JP7182406B2 - Drawing device and drawing method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a drawing apparatus and drawing method.

The drawing apparatus described in Patent Document 1 separates an area to be exposed into a plurality of fields and separates the fields into a plurality of subfields. The lithography apparatus described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-100000 performs sequential exposure processing using a variable shaped electron beam for each separated field, and performs multiple exposure processing at the boundary between adjacent fields to form a desired pattern on the substrate. Expose the pattern.

JP-A-2000-260686

However, after pattern development, there is a risk that exposure streaks may occur at boundaries (connecting regions). Exposure streaks at the boundary can also cause pattern discontinuity (for example, pattern discontinuity, widening, or thinning) at the boundary. Since exposure streaks are not a desired pattern, there is a risk that they will be NG during visual inspection. In addition, when a photosensitive insulating film is used, if exposure streaks are generated, the exposure streaks remain in the product. In this case, exposure streaks are unacceptable even if they do not directly affect the electrical characteristics of the product.

The present invention provides a lithography apparatus and a lithography method capable of alleviating exposure streaks that occur in a connecting area.

According to the first aspect of the present invention, a drawing apparatus draws a pattern on a substrate by irradiating the substrate with drawing light. The drawing device includes an irradiation section and a control section. The irradiation unit irradiates the drawing light. The control unit controls the irradiation unit so that the irradiation unit performs multiple exposure processing . The multiple exposure processing includes multiple exposure processing. In each of the plurality of exposure processes, the irradiation unit irradiates the drawing light onto a predetermined region that is the entire surface of the substrate . Each of the plurality of exposure processes includes a main scanning process in which the irradiation unit irradiates the drawing light along the main scanning direction, and a sub-scanning process in which the irradiation unit moves along a sub-scanning direction perpendicular to the main scanning direction. Includes alternating processing . The control unit forms a connecting region in which portions of irradiation regions of the drawing light irradiated in parallel in the sub-scanning direction overlap each other.
In the drawing apparatus of the present invention, the plurality of exposure processes include a first exposure process of relatively scanning the drawing light irradiated by the irradiation unit over the entire predetermined area of the substrate; and a second exposure process of relatively scanning the drawing light irradiated by the irradiation unit over the entire predetermined area of the exposed substrate.
In the drawing apparatus of the present invention, the connecting area is an area extending along the main scanning direction.
In the drawing apparatus of the present invention, the irradiation section irradiates drawing light for a plurality of pixels.

In the drawing apparatus of the present invention, the plurality of connecting regions formed by the multiple exposure processing are positioned at locations that do not overlap each other.

In the drawing apparatus of the present invention, the connecting area is an area where patterns are drawn.

In the drawing apparatus of the present invention, when a predetermined pattern is drawn on the substrate by the multiple exposure process, the total exposure amount of the plurality of drawing lights applied to the substrate in each of the exposure processes determines the predetermined pattern. The control unit controls the irradiation unit so that the amount of exposure becomes equal to the necessary exposure amount required for drawing.

The drawing apparatus of the present invention further includes a stage and a driving mechanism. A stage holds the substrate. A drive mechanism moves the stage with respect to the irradiation unit. The exposure amount of the drawing light is adjusted by the control unit controlling the drive mechanism so that the exposure amount of the writing light to the substrate decreases as the moving speed of the stage relative to the irradiation unit increases. do.

In the drawing apparatus of the present invention, the graph showing the relationship between the irradiation position of the drawing light on the substrate and the exposure amount of the drawing light has a trapezoidal portion. The trapezoidal portion has a central portion and a pair of ends. In the central portion, the exposure amount is constant. A pair of end portions are connected to the central portion. At the pair of end portions, the exposure amount gradually decreases as the distance from the central portion increases. The central portion is positioned between the pair of end portions.

In the drawing apparatus of the present invention, the plurality of exposure processes includes a first exposure process and a second exposure process. A first exposure amount of the drawing light with which the substrate is irradiated during the first exposure process is equal to a second exposure amount of the drawing light with which the substrate is irradiated during the second exposure process, or The first exposure dose is different from the second exposure dose.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the drawing method draws a pattern on the substrate by irradiating the substrate with drawing light. The drawing method includes a multiple exposure process in which the irradiation unit performs multiple exposure processing. The multiple exposure processing includes multiple exposure processing. Each of the plurality of exposure processes irradiates the drawing light onto a predetermined region, which is the entire surface of the substrate . Each of the plurality of exposure processes includes a main scanning process in which the irradiation section irradiates the drawing light along the main scanning direction, and a sub-scanning process in which the irradiation section moves along the sub-scanning direction perpendicular to the main scanning direction. Includes alternating processing . A connecting region is formed by partially overlapping the irradiated regions of the drawing light irradiated in parallel in the sub-scanning direction .

According to the drawing apparatus and the drawing method of the present invention, it is possible to reduce exposure streaks that occur in the connecting region.

1 is a side view schematically showing the configuration of a drawing device according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG. 1 is a plan view schematically showing the configuration of a drawing device; FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a drawing device; FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a procedure for drawing a pattern on a substrate by a drawing device; It is a schematic diagram which shows the state in which the 1st exposure process is performed. It is a partially enlarged view of the first graph. It is a schematic diagram which shows the state in which the 2nd exposure process is performed. It is a schematic diagram which shows the predetermined pattern drawn on the board|substrate. (a) is a side view schematically showing a state in which a substrate is irradiated with drawing light having an exposure amount of 100%. (b) is a plan view showing a substrate after conventional pattern development. (a) is a side view schematically showing a state in which a first exposure process and a second exposure process have been performed on a substrate. (b) is a plan view showing a substrate after pattern development according to the present application; It is a figure which shows the 1st modification of a synthetic graph. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a second modified example of the composite graph; FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a third modified example of the composite graph; FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a fourth modified example of the composite graph;

An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will not be repeated.

