1040 results about "Pattern formation" patented technology

Positional information of a movable body in a Y-axis direction is measured using an interferometer and an encoder whose short-term stability of measurement values excels when compared with the interferometer, and based on the measurement results, a predetermined calibration operation for obtaining correction information for correcting measurement values of the encoder is performed. Accordingly, by using measurement values of the interferometer, correction information for correcting the measurement values of the encoder whose short-term stability of the measurement values excels the interferometer is obtained. Then, based on the measurement values of the encoder and the correction information, the movable body is driven in the Y-axis direction with good precision.

An object of the present inventions is to overcome a problem that the presence of a metal film, which is opaque to a visible light, between a lower layer alignment mark and a photoresist prevents the detection of the lower layer alignment mark, to make the pattern formation difficult. In the present inventions, an insulating film is placed beneath the alignment mark in structure; an alignment mark consisting of said multi-layered film comprising an alignment mark layer and the insulating film, which constitutes a stepped part with an increased difference in level, is first formed, inside a mark hole, in a manner of self-alignment; and then the metal film which is the very cause of the above problem is formed thereon. Since the metal film itself has a stepped shape corresponding to the alignment mark, alignment can be made with great accuracy.

The semiconductor fabrication apparatus of this invention includes an exposure section provided within a chamber for exposing a design pattern on a resist film applied on a wafer, and a liquid recycle section for supplying, onto the wafer, a liquid for use in immersion lithography for increasing the numerical aperture of exposing light during exposure while recycling the liquid. The liquid recycle section includes a liquid supply part for supplying the liquid onto the resist film of the wafer, a liquid discharge part for discharging and recovering the liquid from above the wafer, and an impurity removal part for containing the liquid and removing an impurity included in the liquid.

A laser beam emitted by an encoder main body enters a wafer table via a PBS from the outside, and reaches a grating at a point that is located right under exposure area, and is diffracted by the grating. Then, by receiving interference light of a first polarized component that has returned from the grating and a second polarized component reflected by the PBS, positional information of the wafer table is measured. Accordingly, because the first polarized component, which has passed through PBS passes through the wafer table until it is synthesized with the second polarized component again, does not proceed through the atmosphere outside, position measurement of the wafer table can be performed with high precision without the measurement beam being affected by the fluctuation of the atmosphere around the wafer table.

A drive unit drives a wafer table in a Y-axis direction based on a measurement value of an encoder that measures position information of the wafer table in the Y-axis direction and based on known correction information in accordance with position information of the wafer table in a non-measurement direction (e.g. Z, θz and θx directions) that is measured by an interferometer at the time of the measurement by the encoder. That is, the wafer table (a movable body) is driven in the Y-axis direction based on the measurement value of the encoder that has been corrected by correction information for correcting a measurement error of the encoder that is caused by a relative displacement of a head and a scale in the non-measurement direction. Accordingly, the movable body can be driven with high accuracy in a desired direction while measuring the position by the encoder, without being affected by the relative motion between the head and the scale in directions other than a direction to be measured (measurement direction).

A controller inclines a movable body with respect to an XY plane at an angle α in a periodic direction of a grating, based on a measurement value of an interferometer which measures an angle of inclination of the movable body to the XY plane, and based on a measurement value of an encoder system and information of angle α before and after the inclination, and computes an Abbe offset quantity of the grating surface with respect to a reference surface (e.g., an image plane of a projection optical system) which serves as a reference for position control of the movable body in the XY plane. Then, the controller drives the movable body, based on positional information of the movable body in the XY plane measured by the encoder system and a measurement error of the encoder system corresponding to an angle of inclination of the movable body to the XY plane due to the Abbe offset quantity of the grating surface.

A pattern formation method for discharging a prescribed fluid onto a substrate form an ink-jet head and forming an arbitrary pattern. The method including the steps of discharging the fluid onto the substrate from an ink jet head and defining a pattern-forming region by subjecting the substrate to a specific treatment to prevent the fluid from spreading. The pattern forming region is formed after the fluid has been ejected so that the arbitrary pattern is formed in the fluid corresponding to the pattern-forming region. The treatment is one in which banks for preventing the fluid from flowing out are formed around the pattern-forming region. The method also includes removing the banks following the formation of the pattern.

An exposure system includes a liquid supply section for supplying an immersion liquid onto a resist film formed on a substrate; and an exposure section for irradiating the resist film with exposing light through a mask with the immersion liquid provided on the resist film. The liquid supply section includes an immersion liquid tank for circulating the immersion liquid during exposure.

