases, distortion of the shot areas caused by exposure errors can lead to poor connections between adjacent shot areas, which can adversely affect the electrical characteristics of the chip.

[0003] To address this issue, there is a technique for correcting exposure conditions so that the connection state of multiple adjacent shot areas becomes continuous. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a method for improving the connection state by correcting exposure control information based on the connection state of multiple adjacent shot areas. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2017-090817 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] According to the method disclosed in Patent Document 1, correction is possible when the connection between adjacent shot areas has a linear shape. However, good correction is not possible when the connection is nonlinear and has a higher-order shape of second or higher order. In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for better electrical characteristics for chips, and when an exposure area is divided into multiple shot areas for exposure, it is necessary to further improve the connection between the shot areas.

[0006] The present invention provides an advantageous technique for improving the connection state between adjacent shot areas. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a program for causing a computer to execute a method for generating control information for a lithography apparatus that transfers a pattern to a substrate, wherein the lithography apparatus is configured to correct at least one of the first shot area and the second shot area of ​​the substrate so that the outer periphery of the first shot area and the outer periphery of the second shot area coincide at at least one point, and the program causes the computer to execute an acquisition process for acquiring information on the amount of deviation from an ideal shape of a shot area of ​​a lower layer formed on the substrate, and a generation process for generating control information including correction information for correcting the high-order shape of at least one of the first shot area and the second shot area to be formed on an upper layer based on the information on the amount of deviation.

[0008] According to the present invention, it is possible to provide an advantageous technique for improving the connection state between adjacent shot areas. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0009] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of an exposure apparatus. [Figure 2] 1A and 1B are diagrams for explaining a conventional method for correcting the shape of a shot area. [Figure 3] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating the concept of correcting the shape of a shot area. [Figure 4] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing specific examples of shape correction of shot areas. [Figure 5] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing the operation flow of the exposure apparatus. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining how to obtain correction parameters. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of initial coordinate values ​​of a shot area A. [Figure 8]10A and 10B are diagrams showing examples of calculation results of parameters for improving the connection state of shot areas. [Figure 9] 10A and 10B are diagrams showing examples of shot area connection states before and after improvement. [Figure 10] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating the concept of correcting the shape of a shot area. [Figure 11] Flowchart of a method for generating control information [Figure 12] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a plurality of shot areas and a scribe line area. [Figure 13] FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining stitching exposure. [Figure 14] 10A and 10B are diagrams for explaining overlapping of upper and lower layers in stitching exposure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0010] Hereinafter, 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 claimed. Although multiple features are described in the embodiments, 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] First Embodiment The present disclosure relates to a lithography apparatus that performs lithography processing to transfer a pattern onto a substrate. The lithography apparatus may be, for example, an exposure apparatus, an imprint apparatus, an electron beam writing apparatus, etc. In the following, in order to provide a specific example, an embodiment in which the lithography apparatus is an exposure apparatus will be described.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an exposure apparatus 100 according to an embodiment. In this specification and the drawings, directions are indicated in an XYZ coordinate system in which the horizontal plane is the XY plane. Generally, a substrate 111 to be exposed is placed on a substrate stage 113 so that its surface is parallel to the horizontal plane (XY plane). Therefore, hereinafter, the directions that are perpendicular to each other in a plane along the surface of the substrate 111 are referred to as the X-axis and Y-axis, and the direction perpendicular to the X-axis and Y-axis is referred to as the Z-axis. Furthermore, hereinafter, the directions that are parallel to the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis in the XYZ coordinate system are referred to as the X-direction, Y-direction, and Z-direction, respectively, and the directions of rotation around the X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis are referred to as the θX-direction, θY-direction, and θZ-direction, respectively.

[0013] The original stage 109 holds an original 108 (mask, reticle). The original 108 held by the original stage 109 is irradiated with light from a light source 115 by an illumination optical system 114. The projection optical system 110 projects the light that has passed through the original 108 onto a substrate 111 (wafer). At this time, the substrate 111 is held by a substrate holder 112 (substrate chuck). The substrate holder 112 is supported by a substrate stage 113 that is configured to be movable.

[0014] The substrate stage 113 has a six-axis drive mechanism that drives in each of the X, Y, Z, θX, θY, and θZ directions, for example, and is driven based on instruction values ​​from the main control system 101. The current position of the substrate stage 113 is determined by measuring the reflected light of light irradiated from laser heads 104 and 105 onto a mirror 106 on the substrate stage with a laser length measuring device 103 and converting the measured light into an attitude amount. The main control system 101 obtains the current position of the substrate stage 113 from the laser length measuring device 103, generates new drive instruction values, and feeds them back to maintain the attitude of the substrate stage 113.

