Exposure apparatus

Abstract

The purpose of the present invention is to provide technology capable of drawing a pattern with high precision even if movement of a stage causes deformation in a support member for exposure heads. An exposure apparatus (100) includes a base (1), a stage (2), a stage-moving mechanism (3), a gantry (4), exposure heads (51), a displacement sensor (6), and a control unit (9). The stage (2) can hold a substrate (W) and is supported by the base (1). The stage (2) is moved in the Y direction with respect to the base (1). The gantry (4) is fixed to the base (1). The exposure heads (51) are supported by the gantry (4). The displacement sensor (6) measures the displacement amount of the support member (4) with respect to the base (1) in the Y direction and the X direction. A correction unit of the control unit (9) uses the displacement amount measured by the displacement sensor (6) to correct the exposure position of exposure by the exposure heads (51).

Description

exposure equipment

[0001] The subject matter disclosed herein relates to an exposure apparatus.

[0002] For example, exposure apparatuses that perform direct imaging by irradiating light are known as a method for forming a pattern on a substrate such as a semiconductor wafer or glass substrate. This type of exposure apparatus holds a substrate on which a photosensitive layer such as resist has been formed on a stage, and moves the stage in the main scanning direction relative to a base. The exposure apparatus also draws a predetermined pattern on the photosensitive layer by emitting pattern light from an exposure head that corresponds to the position of the stage in the main scanning direction.

[0003] In exposure apparatuses, the exposure head is generally supported by a support member such as a gantry fixed to a base. The stage is configured to move relative to the base. In this case, when the stage is moved, the load distribution throughout the apparatus changes, which can cause distortion in the support member. If distortion occurs in the support member, the exposure head may be displaced, potentially causing the exposure position to shift.

[0004] For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a stage device that detects the yaw angle of a Y stage relative to a gantry unit. In this stage device, a photodetector is attached to the center of the front end of the stage, and a laser emitter is attached to the middle position of the gantry unit, irradiating the photodetector with laser light. The photodetector and laser emitter constitute a measurement means that measures positional deviation with respect to the Y axis, and are arranged so that the optical axis of the laser light emitted from the laser emitter coincides with the movement direction (Y direction) of the Y stage when the Y stage is in a reference position. The amount of positional deviation in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis is then detected from the light intensity distribution detected by the photodetector.

[0005] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2007-115720

[0006] However, in the case of Patent Document 1, the photodetector moves together with the Y stage, causing the photodetector itself to vibrate, etc. This makes it difficult to accurately detect the position of the gantry unit. Furthermore, there are limitations, such as the inability to detect the position of the gantry unit in the Y direction.

[0007] An object of the present invention is to provide a technique that can perform exposure with high precision even when a support member for an exposure head is distorted due to movement of the stage.

[0008] In order to solve the above problem, a first aspect is an exposure apparatus comprising: a stage capable of holding a base and a substrate and supported on the base; a movement mechanism that moves the stage in a first direction relative to the base; a support member fixed to the base; an exposure head supported on the support member; a displacement sensor that measures the amount of displacement of the support member relative to the base in at least one of the first direction or a second direction intersecting the first direction; and a correction unit that uses the amount of displacement measured by the displacement sensor to correct the exposure position at which the exposure head exposes.

[0009] A second aspect is the exposure apparatus of the first aspect, wherein the displacement sensor is attached to the support member, and the displacement sensor detects the position of a detection body fixed to the base.

[0010] A third aspect is the exposure apparatus of the first aspect, wherein the displacement sensor is attached to the base, and the displacement sensor detects the position of a detection body fixed to the support member.

[0011] A fourth aspect is the exposure apparatus of the first or second aspect, wherein the displacement sensor is an optical sensor.

[0012] A fifth aspect is the exposure apparatus of the fourth aspect, wherein the optical sensor detects light reflected by a mirror fixed to the support member or the base.

[0013] A sixth aspect is the exposure apparatus of any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the displacement sensor is a linear encoder.

[0014] A seventh aspect is the exposure apparatus of any one of the first to third aspects, wherein the displacement sensor is a stylus sensor.

[0015] An eighth aspect is an exposure apparatus according to any one of the first to seventh aspects, wherein the correction unit calculates the displacement amount of the exposure head using the displacement amount measured by the displacement sensor and an equation relating the displacement amount of the support member and the displacement amount of the exposure head.