A drawing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2. FIG. FIG. 1 is a side view schematically showing the configuration of a drawing apparatus 1 according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view schematically showing the configuration of the drawing apparatus 1. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the drawing apparatus 1 irradiates a substrate W on which a layer of a photosensitive material such as a resist is formed with drawing light modulated according to predetermined data, thereby forming a circuit pattern. The pattern is exposed (drawn). The predetermined data is data indicating a pattern, such as CAD data. In this embodiment, maskless exposure is performed by scanning the photosensitive material on the substrate W with drawing light without using a mask to directly draw a pattern on the photosensitive material.

The substrate W is, for example, a silicon wafer, a resin substrate, or a glass/quartz substrate. The substrate W is, for example, a semiconductor substrate, a printed circuit board, a color filter substrate, a flat panel display glass substrate, a magnetic disk substrate, an optical disk substrate, or a solar cell panel. Color filter substrates are provided, for example, in liquid crystal display devices and the like. Glass substrates for flat panel displays are provided in, for example, liquid crystal display devices or plasma display devices. A circular semiconductor substrate is illustrated as the substrate W in FIGS. The shape of the substrate W is not particularly limited. The substrate W may be formed in a rectangular shape, for example.

The drawing device 1 has a body frame 2 . The body frame 2 constitutes a housing of the rendering device 1 . A processing area 3 and a transfer area 4 are formed inside the body frame 2 . The processing area 3 and the delivery area 4 are separated from each other.

The drawing apparatus 1 includes a base 5, a support frame 6, a cassette mounting section 7, a stage 10, a drive mechanism 20, a stage position measurement section 30, an optical unit 40, a transport device 50, and a control section. 60.

A base 5 , a support frame 6 , a stage 10 , a driving mechanism 20 , a stage position measuring section 30 and an optical unit 40 are installed in the processing area 3 . A transport device 50 is installed in the delivery area 4 . The cassette mounting portion 7 is installed outside the body frame 2 .

The configuration of each unit included in the drawing apparatus 1 will be described below.

The base 5 supports the stage 10 . A support frame 6 is installed on the base 5 . A support frame 6 supports the optical unit 40 .

The stage 10 holds the substrate W. As shown in FIG. The stage 10 has a plate-like shape. A mounting surface 11 on which the substrate W can be mounted is formed on the upper surface of the stage 10 . A mounting surface 11 of the stage 10 is formed with a plurality of suction holes (not shown). The substrate W mounted on the mounting surface 11 of the stage 10 is fixed to the stage 10 by forming a negative pressure (suction pressure) in the suction holes of the stage 10 . As a result, the stage 10 holds the substrate W. FIG.

A drive mechanism 20 moves the stage 10 . The driving mechanism 20 moves the stage 10 along the main scanning direction Y, the sub-scanning direction X, and the rotation direction θ. The main scanning direction Y is the + side direction of the Y-axis shown in FIGS. The sub-scanning direction X is the + side direction of the X-axis shown in FIGS. The direction of rotation θ is the direction of rotation about the Z-axis shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 . The X-axis, Y-axis, and Z-axis are axes perpendicular to each other. In this embodiment, the + side direction of the Z-axis indicates upward in the vertical direction. Moreover, in this embodiment, the mounting surface 11 of the stage 10 is parallel to each of the X-axis and the Y-axis.

The drive mechanism 20 has a rotation mechanism 21 , a support plate 22 , a sub-scanning mechanism 23 , a base plate 24 and a main scanning mechanism 25 . The rotating mechanism 21 rotates the stage 10 . Support plate 22 supports stage 10 via rotation mechanism 21 . The sub-scanning mechanism 23 moves the support plate 22 along the sub-scanning direction X. As shown in FIG. The base plate 24 supports the support plate 22 via the sub-scanning mechanism 23 . The main scanning mechanism 25 moves the base plate 24 along the main scanning direction Y. As shown in FIG.

The rotation mechanism 21 rotates the stage 10 around the rotation axis A. As shown in FIG. The rotation axis A is an axis passing through the center of the stage 10 and parallel to the Z axis.

The rotation mechanism 21 includes, for example, a rotation shaft portion 211 and a rotation drive portion 212 . The rotating shaft portion 211 is fixed to the back side of the mounting surface 11 and extends along the Z-axis. Rotation drive unit 212 includes, for example, a motor. The rotation driving portion 212 is provided at the lower end of the rotating shaft portion 211 and rotates the rotating shaft portion 211 . The stage 10 rotates around the rotation axis A by rotating the rotation shaft portion 211 by the rotation drive portion 212 .

The sub-scanning mechanism 23 has a linear motor 231 . The linear motor 231 is composed of a mover and a stator. The mover is attached to the bottom surface of the support plate 22 . A stator is laid on the upper surface of the base plate 24 .

A pair of guide members 232 extending in the sub-scanning direction X are laid on the base plate 24 . A ball bearing is installed between each guide member 232 and the support plate 22 . A ball bearing slides along the guide member 232 .

The support plate 22 is supported by a pair of guide members 232 via ball bearings. When the linear motor 231 operates, the support plate 22 moves along the sub-scanning direction X while being guided by the guide member 232 .

The main scanning mechanism 25 has a linear motor 251 . The linear motor 251 is composed of a mover and a stator. The mover is attached to the bottom surface of the base plate 24 . The stator is laid on the base 5 of the drawing apparatus 1 .

A pair of guide members 252 extending in the main scanning direction Y are laid on the base 5 . An air bearing, for example, is installed between each guide member 252 and the base plate 24 . The air bearing is supplied with air from utility equipment. The base plate 24 floats on the guide member 252 by air bearings. As a result, the base plate 24 is supported without contact with the guide member 252 .

When the linear motor 251 operates, the base plate 24 moves along the main scanning direction Y while being guided by the guide member 252 . At this time, the occurrence of friction between the base plate 24 and the guide member 252 is avoided.

