JP7695327B2 - Exposure apparatus, article manufacturing method, and exposure method - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to an exposure apparatus, an article manufacturing method, and an exposure method.

Conventionally, when an exposure apparatus performs an exposure process on a specific shot area on a substrate so as to transfer a pattern formed on an original to the specific shot area, the exposure process may be interrupted due to the occurrence of a specific abnormality.
Patent Document 1 discloses an exposure apparatus that, when an exposure process is interrupted due to an abnormality occurring in the drive of an original stage that holds an original or a substrate stage that holds a substrate, moves each position to the position at the time before the abnormality occurred, and resumes the exposure process.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 11-274062

In the exposure apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1, when the exposure process for a specified shot area is interrupted due to the occurrence of a specified abnormality, the positions of the original stage and the substrate stage are returned to the positions prior to the time the specified abnormality occurred, and the exposure process is then resumed.
In this case, by resuming the exposure process on a specified shot area, the area that was exposed between the previous time and the time the abnormality occurred will be exposed again, causing that area to become a defective area where double exposure will occur.

The present invention aims to provide an exposure apparatus that can perform exposure processing on a substrate so as to reduce defective areas.

The exposure apparatus according to the present invention is an exposure apparatus that projects an image of a pattern of an original onto a substrate and exposes the substrate, and is characterized by comprising: a projection optical system that projects an image onto the substrate surface of the substrate by guiding exposure light that has passed through the original onto the substrate; an original stage that scans and moves in a first direction parallel to the substrate surface while holding the original when exposing a predetermined shot area on the substrate surface; a substrate stage that scans and moves in the first direction while holding the substrate when exposing the predetermined shot area; a light shielding unit that blocks a portion of the exposure light that is guided to the substrate; and a control unit that performs a restart process that restarts exposure of the predetermined shot area while controlling the light shielding unit so that the exposure light is not guided to a normal exposure area in the predetermined shot area when the exposure of the predetermined shot area is interrupted.

The present invention provides an exposure apparatus that can perform exposure processing on a substrate to reduce defective areas.

3A and 3B are schematic projection views in an XZ cross section and a schematic projection view in a YZ cross section of the exposure apparatus according to the present embodiment. 4 is a flowchart showing an exposure process for a substrate in the exposure apparatus according to the present embodiment. 1 is a schematic top view of an original and a substrate used in an exposure apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic top view of a portion of the exposure apparatus according to the present embodiment when scanning exposure is interrupted. FIG. 13 is a schematic partial top view of the exposure apparatus according to the embodiment when scanning exposure is resumed.

Hereinafter, an exposure apparatus according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Note that the drawings shown below may be drawn at a scale different from the actual scale in order to facilitate understanding of the present embodiment.
Moreover, the direction parallel to the optical axis of the projection optical system 9 (the direction perpendicular to the surface of the substrate 11) is defined as the Z direction.

Furthermore, the direction in which the substrate 11 is scanned in a plane parallel to the substrate surface of the substrate 11 is defined as the Y direction (first direction), and the non-scanning direction perpendicular to the Z direction and the Y direction is defined as the X direction (second direction).
Moreover, the rotation directions around the Z direction, X direction, and Y direction are defined as the θ direction, Pitch direction, and Roll direction, respectively.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when manufacturing flat panel displays (FPDs), semiconductor devices, and the like, an exposure process is performed in which an original and a substrate are scanned and moved synchronously with each other in an exposure apparatus while a pattern formed on the original is transferred onto the substrate.
When such an exposure process is being performed in an exposure apparatus, the exposure process may be interrupted due to the occurrence of certain abnormalities, including, for example, focus abnormalities or abnormalities in the drive mechanisms of the master stage that holds the master or the substrate stage that holds the substrate.

Furthermore, for a substrate for which exposure processing has been interrupted in the exposure apparatus, it becomes unnecessary to treat the substrate as a defective substrate by, for example, performing rework.
On the other hand, depending on the product manufactured through the exposure process, the exposure process may be performed on a layer on a substrate on which rework is not possible.

Conventionally, there has been known a method for restarting an exposure process when the exposure process for a layer on a substrate on which rework is not possible is interrupted.
For example, a method is known in which each substrate stored in a cassette is identified so as to classify the substrates into those that have been subjected to exposure processing and those that have not been subjected to exposure processing, and exposure processing is then performed sequentially on only those identified substrates that have not been subjected to exposure processing.

On the other hand, when a specific abnormality occurs during exposure processing of multiple shot areas on a substrate, causing the exposure processing to be interrupted, problems may arise if the process moves to the next step without reworking the multiple shot areas.
In other words, a problem occurs in that a shot area in which exposure has been performed while a specified abnormality has occurred and a shot area in which exposure has not yet been performed are processed as defective shot areas.

In view of this, a method has been known in the past that, when an exposure process for multiple shot areas on a substrate is interrupted due to a focus abnormality, the exposure process for the multiple shot areas is resumed by continuing to measure the focus.
However, such a method has the problem that a shot area that has already been exposed is exposed again, that is, double exposure occurs.
Furthermore, with this method, when exposure processing for a plurality of shot regions is interrupted due to the occurrence of a predetermined abnormality other than focus abnormality, it is difficult to resume the exposure processing.

