JPH0548615B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed Description of the Invention] [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to an X-ray exposure apparatus that sweeps an X-ray beam emitted from a synchrotron by vibrating a reflecting mirror, and particularly relates to an This relates to the configuration of the drive mechanism.

In lithography technology used in wafer processes such as semiconductor device manufacturing, the wavelength of the irradiation beam used for exposure has been shortened from visible light to deep ultraviolet rays as patterns become finer, and X-rays are also becoming shorter in wavelength. Recruitment is being studied.

This X-ray source contains radiation emitted tangentially from the rotating synchrotron electrons, the so-called
SOR (Synchrotron Orbit Radiation) light has excellent characteristics such as sharp directivity, parallelism comparable to laser light, and continuous spectral distribution over a wide wavelength range (0.1 Å to several thousand Å), making it the most promising. being watched.

However, as shown in FIG. 3, the X-ray beam 1 of the SOR light can obtain a desired width in the a direction parallel to the plane of the electron rotational orbit 2; Since the width in the perpendicular b direction is extremely small, when using it for exposure, one method is to place a reflector 3 in the middle of the optical path of beam 1 and vibrate it in the c direction to direct the beam 1 in the b direction. to form the desired exposure area.

When the beam 1 is incident on the reflecting surface of the reflecting mirror 3, which is made of metal such as platinum (Pt) or gold (Au),
Since the reflectance decreases due to burn-in of hydrocarbons in the atmosphere, in order to prevent this, the rotary track 2 is usually placed in a vacuum communicating with a vacuum chamber in which the rotating orbit 2 is formed.

On the other hand, since the synchrotron in an exposure apparatus using a synchrotron X-ray source is expensive, it has been considered to increase cost efficiency by providing a single synchrotron with a plurality of exposure sections.

In this case, deterioration of the degree of vacuum in the vacuum chamber in which the rotating orbit 2 is formed has a large effect, rendering the entire exposure apparatus inoperable, so the configuration is such that there is no risk of poor airtightness even in the vacuum area where the reflecting mirror 3 is installed. It is important to

[Conventional technology]

FIG. 4 is a schematic side sectional view showing the configuration of a conventional drive mechanism for vibrating a reflecting mirror in the above-mentioned X-ray exposure apparatus.

By the way, this drive mechanism is described in the document “Journal of Vacuum Science Technology,” for example.
B, Vol. 1, No. 4, 1984, P. 1271".

In Fig. 4, 1 and 3 are the X-ray beam and reflecting mirror shown in Fig. 3, respectively, 4 is a reflecting mirror room that keeps the area where the reflecting mirror 3 is placed in a vacuum, and 5 is the reflecting mirror that reflects the beam 1 from the synchrotron. A beam introducing tube 6 introduces the beam into the mirror 3, a beam guiding tube 6 guides the beam 1 reflected by the reflecting mirror 3 to an exposure section (not shown), and a reflecting mirror chamber 7 is made of a material such as beryllium (Be) that transmits the beam 1. This is a window provided in the beam extraction tube 6 to isolate the beam from the outside air and keep it in a vacuum.

Further, 8 is a support rod that supports one end (right side in the figure) of the reflector 3 so as to be able to swing in the c direction, and 9 is a support rod that supports the other end (left side in the figure) of the reflector 3 and supports the reflector 3. c.
A drive rod 10 is located outside the reflector chamber 4 and drives the drive rod 9. Reference numeral 11 is a drive rod 9 that isolates the reflector chamber 4 from the outside air and keeps it in a vacuum.
The bellows is connected to the middle of the mirror chamber 4 and the mirror chamber 4 and is expandable and contractible following the movement of the drive rod 9, and is a drive mechanism that vibrates the reflector 3 using the drive rod 9, the vibrator 10, and the bellows 11. 12 is formed.

The beam 1 that has passed through the beam introduction tube 5 and entered the reflection mirror 3 is swept in the b direction by the vibration of the reflection mirror 3 when it passes through the beam extraction tube 6 and is reflected toward the exposure section, and as described above, the beam 1 enters the reflection mirror 3. A desired exposure area is formed in the section.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

In the X-ray exposure apparatus with this configuration, the bellows 1
1 is generally weak, and when the vibrations of the reflector 3 overlap, it will break due to repeated fatigue of deformation following the movement of the drive rod 9, and external air will leak into the reflector chamber 4, causing the reflector 3 to deteriorate. , and even the synchrotron becomes inoperable.

This failure is particularly important when having multiple exposed areas.
This is a problem that causes major damage to production because it disables the operation of all exposure sections.

[Means for solving problems]

The above problem is that all of the movable parts that engage with the reflecting mirror in the drive mechanism that vibrates the reflecting mirror are disposed within the air space where the reflecting mirror is installed, and the X-ray beam emitted from the synchrotron is reflected by the mirror. This problem is solved by the X-ray exposure apparatus of the present invention, which sweeps by vibration of a mirror.

According to the present invention, it is desirable that the drive mechanism has no portion on which the movable part slides.

[Effect]

With the above configuration, the bellows required in the conventional drive mechanism that vibrates the reflector is no longer necessary, and there is no longer a part that causes fatigue failure due to repeated vibrations of the reflector and leaks outside air, which increases the probability of vacuum deterioration. is reduced.