[0016] A ninth aspect is an exposure apparatus according to any one of the first to eighth aspects, wherein the displacement sensor has a first displacement sensor and a second displacement sensor, and the correction unit corrects the exposure position based on the amount of displacement measured by the first displacement sensor and the second displacement sensor.

[0017] A tenth aspect is the exposure apparatus of the ninth aspect, wherein the first displacement sensor and the second displacement sensor are arranged asymmetrically with respect to the center of the support member.

[0018] An eleventh aspect is the exposure apparatus of the tenth aspect, wherein the exposure head is disposed between the first displacement sensor and the second displacement sensor.

[0019] According to the exposure apparatus of the first to eleventh aspects, the amount of displacement of the support member relative to the base is measured, and the exposure position is corrected in accordance with that amount of displacement. Therefore, even if the support member is distorted due to movement of the stage, exposure can be performed with high precision.

[0020] The exposure apparatus of the sixth aspect is more advantageous than an optical sensor because it can measure displacement without being affected by air fluctuations.

[0021] According to the exposure apparatus of the seventh aspect, the stylus sensor detects displacement by physical contact, so it can measure displacement almost in real time. Furthermore, it is more advantageous than an optical sensor because it can measure displacement without being affected by air fluctuations.

[0022] According to the exposure apparatus of the eighth aspect, the exposure position can be appropriately corrected using the displacement amount of the exposure head.

[0023] According to the exposure apparatus of the ninth aspect, when the support member is deformed, the translational component of the exposure head and the rotational component around the exposure head can be detected from the displacement amounts measured by the first displacement sensor and the second displacement sensor, respectively. This makes it possible to improve the accuracy of correction compared to when the exposure position is corrected using the displacement amount at one location.

[0024] According to the exposure apparatus of the ninth aspect, when the support member is deformed, the translational component of the exposure head and the rotational component around the exposure head can be detected from the displacement amounts measured by the first displacement sensor and the second displacement sensor, respectively. This makes it possible to improve the accuracy of correction compared to when the exposure position is corrected using the displacement amount at one location.

[0025] According to the exposure apparatus of the tenth aspect, it is possible to distinguish between rotational deformation, translational deformation, and bending deformation of the support member based on the measurement results of the two displacement sensors, thereby improving the accuracy of correction of the exposure position.

[0026] FIG. 1 is a front view of an exposure apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a side view of an exposure apparatus according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the control unit shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a schematic view of a gantry deforming in the Y direction due to movement of a stage. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a schematic view of a gantry deforming in the X direction due to movement of a stage. FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a schematic view of the main deformation patterns of the gantry. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the arrangement of a first displacement sensor and a second displacement sensor relative to the gantry, and the measurement results of the displacement amount for each main deformation pattern.

[0027] Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the components described in the embodiment are merely examples and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. In the drawings, the dimensions and numbers of each part may be exaggerated or simplified as necessary to facilitate understanding.

[0028] In addition, in each drawing, to facilitate understanding of the positional relationship of each element, an XYZ Cartesian coordinate system is appropriately provided, with the X-axis and Y-axis directions being horizontal and the Z-axis direction being vertical, and the direction toward the +Z side being upward and the direction toward the -Z side being downward.

[0029] 1. Embodiments Fig. 1 is a front view of an exposure apparatus 100 according to an embodiment. Fig. 2 is a side view of the exposure apparatus 100 according to an embodiment. The exposure apparatus 100 is an apparatus that irradiates light onto the upper surface of a substrate W on which a layer of photosensitive material such as resist has been formed, to write a pattern. The substrate W is, for example, a semiconductor substrate, a printed circuit board, a substrate for a color filter, a glass substrate for a flat panel display used in a weather display device or a plasma display device, or a substrate for an optical disc.

[0030] The exposure apparatus 100 includes a base 1 , a stage 2 , a stage moving mechanism 3 , a gantry 4 , an exposure unit 5 , a displacement sensor 6 , and a control unit 9 .

[0031] The base 1 is a member that supports each element provided in the exposure apparatus 100, and has a rectangular shape when viewed from above. Specifically, the base 1 supports the stage 2, the stage movement mechanism 3, the gantry 4, the exposure unit 5, and the displacement sensor 6 from below.