A stage position measurement unit 30 measures the position of the stage 10 . The stage position measuring unit 30 is configured by, for example, an interferometric laser length measuring device. The stage position measurement unit 30 , for example, emits laser light toward the stage 10 from outside the stage 10 and receives laser light reflected by the stage 10 . Then, the stage position measurement unit 30 measures the position of the stage 10 from interference between the laser light emitted toward the stage 10 and the laser light reflected by the stage 10 . The position of the stage 10 indicates the position in the main scanning direction Y and the position in the rotation direction θ.

The optical unit 40 draws a pattern on the substrate W by irradiating the substrate W held on the stage 10 with drawing light. The patterns are general patterns such as Hole, Trench, and Gate.

The optical unit 40 is an example of the irradiation section of the present invention.

The optical unit 40 has a light source section 401 and a head section 402 . The light source unit 401 is installed on the support frame 6 . The head part 402 is housed inside an attachment box attached to the support frame 6 .

The light source unit 401 functions as a laser light source that emits an I-line. The light source unit 401 has a laser driving unit 41 , a laser oscillator 42 and an illumination optical system 43 .

The laser oscillator 42 is driven by the laser drive unit 41 and emits a spot beam, which is laser light, from an output mirror (not shown). The spot beam enters illumination optical system 43 . The illumination optical system 43 generates linear light from the spot beam. The linear light has a substantially uniform intensity distribution and is a line beam with a band-shaped beam cross section. The line beam is incident on the head section 402 . Below, the line beam incident on the head unit 402 may be referred to as incident light.

Note that the amount of incident light may be adjusted by squeezing the incident light before the incident light enters the head unit 402 .

The incident light is spatially modulated in accordance with the pattern data PD in the head section 402 .

The pattern data PD is information in which information indicating the irradiation position of the drawing light on the substrate W is recorded in units of pixels.

The drawing apparatus 1 acquires in advance information indicating the pattern data PD. The drawing apparatus 1 acquires the pattern data PD by receiving information indicating the pattern data PD from the external terminal device via the network, for example. Further, the drawing apparatus 1 acquires the pattern data PD by reading information indicating the pattern data PD from a recording medium connected to the drawing apparatus 1, for example.

Spatially modulating the incident light means changing the spatial distribution of the incident light. The spatial distribution of incident light indicates, for example, light amplitude, light phase, and/or polarization. The spatial distribution of incident light is generated, for example, by rasterizing pattern design data generated using CAD (Computer Aided Design).

The head section 402 has a spatial light modulation unit 44 , a projection optical system 45 and a mirror 46 .

The incident light that has entered the head section 402 enters the spatial light modulation unit 44 at a predetermined angle via the mirror 46 .

The spatial light modulation unit 44 has a spatial light modulator 441 . The spatial light modulator 441 spatially modulates the incident light to separate the incident light into drawing light and unnecessary light. Then, the spatial light modulator 441 emits drawing light for a plurality of pixels along the sub-scanning direction X. FIG. Drawing light indicates light that contributes to pattern drawing. Unwanted light indicates light that does not contribute to pattern writing.

The spatial light modulator 441 is composed of, for example, a diffraction grating type spatial modulator in which fixed ribbons and flexible ribbons, which are optical modulation elements, are arranged. The diffraction grating type spatial modulator is, for example, a GLV (Grating Light Valve) (“GLV” is a registered trademark). In this embodiment, the maximum exposure width of the GLV can be changed by exchanging lenses.

A diffraction grating type spatial modulator is a diffraction grating whose grating depth can be changed, and is manufactured, for example, using semiconductor device manufacturing technology.

The spatial light modulator 441 has multiple modulation units 442 (see FIG. 5) and a driver circuit unit 443 . A plurality of modulation units 442 are arranged along the sub-scanning direction X. FIG. The driver circuit unit 443 applies a voltage to each of the multiple modulation units 442 . The driver circuit unit 443 can independently control the voltage applied to each of the multiple modulation units 442 .

The driver circuit unit 443 can switch the state of the modulation unit 442 between an off state and an on state. The off state indicates that no voltage is applied to modulation unit 442 . The on state indicates a state in which voltage is applied to modulation unit 442 .

When modulation unit 442 is turned off, the surface of modulation unit 442 is planar because the flexible ribbon does not flex. When incident light is incident on the plane of the modulation unit 442, the incident light is specularly reflected without being diffracted. The incident light is specularly reflected to become drawing light, which is 0th-order diffracted light. The drawing light reaches the substrate W after being emitted from the modulation unit 442 .

When the modulation unit 442 is turned on, the flexing of the flexible ribbon creates grooves in the surface of the modulation unit 442 . When incident light strikes the grooves of modulation unit 442, the incident light is diffracted. The incident light is diffracted to become unnecessary light, which is non-zero-order diffracted light. The unnecessary light does not reach the substrate W when emitted from the modulation unit 442 .

Hereinafter, the grooves formed on the surface of the modulation unit 442 may be referred to as surface grooves.

The driver circuit unit 443 can change the depth of the surface groove by changing the voltage applied to the modulation unit 442 . The amount of drawing light is adjusted by changing the depth of the surface grooves.

The control unit 60 controls the driver circuit unit 443 to adjust the drawing light output rate for each modulation unit 442 . The output rate of drawing light indicates the ratio of the amount of emitted light to the amount of incident light (amount of emitted light/amount of incident light). The amount of incident light indicates the amount of incident light incident on the modulation unit 442 . The amount of emitted light indicates the amount of drawing light emitted from the modulation unit 442 .

When the modulation unit 442 is in an OFF state, that is, when the surface of the modulation unit 442 is flat, the output rate of drawing light is 100%. When surface grooves are formed on the surface of the modulation unit 442, the emissivity is reduced. The deeper the surface grooves, the lower the emissivity. The control unit 60 controls the driver circuit unit 443 to change the depth of the surface groove, thereby adjusting the output rate of the drawing light to an arbitrary value between the output rate of 0% and the output rate of 100%. can.

The drawing light emitted from the modulation unit 442 enters the projection optical system 45 .