Furthermore, in the conventional exposure process for transferring a pattern formed on an original onto a substrate, when the exposure process is interrupted due to an abnormality occurring in the drive of an original stage that holds the original or a substrate stage that holds the substrate, a method for resuming the exposure process of the substrate has been known.
Specifically, this method refers to the respective positions of the original stage and the substrate stage when the abnormality occurs, and data indicating the changes over time in the respective positions of the original stage and the substrate stage.

Then, when the exposure process is restarted, the original stage and the substrate stage are moved to the positions in which they were located before the abnormality occurred.
However, such a method has the problem that a shot area that has already been exposed is exposed again, that is, double exposure occurs.

As described above, in conventional exposure apparatuses, when the exposure process on a substrate is interrupted due to the occurrence of a specific abnormality, and then the exposure process on the substrate is resumed, a shot area that has already been exposed is exposed again, i.e., double exposure occurs.
Therefore, an object of this embodiment is to provide an exposure apparatus that can perform exposure processing on a substrate so as to reduce defective areas, including areas where double exposure is performed and areas where no exposure is performed.

1A and 1B respectively show a schematic projection view in an XZ cross section and a schematic projection view in a YZ cross section of an exposure apparatus 50 according to this embodiment.
The exposure apparatus 50 according to this embodiment is a photolithography apparatus used in a photolithography process when manufacturing flat panel displays (FPDs), semiconductor devices, and the like.
That is, the exposure apparatus 50 according to this embodiment is configured to project an image of the pattern of the original 5 onto the substrate 11 and expose the substrate 11 to light.

Specifically, the exposure apparatus 50 according to this embodiment includes an illumination optical system 1, an alignment measurement unit 4, an original stage 6, laser interferometers 7a and 7b, a Y light shielding plate 8a (light shielding portion), and an X light shielding plate 8b (light shielding portion).
The exposure apparatus 50 according to this embodiment also includes a projection optical system 9 , a focus measurement unit 10 , a substrate stage 12 , and a control unit 13 .

The illumination optical system 1 includes an exposure light source (light source) such as a mercury lamp or an LED lamp (all not shown), a wavelength selection filter, a lens group, an exposure shutter 2 (shutter member), and a slit 3 .
The illumination optical system 1 is configured to emit exposure light having a wavelength suitable for exposing the substrate 11 toward the original 5 .
Specifically, in the illumination optical system 1 , the exposure shutter 2 is opened to allow the exposure light emitted from the exposure light source to pass through and be irradiated onto the original 5 .

In the exposure apparatus 50 of this embodiment, the exposure light emitted from the exposure light source is blocked using an exposure shutter 2 provided in the illumination optical system 1, so that the exposure of the substrate 11 can be interrupted without turning off the exposure light source.
In the illumination optical system 1 , exposure light emitted from an exposure light source is cut out and shaped by a slit 3 , and then irradiated onto an original 5 .

The alignment measurement unit 4 has a focus adjustment mechanism, and is configured to measure the positions in the XY plane of marks formed on the original surface of the original 5 and on the substrate surface of the substrate 11 .
Specifically, the alignment measurement unit 4 is driven in the XY plane by a driving mechanism not shown, and by combining it with the drive control of the original stage 6 and the substrate stage 12, it can measure the positions of the marks on the original 5 and the substrate 11 in the XY plane.

The original stage 6 is configured to be movable in the Y direction by a drive mechanism (not shown) while holding the original 5 so as to adjust the irradiation position of the exposure light from the illumination optical system 1 on the original surface of the original 5 .
The original stage 6 is provided with a reflective surface, and the measurement light emitted from the laser interferometer 7a is reflected by this reflective surface. The laser interferometer 7a receives the reflected measurement light, thereby constantly monitoring the position of the original stage 6.

The Y light shielding plate 8a is formed of two light shielding plates spaced apart and facing each other in the Y direction, and blocks a portion of the exposure light that has passed through the original stage 6 so as to adjust the illumination range in the Y direction on the substrate surface of the substrate 11.
Specifically, the Y light shielding plate 8 a has a drive mechanism, and is moved in the Y direction by the drive mechanism to adjust the projection range in the Y direction of the image of the pattern of the original 5 on the surface of the substrate 11 .
In the exposure apparatus 50 according to this embodiment, the Y light shielding plate 8a is disposed between the original stage 6 and the projection optical system 9 in the Z direction.

The projection optical system 9 includes lenses, mirrors, etc., including a magnification correction unit, etc. The projection optical system 9 is configured to guide the exposure light that has passed through the original 5 held by the original stage 6 to the substrate 11 held by the substrate stage 12, thereby projecting an image of the pattern formed on the original 5 onto the substrate surface of the substrate 11.
Then, by moving the lenses and mirrors provided in the projection optical system 9 in the Z direction, Pitch direction, and Roll direction using a driving mechanism not shown, an image of the pattern can be projected onto the substrate surface of the substrate 11 while generating any desired magnification, shift, and focus.

The projection optical system 9 provided in the exposure apparatus 50 according to this embodiment is a life-size imaging optical system that projects an image of the pattern formed on the original 5 onto the substrate surface of the substrate 11 at life-size.
However, the present invention is not limited to this, and a magnifying imaging optical system that magnifies and projects the image of the pattern onto the substrate surface of the substrate 11, or a reducing imaging optical system that reduces and projects the image may be used.
Furthermore, the projection optical system 9 may be a mirror projection system using a huge mirror, or may be a multi-lens system using multiple lenses.