[0032] The stage 2 has an upper surface that holds the substrate W. The substrate W is placed on the upper surface of the stage 2 in a horizontal position. A plurality of suction holes are formed in the upper surface of the stage 2. The stage 2 can fix the substrate W to the upper surface of the stage 2 by applying a negative pressure (suction pressure) to the suction holes. Note that a chuck that grips the periphery of the substrate W may be provided on the upper surface of the stage 2, and the substrate W may be fixed by the chuck.

[0033] The stage moving mechanism 3 is a mechanism that moves the stage 2 in the main scanning direction (Y-axis direction), the sub-scanning direction (X-axis direction), and the rotation direction (rotation direction around the Z-axis (θ-axis direction)). The stage moving mechanism 3 has a support plate 31, a sub-scanning mechanism 32, a base plate 33, a main scanning mechanism 34, and a rotation mechanism 35.

[0034] The support plate 31 is disposed below the stage 2 and rotatably supports the stage 2. The base plate 33 is disposed below the support plate 31 and supports the support plate 31 and the sub-scanning mechanism 32. The sub-scanning mechanism 32 moves the support plate 31 relative to the base plate 33 in the X direction, which is the sub-scanning direction. The main scanning mechanism 34 moves the base plate 33 relative to the base 1 in the Y direction, which is the main scanning direction. The sub-scanning mechanism 32 and the main scanning mechanism 34 are configured, for example, by a linear motor mechanism including a linear motor and a guide, or a ball screw mechanism including a rotary motor, a ball screw, and a guide. The rotation mechanism 35 is provided on the support plate 31 and rotates the stage 2 about a rotation axis A extending in the Z direction. The operation of the sub-scanning mechanism 32 and the main scanning mechanism 34 is controlled by the control unit 9.

[0035] The gantry 4 is fixed to the base 1. The gantry 4 has two support columns 41 and a beam 43. The lower part of the support column 41 is fixed to the base 1 and extends in the Z direction. The two support columns 41 are arranged with a gap in the X direction. The beam 43 connects the upper parts of the two support columns 41 and extends in the X direction. In this example, the stage 2 and the base plate 33 of the stage moving mechanism 3 are arranged between the two support columns 41 in the X direction. The beam 43 is arranged above the stage 2.

[0036] The gantry 4 supports the exposure unit 5 and the displacement sensor 6. Each exposure head 51 of the exposure unit 5, which will be described later, and the displacement sensor 6 are fixed to the −X side surface of a beam portion 43 of the gantry 4. The gantry 4 is an example of a “support member.”

[0037] The exposure unit 5 has one or more exposure heads 51. In this example, three exposure heads 51 are arranged along the X-axis direction. Each exposure head 51 has a spatial light modulator 510. The spatial light modulator 510 modulates laser light based on strip data corresponding to the drawing pattern.

[0038] The exposure unit 5 has a light irradiation section 53. The light irradiation section 53 irradiates the exposure heads 51 with laser light. More specifically, the light irradiation section 53 has a laser driver 531, a laser oscillator 533, and an illumination optical system 535. When the laser driver 531 is activated, the laser oscillator 533 emits laser light to the illumination optical system 535. The illumination optical system 535 changes the magnification of the laser light incident from the laser oscillator 533 and homogenizes the light amount distribution. The laser light emitted from the illumination optical system 535 is irradiated onto the spatial light modulator 510 of each exposure head 51.

[0039] The spatial light modulator 510 spatially modulates the laser light irradiated from the light irradiation unit 53 on a channel-by-channel basis, and reflects necessary light that contributes to pattern drawing and unnecessary light that does not contribute to pattern drawing in different directions. Note that spatially modulating light means changing the spatial distribution (amplitude, phase, polarization, etc.) of light. The exposure head 51 irradiates the modulated laser light onto the substrate W moving directly below the exposure head 51. In this way, the drawing pattern is exposed on the unprocessed substrate W.

[0040] The spatial light modulator 510 may be, for example, a diffraction grating type optical element such as a GLV (Grating Light Valve, a registered trademark of Silicon Light Machines, Inc., USA) or a DMD (Digital Mirror Device).

[0041] The displacement sensor 6 is a device that measures the amount of displacement of the gantry 4 relative to the base 1. Hereinafter, unless otherwise specified, the amount of displacement of the gantry 4 relative to the base 1 will be simply referred to as the "amount of displacement of the gantry 4."