In addition, by using a driving body such as a linear motor or a piezoelectric element that does not have a sliding part for the movable part that engages with the reflecting mirror, this drive mechanism can be used to prevent the occurrence of problems when installed in a vacuum. Problems such as those associated with lubrication can be avoided.

In this way, the probability that the synchrotron becomes inoperable is reduced, and it becomes possible to ensure the operation of the exposure section more stably than before, especially in the case of having a plurality of exposure sections.

〔Example〕

Two embodiments of a drive mechanism according to the present invention for vibrating a reflecting mirror will be described below with reference to schematic side cross-sectional views of FIGS. 1 and 2 showing their configurations, respectively. The same reference numerals indicate the same objects throughout the figures.

FIG. 1 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 4, and in the X-ray exposure apparatus shown in FIG.

That is, 9a corresponds to the drive rod 9, and 10a corresponds to 1.
0, the drive rod 9a and the vibrator 10
a forms a drive mechanism 12a corresponding to 12.

The driving body of the vibrator 10a is, for example, a linear motor or a piezoelectric element, and the driving mechanism 12a is
is formed so that there are no sliding parts in the movable parts including the drive rod 9a. Therefore, problems that arise when placed in a vacuum, such as problems with lubrication, are avoided.

The vibration of the reflecting mirror 3 caused by this drive mechanism 12a is
This is exactly the same as in the case using the conventional drive mechanism 12, and the sweeping of the beam 1 is the same as in the case shown in FIG. However, since the drive mechanism 12a does not have a part such as the bellows 11 shown in FIG. 4, which leaks outside air due to fatigue failure caused by repeated vibrations of the reflector 3, the degree of vacuum in the reflector chamber 4 deteriorates. This reduces the probability that the synchrotron will become inoperable.

FIG. 2 is a diagram corresponding to FIG. 4, and in the X-ray exposure apparatus shown in FIG. ing.

That is, 9b is the drive rod corresponding to 9, and 10b is 1
The vibration exciter 11b corresponds to the bellows 11, and the drive rod 9a, the vibration exciter 10a, and the partition 11b form a drive mechanism 12b corresponding to the vibration exciter 12.

In the drive mechanism 12b, the driver of the vibrator 10b is, for example, a linear motor, and the vibrator 10b is a linear motor.
A movable part 10ba made of, for example, a coil is disposed within the reflection chamber 4, and a fixed part 10bb of the vibrator 10b made of, for example, an electromagnet is disposed outside the reflection chamber 4. In addition, the movable part 10ba and the fixed part 10bb
A reflection chamber 4 made of, for example, a non-magnetic material is provided between the
A partition wall 11b joined to the reflecting mirror chamber 4 is provided.
maintains a vacuum.

The movable portion of the drive mechanism 12b consisting of the drive rod 9b and the movable portion 10ba is formed so that there is no sliding portion. Problems that arise when the moving parts are arranged in a vacuum, such as problems with lubrication, are thus avoided.

The vibration of the reflecting mirror 3 caused by this drive mechanism 12b also
This is exactly the same as in the case using the conventional drive mechanism 12, and the sweeping of the beam 1 is the same as in the case shown in FIG. However, since the partition wall 11b does not deform like the bellows 11 when the reflecting mirror 3 vibrates, there is no risk of destruction, and the degree of vacuum in the reflecting mirror chamber 4 deteriorates due to the partition wall 11b, making the synchrotron inoperable. The probability of

Note that the configuration of the drive mechanism 12b is convenient when the drive mechanism is large-sized.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As explained above, according to the configuration of the present invention,
In an X-ray exposure device that sweeps the X-ray beam emitted from a synchrotron by the vibration of a reflecting mirror, the probability that the synchrotron will become inoperable is reduced, and the exposure section can be operated even when the synchrotron has multiple exposure sections. This has the effect of making it possible to secure more stably than before.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

In the drawings, FIG. 1 is a schematic side sectional view showing the structure of one embodiment of the drive mechanism according to the present invention for vibrating a reflecting mirror, FIG. 2 is a schematic side sectional view showing the structure of another embodiment, and FIG. The figure is a perspective view explaining the SOR light and the beam sweep caused by the vibration of the reflecting mirror.
The figure is a schematic side cross-sectional view showing the configuration of a conventional drive mechanism for vibrating a reflecting mirror. Also, in the figure, 1 is an X-ray beam, 2 is a rotating orbit of electrons, 3 is a reflecting mirror, 4 is a reflecting mirror chamber, 5 is a beam introduction tube, 6 is a beam exit tube, 7 is a window, and 8 is a support rod. , 9, 9a, 9b are drive rods, 10, 10
a, 10b are vibration exciters, 10ba is a moving part, 10bb
1 is a fixed part, 11 is a bellows, 11b is a partition wall, 1
2, 12a, and 12b indicate drive mechanisms, respectively.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. All of the movable parts that engage with the reflecting mirror in the drive mechanism that vibrates the reflecting mirror are disposed within an air space in which the reflecting mirror is provided, and the X-ray beam emitted from the synchrotron is An X-ray exposure apparatus characterized in that sweeping is performed by vibration of the reflecting mirror. 2. The X-ray exposure apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the drive mechanism does not have a portion on which the movable part slides.