[0015] The focus sensor 107 includes a light-projecting unit and a light-receiving unit disposed in the Y direction on either side of the exit unit of the projection optical system 110. The light-projecting unit irradiates the substrate 111 with obliquely incident light at a specified pitch in accordance with the scanning exposure, and the light-receiving unit captures the light reflected by the substrate. The image processing system 102 calculates the Z displacement amount based on the amount of light captured by the light-receiving unit. The main control system 101 then calculates an approximate plane from the Z displacement amount of each point within the region. The main control system 101 then changes the Z, θX, and θY drive instruction values ​​of the substrate stage 113 so that the surface of the substrate 111 is aligned with the projection image of the original 108 projected through the projection optical system 110.

[0016] The alignment measurement unit 120 measures the relative positional deviation between the original 108 and the substrate 111. Here, the alignment measurement unit 120 can measure the coordinates of a predetermined position for each of a plurality of areas (a plurality of shot areas). For example, alignment marks can be formed at predetermined positions in each shot area (for example, five points at the four corners and the center), but are not limited to this.

[0017] The main control system 101 is a control unit that performs overall control of each unit of the exposure apparatus 100. The main control system 101 may be configured with a computer (information processing device). The main control system 101 may include, for example, a CPU 101a, a ROM 101b that stores a boot program and fixed data, and a RAM 101c that provides a work area for the CPU 101a and stores temporary data. The main control system 101 may also include a storage unit 104d that includes a control program for performing lithography processing. In this embodiment, the main control system 101 also functions as a generation unit (acquisition unit) that generates (acquires) control information related to exposure (e.g., shot layout information, projection magnification, scanning direction, etc.).

[0018] In this embodiment, the exposure apparatus 100 may be a scanning exposure apparatus that exposes the original and the substrate while moving them relatively. In the manufacture of semiconductor devices, multiple layers, each having a pattern formed thereon, are generally superimposed on a substrate. Each of the multiple layers is superimposed while being aligned with the lower layer. That is, the exposure process is performed so that a second layer (upper layer) having a pattern formed thereon by a second exposure is superimposed on a first layer (lower layer) having a pattern formed thereon by a first exposure.

[0019] In recent years, displays such as liquid crystal panels have become larger, making it necessary to perform exposure on glass substrates exceeding 2 m square. To accommodate these larger substrates, the exposure area on the substrate is not exposed in its entirety at once, but is instead divided into several shot areas and exposed. In this case, exposure is controlled so that the seam between the first shot area and the second shot area is continuous, for example. This type of exposure is called "stitching exposure."

[0020] In the case of a substrate subjected to general exposure, scribe lines that are cut when chips are singulated may be present between adjacent shot areas. For example, as shown in Figure 12, a substrate W (a circular substrate in the example of Figure 12) may have multiple shot areas SH and scribe lines SL that separate the multiple shot areas from one another. Generally, since the scribe lines SL are cut, no product patterns are formed thereon. However, alignment marks and the like may be formed on the scribe lines SL.

[0021] In contrast, in stitching exposure, pattern transfer (exposure) is performed so that the seam between the first shot region and the second shot region on the substrate is continuous. A "continuous seam" refers to a state in which adjacent sides of the first shot region and the second shot region are close to each other and the outer periphery of the first shot region and the outer periphery of the second shot region coincide at least at one point. Therefore, in stitching exposure, at least one of the first shot region and the second shot region on the substrate is corrected so that the outer periphery of the first shot region and the outer periphery of the second shot region coincide at least at one point. This can be achieved, for example, by performing exposure on a substrate W (a rectangular substrate in the example of FIG. 13) so that the first shot region R1 and the second shot region R2 are adjacent to each other without a scribe line in between, as shown in FIG. 13. Therefore, the main control system 101 can function as a control unit that performs control processing for pattern transfer (exposure) so that the seam between the first shot region and the second shot region is continuous, in accordance with control information for stitching exposure.