[0042] 1 and 2 , the displacement sensor 6 has a first displacement sensor 61 and a second displacement sensor 62. As will be described later, the first displacement sensor 61 and the second displacement sensor 62 are capable of measuring the amount of displacement of the gantry 4 in the Y direction and the X direction. The stage 2, the stage moving mechanism 3, and each exposure head 51 are positioned between the first displacement sensor 61 and the second displacement sensor 62 in the X direction. The first displacement sensor 61 and the second displacement sensor 62 transmit the measured amount of displacement of the gantry 4 to the control unit 9.

[0043] The exposure apparatus 100 has two connecting members 63 that support a first displacement sensor 61 and a second displacement sensor 62. The connecting members 63 are members that extend in the Z direction. The two connecting members 63 are made of, for example, metal plates and are highly rigid members. The upper parts of the two connecting members 63 are fixed to the beam portion 43 of the gantry 4. The first displacement sensor 61 and the second displacement sensor 62 are fixed to the lower parts of the two connecting members 63, respectively. The first displacement sensor 61 and the second displacement sensor 62 are fixed to the beam portion 43 of the gantry 4 via the two connecting members 63. Therefore, the first displacement sensor 61 and the second displacement sensor 62 can measure the displacement of the beam portion 43 relative to the base 1. Each exposure head 51 is located between the two connecting members 63 in the X direction.

[0044] The first displacement sensor 61 and the second displacement sensor 62 are, for example, optical sensors. That is, the first displacement sensor 61 and the second displacement sensor 62 measure the displacement of the detection object by irradiating the detection object with light from a light source and detecting the light reflected by the detection object with a detector. In this example, the exposure apparatus 100 has, as the detection objects, four mirrors 611, 613, 621, and 623 fixed to the upper surface of the base 1.

[0045] The mirror 611 is positioned away from the first displacement sensor 61 on the -Y side. The first displacement sensor 61 measures the displacement amount of the gantry 4 in the Y direction by detecting light reflected by the mirror 611. The mirror 613 is positioned away from the first displacement sensor 61 on the +X side. The first displacement sensor 61 measures the displacement amount of the gantry 4 in the X direction by detecting light reflected by the mirror 613.

[0046] The mirror 621 is positioned away from the second displacement sensor 62 on the −Y side. The second displacement sensor 62 measures the displacement amount of the gantry 4 in the Y direction by detecting light reflected by the mirror 621. The mirror 623 is positioned away from the second displacement sensor 62 on the −X side. The second displacement sensor 62 measures the displacement amount of the gantry 4 in the X direction by detecting light reflected by the mirror 623.

[0047] The positional relationship between the first displacement sensor 61 and the mirrors 611 and 613 is not limited to the above description. For example, the mirror 611 may be located on the +Y side of the first displacement sensor 61, and the mirror 613 may be located on the −X side of the first displacement sensor 61. The same applies to the mirrors 621 and 623.

[0048] 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the control unit 9 shown in FIG. 1. The control unit 9 includes a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a storage unit 99. The storage unit 99 is electrically connected to the processor and is specifically configured by a storage device such as a RAM (Random Access Memory) or a hard disk. The processor functions as an irradiation control unit 91, a stage control unit 93, a drawing control unit 95, and a driver 97 by executing programs stored in the storage unit 99. Note that some of the functions of the control unit 9 may be realized in hardware using dedicated circuits.

[0049] The irradiation control unit 91 controls the light irradiation unit 53 of the exposure unit 5 to cause the light irradiation unit 53 to emit a line beam of light toward the exposure head 51. The stage control unit 93 controls the stage movement mechanism 3 to move the stage 2 relative to the exposure head 51. The drawing control unit 95 controls the driver 97 based on the drawing recipe stored in the storage unit 99 and position information of the stage 2 to cause the driver 97 to apply a drive voltage to the spatial light modulator 510. As a result, the control unit 9 causes the spatial light modulator 510 to modulate the line beam of light so as to correspond to the drawing pattern.

[0050] The writing recipe describes, for example, pattern data indicating a writing pattern to be formed on the substrate W and various conditions for writing (such as the amount of light emitted from the exposure unit 5 and the moving speed of the stage 2) in a predetermined data format. The pattern data is, for example, data obtained by rasterizing CAD (computer aided design) data generated using CAD, and position information on the substrate W to be irradiated with light is recorded in pixel units. The position information of the stage 2 is data measured by a length measuring device (not shown). The length measuring device is, for example, an interference-type laser length measuring device or a linear encoder provided in the main scanning mechanism 34.