The X-shading plate 8b is formed of two shading plates spaced apart and facing each other in the X-direction, and blocks a portion of the exposure light that has passed through the projection optical system 9 so as to adjust the illumination range in the X-direction on the substrate surface of the substrate 11.
Specifically, the X-shielding plate 8 b has a drive mechanism, and is moved in the X-direction by the drive mechanism to adjust the projection range in the X-direction of the image of the pattern of the original 5 on the surface of the substrate 11 .
In the exposure apparatus 50 according to this embodiment, the X-light shielding plate 8b is disposed between the projection optical system 9 and the substrate stage 12 in the Z direction.

The focus measurement unit 10 emits measurement light toward the substrate surface of the substrate 11 and measures the position of the substrate surface of the substrate 11 in the Z direction, Pitch direction, and Roll direction by using multiple units that receive the light reflected by the substrate surface.
The substrate stage 12 is configured to be movable in each of the X direction, Y direction, Z direction, θ direction, Pitch direction, and Roll direction while holding the substrate 11 so as to adjust the irradiation position of the exposure light on the substrate surface of the substrate 11 by a driving mechanism not shown.
The substrate stage 12 has a reflective surface, and the measurement light emitted from the laser interferometer 7 b is reflected by this reflective surface. The laser interferometer 7 b receives the reflected measurement light, thereby constantly monitoring the position of the substrate stage 12.

The control unit 13 is configured to control each driving mechanism provided in the exposure apparatus 50 according to this embodiment.
For example, the control unit 13 performs alignment between the original 5 and the substrate 11 based on the measurement results of the positions of marks formed on the original surface of the original 5 and the substrate surface of the substrate 11 by the alignment measurement unit 4 .
The control unit 13 controls the driving of the original stage 6 and the substrate stage 12 in accordance with the alignment result, thereby enabling accurate control of the synchronous driving between the two.

In the exposure apparatus 50 according to this embodiment, the original 5 held by the original stage 6 and the substrate 11 held by the substrate stage 12 are disposed at positions optically conjugate with each other with respect to the projection optical system 9 .
Then, while the original stage 6 and the substrate stage 12 are scanned and moved in synchronization with each other, an image of the pattern formed on the original surface of the original 5 is projected onto the substrate surface of the substrate 11 via the projection optical system 9 .

The pattern formed on the original surface of the original 5 used in the exposure apparatus 50 of this embodiment corresponds to a pattern formed in a single layer of a laminated structure when manufacturing FPDs, semiconductor devices, etc. by a photolithography process.
Specifically, in the exposure apparatus 50 according to this embodiment, an image of the pattern is projected onto the substrate surface of the substrate 11 coated with a photosensitive material, thereby forming a latent image of the pattern of the original 5 on the substrate surface.
The latent image formed on the surface of the substrate 11 is then subjected to a development process, whereby it is converted into a physical resist pattern.

Next, specific control of the exposure process for the substrate 11 in the exposure apparatus 50 according to this embodiment will be described.
FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing an exposure process for the substrate 11 in the exposure apparatus 50 according to the present embodiment.
Each step in the flowchart is controlled by the control unit 13.

In the exposure apparatus 50 according to this embodiment, an original 5 and a substrate 11 as shown in FIGS.
Specifically, Figure 3 (a) shows a schematic top view of the original 5, and multiple panels 21, specifically 16 panels 21 arranged in a 4 x 4 grid, are provided on the original surface of the original 5, and each of them has a pattern formed.
That is, in the original 5, four panels 21 are arranged along the Y direction, and four panels 21 are arranged along the X direction.

The multiple panels 21 can be defined as areas in which the same pattern is formed within a shot area, for example.
Furthermore, without being limited to this, the plurality of panels 21 may be determined based on panel layout information input by the user, for example.

FIG. 3B is a schematic top view of the substrate 11. A plurality of shot regions 20a, 20b, 20c, and 20d are provided on the surface of the substrate 11, specifically in a 2×2 grid pattern.
Then, 16 panels 21 formed on the original surface of the original 5 are transferred in each of the shot areas 20a, 20b, 20c and 20d.

It should be noted that the number and layout of the panels 21 provided on the original surface of the original 5 and the number and layout of the shot areas provided on the substrate surface of the substrate 11 are not limited to those described above.
The control in the exposure apparatus 50 according to this embodiment is effective when performing exposure processing to transfer two or more panels 21 arranged along the Y direction in each shot area.

As shown in FIG. 2, when exposure processing is started in the exposure apparatus 50 according to this embodiment, first, scanning exposure is started for a predetermined shot area (step S101).
Specifically, in step S 101 , exposure light from an exposure light source in the illumination optical system 1 is extracted by the slit 3 , passes through the original 5 and the projection optical system 9 , and is then irradiated onto the predetermined shot area of the substrate 11 .

Then, the original stage 6 and the substrate stage 12 are driven synchronously with each other in the Y direction based on the result of a previous alignment between the original 5 and the substrate 11, whereby scanning exposure is performed on a predetermined shot area of the substrate 11.
Also, in step S101, by driving the Y light shielding plate 8a and the X light shielding plate 8b, a portion of the exposure light emitted from the illumination optical system 1 is shielded so that the exposure light is not irradiated onto areas other than a predetermined illumination area on the original surface of the original 5 and a predetermined shot area on the substrate surface of the substrate 11.