[0022] In Figure 14, shot areas A' and B' indicated by solid lines are shot areas formed on the lower layer by stitching exposure, and shot areas A and B indicated by dashed lines are shot areas to be overlapped on the upper layer by stitching exposure. Shot areas A' and B' on the lower layer have nonlinear distortion due to the process. Shot areas A and B on the upper layer must be accurately overlapped with shot areas A' and B' on the lower layer, respectively, where this nonlinear distortion occurs. Furthermore, the misalignment between adjacent shot areas A and B on the same layer must also be accurately corrected. With conventional stitching exposure technology, if the connection between shot area A and its neighboring shot area B is low-order (linear shape), it is possible to improve the connection by correcting the information used to control the shape of the exposure area. Figure 2 shows a shot area correction method that can improve the low-order connection. The connection state of shot areas is improved by combining one or more of the techniques shown in Figures 2(a) to 2(d) for at least one of the multiple shot areas so that the connecting edges coincide. Here, Figure 2(a) shows shifting the shot area, Figure 2(b) shows rotating the shot area, Figure 2(c) shows magnification of the shot area, and Figure 2(d) shows reversing the exposure scanning direction. However, in reality, the shape of the shot area changes due to process errors. Here, as shown in Figure 3, shot area A and shot area B, shown as "before correction," at least one of the edges usually has a high-order (second-order or higher) shape rather than a linear shape. Therefore, conventional improvement methods cannot fully correct the high-order shape of the connection state.

[0023] According to this embodiment, as will be described below, the connection state between shot area A and shot area B is improved without causing a decrease in throughput. In this embodiment, the high-order shape of at least one of shot area A and shot area B is corrected, and the connection state between shot area A and shot area B is improved as shown as "after correction" in FIG.

[0024] 4(a) to 4(c), a method for improving the high-level connection state between adjacent shot regions A and B will be described. In FIGS. 4(a) to 4(c), an example is shown in which the connection state is improved by correcting the shape of shot region A relative to shot region B.

[0025] FIG. 4( a) shows an example of quadratic distortion in the Y direction of a shot area. In this case, the connection state between shot area A and shot area B can be improved by moving each point in the grid of shot area A by a linear amount in the Y direction. FIG. 4( b) shows an example of cubic distortion in the Y direction of a shot area. In this case, the connection state between shot area A and shot area B can be improved by moving each point in the grid of shot area A by a quadratic amount in the Y direction. FIG. 4( c) shows an example of the difference in aspect ratio between shot areas. In this case, the connection state between shot area A and shot area B can be improved by controlling the projection optical system to change the aspect ratio of shot area A. Although examples of quadratic and cubic distortion correction in the Y direction of a shot area have been described here, quadratic and cubic distortion correction in the X direction of a shot area may also be performed.

[0026] The improvement methods shown in FIGS. 2(a) to 2(c) and 4(a) to 4(c) are methods for correcting the shape of a shot area, and each method controls a correction parameter specific to one shot area. The specific correction parameter may be the shift, rotation, magnification, distortion, etc. of the shot area. In this embodiment, when the first exposure is performed by a scanning exposure apparatus, it is also possible to control multiple correction parameters for one shot area, such as changing the correction parameter according to the elapsed exposure time during scanning exposure.

[0027] The above describes an example in which shape correction is performed on shot area A during exposure. However, correction may be performed during exposure of shot area B, or correction may be performed both during exposure of shot area A and during exposure of shot area B. Also, multiple combinations of correction parameters may be used. Also, in the above example, an example in which the connection state of two shot areas is improved has been described, but it is also possible to improve the connection state in a similar manner for three or more shot areas. The correction parameters used during the first exposure are determined, for example, from the shot area shape in a test exposure obtained in advance, so that the joints between the shot areas become continuous.

[0028] Example 1 FIG. 5 shows a flowchart of an exposure method (lithography method) using exposure apparatus 100 in this embodiment. In S1, the main control system 101 (CPU 101a) determines a plurality of alignment marks to be used, assuming that the shape of the shot area is ideal. In S2, the main control system 101 executes a test exposure to expose a test substrate using the alignment marks determined in S1, thereby forming one or more shot areas on the lower layer. In S3, the main control system 101 uses the alignment measurement unit 120 to measure the coordinates of a plurality of alignment marks formed on the test substrate for each shot area in the test exposure in S2. In S4, the main control system 101 acquires information on the amount of deviation of each shot area on the lower layer from the ideal shape (acquisition step). This can be done, for example, by acquiring information on the amount of deviation from the ideal position of each of multiple alignment marks arranged on the substrate for each shot area based on the measurement results in S3. Based on the acquired information on the amount of deviation, the main control system 101 determines correction information for making the joint between shot area A (first shot area) and shot area B (second shot area) to be formed on the upper layer continuous. Details of this process will be described later. In this step S4, the main control system 101 generates correction information for correcting the high-order shape of at least one of shot areas A and B to be formed on the upper layer based on information on the amount of deviation of the shot areas on the lower layer from the ideal position (generation step). The main control system 101 includes the generated correction information in the control information. S5 is a processing step (main exposure step) in which the main control system 101 performs stitching exposure in accordance with control information including the correction information determined in S4. In stitching exposure, exposure of shot area A and shot area B is performed so that at least one of shot area A and shot area B is corrected so that the outer periphery of shot area A coincides with the outer periphery of shot area B at least at one point.