[0051] The writing control unit 95 also has a correction unit 951. The correction unit 951 corrects the exposure position at which each exposure head 51 exposes by controlling the driver 97 using the displacement amount of the gantry 4 measured by the first displacement sensor 61 and the second displacement sensor 62. Next, the function of the correction unit 951 will be described.

[0052] FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing how the gantry 4 deforms in the Y direction due to movement of the stage 2. FIG. 5 is a diagram schematically showing how the gantry 4 deforms in the X direction due to movement of the stage 2. When a pattern is drawn on a substrate W in the exposure apparatus 100, as shown in FIG. 4, the stage movement mechanism 3 moves the stage 2 in the Y direction (main scanning direction) for each exposure head 51 from a movement start position indicated by a dashed line. This exposes a strip-shaped area extending in the Y direction on the top surface of the substrate W. The stage 2 is also moved in the X direction (sub-scanning direction) by an amount equal to the width of the strip-shaped area. By repeatedly moving the stage in the Y direction and the X direction in this manner, a pattern is drawn on the entire top surface of the substrate W.

[0053] Here, when the stage 2 is moved in the Y direction, the load distribution throughout the exposure apparatus 100 changes. This may cause distortion in the gantry 4. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 4, the beams 43 of the gantry 4 bend in the +Y direction while the stage 2 moves in the Y direction. Also, in the example shown in FIG. 5, the beams 43 of the gantry 4 shift in the X direction while the stage 2 moves in the Y direction. When distortion occurs in the gantry 4 in this way, the positions of the exposure heads 51 fixed to the gantry 4 are displaced from their predetermined positions, resulting in a shift in the exposure positions of the exposure heads 51.

[0054] In this embodiment, while the stage 2 moves in the Y direction, the drawing control unit 95 acquires the displacement amounts of the gantry 4 in the X direction and the Y direction detected by the first displacement sensor 61 and the second displacement sensor 62. Note that, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, when a displacement occurs in the gantry 4, the first displacement sensor 61 and the second displacement sensor 62 also displace in accordance with the displacement of the gantry 4. Therefore, the first displacement sensor 61 and the second displacement sensor 62 can appropriately measure the displacement amounts of the gantry 4 in the X direction and the Y direction.

[0055] The correction unit 951 of the writing control unit 95 obtains the displacement amount of each exposure head 51 from the measured displacement amount of the gantry 4. Then, the correction unit 951 corrects the exposure position of the exposure head 51 using the obtained displacement amount of each exposure head. In this way, while writing is being performed in the exposure apparatus 100, that is, while the stage 2 is moving in the Y direction, the correction unit 951 corrects the exposure position using the displacement amount measured by the displacement sensor 6. In other words, the correction unit 951 corrects the position at which each exposure head 51 irradiates pattern light in accordance with the displacement amount.

[0056] When obtaining the displacement amount of each exposure head 51 from each measured displacement amount, the correction unit 951 may use a relational expression that indicates the relationship between the displacement amount of the gantry 4 and the displacement amount of the exposure head 51. This relational expression is obtained in advance and stored in the memory unit 99. For example, such a relational expression may be obtained by providing a displacement sensor in each exposure head 51 and using the actually measured displacement amount of the exposure head 51 and the displacement amounts measured by each of the first displacement sensors 61 and second displacement sensors 62. Alternatively, the relational expression may be calculated by structural simulation from the correspondence between the movement at the positions of the first displacement sensor 61 and the second displacement sensor 62 and the movement of each exposure head 51. Furthermore, various methods such as tables, regression, machine learning, and deep learning can be used to construct the relational expression.

[0057] Furthermore, when correcting the exposure position, for example, the timing of turning the spatial light modulator 510 on and off may be changed depending on the amount of displacement according to the position of the stage 2, or the pattern data may be expanded or contracted depending on the amount of displacement.

[0058] As described above, according to this embodiment, the displacement sensor 6 measures the amount of displacement of the gantry 4 relative to the base 1, and the exposure position of the exposure head 51 is corrected using that amount of displacement. As a result, even if the gantry 4 is displaced relative to the base 1 due to movement of the stage 2, the exposure position is corrected according to the amount of displacement, allowing for accurate exposure. Furthermore, it is possible to increase the rigidity of the gantry 4 in order to suppress distortion of the gantry 4 due to movement of the stage 2, but this would increase the manufacturing costs of the apparatus and could cause problems such as increased transportation costs for the apparatus and restrictions on installation locations. The exposure apparatus 100 of this embodiment makes it possible to avoid these problems.