Next, it is determined whether or not a predetermined abnormality has been detected in the exposure apparatus 50 according to this embodiment (step S102, determination step).
The specified abnormalities referred to here include, for example, an error in the scanning movement of at least one of the original stage 6 and the substrate stage 12, the unexpected extinguishing of the exposure light source provided in the illumination optical system 1, and the unexpected closure of the exposure shutter 2 provided in the illumination optical system 1.
If no predetermined abnormality is detected in the exposure apparatus 50 according to this embodiment (Yes in step S102), it is determined whether scanning exposure for a predetermined shot area of the substrate 11 has been completed (step S103).

If the scanning exposure for the predetermined shot area of the substrate 11 has not been completed (No in step S103), the process returns to step S102, and the scanning exposure for the predetermined shot area is continued.
On the other hand, when scanning exposure for a predetermined shot area on the substrate 11 has been completed (Yes in step S103), it is determined whether scanning exposure for all shot areas on the substrate 11 has been completed (step S104).

If scanning exposure has been completed for all shot areas on the substrate 11 (Yes in step S104), the exposure process for the substrate 11 ends.
On the other hand, if scanning exposure has not been completed for all shot areas of the substrate 11 (No in step S104), the original stage 6 and the substrate stage 12 are moved so that scanning exposure can be performed on the next shot area that has not yet been subjected to scanning exposure.
Then, scanning exposure is started for the next shot area (step S105), and the process returns to step S102.

When performing exposure processing on a substrate 11 as shown in FIG. 3B in the exposure apparatus 50 according to this embodiment, scanning exposure can be performed, for example, in the order of shot areas 20a, 20b, 20c, and 20d.
However, the order of the shot areas on the substrate 11 to which scanning exposure is performed is not limited to this, and can be arbitrarily set by the control unit 13 .

In addition, the scanning direction when performing scanning exposure on each of the shot areas 20a to 20d on the substrate 11, i.e., whether to scan in the positive Y direction or the negative Y direction, can also be arbitrarily set by the control unit 13.
Furthermore, in the exposure apparatus 50 according to the present embodiment, scanning exposure is performed on each shot area in the Y direction, but the present invention is not limited to this and scanning exposure may be performed in the X direction.

Returning to step S102, if a predetermined abnormality is detected in the exposure apparatus 50 according to this embodiment (No in step S102), the scanning exposure currently being performed is interrupted (step S106).
FIG. 4 shows a schematic partial top view of the exposure apparatus 50 according to this embodiment when scanning exposure is interrupted at a predetermined timing in step S106.

As shown in FIG. 4, when scanning exposure for a predetermined shot area starts in step S101 or step S105, scanning exposure is performed, for example, from the negative end of the predetermined shot area in the Y direction to the positive end of the Y direction.
At this time, the Y light shielding plates 8a are disposed along the negative end and positive end of the Y direction of the predetermined shot area.
Then, 16 panels 21 formed on the original surface of the original 5 are transferred to the predetermined shot area.

As shown in FIG. 4, divided exposure areas 30a, 30b, 30c, and 30d are formed in order from the negative Y-direction side to the positive Y-direction side for the 16 panels 21 to be transferred onto the specified shot area.
That is, each of the multiple divided exposure regions 30a, 30b, 30c, and 30d arranged along the Y direction has four panels 21 along the X direction.
The divided exposure regions 30a, 30b, 30c, and 30d can be determined by the control unit 13 based on the layout of the multiple panels 21 on the original surface of the original 5 input by the user.

As shown in FIG. 4, the negative end of the divided exposure area 30a in the Y direction, that is, the position where scanning exposure for a given shot area starts, is represented as 33a.
In other words, the position 33a can also be called the end portion on the scanning start side of the predetermined shot area.

The positive end of divided exposure area 30d in the Y direction, that is, the position where scanning exposure for a given shot area ends, is indicated as 33e.
The center position between divided exposure regions 30a and 30b in the Y direction is represented as 33b, and the center position between divided exposure regions 30b and 30c in the Y direction is represented as 33c.

The center position between divided exposure region 30c and divided exposure region 30d in the Y direction is represented as 33d.
The positions 33a, 33b, 33c, and 33d can also be referred to as starting positions of scanning exposure for the divided exposure regions 30a, 30b, 30c, and 30d, respectively.

As shown in FIG. 4, for example, when it is determined in step S102 that a specified abnormality has been detected in the exposure apparatus 50 according to this embodiment, scanning exposure has been performed on a specified position 31 within the divided exposure area 30b in the Y direction.
Specifically, position 31 is determined as the position of the negative Y-direction end of the exposure light irradiation area 34 on a specified shot area when it is determined in step S102 that a specified abnormality has been detected in the exposure apparatus 50 of this embodiment, as shown in FIG.

Also, when scanning exposure for the predetermined shot area is interrupted in step S106, it is assumed that scanning exposure has been performed for a predetermined position 32 within divided exposure area 30b in the Y direction.
Specifically, position 32 is determined as the position of the Y-direction positive end of the exposure light irradiation area 34 on the specified shot area when scanning exposure for the specified shot area is interrupted in step S106, as shown in FIG.

The predetermined abnormality in the exposure apparatus 50 according to this embodiment detected in step S102 includes, for example, an abnormality in focus during scanning exposure, and an abnormality in the drive mechanism that drives the original stage 6 and the substrate stage 12.
The specified abnormality also includes an abnormality that requires interruption of scanning exposure for a specified shot area in the exposure apparatus 50 according to this embodiment, such as an abnormality in the illumination optical system 1 during scanning exposure.