The projection optical system 45 guides the drawing light to the substrate W among the light incident from the spatial light modulator 441 . The projection optical system 45 has, for example, a blocking plate. The blocking plate is a plate-like member having through holes.

Drawing light passes through the through holes. As a result, the drawing light reaches the substrate W. FIG. On the other hand, unnecessary light reaches the blocking plate without passing through the through holes. As a result, unwanted light is blocked from reaching the substrate W by the blocking plate.

A pattern is drawn on the substrate W by the drawing light reaching the substrate W. FIG. The drawing light emitted from one modulation unit 442 forms one pixel of the pattern drawn on the substrate W. FIG.

The projection optical system 45 may further have a zoom lens and/or an objective lens. The zoom lens constitutes a zoom section that adjusts the width of drawing light. Adjusting the width of the drawing light means widening the width of the drawing light and/or narrowing the width of the drawing light. The objective lens forms an image of the drawing light on the substrate W at a predetermined magnification.

The transport device 50 loads the substrate W into the processing area 3 and unloads the substrate W from the processing area 3 . The transport device 50 has a plurality of hands 51 and a hand drive mechanism 52 . The hand 51 transports the substrate W. As shown in FIG. The hand drive mechanism 52 drives the hand 51 .

The unprocessed substrates W are accommodated in the cassette mounting portion 7 . The transport device 50 takes out the substrate W from the cassette mounting part 7 and carries it into the processing area 3 , and carries out the processed substrate W from the processing area 3 and stores it in the cassette C.

Next, the drawing apparatus 1 will be further described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the drawing device 1. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 3 , the drawing device 1 further includes an input section 70 and a storage section 80 .

The input unit 70 receives instructions to the rendering device 1 . A user inputs an instruction to draw a pattern on the substrate W from the input unit 70, for example. The input unit 70 is, for example, an operation key provided on the housing of the drawing apparatus 1 or a terminal such as a PC (Personal Computer) connected to the drawing apparatus 1 so as to be communicable.

The storage unit 80 includes a main storage device (eg, semiconductor memory) such as ROM (Read Only Memory) and RAM (Random Access Memory), and may further include an auxiliary storage device (eg, hard disk drive). The main memory and/or auxiliary memory store various computer programs executed by the controller 60 .

The control unit 60 includes processors such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and an MPU (Micro Processing Unit). The control unit 60 controls each element of the drawing apparatus 1 . Specifically, the processor of the control unit 60 executes a computer program stored in the storage unit 80 to control the drive mechanism 20, the stage position measurement unit 30, the optical unit 40, the transport device 50, the input It controls the unit 70 and the storage unit 80 .

In this embodiment, when adjusting the exposure amount of the drawing light to the substrate W, the control unit 60 changes the moving speed of the stage 10 without changing the energy of the drawing light. Specifically, when the exposure amount of the drawing light to the substrate W is decreased, the control unit 60 controls the driving mechanism 20 to increase the moving speed of the stage 10 with respect to the optical unit 40 . As a result, the irradiation time of the drawing light onto the substrate W is shortened, so the exposure amount of the drawing light onto the substrate W is reduced. On the other hand, when increasing the exposure amount of the drawing light for the substrate W, the control unit 60 controls the drive mechanism 20 to slow down the moving speed of the stage 10 with respect to the optical unit 40 . As a result, the irradiation time of the drawing light onto the substrate W becomes longer, so the exposure amount of the drawing light onto the substrate W increases. The exposure amount is the product of the energy per unit area of the drawing light and the irradiation time of the drawing light.

Next, a procedure for drawing a pattern on the substrate W by the drawing apparatus 1 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 to 8. FIG. FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing a procedure for drawing a pattern on the substrate W by the drawing apparatus 1. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 4, in step S10, the input unit 70 receives an instruction to draw the predetermined pattern Q (see FIG. 8) on the predetermined area W1 of the substrate W. As shown in FIG. A predetermined pattern Q indicates a desired pattern.

In this embodiment, the predetermined area W1 indicates the entire surface of the substrate W. As shown in FIG. Further, in the present embodiment, the predetermined pattern Q indicates a pattern drawn with drawing light having an exposure amount of 100%.

In this embodiment, the exposure dose is expressed as a percentage of the standard exposure dose of 100%. In this embodiment, the exposure amount of 100% indicates, for example, the exposure amount when the drawing light is irradiated for T seconds. T is a real number greater than zero.

The exposure amount is proportional to the irradiation time of the drawing light. Therefore, when the drawing light is applied for (T/2) seconds, the exposure amount is 50%.

In the present embodiment, multiple exposure processing is performed without irradiating the predetermined area W1 with drawing light having an exposure amount of 100% at once. Multiple exposure processing refers to processing for multiple irradiation of drawing light.

In multiple exposure processing, exposure processing is performed in duplicate. The exposure process indicates a process of irradiating a predetermined region W1 of the substrate W with drawing light. In this embodiment, a first exposure process and a second exposure process are performed in the multiple exposure process.

In step S20, the controller 60 performs a first exposure process. In this embodiment, the first pattern Q1 is drawn in the predetermined area W1 by performing the first exposure process. A first pattern Q1 indicates a pattern drawn with drawing light having an exposure amount of 50%.

The first exposure process indicates the first exposure process of the multiple exposure process.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the first exposure process is being performed.

As shown in FIG. 5, in the first exposure process, the substrate W is held by the stage 10, and while the stage 10 is moved by the driving mechanism 20, the drawing light is emitted to the substrate W by the optical unit 40. It is done by being

The first exposure process will be specifically described below.

First, the drive mechanism 20 moves the stage 10 along the main scanning direction Y while the substrate W is held by the stage 10 . As a result, the substrate W moves in the main scanning direction Y with respect to the optical unit 40 . When viewed from the substrate W, the optical unit 40 traverses the substrate W along the main scanning direction Y as indicated by an arrow AR11.