A positive resist composition comprising: (A) a resin which comes to have an enhanced solubility in an alkaline developing solution by an action of an acid; (B) a compound which generates an acid upon irradiation with actinic rays or a radiation; (C) a fluorine-containing compound containing at least one group selected from the groups (x) to (z); and (F) a solvent, and a method of pattern formation with the composition: (x) an alkali-soluble group; (y) a group which decomposes by an action of an alkaline developing solution to enhance a solubility in an alkaline developing solution; and (z) a group which decomposes by an action of an acid.

A metal oxide-containing film is formed from a heat curable composition comprising (A) a metal oxide-containing compound obtained through hydrolytic condensation between a hydrolyzable silicon compound and a hydrolyzable metal compound, (B) a hydroxide or organic acid salt of Li, Na, K, Rb or Cs, or a sulfonium, iodonium or ammonium compound, (C) an organic acid, and (D) an organic solvent. The metal oxide-containing film ensures effective pattern formation.

A positive resist composition containing a compound including a sulfonium cation having a structure represented by the formula (Z-I) as defined herein, a low molecular weight compound which increases solubility in an alkali developing solution by an action of an acid, and a compound which generates a compound having a structure represented by the formula (A-I) as defined herein upon irradiation of an actinic ray or a radiation.

There is provided a method for pattern formation, including a step of coating a composition comprising a block copolymer, a silicon compound, and a solvent for dissolving these components onto an object to form a layer of the composition on the object, a step of subjecting the layer of the composition to self-organization of the block copolymer to cause phase separation into a first phase, in which the silicon compound is localized, having higher etching resistance by heat treatment or/and oxygen plasma treatment, and a second phase comprising a polymer phase and having lower etching resistance by heat treatment or/and oxygen plasma treatment, and thereby forming a pattern layer with a fine pattern, and a step of etching the object using as a mask the thus formed pattern layer.

A method of nanopatterning includes the steps of providing a resist film (12) and forming a pattern in the resist film (12). The resist film (12) includes a copolymer consisting of an organosilicone component and an organic component. An article (10) includes a substrate (14) and the resist film (12) disposed on the substrate (14). The copolymer of the organosilicone component and the organic component is sufficiently elastic, due to the presence of the organosilicone component, to be capable of resisting fracture and delamination during mold release. Furthermore, during pattern formation, the copolymer develops relatively low surface energy at an interface with the surface of a mold, as compared to conventional polymeric materials, and preferentially adheres to the substrate (14) rather than the mold, which provides for relatively easy mold release. The presence of the organosilicone component in the copolymer also allows the resist film (12) to exhibit excellent resistance to oxygen plasma etching.

A stage device is equipped with a first scale which is placed with a Y-axis direction serving as its longitudinal direction and in which a first grating whose periodic direction is in an X-axis direction is formed and a second scale which is placed with the X-axis direction serving as its longitudinal direction and in which a second grating whose periodic direction is orthogonal to the periodic direction of the first grating is formed, the first scale and the second scale being placed on a plane which a wafer stage faces. Further, on the upper surface of the wafer stage, a plurality of X heads placed at different positions in the X-axis direction and a plurality of Y heads placed at different positions in the Y-axis direction are arranged. An encoder system that has these heads measures positional information of the stage within an XY plane, based on an output of the X head facing the first scale and an output of the Y head facing the second scale.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a material for an antireflective film that has high etching selectivity with respect to the resist, that is, that has a faster etching speed than the resist, a pattern formation method for forming an antireflective film layer on a substrate using this antireflective film material, and a pattern formation method using this antireflective film as a hard mask for substrate processing.

The present invention provides an antireflective film material comprising a polymer (A) comprising copolymerized repeating units expressed by the Formula (1) and/or the Formula (2), an organic solvent (B), an acid generator (C) and an optional crosslinking agent (D)

By irradiating a detection beam from an irradiation system of a detection device to a scale used for measuring the position of a wafer stage, and detecting the detection beam via the scale by a photodetection system, a surface state (an existence state of foreign substance) of the scale is detected. With this operation, detection of the surface state can be performed contactlessly with respect to the scale. Moreover, movement control of the wafer stage can be performed with high precision by taking the surface state into consideration.

An imprint method for imprinting an imprint pattern of a mold onto a pattern formation material on a substrate so as to realize a high throughput includes the steps of bringing the imprint pattern and the pattern formation material into contact with each other; applying a first pressure between the mold and the substrate to increase a contact area between the imprint pattern and the pattern formation material; and adjusting a positional relationship between the mold and the substrate at a second pressure lower than the first pressure.