Then, when the control unit 13 determines that such an abnormality has been detected in step S102, it stops driving the original stage 6 and the substrate stage 12 in step S106, and closes the exposure shutter 2 in the illumination optical system 1 to interrupt the scanning exposure.
In step S106, instead of closing the exposure shutter 2 in the illumination optical system 1, the exposure light source may be turned off by controlling the voltage applied to the exposure light source.

Even if the control unit 13 determines that an abnormality has been detected in step S102, it cannot immediately stop driving the original stage 6 and the substrate stage 12 or immediately close the exposure shutter 2 in step S106.
Therefore, as described above, position 31 when it is determined that an abnormality has been detected in step S102 (hereinafter referred to as abnormality occurrence position 31) and position 32 when scanning exposure is interrupted in step S106 (hereinafter referred to as exposure interruption position 32) will be shifted from each other.

Next, the abnormality occurrence position 31 and the exposure interruption position 32 on the shot area where scanning exposure is being performed are respectively determined (step S107).
Specifically, in step S107, the positions in the XY plane of the original stage 6 and the substrate stage 12 measured by the laser interferometers 7a and 7b, respectively, which are recorded by the control unit 13 when scanning and exposing the abnormality position 31, are referenced.

Next, the illumination range in the Y direction on the shot area where scanning exposure is being performed is calculated from the width in the Y direction of the exposure light determined by the slit 3 at the positions in the XY plane of each of the referenced original stage 6 and substrate stage 12.
Then, the position of the calculated illumination range on the negative side in the Y direction is determined as the abnormality occurrence position 31 .

Furthermore, in step S107, the positions in the XY plane of the original stage 6 and the substrate stage 12 measured by the laser interferometers 7a and 7b, respectively, which are recorded by the control unit 13 while scanning and exposing the exposure interruption position 32, are referenced.
Next, the illumination range in the Y direction on the shot area where scanning exposure is being performed is calculated from the width in the Y direction of the exposure light determined by the slit 3 at the positions in the XY plane of each of the referenced original stage 6 and substrate stage 12.
Then, the position of the calculated illumination range on the positive side in the Y direction is determined as the exposure interruption position 32 .

The area between the abnormality occurrence position 31 and the exposure interruption position 32 determined in this manner can be referred to as an abnormal exposure area in which scanning exposure is performed in the exposure device 50 of this embodiment when a specified abnormality has occurred.
In other words, the abnormal exposure area can be defined as the area between the abnormality occurrence position 31 at the time when a specified abnormality is detected in the exposure apparatus 50 of this embodiment and the exposure interruption position 32 at the time when the scanning exposure is interrupted.
In Figure 4, the area in which scanning exposure was performed from the time a specified abnormality occurred in the exposure device 50 of this embodiment until the scanning exposure was interrupted, i.e., the area between the exposure start position 33a and the exposure interruption position 32, is shown in gray.

Next, it is determined in which of the divided exposure regions 30a to 30d the abnormality occurrence position 31 and the exposure interruption position 32 determined in step S107 are included (step S108).
Specifically, in step S108, the determined abnormality occurrence position 31 and exposure interruption position 32 are compared with positions 33a, 33b, 33c, 33d, and 33e to determine which of the divided exposure areas 30a to 30d each of them falls within.

Next, an abnormal exposure area where scanning exposure is performed while a predetermined abnormality has occurred in the exposure apparatus 50 according to this embodiment is determined (step S109, determination step).
As described above, the abnormal exposure area is the area between the abnormality occurrence position 31 and the exposure interruption position 32 .

Therefore, in step S109, at least one divided exposure area between the divided exposure area including the abnormality occurrence position 31 and the divided exposure area including the exposure interruption position 32 in the Y direction is determined as an abnormal exposure area.
In the example shown in FIG. 4, since the abnormality occurrence position 31 and the exposure interruption position 32 are both included in the divided exposure region 30b, the divided exposure region 30b is determined to be the abnormal exposure region.

Next, the user is notified that there is a possibility that a defect has occurred in the panel 21 included in the abnormal exposure area determined in step S109 (step S110).
Next, a normal exposure area is determined in which no predetermined abnormality has occurred in the exposure apparatus 50 according to this embodiment in a predetermined shot area, that is, in which scanning exposure is performed in a normal state (step S111).

Specifically, in step S111, an area is determined that was exposed during scanning exposure of a specified shot area within a time (period) prior to the time when a specified abnormality occurred in the exposure apparatus 50 of this embodiment, for example, an area shown in black in Figure 4.
Then, at least one divided exposure area, in which scanning exposure is performed normally for all the divided exposure areas 30a to 30d, is determined as a normal exposure area.

In other words, at least one divided exposure area among divided exposure areas 30a to 30d that is located on the negative Y-direction side of the abnormal exposure area, that is, on the scanning start side, is determined as a normal exposure area.
In the example shown in FIG. 4, divided exposure area 30b is determined to be an abnormal exposure area, and therefore divided exposure area 30a, which is located on the negative side of divided exposure area 30b in the Y direction, is determined to be a normal exposure area.

Also, in step S111, an unexposed area that has not yet been subjected to scanning exposure is determined in a predetermined shot area.
That is, an area in a predetermined shot area that has not yet been subjected to scanning exposure, for example, an area shown in white in FIG. 4, is determined.
Then, at least one divided exposure region, of which all the regions have not yet been subjected to scanning exposure, among the divided exposure regions 30a to 30d is determined as an unexposed region.

