In an off-axis levelling procedure a height map of the substrate is generated at a measurement station. The height map is referenced to a physical reference surface of the substrate table. The physical reference surface may be a surface in which is inset a transmission image sensor. At the exposure station the height of the physical reference surface is measured and related to the focal plane of the projection lens. The height map can then be used to determine the optimum height and/or tilt of substrate table to position the exposure area on the substrate in best focus during exposure. The same principles can be applied to (reflective) masks.

A determining method of movement sequence and a alignment apparatus according to the present invention are arranged in such a manner that, in order to measure positions of plural marks as being measurement targets provided on a wafer (W) within a shorter time, a group including a plurality of executable movement sequences is generated out of a group of movement sequence candidates, each indicating a measurement order of these marks, and a movement sequence that accomplishes a movement operation between the plural marks within the shortest time is obtained from the group thus generated.

A mark for position detection formed on a substrate has a first pattern disposed near the center of the mark and having periodicity in a Y-axis direction, and second patterns respectively disposed near both sides of the first pattern in an X-axis direction and each having periodicity in the X-axis direction. The position of the first pattern is detected by aligning the detection center of a detecting optical system, that is, the minimal aberration point of the detecting optical system, with the center of the first pattern. The positions of the second patterns are detected at respective points symmetric with respect to the minimal aberration point, and the detected values for the positions of the second patterns are averaged. An apparatus for detecting the mark for position detection detects the first and second patterns by image processing when the mark is in a stationary state.

A proximity exposure device with a distance adjustment device in which sufficient determination sensitivity can be obtained even in areas with a low reflectance factor, such as on a glass surface, is achieved by a distance measurement part having a light source for measurement purposes, a pinhole plate, an objective lens, a light detection device and the like, light emerging form the light source for measurement purposes being emitted via the pinhole plate and objective lens onto the mask surface/workpiece surface, and light reflected thereby is detected via the objective lens and pinhole plate by the light detection device. If the mask surface/workpiece surface is located at the focal point of the objective lens on the object side, reflected light with high intensity is incident in the light detection device. To measure the distance between the mask and workpiece, the distance measurement part is moved in the Z-direction and two peaks of intensity of the reflected light of mask M and workpiece W are determined. Based on the position of the distance measurement part at this time, the distance between the mask and workpiece is determined. After measuring the distance between the mask and workpiece, the distance between the mask and workpiece is set to the desired value and exposure is performed.

A determining method of movement sequence and a alignment apparatus according to the present invention are arranged in such a manner that, in order to measure positions of plural marks as being measurement targets provided on a wafer within a shorter time, a group including a plurality of executable movement sequences is generated out of a group of movement sequence candidates, each indicating a measurement order of these marks, and a movement sequence that accomplishes a movement operation between the plural marks within the shortest time is obtained from the group thus generated.

The projection exposure apparatus is provided with a moving mirror (24X, 24Y) having a length Lm set so as to satisfy a relationship as represented by Lm < Dw + 2BL, in which Dw is a diameter of a substrate stage (18) and BL is the distance between a projection center of an optical projection system (PL) and a detection center of a mark detection system (AS). The projection exposure apparatus having the moving mirror so set for its length Lm as to satisfy the above relationship can make the substrate stage (18) more compact in size and lighter in weight, thereby achieving improvements in performance of controlling the position of the substrate stage (18), as compared with a conventional exposure apparatus having a moving mirror set so as for its length to meet a relationship as represented by Lm > Dw + 2BL.

An optical element manufacturing method includes a first process for forming a mask pattern on a substrate, and a second process for forming a step-like structure on the substrate by use of the mask pattern, wherein the first and second processes are repeated N times, and wherein, before execution of the (k)th time second process where 2≦k≦N, there is a process for determining a relative alignment error between a mask pattern as formed through the (k)th time first process and a mask pattern as formed through the (k-1)th time first process, and wherein the height of the step-like structure to be defined by the (k)th time second process is determined in accordance with the alignment error.

Alignment correction coefficients are calculated by a method of least squares with reference to the coordinates of each of the alignment marks and the coordinates of the rational grid points. Corrected coordinates of the alignment marks are derived from the coordinates of the rational grid points on the basis of the alignment mark correction coefficients, each of their statistical functions are calculated, and the differences of these coordinates are calculated. The residuals at each of the alignment marks are calculated with reference to the difference between the alignment displacement tolerance values in the predetermined X and Y directions and their coordinates. The corrected coordinates of the alignment marks associated with the first pattern for optically exposing the second pattern from the alignment mark correction coefficients and their random number elements when the residual sum of squares becomes a minimum value. In this way, optimal correction of the alignment can be carried out even in the case that the random elements in the alignment mark displacement components from the rational grid point do not follow a normal distribution.