While the optical unit 40 traverses the substrate W, the optical unit 40 irradiates the substrate W with drawing light spatially modulated according to the pattern data PD. In this case, the optical unit 40 traverses the substrate W along the main scanning direction Y while irradiating drawing light for a plurality of pixels along the sub scanning direction X. FIG.

Hereinafter, a process in which the optical unit 40 traverses the substrate W along the main scanning direction Y and irradiates the substrate W with drawing light corresponding to the pattern data PD may be referred to as a main scanning process.

When the optical unit 40 performs the main scanning process, an irradiation area G1 is formed on the substrate W along the arrow AR11. The irradiation area G1 indicates the area where the optical unit 40 irradiates the drawing light.

One irradiation area G1 is formed on the substrate W when the optical unit 40 performs the main scanning process once.

After completing one main scanning process, the drive mechanism 20 moves the stage 10 along the sub-scanning direction X by a predetermined distance. As a result, the substrate W moves a predetermined distance along the sub-scanning direction X with respect to the optical unit 40 . When viewed from the substrate W, the optical unit 40 moves along the sub-scanning direction X by a predetermined distance, as indicated by an arrow AR12. The predetermined distance is smaller than the dimension in the sub-scanning direction X of the irradiation area G1.

Hereinafter, the movement of the optical unit 40 along the sub-scanning direction X by a predetermined distance may be referred to as sub-scanning processing.

When the sub-scanning process ends, the main scanning process is performed as indicated by an arrow AR13. As a result, an irradiation region G1 is formed on the substrate W along the arrow AR13. When the main scanning process ends, the sub scanning process is performed as indicated by arrow AR14.

Main scanning processing and sub-scanning processing are alternately performed in the first exposure processing. As a result, the predetermined area W1 is irradiated with the drawing light in parallel.

By alternately performing the main scanning process and the sub-scanning process, the first pattern Q1 is drawn in the predetermined area W1. When the first pattern Q1 is drawn on the predetermined area W1 of the substrate W, the first exposure process is finished.

The irradiation area G1 will be described.

A plurality of irradiation regions G1 are formed in the predetermined region W1 of the substrate W by alternately performing the main scanning process and the sub-scanning process. Each of the plurality of irradiation regions G1 extends along the main scanning direction Y. As shown in FIG. The plurality of irradiation regions G1 are arranged in parallel and lined up along the sub-scanning direction X. As shown in FIG.

The irradiation area G1 includes a single irradiation area G2 and a connecting area G3. A single irradiation region G2 indicates a region where the adjacent irradiation regions G1 do not overlap each other. When the first exposure process is performed, the single irradiation region G2 is irradiated with the drawing light in a single layer.

The connecting region G3 indicates a region where parts of the adjacent irradiation regions G1 overlap each other. When the first exposure process is performed, the drawing light is doubly applied to the connecting region G3. The connecting region G3 has a width of 20 μm, for example.

Below, the connecting region G3 formed on the substrate W when the first exposure processing is performed may be referred to as a first connecting region G31.

FIG. 5 further shows the first graph J1. The first graph J1 will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 5, the first graph J1 is a graph showing the relationship between the exposure amount of drawing light and the position in the sub-scanning direction X when the first exposure process is performed. The vertical axis of the first graph J1 indicates the exposure amount of the drawing light during the first exposure process. The horizontal axis of the first graph J1 indicates the position in the sub-scanning direction X when the position in the main scanning direction Y is the position Y1. A position Y1 indicates a position in the main scanning direction Y where the center W2 of the substrate W is positioned.

When the first exposure process is performed, the single irradiation area G2 and the first connecting area G31 are alternately arranged along the sub-scanning direction X at the position Y1.

The drawing light with an exposure amount of 50% is irradiated onto the single irradiation region G2. As a result, the first pattern Q1 is drawn in the single irradiation region G2.

The first graph J1 has a portion that changes into a trapezoidal shape. The trapezoidal portion has a first central portion J11 and a pair of first end portions J12. The first central portion J11 is a portion where the exposure amount is constant at 50%. Each of the pair of first end portions J12 continues to the first center portion J11, and the exposure amount gradually decreases as the distance from the first center portion J11 increases. In the present embodiment, at each of the pair of first end portions J12, the exposure amount is gradually decreased by decreasing the output rate of the drawing light as the distance from the first center portion J11 increases. A first center portion J11 is positioned between the pair of first end portions J12.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6, the exposure amount of the drawing light applied to the first connecting region G31 will be described. FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged view of the first graph J1.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, in the first connecting region G31, the exposure amount of the drawing light H1 and the exposure amount of the drawing light H2 vary from 0% to 0% depending on the position in the sub-scanning direction X. Amount varies between 50%. The drawing light H1 represents one of the two drawing lights that are superimposed on the first connecting region G31. The drawing light H2 represents the other drawing light of the two drawing lights that are superimposed on the first connecting region G31.

FIG. 6 shows an arbitrary position Xα, an exposure amount α1%, and an exposure amount α2%. An arbitrary position Xα indicates an arbitrary position in the sub-scanning direction X within the first connecting region G31. The exposure amount α1% indicates the exposure amount of the drawing light H1 applied to the arbitrary position Xα. The exposure amount α2% indicates the exposure amount of the drawing light H2 applied to the arbitrary position Xα.

The sum of the exposure amount α1% and the exposure amount α2% is 50%. As a result, it is equivalent to irradiating the first connecting region G31 with the drawing light having an exposure amount of 50%, so that the first pattern Q1 can be drawn in the first connecting region G31.

By drawing the first pattern Q1 in all the single irradiation regions G2 and all the first connecting regions G31, the first pattern Q1 is drawn in the entire predetermined region W1.

As shown in FIG. 3, when the first pattern Q1 is drawn in the predetermined area W1, the first exposure process shown in step S20 is completed. As a result, the process moves to step S30.

In step S30, the controller 60 performs a second exposure process. In this embodiment, the second pattern Q2 is drawn on the first pattern Q1 in the predetermined area W1 by performing the second exposure process. A second pattern Q2 indicates a pattern drawn with drawing light having an exposure amount of 50%.