In other words, at least one divided exposure region among the divided exposure regions 30a to 30d that is disposed on the positive side in the Y direction of the abnormal exposure region is determined as an unexposed region.
In the example shown in FIG. 4, divided exposure regions 30c and 30d arranged on the positive side in the Y direction of divided exposure region 30b are determined as unexposed regions.

Next, the Y light shielding plate 8a is positioned so that the exposure light is not irradiated onto the normally exposed area determined in step S111 and the abnormally exposed area determined in step S109 (step S112).
This makes it possible to prevent the already exposed divided exposure areas including the normally exposed area and the abnormally exposed area from being exposed again, that is, to prevent double exposure.

FIG. 5A shows a schematic partial top view of the exposure device 50 according to this embodiment when the Y light shielding plate 8a is positioned in step S112.
As described above, in the example shown in FIG. 4, the divided exposure regions 30a and 30b are determined as the normal exposure region and the abnormal exposure region, respectively.
Therefore, in this case, as shown in FIG. 5A, in step S112, the Y light shielding plate 8a is positioned so that the exposure light is not irradiated onto the divided exposure regions 30a and 30b.

Next, after the predetermined abnormality that has occurred in the exposure apparatus 50 according to this embodiment is resolved, scanning exposure is resumed (step S113, resume step), and the process returns to step S102.
In step S113, scanning exposure of the predetermined shot area may be resumed from the position where scanning exposure of the predetermined shot area is started, that is, position 33a in the example shown in FIG.

Alternatively, without being limited to this, in step S113, scanning exposure of the predetermined shot area may be resumed from the closest position on the negative Y-direction side of the unexposed area among the center positions between adjacent divided exposure areas.
That is, in the example shown in Figure 4, scanning exposure of a specified shot area may be resumed from position 33c, which is the closest of the central positions 33b to 33d between adjacent divided exposure areas on the negative Y side of the unexposed area.

As described above, in the exposure apparatus 50 according to this embodiment, when exposure of a predetermined shot area of the substrate 11 is interrupted, the control unit 13 controls the Y light shielding plate 8a so that the exposure light is not guided to a normal exposure area in the predetermined shot area, and resumes exposure of the predetermined shot area.
As a result, even if an abnormality occurs in the exposure device 50 when exposing a specified shot area containing multiple panels 21, and the exposure is interrupted, the number of defective panels 21 in the specified shot area can be reduced.

In the exposure apparatus 50 according to this embodiment, the Y light shielding plate 8a is disposed so that the exposure light is not irradiated onto the normally exposed region and the abnormally exposed region in step S112.
However, this is not limited to the above, and a Y light shielding plate 8a may be arranged so that exposure light is not irradiated only to the normal exposure area, that is, only to the divided exposure area 30a in the example of the partial schematic top view of the exposure device 50 according to this embodiment shown in Figure 5 (b).
In this case, scanning exposure can be performed on the predetermined shot area so that no area is left unexposed.

Furthermore, in the exposure apparatus 50 according to this embodiment, the Y light shielding plate 8a is arranged so that the exposure light is not irradiated onto the normally exposed region and the abnormally exposed region in step S112.
However, this is not limiting, and the irradiation timing of the exposure light from the illumination optical system 1 may be adjusted without moving the Y light shielding plate 8a, i.e., while maintaining the positioning of the Y light shielding plate 8a along each of the negative Y-direction ends and positive Y-direction ends of a specified shot area.

That is, in this case, step S112 is not performed. Then, when scanning exposure for a predetermined shot area is resumed in step S113, the exposure shutter 2 is closed when scanning the normal exposure area and the abnormal exposure area, and the exposure shutter 2 is opened when scanning the unexposed area.
4, the exposure shutter 2 is closed when the divided exposure areas 30a and 30b are scanned, and then the exposure shutter 2 is opened when scanning the position 33c, which is the start position of the scanning exposure for the divided exposure area 30c, i.e., the end of the divided exposure area 30c on the scanning start side.
In this case, instead of closing and opening the exposure shutter 2, the exposure light source provided in the illumination optical system 1 may be turned on and off by controlling the voltage applied to the exposure light source.

In addition, while maintaining the arrangement of the Y light shielding plate 8a along each of the Y direction negative end and Y direction positive end of a specified shot area, the scanning start position when exposure to the specified shot area is resumed may be changed.
That is, in this case, step S112 is not performed, and scanning exposure of the predetermined shot area is resumed in step S113 from the position where scanning exposure of the unexposed area is started, that is, from the scanning start side end of the unexposed area.
Specifically, in the example shown in FIG. 4, scanning exposure can be resumed from position 33c, which is the start position of scanning exposure for divided exposure region 30c.

In the above description, among the multiple divided exposure regions provided in the shot region, the divided exposure regions included in the normal exposure region, the abnormal exposure region, and the unexposed region are determined, but the present invention is not limited to this.
That is, in the exposure apparatus 50 according to this embodiment, the shot area may be defined as a single continuous exposure area, and partial areas contained in the normal exposure area, abnormal exposure area, and unexposed area within that single exposure area may be determined.

[Production method of the article]
The method for manufacturing an article according to this embodiment includes a step of exposing a substrate, such as a wafer or a glass substrate, coated with a photosensitive agent, using the exposure apparatus 50 according to this embodiment.
The articles in question include semiconductor integrated circuit (IC) elements, liquid crystal display elements, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), and the like.