[0029] With reference to Figure 6, a method for determining correction parameters (correction information) for making the joints between shot area A and its surrounding four shots continuous will be described. Here, the correction parameters can be at least one of the shift, rotation, magnification, distortion, and difference in aspect ratio and magnification of shot area A. Furthermore, if exposure apparatus 100 is a scanning exposure apparatus, in addition to the above parameters, the correction parameters can be at least one of the shift, rotation, magnification, and distortion of the shot area during scanning exposure. Based on the correction information, main control system 101 controls at least one of projection optical system 110 and substrate stage 113 so as to adjust the correction parameters.

[0030] In FIG. 6, the focus of the shot area joints is the four sides of shot area A and the four sides of shot areas B, C, D, and E that connect to shot area A. Here, the coordinates of their ideal positions are (XaRij,YaRij), (XaDij,YaDij), (XaLij,YaLij), (XaUij,YaUij), (Xbij,Ybij), (Xcij,Ycij), (Xdij,Ydij), and (Xeij,Yeij). Note that the center position of shot area A is (0,0), and the subscripts i and j indicate the positions of each point in the shot area. For example, i is an integer between 1 and 9 in the X direction, and j is an integer between 1 and 9 in the Y direction. The scanning exposure direction is the Y direction.

[0031] Here, focusing on the right side of shot area A and the left side of shot area B, the coordinates of each point before the connection state improvement are defined as follows: Right side of shot area A (i=9, j=1~9): (XaRij+ΔXaRij, YaRij+ΔYaRij) Left side of shot area B (i=9, j=1~9): (Xbij+ΔXbij, Ybij+ΔYbij) however, ΔXaRij is the deviation in the X direction of the coordinates at the i, j position on the right side of the shot area A during the test exposure. ΔYaRij is the deviation in the Y direction of the coordinates at the i, j position on the right side of the shot area A during the test exposure. ΔXbij is the deviation in the X direction of the coordinates at the i, j position on the left side of the shot area B during the test exposure. ΔYbij is the deviation amount in the Y direction of the coordinates at the i, j position on the left side of the shot area B during test exposure.

[0032] These deviation amounts are calculated by converting the deviation amount at each point in the shot area based on the deviation amount of one or more alignment marks from their ideal positions. Alternatively, these deviation amounts are calculated by measuring the print results of a test exposure using an external or internal device and directly measuring the deviation amount at each point from its ideal position. Conversion of the deviation amount at each point in the shot area based on the deviation amount of the alignment marks from their ideal positions can be performed by interpolating or extrapolating deviation amount data at multiple alignment mark positions using known methods such as the least squares method or interpolation. However, if there are a small number of alignment marks or if the coordinates of the alignment mark positions are sufficiently close to the coordinates of each point in the shot area, the deviation amount of the alignment mark positions can be used without conversion.

[0033] Furthermore, the coordinates when the parameters for shot area A are changed are defined as follows: Right side of shot area A: (XaRij+ΔXaRij', YaRij+ΔYaRij')

[0034] From the above, the following relational expression is obtained.

[0035] ΔXaRij'=ΔXaRij+Sx+XaRij*cosθ-YaRij*sinθ+XaRij*M+XaRij 2 *DX2+XaRij 3 *DX3+ΔXaRij+Sxj+XaRij*cosθj-YaRij*sinθj+XaRij*Mj+XaRij 2 *DX2j+XaRij 3 *DX3j …Formula 1 ΔYaRij'=ΔYaRij+Sy+XaRij*sinθ+YaRij*cosθ+YaRij*M+YaRij*My+YaRij 2 *DY2+YaRij 3 *DY3+ΔYaRij+Syj+XaRij*sinθj+YaRij*cosθj+YaRij*Mj+YaRij ^ 2*DY2j+YaRij 3 *DY3j …Formula 2 however, Sx is the amount of change in the shot area A in the X direction, Sy is the amount of change in the shot area A in the Y direction, θ is the amount of rotation of the shot area A around (0,0), M is the magnification for enlarging or reducing the shot area A around (0,0), My is the magnification for enlarging or reducing the shot area A in the Y direction with (0,0) as the center. DX2 is the amount of change in the X-direction secondary distortion of shot area A, DY2 is the amount by which the Y-direction secondary distortion of shot area A is changed. DX3 is the amount of change in the X-direction cubic distortion of shot area A, DY3 is the amount of change in the Y-direction third-order distortion of shot area A, Sxj is the amount of change in the exposure area in the X direction at the Y=j position during scanning exposure, Syj is the amount of change in the exposure area in the Y direction at the Y=j position during scanning exposure, θj is the amount by which the exposure area at the Y=j position during scanning exposure is rotated around (0,0). Mj is the magnification for enlarging or reducing the exposure area at the Y=j position during scanning exposure, with (0,0) as the center. DX2j is the amount of change in the X-direction secondary distortion of the exposure area at the Y=j position during scanning exposure. DY2j is the amount of change in the Y-direction secondary distortion of the exposure area at the Y=j position during scanning exposure. DX3j is the amount of change in the X-direction cubic distortion of the exposure area at the Y=j position during scanning exposure. DY3j is the amount by which the third-order distortion in the Y direction of the exposure area at the Y=j position during scanning exposure is changed.