[0059] Furthermore, in the X direction, the exposure head 51 is disposed between the first displacement sensor 61 and the second displacement sensor 62. With this configuration, when the gantry 4 is deformed, the first displacement sensor 61 and the second displacement sensor 62 can detect the translation component of each exposure head 51 in the X direction or the Y direction, and the rotation component around each exposure head 51. This allows the exposure position to be corrected according to each of the translation component and rotation component of each exposure head 51, thereby improving the correction accuracy compared to when the exposure position is corrected using the displacement amount at one location.

[0060] In this embodiment, the first displacement sensor 61 and the second displacement sensor 62 are arranged symmetrically with respect to the center of the gantry 4 in the X direction. That is, the measurement position of the first displacement sensor 61 and the measurement position of the second displacement sensor 62 are equidistant from the center of the gantry 4 in the X direction. However, the first displacement sensor 61 and the second displacement sensor 62 may also be arranged asymmetrically with respect to the center of the gantry 4. Below, with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7 , advantages of asymmetrically arranging the first displacement sensor 61 and the second displacement sensor 62 will be described.

[0061] 6A to 6C are diagrams schematically showing the main deformation patterns of the gantry 4. Fig. 6A is a top view showing the gantry 4 that has undergone rotational (torsional) deformation, Fig. 6B is a top view showing the gantry 4 that has undergone translational (tilting) deformation, and Fig. 6C is a top view showing the gantry 4 that has undergone bending deformation. Note that in Figs. 6A to 6C, the gantry 4 (beams 43) in an undeformed state is shown by dashed lines, and the gantry 4 (beams 43) in a deformed state is shown by solid lines.

[0062] As shown in Fig. 6(A), in the case of rotational deformation, the +X side end and the -X side end of the gantry 4 are displaced by approximately the same amount in opposite directions in the Y direction. Also, as shown in Fig. 6(B), in the case of translational deformation, the +X side end, the -X side end, and the central portion in the X direction of the gantry 4 are displaced approximately equally in the +Y direction (or the opposite direction). Furthermore, in the case of bending deformation, as shown in Fig. 6(C), the displacement toward the +Y side increases as one approaches the center C of the gantry 4 in the X direction.

[0063] 7A and 7B are diagrams schematically illustrating the arrangement of the first displacement sensor 61 and the second displacement sensor 62 relative to the gantry 4 and the measurement results of the displacement amount in the Y direction for each major deformation pattern. FIG. 7A is a diagram schematically illustrating the measurement results of the displacement amount when the first displacement sensor 61 and the second displacement sensor 62 are arranged symmetrically with respect to the center C of the gantry 4. When the two sensors are arranged symmetrically, the measurement results of the two sensors are opposite in the case of rotational deformation and are the same in the case of translational deformation and bending deformation. Therefore, it is possible to distinguish between rotational deformation and translational or rotational deformation from the measurement results. On the other hand, in the case of translational deformation and bending deformation, the measurement results of the two sensors show approximately the same displacement amount. Therefore, it is difficult to distinguish between translational deformation and bending deformation from the measurement results.

[0064] FIG. 7B is a diagram schematically illustrating the measurement results of the displacement amount when the first displacement sensor 61 and the second displacement sensor 62 are arranged asymmetrically with respect to the center C of the gantry 4. In this example, the second displacement sensor 62 is arranged closer to the center C of the gantry 4 than the first displacement sensor 61. Even when the two sensors are arranged asymmetrically, the measurement results of the two sensors are opposite to each other in the case of rotational deformation, but are the same in the case of translational deformation and bending deformation. Therefore, it is possible to distinguish between rotational deformation and translational or rotational deformation from the measurement results. Furthermore, in the case of bending deformation, the measurement results of the two sensors indicate different displacement amounts. Therefore, it is possible to distinguish between translational deformation and bending deformation from the measurement results.