In the second exposure process, the second exposure process of the multiple exposure is performed on the predetermined area W1.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the second exposure process is being performed.

As shown in FIG. 7, in the second exposure process, the main scanning process and the sub-scanning process are alternately performed. As a result, the second pattern Q2 is drawn on the predetermined region W1 of the substrate W. As shown in FIG.

When the second pattern Q2 is drawn on the predetermined area W1 of the substrate W, the process is finished.

FIG. 7 further shows a second graph J2. The second graph J2 will be described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 7, the second graph J2 is a graph showing the relationship between the exposure amount of drawing light and the position in the sub-scanning direction X when the second exposure process is performed. The vertical axis of the second graph J2 indicates the exposure amount of the drawing light during the second exposure process. The horizontal axis of the second graph J2 indicates the position in the sub-scanning direction X when the position in the main scanning direction Y is the position Y1.

When the second exposure process is performed, the single irradiation area G2 and the connecting area G3 are alternately arranged along the sub-scanning direction X at the position Y1.

The second graph J2 has a portion that changes into a trapezoidal shape. The trapezoidal portion has a second central portion J21 and a pair of second ends J22. The second central portion J21 is a portion where the exposure amount is constant at 50%. Each of the pair of second end portions J22 continues to the second central portion J21, and the exposure amount gradually decreases as the distance from the second central portion J21 increases. In the present embodiment, at each of the pair of second end portions J22, the exposure amount is gradually decreased by gradually decreasing the output rate of the drawing light as the distance from the second central portion J21 increases. A second central portion J21 is positioned between the pair of second end portions J22.

Below, the connecting region G3 formed on the substrate W when the second exposure processing is performed may be referred to as a second connecting region G32.

The drawing light with an exposure amount of 50% is irradiated onto the single irradiation region G2. As a result, the second pattern Q2 is drawn in the single irradiation area G2.

As shown in FIG. 6, the second connecting region G32 is also double-irradiated with the drawing light so that the sum of the exposure amounts becomes 50%, similarly to the first connecting area G31. As a result, the second pattern Q2 is drawn in the second connecting region G32.

Next, the predetermined pattern Q drawn on the substrate W will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram showing the predetermined pattern Q drawn on the substrate W. As shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 8, by performing the first exposure process and the second exposure process, a first connecting region G31 and a second connecting region G32 are formed in the predetermined region W1 of the substrate W. be. The first connecting region G31 and the second connecting region G32 extend along the main scanning direction Y. As shown in FIG. The first connecting regions G31 and the second connecting regions G32 are alternately arranged along the sub-scanning direction X. As shown in FIG. The first connecting region G31 and the second connecting region G32 are arranged at locations that do not overlap each other. In addition, overlapping means overlapping in the direction in which the Z-axis extends. In addition, "not overlapping" means not overlapping in the extending direction of the Z-axis.

FIG. 8 further shows the composite graph J. FIG. The composite graph J will be further described with reference to FIG.

As shown in FIG. 8, the composite graph J is a graph showing the relationship between the exposure amount of drawing light and the position in the sub-scanning direction X for each exposure process. The composite graph J of this embodiment is a graph obtained by combining the first graph J1 shown in FIG. 5 and the second graph J2 shown in FIG. The vertical axis of the composite graph J indicates the exposure amount of the drawing light during the first exposure process and the exposure amount of the drawing light during the second exposure process. The horizontal axis of the composite graph J indicates the position in the sub-scanning direction X when the position in the main scanning direction Y is the position Y1.

By performing the first exposure process and the second exposure process, the predetermined area W1 of the substrate W is double irradiated with the drawing light having an exposure amount of 50%. Therefore, the sum of the exposure amounts of the drawing light beams that are applied to the predetermined area W1 doubly becomes the exposure amount of 100%. As a result, it is equivalent to irradiating the predetermined region W1 with the drawing light having an exposure amount of 100%, so that the predetermined pattern Q can be drawn in the predetermined region W1.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 9A and 9B, the state of the substrate W when the substrate W is irradiated with drawing light having an exposure amount of 100% will be described. FIG. 9A is a side view schematically showing a state in which the substrate W is irradiated with drawing light having an exposure amount of 100%. FIG. 9(b) is a plan view showing the substrate W after conventional pattern development.

As shown in FIGS. 9A and 9B, conventionally, when drawing a predetermined pattern Q on a substrate W, the substrate W is irradiated with drawing light having an exposure amount of 100%. In other words, exposure processing was completed in one step. As a result, exposure streaks R were generated on the surface layer of the resist of the substrate W after the predetermined pattern Q was developed. The exposure streak R occurs in the connecting region G3.

Next, with reference to FIGS. 10A and 10B, the substrate after the first exposure processing shown in step S20 of FIG. 4 and the second exposure processing shown in step S30 are performed. The state of W will be described. FIG. 10A is a side view schematically showing a state in which the substrate W is subjected to the first exposure process and the second exposure process. FIG. 10(b) is a plan view showing the substrate W after pattern development according to the present application.

As shown in FIGS. 10(a) and 10(b), the inventor of the present application causes the drawing apparatus 1 to perform a first exposure process and a second exposure process, thereby forming a predetermined pattern Q on the substrate W. drew. In other words, the inventor of the present application performed multiple exposure processes. As a result, after the predetermined pattern Q is developed, the exposure streak R generated in the connecting region G3 is alleviated.

The principle of reducing the exposure streak R will be described below. The inventors of the present application have found that the exposure streak R becomes darker as the amount of exposure in the connecting region G3 increases. The amount of exposure of the connecting region G3 indicates the total amount of exposure of the drawing light superimposed on the connecting region G3. In the conventional exposure process shown in FIGS. 9(a) and 9(b), the exposure amount of the connecting region G3 is 100%. On the other hand, in the exposure processing of the present application shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, the exposure amount of the connecting region G3 is 50%. Therefore, by performing a plurality of exposure processes on the predetermined region W1 as in the present application, the exposure amount of the connecting region G3 can be reduced. As a result, the exposure streaks R generated in the connecting region G3 become thin, so that the exposure streaks R are alleviated.