[0036] The condition for improving the connection state at the connection portion between shot areas can be written as follows:

[0037] ΔXaRij'=ΔXbij ...Equation 3 ΔYaRij = ΔYbij …Equation 4

[0038] The same considerations can be applied to the bottom, left, and top sides of shot area A. Therefore, the above 17 correction amounts can be found by applying the relational expressions to the four sides of shot area A and solving an equation that introduces conditions for improving the connection state at the connection parts between shot areas into the objective function using the least squares method. In this way, correction information can be determined based on the objective function that represents the positional relationship between the edge of shot area A and each point at the edges of shot areas B to D.

[0039] The shot area size for shot areas A, B, C, D, and E was set to X = 10.5 mm, Y = 10.5 mm, and the initial coordinate values ​​for shot area A were set as shown in Figure 7, where (X, Y) = (0, 0) is the center of shot area A. In the figure, ΔX and ΔY indicate the amount of deviation from the ideal coordinates. Assume that shot areas B, C, D, and E, which have the same shape as shot area A, are lined up above, below, left, and right of shot area A. Figure 8 shows an example of the results of calculating parameters that improve the connection state of shot areas using the above method.

[0040] FIG. 9 shows the relationship between shot areas A, B, C, D, and E before and after the improvement of the shot area connection state in this embodiment. The black line indicates shot area A, and the gray lines indicate surrounding shot areas B, C, D, and E. Note that in FIG. 9, the coordinate deviation is exaggerated to make the relationship between the shot areas easier to understand. With the stitching exposure shown in FIG. 9, for example, the outer peripheries of shot area A and shot area B coincide at point P1, for example. According to a simulation, the distance between adjacent points on shot areas B, C, D, and E adjacent to shot area A was 3.60 nm before the improvement, but was reduced to 1.30 nm after the improvement.

[0041] Example 2 The operation flow of exposure apparatus 100 in Example 2 is the same as that in Figure 5. Example 1 described above has explained improvement of the connection state of shot areas when adjacent shot areas are lined up without overlapping and without gaps. Example 2 will explain improvement of the connection state of shot areas when adjacent shot areas partially overlap. Figure 10 shows an example before and after improvement of the shot connection state when shot area A and shot area B adjacent to shot area A are lined up with a partial overlap. As in Example 1, the coordinates of each point in shot area A and shot area B before improvement of the connection state are defined as follows: Right part of shot area A (i=9, j=1~9): (XaRij+ΔXaRij, YaRij+ΔYaRij) Left part of shot area B (i=9, j=1~9): (Xbij+ΔXbij, Ybij+ΔYbij)

[0042] In the first embodiment, the coordinates were taken on the sides of the shot area, but in the second embodiment, the coordinates are set to be included in the overlapping area between shot area A and shot area B. Furthermore, the coordinates when the parameters for shot area A are changed are obtained from the above-mentioned formulas 1 and 2. Here, the conditions for improving the connection area between shot area A and shot area B can be written as follows:

[0043] XaRij+ΔXaRij = Xbij+ΔXbij, …Equation 5 YaRij+ΔYaRij = Ybij+ΔYbij …Equation 6

[0044] Seventeen correction amounts can be obtained by solving an equation in which the conditions for improving the connection area of ​​the above shots are introduced into the objective function using the least squares method.

[0045] In the above embodiment, an example using the least squares method has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and known nonlinear optimization techniques may also be used.

[0046] Second Embodiment The first embodiment described above shows an example of improving the connection state between adjacent shot areas during the first exposure in the exposure process using exposure apparatus 100. However, the present invention is not limited to this purpose, and is also effective in solving the following problems.