An alignment method usable with an original having a pattern and a substrate having a surface area on which the pattern of the original is to be printed, is disclosed. The alignment system includes a mark detecting device for detecting plural marks provided in relation to the surface area of the substrate; a discriminating device for discriminating the number of pieces of mark detection information as outputted from the mark detecting device; a calculating device having stored therein different computation formulae for calculation of the quantity of correction, to be used for aligning the original and the substrate, the calculating device being effective to calculate the quantity of correction by using a formula selected out of the different formulae in accordance with the discrimination by the discriminating device and by using the mark detection information having been correctly outputted from the mark detecting device; and an adjusting device for aligning the original and the substrate on the basis of the calculated quantity of correction.

A projection exposure apparatus for transferring the image of a mask pattern on a mask onto a photosensitive substrate by an exposing radiation flux is provided. The projection exposure apparatus includes a projection optical system including at least one lens and having a predetermined optical axis, and a first illumination system for directing the exposing radiation flux that is capable of exposing the photosensitive substrate toward the mask to illuminate the mask pattern, the exposing radiation flux that has passed through the mask entering the projection optical system and illuminating the at least one lens, a thus illuminated portion of the at least one lens having rotational asymmetry around the predetermined optical axis, the exposing radiation flux that has passed through the at least one lens exposing the image of the mask pattern onto the photosensitive substrate. The projection exposure apparatus according to the present invention further includes a second illumination system for directing a non-exposing radiation flux that is incapable of exposing the photosensitive substrate toward the projection optical system, the non-exposing radiation flux illuminating the at least one lens in the projection optical system to complement the portion illuminated by the exposing radiation flux such that the resultant illuminated portions on the at least one lens have substantial rotational symmetry around the predetermined optical axis of the projection optical system as a whole.

To form in a batch manner a thin-film wiring pattern in high precision over an entire region of a ceramics multilayer wiring board containing distortion and deformation, a correction amount of the ceramics multilayer wiring board (1) (rotation angle and movement amount of position of this ceramics multilayer wiring board) is calculated in a computer by applying, for instance, the least squares method to positional coordinate values of each of the LSI mounting areas (3) of the ceramics multilayer board and also to positional coordinate values corresponding thereto on a photomask (9). A support apparatus for supporting the multilayer wiring board (1) is controlled based upon the calculated correction amount, so that the multilayer wiring board (1) can be aligned with respect to the photomask (9).

Wafer mark positions of a plurality of sample shots selected from each of the shot regions are detected using the FIA alignment sensor (13) in the EGA alignment method. Scaling factors and the matrix coordinates for each of the shot regions are calculated based on measurement results. The projection magnification rate of the projection optical system (PL) is adjusted based on the scaling factors. Each of the shot regions are shifted to an exposure position based on the matrix coordinates detected from signals from wafer marks (12) using the TTR alignment sensor. When the intensity of the signal is equal to or less than the predetermined value, the region is aligned based on the matrix coordinates in the EGA method and is exposed.

Halbleiterwafer 1, bei dem Halbleiterelemente 3 mittels einer Maske auf den Wafer 1 belichtet werden, wobei die Justierung der Maske über einen Bezugspunkt auf der Maske und einen Referenzpunkt auf dem Wafer 1 erfolgt, deren räumliche Lage zueinander mittels eines Verfahrens zur Optimierung von Größen, die die Herstellungskosten eines Halbleiterelements 3 bestimmen, ermittelt wird.

A process for positioning a mask (M) relative to a workpiece (W) which can be used for step and repeat exposure. A device for executing the process is also provided. The device includes a reflective component (4a) positioned on a workpiece carrier (4) in a position removed from the workpiece attachment site. Actinic light from an exposure light irradiation device (1) is projected onto the mask and alignment marks (MAM) provided on the mask are projected onto the reflective component. The alignment mark images are detected, their relative positions are stored, and emission of the actinic light terminated. The workpiece carrier, on which a workpiece is placed, is moved into a position in which the mask alignment marks are projected onto the workpiece. Furthermore, non-actinic light is emitted onto the alignment marks (WAM) of the workpiece, the workpiece alignment marks are detected and their relative positions are determined. Then the workpiece and/or the mask are/is moved such that the mask and workpiece alignment marks come to rest on top of one another.

An alignment correcting method for an aligner is disclosed. A designated number of wafers are selected out of a single lot and have their alignment marks measured in terms of coordinates. Subsequently, a preselected number of wafers are selected out of the wafers undergone measurement in the descending order with respect to closeness to a mean value or a center value of scattering, exposed, and then developed. An alignment correction value is calculated on the basis of the developed wafers.