[0065] 7(C) is a diagram schematically illustrating the measurement results of the displacement amount when the first displacement sensor 61 and the second displacement sensor 62 are arranged asymmetrically with respect to the center C of the gantry 4 and on the same side of the center C. In this example, the two sensors are arranged on the +X side of the center C. In this arrangement, the measurement results of the two sensors indicate the same direction in the Y direction for any deformation. However, when the measurement results of the two sensors are compared, in the case of rotational deformation, the measurement result of the first sensor 61 indicates a larger displacement amount, in the case of translational deformation, the measurement results of the two sensors indicate approximately the same displacement amount, and in the case of bending deformation, the measurement result of the second sensor 62 indicates a larger displacement amount. In this way, it is possible to distinguish between rotational deformation, translational deformation, and bending deformation from the measurement results.

[0066] As described above, when the first displacement sensor 61 and the second displacement sensor 62 are arranged asymmetrically with respect to the center C of the gantry 4, three main deformation patterns can be distinguished from the measurement results. This makes it possible to improve the accuracy of correcting the exposure position.

[0067] 2. Modifications Although the embodiments have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above and various modifications are possible.

[0068] For example, in the above embodiment, the first displacement sensor 61 and the second displacement sensor 62 are fixed to the beam portion 43 via the connecting member 63, but they may also be fixed to the support portion 41 instead of the beam portion 43.

[0069] Furthermore, the first displacement sensor 61 and the second displacement sensor 62 may be fixed to the base 1. In this case, the mirrors 611, 613, 621, and 623, which are the detection bodies, may be fixed to the gantry 4 via a connecting member 63 or the like.

[0070] In addition, in the above embodiment, the first displacement sensor 61 and the second displacement sensor 62 are configured to measure the displacement amount of the gantry 4 in the X direction and the Y direction, but they may also be configured to measure the displacement amount in the Z direction.

[0071] In the above embodiment, the first displacement sensor 61 and the second displacement sensor 62 are optical sensors, but they may also be linear encoders, which are more advantageous than optical sensors in that they can measure displacement without being affected by air fluctuations.

[0072] The first displacement sensor 61 and the second displacement sensor 62 may be stylus sensors. Stylus sensors detect displacement through physical contact, so they can measure displacement almost in real time. They are also advantageous over optical sensors in that they can measure displacement without being affected by air fluctuations.

[0073] Although the present invention has been described in detail, the above description is merely illustrative in all respects and does not limit the present invention. It is understood that countless variations not illustrated can be envisioned without departing from the scope of the present invention. The configurations described in the above embodiments and variations can be combined or omitted as appropriate as long as they are not mutually inconsistent.

[0074] REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 1: Base 2: Stage 3: Stage moving mechanism 4: Gantry (support member) 6: Displacement sensor 9: Control unit 51: Exposure head 61: First displacement sensor 62: Second displacement sensor 100: Exposure device 611, 613, 621, 623: Mirrors 951: Correction unit W: Substrate

Claims

1. An exposure apparatus comprising: a base; a stage capable of holding a substrate and supported by the base; a movement mechanism for moving the stage in a first direction relative to the base; a support member fixed to the base; an exposure head supported by the support member; a displacement sensor for measuring an amount of displacement of the support member relative to the base in at least one of the first direction or a second direction intersecting the first direction; and a correction unit for correcting an exposure position at which the exposure head exposes using the amount of displacement measured by the displacement sensor.

2. An exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the displacement sensor is attached to the support member, and the displacement sensor detects the position of a detection object fixed to the base.

3. An exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the displacement sensor is attached to the base, and the displacement sensor detects the position of a detection object fixed to the support member.

4. An exposure apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the displacement sensor is an optical sensor.

5. An exposure apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the optical sensor detects light reflected by a mirror fixed to the support member or the base.

6. An exposure apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the displacement sensor is a linear encoder.

7. An exposure apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the displacement sensor is a stylus sensor.

8. An exposure apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the correction unit calculates the amount of displacement of the exposure head using the amount of displacement measured by the displacement sensor and a relational equation between the amount of displacement of the support member and the amount of displacement of the exposure head.

9. An exposure apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the displacement sensor has a first displacement sensor and a second displacement sensor, and the correction unit corrects the exposure position based on the amount of displacement measured by the first displacement sensor and the second displacement sensor.

10. An exposure apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the first displacement sensor and the second displacement sensor are arranged asymmetrically with respect to the center of the support member.

11. An exposure apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the exposure head is disposed between the first displacement sensor and the second displacement sensor.

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