[0047] Conventionally, to correct alignment errors in the first exposure, overlay errors were reduced by using "stage control during scanning" during the second exposure of the next layer. Here, "stage control during scanning" refers to adjusting the relative position or angle between the master stage and the substrate stage according to the exposure position in the scanning direction. To compensate for alignment errors in the second exposure, after scanning a relative distance L in the scanning direction (Y direction), the substrate stage is shifted, for example, by a distance ΔX in the non-scanning direction (X direction) to scan the remaining area. However, in reality, substrate stage control during scanning becomes discontinuous in the connection area between shot areas, and the control cannot keep up, resulting in overlay errors not only in the connection area of ​​the shot areas but also in other areas. While it is possible to reduce substrate stage control errors by slowing the scanning speed, this reduces the throughput of the second exposure. While this issue can be solved by performing exposure to eliminate alignment errors in the first exposure, if the shot area shape is deformed from the ideal shape, the connection state of the shot areas will be discontinuous even if there is no alignment error.

[0048] According to this embodiment, when performing overlay exposures from the second exposure onward on a shot area that includes the connection state of multiple shot areas, it is possible to improve the connection state of adjacent shots in the first exposure, thereby reducing overlay errors without reducing throughput.

[0049] <Embodiment of an article manufacturing method> The article manufacturing method according to an embodiment of the present invention is suitable for manufacturing articles such as microdevices, such as semiconductor devices, and elements having microstructures. The article manufacturing method according to this embodiment includes a step of transferring a pattern of an original onto a substrate using the above-described lithography apparatus (such as an exposure apparatus, imprint apparatus, or drawing apparatus), and a step of processing the substrate onto which the pattern has been transferred. Furthermore, this manufacturing method includes other well-known steps (such as oxidation, film formation, vapor deposition, doping, planarization, etching, resist stripping, dicing, bonding, and packaging). The article manufacturing method according to this embodiment is advantageous over conventional methods in at least one of the performance, quality, productivity, and production cost of the article.

[0050] <Other embodiments> The present invention can also be realized by supplying a program that realizes one or more functions of the above-described embodiments to a system or device via a network or a storage medium, and having one or more processors in the computer of the system or device read and execute the program. It can also be realized by a circuit (e.g., ASIC) that realizes one or more functions.

[0051] FIG. 11 shows a flowchart of a method for generating control information for exposure apparatus 100 to perform the above-described stitching exposure. A program corresponding to this flowchart is included in, for example, the above-described control program, and is executed by main control system 101 (CPU 101a) as an information processing device (computer). S101 and S102 in FIG. 11 correspond to the processing in S4 in FIG. 5 described above. In S101, main control system 101 acquires information on the amount of deviation from the ideal shape of the shot area of ​​the lower layer formed on the substrate (acquisition step). In S102, main control system 101 generates control information including correction information for correcting the high-order shape of at least one of the first shot area and the second shot area to be formed on the upper layer, based on the information on the amount of deviation acquired in S101 (generation step).