The method for manufacturing an article according to this embodiment also includes a step of developing the exposed substrate (photosensitive agent) and other known steps of processing the developed substrate.
The other well-known processes include etching, photoresist peeling, dicing, bonding, packaging, and the like.

According to the method for manufacturing an article according to this embodiment, it is possible to manufacture an article of higher quality than before.
Although the preferred embodiments have been described above, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments and various modifications and changes are possible within the scope of the gist thereof.

The disclosure of this embodiment includes the following configurations and methods.
(Structure 1) An exposure apparatus that projects an image of a pattern of an original onto a substrate and exposes the substrate, comprising: a projection optical system that projects an image onto a substrate surface of the substrate by guiding exposure light that has passed through the original to the substrate; an original stage that holds the original and moves in a scanning direction parallel to the substrate surface when exposing a predetermined shot area on the substrate surface; a substrate stage that holds the substrate and moves in a scanning direction in the first direction when exposing the predetermined shot area; a light shielding section that blocks a portion of the exposure light guided to the substrate; and a control section that performs a resume process that resumes exposure of the predetermined shot area while controlling the light shielding section when exposure of the predetermined shot area is interrupted.
(Configuration 2) An exposure apparatus as described in Configuration 1, characterized in that the restarting process includes a process of restarting exposure of a specified shot area while controlling a light-shielding portion so that exposure light is not guided to each of the normal exposure area and the abnormal exposure area in the specified shot area.
(Configuration 3) An exposure apparatus described in configuration 1 or 2, characterized in that the restart process includes a determination process for determining an abnormal exposure area from an area exposed between the time when a specified abnormality occurred during exposure of a specified shot area and the time when the exposure of the specified shot area was interrupted.
(Configuration 4) The exposure apparatus according to configuration 3, wherein the control unit performs a step of notifying that a defect may occur in the abnormal exposure region.
(Structure 5) An exposure apparatus described in any one of structures 1 to 4, characterized in that the restart process includes a process of determining a normal exposure area from an area exposed within a time prior to the time when a specified abnormality occurred during exposure of a specified shot area.
(Configuration 6) An exposure apparatus according to any one of configurations 1 to 5, wherein the restart process includes a determination process of determining whether a specified abnormality has occurred during exposure of a specified shot area.
(Configuration 7) An exposure apparatus according to configuration 6, wherein the control unit performs a step of interrupting exposure of a predetermined shot area when it is determined in the determination step that a predetermined abnormality has occurred.
(Structure 8) An exposure apparatus described in any one of structures 3 to 7, comprising an illumination optical system that irradiates an original with exposure light, the illumination optical system having a light source that emits exposure light and a shutter member that opens to allow the exposure light from the light source to pass through, and wherein the specified abnormality includes an error in the scanning movement of at least one of the original stage and the substrate stage, unexpected extinguishing of the light source, and unexpected closure of the shutter member.
(Structure 9) An exposure apparatus described in any one of structures 1 to 8, characterized in that the specified shot area has a plurality of divided exposure areas arranged along a first direction, and the restart process includes a step of determining an abnormal exposure area from at least one divided exposure area that includes an area exposed between the time when the specified abnormality occurred during exposure of the specified shot area and the time when the exposure of the specified shot area was interrupted.
(Configuration 10) An exposure apparatus according to configuration 9, wherein the restart process includes a step of determining a normal exposure area from at least one divided exposure area that is located on the scanning start side of the abnormal exposure area in a specified shot area.
(Configuration 11) An exposure apparatus described in configuration 9 or 10, characterized in that the multiple divided exposure areas are arranged along a first direction on the original and are determined based on a multiple panels on which the same patterns are formed.
(Configuration 12) An exposure apparatus according to configuration 11, wherein the multiple panels are arranged in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction within the substrate surface.
(Configuration 13) An exposure apparatus according to any one of configurations 1 to 12, wherein the restarting step includes a step of restarting exposure of the predetermined shot area from an end of the predetermined shot area on the scanning start side.
(Structure 14) An exposure apparatus described in any one of structures 1 to 12, characterized in that the restart process includes a process of determining an unexposed area that is not exposed when exposure of a specified shot area is interrupted, and a process of resuming exposure of the specified shot area from the scanning start end of the unexposed area.
(Structure 15) An exposure apparatus described in any one of structures 1 to 12, comprising an illumination optical system that irradiates an original with exposure light and has a shutter member that allows the exposure light to pass by opening, and the restart process includes a process of opening the shutter member when scanning the scanning start side end of a specified shot area.
(Structure 16) An exposure apparatus described in any one of structures 1 to 12, comprising an illumination optical system that irradiates an original with exposure light and has a shutter member that allows the exposure light to pass when opened, and the restart process includes a process of determining an unexposed area that has not been exposed when exposure of a specified shot area is interrupted, and a process of opening the shutter member when scanning the scanning start side end of the unexposed area.
(Structure 17) An exposure apparatus according to any one of Structures 1 to 16, characterized in that the light-shielding section includes two light-shielding plates that are spaced apart and opposed to each other in the first direction, and each of which is movable in the first direction.
(Method 1) A method for manufacturing an article, comprising the steps of exposing a substrate by the exposure apparatus described in any one of configurations 1 to 17, and developing the exposed substrate.
(Method 2) An exposure method for projecting an image onto a substrate and exposing the substrate using an exposure apparatus that includes a projection optical system that guides exposure light that has passed through an original to a substrate, thereby projecting an image of the pattern of the original onto the substrate surface of the substrate, an original stage that holds the original and moves in a first direction parallel to the substrate surface when exposing a predetermined shot area on the substrate surface, a substrate stage that holds the substrate and moves in a first direction, while exposing the predetermined shot area, and a light shielding section that blocks a portion of the exposure light guided to the substrate, wherein the exposure method includes a restart step of restarting exposure of the predetermined shot area while controlling the light shielding section so that the exposure light is not guided to a normal exposure area in the predetermined shot area when the exposure of the predetermined shot area is interrupted.