As described above with reference to FIGS. 4 to 10B, multiple exposure processing is performed. The multiple exposure process of this embodiment includes a first exposure process shown in step S20 and a second exposure process shown in step S30. The controller 60 performs multiple exposure processing by controlling the driving mechanism 20 and the optical unit 40 . In the first exposure process, the optical unit 40 irradiates drawing light in parallel so as to form the first connecting region G31. In the second exposure process, the optical unit 40 irradiates drawing light in parallel so as to form the second connecting region G32. Therefore, by performing a plurality of exposure processes, it is possible to reduce the amount of exposure of the first bridging area G31 and the amount of exposure of the second bridging area G32 as compared with the case where the exposure process is performed only once. As a result, exposure streaks R can be reduced.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 8, the first connecting region G31 and the second connecting region G31 formed in each exposure process are positioned so as not to overlap each other. Therefore, exposure streaks R can be effectively alleviated.

The embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings (FIGS. 1 to 10). However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and can be implemented in various aspects without departing from the scope of the invention (eg, (1) to (10)). Further, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining a plurality of constituent elements disclosed in the above embodiments. For example, some components may be omitted from all components shown in the embodiments. In order to facilitate understanding, the drawings mainly show each component schematically, and the number of each component shown in the figure may differ from the actual number for convenience of drawing preparation. Also, each component shown in the above embodiment is an example and is not particularly limited, and various modifications are possible within a range that does not substantially deviate from the effects of the present invention.

(1) As shown in FIG. 8, in the present embodiment, the drawing light with an exposure amount of 50% is irradiated in the first exposure process, and the drawing light with an exposure amount of 50% is also irradiated in the second exposure process. That is, the same pattern is drawn in the first exposure process and the second exposure process. However, the invention is not so limited. The sum of the exposure amount of the drawing light emitted in the first exposure process and the exposure amount of the drawing light emitted in the second exposure process should be substantially equal to the required exposure amount. The required exposure dose indicates the exposure dose required to write the predetermined pattern Q. FIG. In this embodiment, the required exposure is 100% exposure.

A first modification of the exposure process will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a first modified example JA of the composite graph J. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 11, when the required exposure amount is 100%, for example, the exposure amount of the drawing light emitted in the first exposure process is set to 30%, and the exposure amount emitted in the second exposure process is 30%. The exposure amount of the drawing light may be set to 70%. Therefore, the substrate W is irradiated with drawing light with an exposure amount of 100% (30%+70%=100%). As a result, the substrate W is irradiated with the drawing light of the exposure amount equal to the required exposure amount, so that the predetermined pattern Q can be drawn on the substrate W. FIG.

(2) In this embodiment, the required exposure is 100% exposure. However, the invention is not so limited. The necessary exposure dose should be greater than the exposure dose of 0%. Also, the required exposure dose may be greater than the exposure dose of 100%.

A second modification of the exposure process will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 12 is a diagram showing a second modified example JB of the composite graph J. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 12, when the required exposure amount is 70%, for example, the exposure amount of the drawing light irradiated in the first exposure process is 35%, and the exposure amount of the drawing light irradiated in the second exposure process is 35%. The exposure amount of the drawing light may be set to 35%. Therefore, the substrate W is irradiated with the drawing light with an exposure amount of 70% (35%+35%=70%). As a result, the substrate W is irradiated with the drawing light of the exposure amount equal to the required exposure amount, so that the predetermined pattern Q can be drawn on the substrate W. FIG.

(3) In this embodiment, the necessary exposure amount is a constant exposure amount of 100% at all positions in the predetermined area W1. However, the invention is not so limited. The necessary exposure amount may differ for each location (each pixel) irradiated with the drawing light in the predetermined area W1.

(4) In this embodiment, when drawing the predetermined pattern Q on the substrate W, the exposure process is performed twice. Specifically, a first exposure process and a second exposure process are performed. However, the invention is not so limited. Exposure processing may be performed three times or more. For example, exposure processing may be performed four times.

The exposure amount of the drawing light when the exposure process is performed four times will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing a third modified example JC of the composite graph J. As shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 13, a first exposure process, a second exposure process, a third exposure process, and a fourth exposure process may be performed. In this case, assuming that the required exposure amount is 100%, for example, drawing light with an exposure amount of 25% is applied in each of the first to fourth exposure processes. Therefore, the substrate W is irradiated with drawing light with an exposure amount of 100% (25%+25%+25%+25%=100%). As a result, the substrate W is irradiated with the drawing light of the exposure amount equal to the required exposure amount, so that the predetermined pattern Q can be drawn on the substrate W. FIG.

(5) A modification of the positional relationship between the first connecting region G31 and the second connecting region G32 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a fourth modified example JD of the composite graph J. As shown in FIG.

In the present embodiment, the first connecting region G31 and the second connecting region G32 are arranged so as not to overlap each other (see FIG. 8). However, the invention is not so limited. The position of the connecting region G3 formed for each exposure process is not particularly limited. As shown in FIG. 14, the first connecting region G31 and the second connecting region G32 may be arranged in places where they overlap each other. As a result, after the predetermined pattern Q is developed, the exposure streaks R generated in the connecting region G3 can be reduced.

In the following, the principle that the exposure streaks R can be reduced even when the first bridging region G31 and the second bridging region G32 are arranged in a place where they overlap with each other will be described. The inventor of the present application found that the density of the exposed streak R suddenly increases when the exposure amount of the connecting region G3 exceeds a predetermined threshold value. That is, the exposure streak R is mitigated while the exposure amount of the connecting region G3 is less than the predetermined threshold value. Therefore, by performing a plurality of exposure processes on the predetermined region W1 as in the present application, the exposure amount of the connecting region G3 can be made smaller than the predetermined threshold, so that the exposure streak R formed in the connecting region G3 can be reduced. can be secured. As a result, even where the first bridging region G31 and the second bridging region G32 overlap each other, exposure streaks R can be reduced compared to the case where the exposure process is completed only once.