[0052] The disclosure of the present specification includes at least the following techniques. (Item 1) a program for causing a computer to execute a method for generating control information for a lithography apparatus that transfers a pattern onto a substrate, the lithography apparatus being configured to correct at least one of the first shot area and the second shot area of ​​the substrate so that an outer periphery of the first shot area and an outer periphery of the second shot area coincide with each other at at least one point; The program causes the computer to: an acquisition step of acquiring information on the amount of deviation of a shot area of ​​a lower layer formed on the substrate from an ideal shape; a generation step of generating control information including correction information for correcting the high-order shape of at least one of the first shot area and the second shot area to be formed on the upper layer based on the information on the amount of deviation; A program characterized by executing the following. (Item 2) 2. The program according to item 1, wherein the information on the amount of deviation is information obtained by measuring a plurality of alignment marks on the substrate. (Item 3) 3. The program described in item 1 or 2, characterized in that at least one of the sides of the first shot area and the second shot area is not a linear shape with respect to the connection between the first shot area and the second shot area, and the correction information includes information for correcting a second-order or higher-order shape of the side. (Item 4) 3. The program according to item 2, characterized in that a lithography process is performed to transfer a pattern to a test substrate, a plurality of alignment marks formed on the test substrate are measured, and information on the amount of deviation is obtained based on the results of the measurement. (Item 5) 5. The program according to any one of items 1 to 4, wherein the correction information is determined based on an objective function that represents a positional relationship between each point at an end of the first shot area and an end of the second shot area. (Item 6) a processing step of transferring a pattern to a shot area of ​​a substrate in accordance with control information, the processing step including correcting at least one of the first shot area and the second shot area so that an outer periphery of the first shot area and an outer periphery of the second shot area of ​​the substrate coincide with each other at at least one point; the control information includes correction information for correcting the high-order shape of at least one of the first shot area and the second shot area to be formed in the upper layer, the correction information being generated based on information about a deviation amount from an ideal shape of the shot area of ​​the lower layer formed on the substrate; controlling the transfer of the pattern based on the correction information; A lithography method comprising: (Item 7) 7. The lithography method according to item 6, wherein the correction is performed by correcting at least one of the first shot area and the second shot area so that the first shot area and the second shot area are adjacent to each other without a scribe line in between. (Item 8) 8. The lithography method according to item 6 or 7, wherein at least one of the sides of the first shot area and the second shot area is not linear with respect to the connection between the first shot area and the second shot area, and the correction information includes information for correcting a second-order or higher-order shape of the side. (Item 9) 9. The lithography method according to any one of items 6 to 8, comprising: performing a lithography process for transferring a pattern onto a test substrate; measuring a plurality of alignment marks formed on the test substrate; and acquiring information on the amount of misalignment based on a result of the measurement. (Item 10) 10. The lithography method according to any one of items 6 to 9, wherein the correction information is determined based on an objective function that represents a positional relationship between each point at an end of the first shot area and an end of the second shot area. (Item 11) an information processing apparatus that generates control information for a lithography apparatus that transfers a pattern onto a substrate, the lithography apparatus being configured to correct at least one of the first shot area and the second shot area of ​​the substrate so that an outer periphery of the first shot area and an outer periphery of the second shot area coincide with each other at at least one point; The information processing device includes: an acquisition means for acquiring information on the deviation amount of a shot area of ​​a lower layer formed on the substrate from an ideal shape; a generation means for generating control information including correction information for correcting the high-order shape of at least one of the first shot area and the second shot area to be formed on the upper layer based on the information on the amount of deviation; An information processing device comprising: (Item 12) 1. A lithographic apparatus for transferring a pattern onto a substrate, comprising: a control unit that performs control processing to correct at least one of the first shot area and the second shot area of ​​the substrate so that an outer periphery of the first shot area and an outer periphery of the second shot area coincide with each other at at least one point according to control information, and transfer the pattern; the control information includes correction information for correcting the high-order shape of at least one of the first shot area and the second shot area to be formed in the upper layer, the correction information being generated based on information about a deviation amount from an ideal shape of the shot area of ​​the lower layer formed on the substrate, the control unit controls formation of the pattern based on the correction information. 1. A lithography apparatus comprising: (Item 13) the lithography apparatus is an exposure apparatus that transfers a pattern of an original onto the substrate held by a substrate stage via a projection optical system; the control unit controls at least one of the projection optical system and the substrate stage based on the correction information so that at least one of a shift, a rotation, a magnification, a distortion, and a difference in aspect ratio of the at least one of the first shot area and the second shot area is adjusted. Item 13. A lithographic apparatus according to item 12, characterized in that (Item 14) the exposure apparatus is a scanning exposure apparatus that exposes the substrate while scanning the original and the substrate, the control unit controls at least one of the projection optical system and the substrate stage based on the correction information so as to adjust at least one of a shift, a rotation, a magnification, a distortion, and a difference in aspect ratio of the at least one of the first shot area and the second shot area, and a shift, a rotation, a magnification, and a distortion of the at least one of the first shot area and the second shot area during scanning exposure. Item 14. A lithographic apparatus according to item 13, characterized in that (Item 15) A transfer step of transferring a pattern onto a substrate according to the lithography method according to any one of items 6 to 10; a processing step of processing the substrate that has undergone the transfer step, A method for manufacturing an article, characterized in that an article is obtained from the substrate that has been subjected to the processing step.

[0053] 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]

[0054] 100: exposure device, 101: main control system, 108: original, 109: original stage, 114: illumination optical system, 110: projection optical system, 111: substrate, 112: substrate holder, 113: substrate stage

Claims

1. a program for causing a computer to execute a method for generating control information for a lithography apparatus that transfers a pattern onto a substrate, the lithography apparatus being configured to correct at least one of the first shot area and the second shot area of ​​the substrate so that an outer periphery of the first shot area and an outer periphery of the second shot area coincide with each other at at least one point; The program causes the computer to: an acquisition step of acquiring information on the amount of deviation of a shot area of ​​a lower layer formed on the substrate from an ideal shape; a generating step of generating control information including correction information for correcting a high-order shape of at least one of the first shot area and the second shot area to be formed on the upper layer based on information about the deviation amount; A program characterized by executing the following.