5 Original 6 Original stage 8a Y light shielding plate (light shielding portion)
8b X light shielding plate (light shielding part)
9: Projection optical system 11: Substrate 12: Substrate stage 13: Control unit 20a, 20b, 20c, 20d: Shot area 34: Exposure light 50: Exposure device

Claims (19)

An exposure apparatus that projects an image of a pattern of an original onto a substrate and exposes the substrate, comprising:
a projection optical system that projects the image onto a substrate surface of the substrate by guiding the exposure light that has passed through the original to the substrate;
an original stage that holds the original and moves in a scanning manner in a first direction parallel to the substrate surface when exposing a predetermined shot area on the substrate surface;
a substrate stage that moves and scans the substrate in the first direction while holding the substrate when exposing the predetermined shot area;
a light shielding portion that shields a portion of the exposure light guided to the substrate;
a control unit that performs a restart process of restarting the exposure of the predetermined shot area while controlling the light blocking unit when the exposure of the predetermined shot area is interrupted so that the exposure light is not guided to a normal exposure area in the predetermined shot area;
An exposure apparatus comprising: The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the restart process includes a process of restarting the exposure of the specified shot area while controlling the light blocking portion so that the exposure light is not guided to the normal exposure area and the abnormal exposure area in the specified shot area. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the restart process includes a determination process for determining an abnormal exposure area from an area exposed between the time when a predetermined abnormality occurred during the exposure of the predetermined shot area and the time when the exposure of the predetermined shot area was interrupted. The exposure apparatus according to claim 3, characterized in that the control unit performs a process of notifying that a defect may have occurred in the abnormal exposure area. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the restart process includes a process of determining the normal exposure area from an area exposed within a time period prior to a time when a specified abnormality occurred during the exposure of the specified shot area. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the restart process includes a determination process for determining whether a specified abnormality has occurred during the exposure of the specified shot area. The exposure apparatus according to claim 6, characterized in that the control unit performs a process of interrupting the exposure of the specified shot area when it is determined in the determination process that the specified abnormality has occurred. an illumination optical system that irradiates the original with the exposure light, the illumination optical system having a light source that emits the exposure light and a shutter member that is opened to allow the exposure light from the light source to pass therethrough;
4. The exposure apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the predetermined abnormality includes an error in the scanning movement of at least one of the original stage and the substrate stage, an unexpected extinguishing of the light source, and an unexpected closing of the shutter member. the predetermined shot area has a plurality of divided exposure areas arranged along the first direction,
2. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the restart process includes a process of determining an abnormal exposure area from at least one of the divided exposure areas including an area exposed between a time when a specified abnormality occurred during the exposure of the specified shot area and a time when the exposure of the specified shot area was interrupted. The exposure apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that the restart process includes a process of determining the normal exposure area from at least one of the divided exposure areas that is located on the scanning start side of the abnormal exposure area in the specified shot area. The exposure apparatus according to claim 9, characterized in that the multiple divided exposure regions are arranged along the first direction on the original and are determined based on multiple panels on which the same patterns are formed. The exposure apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the plurality of panels are arranged in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction within the substrate surface. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, characterized in that the restart process includes a process of restarting the exposure of the specified shot area from the end of the specified shot area on the scanning start side. The restarting step includes:
determining an unexposed area that is not exposed when the exposure of the predetermined shot area is interrupted;
restarting the exposure of the predetermined shot area from a scanning start end of the unexposed area;
2. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: an illumination optical system that irradiates the original with the exposure light and has a shutter member that is opened to pass the exposure light;
2. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the restarting step includes a step of opening the shutter member when scanning an end portion on a scanning start side of the predetermined shot area. an illumination optical system that irradiates the original with the exposure light and has a shutter member that is opened to pass the exposure light;
The restarting step includes:
determining an unexposed area that is not exposed when the exposure of the predetermined shot area is interrupted;
opening the shutter member when scanning the end of the unexposed area on the scanning start side;
2. The exposure apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: The exposure device according to claim 1, characterized in that the light blocking section includes two light blocking plates that are spaced apart so as to face each other in the first direction and each of which is movable in the first direction. Exposing a substrate by an exposure apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 17;
developing the exposed substrate;
A method for producing an article, comprising: an exposure method for projecting an image of a pattern of an original onto a substrate surface of the substrate by guiding exposure light that has passed through an original to the substrate; an original stage that holds the original and moves for scanning in a first direction parallel to the substrate surface when exposing a predetermined shot area on the substrate surface; a substrate stage that holds the substrate and moves for scanning in the first direction when exposing the predetermined shot area; and a light shielding unit that blocks a portion of the exposure light guided to the substrate, the method comprising:
an exposure method comprising: a restarting step of restarting the exposure of the specified shot area while controlling the light-shielding portion so that the exposure light is not guided to a normal exposure area in the specified shot area when the exposure of the specified shot area is interrupted.