(6) The optical modulation element of the optical unit 40 is not limited to GLV. The light modulation element of the optical unit 40 only needs to have a structure capable of changing the output rate of drawing light. The light modulation element may be, for example, a DMD (Digital Micromirror Device).

(7) In this embodiment, one optical unit 40 is provided. However, the invention is not so limited. For example, two or more optical units 40 may be provided. When two optical units 40 are provided, for example, one optical unit 40 takes charge of exposing half of the predetermined area W1 of the substrate W, and the other optical unit 40 exposes the other half of the predetermined area W1. responsible for the exposure of

(8) In this embodiment, the substrate W moves when the exposure process is performed. However, the invention is not so limited. When the exposure process is performed, the optical unit 40 may move, or both the substrate W and the optical unit 40 may move. Note that the movement of the substrate W means that the stage 10 moves while the substrate W is held on the stage 10 .

(9) The movement speed of the substrate W when steps S20 and S30 shown in FIG. 4 are performed will be described.

In this embodiment, in each of steps S20 and S30, when the predetermined area W1 of the substrate W is irradiated with the drawing light having an exposure amount of 50% (see FIGS. 5 and 7), the predetermined area W1 is exposed. Compared to the case where 100% of the drawing light is irradiated at once (see FIG. 9A), the moving speed of the substrate W is doubled while the energy of the drawing light is kept the same. As a result, it is possible to suppress the time required for the exposure process from becoming longer than when the predetermined area W1 is irradiated with the drawing light having an exposure amount of 100% at once. However, the invention is not so limited.

In each of steps S20 and S30, when the predetermined region W1 of the substrate W is irradiated with the drawing light with the exposure amount of 50%, the drawing light is more intense than when the drawing light with the exposure amount of 100% is irradiated at once. The moving speed of the substrate W may be the same while the energy is halved.

(10) In the present embodiment, the pattern drawn on the substrate W is a negative pattern in which the exposed area is finally left as an image pattern by development after exposure processing. However, the invention is not so limited. The pattern drawn on the substrate W may be a positive pattern in which an unexposed area remains after development after the exposure process.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be used in the fields of drawing apparatuses and drawing methods.

W substrate 1 drawing device 10 stage 20 drive mechanism 40 optical unit (irradiation section)
60 control unit G3 connecting area W1 predetermined area

Claims (11)

A drawing apparatus for drawing a pattern on a substrate by irradiating the substrate with drawing light,
an irradiation unit that irradiates the drawing light;
a control unit that controls the irradiation unit so that the irradiation unit performs multiple exposure processing ;
The multiple exposure process includes a plurality of exposure processes in which the irradiating unit irradiates the drawing light onto a predetermined region that is the entire surface of the substrate,
Each of the plurality of exposure processes includes a main scanning process in which the irradiation section irradiates the drawing light along the main scanning direction, and a sub-scanning process in which the irradiation section moves along the sub-scanning direction perpendicular to the main scanning direction. including alternating processing,
The drawing apparatus, wherein the control section forms a connecting region in which portions of irradiation regions of the drawing light irradiated in parallel in the sub-scanning direction overlap. The plurality of exposure processes include:
a first exposure process of relatively scanning the drawing light irradiated by the irradiation unit over the entire predetermined area of the substrate;
a second exposure process of relatively scanning the drawing light irradiated by the irradiation unit over the entire predetermined area of the substrate that has been subjected to the first exposure process;
2. The rendering device of claim 1, comprising: 3. The drawing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said connecting area is an area extending along said main scanning direction. The drawing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the irradiation unit irradiates drawing light for a plurality of pixels. 5. The drawing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4 , wherein a plurality of said connecting areas formed by said multiple exposure processing are positioned at locations that do not overlap each other. 6. The drawing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5 , wherein said connecting area is an area in which a pattern is drawn. When a predetermined pattern is drawn on the substrate by the multiple exposure processing, the sum of the exposure amounts of the drawing light with which the substrate is irradiated for each of the exposure processing is the amount necessary for drawing the predetermined pattern. 7. The drawing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6 , wherein said control unit controls said irradiation unit so as to equalize the amount of exposure. a stage holding the substrate;
a drive mechanism for moving the stage with respect to the irradiation unit,
The control unit adjusts the exposure amount of the drawing light by controlling the driving mechanism such that the exposure amount of the drawing light to the substrate decreases as the moving speed of the stage relative to the irradiation unit increases. 8. The drawing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 7 . A graph showing the relationship between the irradiation position of the drawing light on the substrate and the exposure amount of the drawing light has a trapezoidal portion,
The trapezoidal portion has a central portion where the exposure amount is constant and a pair of end portions which are connected to the central portion and where the exposure amount gradually decreases as the distance from the central portion increases,
9. The drawing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8 , wherein said central portion is positioned between said pair of end portions. The plurality of exposure processes includes a first exposure process and a second exposure process,
A first exposure amount of the drawing light with which the substrate is irradiated during the first exposure process is equal to a second exposure amount of the drawing light with which the substrate is irradiated during the second exposure process, or 10. The drawing apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the first exposure dose is different from the second exposure dose. A drawing method for drawing a pattern on a substrate by irradiating the substrate with drawing light,
Including a multiple exposure step in which the irradiation unit performs multiple exposure processing,
The multiple exposure processing includes a plurality of exposure processing for irradiating the drawing light onto a predetermined region, each of which is the entire surface of the substrate,
Each of the plurality of exposure processes includes a main scanning process in which the irradiation section irradiates the drawing light along the main scanning direction, and a sub-scanning process in which the irradiation section moves along the sub-scanning direction perpendicular to the main scanning direction. including alternating processing,
A drawing method, wherein part of irradiation regions of the drawing light irradiated in parallel in the sub-scanning direction overlap each other to form a connecting region .

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