2. 2. The program according to claim 1, wherein the information on the amount of deviation is information obtained by measuring a plurality of alignment marks on the substrate.

3. 2. The program of claim 1, wherein at least one of the sides of the first shot area and the second shot area is not linear with respect to the connection between the first shot area and the second shot area, and the correction information includes information for correcting a second- or higher-order shape of the side.

4. 3. The program according to claim 2, further comprising: performing a lithography process to transfer a pattern onto a test substrate; measuring a plurality of alignment marks formed on the test substrate; and obtaining information on the amount of deviation based on the results of the measurement.

5. 5. The program according to claim 1, wherein the correction information is determined based on an objective function that represents a positional relationship between each point at an end of the first shot area and an end of the second shot area.

6. a processing step of transferring a pattern to a shot area of ​​a substrate in accordance with control information, the processing step including correcting at least one of the first shot area and the second shot area so that an outer periphery of the first shot area and an outer periphery of the second shot area of ​​the substrate coincide with each other at at least one point; the control information includes correction information for correcting the high-order shape of at least one of the first shot area and the second shot area to be formed in the upper layer, the correction information being generated based on information about a deviation amount from an ideal shape of the shot area of ​​the lower layer formed on the substrate; controlling the transfer of the pattern based on the correction information; A lithography method comprising:

7. 7. The lithography method according to claim 6, wherein the correction is performed by correcting at least one of the first shot area and the second shot area so that the first shot area and the second shot area are adjacent to each other without a scribe line therebetween.

8. 7. The lithography method of claim 6, wherein at least one of the sides of the first shot area and the second shot area is not linear with respect to a connection between the first shot area and the second shot area, and the correction information includes information for correcting a second-order or higher-order shape of the side.

9. 7. The lithography method according to claim 6, further comprising the steps of: performing a lithography process to transfer a pattern onto a test substrate; measuring a plurality of alignment marks formed on the test substrate; and acquiring information on the amount of deviation based on the results of the measurement.

10. 7. The lithography method according to claim 6, wherein the correction information is determined based on an objective function that represents a positional relationship between each point at an end of the first shot area and an end of the second shot area.

11. an information processing apparatus that generates control information for a lithography apparatus that transfers a pattern onto a substrate, the lithography apparatus being configured to correct at least one of the first shot area and the second shot area of ​​the substrate so that an outer periphery of the first shot area and an outer periphery of the second shot area coincide with each other at at least one point; The information processing device includes: an acquisition means for acquiring information on the deviation amount of a shot area of ​​a lower layer formed on the substrate from an ideal shape; a generation means for generating control information including correction information for correcting a high-order shape of at least one of the first shot area and the second shot area to be formed on the upper layer based on information about the amount of deviation; An information processing device comprising:

12. 1. A lithographic apparatus for transferring a pattern onto a substrate, comprising: a control unit that performs control processing to correct at least one of the first shot area and the second shot area of ​​the substrate so that an outer periphery of the first shot area and an outer periphery of the second shot area coincide with each other at at least one point according to control information, and transfer the pattern; the control information includes correction information for correcting the high-order shape of at least one of the first shot area and the second shot area to be formed in the upper layer, the correction information being generated based on information about a deviation amount from an ideal shape of the shot area of ​​the lower layer formed on the substrate, the control unit controls formation of the pattern based on the correction information.

1. A lithography apparatus comprising:

13. the lithography apparatus is an exposure apparatus that transfers a pattern of an original onto the substrate held by a substrate stage via a projection optical system; the control unit controls at least one of the projection optical system and the substrate stage based on the correction information so that at least one of a shift, a rotation, a magnification, a distortion, and an aspect ratio difference of at least one of the first shot area and the second shot area is adjusted. A lithographic apparatus according to claim 12.

14. the exposure apparatus is a scanning exposure apparatus that exposes the substrate while scanning the original and the substrate, the control unit controls at least one of the projection optical system and the substrate stage based on the correction information so as to adjust at least one of a shift, a rotation, a magnification, a distortion, and an aspect ratio difference of the at least one of the first shot area and the second shot area, and a shift, a rotation, a magnification, and a distortion of the at least one of the first shot area and the second shot area during scanning exposure. A lithographic apparatus according to claim 13.

15. a transfer step of transferring a pattern onto a substrate according to the lithography method of any one of claims 6 to 10; a processing step of processing the substrate that has undergone the transfer step, A method for manufacturing an article, characterized in that an article is obtained from the substrate that has been subjected to the processing step.

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